About

My blog has quite a lot of posts about Samuel West (Julius Caesar, On Chesil Beach and Darkest Hour) and Charles Edwards (My Fair Lady Australian tour and Henry IX).

Wednesday 29 June 2011

Samuel West - Television - Law & Order: UK

ITV has issued a press pack for series 5 of Law & Order: UK. Sam guest stars in episode 5 "Intent" - he plays Lucas Boyd (via All Things Law And Order).

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Charles Edwards - Television - Holy Flying Circus

The BBC press office has issued a press release for Holy Flying Circus, in which Charles plays Michael Palin.

Samuel West. Audio - Brighton Rock. Narration - The Soldier's Tale. Arts funding.

[updated 11 February 2012]

A review of Brighton Rock has described Sam's narration as "sinister, humorous and moving" (the Guardian).

Two tweets from Sam about Sunday's performance of The Soldier's Tale at the Kew Music Festival:
"Doing Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale with top musos at the Kew Music Festival tonight. Few tickets still available. 8pm, St Anne's Church, Kew."
"Double-bassist tonight is Chi-Chi Nwanoku, broadcaster extraordinaire, all-round cool person and possessor of the finest arms in music."

Sam wrote an article for the Guardian about the importance of public investment in the arts (via @feignedmischief).

Dan Stevens


  • Downton Abbey
    • Two behind the scenes pictures from series 2 filming can be viewed at Entertainment Weekly
    • Screencaps from Better Homes and Gardens' two features about the show have been added to the galleries (registration required)
  • A Guardian article about Jonathan Smith has some very nice comments about Dan
  • Dan reviewed Caitlin Moran's new book How to be a Woman for the Times. The Independent has published a few quotes from the review, and the review can be read in full at the galleries.
  • Dan plays Harry Trench in the Drama on 3 Widowers' Houses. It will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Sunday 3 July at 8pm

Wednesday 22 June 2011

Charles Edwards - Television - Holy Flying Circus

Charles will play Michael Palin in Holy Flying Circus, a one-off BBC4 drama that reimagines the Life of Brian controversy. It will be broadcast later this year (Media Guardian).

Thursday 16 June 2011

Samuel West. Narration - Enoch Arden. Actors Centre.

Sam will narrate Enoch Arden op. 38 Melodrama for Piano and Narrator on a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson by Richard Strauss for the West Wight Arts Association at the West Wight Freshwater Hall on 14 January 2012 (via Wight Link). Tickets will be available from 10 December.

He will teach a classical duologues workshop at the Actors Centre on 25 July.

Reminders:

Romola Garai, Ruth Wilson, BBC Radio

Romola Garai and Nicholas Burns will star in The Village Bike at the Royal Court from 24 June to 30 July.

A quote from Ruth in the Telegraph about Michael Grandage, outgoing artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse:
"'He is an agent’s worst nightmare!’ Ruth Wilson laughs. Not only does he cut them entirely out of the process by contacting their clients directly, but he also expects his actors, however famous they are, to work for a company wage."
Ruth previously performed at the Donmar in A Streetcar Named Desire, and will star in the theatre's upcoming production of Anna Christie.

BBC Radio
  • Hattie Morahan, Bertie Carvel and Tobias Menzies star in the Drama on 3 Serious Money by Caryl Churchill (available on iPlayer for 4 more days)
  • Alex Jennings reads Twenty Minutes "A Warning to the Curious" (available on iPlayer for 5 more days)
  • Andrew Scott voices James Joyce in the Book of the Week James Joyce - A Biography. Jim Norton narrates.   
  • Jason Isaacs was interviewed on Loose Ends 

Monday 13 June 2011

Charles Edwards - Television - Waking the Dead

"Harbinger" premiered in Australia on UKTV last night. It will be repeated this Thursday.

Saturday 11 June 2011

Samuel West. Radio - Money. Audio - A Shropshire Lad. Kreutzer vs. Kreutzer. Narration - Purbeck Art Weeks. Narration - Heath vs Wilson. Narration - TBA.

The programme page for Money (Sam's radio directorial debut) is now available.

Sam reads the Naxos audiobook "A Shropshire Lad" by A.E. Housman; excerpts can be downloaded from Naxos and Audible.

The recording of Kreutzer vs. Kreutzer is currently being sound mixed (Stella Motion Pictures).
A tweet from Sam about reading poetry by Borges ("The Art of Poetry", "Elegy" and "History of the Night") at Purbeck last Sunday:
"Corfe Castle in the rain. Concert tonight, reading Borges between Piazzola [sic] and Tchaikovsky. Senses bursting."
A tweet from the Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus about last Friday's Henry V performance:
"Big thanks to Sam West @exitthelemming for taking time out of filming to give a stunning performance on Friday. Fab lighting effects too"

Sam narrated Heath vs Wilson: The Ten Year Duel (via his Twitter @exitthelemming). Unfortunately it is no longer available to view on iPlayer.
He will narrate an upcoming BBC documentary which has something to do with Jeffrey Dahmer (@exitthelemming 1|2|3).


Reminders:

Friday 10 June 2011

Hayley Atwell. Film - Captain America. Theatre - The Faith Machine. D&G dinner.

Issue 182 of Total Film has an interview with Hayley about Captain America. Editor-in-chief Aubrey Day posted a picture of her from a shoot at Big Sky Studios.

Hayley will play Sophie in The Faith Machine by Alexi Kaye Campbell (The Pride) at the Royal Court, 25 August to 1 October (via @kls010).

Gemma Arterton and Hayley attended a dinner in London held in honour of Dolce and Gabbana (Vogue).

Television - Eternal Law

The timeline below has been sourced from tweets by Sam West (Zak), Monastic Productions (writers Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharaoh), Ukweli Roach (Tom), Claire Jo Benjamin (assistant director) and Rosalie Carew (script editor) for the past few weeks. In late May, the second block began shooting in locations such as a field and a pet cemetery. The past two weeks have had night shoots and running around with wings on. Throughout, the writers have been very pleased with the rushes. The final block of filming begins next week.

10 June
The last block of filming begins next week (@MonasticProds)

9 June
Filming next to a pub called the Slip In (@ClaireJoBenji)
Running with wings on (@UkweliRoach)

8 June
Positivity about rushes from the second block (@MonasticProds)
Sam's dialogue includes the word "petriochor" (@exitthelemming)

2 June
Makeup on set (@exitthelemming)

1 June
"Drowsy acting" and filming at night (@exitthelemming)
A scene from episode 4 featuring Sam made the writers cry (@MonasticProds)
Script editing for block 3 i.e. episodes 5 and 6 (@TheDramaCat)

31 May
Sam tweeted the writers, "your boy took a hell of a beating" (@exitthelemming)
James Ellis will guest star (@exitthelemming)

30 May
Rehearsing a shouty scene (@exitthelemming 1|2|3)

29 May
Importance of the banana (@exitthelemming 1|2)
Court scenes can only be filmed on Sundays, due to availability (@exitthelemming)

27 May
A filming location: Stamford Bridge (@exitthelemming)
Riding a motorbike (@exitthelemming, @UkweliRoach)
Finished writing the second draft of episode 6 (@MonasticProds)

25 May
Filming in a caravan containing fishing magazines as set dressing (@exitthelemming)
Filming in a pet cemetery (@MonasticProds)

24 May
Filming in a field (@ClaireJoBenji)

23 May
The second block i.e. episodes 3 and 4 began filming (@exitthelemming)

Tuesday 7 June 2011

Dan Stevens


Monday 6 June 2011

Hayley Atwell. BlackBook. Television - Any Human Heart. Film - Captain America.

Hayley has been profiled in the June/July issue of BlackBook.

The audio from last November's Any Human Heart BAFTA screening is now available (via Darcylicious). Any Human Heart won a British Academy Television Award for best Drama Serial last month.

Character posters for Captain America have been released, including one of Hayley as Peggy Carter (Collider).
She features in both of the TV spots which premiered last week (1|2; via Comic Book Movie). Screencaps (click the thumbnails for full size):
TV spot 1 -

TV spot 2 -

Sunday 5 June 2011

Ruth Wilson, Andrea Riseborough, Parade's End, BBC Radio

Series 2 of Luther begins Tuesday 14 June (BBC press office). A bit of publicity - Stylist has an interview with Ruth. And she appears briefly in this trailer for the show (click the thumbnail for full size):

Ruth took part in the Josephine Hart poetry week at the Donmar Warehouse this week. She read "Train" by Helen Mackay (@lawyercatrin, Ought to be Clowns).

Owen Sheers has written about Andrea's research for Resistance, in which she plays Sarah (Telegraph).
Andrea will play Princess Betsy in the film adaptation of Anna Karenina directed by Joe Wright. Tom Stoppard wrote the script (Daily Mail).

Another Stoppard script - Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall will star in a BBC/HBO adaptation of Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford (Deadline Hollywood).

BBC Radio
  • Rupert Penry-Jones, Ruth Wilson, Rory Kinnear and Tom Goodman-Hill star in the Drama on 3 Flare Path
  • Sam Troughton and Hattie Morahan star in the Classic Serial Plantagenet "Edward II - The Greatest Traitor". The BBC Radio 4 blog has a post about the series.
  • Jason Isaacs stars as Lieutenant Clancy in the Friday Play Bullitt, which is available on iPlayer for six more days
  • Juliet Stevenson stars in the Afternoon Play The Apple Tree
  • Hugh Bonneville and Helena Bonham Carter are the readers for Words and Music "Turning Points"

Samuel West. Radio - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Radio - Money. Radio - Life and Fate. Narration - Henry V. Television - In Love with Shakespeare.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" will be available on iPlayer for six more days (BBC Radio 4 Extra).
The BBC press office has released programme information for the Drama on 3 Money, Sam's radio directorial debut which will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3, 19 June at 8pm. Also, Life and Fate will be broadcast in every drama strand except for The Archers on BBC Radio 4, 18-24 September (via the Guardian).

On Friday evening, Sam took part 'In Conversation' with Trisha Cooper before narrating Henry V with the Halle at Sheffield City Hall (@trishacooper and Sam's Twitter @exitthelemming).

The 28 May broadcast of In Love with Shakespeare did not feature Sam, but he's been listed for an 8 June broadcast, with repeats on 20 June and 27 June. Andy Houghton's Flickr has some pictures of Sam from the programme (1|2).

Reminders: