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| Mistresses Tuesday 08 January 9:00pm - 10:00pm BBC1 Men Behaving Badly Sex and the City has a lot to answer for. It seems that every drama involving any bright, independent female characters now has to revolve around endless discussions about sex. Or "shagging" as it's referred to here - as if it's the height of emancipation and daring. But of course these women talk about sex, I hear you cry, as the programme's called Mistresses. But that's a bit of a misnomer because, as we join the four women for a birthday drink, only one of them is actually having an established, long-term affair with a married man. But that doesn't stop them all going on and on about sex - one has it all the time, with a succession of disposable married men, another is trying to get pregnant and another isn't getting any at all, as she's still in mourning for a husband who died in the 11 September attacks. Actually, Mistresses is a bit of a guilty pleasure, like reading a great pile of glossy magazines while eating endless champagne truffles in an expensive bubble bath. And it lives and breathes thanks to good performances, particularly from Sarah Parish who, as in everything she does, is utterly believable as Katie, the lovelorn doctor with a terrible secret. RT reviewer - Alison Graham VIDEO Plus+: 2663 Subtitled, Widescreen, Audio-described Cast Sarah Parish,Sharon Small,Orla Brady,Shelley Conn,Raza "Zaf" Jaffrey,Patrick Baladi |
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| Book of the Week: The Prince Monday 07 January 9:45am - 10:00am BBC Radio 4 Peter Firth reads from Peter Constantine's new translation of Niccolo Machiavelli's guidebook on how to seize and maintain political power. 1: Men Must Either Be Flattered or Eliminated. How to conquer new territory. With an introduction from BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson. |
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Repeated at : Tuesday 08 January 12:30am - 12:48am BBC Radio 4 |
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| Spook to power Austin Spooks star Rupert Penry-Jones has a new mission - to make Austin Reed more stylish. The fashion chain has chosen the actor, dashing Adam Carter in the BBC 1 spy drama, as its new face in a bid to update its image and attract younger buyers. The 37-year-old - who was also courted by Marks & Spencer - will pocket around £400,000 for a campaign likely to include TV ads, billboards and glossy magazines. An insider said: "Austin Reed has had trouble shaking off its dowdy image. They hope Rupert will change that." |
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| Doctor Who Monday 07 January 7:00pm - 7:50pm BBC3 4/13 - Daleks in Manhattan The Doctor finds his oldest enemies at work on top of the Empire State Building when he and Martha travel to 1930s New York. VIDEO Plus+: 5828484 Subtitled, Widescreen, Audio-described Cast David Tennant,Freema Agyeman,Miranda Raison,Ryan Carnes,Hugh Quarshie,Andrew Garfield |
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| My mentors Hermione Norris reveals the inspiring figures behind her acting success Interview by Deany Judd The Guardian, Saturday January 12 2008 I have an eclectic mix of people who have helped me along the way and who have inspired me to do my best. My interest in acting was ignited by my drama teacher when I was 11, Julia Myles. She got us to improvise to Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights and it was just the best fun; it was the first time in my life that I felt completely absorbed in something else and I loved it. I then won a scholarship to ballet school, which I really enjoyed, but after a couple of years I started to think that being a dancer was too limiting; I was rebellious and felt it was a narrow field to pursue. Around the same time I was thinking this, a teacher there called Andrew Neil said to me: "You should think about becoming an actress." It really struck a chord with me because not only was I restless within myself but he was a broad-minded individual, a person you took notice of. He used to put on plays at lunchtime, which in itself was quite a daring thing to do at school; he directed me as an actor rather than as a schoolgirl and was always able to draw great stuff out of me. I didn't recognise that at the time, but looking back now that was what was so inspirational to me and what makes him so extraordinary. He remains very supportive of my career. At the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (Lamda) my mentor was Colin Cook - but I'm not unusual in that. I'm sure if you asked anyone there at the same time, they would say the same - he was hugely popular and everyone admired him. It was such a big thing to have been accepted by Lamda and I remember the first class we had with him, he was so inspiring and excited for us; he was incredibly generous and just wonderful to be around. In particular I remember him teaching us to always look to the virtue when you're watching a performance, which has always stayed with me. He's still working at Lamda, no doubt still inspiring everyone he comes across. There have been so many people I've worked with I've been touched by; the joy of my job is that I like to think I learn something from everyone I come across, but a few stand out in my mind. I did The Men's Room with Bill Nighy, which was only my second piece of television work and I couldn't have been luckier - he has great humility in the way he approaches his work and again I'm not unusual in saying this, I think he's touched a lot of younger people's lives. Celia Imrie is the most generous-spirited actress I've ever worked with; she's an exceptional person and her professionalism never ceases to amaze me. And Peter Firth, who I work with on Spooks, was nominated for an Oscar but there he is grafting away on the set of Spooks. From all of them I've learned much. Above all I hope I've learned to be gracious and dignified. · Hermione Norris stars in the new series of Kingdom, which starts this Sunday at 9pm on ITV1. |
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| MI-5 - Volume 5 Review Rating Video: 9/10 Audio: 9/10 Extras: 3/10 What happened to this release?! by Gord Lacey (All reviews) 1/04/2008 Known as Spooks in its native Great Britain, MI-5 is based on the UK security organization that bears its name. The show originally premiered in May, 2002 in the UK and was brought to the United States by A&E in July of 2003. Using stylish camera work, beautiful sets and wonderful special effects, MI-5 takes a look into the UK security organization. MI-5 deals with terrorist organizations, assassination plots, hate groups and anything else that would threaten the stability of the country. Their officers often go undercover to infiltrate organizations so they can be brought down. The show focuses of 3 of these agents; Adam Carter, Zafar Younis and Jo Portman. Their boss, Harry Pearce, is a no-nonsense man that treats them with respect, but wants results. This show is an exciting look at MI-5. This 5 disc set contains all 10 episodes from season 5. Disc 1 (1:57:13) Episode 5.1 (58:16) Episode 5.2 (58:57) Disc 2 (1:54:45) Episode 5.3 (57:10) Episode 5.4 (57:35) Disc 3 (1:56:23) Episode 5.5 (58:38) Episode 5.6 (57:45) Disc 4 (1:56:04) Episode 5.7 (58:23) Episode 5.8 (57:41) Disc 5 (1:57:51) Episode 5.9 (59:00) Episode 5.10 (58:51) Video The quality of season 5 is visually the same as the past seasons. The anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) framing of the show gives it a nice, cinematic look. The DVDs for this series are so good that I stopped watching the A&E broadcast years ago (which is good, since they dumped the show after season 3 anyway). Just a few grainy scenes in the set, but nothing too horrible. There are chapters set after the opening of the show, and the disc features a "play all" option. Audio No surprises here either; the audio is on par with the first four sets. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix sounds phenomenal, and I really noticed the low frequencies pumping from the sub. Explosions will rock the speakers, so be aware if you're in an area where others may be disturbed. The BBC defaults the audio to the English stereo track, and the set is subtitled for the hearing impaired. The 5.1 mix is quiet compared to the stereo one. Extras - How we rate extras Series 5 Cast Interviews (12:19) Hermoine Norris (Ros), Peter Firth (Harry), Miranda Raison (Jo) and Rupert Penry-Jones (Adam) are interviewed about the fifth season of the show. Series 5 Trailer (1:06) A trailer for season 5. Series 6 Sneak Peek (1:21) A very short look at season 6. Commentary Tracks Just TWO commentary tracks for this season! Episode 5.9 - Katie Swinden and Neil Cross Episode 5.10 - David Farr and Julian Holmes Summary Okay, what the hell happened to my excellent MI-5 DVDs?! These sets used to be loaded with commentary tracks on every episode, featurettes on each episode, long documentaries, deleted scenes, image galleries. Season 3 had nearly 4 hours of video material, plus nearly 10 hours of commentary tracks. This release has less than 15 minutes of video, and just two commentary tracks. I love the show, but I'm extremely disappointed with the quality of the DVD set (season 4 was a bit disappointing as well, but not as bad as this). I recently caught a flight from LA to Calgary, and happened to bump into one of my favorite MI-5 actors. I was sitting in the row right behind first class when I heard an English accent and looked up to see Rupert Penry-Jones (Adam) turned around talking to someone behind him. I was incredibly shocked to see the star of a show I enjoyed, especially since I assumed most of his work was in England, not LA or Canada. I told the passenger beside me who Penry-Jones was, and we both agreed that the person he was speaking to looked familiar as well, but we couldn't quite place him. After the flight I caught up to him and politely told him I enjoyed his work on MI-5 (though I used the British name for the show, Spooks), and asked him what brought him to Calgary. He told me he was shooting a mini-series there, and I welcomed him to the country. I got home and looked on IMDB to see what he was shooting (Burn Up), only to discover the guy that Penry-Jones was talking to behind him on the plane was Bradley Whitford. Oops, sorry I didn't recognize you, Bradley! MI-5 continues to be my favorite spy series, but I'm extremely disappointed by the lack of material on the season 5 set. These used to be exceptional sets, and now they've been reduced to standard TV-DVD fare. Copyright 2001-2008 TVShowsOnDVD.com |
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| 'Dorrit' to be BBC1's next Dickens drama Friday, January 25 2008, 09:32 GMT By Dave West 'Bleak House' BBC Drama Productions is making a 15-part series of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit for BBC One. It comes after serial adaptations of Bleak House and Oliver Twist and has been written by Andrew Davies who scripted the former. The "rags to riches and back again" tale will star Matthew Macfadyen (Spooks) as Arthur Clennam while other casting is still to be announced. There will be one 60 minute show and 14 half-hours in a similar pattern to Bleak House. Filming will begin in April with Anne Pivcevic (Sense And Sensibility) executive producing. Lisa Osborne will produce and Dearbhla Walsh (The Tudors) and Adam Smith (Skins) will direct. Kate Harwood, head of series and serials, said: "Following on from the success of Bleak House and Oliver Twist, BBC Drama Production is thrilled to be bringing Little Dorrit, Dickens' great tale of imprisonment and yearning to the screen." BBC fiction controller Jane Tranter, who commissioned the series, added: "Making classic adaptations both accessible and relevant to a broad modern audience is one of the great privileges of working with BBC Drama Productions, and we anticipate that Little Dorrit will bring 19th century Victorian London to life with all the verve and impact of our very best drama." Little Dorrit will air in the Autumn. |
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| Match Point Saturday 26 January 9:35pm - 11:35pm BBC2 The role of luck in life is the theme of this morality fable from Woody Allen, his first film to be set in the United Kingdom. The cream of British acting talent (Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton, Emily Mortimer) surrounds superbly cast femme fatale Scarlett Johansson in a confidently layered tragedy that's spiked with mordant humour. Permanently grey London skies underscore the dark undercurrents in this story of a tennis coach (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who marries into the wealthy elite and commits murder to stay there. But will he get away with it? The script offers up a neat balance of sporting analogies and philosophical questions that continues right up to the surprising ending, when everything in Allen's well-observed class-conscious universe dovetails neatly together. Although it was originally written with the director's native New York in mind, Allen's creative juices have been clearly refreshed by his move across the pond, where the notion of privileged society is perhaps more resonant. Subtitled, Widescreen, High definition Cast Chris Wilton - Jonathan Rhys Meyers Nola Rice - Scarlett Johansson Chloe Hewett Wilton - Emily Mortimer Alec Hewett - Brian Cox Tom Hewett - Matthew Goode Eleanor Hewett - Penelope Wilton Inspector Dowd - Ewen Bremner Detective Banner - James Nesbitt Henry - Rupert Penry-Jones Mr Townsend - Alexander Armstrong Mrs Eastby - Margaret Tyzack Directed by: Woody Allen Filmed in: 2005 |
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| Tales of the Unexpected Sunday 27 January 11:40pm - 12:15am ITV3 Man at the Top A sailor, who has fallen on hard times, accidentally kills a man in a bar fight. A prostitute offers to change his luck by finding the one man who can help him. But who was the man the seaman killed? VIDEO Plus+: 3837602 Repeat Cast Peter Firth,Rachel Davies,Michael Ripper |
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| Agatha Christie's Poirot Sunday 10 February 3:00pm - 5:00pm The Hollow Socialite Lady Lucy Angkatell worries about her family guests arriving for the weekend - they all loathe each other. Inviting Hercule Poirot as a distraction, the weekend is interrupted when philanderer John Christow is found dying by the swimming pool, with his wife holding a gun. But who shot him? Poirot soon realises that he is up against one of his trickiest adversaries. VIDEO Plus+: 76497 Subtitled, Widescreen Cast David Suchet,Jonathan Cake,Megan Dodds,Claire Price,Caroline Martin,Edward Hardwicke |
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| Northanger Abbey Saturday 01 March 7:00pm - 8:30pm BBC4 Jane Austen's classic story of a young girl whose head is full of romantic and melodramatic notions about the world. Through her adventures, Catherine Morland comes to learn that marriage in the society of her day is determined not by true love but by wealth and social status. VIDEO Plus+: 2300159 Subtitled Cast Peter Firth ( wearing almost indecently tight breeches ! :o Erm, apparently :ph43r: ),Googie Withers,Robert Hardy,Katherine Schlesinger,Cassie Stuart,Ingrid Lacey |
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| Spooks star is a chip off the old block Clicky Feb 24 2008 by Catherine Evans, Wales On Sunday EX-SPOOKS star Rupert Penry-Jones’ mum says her son has a fiery temper – just like her. The 37-year-old from Anglesey – who played the role of MI5 agent Adam in the spy-based drama – had a huge row with his actress mum Angela Thorne whilst holidaying in France. Angela, 69, married to actor Peter Penry-Jones, said: “Rupert is very passionate. We’re very alike in so many ways and that can be quite tricky sometimes. People like Rupert enormously, but I think some find him a little bit challenging – a bit like me. He can be quite hard-headed about what he wants. “We were in the south of France and Rupert was talking about the profession in a rather arrogant way. I got very cross with him,” she added. “I don’t think it was entirely his fault. I just thought he was behaving rather badly. I can’t tell you exactly what it was because it’s private, but I did tell him a few home truths, that I thought he’d become rather an effort to live with – and he didn’t like it one bit. Then I stomped off into the forest and didn’t come back for three hours. He and his father went bananas looking for me!” And a bemused Angela can’t understand her boy’s sex symbol status. “I was going through some of the cuttings the other night and I came across this thing saying Rupert was the handsomest man in Britain,” she said. “I said: ‘Good God, what rubbish’. Of course, I think he’s special. He was a beautiful baby and always laughing, so he was a joy. But he was hyperactive; exhausting really. He still is. He always has to be on the go doing something. He doesn’t find it easy to relax.” Angela remembers Rupert – who is now married to actress Dervla Kirwan and has two children, Florence, three, and Alice, one – was already a hit with the ladies in his early teens. “I did something that I thought I’d never do – I gave him his own space. He had his own bedroom at the top of the house and he used to go up there with girlfriends. “I don’t know what they got up to, I never asked. Even now, Rupert has to have his own corner, otherwise he’d just go insane.” |
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| Mighty Joe Young Saturday 15 March 5:25pm - 7:20pm Five Charlize Theron stars as the woman who befriends a colossal but cute gorilla in this entertaining remake of the 1949 family drama. Of course, Joe doesn't remain hidden in the jungle for long with explorer Bill Paxton on his trail, and he's soon pursued by nasty hunters who want to capture him for some rich collector's amusement. It's a fun romp with impressive ape effects and luscious scenery, though young children may be slightly disturbed by scenes that show the cuddly King Kong under attack. Cast Jill Young - Charlize Theron Gregg O'Hara - Bill Paxton Strasser - Rade Serbedzija Garth - Peter Firth Harry Ruben - David Paymer Cecily Banks - Regina King Kweli - Robert Wisdom Pindi - Naveen Andrews |
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| Amistad Sunday 22 June 11:40pm - 2:05am BBC1 Steven Spielberg's lengthy historical courtroom drama has its moments of pure visual poetry, but it fails to ignite the same moral outrage that Schindler's List so poignantly evoked. In 1839, a shipload of slaves heading for America overpower their captors, killing all but two crew members needed to navigate them back to Africa. Betrayed, intercepted and charged with murder, the slaves' only hope for justice lies with the Abolitionist movement and an inexperienced lawyer. Anthony Hopkins and Matthew McConaughey lead the all-star cast, and there's an amazing debut by Djimon Hounsou as the leader of the slaves. Although flawed, this chilling portrayal of outright racism further reveals Spielberg's skill as an expert film-maker unafraid of tackling heavy political issues. Subtitled, Widescreen Cast John Quincy Adams - Anthony Hopkins Roger Baldwin - Matthew McConaughey Theodore Joadson - Morgan Freeman Sengbe Pieh, "Cinque" - Djimon Hounsou Martin Van Buren - Nigel Hawthorne Secretary Forsyth - David Paymer Holabird - Pete Postlethwaite Tappan - Stellan Skarsgård Queen Isabella - Anna Paquin Calderon - Tomas Milian Ensign Covey - Chiwetel Ejiofor Lieutenant Gedney - Ralph Brown (2) Judge Juttson - Allan Rich Attorney - Paul Guilfoyle (2) Captain Fitzgerald - Peter Firth Hammond - Xander Berkeley Judge Coglin - Jeremy Northam Professor Gibbs - Austin Pendleton General Espatero - Pedro Armendáriz [Pedro Armendáriz Jr] Missionary - Kevin J O'Connor Directed by: Steven Spielberg Filmed in: 1997 |
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| Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire Friday 18 July 8:00pm - 9:00pm UKTV History Rebellion Documentary series using dramatic reconstructions and CGI to tell the story of ancient Rome. This edition tells the story of the Jewish Revolt, which swept through Judea in AD 66 and threatened to destabilise the whole empire. Rome turned to the disgraced General Vespasian ( Peter Firth ) and his son Titus to put it down. Filled with spectacular sieges and huge set-piece action, the film pits the discipline and ingenuity of the Roman army against the passion and commitment of the rebels. |
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| The Flipside of Dominick Hyde Saturday 26 July 7:00pm - 8:30pm BBC4 Comedy drama originally broadcast in 1980. A time traveller from 2130 is studying the London transport system. Although his role should be strictly that of an observer, he sets off on a quest of his own and complicates matters by falling in love. VIDEO Plus+: 2905631 Repeat, Subtitled Cast Peter Firth,Caroline Langrishe,Pippa Guard,Patrick Magee |