What to see? Our New Year’s tips

17th December 2014Kickstarting January is the second series of Broadchurch in which Joe Sims reprises his role as Nigel Carter in the gripping crime drama. Also on ITV this January Hermione Gulliford plays regular Elizabeth Addis in Foyles War which returns with three new 2 hour films. On BBC2 Wolf Hall premiers featuring Max Fowler in the Peter Kosminsky screen adaptation of Hillary Mantel’s books. Mr Selfridge returns for a third series introducing Rocky Marshall as new regular DI Purkiss whilst Pooky Quesnel gains a promotion in the tenth and final series of Waterloo Road, on screens from January.

On film, catch Ridley Scott’s epic Exodus ‘Gods and Kings’ featuring Ken Bones opening in cinemas on Boxing Day. Kenneth Branagh’s much talked about live action Cinderella is scheduled for release early 2015 with Tom Edden as the Lizard Footman whilst The Royal Exchanges’ recently filmed Hamlet, featuring Jodie McNee also gains a cinema release early next year. Expect The Pride with Lisa Palfrey and Mr Turner also with Tom Edden to feature brightly during awards season.

On stage, recent openings playing during the holidays include Daniel Coonan as the menacing Black Dog in Polly Findley’s Treasure Island for The National Theatre. Also for the National, Jodie McNee and Hermione Gulliford continue their run in Three Winters. Matt Rawle plays stowaway Billy Crocker in Anything Goes at The Sheffield Cruicible and Vincenzo Nicoli is the Mafioso Duke of Venice in Ruper Goold’s inspired staging of Merchant of Venice at The Almeida.

Completing their West End runs in January are Ferdy Roberts (Shakespeare in Love), Tafline Steen (King Charles III) and Scott Karim (Great Britain) whilst Tom Edden (Les Misérables) and Richard Dempsey (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) will continue into the new year.

Geraldine Alexander, meanwhile, opens at The Lowry, Manchester as Siobhan in The National’s Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night Time which is now touring whilst Gavin Spokes continues his hugely successful run as Francis Henshell in the One Man 2 Guvnors also touring with The National Theatre.

Autumn Shoots

Autumn-ShootsRobert Hands joins the cast of Partners in Crime playing Mr Minton. The BBC drama starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine as Tommy and Tuppence is directed by Ed Hall and forms part of the celebrations for Agatha Christie’s 125th anniversary year. For Channel 4, Richard Teverson plays Liberal Democrat David Laws in the one off political drama Coalition. Written by James Graham and directed by Alex Holmes the story charts the meteoric rise to government and power of Nick Clegg. Stefan Kalipha will begin shooting new six part drama River. The crime series starring Stellan Skarsgård as Detective Inspector John River is written by Abi Morgan and is being produced by Kudos for BBC1. For Lightworkers Media Ken Bones is playing the biblical character Annas in AD a 12 part series charting the birth of Christianity currently filming in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains. Kriss Dosanjh reprises his role as shop keeper Mr Sandu in Warp’s BAFTA award winning drama This is England 90 following its characters a decade on. Meanwhile Thomas Coombes plays opposite Kenneth Branagh in the BBC crime series Wallander, Joe Sims joins the cast of Uncle the hit BBC3 show as it returns for a second series and Geraldine Alexander films ITV’s 3 part drama Arthur and George. In film, Pooky Quesnel shoots the screen adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s bestselling parody novel Pride Prejudice and Zombies. Lisa Palfrey has just wrapped on the Welsh language film adaptation of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood directed by Kevin Allen and Stefan Kalipha plays Frances De La Tour’s elusive boyfriend The Maharajah in Disney’s Through the Looking Glass a sequel to Tim Burton’s 2010 film Alice in Wonderland.

Autumn Screen

Cinema

Lisa Palfrey plays Maureen in PRIDE Matthew Warchus’s cinematic directorial debut based on a true story of the lesbian and gay communities’ unlikely allegiance with the striking miners of the Welsh valleys in 1984. A brilliant ensemble cast makes this a must see film this Autumn. Released in UK cinemas on September 12th.

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200914-Four-SquareTom Edden plays painter CR Leslie in Mike Leigh’s Mr Turner biopic, already a big hit in Cannes, it’s released in the UK end of October. Catch Max Fowler in action crime thriller Rage opposite Nicolas Cage also released September. Jay Simpson plays ex-football hooligan Neil in The Guvnors, a violent thriller set amongst the clans and firms of South East London in UK cinemas now. Robert Hands features as the hospitals ‘Elegant Lady’ in Stonehearst Asylum. Based on an Edgar Allen Poe story the period horror film will be in UK cinemas from October 24.

 

Television

Our Zoo, the true story of the Mottershead family who established Chester Zoo in the 1930’s starts this week with Hayley Carmichael playing village shopkeeper Camilla Radler. The six part series is on BBC1, Wednesday’s at 9pm.
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040914Kent Riley plays Cilla Black’s Brother-in-Law Kenny Willis in ITV’s much anticipated three part drama, Cilla screening late September. This month also sees Naomi Bentley playing regular Angie in Sky Living’s Mount Pleasant series 4. Thomas Coombes and Benjamin Davies will appear in Suspects as the popular unscripted drama returns for a second series catch it on demand and on Channel 5 Wednesday nights from 10pm. Coming up Molly Logan and Farshid Rokey feature in Our Girl a new 5 part drama set against the backdrop of the British Army’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. And Ken Bones reprises his role as Melas in Atlantis, the BBC’s hugely popular drama, returning Saturday evenings.

TV, Film & Theatre Updates

Film News

Hayley Carmichael will be working with director Matteo Garrone in his English language debut The Tale Of Tales – The Old Woman Who Was Skinned, a film based on the gruesome Neapolitan fairy tale of two sisters and starring Vincent Cassel and Salma Hayek. Rocky Marshall and Benjamin Davies meanwhile are due to begin shooting Remainder based on the book by Tom McCarthy and directed by Omer Fast for Tigerlily Films. Pride, Matthew Warchus’s film debut with Lisa Palfrey will premier at the Cannes Film Festival as the closing night film in the directors’ fortnight section. Mike Leigh’s Mr Turner featuring Tom Edden has officially been selected in competition at Cannes as has Ken Loach’s Jimmy’s Hall featuring Colm Gormley.

TV Latest

Max Fowler joins the regular cast of Wolf Hall, the BBC’s much anticipated adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s prize winning novel directed by Peter Kosminsky and starring Mark Rylance and Damien Lewis. Rocky Marshall will join the third series of ITV’s Mr Selfridge as new regular DI Purkiss whilst Farshid Rokey films The BBC’s army drama Our Girl shooting in South Africa. Hermione Gulliford and Ferdy Roberts continue to film the third Foyles War film whilst Thomas Coombes makes a guest appearance in Atlantis the popular BBC drama directed by Justin Molotnikov. Ken Bones will be joining the cast in series 4 of ITV’s Scott and Bailey directed by Simon Delaney.

Watch out for more from Roger Sloman as funeral director Les Coker in Eastenders whilst Amy Marston can be seen playing Martha Hawkins in Channel 4’s Devil’s Whore sequel New Worlds available on catchup. Sarah Winman’s Undeniable is also available on ITV Player.

Congratulations to Joe Sims (Broadchurch) and Thomas Coombes (Him and Her The Wedding) which have been nominated for best drama series and TV comedy respectively at this year’s BAFTAs.

Theatre Update

180414 TheatreHermione Gulliford will be playing Vivienne in Hotel at The National Theatre’s Shed. The tropical thriller, a new play by Polly Stenham will be directed by Maria Aberg. Emma Handy will play Kristin in Chichester’s Minerva Studio Miss Julie a new version written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, directed by Jamie Glover. Tom Edden will be appearing as Monsieur Thénardier in Les Misérables the world famous musical, playing in the West End from June. Openings include Tafline Steen as Jess in King Charles III at The Almeida which has recieved five star reviews whilst Jay Simpson starts his RSC run in Stratford-Upon-Avon at the end of the month playing Black Will in The Arden of Faversham. Also Richard Teverson will be opening in How Many Miles To Babylon at The Lyric Belfast.

Launching 2014

We are looking forward to the New Year with some exciting projects already lined up for our clients in 2014.

New Year Theatre 2014The award winning Red Velvet is revived at The Tricycle before a New York transfer to The Brooklyn Academy with Natasha Gordon reprising her role of Connie. Also transferring is Headlong’s 1984 which comes to the Almeida Theatre with Gavin Spokes returning to the company. Amy Marston comes to The National in a revival of Ayckbourne’s A Small Family Business directed by Adam Penford whilst Lisa Palfrey debuts a new play Carthage at The Finborough with Donmar Associate Rob Hastie directing. Meanwhile Geraldine Alexander joins Russel Bolam for the UK premiere of In Skegway over at The Arcola. Out of London, we’re looking forward to the reopening of The Liverpool Everyman which will see Artistic Director Gemma Bodinetz directing Twelfth Night with Jodie McNee taking the role of Viola. Over at the Playhouse, Daniel Coonan returns to the stage in the Miller classic A View From the Bridge which Charlotte Gwinner directs. Molly Logan takes the well received Once A Catholic to Liverpool’s Royal Court for a short run whilst over at The Royal Exchange, Geoff Leesley joins Maria Aberg for her production of Much Ado About Nothing.

New Year Screen 2014Coming up on screen early in 2014 will be new ITV comedy Edge of Heaven, set in a Margate B&B with Nitin Kundra, the return of Mr Selfridge which sees Vincenzo Nicoli join the cast, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries which Joe Sims has just wrapped on and gothic drama Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell which Robert Hands is finishing filming. Starting shoots this month are Hermione Gulliford who will be appearing in the next three Foyle’s War films opposite Michael Kitchen as well as Vincenzo Nicoli who guests in the first. Pooky Quesnel and Derek Hutchinson, meanwhile, will be featuring in the next series of Endeavour films.

In cinemas we are eagerly anticipating the releases of Mike Leigh’s Mr Turner biopic with Tom Edden, Max Fowler‘s US debut TOKAREV opposite Nicholas Cage and later in the year the big screen Moses epic Exodus which Ken Bones has just wrapped on.

Happy New Year!

November Screen:

Joe Sims joins the cast of The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries written by Peter Morgan and to be directed by Roger Michell. This 2 parter for ITV films on location in Bristol and recounts the tragic death of Joanna Yeates and the press harassment of the landlord wrongly assumed guilty of her murder. Robert Hands begins filming on Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell an epic new 7 part historical drama for the BBC directed by Toby Haynes and shooting from November. Jay Simpson and Hermione Gulliford shoot The GameNovember Screen by Toby Whithouse, BBC Wales’ new espionage thriller directed by Daniel O’Hara and Alex Blake films a guest role on Season 3 of Borgia with Christoph Schrewe directing. Sarah Winman films Undeniable a 2 part drama written by Chris Lang and directed by John Strickland whilst Richard Teverson films Jamica Inn a new adaptation of the Daphne Du Maurier novel with Philippa Lowthorpe directing.

On screen, November sees the premiere of the much anticipated Doctor Who 50th featuring Ken Bones which will showing concurrently in 3D across UK cinemas Sat 23rd. Also coming to cinema screens soon is Leave To Remain, a moving portrait of asylum seekers which premiered at The London Film Festival last month and featuring Farshid Rokey as 5 Names. Natasha Gordon also plays an asylum seeker in her debut feature Dough. Shooting in London and Sofia, she takes the role of Safa, a refugee from Darfur opposite Jonathan Pryce.

On Film:

On Film 240813Lisa Palfrey joins director Matthew Warchus for Pride shooting in London and Wales from September and depicting a gay and lesbian group in the 80s who find solidarity with the striking miners. Ken Bones joins the cast of Exodus, Ridley Scott’s latest feature with 20th Century Fox with Christian Bale portraying Moses. Having wrapped on the recent Mike Leigh feature, Tom Edden starts shooting Cinderella in September with Ken Branagh directing whilst Colm Gormley films the next Ken Loach feature Jimmy’s Hall. Just wrapped are Max Fowler on Tokarev opposite Nick Cage and Robert Hands on Eliza Graves. Watch out for Jay Simpson who will be appearing in Rush, the hotly anticipated new Ron Howard movie set in the intirguing world of Formula 1 and Vincenzo Nicoli who is in in the next Paul Greengrass feature Captain Phillips both on general release very shortly.

Summer Nights

Lisa Palfrey in Family TreeHBO’s mockumentary series Family Tree directed by Christopher Guest and featuring Lisa Palfrey as Luba, Chris O’Dowd’s Moldovan stepmother also tx’s BBC2 10pm from Tuesday July 16. Regular viewers of Eastenders will have seen Carl’s dramatic arrival in the square – watch out for Daniel Coonan whose storylines in the show promise to be huge this summer. And Jay Simpson and Vincenzo Nicoli can both be seen in exciting new Channel 4 drama Run which begins txs July.

Summer Shoots

Eliza Graves Film PosterRobert Hands is filming the feature Eliza Graves. Directed by Brad Anderson and based on an early work of Edgar Allen Poe. Robert will be appearing alongside Kate Beckinsale and Jim Sturgess and is currently shooting in Sofia. Amy Marston has just been cast in New World by Peter Flannery and Martine Brant. This four parter for Channel 4, the next chapter of The Devils Whore, will be directed by Charles Martin for Company Pictures. Also for Company Pooky Quesnel is filming Truckers, a five-part drama written by William Ivory set in Nottingham with Sue Tully directing. Also Richard Teverson and Hermione Gulliford are filming guest roles on series two of The Bletchley Circle. Rocky Marshall shoots legal drama Silk for the BBC and Derek Hutchinson films By Any Means a new Tony Jordon drama for the BBC.

Summer Fun

ITV has commissioned Hartswood to make a 6 x 60 minutes comedy drama series titled Edge Of Heaven starring Nitin Kundra in the role of Tandeep Chatterjee. Written by Robert Evans the series follows the organised chaos of the Taylor-Chatterjee family and shoots starts late August. Cosima Shaw is filming Toast a new 6 part sitcom for Channel 4, directed by Michael Cumming, written by Arthur Matthews (Father Ted) and Matt Berry. Roger Sloman and Richard Dempsey both film guest roles in the new series of Doc Martin which Nigel Cole directs.

Screen Update:

Film:

 

Cosima Shaw in Papadopoulos & Sons
Cosima Shaw in
Papadopoulos & Sons

Tom Edden is currently filming with Mike Leigh on his Untitled 13 project
and then goes on to work with Kenneth Brannagh in his live action movie
version of Cinderella. Confirmed cast include Cate Blanchett. Max Fowler,
meanwhile shoots his debut US feature Tokarev, an action thriller in which
he is cast opposite Nicolas Cage and shoots through July in Alabama with
Paco Cabarez directing. Fast & Furious 6 has also opened in both London & LA with Benjamin Davies in the role of Adolfson. Also on current general release in UK is the ‘sleeper’ hit indie film Papadopoulus & Sons in which Cosima Shaw plays Sophie.

Television:

Broadchurch DVDRoyal Welsh College graduate Chris Gordon starts filming the last ever Poirot, Dead Man’s Folly with Tom Vaughan directing.  Filming takes place in London and Cornwall through June.  Richard Dempsey and Joseph May film guest roles this month on NBC/Carnival’s reimagining of Dracula whilst Jay Simpson shoots Talking to the Dead a 2 part drama for Sky directed by China Moo Young. Catch up to with Broadchuch, ITV’s hugely successful crime drama which is released on DVD this week featuring new client Joe Sims as suspect Nigel Carter.

Spring Shoots:

LogosKen Bones has been confirmed for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary episode, details of which are being kept a closely guarded secret but has been written by Steve Moffatt and will be directed in 3D by Nick Hurran.  Pooky Quesnel and Jay Simpson have both signed up to Hartswood Film’s The Guilty, a 3 part drama for ITV  directed by Ed Bazalgette which deals with the fall out after the disappearance of a 4 year old boy.  Del Synnott joins the cast of  The Great Train Robbery playing gang member Brian Field and featuring in Julian Jarrold and James Strong’s separate films for World Productions charting The Robber’s Tale and The Policeman’s Tale. Cosima Shaw, meanwhile, shoots new Warner Bros pilot The Selection set in an apocalyptic world and helmed by Alex Graves. Sara Powell and Robert Hands film guest roles in Love & Marriage, Tiger Aspects news comedy drama whilst Rocky Marshall completes filming on Montana, a British vigilante thriller set in London’s East End and directed by Mo Ali.