Tag: Jodie McNee

Spring Shoots

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Sara Powell joins the regular cast of The Killing Kind for Paramount +/ Sony Pictures, a new legal thriller based on Jane Casey’s book of the same name which has been adapted and directed by Zara Hayes. Jodie McNee films Breathtaking, a powerful 3 part drama for ITV based on Dr Rachel Clarke’s book that provides an account of the life of an NHS doctor during the Covid pandemic. Thomas Coombes completes filming on Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, written and directed by Richard Gadd and based on his one man play and Derek Hutchinson shoots The Way, a brilliant Michael Sheen and James Graham collaboration, set in South Wales and inspired by global unrest and the migration crisis.

New graduate Jake Cecil is delighted to be joining Season 2 of Interview With A Vampire shooting in Prague and Alex Blake joins the cast of Joan, a new six part series for ITV/ITVX based on the true story of Joan Hannington, the UK’s most notorious female jewell thief based on her her memoir I Am What I Am. Joe Sims has wrapped filming on Ruby Speaking alongside award winning comedian and fellow Bristolian Jayde Adams, who also created and stars in the show. Roger Sloman has completed new comedy Dinner With the Parents for Big Talk and Amazon Studios with Tristram Shapeero directing whilst Gavin Spokes has joined the cast of Cold Storage, a dark comedy sci-fi directed by Johnny Campbell for Studio Canal currently shooting in Italy.

2023 Preview

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Steven Spielberg’s Masters of the Air marks the completion of a trilogy two decades in the making following Band of Brothers and The Pacific. This second war drama, about the air force this time, includes EBA clients Jakob Diehl, Robert Hands and Benjamin Dilloway and will premiere on Apple TV+ . All the Light We Cannot See is another World War II drama and follows the lives of two teenagers Marie-Laure, a blind girl and Werner Pfennig, a German boy whose paths cross in occupied France. Jakob Diehl this time plays Nazi Colonel Mueller in a 4 part adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel adapted by Steven Knight for Netflix. Rain Dogs is written by Cash Carraway, described as a “wild and punky tale of a mother’s love for her daughter, of deep-rooted and passionate friendships, and of brilliance thwarted by poverty and prejudice”. Starring Daisy May Cooper and featuring Thomas Coombes, it will be shown on the BBC. We can’t wait to see Thomas too in the highly anticipated Luther: The Fallen Sun, a feature film adaptation of the TV show which is scheduled to premiere on Netflix in March. Watch out too for Jodie McNee in Culprits, a new comedy heist drama for Disney Plus, John MacKay in Nolly, ITVX’s big launch show about Crossroads legend Noele Gordon and Gavin Spokes in Better, BBC’s new crime thriller from the creators of Spooks and Humans.

Returning dramas we can’t wait to catch up with in 2023 include Warrior Season 3 for HBO Max which will see Andrew Koji back as Ah Sahm in San Francisco’s 19th Century China Town. Also, Oliver Dench is returning as Lucian in Hotel Portofino , the lavish period drama set in a hotel on the magical Italian Riviera during the ‘Roaring 20s’ and set against the rise of Fascism in Mussolini’s Italy. The second season of Hotel Portofino is set to premiere in 2023 on ITVX in the UK and on PBS in the US whilst Season 1 will be shown on ITV. There are returns too for Sophie Stone as forensic pathologist Ashley Wilton in The Chelsea Detective and Nicholas Lumley will reprise his role of Larry in the 2nd season of Screw to be broadcast later this year

BBC Films have a busy release schedule this year including two features in which Josie Walker takes leading roles. Naqqash Khalid’s debut feature In Camera is set in Manchester and follows the life of an aspiring actor and Knockers explores the strange hinterland between childhood and adolescence in a Britain set in the early 90’s ; written and directed by Lucy Cohen. Also on BBC Films slate is Starve Acre; dark and sinister forces are at work in this upcoming feature where Melanie Kilburn plays the mystic Mrs Forde opposite Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark. Natalie Radmall Quirke plays Eileen Gray in a biopic of the architects life titled Life is Everything – directed by Christoph Schaub for Das Collective with an autumn release anticipated. Described as a dystopian fever dream action thriller, we can’t wait too to see Andrew Koji star opposite Bill Skarsgard in Boy Kills World due for release later this year with Moritz Mohr directing.

Autumn Stage

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Jodie McNee joins the Michael Grandage Company who are bringing Orlando to the West End stage for a strictly limited run. Virginia Woolf’s gender defining historical fiction has been adapted by Neil Bartlett with Emma Corrin in the title role and will play at The Garrick Theatre until February 2023. Mariah Louca, John Mackay and Dan Rabin are all appearing in The Doctor, Robert Icke’s brilliant reimagining of Schnitzler’s 1912 play originally for The Almeida and now playing at the Duke Of Yorks. Also currently appearing in the West End are Tamsin Carroll in 2:22 at the Criterion, Jason Callender in Upstart Crow at the Apollo and Robert Hands and James Doherty in Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre.

Hayley Carmichael in rehearsals for “Super High Resolution”

Gavin Spokes is in rehearsal at The National Theatre for Kerry Jackson, a biting new comedy by April de Angelis whilst Jay Simpson and Colm Gormley also return to The National in Clint Dyer’s Othello playing in The Lyttleton from November. Richard Dempsey has opened in The Almeida’s hit new musical Tammy Faye which runs until December and Hayley Carmichael opens in Soho Theatre’s Super High Resolution, Nathan Ellis’s debut play about being a doctor in the NHS with Blanch McIntyre directing.

Tom Edden has joined Josie Rourke’s production of As You Like It which will open Soho Place , London’s newest theatre. Greg Hick‘s brings Dinner With Groucho Frank McGuinness’ new play to London after its successful premiers at the Dublin and Belfast International Festivals and Justin Avoth joins Witness For the Prosecution at County Hall. Further afield, Jenna Augen has opened on Broadway in Leopoldstadt, Tom Stoppard’s latest play whilst across the Channel Oliver Dench takes on the role of Cliff in Cabaret at the Lido Theatre, Paris and Daniel Crossley joins the cast of 42nd Street at Theatre du Chatelet.

Summer TV

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TV

Andrew Koji begins filming season 3 of martial arts crime drama Warrior this month for HBO Max. He returns as prodigy Ah Sahm who emigrates from China to San Francisco in search of his sister, becoming hatchet man for one of the most powerful “tongs” in Chinatown. Also returning to filming is Oliver Dench as Lucian Ainsworth in Season 2 of Brit Box original series Hotel Portofino. Set in the late 1920s, this beautiful period drama sees Lucian as a First World War survivor battling both his inner demons, a complicated family life and the rise of Mussolini’s fascism in Italy.

Gavin Spokes remains busy with Slow Horses next on his slate, Apple TV’s spy thriller series based on Mick Herron’s novels and starring Gary Oldman. Jakob Diehl joins an all star cast in The New Look, a biographical drama about Christian Dior set in post World War 2 Paris also for Apple and George Parker has been cast in the lead role of Henry Ashe in new Netflix drama Bodies. John Mackay has completed filming on both Steve Knight’s adaptation of Great Expectations for the BBC and ITV’s Nolly, Russell T Davies take on the legendary Noele Gordon with Helena Bonham Carter.

Other guest roles shooting over the summer include Jodie McNee in brand new comedy drama Mrs Sidhu Investigates, Ben Dilloway in hit German streaming show Das Boot, Joe Sims in The Ballad of Renegade Nell and Lily Beau who joins Welsh drama The Lighthouse

Spring shoots

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Film & TV

Andrew Koji shoots back to back feature films – SENECA with John Malkovich directed by Robert Schwentke and BOY KILLS WORLD with Bill Skarsgård, director Moritz Mohr. Jakob Diehl joins the cast of ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, Steven Knight’s adaptation of Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize Winning novel directed by Shawn Levy for Netflix .

Thomas Coombes has been shooting STREET DOGS with director Jamie Payne also for Netflix and goes onto film RAIN DOGS , an original drama for HBO/BBC. Jodie McNee films CULPRITS for Disney and Hulu , an 8 part heist drama written and directed by J.Blakeson and Sara Powell films brand new psychological thriller THE WINTER CHILD with Dominic Le Clerc directing.

Gavin Spokes joins the regular cast of new drama series BETTER for Sister Pictures/BBC and Michelle Bonnard returns as Sal in UNFORGOTTEN 5. Carol Macready films the new season of STRIKE: TROUBLED BLOOD and Eugene O’Hare returns for Season 6 of OUTLANDER as Gov Josiah Martin. Melanie Kilburn joins Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark in STARVE ACRE for BBC Films whilst Aidan Kelly films US thriller JERICHO RIDGE with Will Gilbey directing.

Theatre

Greg Hicks will be seen in Daniel Fish’s Tony Award winning revival of OKLAHOMA which transfers to The Young Vic. Carol Macready joins Anne Marie Duff in the Almeida production of THE HOUSE OF SHADES directed by Blanche McIntyre. Olwen May leads the cast in The Manchester Royal Exchange’s production of ELECTRIC ROSARY by Bruntwood Prize winner Tim Foley and Anita Reynolds has been cast in the Old Vic production of A MONSTER CALLS .

Tom Edden, currently in New York with Jamie Lloyd’s award winning CYRANO returns to play in Chichester Festival’s revival of CRAZY FOR YOU directed by Broadway legend Susan Stroman. Sam Alexander will play Teddy in Bath Theatre Royals’ tour of Pinter’s THE HOMECOMING and Laura Rogers has been cast as Countess Andrenyi in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS opposite Henry Goodman as Hercule Poirot.

Christopher Harper will play the leading role of Professor Robert Langdon in THE DA VINCI CODE touring from May and Richard Teverson joins the cast of WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION playing at London County Hall. Look out too for Mariah Louca in Soho Theatre’s new musical THE MINISTRY OF LESBIAN AFFAIRS.

New Year Update

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Screen View

Belfast, Kenneth Branagh’s acclaimed film which has garnered much awards talk opens across the UK on 21 January and features Josie Walker in the role of Auntie Violet.  Also on general release and opening to brilliant reviews is Boiling Point, a one shot film that takes place during service in a busy London restaurant and with Thomas Coombes playing opposite Stephen Graham as Mr Lovejoy.  Hotel Portofino with Oliver Dench as Lucien premieres on Brit Box at the end of January and Harlan Coban’s Stay Close is now streaming on Netflix starring Cush Jumbo and featuring Aidan Kelly as series reg Rudi.  

Roy Williams drama Screw is showing on Channel 4 with Nicholas Lumley playing prison regular Larry and Daniel Crossley plays Bernard McDonald in Rules of the Game – a four part thriller with Maxine Peake, currently on BBC  iPlayer.  Also on iPlayer and a timely reminder to protect our BBC is Olwyn May in A Very British Scandal, Roger Sloman in Mandy, Thomas Coombes in Eastenders, Joseph May in the fantastic revival of Toast of Tinseltown and for the kids, Emma Handy in The Beaker Girls and Jason Callender in Malory Towers.

Back On Stage

It’s exciting to see some of our ladies leading NT productions as we make our way back to theatre. Tamsin Carroll has opened in Hex (Olivier) Laura Rogers in The Ocean at the End of the Lane (The Duke of York’s West End ) and  Sophie Stone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime (NT Touring). Also, Jodie McNee will be playing Nora in Manchester Royal Exchanges new production of The Doll’s House to be directed by Bryony Shanahan. 

James Doherty returns to the West End in Come From Away and other theatre opening soon includes Tom Edden in Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Cyrano (West End & BAM), Joe Sims in Bristol Old Vic’s The Red Lion, and Mariah Louca in Cherry Jezebel a new play which will premiere at Liverpool’s Everyman in February. 

Autumn Watch
Part II

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On Screen:

Jodie McNee can be seen in Series 3 of Britannia on Sky and will next be seen in new 4 part ITV drama Hollington Drive which airs from late September. Oliver Dench and Greg Hicks both guest star in Sky Atlantic’s Dominia and watch out for Oliver in the new year in brand new drama Hotel Portofino as well. Josie Walker plays Auntie Violet in Kenneth Branagh’s feature film Belfast which premieres in the UK in November. 

Andrew Koji’s recent feature Snake Eyes is now on general release and will be available on home media in October and Chris Harper appears in The War Below streaming now on Amazon.   Also upcoming on Amazon is thriller All The Old Knives directed by Janus Metz and featuring Karina Wiedman and arrives this autumn. Watch out too for the release of Danny Boyle’s new Sex Pistols drama Lonely Boy based on guitarist Steve Jones’ memoir and in which Jay Simpson plays his abusive stepfather Ron. 

On Stage:

Tamsin Carroll leads the National Theatre production of Hex this Autumn – a twist on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale,  Rufus Norris directs. Laura Rogers has opened in the Hampstead Theatre revival of The Memory of Water and is currently in rehearsals for the West End transfer of National Theatre production of The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the Duke of York’s. 
Jenna Augen and Dorothea Myer Bennett return in Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt at The Wyndham’s Theatre and James Doherty is back in Come From Away at The Phoenix Theatre. 

John Mackay and Hayley Carmichael join the cast of HOME in this revival for Chichester Festival of the modern David Storey classic directed by Josh Roche and Patrick Brennan takes the lead role of Phil in Broken Lad, a new play by Robin Hooper directed by Richard Spier at The Arcola. Also this autumn Jordan Mifsúd revives his role as Colbert in While the Sun Shines at the Orange Tree and Christopher Harper returns in the dual roles of Lesgate and Hubbard in the UK tour of Dial M For Murder directed by Anthony Banks.

Spring Production News

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Screen

Oliver Dench begins filming Hotel Portofino a new Brits family drama set in Mussolini’s Italy of the 1920s. Jodie McNee joins the cast of Hollington Drive a new 4 part thriller for ITV written by Sophie Petzall. Michelle Bonnard is a new regular in the second season of We Hunt Together filming from next month whilst Josie Walker is cast as a series reg opposite Ben Whishaw in the much anticipated BBC adaptation of Adam Kay’s book This Is Going to Hurt.

The Chelsea Detective is a new 4 part series airing later this year with Sophie Stone playing series reg Ashley Wilton whilst Jason Callender joins the staff as a new teacher in the BBC’s reboot of the classic Mallory Towers.  Sally Scott is currently filming Dalgliesh a new 6 parter based on the PD James novels whilst Amy Cudden has been cast in new Speilberg/ Tom Hanks produced World War II drama Whirlwind.  

Guest roles this spring include Hayley Carmichael and John Mackay in Landscapers a new 4 part drama starring Olivia Colman, Guy Rhys in Ipcress Files the TV remake,  Hywel Morgan is a guest lead over 2 eps of Gentleman Jack playing William Briggs and Jimmy Walker plays the role of Ray Nelson in HBO Max’s adaptation of the bestselling novel The Girl Before. Natalie Radmall Quirke has been cast in Hulu’s upcoming adaption of Sally Rooney’s novel Conversations with Friends and Olwen May plays the main supporting role of Dora in A Very British Scandal: Duchess of Argyll written by Sarah Phelps starring Claire Foy and Paul Bettany.  Joseph May joins the reboot of All Creatures Great & Small and Jude Monk McGowan films perennial favourite Call the Midwife.  

In other production news,  Warrior starring Andrew Koji has been recommissioned for a third season in moving over  to HBO Max and Eugene O’Hare joins the cast of Starz drama Outlander which has been commissioned for a 6th season.  

Theatre

As theatres slowly begin to reopen we’re delighted to be able to announce some casting news.  Scott Karim will appear at The Kiln Theatre in The Invisible Hand which Indhu Rubasingham directs in its first major revival. Colm Gormley is back at The Globe for their reopening summer season of As You Like It, The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Jordan Mifsúd and Dorothea Myer-Bennett return to The Orange Tree with Paul Miller’s ‘Shaw Shorts’ and Jack James Ryan makes his National Theatre debut in After Life written by Jack Thorne in a co-production with Headlong.  James Doherty is back in the West End in Come From Away Winner of 4 Olivier Awards including Best Musical which plays at the Phoenix Theatre from 22 July.  And following its West End success Home I’m Darling starts a UK Tour this summer with Sandy Foster playing the lead role of Judy. Daniel Crossley, meanwhile,  joins the cast of Talent written by Victoria Wood and playing at the Sheffield Crucible this summer.

Autumn 2020

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Andrew Koji joins Bullet Train, the Brad Pitt-led action thriller directed by David Leitch for Sony Pictures. Based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle by best-selling author Kotaro Isaka, the story centres on a group of assassins who find themselves aboard the same high speed train with Andrew playing one of the assassins.

Patricia Allison returns to filming as Ola on Sex Education 3 and production also resumes for Jodie McNee as Willa on Britannia 3, Ken Bones on A Discovery of Witches 3 and for Oliver Dench as Xander on Pandora 2.  We’re thrilled that all of these shows have found their way back into production during these unprecedented times.  

New commissions include Josie Walker who is filming Belfast, written and directed by Ken Branagh and described as a tribute to the city and its people; Robert Cavanah in Red Election, a UK/Danish thriller shooting in Ireland who goes on to film Professor T, a new ITV crime drama based on the hit Belgian show of the same name; and Natalie Radmill Quirke who continues shooting medieval drama Glow & Darkness in Spain about the life of St Francis of Assisi.

On the box, Jodie McNee stars in Agatha and the Midnight Murders, a feature length Ch 5 film about the life of the legendary writer; Jay Simpson features in Des, the critically acclaimed ITV drama about serial killer Dennis Neilson on the ITV hub and Tom Coombes will next be seen in Small Axe , Steve McQueen’s return to the small screen with a series of five films about London’s West Indian community. 

We also have a new favourite listening habit which comes in the form of a new podcast about bees.  Hosted by friends Jane Horrocks and our gorgeous Esther Coles download now wherever you get your pods  ? ? ?

play.acast.com/s/queen-bees/trailer

Unprecedented

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Produced by Headlong and Century Films, Unprecedented was conceived, written, filmed and produced in lockdown, and shot in homes across the country using digital conference technology.

Patricia Allison plays Ellie in House Party (first broadcast on 27 May at 10pm on BBC4)

Jodie McNee appears as Beatrice in Fear Fatigue (first broadcast on 28 May 2020 at 10pm on BBC 4) 

All 14 of the Digital Plays are now available to watch on iPlayer