The 90-year-old Maylands Brickworks may fire up for a second life, with talks underway to reactivate the historic site.

The chairman of Britain's largest commercial television company has warned that internet giants Facebook and Google pose a "clear and present danger" to civil society.

There appears to be a strong thirst for learning after a sold-out event in Melbourne, with a series of 20 talks in 10 different bars, which participants say is a new way for people to engage and tell stories in an informal setting.

The Oscar-winning actor issues a pre-emptive denial of a sexual misconduct accusation by a former employee, saying he wanted to get ahead of a potential story being investigated by Hollywood publications.

Satirist John Clarke, of Clarke and Dawe fame, "spoke truth to power" and kept politicians on their toes, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says, after the comedian dies suddenly while bushwalking.