From There To Here: Q&A

“WE nearly died in there. Doesn’t it make you think?”

Daniel Cotton (Philip Glenister) asks the question of his father Samuel (Bernard Hill) in From There To Here.

The three part BBC1 drama, written by Peter Bowker, opens with the June 1996 Manchester bomb which destroyed a large part of the city centre.

But this is not a story about the IRA attack. It charts the ripples of that initial trigger on two families across Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

Last night I attended a screening of episode one at BAFTA in London followed by a Q&A, including Phil and Pete.

You can read my full transcript below, edited very slightly to remove any major spoilers.

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DCI Banks: Playing With Fire

A trip north to see Stephen Tompkinson on location between Manchester and Leeds.

He was filming the first full series of ITV1 drama DCI Banks after two pilot episodes last autumn.

Where I also spoke to co-star Andrea Lowe, who re-lives her own real life fire nightmare in the opening story.

And I learned how filming had to be stopped when it was feared the stars were in danger.

My feature is in today’s MEN and below.

Sitting in his trailer, Stephen also compared modern day detective Alan Banks to Gene Hunt.

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Exile: John Simm

“DON’T measure me against him. He’s won an Oscar,” smiles John Simm.

We’re sat in a conference room at BBC TV Centre in west London, where a few days before I’d also interviewed Jim Broadbent.

John and Jim co-star in superb new BBC1 drama Exile, to be screened over three consecutive nights from Sunday May 1.

Relaxed in a grey V-neck jumper, white T-shirt and blue jeans, an unshaven John was in good spirits during the small round table chat back in January.

Where the conversation ranged from Hamlet to Harry and Paul via Exile, Doctor Who and Sam Tyler.

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