JAMES Bond star Daniel Craig’s nomination for best actor at next month’s Bafta Film Awards reminded me of a previous role far from 007.
It’s the first nomination for an actor playing Bond. But those in the know say it’s not just based on his brilliant performance in Casino Royale.
It’s said to be recognition for some of Chester-born Daniel’s previous parts in films such as Layer Cake, Enduring Love and Sylvia.
Older readers may also remember his role in a 1996 Bafta award-winning production, which remains one of the best TV drama series ever screened.
Month: January 2007
THE wind of change was blowing in both Salford and London today.
Delegates at the Television from the Nations and Regions Conference at The Lowry heard from BBC Chief Operating Officer Caroline Thomson, who said a BBC future without Salford was now “almost unthinkable”.
She added: “For the BBC it represents a hugely symbolic and significant shift of emphasis from the capital to the regions.”
Further evidence of that came with renewed speculation that the iconic BBC Television Centre in west London (pictured) may close.
REGULAR readers of this blog will know that the MEN has a policy about revealing future soap storylines.
In general, we don’t do it. It annoys many readers who want to watch their favourite show without having it spoiled by advance information.
These “spoilers” are now the stock in trade of the red tops, not to mention soap magazines which flaunt future storylines on a weekly basis.
But it’s not just tabloid newspapers and magazines involved in this game. ITV’s very own website now offers online trailers for several future episodes at a time.
The MEN does make an exception to our general rule when a storyline is so widely known – and trailed – that it would be a bit daft to shy away from it.
That’s the decision we made yesterday when ITV Granada issued a total of 26 new photos from this Friday’s Coronation Street.
IT’S good to see former Coronation Street actress Georgia Taylor back on screen this week.
She guest stars as Phyllis Cook (pictured) in the first episode of new BBC1 drama Lilies.
The eight-part series is about three sisters in 1920s Liverpool and features young Manchester actress Catherine Tyldesley as eldest sister Ruby.
Wigan-born Georgia, 26, quit the Street in 2003 after six years in the role of Toyah Battersby.
She’s since gone on to a variety of parts, including Shyanne Holden in Blackpool and a film debut last year in The History Boys.
Georgia also has a guest role in episode four of the second series of BBC1’s New Street Law, which begins later this month.
WHAT’S in your TV archive?
Mine dates back to the early 1980s and includes thousands of video recordings, as well as more recent DVDs and hard drives.
But in the 1960s, before the invention of cheap video recorders, tape was very expensive.
TV companies routinely wiped programme footage once it had been broadcast so the tape could be used again.
Many live TV shows also vanished as no-one saw the need to record them. Other recordings simply went missing.
Now a new four-part series has unearthed TV footage thought to have been lost forever.
THERE’S light at the end of the tunnel for viewers turned off by the glut of New Year reality TV.
Tonight at 8.30pm sees the first clash of all three reality shows, with BBC1’s Just The Two Of Us up against Channel 4’s Celebrity Big Brother and the launch of ITV1’s Manchester-based Soapstar Superstar.
Good news for fans of reality telly armed with recording machines. Not so good for everyone else.
But no need to despair. There’s a wide range of new series waiting in the wings – many of which will feature on the TV feature pages of the MEN.
One of the first is Shameless, which returns for a long awaited fourth series on Channel 4 at 10pm next Tuesday.
DAY one in the Celebrity Big Brother house and they’ve already been in to the diary room to ask for headache tablets.
At least it’s the first full day for the celebs in their new world just off Borehamwood High Street.
Jermaine Jackson is ticking off the hours until he can escape, asking this morning: “Did yesterday count as one of the days?”
It will be 25 days in total for those who survive to the end. And that’s a lot of headache pills.
THE first day of 2007 may already have seen the highest rated TV show of the year.
Dawn French’s farewell as The Vicar of Dibley last night attracted a massive 12.3 million viewers.
That’s just 200,000 less than the highest rated non-sporting programme of 2006 – an episode of Coronation Street last March.
The New Year’s Day finale saw Geraldine Granger married in her pyjamas and leopard print slippers.
She survived Owen’s explosive devices and the Dalek bridesmaids to wed accountant Harry.
Viewers saw her walking on air at the end of the episode, to the sound of Fill My Little World by The Feeling.
Then it was “Goodbye and God Bless” from the classic comedy, with some behind the scenes footage and Alice finally getting one of Geraldine’s post-titles jokes.
My name is Ian Wylie and until October 2009 I was the London Editor & TV Editor of the Manchester Evening News.
Now I am a freelance journalist and TV writer.
The original version of this blog was on the MEN site.
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