The Medium is Not Enough TV blog

Rupert Penry-Jones on (not being in) The Forgotten

Rob Buckley — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:48:21 +0000

The Forgotten, a Jerry Bruckheimer show set to appear on ABC in the Fall, was going to be Rupert Penry-Jones' stab at US stardom - sort of. He was to play the part of Alex, a former cop whose daughter was kidnapped and never found, and who now runs a network for identifying dead bodies. You can read all about it in my ABC fall preview.

However, Penry-Jones - and just about every foreign actor in every pilot - was dropped from the show, along with former 24-star Reiko Aylesworth. No reason's been given but the general assumption is that to save cash, the networks hired cheaper actors from outside the US for the pilots, with the intent of dropping them in favour of bigger, more expensive names once the pilots had gone to series.

Anyway, our Rupe has been talking to Simon Mayo about being dropped from an unnamed US pilot (ie The Forgotten) and what he thought of it.

(continued)

Friday's "bye bye hoodie" news

Rob Buckley — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:03:23 +0000

Happy fourth of July weekend!

Film

Nimrod Antal to direct Predators

Commercials

Dominic West, Greg Wise and Dan Stevens to read from novels for coffee ads

Theatre

Minimum wage will 'destroy fringe theatre'

British TV

Robin Hood axed
Freeview to take on BSkyB over HD with Freeview+
History Channel to rebrand as AETN UK
No revival of Don't Wait Up
SciFi picks up second season of Dollhouse
Bravo to try to woo female audiences
Martina Cole's The Take gets 608,000 viewers
Press pack for BBC2 finance drama Freefall
Hulu to launch in September in the UK

Canadian TV

HBO launches on iTunes

US TV

Paula Abdul to guest on Drop Dead Diva

Thursday's stupidest ever movie adaption news

Rob Buckley — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:06:57 +0000

Film

BBC Films picks up rights to the forthcoming Ordinary Thunderstorms
Oh surely not. Universal wins movie rights to Atari's 'Asteroids'

Books

Catcher in the Rye 'sequel' blocked

Theatre

The Shawshank Redemption moves to the West End
Jude Law's Hamlet moves to Broadway

British TV

SciFi acquires Legend of the Seeker
ITV1 ratings slump to all-time low
CSI: Miami gets best ever ratings

US TV

Someone's making a comeback in Supernatural [spoilers]
Hilary Duff joining Gossip Girl
A Moonlight movie?
Callum Keith Rennie joins 24
Christian Slater to replace Rupert Penry-Jones on The Forgotten?
Options kept on four pilots
Piper Perabo to star in USA's Covert Affairs
Rocky Carroll to appear on both NCIS and NCIS: LA

Jeff Goldblum admits he's dead

Rob Buckley — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:07:13 +0000

Jeff Goldblum faces facts and admits he died last week.

Wednesday's Micro Live news

Rob Buckley — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:00:34 +0000

Happy Canada Day everyone!

Film

Jason Lee and Michelle Trachtenberg join A Couple of Dicks
Trailer for Soderbergh's The Informant, starring Matt Damon and Scott Bakula
Bill Nighy to appear in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Trailer for Inglourious Basterds

Web TV

Joost to quit serving content

British TV

Alexander Armstrong and Martin Freeman to star in BBC4's Spectrum v BBC Micro drama Syntax Era
QFS: Michael Grade supports top-slicing

US TV

Chris Kattan joins ABC's forthcoming The Middle
Tim Minear developing remake of Alien Nation for the Sci Fi Channel
SoapNet picks up second series of Being Erica
Hung most watched series premiere on HBO for two years
ABC picks up Defying Gravity
Castle's Castle to publish a book
Liza Minnelli and Delta Burke to star in Lifetime's Dueling Divas
Final Middleman episode to be performed at Comic-Con

Tuesday's truthful news

Rob Buckley — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:17:03 +0000

Doctor Who

John Barrowman annoyed by Torchwood episode cut

Film

What wasn't in Star Trek
Amy Adams to star in The Fighter?
Trailer for Ricky Gervais's The Invention of Lying
Unstoppable stopped?
Trailer for Gamer

Theatre

John Simm, Ian Hart and Kerry Fox to appear in Speaking in Tongues
Gareth Gates to star in touring Les Mis

US TV

Promos for season three of Mad Men
Showtime cancels Brotherhood
Mental's Chris Vance to appear in four episodes of Burn Notice [spoilers]
Virtuality gets rubbish ratings
Greg Garcia heads for Fox
Drea de Matteo joins Desperate Housewives

Network DVD releases in June, including Sky, The Jensen Code, King of the Castle, Escape Into Night, Fly Into Danger and The Mind of Mr J.G. Reeder

Rob Buckley — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:24:42 +0000

Network DVD, which seems to have a monopoly on releasing cult classics of TV, has quite a few series out this month that I thought I'd mention – it's like someone picked up an old issue of Time Screen and said "Yeah, let's just release all of those":

Sky: Which was part of my Lost Gems selection but now isn't lost at all
The Jensen Code: Sixteen-year-old Terry Connor is sent, along with a few of his friends, to an Outward Bound centre. On his first day at the centre Terry is taken pot-holing by the senior instructor, Alex. All goes well until, at 100 feet underground, Alex goes to search for the torch that Terry has dropped.

Hours pass, and, to Terry’s astonishment, when Alex finally returns he has no recollection whatever of having been absent. Terry suspects something sinister is taking place – it is surely no coincidence that there is a secret Ministry of Defence establishment nearby. But just how deeply his curiosity will involve him in dangerous matters becomes clear when he learns the truth about the ‘Jensen Code’...

The Jensen Code was a highly unusual children’s thriller series, written by Carey Harrison (author son of actor Rex Harrison), and starring David (Dai) Bradley, the BAFTA-winning young star of Kes, as the teenager who unwittingly uncovers a terrifying space-age espionage project. This complete 13-part series, rarely seen since its original transmission in 1973, is released here for the first time in any format. Originally made in colour, The Jensen Code now exists only as black and white telerecordings made for overseas sales, the full colour episodes having been junked many years ago.
King of the Castle: Macabre, fantastical and a benchmark production for children’s television in the 1970s, King of the Castle was created by Doctor Who stalwarts Bob Baker and Dave Martin as one of the run of outstanding children’s dramas HTV produced in that decade. Featuring strong direction and a script which expertly melds fantasy and reality, the series boasts solid performances from genre stalwarts Fulton Mackay, Milton Johns and Talfryn Thomas as well as Philip Da Costa as the series’ hero, Roland.

Recently moved to a crumbling tower block of flats, Roland’s cleverness marks him out for rough treatment from the gang who haunt the stairwells. Fleeing from Ripper, the gangleader, he plummets to earth in a lift that should be broken... waking up he finds himself in the grotesque and eerie fantasy world of ‘The Castle’ – a twisted version of the tower block, filled with gruesome versions of the people he knows. Can Roland find the missing keys he needs to become ‘King of the Castle’?

One of the most memorable television series of the ‘70s is available here, for the very first time in any video format. Episode three no longer exists in the archive in any format and the version included on this set is taken from an off-air VHS.
The Mind of Mr J.G. Reeder : This classic Thames drama series, based on the short stories by Edgar Wallace, features one of the unlikeliest fictional sleuths: Mr. J.G. Reeder, a mild-mannered, bespectacled civil servant at the Department of Public Prosecutions. But Mr. Reeder (Hugh Burden) has an unusual ‘gift’ – he can think in exactly the way a criminal does. In 1920s London, his talent for cracking even the most impenetrable of crimes is known throughout the underworld, and much valued by his department head, Sir Jason Toovey; bank heists, jewel thefts and murder are among the many and varied cases that are passed on to Mr. Reeder to solve in his own singular way...

The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder is released here for the first time in any format and this complete set brings together both series, originally screened between 1969 and 1971.
Escape Into Night : Compelled to find her own amusement whilst confined to bed after a riding accident, Marianne fills her sketchpad with drawings of an imaginary place. When she sleeps she dreams of her imaginary world and realises that the more she draws in her waking hours, the more she can explore when she sleeps. She draws a house to investigate in her dreams and is shocked to find a boy looking at her through one of its windows...

A milestone in children’s television drama, Escape Into Night was adapted from Catherine Storr’s novel Marianne Dreams by Ruth Boswell (Timeslip, The Tomorrow People). The combination of Boswell’s taught scripts, Richard Bramall’s clever direction and Alan Coleman’s production enabled the juvenile cast to give memorable and, sometimes, terrifying performances. More experimental than most children’s drama series, Escape Into Night’s surreal, dark tone and eerie sense of unearthliness made an indelible impression on its viewing public and is still remembered, perhaps with a sense of unease, after nearly 40 years.

Originally made in colour, Escape Into Night now exists only as black and white telerecordings made for overseas sales, the original colour videotapes having been junked many years ago.
Fly Into Danger: At Chilford Green Aerodrome, a small, privately owned airfield in the heart of England, the transportation of cargo takes place daily. But this is no ordinary cargo – as 18-year-old Chris Lomax is to discover. A keen motor mechanic whose enthusiasm for aircraft has prompted him to get a job at Chilford, Chris’s self-reliance and questioning mind are soon causing consternation for his employers; as he gets alarmingly close to the true nature of the airfield’s operations, it becomes clear that Chris – and his young colleague, Sarah – could be in serious danger.

Fly Into Danger was a seven-part action series aimed at a younger audience; however, its spectacular and rapidly paced airborne sequences and a subject matter as relevant today as when it first aired in 1972 ensure that Fly Into Danger will appeal to viewers of all ages. Written by Roy Russell (The Saint, The Queen Street Gang) and boasting a strong cast, Fly Into Danger is released here for the very first time in any format.

Originally made in colour, only two episodes still exist in this format, the remaining five coming from black and white telerecordings.

Monday's touring Rain Man news

Rob Buckley — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:44:16 +0000

Doctor Who

Rusty talks about Torchwood and Doctor Who [spoilers]
Another Torchwood trailer

Film

An American Werewolf in London remake?
How Marvel's The Avengers movie is going to work
Trailer for vampire movie Daybreakers
Trailer for Earhart biopic Amelia

Theatre

Rain Man to go on tour with Neil Morrissey
Alan Cumming to play the Green Goblin in Spiderman musical

British TV

Last of the Summer Wine back for six episodes
Ofcom report says Sky needs to offer its movie and sports channels to other providers
Mighty Boosh to split?

US TV

An extra episode for Lost
Bones to shoot more episodes in the UK
Supernatural finds its devil - on Lost
Heroes to get more complicated?
Missy Peregrym to co-star in Copper
TJ Ramini joins 24
What was the German's/the triplets' storyline originally on Heroes?

Friday's seven news

Rob Buckley — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:10:17 +0000

Doctor Who

Nigel Havers to guest on The Sarah Jane Adventures

British TV

Law and Order gets a second series
FX picks up Eastbound & Down
Hallmark UK to become Universal Channel?
ITV turned down low-cost Primeval
Freeview HD to launch in December
BET HD added to Freesat
BBC Worldwide co-producing Emma and Cranford sequel

US TV

Jeri Ryan to recur on Leverage
Joanna Garcia to recur on Gossip Girl

Thursday's big book advances news

Rob Buckley — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:30:04 +0000

Film

Trailer for Richard Kelly's adaptation of Richard Matheson's The Box
Oscars to increase the number of nominees
Ryan Reynolds to star in Buried

Books

Astronomer from Barry to get £1m for his next 10 novels

British TV

Gerry Anderson wants his rights back
Mark Thompson criticises licence fee proposals

US TV

Smallville spin-off movie?
Eddie Cibrian to join CSI: Miami

Wednesday's "kneel before Zod" news

Rob Buckley — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:45:32 +0000

Doctor Who

Beeb denies 11 Doctors rumours

Film

David Fincher to direct Facebook movie?
Katherine Heigl to star in Life As We Know It
Daniel Craig to star in Dream House?
Heather Graham and Johnny Knoxville join Kevin Spacey's Father of Invention

British TV

A fourth series for Lewis
Setanta goes off air in Britain
NBC's Ben Silverman on shortlist for ITV CEO
Fat Friends writer Kay Mellor to write drama about women over 50

US TV

New trailers for Parenthood, Community and Trauma
Callum Blue to play Zod in Smallville
Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox to reunite in Web Therapy?
AMC orders Rubicon
Adrianne Palicki returning to Supernatural
Meghan Markle joins Fringe as a recurring character

Tuesday's 11 Doctors news

Rob Buckley — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:13:52 +0000

Doctor Who

All 11 Doctors to reunite for Comic Relief??

Film

Trailer for The Last Airbender

French TV

French TV dominated by US programmes

British TV

Top Gear gets 7.1m viewers
Andy Duncan to stay at Channel 4 for another three years?
ITV to make Irish policeman drama Single-Handed

US TV

Ashley Jensen may return to Ugly Betty
Merlin gets rubbish ratings
Don't say I didn't warn you: Bryan Fuller leaves Heroes
Royal Pains' ratings continue to rise

Monday's Welsh titans news

Rob Buckley — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:08:11 +0000

Film

Steven Soderberg's Moneyball dropped
Clash of the Titans to shoot scenes in Wales
Richard Matheson's Button, Button to be adapted
Images from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

British TV

Demons cancelled
Lucy Lumsden leaves the Beeb to become Sky's head of comedy

Canadian TV

Super Channel files for credit protection

US TV

No location shooting for CSI: Miami because of budget issues
Meg Ryan to guest on Curb Your Enthusiasm
Scrubs to shift to med school
Trailer for Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
Trailer for HBO's Bored to Death

Friday's Sally Gecko news

Rob Buckley — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:22:39 +0000

Film

Carey Mulligan to play Gordon Gecko's daughter?
Trailer for 2012

British TV

Sir Alan isn't fired from The Apprentice

US TV

Linda Hunt joins NCIS:LA
Seth MacFarlane to recur on FlashForward
Greg Beeman gets a job on Melrose Place

Thursday's reasonably-sized occupation news

Rob Buckley — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:16:15 +0000

Film

Bride of Frankenstein being remade
Reese Witherspoon to star in Pharm Girl
Danielle Panabaker to co-star in John Carpenter's The Ward
JJ Abrams and Tom Cruise to produce MI:4

Theatre

David Hare's The Power of Yes to open at the National Theatre's Lyttelton space

British TV

Occupation gets 4.4m viewers

US TV

Ratings for Hawthorne 'okay'
Another Lost star returning?
Brian Austin Green to guest in Smallville