Martin Lewis says millions of Brits will receive £500 by April 23

K.J. Yossman As BBC Studios gears up for its annual showcase, where it introduces its upcoming hot projects to international buyers, U.K.-based Jonathan Blyth, BBC Studios’ director of comedy, and Kelly Miller, BBC Studios’ Los Angeles-based senior VP of scripted strategy, sat down with Variety to discuss what’s on their comedy slate, working with streamers and the biggest challenges they’re currently facing.What do you look for in a comedy?Kelly Miller (KM): It’s all about authentic storytelling, that lived-in experience, a talent who has something to say. Those are the comedies and the shows that are most resonant with audiences around the world, but particularly here in the U.S.Jonathan Blyth (JB): Talent is very much at the heart — front and centre.

The Tinder Swindler subject Shimon Hayut has said the women in the Netflix documentary “weren’t conned”.Hayut, who also went by the alias Simon Leviev in the recent film, recently spoke to Inside Edition about the allegations levelled against him by several women who met him on Tinder.The first part of the interview aired yesterday (February 21) with a second part due to be released today (February 22), also featuring Hayut’s girlfriend Kate Konlin.“I’m not this monster,” Hayut said of the claims of The Tinder Swindler. “I was just a single guy that wanted to meet some girls on Tinder.”The Netflix documentary alleges that Hayut convinced women he was the son and heir of diamond mogul Lev Leviev, before reportedly conning them out of millions of dollars.“They weren’t conned and they weren’t threatened,” Hayut said of the women featured in the doc, and said of the claims he was the son of Leviev: “No I am not, and I never presented myself [as such].”He went on to say he didn’t “feel bad” for the women who accused him as the allegatiosn were false, and said he is “a legit businessman” in terms of justifying his current lavish lifestyle.Hayut added: “I want to clear my name, I want to say to the world, this is not true.”Victims Cecilie Fjellhøy, Ayleen Koeleman and Pernilla Sjoholm recently set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to repay their debts after being conned.“You’re probably here because you’ve heard about our story, and we appreciate you taking the time to search and find this page,” they wrote.“The past few days have been a whirlwind, and we three (Ayleen, Pernilla and Cecilie) have been completely shocked and floored by the flood of compassion and support from everyone.

Pale Waves have announced new dates for their shows in Dublin and Belfast.

Prominent Australian TV Executive and philanthropist Neil Balnaves has died aged 77 in a boating accident, his foundation has said.

America’s Got Talent judges have paid tribute to series star Jane Marczewski, who died on Sunday 19 February after being diagnosed with cancer. She was 31.

The Mysterious Girl singer celebrated Valentine's with wife Emily last week. Writing in his New magazine column Peter said : "Valentine’s for us is all about time together, we got each other a few little bits but the most special for me was the card Emily got me. " Peter added: "As part of this beautiful card, was hidden 12 things you love about your partner and she hid each one in different locations, and I had to find them.

Coronation Street star Kimberly Hart-Simpson has recently revealed she is returning to the soap.

A lad pointed a BB gun at a college student who had a ‘silly’ argument with his girlfriend before firing at him.

Rio Ferdinand has praised Manchester United starlet Anthony Elanga for seizing the initiative during his early days with the first-team squad.

Chris Sutton believes Manchester City could regret signing Jack Grealish rather than Harry Kane last summer by the end of the season.

The much awaited all-British heavyweight championship fight between Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte has now been confirmed with Whyte signing his contract.

Oti Mabuse has announced she is leaving Strictly Come Dancing after seven years.

Don't miss a thing by getting the latest from the Manchester Evening News sent direct to your inbox

Martin Lewis has urged people to open a Lifetime ISA that could earn them a bonus of £1,000 per year. During the last episode of The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, the financial guru explained how anyone aged between 18-39 can open a LISA, with as little as a £1 deposit.

Martin Lewis used the last episode of The Money Show Live current series to remind viewers who have been working from home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic to claim back tax to help with increased energy costs. The consumer champion encouraged everyone who has worked from home, even for just one day over the last 12 months, to make sure they claim before the financial year ends on April 5.

Martin Lewis has been an invaluable source for money-saving news throughout the coronavirus pandemic, often finding long-forgotten loopholes that could save consumers a handy pot of cash they can then put to better use. In the final episode of The Money Show LIve on ITV, the consumer champion urged married couples and those in a civil partnership to take advantage of a tax break worth hundreds of pounds before time runs out.

Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has warned that every single household in England and Wales could face a hefty £1000 fine if they're not careful.

Martin Lewis has found that people with a mental health condition are three times more likely to have been the victim of an online scam in comparison with the wider UK population. The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute said current plans to tackle the issue do not go far enough and highlighted how people with mental health problems can often face higher risks due to low mood, reduced concentration or impulsivity, which in turn can make it harder to control online spending or spot potential scams online.

direct to your inboxMoney Saving Expert Martin Lewis has issued an important message to people who use streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney +.Speaking Radio 5 Live last month, he said: "We've obviously seen a huge growth in subscriptions from food boxes to dry-cleaning to flowers to the obvious Netflix and Amazon Primes out there and Disney+."A lot of people, I have to say, are saying they know they shouldn't have them and they don't watch that much but they don't cancel."That's exactly what's going on here. The obvious reason why companies often do free trials or limited-cost trials to get people to sign up is the apathy dividend; they hope they gain as people forget to cancel for a month or two.

Universal Credit £20 weekly uplift and a one-off payment in April for households receiving Tax Credits.Details have now been released advising people on eligibility, when they can expect to receive it and how the payment will impact on other benefits they are currently claiming.It is a topic Martin Lewis was also asked about on the latest episode of The Money Show Live, his weekly consumer programme, when a viewer called Linda emailed, “is everyone receiving Working Tax Credits going to get an extra £500 in April or just those who are furloughed?”The consumer champion replied: “If you were getting Working Tax credit on the 2nd of March, I think is the cut-off date, you will get the £500 whether you’re furloughed or not is irrelevant, you

Martin Lewis has shared how tens of thousands of women who have been underpaid in their State Pension are now set to receive back payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), worth an average of £13,500 each.The consumer champion explained the details of the State Pension underpayment, which affects around 200,000 women over the age of 67 and dates back to 2008, during the latest edition of The Martin Lewis Money Show Live on STV.Underpayments affected married women under the ‘old’ basic State Pension rules whose husbands reached State Pension age of 65 before or after March 17, 2008 and who were unknowingly entitled to an ‘enhanced pension’ that would have boosted their monthly payments.Martin said: “We’ve done this before

direct to your inboxMoney Saving Expert Martin Lewis has shared a warning message for anybody planning a holiday this summer. Appearing on This Morning, the finance journalist was quizzed about the best insurance to get if you want to go away in 2020.

direct to your inboxMoney Saving Expert Martin Lewis says customers with BT, Sky, Virgin and O2 can take action now to beat price hikes in April.Price rises in the middle of a hard-hitting pandemic might sound like an April Fool's joke, but unfortunately, it's not.From April 1 yearly inflation means that bills will increase for millions of Brits, with energy bills, council tax, broadband, phone and even rent for some households affected.The annual utility price surge is linked to inflation - the cost of living - and most firms are allowed to hike prices by this amount once a year - often in April. Next month, Three Mobile and Vodafone customers will see their bills rise 4.5%, reports the Mirror.

direct to your inboxMoney Saving Expert Martin Lewis has explained why he deleted his 'upsetting' comments about the Meghan Markle and Prince Harry interview with Oprah which aired on ITV last night.The finance expert removed the 'joke' he'd shared after he discovered it had upset people.Now Martin has explained what happened."Earlier I jokingly wrote "Anything on telly?" feigning ignorance of the yr's most high profile TV. Many found it funny," he said."A few misread as aimed to diminish impact of interview's themes, incl racism.

direct to your inboxMoney Saving Expert Martin Lewis has  divided opinion with a tweet about the Government's latest voucher scheme proposal.Posting on the social media platform, the finance journalist explained how Boris Johnson wants to bring in a voucher scheme which will help to combat obesity.Posting on Twitter, he wrote: "I read this morning the PM wants to introduce vouchers to help with the UK obesity (thus covid) problem.