Peter Medak, veteran director of The Krays and The Changeling, dies aged 88
The film-maker enjoyed a long and varied film and TV career, from horror movies and true-crime thrillers to Cannibal and Breaking Bad
March 2026
Come at the king … HBO changed TV for ever, but is its crown under threat in the age of streaming and Trump?
It gave us Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and The Wire. But as HBO Max comes to the UK and with new ownership imminent, the network that reinvented TV is fighting to stay itself
February 2026
Bobby J Brown, US actor known for The Wire, dies in barn fire
Brown, 62, third member of hit HBO series to die since December, was trying to jumpstart car at home at time of blaze
January 2026
Isiah Whitlock Jr obituary
Actor who played the venal Maryland state governor Clay Davis in the US crime drama The Wire
December 2025
Isiah Whitlock Jr, actor in The Wire and Veep, dies aged 71
Whitlock’s career spanned decades and included roles in many Spike Lee films
James Ransone obituary
American actor known for playing Ziggy in the TV crime drama series The Wire and his many roles in modern horror films
James Ransone, US actor known for The Wire, dies aged 46
LA medical examiner reports Ransone, who played Chester ‘Ziggy’ Sobotka in the HBO crime drama, died by suicide
October 2024
Alexei Navalny memoir says The Wire inspired political career: ‘I’m a big fan’
Late Russian opposition leader wrote of David Simon’s hit Baltimore-set series inspiring Moscow campaign
July 2024
If you like Baby Reindeer, you’ll love Young Mungo! 29 terrific TV shows – and the books to read instead
I’m lost in the foothills of a mountain of TV
David Mitchell
August 2023
Drug dealer gets 10 years in prison for role in actor Michael K Williams’s death
Irvin Cartagena sentenced after pleading guilty to providing The Wire actor with fentanyl-laced heroin, causing his death
July 2023
Michael K Williams: drug dealer in overdose death of Wire actor sentenced to 30 months in prison
Williams’ nephew and The Wire creator David Simon spoke on behalf of Carlos Macci, 72, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to possessing and distributing narcotics
June 2023
‘The end of peak television’: has the era of prestige TV just ground to a halt?
Many of the biggest shows are coming to an end, cancellations are through the roof and miniseries are on the rise. Are the days of the all-conquering television drama numbered?
March 2023
Lance Reddick obituary
Lance Reddick: The Wire’s crusading cop led with command and conviction
Lance Reddick, star of The Wire and John Wick, dies aged 60
Idris Elba: ‘You can make sparkling wine in Portsmouth or champagne in Champagne. My ambition was to make champagne’
November 2022
The 50 greatest HBO shows ever – ranked
From juicy dramas about polyamory, bootlegging and the ‘golden age of porn’ to the most jaw-dropping documentary moment of all time, HBO is known as the home of prestige TV. As it turns 50, here are its greatest hits so far
August 2022
‘If I’m not Omar any more, who am I?’: the late Michael K Williams on leaving The Wire and meeting Obama
Film & Music reader interview
Idris Elba: ‘You need a good coat if you’re going to be a detective’
