ANNA Friel is sitting in a hotel suite high above London’s Berkeley Square.
In a cinema several floors below we’ve just seen a cast and crew preview of her new ITV1 drama series Without You.
It’s late evening and there’s a post-screening get-together to attend just around the corner.
But first Anna takes time out to give a small group interview.
As ever, she’s not afraid of straight-talking – as you’ll discover in my MEN feature from yesterday (Thursday Nov 24) below.
ITV has released the first photo from the much anticipated feature length Downton Abbey Christmas Special.
(Click on the image to enlarge)
L-R: NIGEL HAVERS as Lord Hepworth, SAMANTHA BOND as Lady Rosamund Painswick, HUGH BONNEVILLE as Robert, IAIN GLEN Sir Richard Carlisle, MICHELLE DOCKERY as Lady Mary Crawley and DAN STEVENS as Matthew Crawley.
The special, which takes us into the New Year of 1920, has yet to be scheduled although there is speculation it will broadcast on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.
COMEDIAN John Bishop is to star in BBC1’s hard-hitting drama Accused.
The award-winning stand-up plays a troubled father called Peter in the second series of Jimmy McGovern’s show.
Liverpool-born John, 44, said he was “made up” to land the role in an episode of the new four-part series which begins filming this weekend.
CHRISTMAS may have been cancelled for The Royle Family but Ralf Little and Craig Cash are still about to cause a TV stir.
This year’s BBC1 festive special has been axed because writers Craig and Caroline Aherne failed to come up with the script in time.
But Ralf and Craig will be raising a smile in the run-up to Christmas thanks to a new TV comedy set in a seaside coffee shop.
The seafront set for Sky1 HD’s The Cafe was so realistic that locals and tourists in Weston-Super-Mare queued to be served.
MISSING your Sunday night slice of Rob James-Collier in Downton Abbey?
Well, you can see the former Coronation Street star in series three of BBC1’s acclaimed Moving On.
Along with the likes of Fay Ripley, Reece Dinsdale, Paul Rhys, Dean Lennox Kelly, Christine Bottomley, Ben Daniels, Eva Pope, Sally Philips and Warren Brown.
Together with less famous names (for now) like Shaun Mason.
Rob and Shaun appear tomorrow (Monday Nov 14) in The Milkman, the first of five new Moving On dramas screened at 2:15pm each weekday next week.
“I just felt like writing another one.”
Award-winning Peter Morgan talking about The Jury, which begins on ITV1 at 9pm tonight.
“A trial brings people together in a way that really intrigued me.”
Peter wrote the first series of The Jury, screened in 2002.
WHO lives? Who dies? And who gets married?
Those questions are answered in the final episode of Downton Abbey series two on ITV1 at 9pm this Sunday.
With ITV having confirmed a few minutes ago that series three has, indeed, been commissioned.
As if there was any doubt.
It will again consist of eight episodes covering a period of 18 months in 1920 and 1921.
You can read the full press release at the bottom of this blog.
“I don’t think he did it.”
Sarah Lund (Sofie Grabol) is back in a second series of The Killing, which begins on BBC4 at 9pm on Saturday Nov 19, with the second episode at 10pm.
The first season of this Danish crime drama was a phenomenon when it was screened in the UK with English sub-titles earlier this year.
I missed it first time around, so bought the DVD box set.
And ended up watching all 20 episodes in the space of four days.
Created by writer Soren Sveistrup, it’s one of the most compelling dramas I have ever seen.
Last night I was invited to a London preview screening of The Killing II episode one.
Hosted by BAFTA together with the Embassy of Denmark in London.
Followed by a Q&A with Sofie and senior producer Piv Bernth.
WHAT will your verdict be?
Back in January 2002 I attended the launch of a new ITV1 drama series called The Jury.
Written by Peter Morgan, whose subsequent credits include The Last King Of Scotland, The Queen, Longford, The Other Boleyn Girl, Frost/Nixon, The Damned United and The Special Relationship.
Last week I attended the launch of a new ITV1 drama series also called The Jury.
Or what in the big screen world would be called The Jury 2.
Peter’s follow up to his original series.
He was there along with leading lady Julie Walters, who plays defence barrister Emma Watts.
(Spoiler alert: Do not read further if you have yet to watch the final episode)
“HARRY Pearce…”
The poignant last ever episode of Spooks has just finished.
There will be no more.
Nicola Walker summed up my feelings in an interview this week when she said:
“The storyline for this last series is the right ending for the show.
“I don’t know if it’s going to please everybody but it’s a very clever and grown up end point.”
Life of Wylie 