Australian premiere of Downton Abbey series 4

Series 4 of Downton Abbey (finally) premieres on Channel 7 this Sunday at 8.40pm.

Charles Edwards - screencaps from Downton Abbey (series 4)

Click these thumbnails for full size.

Episode 1



Episode 2


Episode 3





Episode 4

Screencaps of Charles Edwards in series 3 of Downton Abbey

These are thumbnails - click them for full size.

Episode 7



Episode 8



Christmas special

Charles Edwards - Downton Abbey and the Power 1000

Screencap from This Morning interview (video source: Baker St Basilisk)
Series 4 of Downton Abbey began last Sunday. Ahead of the premiere, Charles and Laura Carmichael were interviewed on This Morning last Friday. Also, Digital Spy has a gallery of stills from the show.

He is part of the Evening Standard's Power 1000, a list of influential people in London (via Charles' Twitter, @cedwardsactor).

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."

Samuel West - Uncle Vanya, Ramblings, Josephine Hart Poetry Week, Hyde Park on Hudson

Screencaps of Sam and Laura Carmichael (click thumbnails for full size. video source: BBC Breakfast)
On Tuesday, Sam and Uncle Vanya co-star Laura Carmichael discussed the play on BBC Breakfast. The play's official site has been updated with a new promo image. Also, the play's Facebook page has an album of pictures from rehearsals.

Sam and Toby Jones attended the after party for King Lear at the Almeida on Wednesday (wooller.com).

This week's episode of Ramblings, featuring Clare Balding and Sam exploring Rainham Marshes, was broadcast on Thursday. It is now available for streaming and as a podcast.

For The Josephine Hart Poetry Week, Sam, Deborah Findlay and Angus Wright read poetry by Philip Larkin at the Arts Theatre on Thursday. Pictures from the event have been posted at wooller.com.

A new poster for Hyde Park on Hudson has been released, ahead of its UK premiere at the London Film Festival (heyuguys). According to EntNewsUK, he will attend a screening of the film at the festival.

A video of his speech at Shift Happens is viewable on Vimeo (via @MarcusRomer).

Television - Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey begins on ITV1 tonight at 9pm. A couple of tweets from Dan Stevens about the show:

"Downton Abbey starts this Sunday, 9pm ITV1&HD. Cancel any plans for the next seven Sunday nights. Unless your plans were to watch Downton..."

[answer to a question from the official Twitter @DowntonAbbey] "I did enjoy doing all my own stunts on that vintage bicycle..."

• Articles
• Telegraph [link]
• The Life of Wylie [link]
• Express [link] 
• Daily Mail (by Julian Fellowes) [link]
• AOL TV (via C19 - registration required) [link]
  
  
• Interviews
• Northern Echo: Joanne Froggatt [link]
• Front Row: Julian Fellowes and Hugh Bonneville (via @DowntonAbbey) [link]
• BBC Breakfast: Julian Fellowes and Hugh Bonneville (via @DowntonAbbey) [link]
• Digital Spy: Julian Fellowes, Hugh Bonneville, Joanne Froggatt, Laura Carmichael, and Jessica Brown Findlay [link]
• This is Bath: Hugh Bonneville (via C19 - registration required) [link]
  
  
• Reviews
• The Guardian [link]
• On the Box [link]
  
  
• Synopses for episodes 1 and 2 from the ITV press centre episode 1|episode 2
  
  
• Related links
• C19 period drama sub-forum (registration required) [link]
• Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: posts labelled Downton Abbey [link]