THE jury is still out on BBC1’s major new Saturday night series Merlin.
But there was, naturally, plenty of enthusiasm for the 13-part drama at last night’s launch in London.
Some 500 cast, crew and media crammed into the BFI IMAX near Waterloo station for a screening of the first episode.
Then it was off to the eighth floor of The Oxo Tower with its panoramic views over the capital.
Aimed squarely at the family audience in the Doctor Who and Robin Hood slot, Merlin gives us a new twist on the Camelot legend.
Seeing the first episode on the giant IMAX screen didn’t actually do it any favours.
I’ll reserve my own judgement until I see it on a normal TV.
But it’s definitely Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings, with one or two seriously scary moments.
Month: September 2008
PAUL O’Grady has told how he almost missed out on his MBE.
He received the gong in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, announced in June.
About to return for a new series of his Channel 4 teatime chat show, Paul thought it was a joke.
“I got a letter,” he explains in an interview just released by C4.
“But I’ve got a weird friend who always sends me letters, looking really official, saying, ‘Dear Mr O’Grady, we have reason to believe you are running a brothel at weekends.’
Or, ‘Dear Mr O’Grady, this baby-farming has got to cease.’
“So I thought it was one of those. I thought it was quite a weak attempt.
IT’S always a pleasure to talk to talented people at the top of their game.
Raymond Blanc is one of the best chefs in the world.
But he told me recently that passion for food is simply not enough when you step into a kitchen.
He’s back on BBC2 at 8pm tonight with a second – and somewhat changed – series of The Restaurant.
There’s a second feature in today’s MEN about the nine new couples taking part.
The online version is here.
You can also read about them at the BBC site here.
“I’m looking for people who are passionate but passion is not enough,” Raymond said.
GOT the post-holiday September blues?
Then can I recommend a new TV double act to put a smile on your face?
Along with the rest of the cast who star in upcoming BBC3 Manchester comedy series Massive.
Ralf Little and Carl Rice play Danny and Seamus, best mates since they bonded over Oasis in 1994.
Inspired by local heroes, including Tony Wilson, Joy Division and The Happy Mondays, they are stuck in boring jobs, mainly involving filing.
Until Danny’s gran leaves him £10,000 in her will and they set up Shady Records.
The first two episodes are on BBC3 from 9pm this Sunday and are not to be missed.
CORONATION Street writer Lucy Gannon told me recently how she was once banned from watching the soap.
I spoke to her at the launch of her latest drama The Children, starring Kevin Whately.
It’s just the latest of many projects from acclaimed writer Lucy, who joined the Corrie team last year.
So how, I wondered, did that come about?
“I’ve always been a fan of Coronation Street. I’ve watched it for 25 years,” she replied.
“But when my mum died and my father re-married, one of the family rules was, ’You’re not allowed to watch Coronation Street.’
“We moved down from Lancashire to Wiltshire and my dad felt that if we saw northern accents and people with tomato sauce on the table, we’d be homesick.
SNOW Is about to fall on a freezing night in 1963 as a young girl goes missing on the moors.
Place of Execution is one of the best TV dramas I’ve seen this year.
Adapted from the novel by Stockport-based Val McDermid, it’s set in the same era as the Moors Murders.
But this is a very different story.
At the press launch in London yesterday we watched the first two episodes and interviewed stars Juliet Stevenson, Greg Wise and Lee Ingleby.
And even though I now know how this classy thriller ends, I can’t wait to see the third and final part.
Due on ITV1 later this month, the drama – set in both the past and present – took six years to bring to the screen.
It was made in Newcastle and Northumberland by Coastal Productions, the Tyneside-based company founded by Sandra Jobling and Robson Green.
JOHN Thomson is to bring a touch of the Wild West to Coronation Street.
As blogged yesterday, the former Cold Feet star rides into town as a children’s entertainer called Jessie.
There’s another story in today’s MEN, which for some reason hasn’t made it online.
So here are a few of the extra details:
A cowboy and Indian double act with his wife hits the dust after the couple have a big row.
And that could lead to a spark between Jessie and Streetcars cab controller Eileen Grimshaw, played by Sue Cleaver.
Which for some strange reason brought the scene (pictured) from Toy Story to mind.
Soap bosses approached John after he expressed an interest in joining the cast.
BREAKING news from the cobbles of Weatherfield.
Former Cold Feet star John Thomson is joining the cast of Coronation Street.
The Salford-raised actor and comic will play a down-on-his-luck children’s entertainer called Jessie.
John, 39, will film three episodes in October but producers hope to tempt him back for a longer spell on the cobbles next year.
A Street spokesman said: “We are delighted that John is joining the show. John is a fantastic comedy actor and is perfect for the part of Jessie.”
His episodes are due to be seen on screen in mid-December.
IT’S aimed at the Harry Potter generation and hopes to cast a spell on family audiences.
New 13-part drama series Merlin updates the story of the sorceror of Arthurian legend for Saturday nights on BBC1.
Set in the mythical city of Camelot, the new twist on an old legend comes to our screens later this month.
But will fans of a certain sitcom recognise one of the older members of cast?
One Foot In The Grave star Richard Wilson plays Gaius, the wise physician who guides young Merlin.
“I knew I could not be a bald 70-year-old who looks like Victor Meldrew,” explains Richard.
“So I knew I had to do something, go for a new image.”
Which is why you’ll see him in a shoulder-length wig.
Life of Wylie 