Charles Edwards - Playhouse Presents, Strange Interlude, Downton Abbey

Video source: National Theatre
Playhouse Presents "Stage Door Johnnies" will be broadcast 23 May on Sky Arts.

Anne-Marie Duff and Charles star in Strange Interlude by Eugene O'Neill at the National Theatre. Previews begin 28 May and press night is 4 June.

Tellyspotting has some photos from filming for series 4 of Downton Abbey.

Samuel West - television, Hyde Park on Hudson and Trash Cuisine

(screencap sources: Mr Selfridge episode 6, Belarus Free Theatre, cinemasUGC, Smooth Radio)

Sam is currently filming Fleming, a four part drama starring Dominic Cooper as Ian Fleming. He plays Admiral John Godfrey, a source of inspiration for M (BBC Media Centre 1|2). He has shared a couple of pictures from filming on Twitter (@exitthelemming a car|a document).
Mr Selfridge will return for a second series which will be broadcast in 2014 (ITV Press Centre).

Publicity for Hyde Park on Hudson includes interviews with Sam and Olivia Colman from heyuguys, Metro, View London, Front Row, Smooth Radio, Radio Times and Huffington Post. Also, MSN has a clip from the film titled "Meet some Americans"; and the French trailer for the film has slightly different footage to the English trailer.

Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra, read by Sam (@exitthelemming). Excerpts from the stories were recently featured in Just So Science.
A few weeks ago, Sam and Emilia Fox starred in the Afternoon Drama Kathleen and Con.

In his role as the chairman for the National Campaign for the Arts, he has written a post for the Arts Funding Ning about Westminster Council's proposal to cut its entire arts budget and spoken to Labour Peers in the House of Lords about the NCA (@exitthelemming).

Sam, Alan Rickman and Joanna Lumley have recorded video appeals to attract crowd-funding for Trash Cuisine, Belarus Free Theatre's latest production (via @Fenella Dawnay). The deadline for donations is 7 April.
In January, he participated in Eastside Educational Trust's creative team training.
This month, Sam read from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four at Brixton and West Norwood libraries on National Libraries Day (a picture of Sam at West Norwood is here) and attended an auction raising money for Prostate Cancer UK (via @exitthelemming; a picture from the auction is here).

Charles Edwards - Mrs Updike and Playhouse Presents

Charles plays John Updike in the Drama on 3 Mrs Updike, which will be broadcast 10 February on BBC Radio 3.

He will appear in "Stage Door Johnnies", an episode from the forthcoming series of Playhouse Presents (via @PRMattersUK).

Samuel West - Just So Science, Evening Standard

This week, Sam reads excerpts from Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories for Just So Science on BBC Radio 4 (via @scirad).

The Evening Standard asked some prominent Londoners to suggest how London could be "greater". This is Sam's response:

"I would like to see the London Living Wage extended to everyone, including those in the arts. With increased tuition fees and arts cuts, it is becoming harder and harder for people without family financial support to get into the business. We need to hear stories from everyone, not just those who can afford to work for nothing."

Samuel West - Mr Selfridge, Uncle Vanya and the National Campaign for the Arts

Screencaps from Mr Selfridge (episode 1) and Hyde Park on Hudson
Sam discussed Uncle Vanya, Mr Selfridge and Hyde Park on Hudson with Bernie Keith (interview starts at 1 hour 11 minutes) and Andy Potter (interview starts at 2 hours 15 minutes) last week. Both shows are available on iPlayer until tomorrow afternoon (GMT).

whatsontv.co.uk has a gallery of stills from Mr Selfridge.

He has been elected the new chair of the National Campaign for the Arts (The Stage).

In late December, Sam wrote about his "5 Things I can't live without" for the Daily Express. His piece was "subbed beyond recognition" (his Twitter, @exitthelemming).

Dan Stevens

Dan mainly discusses Downton Abbey in this interview from the Telegraph, which contains spoilers for the Christmas special.
The show has received Screen Actors Guild award nominations, including Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

He is in talks to join a film about Wikileaks; Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Bruhl are attached to the project.

A recent NYC-Arts interview with Dan focuses on The Heiress.

Other appearances and publicity: Zero Dark Thirty screening, Ermenegildo Zegna 'Essenze' collection launch; Town & Country interview, V Magazine interview; December Telegraph column.

Samuel West - Hyde Park on Hudson

Video sources: BFI, Premiere Scene, iTunes (these screencaps are thumbnails - click for 1080p full size)
On 16 October, Sam attended the Hyde Park on Hudson premiere at the London Film Festival. Interviews with him on the red carpet include BFI, Premiere Scene, Total Film, Getty and jorland.
Getty, PR Photos and Rex Features have pictures of Sam and co-star Bill Murray on the red carpet.

The film's official site has a video featurette about Bill Murray's preparation for playing Roosevelt, interviews with Sam and Olivia Colman, and a discussion featuring members of the cast and crew.

Clips from the film can be viewed at Trailer Addict.




Video sources: Trailer Addict and iTunes (click for full size)
A selection of review excerpts is below.

The Hollywood News
"Olivia Colman shines as the Queen. Samuel West is also likable and sympathetic as the king..."

Flick Filosopher
"Everything in Hyde Park concerning the royals — portrayed with grace, aplomb, and resolute humanity by the wonderful Samuel West and the goddesslike Olivia Colman — is fantastic."

Film School Rejects
"[the royals are] played quite adorably and with amazing chemistry by Samuel West and Olivia Colman..."

Samuel West - Mr Selfridge, TV narrations and readings

(Screencaps from the Mr Selfridge trailer. Click for full size.)
Mr Selfridge premieres 6 January on ITV1 at 9pm (Sam's Twitter, @exitthelemming). The series' press pack contains an interview with Sam.  Also, he can be briefly glimpsed in the trailer for the show.

Sam narrates two BBC documentaries this week: Moominland Tales (BBC4, 26 December) and Neil Armstrong - First Man on the Moon (BBC2, 30 December; via @exitthelemming).
He narrates Secrets of Highclere Castle, which will premiere 6 January on PBS (@exitthelemming).

Sam has done some readings from timpanist Charles Turner's diary for a film produced by Red Ted Films (@tommyrpearson).

AudioFile's review of A Possible Life focuses on the performamces of the narrators:

"Each part of this novel about success, spiritualism, mental health, and the soul is expertly delivered by a different narrator who perfectly projects the story's tone and energy. Samuel West's melancholic, refined air and emotional register reflect Geoffrey's experiences as a British schoolteacher turned concentration camp escapee..."

Sam has drawn a doodle for the 2013 National Doodle Day celebrity auction.

Ralph Fiennes, Joanna Lumley and Sam have contributed to an appeal to David Cameron regarding political prisoners in Belarus (the Guardian).

Charles Edwards - Downton Abbey and Mrs Updike

(A glimpse of Charles in the trailer for the Downton Abbey Christmas special)
The Downton Abbey Christmas special will be broadcast on ITV1 at 8.45pm on Christmas Day. A trailer for the episode can be viewed on Youtube.

He has completed recording for Mrs Updike, a radio play by Margaret Heffernan (his Twitter, @cedwardsactor).

Earlier this month, Charles attended the 2013 whatsonstage.com awards launch party (wooller.com 1|2).

Samuel West - Uncle Vanya press round up

[updated 7 December]


(Source: Nimax Theatres. Used with permission.)
Uncle Vanya had its press night on 2 November. Pictures from the after party can be viewed at Getty and wooller.com

An ITV news story features an interview with Anna Friel and Laura Carmichael, as well as a short clip from the play.

A selection of review excerpts is below.

Bloomberg
"Samuel West gives a terrific turn as the drunken Doctor Astrov."

British Theatre Guide
"Samuel West is a particularly good Doctor Astrov, a failed arboricultural trendsetter suffering from low esteem and alcoholic excess..."

londontheatre
"the performances on display here are quite exceptional... There is terrific support from Samuel West as Doctor Astrov, obsessed by deforestation..."

Independent
"... in a subtly restrained portrayal of Astrov, the excellent Samuel West conveys the clinical clarity with which this doctor registers a confining inabilty to feel for people what he feels for trees."

Evening Standard
"West nicely conveys Astrov’s complexity. He is a mix of disillusionment and energy; he seems exhausted by the experience of being pulled in different directions..."

Telegraph
"Samuel West captures both the ecological idealism of Dr Astrov, whose concerns about deforestation seem almost spookily prophetic while also bringing a compelling coldness to the role."