The Martian ChroniclesBookmark and Share

Friday, 2 October 2015 - Reported by Marcus

Big Finish have announced a special release of B7 Media’s acclaimed dramatisation of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles this December.

The new drama, originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4, stars Derek Jacobi (Last Tango in Halifax, I, Claudius, Doctor Who: Utopia) and Hayley Atwell (Marvel’s Agent Carter, The Pillars of the Earth, Doctor Who: Blood of the Daleks) as the leaders of an expedition to Mars, tasked with a secret mission.

When the first expedition to Mars mysteriously disappears, Earth sends a second to find out what happened. But the real mission is classified. And only Captain Wilder knows the truth.

Spender, an anthropologist on Wilder’s crew, attempts to prevent the colonisation that she believes will eradicate the last of an ancient people living on Mars. But to what lengths will she go?

As the honourable but duty-bound Captain Wilder tracks the now rogue Spender into the Martian mountains, the future of this ancient planet is at stake. Meanwhile, Earth itself teeters on the brink of its own global catastrophe as the very survival of humanity hangs in the balance.

The adaptation recently won the Silver Award for Best Drama Special at the 2015 New York Festivals International Radio Program Awards. Alistair Lock was also nominated for Best Sound Designer at the 2014 Radio Production Awards. The release was produced by Patrick Chapman and directed by Andrew Mark Sewell who said

‘Over the years Big Finish has become synonymous with the very best in fantasy and science fiction audio drama, ‘and we’re delighted that they’ll be releasing our award-winning dramatisation of Ray Bradbury’s classic fable of Martian colonisation.’

Big Finish Executive Producer Jason Haigh-Ellery said

“The Martian Chronicles is a legendary sci-fi book, which has been turned into a fantastic award winning production by Andrew and his team at B7 Media — I’m delighted that Big Finish will be able to bring this classic story to a wider audience around the world”.

The Martian Chronicles, will be released in December and is available to pre-order now. The full-cast includes Derek Jacobi, Hayley Atwell, Anna Madeley, Mark Lewis Jones, John Altman, Zoe Tapper, Jonathan Rhodes, Dean Harris, Ryan Sewell, Rachael Naylor, Jacob James, Robert Lock, Mellissa Aston-Munslow and Owen Sewell





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Orphan Black returns to BBC with Season 3Bookmark and Share

Wednesday, 23 September 2015 - Reported by Harry Ward
Orphan Black: Season 3 (Credit: BBC/Orphan Black III Productions Limited 2015/BBC Worldwide) Orphan Black is returning to the BBC tonight, 14 months after the UK broadcast of the Season 2 finale. The whole of Season Three will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer from 10pm tonight. Episodes will also be broadcast on BBC Three in the early hours of the morning, also known as the 'graveyard slot'. The channel will be airing double bills starting this Sunday at 2:10am with The Weight of This Combination followed by Transitory Sacrifices of Crisis.


Synopsis for episode 1:
Sarah tries to bluff a ruthless enforcer that all is well at the Dyad Institute, while Alison's family finances pose problems. Helena is prisoner of the Castor clones, one of whom poses an immediate threat to those Sarah holds dear.

A fourth series was confirmed earlier this year.





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First official Sherlock event to be held in MelbourneBookmark and Share

Friday, 4 September 2015 - Reported by Harry Ward
BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) have announced the first ever official Sherlock event to be held in Australia. Sherlock: From Script to Screen will take place at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne on Monday, 23rd November and will give fans the chance to hear from series co-creators and Executive Producers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (who also stars as Sherlock’s brother Mycroft Holmes) as well as Series Producer Sue Vertue of Hartswood Films.

Sue Vertue, says:
We’re very excited to be bringing the magic of the show to Australia and meeting Sherlock fans over there. The game is most certainly on!
Sherlock: From Script to Screen (Credit: BBC Worldwide) Sherlock: From Script to Screen
Regent Theatre, Melbourne
Monday, 23rd November, 7.00-9.00pm

This is a must-attend for Sherlock fans, with the chance to hear from series co-creators and Executive Producers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (who also stars as Sherlock’s brother Mycroft Holmes) as well as Series Producer Sue Vertue of Hartswood Films.

Sherlock: From Script to Screen will take fans on a journey behind the scenes of the award-winning BBC drama, exploring the making of the show and how the stories and characters are created and developed.

The event comes ahead of the Sherlock Special, which will see Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman reprise their roles in a one-off episode set in Victorian London in 1895. The episode has been co-written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, and will premiere exclusively on Stan in Australia later this year.

A limited run of special BBC Worldwide ANZ fan screenings, in association with Stan, is planned for selected cinemas in Australia following the episode’s premiere on the streaming service.
Tickets will go on sale on Monday, 14th September from Ticketmaster.




FILTER: - Australia - Special Events - Sherlock

The Making of Dad's ArmyBookmark and Share

Friday, 28 August 2015 - Reported by Harry Ward
Dad's Army (Credit: BBC) BBC Two's controller, Kim Shillinglaw, has announced that a new comedy about the making of Dad’s Army is to be made by the channel. The one-off 60 minute special will star Paul Ritter, Shane Ritchie, John Sessions, Sally Phillips and Kevin Bishop.
The Making of Dad's Army (w/t)

The dramatised story of how Jimmy Perry and David Croft overcame BBC management scepticism, focus groups and cast constipation to get the much loved legend onto air.

Running from Perry's initial idea in 1967 until the transmission of the first episode in 1968, this affectionate and witty film shows the beginnings of Perry and Croft's writing partnership and the casting woes, personal clashes and production difficulties that put the show's very existence in jeopardy. It reveals to fans and newcomers alike what went on behind the scenes in the making of Dad's Army and is a true love letter to British creativity.

Cast confirmed so far includes: Paul Ritter to play Jimmy Perry (Friday Night Dinner, The World's End, Quantum of Solace), Richard Dormer as David Croft (Fortitude, Good Vibrations, Game of Thrones), John Sessions to play Arthur Lowe (Filth, Gangs Of New York), Julian Sands as John Le Mesurier (The Killing Fields, The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo, A Room With a View), Mark Heap as Clive Dunn (Friday Night Dinner, Green Wing & Spaced), Shane Richie to play Bill Pertwee (EastEnders), Kevin Bishop as James Beck (The Kevin Bishop Show, Whites), Keith Allen to play Paul Fox (Bodies, Robin Hood, The Comic Strip Presents…), Michael Cochrane as Arnold Ridley (The Archers), Ralph Riach (Braveheart, Hamish Macbeth) to play John Laurie and Sally Phillips as Ann Croft (Smack The Pony, Bridget Jones' Diary, Miranda). Further cast details will be announced at a later date.

The Making of Dad's Army (w/t) is a 1 x 60' episode. It is being produced by DSP, part of Endemol Shine Group. It was commissioned by Shane Allen, Controller BBC Comedy Commissioning and Gregor Sharp, Commissioning Editor BBC Comedy. It was written by Stephen Russell (Hattie, Shameless, Coronation Street, Garrow's Law) and will be directed by Steve Bendelack (Spitting Image, the Royle Family, The League of Gentlemen). The Executive Producers are Charlotte Surtees and Emily Dalton and the Producer is Brett Wilson at DSP. The drama will be filmed in Northern Ireland and has been part funded by Northern Ireland Screen.




FILTER: - Dad's Army - BBC Two

Thunderbirds 1965 Project To Create Classic Thunderbirds EpisodesBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 14 July 2015 - Reported by Marcus
This September marks 50 years since Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s ground-breaking Thunderbirds series blasted onto TV screens in the UK. To celebrate this special anniversary, the iconic puppets will be making a spectacular return in three brand new episodes in Thunderbirds 1965, a project created by director Stephen La Rivière.

In addition to the much-loved television series, three Thunderbirds audio episodes were recorded and launched in 1966, with music and dialogue from the show’s original voice cast. Thunderbirds 1965 will see La Rivière film the Thunderbirds puppets and sets he faithfully recreated for the Filmed in Supermarionation documentary, using all of the classic Supermarionation techniques, and combine this with the original audio footage to create three brand new video episodes in the distinctive Thunderbirds style.

The Thunderbirds 1965 project will launch on crowdfunding website Kickstarter on Thursday 9th July at 9am, and backing the project is the only way that fans from around the globe will be able to watch these new episodes. In addition to a DVD / Blu-ray of the finished production, project backers have the opportunity to receive other exclusive rewards including a commemorative photo-book featuring rare and previously unpublished stills from the original series and an exclusive ‘Thunderbirds Experience’. This experience will give backers the chance to visit the Thunderbirds 1965 production studio and experience first-hand the classic model and puppet filmmaking techniques first developed fifty years ago. The recreated marionette stars will also be around for meet and greets.

The Thunderbirds 1965 Kickstarter campaign is aiming to raise £75,000 to fund the first of the three special episodes. If the project surpasses this initial target, the remaining episodes will be also produced.



Thunderbirds 1965 will be produced by the team behind the critically acclaimed Filmed in Supermarionation documentary, which tells the story of the pioneering production of Thunderbirds, Stingray, Captain Scarlet and other memorable marionette television shows. Sylvia Anderson and the estate of the late Gerry Anderson have welcomed the initiative.

Sylvia Anderson, co-creator of the classic series says:
Recreating the 1960s version of Thunderbirds like this is a great idea. What better way to celebrate half a century? I know that Stephen and his team will produce an episode that will look like something we would have made. FAB!
Jamie Anderson, son of Gerry Anderson says:
Generations of kids and adults have enjoyed Thunderbirds since it first aired 50 years ago. The magic formula of models, practical effects and puppets is very special, and I’m absolutely certain that Stephen and his team will recreate that magic.
Stephen La Rivière says:
For Filmed In Supermarionation, we shot new sequences with the puppets using the old fashioned techniques. Whilst many of the methods used seem a little archaic and time-consuming by today's standards, we thought that it would be very special to do a one-off project bringing Thunderbirds back to life 1960s style. Sadly, many of the original voice cast have passed away since 1965. However, thanks to these original audio recordings, we have new, authentic stories that have never been adapted for screen. This means that these old-new episodes should be the most authentic recreation of the 1960s experience as it's possible to get.
Further information can be found at thunderbirds1965.co.uk.




FILTER: - Thunderbirds

Orphan Black: Series Four confirmedBookmark and Share

Thursday, 7 May 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Orphan Black (cast series two)SPACE in Canada have confirmed that they have commissioned a fourth series of their clone conspiracy show Orphan Black, starring Tatiana Maslany. The series will consist of another ten episodes, and goes into production in Toronto over the Autumn.

Tracey Pearce, Senior Vice-President, Specialty and Pay at Bell Media, said:
ORPHAN BLACK has become one of the decade’s breakthrough dramas, and a signature series for Space. This series is evidence that when a pedigreed creative team comes together with incredible actors, they create something impactful. We look forward to continuing to work with Temple Street and BBC America on what is sure to be another mind-bending season.

David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg, executive producers of Orphan Black and Co-Presidents of Temple Street Productions, said:
The growth of ORPHAN BLACK and the amazing response from audiences over the past three seasons has exceeded our expectations and we’re delighted to be able to continue the journey in season four. We are incredibly proud of our talented cast and crew and grateful for the support from our broadcast partners at Space and BBCA.

The third series is currently being broadcast on SPACE, and due to be seen in the UK later this year.




FILTER: - Canada - Orphan Black