Coventry Telegraph - Pass the Remote

Torchwood Saves The Day

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:32:21 +0000

A BIG advantage to having an action hero who cannot die is you can come up with lots of imaginative ways to try and bump him off.

John Barrowman as Torchwood's immortal leader Captain Jack Harkness has a talent for returning from the dead, but that doesn't stop his enemies from trying again... and again ...and again.

He was shot, blown-up, encased in concrete and attacked by an alien virus in BBC 1's Torchwood - Children Of Earth this week and still kept coming back for more.

Hey, it takes more than a pesky bomb and child-snatching aliens to keep a good Time Agent down.

Gavin & Stacey Back As Part Of New TV Season

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:10:49 +0000

THE eagerly-awaited return of Gavin & Stacey is part of the new autumn season of goodies from the BBC.

In the new shows, viewers will see Gavin try to adapt to Barry Island, while his parents, Pam and Mick, learn to cope with an empty nest.

There is a new comedy role for Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden, who heads the cast in Big Top, a series set in and around a travelling circus. The cast includes John Thomson, Time Team and Blackadder star Tony Robinson and former Hi De Hi actress Ruth Madoc.

Food writer Nigel Slater fronts a new series, Simple Suppers, in which he will concentrate on easy-to-prepare, home-grown food.

Jimmy's Farm host Jimmy Doherty will investigate the contents of our shopping trolleys in a new series which looks at the science behind mass-produced food.

BBC1 controller Jay Hunt said: "I am passionate about ensuring BBC1 reaches the widest possible audience. By taking creative risks that surprise and entertain, I believe this autumn's line-up of shows will do just that."

Robin Hood Fires His Last Arrow

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:30:24 +0000

A POISONED knife earned Robin Hood a permanent plot six feet under in Sherwood Forest.

The arrow-firing outlaw met his end after a grand clash with not one, but two Sheriffs of Nothingham. The poor rebel rouser didn't stand a chance really.

Even his nemesis-turned-ally Guy of Gisborne, alias Coventry-trained actor Richard Armitage, met a grisly end in the bowels of the castle.

Only their half-brother Archer lived to tell the tale as Nottingham Castle was blown up and the old sheriff returned to take charge of a big pile of rubble.

Hilary Duff's About To Become A Gossip Girl

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:51:34 +0000

HILARY Duff is reportedly joining the cast of Gossip Girl.

The former Lizzie McGuire star will feature in the New York drama for several episodes as Olivia Burke, a movie star seeking to experience normal college life, EW.com reports.

Hilary's character will enrol at New York University, where Blair (LEIGHTON MEESTER), Dan (PENN BADGLEY) and Vanessa (JESSICA SZOHR) were also accepted, and Olivia will turn out to be Vanessa's roommate.

The 21-year-old actress and singer's first appearance in the show will air in the US on October 5.

Alexander Armstrong To Play Sir Clive Sinclair In New TV Comedy Drama

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:52:13 +0000

ALEXANDER Armstrong is to play maverick Sir Clive Sinclair in a one-off comedy drama about the 1980s battle for home computer supremacy.

Martin Freeman will play his former colleague Chris Curry in the BBC4 drama called Syntax Era.

The 90-minute show will document the lengthy rivalry between the pair, using archive footage to help illustrate the buzz around their inventions.

Classic clips from programmes including John Craven's Newsround will showcase the likes of Sinclair's ZX Spectrum, the Sinclair C5, and Curry's BBC Micro computer.

Richard Klein, controller of BBC4, said: "Those of us that lived through the 80s will remember the sense of excitement when gadgets and technology started to appear in our homes, but not many of us will know the fascinating stories behind their arrival."

The show is currently being filmed.

Sopranos Star To Become A Desperate Housewife?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:06:36 +0000

DREA De Matteo is reportedly joining the cast of Desperate Housewives.

The Sopranos actress will be the new neighbour of Eva Longoria, Teri Hatcher and Co in the sixth season of the hit US TV show, reports E! Online.

It seems Drea's character will be similar to Nicollette Sheridan's Wisteria Lane alter ego Edie Britt, who was killed off in the last series.

E! reports that the 37-year-old Drea - who won an Emmy for her portrayal of Adriana La Cerva in The Sopranos - will play a married Italian in the show.

Lie To Me's Human Lie Detector

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:12:22 +0000

BRENDAN Hines said the cast of the US drama Lie To Me were "really freaking out" when they found out a human lie-detector would be a director for the TV show.

Dr Paul Ekman, a real-life specialist who can can read body movements to expose lies, was a technical director on the set.

"Everyone was freaking out because they were worried that Paul Ekman could read their minds, and he sort of enjoys playing into that preconception," Brendan said.

The Sky One show follows Tim Roth, who plays Dr Cal Lightman - based on Ekman - and runs an investigation agency which is hired by companies and law enforcers to find out the truth.

ITV Orders More Lewis

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:03:17 +0000

ITV today confirmed a new series of the hit drama Lewis starring Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox.

Four new episodes will go into production in July featuring Inspector Robbie Lewis and his partner DS Hathaway investigating murder mysteries in Oxford.

The last series was watched by seven million viewers.

Sally Haynes, ITV's Controller of Drama commissioning, says: "Lewis is always one of the highlights of the year on ITV1 and features not only a great partnership between Lewis and Hathaway but some great plot lines and twists that keep the audience gripped. I'm thrilled it's returning and I know our viewers will be too."

New Daytime Drama Land Girls Comes To Midlands

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:44:23 +0000

NEW BBC 1 daytime drama Land Girls is to be filmed in the Midlands.

The new five-part period drama ispart of a season of programmes marking the 70th anniversary of World War II. It follows the lives and loves of four girls away from home, doing their bit for Britain in the Women's Land Army (WLA).

Inspector Lynley Mysteries actor Nathaniel Parker, Christine Bottomley of Hope Springs, Sophie Ward (Holby City), Summer Strallen (Hollyoaks), Mark Benton, Danny Webb, Jo Woodcock and Becci Gemmel are among the cast. .

Hustle Comes To Brum

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:51:30 +0000

SCREEN West Midlands has secured a deal to locate major BBC drama series Hustle to Birmingham.

Screen WM, the regional screen agency, is investmenting in the next series through the agency's Advantage Media Production Fund Fund, supported by Advantage West Midlands.

The investment means that Hustle will relocate to Birmingham as the team of con artists continue to target the rich and the greed.

The series will bring an estimated £1.2 million into the regional economy and will provide jobs for local crew.

The announcement follows hot on the heels of recent news by Screen WM and Film Birmingham about the relocation of BBC drama Survivors to the West Midlands.

The Hustle team are due to move to Birmingham and will be living in the city for the duration of the filming.

Ugly Betty Returning To Channel 4

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:04:34 +0000

AMERICAN hit Ugly Betty is to return to Channel 4.

Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) will return to Channel 4 and E4 at the end of June for a third series of award-winning comedy series.

The brand new series kicks off with Betty returning from her trip and having to make some big decisions about what to do with her life, and which man to do it with.

Over at MODE, Wilhelmina's (Vanessa Williams) manipulations force Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) to make some big changes of his own, whilst she tries to poach Betty. But Daniel faces a bigger battle - to keep his son, Daniel Jnr (guest star Julian de la Celle) in the US.

Lindsay Lohan guest stars as Betty's arch rival Kimmie and Brit soul sensation Adele appears as herself.

For the first time since the pilot, Ugly Betty 3 is filmed entirely in New York.

Supersleuth Poirot Returns

Fri, 29 May 2009 12:54:24 +0000

DAVID Suchet will celebrate 21 years of playing Hercule Poirot by filming The Clocks, the first of four new shows centred around the Belgian supersleuth.

Phil Daniels will play Inspector Hardcastle, in his first television role since leaving EastEnders. Also starring in The Clocks are Jaime Winstone, Lesley Sharp and Geoffrey Palmer.

Poirot must determine whether a woman named Sheila Webb (Winstone) is responsible for the murder of a man found stabbed.

Four clocks are also discovered frozen at the time of 13 minutes past four in the room where the body was found.

Suchet said: "After 21 years filming Poirot I am as excited as ever to be returning to the role and very much looking forward to filming with such a wonderful guest cast."

Freddie Prinze Jr To Join 24

Fri, 29 May 2009 10:16:04 +0000

FREDDIE Prinze JR is to play a Jack Bauer wannabe in the next series of 24.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Scooby Doo star will play Davis Cole, a recently-returned Marine who runs CTU Field Operations and wants to be the next Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland).

Freddie, who is expecting his first child with wife Sarah Michelle Geller, will be a series regular in the eighth season, which began filming this week.

Other new casting editions for the series include Slumdog Millionaire star Anil Kapoor, who plays a Middle Eastern leader, and John Boyd as a CTU systems analyst.

Judi Dench Back For Cranford Christmas Special

Thu, 28 May 2009 13:58:34 +0000

DAME Judi Dench is to reprises her role as Cranford's Miss Matty Jenkyns for a Christmas special for BBC 1..

She will headsa cast that boasts some of Britain's top film, TV and stage talent including Cranford newcomers Jonathan Pryce, Celia Imrie, Lesley Sharp, Nicholas Le Prevost, Jodie Whittaker, Tom Hiddleston, Michelle Dockery, Matthew McNulty and Rory Kinnear.

Two-part special The Amazons of Cranford also stars Imelda Staunton back as Miss Pole, Julia McKenzie returning as Mrs Forrester, and Deborah Findlay reprising Miss Tomkinson. Barbara Flynn returns as Mrs Jamieson, whose aristocratic sister-in-law, Lady Glenmire (Celia Imrie), arrives and makes quite an impression on the friends.

IFilming starts next month in and around Wiltshire and London.

Kate Harwood, BBC Controller of Series and Serials, and Cranford executive producer, says: "BBC 1 viewers are in for a treat with the return of Cranford this Christmas. Old favourites return as well as exciting new characters in a richly moving story that will once again delight, enthral and entertain our audience."

Prison Break Climax A Crime

Tue, 26 May 2009 09:03:32 +0000

HUNKY men locked behind bars and acting all macho, it's no wonder I became hooked on Prison Break from the opening episode.

Buit, oh dear, what a mistake to ever let brothers Michael and Linc escape from the jail cells.

Sky One screened the last series this week and talk about disappointing finales. I'm still reeling from the how bad it all was. I fear I might have even snorted at the totally lame ending. It would have insulted the intelligence of a goldfish.

The writers and everyone involved should be locked up for inflicting such drivel on viewers. It all started to go horribly wrong once the brothers and their fellow jailbirds were let loose in the big world.