English Entertainment
Wipe away your Monday blues with great Peter Sellers movies this February only on PIX
MUMBAI: PIX, the Premium English Movies channel brings you the Best of Peter Sellers every Monday throughout the month of February, on Perfect 10. Watch out for movies The Pink Panther and its sequel, A Shot in the Dark on 5th and 12th February respectively, The Party, on 19th February and rounding off is What’s New Pussycat? on 26th February.
Read Below to catch some interesting trivia on these movies soon to come on PIX…
The Pink Panther
The role of Inspector Clouseau was originally offered to Peter Ustinov. Despite being relatively unknown internationally, Peter Sellers was offered the part, and was paid 90,000 pounds
The film was intended to have The Phantom, Sir Charles Lytton’s character as the main character. However, this film and the sequels focused on the Character of Inspector Clouseau as Peter Sellers’ portrayal of the same was extremely loved by the crew and the audience
An animated Pink Panther was created for the opening credits because writer and director Blake Edwards felt that the credits would benefit from some kind of cartoon character. The Pink Panther character was chosen from over a hundred alternative panther sketches. The Pink Panther introduced in the opening credits became a popular film and television character in his own right.
A Shot in the Dark
The movie was completed before The Pink Panther (1963), but shelved because the studio didn’t think it was any good. The success of the first film made the executives decide to release the shelved film. This also explains the short time span between the release of the first film and this one.
This was the only official Clouseau film not to use the name “Pink Panther” nor use that cartoon character in the opening credits.
Peter Sellers was the first ever male to appear on the cover of Playboy magazine, in April 1964.
The Party
The only Blake Edwards -Peter Sellers collaboration that was not a Pink Panther film.
During the scene in which Peter Sellers wrecks the upstairs bathroom, the band downstairs can be heard playing “It Had Better Be Tonight,” which was originally written and used both as a vocal and as an instrumental score in the first “Pink Panther” film.
This was said to be Elvis Presley’s favorite movie.
What’s New Pussy Cat?
The scene where Woody Allen’s character celebrates his birthday on the wharf was filmed on December 1, 1964 – Woody’s 29th birthday
Banned in Norway because of a scene where Peter Sellers tries to commit suicide by burning himself wrapped in a Norwegian flag.
When Woody Allen turned in his script it did not have a title. It stayed this way until one day he overheard Warren Beatty, talking to one of the hundreds of gorgeous women he was seeing at the time. His usual greeting of “What’s new, pussycat?” was heard by Allen who screamed out “title!”
Get ready to rediscover Peter Sellers and fall in love with the best collection of his great comedies every Monday night on Perfect 10.
English Entertainment
ZEE5 UK partners Narrative Entertainment to add UK channels
Six FAST channels added as platform sharpens hybrid play in Britain
LONDON: ZEE5 UK struck a first-of-its-kind deal with Narrative Entertainment, bringing mainstream UK television channels onto an Indian streaming platform as it pushes to deepen its footprint in a crowded, mature market.
The partnership adds six of Narrative’s FAST channels to the service, including Great! Movies, Great! Romance, Great! Mystery and kids brands POP, Tiny Pop and POP UP, widening ZEE5 UK’s appeal across genres and age groups.
The move reflects a clear shift in strategy. ZEE5 UK is betting on a hybrid model that blends on-demand content with curated, always-on channels to drive discovery and increase time spent on the platform.
“This partnership represents a meaningful evolution in how we serve audiences in mature markets like the UK, where viewers are defined by habits, convenience and choice rather than geography or language alone,” said Parul Goel, territory head, Europe, Zee Entertainment. “By bringing trusted mainstream UK channels together with our premium originals, movies and kids’ content, we are building a more consumer-centric platform that simplifies viewing while increasing depth and relevance.”
Fateha Begum, commercial director, Narrative Entertainment, said the tie-up would fuel growth for both sides. “Our portfolio of quality programming, with such wide and enduring appeal, is a perfect complement to ZEE5 UK. This is a strong partnership that will support growth for both parties, and we share Zee Entertainment’s vision of an increasingly partnership-led future for the industry.”
ZEE5’s global library spans over 4,000 films and more than 500 originals, with over 130 new titles added annually. The addition of Narrative’s channels strengthens its kids offering and introduces genre-led linear experiences alongside its on-demand catalogue.
The deal also gives Narrative access to ZEE5 UK’s fast-growing user base, extending reach without diluting brand identity, while reinforcing ZEE5 UK’s network of more than 40 live channels.
As streaming wars intensify, ZEE5 UK is widening its playbook, blending content, convenience and partnerships in a bid to win screen time in one of the world’s toughest markets.
