Samuel West - Inspector Morse audiobooks and recent voice work

Sam will narrate unabridged audiobooks of works by Colin Dexter: the entire Inspector Morse series and the short story collection Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories. They will be released as audio downloads in October and December this year (The Bookseller).

In May, he tweeted that he did the voiceover for a Jacob's Crackers Crisps ad:


In April, Sam and his father Timothy West played father and son James and Simon in The Rosenthals: Eskimo Day on BBC Radio 4. It is a radio adaptation of a comedy drama by Jack Rosenthal.
Earlier in the month he played the eponymous Black Beauty, an Audible original drama (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming). It was recorded in March and Sam tweeted that it was his first horse role.

Samuel West - Julius Caesar, The Ice and upcoming projects; Hamlet discussion and the They're Your Rights campaign

Sam will play Brutus in Julius Caesar at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield between 18 May and 10 June. The production will be directed by new artistic director Rob Hastie (via Baz Bamigboye's Twitter, @BazBam).
This is a return to Sheffield for Sam. He previously worked there 2005-2007, when he was artistic director of Sheffield Theatres. During his tenture, he directed The Romans in Britain, The Clean House and As You Like It; and acted in Much Ado About Nothing, A Number and Family Voices.

He narrates the audiobook of The Ice by Laline Paull (his Twitter, @exitthelemming). Paull tweeted a picture of Sam from the recording in early April. The audiobook will be released 4 May (Harper Audio/SoundCloud - this page has a clip from the audiobook).

Sam will play James Oswood in an upcoming episode of series 19 of Midsomer Murders (United Agents). It is possibly episode 5 "Death by Persuasion" - according to IMDB the character Polly also has the surname Oswood. According to IMDB the episode will be broadcast in December. Sam confirmed that the character he plays is in episode 5, "Death by Persuasion".
He previously had a guest role on the show in series 10 - he played Jeremy Thacker in "The Animal Within".

A month ago, Sam tweeted that he played a horse. Currently unknown what project the character is for.

Neigh, neigh and thrice neigh. Playing my first horse this week. Not allowed to say what in yet.

— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) March 14, 2017

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In early April, he narrated the Channel 4 documentary Spying on the Royals (@exitthelemming).

The British Library blog has a post about "Music and poetry from the Zweig Collection", a performance from 20 March featuring Sam as Stefan Zweig.

Sam and tenor Allan Clayton discussed Hamlet in a podcast from Glyndebourne Opera in mid March (via @exitthelemming). Sam played Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company 2001-2002; Steven Pimlott directed the production. Allan will play Hamlet in a new opera version by composer Brett Dean and librettist Matthew Jocelyn that will premiere at Glyndebourne in June.

A new headshot has been added to his profile on the United Agents website.



(The above screencaps from the They're Your Rights video are thumbnails - click them for full size)
Click here to view Sam's speech for the They're Your Rights campaign (@exitthelemming). He initially delivered the speech in February at an event by 89up and Free Word. A clip from the speech featuring Sam quoting King Lear is here.

In late March, Olivia Colman and Sam presented a Hearts for the Arts Award to Lewisham Council (@exitthelemming). The council received the award for Meet Me at the Albany, an initiative for older people to visit an arts centre.
Sam wrote the questions for the Bush Theatre charity quiz (and prepared the chocolate tasting round) - from his Twitter. He was also the quizmaster for last year's quiz.

Samuel West - Words and Music, British Library recital, Elgar, showreel

Sam and Kim Gerard are the readers for Words and Music "The Speed of Life". It will be broadcast 19 March from a pop up studio at the BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival at Sage Gateshead (BBC Media Centre).

He will read from works by Keats, Goethe and Balzac at "Music and poetry from the Zweig Collection". This recital will be held at the British Library on 20 March; click here for tickets.

He played Edward Elgar in Beyond the Score: Elgar's Engima Variations on 11 March. A couple of tweets about the performance:

completely believed @exitthelemming was Elgar tonight! The @the_halle show/concert was really moving as well as so interesting. Great night.

— Pam Craig (@coolbasslines2) March 11, 2017

Fun time playing Elgar with old friends the Hallé tonight, exploring his Enigma Variations with eyebrow pencil through my moustache

— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) March 11, 2017

Sam narrates the audiobook of Forces of Nature by Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen. It was released 9 March. Click here for an excerpt (via Sam's Twitter, @exitthelemming).

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Sam's showreel has been added to his profile on the United Agents website. It features clips from Hyde Park on Hudson, Eternal Law, Albert Schweitzer, W1A, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Waking the Dead, Cambridge Spies, A Feast at Midnight, Fleming and The Complete Walk: Much Ado About Nothing.





He features in a video by the Marlowe Theatre, talking about why the arts matter to everyone (via @artscampaign).

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In early March, Sam discussed stamp collecting in the Financial Times. It has been a long term hobby for him - he has collected stamps since he was five. Stamps in his collection include over two hundred Two Shilling Blues and a series of stamped letters commemorating the coronation of George VI in 1937.

In mid February, he attended the press night for the West End transfer of Travesties at the Apollo Theatre. Pictures from the night are at wooller.com. The play is by Tom Stoppard, directed by Patrick Marber and stars Tom Hollander.
He spoke at the launch of the "They're Your Rights: Fight For Them" report - an event by 89up and Free Word. The report is about protecting human rights post-Brexit (@exitthelemming). A video from the event is on Facebook. Sam's speech is from 42:40.

Samuel West - In Seven Days, Forces of Nature, If This Is A Man, Darkest Hour, Article 50

On 1st February, Sam and Zoë Martlew will discuss In Seven Days by Thomas Adès in a perfomance at the Royal Festival Hall. In the first half, Sam and Zoë will guide the audience through the work and the work will be performed in full by the London Sinfonietta, Rolf Hind and the Royal Academy of Music Manson Ensemble in the second half (via Zoë's Twitter @zkm555). Click here for tickets.

He has recorded the audiobook version of Forces of Nature by Brian Cox (Sam's Twitter, @exitthelemming).

On 30 April, Sam will contribute to a live reading of Primo Levi's If This Is A Man at the Royal Festival Hall.

Sam plays Anthony Eden in Darkest Hour, a film starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill. Joe Wright directs. Here is a selection of his tweets from filming:

Darkest Hour will be released in November this year.

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Sam has written a recommendation on behalf of the National Campaign for the Arts (NCA) regarding Article 50. He has suggested that arts supporters write to their MPs with conditions such as allowing EU nationals currently employed in the UK to stay after Britain has left the EU and Higher Education to continue accessing  EU funds (NCA via their Twitter @artscampaign).

In early January, he narrated the Channel 4 documentary Titanic: The New Evidence (@exitthelemming).

Samuel West - White Rabbit Red Rabbit, Aurora Orchestra performances, All the World's a Stage

On Friday, Sam performed White Rabbit Red Rabbit by Nassim Soleimanpour at the Freedom Festival in Hull. The work is a 1 person performance with no director. He saw the script for the first time when on stage (@HullTruck).

A thousand thanks to audience and staff of @HullTruck for a great evening. I am living proof that #WhiteRabbitRedRabbit can be survived.

— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) September 3, 2016

Some tweets from audience members:

@exitthelemming You survived! Interesting evening. Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. #WhiteRabbitRedRabbit

— Joanne Hill (@MsJoanneHill) September 3, 2016

Lovely to meet @exitthelemming today! The show was amazing and what an incredible performance! Relieved I printed the script ok!!!

— Gemma (@Gemmaleah_) September 2, 2016

Really enjoyed seeing @exitthelemming bravely tackle Nassim Soleimanpour’s White Rabbit Red Rabbit @HullTruck tonight.

— Dave Horrigan ن (@DaveHorrigan) September 2, 2016

@exitthelemming glad to be a part of your performance tonight great script and great performance 1 of the 5 rabbits climbing the ladder

— Neil Baxter (@neilbaxter1971) September 2, 2016

@exitthelemming saw you tonight @HullTruck many congrats on what must have been an usual experience! Providing you are still alive that is?!

— Andy Foxton (@andyfoxto) September 2, 2016

Great performance by @exitthelemming Samuel West as the actor / rabbit. Also a convincing cheetah / ostrich. #whiterabbitredrabbit

— Ruth Puckering (@StageLass) September 2, 2016

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In October, he will perform Kreutzer vs Kreutzer with the Aurora Orchestra at St George's Bristol on 2 October and at the Royal Festival Hall on 9 October.

He narrates All the World's a Stage, a short film which will be screened at the Norwich film festival in November.

In December 2017, he will read from Mozart's letters in a concert with the Aurora Orchestra.

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A selection of articles, projects and events from the past few months is below.

May
Sam played Aristide in the episode "Family" from the series Blood, Sex and Money, which is a Zola adaptation.

He read the CBeebies Bedtime Story The Bear and the Piano (via @dc_litchfield).

He narrated Best Bottoms, a documentary about a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream co-produced by the RSC and various amateur companies. It was broadcast 20 May on BBC1 (via @johnchapman398 and @edbarlow888).

He is the narrator for the audiobook of Human Universe by Brian Cox. Click here for an excerpt (@harperaudiouk).

June
He commented positively on a Scottish theatre scheme that aims for primary school students to see at least one live performance a year, "Children's engagement is crucial if we are going to develop the diverse range of artists and audiences we need for the future." (The Stage).

July
Sam read the Book at Bedtime The Third Man.

He contributed to a Front Row discussion, "The Cultural Response to Brexit" - this is available on iPlayer.

In The Stage, he warned that higher drama school fees would price out potential students, "At the moment we teach rich, talented students and poor, talented students. If fees continue to increase, soon we'll be teaching rich, talented students and rich, untalented students."

Samuel West - The Diary of River Song and Young Chekhov

(sources: Big Finish and the Corner Shop PR)
The cover art for The Diary of River Song is now available. This Big Finish audio drama will be released in January (via Sam's Twitter, @exitthelemming).

Production stills for Ivanov and The Seagull can be downloaded from the Corner Shop PR website (via their Twitter, @tcspr). The plays, which are part of the Young Chekhov season at Chichester Festival Theatre, are currently in previews.

Samuel West - The Iliad, Suffragette, An Oak Tree

On Friday, Sam and several other actors such as Bertie Carvel, Rory Kinnear, Tobias Menzies, Hattie Morahan, Simon Russell Beale, John Simm and Ben Whishaw, performed in a reading of The Iliad at the British Museum and at the Almeida. The performance was live streamed. A series of podcasts and a making-of film are forthcoming.

Suffragette will open this year's London Film Festival (Prolific North). Sam has described his role in the film as "small and cross" (his Twitter, @exitthelemming). Click below for screencaps of him in the trailer.

He will feature in series 3 of Great Canal Journeys (his Twitter, @exitthelemming). Meanwhile, series 1 is being repeated on Channel 4 from 15 August (Radio Times).

Sam narrates a series of videos on The Road to Agincourt website. He plays the chronicler who wrote Gesta Henrici Quinti, a work about the deeds of Henry V (via the Daily Echo).

In July, he played the Father in An Oak Tree at the National Theatre. The play is a two-hander by Tim Crouch, who plays the Hypnotist. The Father is played by a different guest actor at each performance; at the National, guest actors included John Heffernan, Samuel Barnett and Trystan Gravelle.
Sam tweeted that the play was "Beautiful, useful and never to be forgotten" and Tim tweeted that the performance was "a very special evening." Here is a selection of tweets about the performance:

@exitthelemming Saw you perform in An Oak Tree tonight, absolutely amazing! Undoubtedly one of the best shows I've seen in London congrats!

— Lydia-Rachel (@Lydia_Actor) July 15, 2015

Great work tonight @exitthelemming & @timcrouch1964 with #AnOakTree Imagine it & you are it. Even we as the audience. Nod if you understand.

— Jack Tarlton (@jacktarlton) July 15, 2015

Congrats to @timcrouch1964 & @exitthelemming for a glorious #AnOakTree.....Friar Lawrence was v v proud of his Romeo #howtimeflies xx

— Hugh Sachs (@HughSachs) July 15, 2015

In May, Sam narrated Morning Heroes by Bliss with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Here is a review round up of the performance.

Music OMH
"Samuel West brought just the right level of philosophical pathos to the words..."

The Guardian

"The speaker (here, the excellent Samuel West) delivers the long opening passage from Homer over quietly unfolding orchestral themes, and Owen’s Spring Offensive, accompanied only by timpani and drums, to begin the finale."

Seen and Heard
"Samuel West struck just the right balance of eloquence and dignity of delivery..."

The Arts Desk
"Most personal and affecting were the work’s prologue and epilogue, calling upon Sam West with subtly scored orations of Hector’s Farewell to Andromache and Owen’s Spring Offensive."

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A few days ago, We Love Hackney tweeted a picture of Sam at a campaign launch - the local council is planning to restrict opening hours of clubs and music venues.

In July, Sam received an honorary degree from the University of East Anglia (BBC). The audio from his speech is here. He also tweeted a picture of himself from the ceremony.
Voices for the Library shared a piece by Sam about why he values his local library (via their Twitter @VftL_UK).
The Southbank Centre tweeted a picture of Sam reading at a Make Apartheid History event. Excerpts from the readings have been posted on Youtube (via Artists for Palestine).


Sam participated in a march against austerity in London 20 June (@fugueur). Participants opposed public sector cuts in areas such as welfare, health and education (ABC).

Samuel West - The Book of Disquiet, Chekhov, writing

[updated 20 August]

Sam will perform in the UK and US premieres of The Book of Disquiet by Michel van der Aa. It will be performed at Montclair State University 21-24 January and the Southbank Centre 24-25 February.

Last week, Sam rehearsed for the Young Chekhov season then went to a night shoot for Mr Selfridge!

10.30 - 6 on Ivanov, 7-10 on #MrSelfridge. About to discover why people don't make a habit of this.

— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) August 5, 2015

Sam wrote about Caryl Churchill in the Telegraph. His article suggests that her plays continue to be revived because of their humanity and inventive qualities. He also reflects on his experience of performing in two of her plays, A Number and Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?
Howard Brenton, a contemporary of Churchill, wrote The Romans in Britain. Sam wrote the foreword for a new edition of the play (@exitthelemming). Sam directed it in Sheffield in 2006.

Sam's reading of Brighton Rock is seventh on the Telegraph's list of the 20 best audiobooks of all time, "The splinter of ice that Greene declared at the heart of a writer has lodged in West’s voice to sinister effect." This list was published in May.

In April, Dermot Murnaghan interviewed Sam on Sky News (transcript is here). They spoke about arts funding in relation to the election manifestos (via the NCA Twitter @artscampaign - Sam is the chair of this organisation).

Samuel West - The Diary of River Song

[updated 2 August]

Sam will play Mr Song, River Song's future husband in Doctor Who: The Diary of River Song (Big Finish via Doctor Who TV). This Eighth Doctor series, starring Alex Kingston as River Song, will be released in January 2016. Big Finish tweeted a picture of Alex and Sam when they announced the production.

He has featured in other Big Finish productions - The Vengeance of Morbius (an Eighth Doctor story) and Mask of Tragedy (a Seventh Doctor story).

Samuel West - readings incl. Borders Book Festival, Just So Science, Nocturne

Next Friday, Sam will speak about the 50p for Culture campaign and the Arts Index at the CLOA Annual General Meeting.

Sam will perform at the Borders Book Festival next Sunday. He will play the title role in a reading of Waverley by Sir Walter Scott. Click here for tickets.

He continues to provide readings for Just So Science. The second series begins on BBC Radio 4 on 23 June. Series 1 was broadcast in January 2013.

Sam will direct the readings at this year's Forward Prizes for Poetry. Booking is open for the ceremony, which will take place at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 30 September.

Juliet Stevenson, Lucy Parham and Sam will perform Nocturne at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil on 7 November.

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Thirteen won the 2014 Audie for Original Work (voices.com). The audiobook has various narrators, including Sam, Gemma Arterton and Arthur Darvill.

The video of Cold Stars Lighting is available on Youtube. Sam's readings begin at 1h 37min and 1h 58min.

Sam narrates the documentary Fabergé: A Life of its Own. It recently won awards at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, the Beverly Hills Film Festival and the Newport Beach Film Festival (United Voices).

Samuel West - Mask of Tragedy, Intelligence Squared, Carnival of the Animals

Sam plays Aristophanes in Mask of Tragedy, a Seventh Doctor Big Finish story (via @bigfinish). It will be released in September; click here to pre-order it.

At the Intelligence Squared debate Jane Austen vs. Emily Bronte, he played Lockwood from Wuthering Heights (@GuyHolloway_HCH and @louloudillon) and Mr Elton from Emma (@_gabriellasf). @sasmith66 described the event as "brilliant" and @ragazza_inglese was "moved to tears" by a ghostly scene from Wuthering Heights.
The debate will be released as a podcast (via Sam's Twitter, @exitthelemming). Sam also tweeted the outcome of the debate: click here for the result.

Last week, Sam narrated Carnival of the Animals at The Hexagon and the Southbank Centre. He wore a furry giraffe-print suit for the performances - see his selfie on Twitter!
Here's a selection of tweets about the Hexagon performance

@theoae @KMLabeque @exitthelemming - brilliant concert tonight. — Diane (@dianecryer) February 19, 2014	Wonderful @oae with lovely #labeque sisters & Samuel West dressed as a giraffe - great evening - and all for a fiver! #bargainnightout — Liz Real (@LizReal1) February 19, 2014
Glorious, glorious performance by @theoae tonight. Wonderful orchestra and excellent recital by @exitthelemming (whose suit was amazing) :) — Shug (@shugshug) February 19, 2014	@exitthelemming Concert fab last night. You were fab. Suit was fab — Jane Naylor (@JaneNaylor1) February 20, 2014

and excerpts from reviews about the Southbank Centre performance

Financial Times (23 February)
"a joyous, carefree romp in which the actor Samuel West declaimed Ogden Nash’s idiosyncratic narration."

Classical Source
"Samuel West appeared as the compere, reciting Ogden Nash’s brilliantly witty verses – a performance which he delivered with a wry deadpan American accent."

B Good tweeted a picture of Sam from In Love With Shakespeare, a Sky Arts program from 2011.

Samuel West - Jonathan Strange and Look, Stranger

Sam and Dominic Cooper in Fleming; click thumbnails for full size (video source)

Sam plays Sir Walter Pole in the BBC's upcoming adaptation of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming 1|2). It began filming last week (BBC Media Centre).

Ben Hur is being repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra. Episode 1 is now available on iPlayer.

In Inside Croydon, he discusses the challenges of providing live narration for films (via @InsideCroydon). Britten Films will be performed at Fairfield Halls tomorrow.
Sam and the Utter Jazz quartet will perform Look, Stranger at the Theatre Royal Winchester 17 November (via @RuthieCulver).

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Britten in Wartime will be released by NMC on CD 9 December (via @nmcrecordings).
It premiered at the Bridgewater Hall 3 October. The Hallé shared a picture from the performance on Twitter. Northern Soul's review of the performance highlighted the interaction between narrator and orchestra (via @Northern_Soul_)

... this, in the expert hands of the Hallé, was a real treat for the ears and the addition of the accomplished actor Samuel West as guide and narrator lent the whole thing a real sense of atmosphere. At times we were all so drawn in it seemed like we really were sitting in New York’s Radio City Theatre, watching the original live broadcast back in 1942.

Sam narrates Little Red Riding Hood by Paul Patterson at the Southbank Centre on 21 December (via @Orch_of_StPauls).

A video interview with Dominic Cooper on Sky's Fleming site features some footage from the show.

One of Sam's upcoming voiceovers is about MI6 (@exitthelemming).

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Sam attended the National Theatre's 50 years on stage performance last week (Getty Images). His reflections about Arcadia (1993) are featured in the event program:

A memory: of rehearsals for Arcadia, and Tom Stoppard looking for a line. It needed to say that Thomasina couldn't have known about chaos theory because she didn’t have a computer. I'd described chaos as a door that had cracked open five or six times since we got up on our hind legs. The line was there, but underwater, waiting to rise. One day Tom came in, beaming. "I've got it", he said.
"You can't open a door till there's a house."
"That's it", I said. "That's what I wanted to say." And I got to, for the very first time.

Recent publicity for My Theatre Matters includes an article by Sam in the Morning Star (via @exitthelemming); interviews in the Northern Echo and BBC Radio Kent; and an article in The Stage. In October, he gave a speech about the campaign in Birmingham (@exitthelemming).

Nocturne was released in late October (via @LucyParham). Lucy Parham's Chopin performances are interspersed with readings by Sam and Harriet Walter.

Tom Stoppard received this year's PEN Pinter Prize. Excerpts from his plays were read at the event. Sam read from Coast of Utopia (@buzzbuzz_mylord).

Sam wrote a blog post about the Palestine Choral Festival for Sinfini Music (via @exitthelemming).

Samuel West - Poetry App, Votes for Women, For Your Eyes Only and Look, Stranger

The Poetry App was recently updated with videos of Sam reading poems by Philip Larkin (via @thepoetryapp).

He plays Geoffrey Stonor in the Drama on 3 Votes for Women, which will be broadcast 15 September.

The audiobook For Your Eyes Only will be released 26 September (Audiogo).

Sam has replaced Simon Russell Beale for the 10 October performance of "Look, Stranger" at the Oxford Playhouse (via @GemG1985).

Last Sunday, Scene and Heard shared a picture of Sam hosting a quiz fundraiser.

The Choir of London toured Palestine in late August (Sam's Twitter, @exitthelemming). Unfortunately, some of the musicians were unable to perform at one of the concerts because of checkpoint problems (@exitthelemming). Charles Cole's website has some pictures from the tour, including this one of Sam (via @schola_cantorum).

BBC Radio 3 posted a picture of Sam, Ian McMillan, Alexandra Harris and Malcolm Sinclair at Proms Plus Literary (20 August). They discussed the relationship between Britten's words and music.

Samuel West - Britten events, Thirteen, Scene & Heard fundraiser

Alexandra Harris and Sam will discuss the relationship between Britten's words and music at Proms Plus Literary today at the Royal College of Music. The discussion will also be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at 8.30pm.

He reads "One Hit Wanda" by Kim Newman from the audiobook Thirteen, which will be released 24 August (via @BarnabyEdwards). Other readers include Gemma Arterton and Arthur Darvill.

Sam will host a quiz fundraiser for Scene & Heard on 1 September (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming).

He will narrate Britten Films with the Aurora Orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 29 September.

Sam will teach a Shakespeare workshop for Marlborough Young Actors on 8 December (Marlborough News Online).

Samuel West - Votes for Women, Terra trailer, Britten

[updated 17 August]


(screencap from the Terra trailer)
Zoe Tapper, Charity Wakefield and Sam recorded an adaptation of Votes for Women by Elizabeth Robins last week. It will be broadcast 15 September on BBC Radio 3 (Sam's Twitter, @exitthelemming).
Sam was on the judging panel for the Spotlight Showcase. Mimi Ndiweni received the Spotlight Prize and Grace Chilton was highly commended (The Stage). A highlights video and pictures from the event can be viewed on the Spotlight website.
He read from Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth at the Get Reading festival on 14 July (Evening Standard). @ESgoingout shared a picture of Sam at the event.
Sam and other people such as Arthur Darvill and Neil Gaiman read from the first chapter of Terra by Mitch Benn (via @exitthelemming).

He will narrate Britten Films with the Aurora Orchestra at Turner Sims on 7 November (via the Daily Echo).
Sam narrates "The Ascent of F6" and "On the Frontier" by Britten on Britten to America, which will be released by NMC in November (via @exitthelemming). NMC shared some pictures of Sam from the recording session 1|2.

Sheenagh Pugh's article about judging the Forward Prize includes a nice mention of how Sam's poetry reading contributed to the panel's decision-making process.
Tim Hardy's website has some photos of Sam playing God in Noye's Fludde. Performances took place at Harrogate Grammar School in June.

Samuel West - radio broadcasts this week, various videos, Nocturne and Shakespeare Beyond English

(screencaps from "Handyman Blues")
Sam will be on the radio twice this week. He narrates Henry V by Walton in The Home Front on BBC Radio 3, 25 June (via @BBCCO).
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" will be repeated 28 June on BBC Radio 4 Extra.

Shakespeare Beyond English will be available in August. Sam has written a chapter about Richard II (click here for an excerpt).
AudioGo has posted a sample from For Your Eyes Only on Audioboo (via @AudioGO_UK). The audiobook will be released in September.
Sam will return to the Purbeck Chamber Music Festival in October.
Juliet Stevenson and Sam are the readers for a performance of Nocturne at Temple Church on 2 December. Booking opens 5 July (via Lucy Parham).

He appears in the music video for "Handyman Blues" by Billy Bragg (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming). Johnny Vegas, who also appears in the video, shared a picture from filming on Twitter.
Sam reads from Charles Turner's diary in The Show Must Go On, a documentary about the London Symphony Orchestra on tour.
The Writers' Centre Norwich posted a video of Sjón and Sam from Tove Jansson: Between Light and Dark. @bejanmatur and @WCNchris shared pictures from the event on Twitter.

In mid-June, Sam played God in two performances of Noye's Fludde by Britten in Harrogate (Harrogate Advertiser).
Sam's "Pieces of Me" - his musical influences - were featured on Sinfini Music in early June.
On 29 May, Sam did some readings for Writing Revolution, a panel discussion at The Mosaic Rooms.

Samuel West - Mr Selfridge, Britten, festivals and literary events

(screencap from episode 1 of Mr Selfridge and a screenshot from the Moomin, Mymble and Little My app)
Filming for series 2 of Mr Selfridge began in April. Its broadcast in early 2014 coincides with the centenary of the First World War (ITV).

The Vanishing will be repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra this Saturday.

On 8 June, Sam will read poetry and prose at the Lewes Chamber Music Festival, in a concert featuring works by Schumann and Janáček (via the Mid Sussex Times).
Sam is the reciter for Henry V by Walton, which will be performed by the Henley Symphony Orchestra at Shiplake College on 23 June.
He will be the presenter at the Sheffield City Hall Christmas Concert (14 December), which is part of the Sheffield International Concert Season (via the Sheffield Telegraph).

In the second half of the year, Sam is taking part in events highlighting various dimensions of Benjamin Britten's work: WH Auden's poetry, Britten's writing and his music for cinema. He and the Utter Jazz musical ensemble will perform at the Stratford-upon-Avon Poetry Festival (21 July). "Look, Stranger" focuses the collaboration between Auden and Britten. On 20 August, Sam and Alexandra Harris will discuss the relationship between Britten's words and music at the Proms (BBC Proms). Two months later, the Aurora Orchestra will make its debut at the Fairfield Halls on 10 November. Sam will narrate documentaries scored by Britten.

Sam, Rebecca Swift, Esther Freud, and Sjón will explore the literary legacy of Tove Jansson in "Between Light and Dark" at the Writers Centre Norwich on 18 June.
Juliet Stevenson, Ronald Pickup and Sam will make appearances at the Ledbury Poetry Festival (5-14 July; via the Ledbury Reporter).
He is on the judging panel for the Forward Prizes for Poetry. The prizes will be awarded 1 October at the Southbank Centre.


Sam will appear in the video for "Handyman Blues" by Billy Bragg. A few weeks ago, he shared a picture from filming on Twitter.
He narrates an upcoming audiobook of For Your Eyes Only - it is part of 007 Reloaded (tweets 1|2|3|4).

Last week, Sam, Hattie Morahan and Juliet Stevenson performed at a gala for Peace Brigades International.
In April, he narrated The Genius of Turner: Narrating the Industrial Revolution on BBC2, starred in the Saturday Drama Present Laughter and stage managed a concert at Prussia Cove featuring works by Beethoven and Hindemith.

His response to Maria Miller's maiden speech as Culture Secretary is at the Arts Funding Ning. Also, he has written a piece in support of the My Theatre Matters campaign.

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).

Dan Stevens

 
Dan will be in the Downton Abbey Christmas special. A fourth series of the show has been commissioned but no casting has been confirmed.

Videos from the opening night of The Heiress have been shared by the play's official site and broadway.com.
Publicity has included interviews (Charlie Rose, Playbill, Good Morning America, backstage.com 1|2, broadway.com, USA Today, Front Row,), a slideshow of the cast in costume from Vulture and a feature in Vanity Fair.

Dan's October and November "My Week" columns are available on the Telegraph website.

Other recent interviews have covered projects such as The Heiress, Downton Abbey and the Man Booker Prize: Wall Street Journal, BBC, Daily Beast, NY Daily News and North Jersey.com.
This interview from the Reading Group Center focuses on History of a Pleasure Seeker. Also, an interview from a 2011 issue of Word Magazine has been recently uploaded to the galleries.

Dan Stevens

A couple of interviews about series 3 of Downton Abbey: Entertainment Weekly and Ian Wylie.

A selection of recent press about The Heiress: Playbill (1|2), Entertainment Weekly, Time Out, elle.com.

A trailer for Vamps has been released (screencaps are in the galleries).
Cinematographer Mattias Nyberg's showreel has some footage from Shallow.

The Daily Express has a positive review of Casino Royale.
Audio File magazine has an interview with Dan, in which he discusses The Time Keeper.

Recent appearances and publicity: If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet opening night, profile in Vanity Fair, portrait by Anthony Osmond-Evans, New Yorker Festival (1|2).