Prolific actor James Laurenson, who played Doctor Weir in the royal period drama The Crown, has died. He was 84. His passing was reported by multiple U.K. news outlets on Friday, May 10. A cause of death has not yet been provided. Born on February 17, 1940, in Marton, North Island, New Zealand, Laurenson made his acting career in the United Kingdom after moving there in the mid-1960s. He made his on-screen film debut in 1969 in Ken Russell’s romantic drama Women in Love. Throughout his career, Laurenson has had guest roles in numerous classic TV series such as Coronation Street, Z-Cars, The Professionals, Hammer House of Horror, Cagney and Lacey, Remington Steele, Bergerac, Midsomer Murders, Prime Suspect, Silent Witness, Hustle, Endeavour, Spooks, and many more. In more recent years, he played Earl of Westmoreland in the BBC adaptations of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Parts I and II and starred in...
- 5/13/2024
- TV Insider
British screenwriter Ray Jenkins, who wrote on some of the UK’s biggest TV hits across several decades, has died aged 87. Jenkins died last month and leaves behind his two children, Pascale and Ceri.
Across a successful and lengthy career, Jenkins wrote for numerous highly acclaimed British police and justice-related drama series including Z Cars, The Outsiders, The Brothers, This Man Craig, Callan, The Sweeney, Special Branch, Juliet Bravo, Gentle Touch, The Chief and The Brief. This is to name but a few.
Jenkins also adapted Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White starring Ian Richardson and Jenny Seagrove for the BBC, along with Tom Hart’s novel The Aura and The Kingfisher as The Innocent for the silver screen, starring Liam Neeson and Miranda Richardson, with cinematography by Roger Deakins.
His most recent project was TV movie Circles of Deceit: Kalon, which he wrote in the mid-1990s, and he...
Across a successful and lengthy career, Jenkins wrote for numerous highly acclaimed British police and justice-related drama series including Z Cars, The Outsiders, The Brothers, This Man Craig, Callan, The Sweeney, Special Branch, Juliet Bravo, Gentle Touch, The Chief and The Brief. This is to name but a few.
Jenkins also adapted Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White starring Ian Richardson and Jenny Seagrove for the BBC, along with Tom Hart’s novel The Aura and The Kingfisher as The Innocent for the silver screen, starring Liam Neeson and Miranda Richardson, with cinematography by Roger Deakins.
His most recent project was TV movie Circles of Deceit: Kalon, which he wrote in the mid-1990s, and he...
- 2/27/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Ray Jenkins, the British screenwriter behind shows including “The Woman in White” and “The Sweeney,” has died. He was 87.
Jenkins died on Jan. 16, his agent confirmed to Variety. No cause of death was given.
Jenkins was an accomplished dramatist who wrote for TV, radio and film. He was known especially for his work on British police and justice-related series throughout the 1960s and 80s, including “The Sweeney,” which starred John Thaw and Dennis Waterman, and “Juliet Bravo” in which Stephanie Turner played Inspector Jean Darblay.
Other shows Jenkins worked on included “Z Cars,” “The Brothers,” “This Man Craig,” “Callan,” “Special Branch” and “The Gentle Touch.”
He was also known for his 1980s adaptations of Wilkie Collins’ mystery novel “The Woman in White,” which aired on the BBC and starred Ian Richardson, Diana Quick and Jenny Seagrove, and Tom Hart’s novel “The Aura and The Kingfisher,” which was adapted as feature film “The Innocent,...
Jenkins died on Jan. 16, his agent confirmed to Variety. No cause of death was given.
Jenkins was an accomplished dramatist who wrote for TV, radio and film. He was known especially for his work on British police and justice-related series throughout the 1960s and 80s, including “The Sweeney,” which starred John Thaw and Dennis Waterman, and “Juliet Bravo” in which Stephanie Turner played Inspector Jean Darblay.
Other shows Jenkins worked on included “Z Cars,” “The Brothers,” “This Man Craig,” “Callan,” “Special Branch” and “The Gentle Touch.”
He was also known for his 1980s adaptations of Wilkie Collins’ mystery novel “The Woman in White,” which aired on the BBC and starred Ian Richardson, Diana Quick and Jenny Seagrove, and Tom Hart’s novel “The Aura and The Kingfisher,” which was adapted as feature film “The Innocent,...
- 2/27/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Leon Vitali, an actor in Barry Lyndon who went on to become director Stanley Kubrick’s right-hand man, died Friday in Los Angeles at age 74. His family confirmed his death to Associated Press, but no cause was given.
“Leon was a special and lovely man driven by his curiosity, who spread love and warmth wherever he went,” his children said in a statement provided by his daughter, Masha Vitali. “He will be remembered with love and be hugely missed by the many people he touched.”
Vitali was profiled in the 2017 documentary Filmworker, which spotlighted his contributions to Kubrick’ work. Filmmaker Tony Zierra’s noted that Vitali did everything from casting and coaching actors to overseeing restorations.
His duties went so far as to once setting up a video monitor so that Kubrick could keep an eye on his dying cat.
Matthew Modine, who starred in Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket,...
“Leon was a special and lovely man driven by his curiosity, who spread love and warmth wherever he went,” his children said in a statement provided by his daughter, Masha Vitali. “He will be remembered with love and be hugely missed by the many people he touched.”
Vitali was profiled in the 2017 documentary Filmworker, which spotlighted his contributions to Kubrick’ work. Filmmaker Tony Zierra’s noted that Vitali did everything from casting and coaching actors to overseeing restorations.
His duties went so far as to once setting up a video monitor so that Kubrick could keep an eye on his dying cat.
Matthew Modine, who starred in Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket,...
- 8/21/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Leon Vitali, who starred in Eyes Wide Shut and Barry Lyndon before switching his career focus from acting to serving as Stanley Kubrick’s personal assistant, has died. He was 74.
Details of Vitali’s death were not immediately available, but it was confirmed by Kubrick’s official social media presence.
“These announcements are never easy, but this one has hit us particularly hard this morning,” Kubrick’s account wrote on Instagram. “It is with the greatest of sadness that we have to tell you that the talented, loyal & mainstay of a vast number of Kubrick’s films, Leon Vitali, passed away peacefully last night.”
The post continued, “Our thoughts are with his family and all that knew and loved him. We will be paying tribute to Leon all day to honour him.”
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A post shared by Stanley Kubrick...
Leon Vitali, who starred in Eyes Wide Shut and Barry Lyndon before switching his career focus from acting to serving as Stanley Kubrick’s personal assistant, has died. He was 74.
Details of Vitali’s death were not immediately available, but it was confirmed by Kubrick’s official social media presence.
“These announcements are never easy, but this one has hit us particularly hard this morning,” Kubrick’s account wrote on Instagram. “It is with the greatest of sadness that we have to tell you that the talented, loyal & mainstay of a vast number of Kubrick’s films, Leon Vitali, passed away peacefully last night.”
The post continued, “Our thoughts are with his family and all that knew and loved him. We will be paying tribute to Leon all day to honour him.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Stanley Kubrick...
- 8/21/2022
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Josephine Tewson, star of Keeping Up Appearances and Last of the Summer Wine, has died at the age of 91.
She died on Thursday night (18 August) at Denville Hall, a retirement home for actors in Northwood, northeast London, her agent said.
The Hampstead-born star trained at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1952.
She went on to play small parts in the Sixties TV series Z-Cars and The Charlie Drake Show, and appeared in sketches with comedians Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker in Hark at Barker and Frost on Sunday.
She also played Edna Hawkins in the first six series of the Eighties and Nineties ITV sitcom Shelley.
Tewson was best known for playing Elizabeth Warden, anxious neighbour and reluctant best friend of the stuck-up social climber Hyacinth Bucket in the adored Nineties BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.
She collaborated with that show’s writer Roy Clarke again for...
She died on Thursday night (18 August) at Denville Hall, a retirement home for actors in Northwood, northeast London, her agent said.
The Hampstead-born star trained at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1952.
She went on to play small parts in the Sixties TV series Z-Cars and The Charlie Drake Show, and appeared in sketches with comedians Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker in Hark at Barker and Frost on Sunday.
She also played Edna Hawkins in the first six series of the Eighties and Nineties ITV sitcom Shelley.
Tewson was best known for playing Elizabeth Warden, anxious neighbour and reluctant best friend of the stuck-up social climber Hyacinth Bucket in the adored Nineties BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.
She collaborated with that show’s writer Roy Clarke again for...
- 8/19/2022
- by Ellie Harrison
- The Independent - TV
To be abundantly clear: the first Doctor Who Christmas Special was ‘The Christmas Invasion‘ in 2005. However, the first time the show was broadcast on Christmas Day was in 1965, the seventh episode of ‘The Dalek Master Plan’. The previous two years also had also seen Dalek stories at Christmas, with the first ever Dalek story starting broadcast in December 1963 and the final episode of ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ arriving on Boxing Day 1964, because Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a volcanic eruption by the Home Counties.
‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ capitalised on the initial success of the first Dalek story, and boosted the show’s ratings. The plan for the following series was to capitalise on that and so another six-parter was scheduled for the same time of year. As Season 2’s ‘Planet of the Giants‘ had been edited down to three episodes from four the BBC gave the...
‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ capitalised on the initial success of the first Dalek story, and boosted the show’s ratings. The plan for the following series was to capitalise on that and so another six-parter was scheduled for the same time of year. As Season 2’s ‘Planet of the Giants‘ had been edited down to three episodes from four the BBC gave the...
- 12/2/2020
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
David Baldwin Jun 22, 2017
From ER to 30 Rock, EastEnders to The Simpsons, live TV drama and comedy episodes are here to stay...
In 1997, the Us TV network NBC gave permission for its highest rated show, the global medical drama hit ER, to produce an episode that would be broadcast to audiences completely live.
See related Poldark series 3 episode 2 review Poldark series 3 episode 1 review Poldark: a beginners’ guide
It’s hard to explain just how completely out of nowhere that decision was at the time. Live broadcasts began as a cornerstone of television, but once videotape came into use in the late 1950s, it was gradually confined to news bulletins and talent contests. By the 1990s, any comedy or drama that produced a live episode was usually perceived as a show suffering from flagging ratings or creative jaundice, one in dire need of an attention grabbing gimmick.
Let’s be clear – ER was none of those things.
From ER to 30 Rock, EastEnders to The Simpsons, live TV drama and comedy episodes are here to stay...
In 1997, the Us TV network NBC gave permission for its highest rated show, the global medical drama hit ER, to produce an episode that would be broadcast to audiences completely live.
See related Poldark series 3 episode 2 review Poldark series 3 episode 1 review Poldark: a beginners’ guide
It’s hard to explain just how completely out of nowhere that decision was at the time. Live broadcasts began as a cornerstone of television, but once videotape came into use in the late 1950s, it was gradually confined to news bulletins and talent contests. By the 1990s, any comedy or drama that produced a live episode was usually perceived as a show suffering from flagging ratings or creative jaundice, one in dire need of an attention grabbing gimmick.
Let’s be clear – ER was none of those things.
- 4/13/2017
- Den of Geek
Update: The two-time Oscar-nominated British star of The Elephant Man and Midnight Express has died, his publicist confirmed to Screen on Friday night. He was 77.
Hurt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015 and continued to work after it appeared he had overcome the disease. However last summer he withdrew from the stage revival of The Entertainer upon the advice of his doctors. According to his publicist Hurt had intestinal issues when he died.
He recently played a priest in the Natalie Portman starrer Jackie and was in the cast of Joe Wright’s upcoming Second World War drama Darkest Hour for Working Title and Focus Features.
His wife Anwen Rees-Myers issued the following statement: “It is with deep sadness that I have to confirm that my husband, John Vincent Hurt, died on Wednesday 25th January 2017 at home in Norfolk.
“John was the most sublime of actors and the most gentlemanly of gentlemen with the greatest of hearts...
Hurt was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015 and continued to work after it appeared he had overcome the disease. However last summer he withdrew from the stage revival of The Entertainer upon the advice of his doctors. According to his publicist Hurt had intestinal issues when he died.
He recently played a priest in the Natalie Portman starrer Jackie and was in the cast of Joe Wright’s upcoming Second World War drama Darkest Hour for Working Title and Focus Features.
His wife Anwen Rees-Myers issued the following statement: “It is with deep sadness that I have to confirm that my husband, John Vincent Hurt, died on Wednesday 25th January 2017 at home in Norfolk.
“John was the most sublime of actors and the most gentlemanly of gentlemen with the greatest of hearts...
- 1/28/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
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Looking for good books about the movies to read? We've got a bumper selection of recommendations right here...
A confession. I actually started writing this article in 2013, and the reason you've only reading it now is that I've made sure I've read every book on this list, save for one or two where I've marked otherwise. As such, what you're getting is a very personal list of recommendations. Each of these books has at least something to it that I think is of interest to someone wanting to learn more about film - or just enjoy stories of movie making.
I've tended to avoid picture books, with one exception, as these ones I've chosen are all intended to be chock-full of words, to relax with at the end of a long day. Which is what I did. There are one or two notable omissions, as I'm still...
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Looking for good books about the movies to read? We've got a bumper selection of recommendations right here...
A confession. I actually started writing this article in 2013, and the reason you've only reading it now is that I've made sure I've read every book on this list, save for one or two where I've marked otherwise. As such, what you're getting is a very personal list of recommendations. Each of these books has at least something to it that I think is of interest to someone wanting to learn more about film - or just enjoy stories of movie making.
I've tended to avoid picture books, with one exception, as these ones I've chosen are all intended to be chock-full of words, to relax with at the end of a long day. Which is what I did. There are one or two notable omissions, as I'm still...
- 12/10/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Colin Welland, who famously proclaimed, “The British are coming!” in his Academy Award acceptance speech for Chariots Of Fire, has died at the age of 81 following a long battle with Alzheimer’s. The actor and writer, who appeared in the TV show Z Cars and also acted in Ken Loach’s Kes and Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs, also wrote the Gene Hackman-starrer Twice In A Lifetime and the Marlon Brando Apartheid drama A Dry White Season. A statement released by his family via…...
- 11/3/2015
- Deadline
Sil in Vengeance on Varos BBC
By Kieran Kinsella
Liverpool born screenwriter Philip Martin has delighted British TV audiences with entertaining and sometimes hard-hitting scripts for classic shows such as Z-Cars, Doctor Who, and Hetty Wainthrop Investigates. He also created the critically acclaimed and somewhat controversial 70s era BBC drama Gangsters. As a fan of his work, and a fellow Evertonian, I was delighted when Philip agreed to an interview. Like many great writers, he began his career in the creative arts as a performer. I began the interview by asking him why he decided to make the move from actor to writer.
“I had good experiences in my acting career, playing leads in Play of the Week etc but I looked younger than my age and when I could no longer play juveniles it was like having to start all over again. By that time I was thinking about...
By Kieran Kinsella
Liverpool born screenwriter Philip Martin has delighted British TV audiences with entertaining and sometimes hard-hitting scripts for classic shows such as Z-Cars, Doctor Who, and Hetty Wainthrop Investigates. He also created the critically acclaimed and somewhat controversial 70s era BBC drama Gangsters. As a fan of his work, and a fellow Evertonian, I was delighted when Philip agreed to an interview. Like many great writers, he began his career in the creative arts as a performer. I began the interview by asking him why he decided to make the move from actor to writer.
“I had good experiences in my acting career, playing leads in Play of the Week etc but I looked younger than my age and when I could no longer play juveniles it was like having to start all over again. By that time I was thinking about...
- 2/22/2015
- by Edited by K Kinsella
Brian Blessed has revealed he turned down the role of 'Doctor Who'. The British actor was approached to take on the iconic role in the mid-60s when First Doctor William Hartnell was about to be replaced in the Tardis. However, he declined due to other work commitments meaning the BBC went on to cast Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor. In an interview with Radio Times magazine, Blessed revealed: ''After I was in 'Z Cars', the head of BBC serials took me aside and said, 'We're thinking of having a young Doctor Who and we'd like to cast you'. But it clashed with...
- 8/5/2014
- Virgin Media - TV
Brian Blessed was approached to take on the role of the Doctor in Doctor Who, the quiet actor has revealed...
Oh, how history could have been so very different. Brian Blessed popped up in Doctor Who once upon a time, in the Colin Baker adventure Mindwarp (which in turn was part of The Trial Of A Time Lord). But in a new interview with the Radio Times, he's revealed he was once upon a time offered the role of the Doctor - but he had to turn it down.
Blessed said that he declined the chance to take on the role of the Time Lord in the mid-1960s, which hints that he was in line to take over from William Hartnell, rather than Patrick Troughton. He said that "after I was in Z Cars, the head of BBC serials took me aside and said, 'we’re thinking of having...
Oh, how history could have been so very different. Brian Blessed popped up in Doctor Who once upon a time, in the Colin Baker adventure Mindwarp (which in turn was part of The Trial Of A Time Lord). But in a new interview with the Radio Times, he's revealed he was once upon a time offered the role of the Doctor - but he had to turn it down.
Blessed said that he declined the chance to take on the role of the Time Lord in the mid-1960s, which hints that he was in line to take over from William Hartnell, rather than Patrick Troughton. He said that "after I was in Z Cars, the head of BBC serials took me aside and said, 'we’re thinking of having...
- 8/5/2014
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Brian Blessed has revealed that he was approached to play The Doctor in the '60s, but turned it down because he was too busy.
The 77-year-old actor - who guest starred as King Yrcanos in 1986 - said that he would "jump" at the chance to play the Doctor Who Time Lord now.
"After I was in Z Cars, the head of BBC serials took me aside and said, 'We're thinking of having a young Doctor Who and we'd like to cast you'," he told Radio Times. "But it clashed with other things."
Blessed would have replaced William Hartnell in the lead role, but Patrick Troughton eventually succeeded him in 1966.
The actor went on to suggest that the BBC should transform The Doctor into an Asian female in the future.
"I think they need to re-examine his surname - 'Who' is very oriental. It's about time they had an Asian actor as The Doctor.
The 77-year-old actor - who guest starred as King Yrcanos in 1986 - said that he would "jump" at the chance to play the Doctor Who Time Lord now.
"After I was in Z Cars, the head of BBC serials took me aside and said, 'We're thinking of having a young Doctor Who and we'd like to cast you'," he told Radio Times. "But it clashed with other things."
Blessed would have replaced William Hartnell in the lead role, but Patrick Troughton eventually succeeded him in 1966.
The actor went on to suggest that the BBC should transform The Doctor into an Asian female in the future.
"I think they need to re-examine his surname - 'Who' is very oriental. It's about time they had an Asian actor as The Doctor.
- 8/5/2014
- Digital Spy
Brian Blessed has revealed he turned down the role of 'Doctor Who'. The British actor was approached to take on the iconic role in the mid-60s when First Doctor William Hartnell was about to be replaced in the Tardis. However, he declined due to other work commitments meaning the BBC went on to cast Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor. In an interview with Radio Times magazine, Blessed revealed: ''After I was in 'Z Cars', the head of BBC serials took me aside and said, 'We're thinking of having a young Doctor Who and we'd like to cast you'. But it clashed with...
- 8/4/2014
- Virgin Media - TV
Feature Alex Westthorp 16 Apr 2014 - 07:00
Alex's trek through the film roles of actors who've played the Doctor reaches Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy...
Read the previous part in this series, Doctor Who: the film careers of Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker, here.
In March 1981, as he made his Doctor Who debut, Peter Davison was already one the best known faces on British television. Not only was he the star of both a BBC and an ITV sitcom - Sink Or Swim and Holding The Fort - but as the young and slightly reckless Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great And Small, about the often humorous cases of Yorkshire vet James Herriot and his colleagues, he had cemented his stardom. The part led, indirectly, to his casting as the venerable Time Lord.
The recently installed Doctor Who producer, John Nathan-Turner, had been the Production Unit Manager on...
Alex's trek through the film roles of actors who've played the Doctor reaches Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy...
Read the previous part in this series, Doctor Who: the film careers of Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker, here.
In March 1981, as he made his Doctor Who debut, Peter Davison was already one the best known faces on British television. Not only was he the star of both a BBC and an ITV sitcom - Sink Or Swim and Holding The Fort - but as the young and slightly reckless Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great And Small, about the often humorous cases of Yorkshire vet James Herriot and his colleagues, he had cemented his stardom. The part led, indirectly, to his casting as the venerable Time Lord.
The recently installed Doctor Who producer, John Nathan-Turner, had been the Production Unit Manager on...
- 4/15/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
The British director responsible for a number of well-known early stories in sci-fi series Doctor Who died Thursday. He was 82. Derek Martinus had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, his family told the BBC. Active at the Doctor Who helm between 1965 and 1970 during the tenures of three different Doctors, his credits on the long-running BBC show include the Mission to the Unknown, The Tenth Planet, The Evil of the Daleks, and The Ice Warriors episodes, as well as the show’s first serial to be filmed in color, The Spearhead From Space. During his career the Yale-educated Martinus helmed episodes of A Little Princess, Z Cars, Blakes 7, Penmarric, and Spearhead and also directed the 1968 version of Henry James’ What Maisie Knew and the miniseries The Black Tulip.
- 3/29/2014
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Derek Martinus has died, aged 82.
Martinus was best known for his directing work on Doctor Who - helming 26 episodes of the BBC sci-fi drama in all.
His efforts included William Hartnell's final story 'The Tenth Planet' (1966) and Jon Pertwee's first outing 'Spearhead From Space' (1970).
1965's 'Galaxy 4', 1967's 'The Evil of the Daleks' and the same year's 'The Ice Warriors' were his other three contributions.
Born on April 4, 1931, Martinus studied at Yale Drama School and worked as an actor, before turning his attentions to a career as a director.
His credits include episodes of Blakes 7 and Z Cars and award-winning children's drama The Paper Lads.
Doctor Who director Christopher Barry dies, aged 88
Watch a clip from 'Spearhead From Space' below:...
Martinus was best known for his directing work on Doctor Who - helming 26 episodes of the BBC sci-fi drama in all.
His efforts included William Hartnell's final story 'The Tenth Planet' (1966) and Jon Pertwee's first outing 'Spearhead From Space' (1970).
1965's 'Galaxy 4', 1967's 'The Evil of the Daleks' and the same year's 'The Ice Warriors' were his other three contributions.
Born on April 4, 1931, Martinus studied at Yale Drama School and worked as an actor, before turning his attentions to a career as a director.
His credits include episodes of Blakes 7 and Z Cars and award-winning children's drama The Paper Lads.
Doctor Who director Christopher Barry dies, aged 88
Watch a clip from 'Spearhead From Space' below:...
- 3/28/2014
- Digital Spy
Television director who worked on Doctor Who for 16 years and was at the helm when the Daleks made their first appearance
Christopher Barry, who has died aged 88, directed many notable television series, ranging from science fiction to historical dramas and literary adaptations. At the heart of his work was a 16-year association with Doctor Who.
It began in 1963, with the inaugural appearance of the Daleks – the metallic creatures who would become the most enduring monsters in the show's history. Of Barry's remaining stories with the first Doctor, William Hartnell, The Romans (1965) was an exercise in knockabout comedy, and The Savages (1966, though now lost) a thoughtful morality tale.
When ill health compelled Hartnell to hand over the part of the Doctor to Patrick Troughton, Barry worked closely with the incoming actor, who was initially unsure how to play the part. The resulting adventure, The Power of the Daleks (1966, though again lost...
Christopher Barry, who has died aged 88, directed many notable television series, ranging from science fiction to historical dramas and literary adaptations. At the heart of his work was a 16-year association with Doctor Who.
It began in 1963, with the inaugural appearance of the Daleks – the metallic creatures who would become the most enduring monsters in the show's history. Of Barry's remaining stories with the first Doctor, William Hartnell, The Romans (1965) was an exercise in knockabout comedy, and The Savages (1966, though now lost) a thoughtful morality tale.
When ill health compelled Hartnell to hand over the part of the Doctor to Patrick Troughton, Barry worked closely with the incoming actor, who was initially unsure how to play the part. The resulting adventure, The Power of the Daleks (1966, though again lost...
- 2/17/2014
- by Toby Hadoke
- The Guardian - Film News
James Lomond is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
Christopher Barry, who put together some of Doctor Who‘s most wonderful moments, passed away last Friday 7th February at the age of 88 at his home in Oxfordshire. Barry was a television director who worked on some of the UK’s best loved dramas including Z Cars, Poldark and All Creatures Great and Small alongside some
The post Classic Director Christopher Barry Dies appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
Christopher Barry, who put together some of Doctor Who‘s most wonderful moments, passed away last Friday 7th February at the age of 88 at his home in Oxfordshire. Barry was a television director who worked on some of the UK’s best loved dramas including Z Cars, Poldark and All Creatures Great and Small alongside some
The post Classic Director Christopher Barry Dies appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
- 2/11/2014
- by James Lomond
- Kasterborous.com
Sad news from the Doctor Who family today. Via Doctor Who News, we learn of the death of prolific classic-era director Christopher Barry at the age of 89. How important was Barry to creating the legend of the show? Doctor Who News:
Barry joined the Doctor Who team in the late summer of 1963, when he was assigned to direct the second story, The Daleks, replacing Rex Tucker who had left after artistic differences with producer Verity Lambert. The script he would bring to life would see the introduction of the Daleks and ensure the success of the fledgling series. Barry would end up directing episodes 1,2,4 and 5 of the story, creating the ‘sink-plunger’ cliff hanger at the end of episode 1 which would see the nation on the edge of their seats until the full revelation of the Dalek machine in episode 2.
That important. Barry would go on to direct some of the most-loved serials,...
Barry joined the Doctor Who team in the late summer of 1963, when he was assigned to direct the second story, The Daleks, replacing Rex Tucker who had left after artistic differences with producer Verity Lambert. The script he would bring to life would see the introduction of the Daleks and ensure the success of the fledgling series. Barry would end up directing episodes 1,2,4 and 5 of the story, creating the ‘sink-plunger’ cliff hanger at the end of episode 1 which would see the nation on the edge of their seats until the full revelation of the Dalek machine in episode 2.
That important. Barry would go on to direct some of the most-loved serials,...
- 2/10/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Doctor Who director Christopher Barry has died, aged 88.
Barry began his TV directing career in the 1950s and helmed some of Doctor Who's most iconic episodes.
The longest-serving director on the original run of Doctor Who, Barry's credits include the Daleks' first appearance in 1963's 'The Dead Planet'.
He also directed Patrick Troughton's first outing - 1966's 'The Power of the Daleks' - and Tom Baker's debut - 1975's 'Robot'.
Barry's final Doctor Who work was 1979's 'The Creature from the Pit', and he was also renowned for his work on Z Cars, Poldark, All Creatures Great and Small and The Tripods.
Since retired, Barry was residing in Oxfordshire at the time of his death.
Barry began his TV directing career in the 1950s and helmed some of Doctor Who's most iconic episodes.
The longest-serving director on the original run of Doctor Who, Barry's credits include the Daleks' first appearance in 1963's 'The Dead Planet'.
He also directed Patrick Troughton's first outing - 1966's 'The Power of the Daleks' - and Tom Baker's debut - 1975's 'Robot'.
Barry's final Doctor Who work was 1979's 'The Creature from the Pit', and he was also renowned for his work on Z Cars, Poldark, All Creatures Great and Small and The Tripods.
Since retired, Barry was residing in Oxfordshire at the time of his death.
- 2/10/2014
- Digital Spy
Homage to the British filmmakers work to feature at the festival in February, where he will receive an honorary Golden Bear.
British director Ken Loach is to be awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16).
The award ceremony will be accompanied by a screening of Raining Stones, Loach’s film about a man who makes disastrous choices in trying to raise the money for his daughter’s first Communion dress. It won the jury prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.
Berlin will also host a homage to Loach’s work, including 1966 TV drama Cathy Come Home, about a young mother who becomes homeless after her husband loses his job.
It was seen by 12 million people on its first broadcast - a quarter of the UK population - and is regularly cited as one of the best, most influential British TV dramas and led to the setting up of the...
British director Ken Loach is to be awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16).
The award ceremony will be accompanied by a screening of Raining Stones, Loach’s film about a man who makes disastrous choices in trying to raise the money for his daughter’s first Communion dress. It won the jury prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.
Berlin will also host a homage to Loach’s work, including 1966 TV drama Cathy Come Home, about a young mother who becomes homeless after her husband loses his job.
It was seen by 12 million people on its first broadcast - a quarter of the UK population - and is regularly cited as one of the best, most influential British TV dramas and led to the setting up of the...
- 11/29/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Actor who was both heart-throb and hardman as Bodie in The Professionals
In a 1980 episode of the hit British cop show The Professionals, an ill-advised villain tries to threaten the ex-mercenary William Bodie with his snarling doberman pinscher. After a brief altercation, Bodie, all sang-froid and minimally curled lip, inquires: "Would your little dog like to chew this electric fire? Or maybe you'll just leave."
This kind of butch badinage, along with rugged good looks, helped make Lewis Collins, who played Bodie in all 57 of the show's episodes from 1977 and 1983, and who has died aged 67 after suffering from cancer, into a household name. During that time he formed one half of Britain's answer to Starsky and Hutch, a crime-fighting duo called Bodie and Doyle who worked for a shadowy criminal intelligence agency, CI5, headed by Gordon Jackson's strait-laced George Cowley. At its height, The Professionals was watched by 12 million viewers a week,...
In a 1980 episode of the hit British cop show The Professionals, an ill-advised villain tries to threaten the ex-mercenary William Bodie with his snarling doberman pinscher. After a brief altercation, Bodie, all sang-froid and minimally curled lip, inquires: "Would your little dog like to chew this electric fire? Or maybe you'll just leave."
This kind of butch badinage, along with rugged good looks, helped make Lewis Collins, who played Bodie in all 57 of the show's episodes from 1977 and 1983, and who has died aged 67 after suffering from cancer, into a household name. During that time he formed one half of Britain's answer to Starsky and Hutch, a crime-fighting duo called Bodie and Doyle who worked for a shadowy criminal intelligence agency, CI5, headed by Gordon Jackson's strait-laced George Cowley. At its height, The Professionals was watched by 12 million viewers a week,...
- 11/29/2013
- by Stuart Jeffries
- The Guardian - Film News
Lewis Collins, the popular British actor who played men of action, has died at from cancer at age 67. Although his fame was largely relegated to his native England, he maintained a loyal fan following primarily attributed to his role in the long-running UK TV series The Professionals which is still being presented in re-runs on ITV4. Collins also had roles in other popular British TV series including Z Cars, The New Avengers and The Cuckoo Waltz. He also starred in producer Euan Lloyd's 1982 feature film Who Dares Wins about a daring Sas operation. The film, released in the United States as The Final Option, was a personal favorite of President Ronald Reagan, who requested a private screening at the White House. Collins was touted by many as a suitable candidate for playing James Bond. In fact, Collins screen tested for the role of 007 but failed to convince legendary producer...
- 11/28/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Feature Seb Patrick 21 Nov 2013 - 22:30
Here's what writer Mark Gatiss said about An Adventure In Space And Time at the BFI screening. Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen it...
Warning: contains spoilers for An Adventure In Space And Time. Our spoiler-free review is here.
As part of a Q&A session with members of the cast and crew at the premiere screening of An Adventure in Space and Time at the BFI, writer Mark Gatiss had plenty to say about the making of the ninety-minute BBC2 film. Now that the special has been broadcast – and with the proviso that it contains spoilers if you haven’t yet watched it! - here’s a selection of what he had to say about bringing William Hartnell, Verity Lambert, Sydney Newman and the rest of the early days of Doctor Who to life…
To begin with, Gatiss talked about the origins of the story,...
Here's what writer Mark Gatiss said about An Adventure In Space And Time at the BFI screening. Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen it...
Warning: contains spoilers for An Adventure In Space And Time. Our spoiler-free review is here.
As part of a Q&A session with members of the cast and crew at the premiere screening of An Adventure in Space and Time at the BFI, writer Mark Gatiss had plenty to say about the making of the ninety-minute BBC2 film. Now that the special has been broadcast – and with the proviso that it contains spoilers if you haven’t yet watched it! - here’s a selection of what he had to say about bringing William Hartnell, Verity Lambert, Sydney Newman and the rest of the early days of Doctor Who to life…
To begin with, Gatiss talked about the origins of the story,...
- 11/21/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
McM Expo/London Comic Con returns to ExCel London on 25th – 27th October. As well as hosting a galaxy of great sci-fi, movie, games, comics, anime and cosplay content, they’ve also got their usual huge line up of special guests – with more guests being added all the time! see www.mcmcomiccon.com for the latest London Comic Con news – but here’s a round-up of who’s been announced so far:
Red hot fantasy-noir show Lost Girl is coming to McM London Comic Com, with stars Ksenia Solo (Black Swan, Life Unexpected) and Rachel Skarsten (Transporter: The Series, Birds Of Prey) plus executive producer Jay Firestone (Andromeda, La Femme Nikita). Stars from hit sci-fi series Warehouse 13: Kelly Hu (Arrow, X-Men 2, The Vampire Diaries); Eddie McClintock (Bones, Desperate Housewives) and actor/director Saul Rubinek (Frasier, Curb Your Enthusiasm). The stars of new crime thriller By Any Means: Warren Brown (Luther,...
Red hot fantasy-noir show Lost Girl is coming to McM London Comic Com, with stars Ksenia Solo (Black Swan, Life Unexpected) and Rachel Skarsten (Transporter: The Series, Birds Of Prey) plus executive producer Jay Firestone (Andromeda, La Femme Nikita). Stars from hit sci-fi series Warehouse 13: Kelly Hu (Arrow, X-Men 2, The Vampire Diaries); Eddie McClintock (Bones, Desperate Housewives) and actor/director Saul Rubinek (Frasier, Curb Your Enthusiasm). The stars of new crime thriller By Any Means: Warren Brown (Luther,...
- 10/18/2013
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Child radio star of the 1940s and 50s best remembered for playing Richmal Crompton's Just William
David Spenser, who has died aged 79, was the pre-eminent child radio star of the 1940s and 50s and will be best remembered for his portrayal on air of Just William. The author Richmal Crompton cast him in the role, in a series of dramatisations of her novels about the raucous but endearing 11-year-old outlaw.
This was in 1948, when David turned 14 and was already a seasoned radio actor – performing more than one play a week, he once told me. He had come into acting through a ruse set up by his ambitious mother and a BBC friend: he was lured into Broadcasting House and found himself in a studio being auditioned by the Children's Hour producer Josephine Plummer. For playing the lead in Just William he received the standard juvenile fee of four guineas...
David Spenser, who has died aged 79, was the pre-eminent child radio star of the 1940s and 50s and will be best remembered for his portrayal on air of Just William. The author Richmal Crompton cast him in the role, in a series of dramatisations of her novels about the raucous but endearing 11-year-old outlaw.
This was in 1948, when David turned 14 and was already a seasoned radio actor – performing more than one play a week, he once told me. He had come into acting through a ruse set up by his ambitious mother and a BBC friend: he was lured into Broadcasting House and found himself in a studio being auditioned by the Children's Hour producer Josephine Plummer. For playing the lead in Just William he received the standard juvenile fee of four guineas...
- 8/2/2013
- by John Tydeman
- The Guardian - Film News
Imposing stage and screen actor whose work ranged from Shakespeare to The Bill
The character actor Bernard Horsfall, who has died aged 82, appeared in television, films and on the stage for more than half a century. Tall, imposing and authoritative, he appeared in many of the major television series from Z Cars and Dr Finlay's Casebook to Casualty and The Bill, and in Doctor Who took no fewer than four roles.
In 1968 he played Lemuel Gulliver in The Mind Robber, where he was encountered by Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor, in the Land of Fiction. The following year he returned as a Time Lord in The War Games. In 1973, with Jon Pertwee now donning the time-traveller's cape, he played the Thai chieftain, Taron, in the six-part Planet of the Daleks. And finally, he was another Time Lord, Chancellor Goth, in the 1976 story The Deadly Assassin, famously battling with Tom Baker...
The character actor Bernard Horsfall, who has died aged 82, appeared in television, films and on the stage for more than half a century. Tall, imposing and authoritative, he appeared in many of the major television series from Z Cars and Dr Finlay's Casebook to Casualty and The Bill, and in Doctor Who took no fewer than four roles.
In 1968 he played Lemuel Gulliver in The Mind Robber, where he was encountered by Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor, in the Land of Fiction. The following year he returned as a Time Lord in The War Games. In 1973, with Jon Pertwee now donning the time-traveller's cape, he played the Thai chieftain, Taron, in the six-part Planet of the Daleks. And finally, he was another Time Lord, Chancellor Goth, in the 1976 story The Deadly Assassin, famously battling with Tom Baker...
- 1/31/2013
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
A secret? Eric Cantona is a giggler
Ken Loach, 75, was born in Warwickshire. After grammar school, he went to Oxford University where he read law. He started his career in the theatre and went on to become a BBC television director in 1963. He worked on Z Cars and then the Wednesday Play, where he directed the classic Cathy Come Home. In 1969, Loach made the award-winning film Kes. His other movies include Land And Freedom, Sweet Sixteen, The Wind That Shakes The Barley and Looking For Eric. The Angels' Share, his new film, is out now.
What is your greatest fear?
I would have said relegation for Bath City, the football club I support, but we've just been relegated.
What is your earliest memory?
Getting my fingers trapped in a deckchair when I was three or four.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Tony Benn, for moving to...
Ken Loach, 75, was born in Warwickshire. After grammar school, he went to Oxford University where he read law. He started his career in the theatre and went on to become a BBC television director in 1963. He worked on Z Cars and then the Wednesday Play, where he directed the classic Cathy Come Home. In 1969, Loach made the award-winning film Kes. His other movies include Land And Freedom, Sweet Sixteen, The Wind That Shakes The Barley and Looking For Eric. The Angels' Share, his new film, is out now.
What is your greatest fear?
I would have said relegation for Bath City, the football club I support, but we've just been relegated.
What is your earliest memory?
Getting my fingers trapped in a deckchair when I was three or four.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Tony Benn, for moving to...
- 6/1/2012
- by Rosanna Greenstreet
- The Guardian - Film News
Veteran British actor John Woodvine is in a stable condition in hospital after collapsing on stage on Friday night.
The actor, who has starred in An American Werewolf in London and U.K. TV shows Z Cars and Shameless, was performing in the musical Carousel when he fell ill while in the wings of the Grand Theatre in Leeds, England.
Woodvine, who has enjoyed a long career with the Royal Shakespeare Company, was admitted to a local medical centre, where he is now recovering.
Eyewtiness John Wilford tells The Press Association, "Suddenly the action on stage appeared to slow down and stumble. Then suddenly the safety curtain came down. A man reached into the orchestra pit and told the conductor to stop playing. He jumped on stage and said: 'Is there a doctor in the house?' There was a surprised silence."...
The actor, who has starred in An American Werewolf in London and U.K. TV shows Z Cars and Shameless, was performing in the musical Carousel when he fell ill while in the wings of the Grand Theatre in Leeds, England.
Woodvine, who has enjoyed a long career with the Royal Shakespeare Company, was admitted to a local medical centre, where he is now recovering.
Eyewtiness John Wilford tells The Press Association, "Suddenly the action on stage appeared to slow down and stumble. Then suddenly the safety curtain came down. A man reached into the orchestra pit and told the conductor to stop playing. He jumped on stage and said: 'Is there a doctor in the house?' There was a surprised silence."...
- 5/13/2012
- WENN
The singer/actor made his way from Corrie to California, but was forever associated with the TV show about a manufactured band
Davy Jones, the frontman of the 60s pop group the Monkees and singer of classics such as Daydream Believer, has died in Florida of a heart attack. He was 66.
The medical examiner's office for Martin County said: "[We] have been informed of the death of Mr Davy Jones. The medical examiner's office will take jurisdiction and a possible autopsy will be performed and evaluation of the circumstances of death and medical information."
Jones was born in Manchester in 1945, and was a child actor, appearing in Coronation Street and Z Cars in 1961 and 1962. He found fame, though, after moving to Los Angeles and being cast as the lead singer in The Monkees, for a TV series about a fictional pop group that was put together by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider,...
Davy Jones, the frontman of the 60s pop group the Monkees and singer of classics such as Daydream Believer, has died in Florida of a heart attack. He was 66.
The medical examiner's office for Martin County said: "[We] have been informed of the death of Mr Davy Jones. The medical examiner's office will take jurisdiction and a possible autopsy will be performed and evaluation of the circumstances of death and medical information."
Jones was born in Manchester in 1945, and was a child actor, appearing in Coronation Street and Z Cars in 1961 and 1962. He found fame, though, after moving to Los Angeles and being cast as the lead singer in The Monkees, for a TV series about a fictional pop group that was put together by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider,...
- 3/1/2012
- by Michael Hann, Alexandra Topping
- The Guardian - Film News
Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith and Davy Jones of The Monkees.
Singer/actor Davy Jones of the 1960s pop group The Monkees has died in Florida at age 66. Jones began his career as young actor in British TV series including Coronation Street and Z Cars. He flirted with the notion of becoming a jockey but ended up playing with Peter Tork, Mickey Dolenz and Mike Nesmith as the group The Monkees, which took the world by storm in 1966 through their popular TV series. The group broke up in 1971 but has successfully reunited for tours several times since then, though Nesmith was generally not involved. Jones also continued to perform his solo act and was scheduled to hold a concert at the end of March. For more click here...
Singer/actor Davy Jones of the 1960s pop group The Monkees has died in Florida at age 66. Jones began his career as young actor in British TV series including Coronation Street and Z Cars. He flirted with the notion of becoming a jockey but ended up playing with Peter Tork, Mickey Dolenz and Mike Nesmith as the group The Monkees, which took the world by storm in 1966 through their popular TV series. The group broke up in 1971 but has successfully reunited for tours several times since then, though Nesmith was generally not involved. Jones also continued to perform his solo act and was scheduled to hold a concert at the end of March. For more click here...
- 2/29/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Having breathed enough mythological fire to secure the Best Fantasy Film prize at BleedFest in Los Angeles, Anne K. Black's Dawn of the Dragon Slayer is heading to UK stores on DVD and Blu-ray on February 13, 2012.
The film is the first fantasy dragon feature to be directed by a woman and Anne presented the world premiere of the movie at BleedFest last September.
The festival is held in Los Angeles every month and celebrates "the women who love writing, producing, directing, and watching badass genre movies: action, thriller, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, western, exploitation (of men or audience only), B-movie, and erotica."
It was the first directing role for Anne, who also co-wrote the special effects extravaganza and previously co-scripted the 2003 modern-day update of Pride & Prejudice. After the praise for Dawn of The Dragon Slayer, she is now finishing work on another sword-and-sorcery film titled The Virgin And The Warrior.
The film is the first fantasy dragon feature to be directed by a woman and Anne presented the world premiere of the movie at BleedFest last September.
The festival is held in Los Angeles every month and celebrates "the women who love writing, producing, directing, and watching badass genre movies: action, thriller, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, western, exploitation (of men or audience only), B-movie, and erotica."
It was the first directing role for Anne, who also co-wrote the special effects extravaganza and previously co-scripted the 2003 modern-day update of Pride & Prejudice. After the praise for Dawn of The Dragon Slayer, she is now finishing work on another sword-and-sorcery film titled The Virgin And The Warrior.
- 2/4/2012
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
BAFTA have just sent over a press release alerting us to the fact that the legendary veteran actor, John Hurt is to be he recipient of the 2012 BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. Hurt has been acting since 1962 when he appeared in TV series Z Cars. More recently he has appeared in the likes of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the Harry Potter franchise where he appeared as Ollivander, the wand expert.
I’ve placed the press release below but this award is so deserved and massive congrats John Hurt!
Ohn Hurt To Receive BAFTA Award For Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema
London, 27 January 2012: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is delighted to announce that John Hurt will receive the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award at the Orange British Academy Film Awards ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House on Sunday 12 February. Universally acclaimed for his acting talent,...
I’ve placed the press release below but this award is so deserved and massive congrats John Hurt!
Ohn Hurt To Receive BAFTA Award For Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema
London, 27 January 2012: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is delighted to announce that John Hurt will receive the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award at the Orange British Academy Film Awards ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House on Sunday 12 February. Universally acclaimed for his acting talent,...
- 1/27/2012
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A pioneering film collective brings Free Cinema to Manchester
A report about Unit Five Seven, a Manchester film-making collective formed by Michael Grigsby in 1960, appeared in the From the Archive column on 18 October (see how the piece originally appeared in the Guardian here).
The work of Unit Five Seven, as Grigsby himself says in the article, was influenced by the Free Cinema movement in London, a series of documentary programmes shown at the National Theatre, representing a new approach to film-making. The Guardian's London film critic, reviewing the Look at Britain programme in 1957, welcomed the "introduction of a little fresh air into the fusty notions of our film studios".
The Free Cinema movement, whose founders included Lindsay Anderson, Karel Reisz and Tony Richardson, encouraged Grigsby and his work was shown at the final Free Cinema programme in 1959.
Grigsby's film Enginemen captured both the ethos of Free Cinema and the aims...
A report about Unit Five Seven, a Manchester film-making collective formed by Michael Grigsby in 1960, appeared in the From the Archive column on 18 October (see how the piece originally appeared in the Guardian here).
The work of Unit Five Seven, as Grigsby himself says in the article, was influenced by the Free Cinema movement in London, a series of documentary programmes shown at the National Theatre, representing a new approach to film-making. The Guardian's London film critic, reviewing the Look at Britain programme in 1957, welcomed the "introduction of a little fresh air into the fusty notions of our film studios".
The Free Cinema movement, whose founders included Lindsay Anderson, Karel Reisz and Tony Richardson, encouraged Grigsby and his work was shown at the final Free Cinema programme in 1959.
Grigsby's film Enginemen captured both the ethos of Free Cinema and the aims...
- 10/18/2011
- by Lauren Niland, Guardian Research Department
- The Guardian - Film News
Welsh actor known for playing Reg Harries in TV soap Pobol y Cwm
Twenty-nine years of playing the political activist turned pub landlord Reg Harries in the Welsh-language serial Pobol y Cwm made Huw Ceredig, who has died aged 69 after suffering from diabetes and pneumonia, one of Britain's longest-running soap actors and a familiar face to television viewers across Wales.
He joined the BBC Wales programme (whose title translates as People of the Valley) from its second episode in 1974. Set in the fictional village of Cwmderi, it began as a weekly programme, switched to the Welsh fourth channel, S4C, on the station's launch in 1982, and six years later went up to five episodes a week. Reg, a union official and former miner, was originally seen as a socialist councillor fighting for local causes – partly reflecting Ceredig's own political activism of the time as secretary of the Welsh Language Society,...
Twenty-nine years of playing the political activist turned pub landlord Reg Harries in the Welsh-language serial Pobol y Cwm made Huw Ceredig, who has died aged 69 after suffering from diabetes and pneumonia, one of Britain's longest-running soap actors and a familiar face to television viewers across Wales.
He joined the BBC Wales programme (whose title translates as People of the Valley) from its second episode in 1974. Set in the fictional village of Cwmderi, it began as a weekly programme, switched to the Welsh fourth channel, S4C, on the station's launch in 1982, and six years later went up to five episodes a week. Reg, a union official and former miner, was originally seen as a socialist councillor fighting for local causes – partly reflecting Ceredig's own political activism of the time as secretary of the Welsh Language Society,...
- 8/29/2011
- by Anthony Hayward
- The Guardian - Film News
The leftwing film director talks about the riots, his early work on television and the documentary he made for Save the Children 40 years ago that is about to be screened for the first time
About halfway through our interview, I call Ken Loach a sadist. The mild-mannered, faintly mole-like film director blinks hard, chuckles, and carries on. We are discussing a key aspect of his film-making: the element of surprise. Loach has spent his career depicting ordinary people, telling working-class stories as truthfully as possible, and he works distinctively – filming each scene in order, often using non-professional actors, encouraging improvisation.
They don't tend to see a full script in advance, and move through his films as confused as the audience about what lurks around the next corner. I ask Loach which surprise was most memorable, and he laughs incongruously through a few examples. He talks about an incident when an actor walked through a door,...
About halfway through our interview, I call Ken Loach a sadist. The mild-mannered, faintly mole-like film director blinks hard, chuckles, and carries on. We are discussing a key aspect of his film-making: the element of surprise. Loach has spent his career depicting ordinary people, telling working-class stories as truthfully as possible, and he works distinctively – filming each scene in order, often using non-professional actors, encouraging improvisation.
They don't tend to see a full script in advance, and move through his films as confused as the audience about what lurks around the next corner. I ask Loach which surprise was most memorable, and he laughs incongruously through a few examples. He talks about an incident when an actor walked through a door,...
- 8/29/2011
- by Kira Cochrane
- The Guardian - Film News
Malcolm McDowell was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, in 1943. Following guest roles during the 60s in several TV series, including Crosroads, Z Cars and Dixon of Dock Green, he first came to fame thanks to his movie debut in Lindsay Anderson's seminal 1968 film If...
He's perhaps best known for playing gang leader Alex in A Clockwork Orange, but has starred in a wide variety of projects including Time After Time, Blue Thunder, Star Trek: Generations, Cat People and Gangster No 1, as well as the TV show Heroes.
Superhero fans will also know his voice from several cartoon shows: as Metallo in the Justice League and Superman series (and as the same character in the Superman: Shadow of Apokolips video game), Mad Mod in Teen Titans, Whistler in Spider-Man, Arkady Duvall in Batman and Merlyn the Magnificent in DC Showcase: Green Arrow.
McDowell is currently leading the 40th anniversary...
He's perhaps best known for playing gang leader Alex in A Clockwork Orange, but has starred in a wide variety of projects including Time After Time, Blue Thunder, Star Trek: Generations, Cat People and Gangster No 1, as well as the TV show Heroes.
Superhero fans will also know his voice from several cartoon shows: as Metallo in the Justice League and Superman series (and as the same character in the Superman: Shadow of Apokolips video game), Mad Mod in Teen Titans, Whistler in Spider-Man, Arkady Duvall in Batman and Merlyn the Magnificent in DC Showcase: Green Arrow.
McDowell is currently leading the 40th anniversary...
- 7/1/2011
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
An Aardman Production For Sony Pictures Animation Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek, Brian Blessed, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen Also On Board
Culver City, Calif. – Hugh Grant will voice the lead role alongside an all-star cast in The Pirates! Band Of Misfits, the new stop-motion, 3D, animated film produced by Aardman Animations for Sony Pictures Animation. The film, which will be distributed by Columbia Pictures, will be released March 30, 2012 in North America.
Hugh Grant, starring in his first animated role, is the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain – a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to...
Culver City, Calif. – Hugh Grant will voice the lead role alongside an all-star cast in The Pirates! Band Of Misfits, the new stop-motion, 3D, animated film produced by Aardman Animations for Sony Pictures Animation. The film, which will be distributed by Columbia Pictures, will be released March 30, 2012 in North America.
Hugh Grant, starring in his first animated role, is the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain – a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to...
- 5/17/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Liz Sladen says goodbye to Tom Baker's Doctor at the end of The Hand Of Fear:
Elisabeth Sladen, Doctor Who's very own plucky Metropolitan journalist and all-time great companion, has passed away at the age of 63.
Born in Liverpool on February 1st 1948, Elisabeth's performing roots started at a very young age, with a keen interest in dancing and one appearance with the Royal Ballet. Drama school beckoned after this, and by the early 1960s, she was working at the Liverpool Playhouse repertory company - where she met her husband Brian Miller (Dugdale from Snakedance).
Liz's first on-screen work was as an uncredited extra in Gerry And The Pacemakers film, Ferry Cross The Mersey in 1965. By the early 1970s, she was starting to gain roles in popular TV series such as Coronation Street, Doomwatch and Z Cars. She nearly won the role of Betty in popular sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em,...
Elisabeth Sladen, Doctor Who's very own plucky Metropolitan journalist and all-time great companion, has passed away at the age of 63.
Born in Liverpool on February 1st 1948, Elisabeth's performing roots started at a very young age, with a keen interest in dancing and one appearance with the Royal Ballet. Drama school beckoned after this, and by the early 1960s, she was working at the Liverpool Playhouse repertory company - where she met her husband Brian Miller (Dugdale from Snakedance).
Liz's first on-screen work was as an uncredited extra in Gerry And The Pacemakers film, Ferry Cross The Mersey in 1965. By the early 1970s, she was starting to gain roles in popular TV series such as Coronation Street, Doomwatch and Z Cars. She nearly won the role of Betty in popular sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em,...
- 4/20/2011
- Shadowlocked
The BBC reports that Doctor Who actress Elisabeth Sladen, who joined the television series in 1973 as Doctor Who’s assistant Sarah Jane Smith and starred in the spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures, has died from cancer at the age of 63.
Elisabeth Sladen was born on February 1, 1948 in Liverpool, England. She attended drama school for two years before joining the local repertory theatre in Liverpool. She met actor Brian Miller during her first production there, they married in 1968. Early television work included appearances on “Coronation Street”, “Doomwatch”, “Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em”, “Public Eye”, and “Z Cars”. Between 1974 and 1976, she had a regular role on Doctor Who as Sarah Jane Smith opposite Jon Pertwee and later Tom Baker, a part she reprised in K-9 and Company: A Girl’s Best Friend in 1981, “Doctor Who: The Five Doctors” in 1983, the radio serials The Paradise of Death & Doctor Who and...
Elisabeth Sladen was born on February 1, 1948 in Liverpool, England. She attended drama school for two years before joining the local repertory theatre in Liverpool. She met actor Brian Miller during her first production there, they married in 1968. Early television work included appearances on “Coronation Street”, “Doomwatch”, “Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em”, “Public Eye”, and “Z Cars”. Between 1974 and 1976, she had a regular role on Doctor Who as Sarah Jane Smith opposite Jon Pertwee and later Tom Baker, a part she reprised in K-9 and Company: A Girl’s Best Friend in 1981, “Doctor Who: The Five Doctors” in 1983, the radio serials The Paradise of Death & Doctor Who and...
- 4/19/2011
- by Glenn Hauman
- Comicmix.com
EastEnders star Margaret Tyzack has withdrawn from filming for personal reasons, forcing show bosses to recast the character of Lydia Simmonds, Digital Spy can confirm. Earlier this year, it was announced that stage star Tyzack had been cast in the role of Lydia, who is Janine Malloy's estranged grandmother. Viewers saw her on screen for the first time last week as Janine (Charlie Brooks) visited her gran in hospital after hearing that she was unwell. However, following Tyzack's unexpected departure from the soap, programme chiefs have recruited actress Heather Chasen to take over the part. Chasen has appeared in a number of TV roles since the 1960s, including appearances in Z Cars, Young Sherlock, The Bill, Casualty and Doctors. (more)...
- 4/12/2011
- by By Daniel Kilkelly
- Digital Spy
Actor best known as the private detective Frank Marker in the television series Public Eye
For 10 years, the actor Alfred Burke, who has died aged 92, starred as the downbeat private detective Frank Marker in the popular television series Public Eye (1965-75). The character was intended as a British rival to Raymond Chandler's American gumshoe Philip Marlowe. Tough, unattached and self-sufficient, Marker could take a beating in the service of his often wealthy clients without quitting. "Marker wasn't exciting, he wasn't rich," Burke said. "He could be defined in negatives."
An ABC TV press release introduced the character as a "thin, shabby, middle-aged man with a slightly grim sense of humour and an aura of cynical incorruptibility. His office is a dingy south London attic within sound of Clapham Junction. He can't afford a secretary, much less an assistant, and when he needs a car, he hires a runabout from the local garage.
For 10 years, the actor Alfred Burke, who has died aged 92, starred as the downbeat private detective Frank Marker in the popular television series Public Eye (1965-75). The character was intended as a British rival to Raymond Chandler's American gumshoe Philip Marlowe. Tough, unattached and self-sufficient, Marker could take a beating in the service of his often wealthy clients without quitting. "Marker wasn't exciting, he wasn't rich," Burke said. "He could be defined in negatives."
An ABC TV press release introduced the character as a "thin, shabby, middle-aged man with a slightly grim sense of humour and an aura of cynical incorruptibility. His office is a dingy south London attic within sound of Clapham Junction. He can't afford a secretary, much less an assistant, and when he needs a car, he hires a runabout from the local garage.
- 2/19/2011
- by Dennis Barker, Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
Originally published in the Guardian on 26 November 1973
"M paused to fill his pipe and light it. 'Not a moment to lose, 007,' he said quietly. 'Better get your skates on.'
"'Right, sir,'" said Bond. A few minutes earlier the 1933 gunmetal grey, drophead roller skates (adaptable at the touch of a switch for instant ice-skating with the Amherst Villiers conversion and the flick knife concealed in each wheel) had been brought round from the boot cupboard where he kept them. Within seconds Bond's powerful, thrusting calf muscles were causing sparks to fly from the pavements of Whitehall as he set off in pursuit of his arch enemy. Somewhere up ahead, he knew, was Goldfinger on his supercharged pogo stick. Bond's eyes narrowed. Would he be in time? ..."
As you can see I've been rewriting the James Bond books to bring them into line with the demands of the present fuel crisis,...
"M paused to fill his pipe and light it. 'Not a moment to lose, 007,' he said quietly. 'Better get your skates on.'
"'Right, sir,'" said Bond. A few minutes earlier the 1933 gunmetal grey, drophead roller skates (adaptable at the touch of a switch for instant ice-skating with the Amherst Villiers conversion and the flick knife concealed in each wheel) had been brought round from the boot cupboard where he kept them. Within seconds Bond's powerful, thrusting calf muscles were causing sparks to fly from the pavements of Whitehall as he set off in pursuit of his arch enemy. Somewhere up ahead, he knew, was Goldfinger on his supercharged pogo stick. Bond's eyes narrowed. Would he be in time? ..."
As you can see I've been rewriting the James Bond books to bring them into line with the demands of the present fuel crisis,...
- 11/26/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
The full line-up of guests has been announced for the Winter Memorabilia Show 2010, to be held at the NEC, Birmingham, this coming weekend (November 20-21)
They include Angel Coulby (above) and Rupert Young from the BBC series Merlin and Tommy Knight and Anjili Mohindra from Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Hollywood actors coming to the event include David Warner (pictured below left) - whose five decades in the industry have seen him in films such as Time Bandits, Tron, The Omen, Titanic and Planet of the Apes - and David Bradley, best known for playing cantankerous caretaker Argus Filch (below right) in the Harry Potter movies. Also attending is Warwick Davis, who plays Professor Filius Flitwick in the Potter films and whose other credits include Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Willow and the Leprechaun series.
TV stars making the trip to Birmingham include Richard Herd and Andrew Prine,...
They include Angel Coulby (above) and Rupert Young from the BBC series Merlin and Tommy Knight and Anjili Mohindra from Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Hollywood actors coming to the event include David Warner (pictured below left) - whose five decades in the industry have seen him in films such as Time Bandits, Tron, The Omen, Titanic and Planet of the Apes - and David Bradley, best known for playing cantankerous caretaker Argus Filch (below right) in the Harry Potter movies. Also attending is Warwick Davis, who plays Professor Filius Flitwick in the Potter films and whose other credits include Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Willow and the Leprechaun series.
TV stars making the trip to Birmingham include Richard Herd and Andrew Prine,...
- 11/17/2010
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
Actor best known for his role as one of the Italian Job gang
Frank Jarvis, who has died suddenly aged 69, was a prolific actor with a particular commitment to theatre. He did, however, have a minor claim to film immortality as one of the gang of cockney villains, led by Michael Caine, who pull off a robbery, but do not quite get away with it, in The Italian Job (1969). Greeted upon its initial release as merely one of many caper movies (a view that persists in the Us), repeated television screenings in Britain have given it status as a minor classic.
Jarvis's role was as a getaway driver, well-dressed and continually smoking. It was representative of his screen work during the 60s and 70s, which almost always centred on crime, whether he was cast as crook or copper. He was thin-faced and slim of build, with dark hair slicked down by Brylcreem,...
Frank Jarvis, who has died suddenly aged 69, was a prolific actor with a particular commitment to theatre. He did, however, have a minor claim to film immortality as one of the gang of cockney villains, led by Michael Caine, who pull off a robbery, but do not quite get away with it, in The Italian Job (1969). Greeted upon its initial release as merely one of many caper movies (a view that persists in the Us), repeated television screenings in Britain have given it status as a minor classic.
Jarvis's role was as a getaway driver, well-dressed and continually smoking. It was representative of his screen work during the 60s and 70s, which almost always centred on crime, whether he was cast as crook or copper. He was thin-faced and slim of build, with dark hair slicked down by Brylcreem,...
- 10/28/2010
- by Gavin Gaughan
- The Guardian - Film News
Playwright and author of TV dramas including The Beiderbecke Affair and Fortunes of War
Alan Plater, whose TV credits in a writing career spanning 50 years included The Beiderbecke Affair, Fortunes of War and the screenplay for A Very British Coup, has died, his agent confirmed to the BBC today.
Plater, 75, wrote novels and for film and theatre, but will be best remembered for a profilic body of television drama spanning six decades, starting with TV play The Referees for BBC North in 1961.
His final TV drama, Joe Maddison's War, starring Kevin Whately and Robson Green and set on the eve of the second world war in the north-east, where Plater was born, is currently in post-production for ITV.
Plater was born in Jarrow in 1935 and moved with his family as a young child to Hull, where he grew up.
He studied architecture at Newcastle University and worked for a short...
Alan Plater, whose TV credits in a writing career spanning 50 years included The Beiderbecke Affair, Fortunes of War and the screenplay for A Very British Coup, has died, his agent confirmed to the BBC today.
Plater, 75, wrote novels and for film and theatre, but will be best remembered for a profilic body of television drama spanning six decades, starting with TV play The Referees for BBC North in 1961.
His final TV drama, Joe Maddison's War, starring Kevin Whately and Robson Green and set on the eve of the second world war in the north-east, where Plater was born, is currently in post-production for ITV.
Plater was born in Jarrow in 1935 and moved with his family as a young child to Hull, where he grew up.
He studied architecture at Newcastle University and worked for a short...
- 6/25/2010
- by Jason Deans
- The Guardian - Film News
Alan Plater's agent Alexandra Cann and Chris Mullin, author of A Very British Coup, remember the TV writer
Alexandra Cann, Alan Plater's agent
"How do you sum up Alan's career? With great difficulty. He was an astoundingly wonderful television writer and his contribution to British television was of a very high standard. He wrote many wonderful original things as well as adaptations.
"His swansong will be an original work — Joe Maddison's War — for ITV. When he died, he was writing an essay on Hull. "He was writing to the end, but his last TV writing was an episode of Lewis and Joe Maddison's War. His body was very frail but his mind was extremely robust. He really wanted to engage right through to the end.
"I was his agent for 20 years and had known him a little longer. He was just the most utterly delightful person, thoroughly enjoyable and amusing.
Alexandra Cann, Alan Plater's agent
"How do you sum up Alan's career? With great difficulty. He was an astoundingly wonderful television writer and his contribution to British television was of a very high standard. He wrote many wonderful original things as well as adaptations.
"His swansong will be an original work — Joe Maddison's War — for ITV. When he died, he was writing an essay on Hull. "He was writing to the end, but his last TV writing was an episode of Lewis and Joe Maddison's War. His body was very frail but his mind was extremely robust. He really wanted to engage right through to the end.
"I was his agent for 20 years and had known him a little longer. He was just the most utterly delightful person, thoroughly enjoyable and amusing.
- 6/25/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
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