“MY name is Bert Middleton. I’m the second oldest man in Britain.
“This is the last thing I’ll do so you better listen carefully…”
Old Bert (David Ryall) talks to a modern day TV documentary crew in the opening moments of new BBC1 drama serial The Village.
Before we go back to the summer of 1914.
“The summer the bus came.”
FALL in you horrible lot…
Our Girl is a 90-minute drama on BBC1 at 9pm this Sunday.
Written by Tony Grounds and starring Lacey Turner, I highly recommend it.
A story of one young person’s struggle and hope for the future.
You can learn more in my story below, published the day after the London press launch earlier this month.
Followed by my transcript of the Q&A with Lacey, Tony and producer Ken Horn.
MOVING On is back with a Scandinavian twist.
Created by Jimmy McGovern, the fourth series of BBC1’s daytime drama has the usual impressive cast lists.
This time including actors from The Killing, Borgen, Wallander and Lilyhammer.
“NOT my problem.”
Doctor Who: The Snowmen finds an apathetic and reclusive Time Lord (Matt Smith) living in Victorian isolation.
On a cloud, to be precise.
Still mourning the loss of Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), he has given up on helping anyone who might need him.
“The universe doesn’t care,” he maintains.
“Those were the days,” he tells Clara, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, when they first meet outside The Rose & Crown pub.
Having forgotten that they met once before…
HOW is your blood pressure today?
You only have to watch BBC2’s current documentary series The Tube to discover how stressed many London commuters are.
And then there’s kitchen salesman Ted, played by Douglas Hodge, in new TV drama One Night.
SCHOOL’S out for Waterloo Road in Rochdale.
Production of the drama is to move to Scotland, although how that will be explained on screen is still not clear.
My English exclusive story on the end of an era for the BBC1 show is in today’s MEN here.
With a fuller version below:
“IT does go out with a fantastic bang. Ruth and Harry’s conclusion is sensational and there are some surprises for the loyal fans.”
“I just don’t want it to get tired and old.”
“We kill off our characters all the time in their prime. The show’s got to be killed off in its prime as well.”
Three quotes from Jane Featherstone live on the BBC1 Breakfast sofa around 8:40am today.
IT’S been an open secret for some time that Spooks had come to the end of its long and winding road.
Today came final confirmation that series 10, due on screen next month (September), will be the last.
You can read the full official press release at the end of this blog.
The end came as no surprise to fans of the BBC1 show, who were left wondering why the BBC and production company Kudos had left it so long to confirm what everyone knew.
With Kudos said to have taken the decision themselves to end the series and move on to other things, including an already announced (Jan 2011) new eight-part BBC1 spy drama series called Morton.
Rather than the BBC wielding the axe.
Chief Executive Jane Featherstone said today: “We have always wanted to end Spooks on a high, but never knew when that time would be.
“Harry Pearce, played by the wonderful Peter Firth, has always been at the heart of the show and this series focuses on Harry’s past, bringing his tumultuous relationship with Ruth to a head. As we near completion of this year’s show, I’m sorry to say but it feels this series is a fitting end to a much-loved show.
“It’s very tempting to keep going, and we have had on-going conversations with our partners at the BBC about it, but the heart of the show has become those two characters and I feel they own it. We’ve followed the arc of their personal story and I think they’ve brought us to a natural end, which you will all see played out later this year.”
There was already speculation that Spooks was nearing the end of the road when I spoke to Peter Firth (Harry Pearce) in early February.
IT’S no secret that Christopher Eccleston is one of my favourite actors.
Maybe yours too?
He’s a class act and as intelligent off screen as on.
I spoke to him recently – on the day after the government’s spending cuts were announced – about his role in episode one of Jimmy McGovern’s new BBC1 series Accused.
Which includes his character Willy calling a banker a name I can’t repeat here.
My interview with Chris is in today’s Manchester Evening News, and also online below with a few extras I couldn’t fit into the main article.
MAGIC news today for fans of Merlin, which has been recommissioned for a fourth BBC1 series.
The current series is being watched by an average of over six million viewers, even though it has been pitched into direct battle with ITV1 ratings juggernaut The X Factor.
Ten new episodes will begin filming next March for screening in the UK later in 2011.
Featuring the arrival of the Knights of the Round Table.
Life of Wylie 