In The Flesh series 2 start date and time confirmedBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 23 April 2014 - Reported by John Bowman
The second series of In The Flesh is to start on Sunday 4th May at 10pm, the BBC confirmed today.

Starring Luke Newberry as Kieren Walker and Emily Bevan as Amy Dyer, with Kenneth Cranham as Vicar Oddie, it will comprise six one-hour episodes. Also returning are Kevin Sutton as ex-vigilante Human Volunteer Force soldier Gary Kendal and Harriet Cains as Kieren's sister Jen. Joining the cast for the new series of the zombie drama are Wunmi Mosaku as Maxine Martin, the pro-living Victus MP for Roarton, and Emmett J Scanlan, who plays the Undead Prophet disciple Simon Monroe.
We're reunited with Kieren Walker in the now seemingly PDS-friendly world of Roarton. Our hero is keeping his head down, working soul-destroying shifts in the Legion pub and squirrelling money into his "escape fund." Only problem is, he can't escape himself.

In the wider world, tensions are reigniting. The radical Pro-Living Party, Victus, is gaining government seats, prompting a backlash of PDS extremism connected to the Undead Liberation Army. Kieren is worried sick when Victus MP Maxine Martin enters the village, ostensibly offering her condolences in the wake of a brutal ULA tram attack. She can barely conceal her disappointment at what she sees in the Legion: PDS Sufferers and the Living happily rubbing shoulders. Not to mention Kieren himself behind the bar. She recoils in disgust from his cold touch. When Maxine violently clashes with Vicar Oddie, it seems Kieren was right to worry . . . Danger from the outside world is encroaching.

Kieren's overjoyed by the return of his BDFF (best dead friend forever), the irrepressible Amy Dyer - but his delight is cut short by a tense encounter with Amy's opinionated "beau", ULA member Simon. Kieren warns them both not to rock the boat in Roarton. However, they have other plans in mind, choosing to enter the Legion barefaced and wearing the clothes they were buried in. When they reveal the prejudice and hatred still bubbling under the surface in Roarton - not least from Gary Kendal - Kieren knows he needs to leave the village. Now.

A trailer for series 2 is available to watch below:


and a teaser has also been released:





FILTER: - In The Flesh

In The Flesh nominated for BAFTAs as series 2 details announcedBookmark and Share

Monday, 7 April 2014 - Reported by John Bowman
The BBC Three zombie drama In The Flesh was nominated for two TV BAFTAs today, including Leading Actor for first-time nominee Luke Newberry as Partially Deceased Syndrome sufferer Kieren Walker.

He faces opposition from Dominic West (Burton and Taylor), Sean Harris (Southcliffe) and Jamie Dornan (The Fall).

The show has also been nominated in the Mini-Series category, with Southcliffe, The Great Train Robbery and The Fall also vying for the gong, and follows creator Dominic Mitchell's nomination for a BAFTA Television Craft Award for Best Writer, which he will be hoping to win against Chris Chibnall (Broadchurch), Sally Wainwright (Last Tango In Halifax) and Dennis Kelly (Utopia).

The BAFTA Television Crafts awards ceremony takes place on Sunday 27th April and the TV BAFTAs will be held on Sunday 18th May.

Series two of In The Flesh, comprising six episodes, is to be shown on BBC Three in the first week of May, the BBC said today. The first series will be repeated on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 12th April.

Critically-acclaimed creator Dominic Mitchell reignites the world of teenager Kieren Walker, a PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) sufferer who continues in his struggle to find acceptance in the second series of the award-nominated BBC Three drama In The Flesh.

Over six episodes, In The Flesh propels us back to the hotbed of Roarton nine months on, where the living and the undead have reached a fragile peace. Partially Deceased Syndrome sufferer, Kieren (Luke Newberry) is still struggling to find self-acceptance, and is keeping his head down, squirrelling money into his "escape fund" for Paris. Only problem is, he can't escape himself.

In the wider world, fear is in the air, provoked by radical Pro-Living Party Victus and extremism linked to the Undead Liberation Army. Scarier still, there are whispers about a Second Rising.

When explosive characters from both Victus and the ULA descend on Roarton, Kieren's dreams of escape are thrown into disarray. Victus MP Maxine Martin (Wunmi Mosaku) is stirring up anti-PDS sentiment in the village, while charismatic ULA disciple Simon (Emmett J Scanlan) wants Kieren to stay for different reasons altogether.

As Kieren increasingly finds himself in Maxine and Simon's crossfire, tensions reignite within the Walker family, where schoolgirl Jem (Harriet Cains) is facing her own demons, struggling to come to terms with vivid flashbacks from her time in the HVF (Human Volunteer Force). Kieren's only saving grace is the return of his old hunting partner Amy Dyer (Emily Bevan), but has his happy-go-lucky BDFF (Best Dead Friend Forever) been radicalised by the ULA?

As the series progresses, we follow Kieren, his friends and family, as he wrestles with his identity and his own and other people's beliefs. One thing's for certain: a quiet life is no longer an option.

Video interviews with Newberry and Mitchell to promote series 2 were released by the BBC today:






The BAFTA nominations echo plaudits from other parts of the industry - the series was also shortlisted for the MIND Media Awards 2013, Best Drama Serial at RTS, Best Drama Serial at Broadcast Awards and Innovation in Multiplatform at RTS North West - while Mitchell was named one of the 17 BAFTA Breakthrough Brits last year.

BBC Three controller Zai Bennett said:
Not only is BBC Three the most-watched digital channel in the hours it's on air, we're also the most BAFTA-nominated digital channel this year with six nominations, two of which are for the extraordinary In The Flesh which returns to BBC Three next month. I couldn't be prouder of the team, the producers, storytellers, actors and presenters who make BBC Three the ground-breaking, award-winning, incredible channel it is.




FILTER: - In The Flesh - Awards/Nominations

Supermarionation documentary on its wayBookmark and Share

Saturday, 5 April 2014 - Reported by John Bowman
A major new feature film about the life and work of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson has been made by video publishing company Network.

Filmed in Supermarionation - billed as "the definitive documentary about the unique puppetry and animation technique developed by Gerry and Sylvia and their team and utilised in all their programmes throughout the 1960s" - has been directed and co-produced by Stephen La Riviere from his book of the same name.

It is hosted by Thunderbirds characters Lady Penelope and Parker, and features previously unseen archive footage, new interviews with surviving cast and crew, and clips from the shows. In addition, pioneering techniques used in the productions have been accurately re-created for the film, which will be premièred at the BFI later this year ahead of a general release.

Before then, though, a preview of selected scenes together with a question-and-answer session with the film's creative team will be held at Andercon on Saturday 19th April.

In the meantime, Network, which specialises in classic British TV programmes, has released two clips from it:

With Thanks To Tony Clark




FILTER: - Animation - BFI - Special Events

Atlantis series 2 filming startsBookmark and Share

Thursday, 3 April 2014 - Reported by John Bowman
Filming for the second series of fantasy drama Atlantis has started in Chepstow, the BBC announced today.

Jack Donnelly returns as Jason, with Mark Addy back as Hercules and Robert Emms reprising the role of Pythagoras.

The series launched on BBC One last autumn with an opening episode that pulled in a Live +7 audience of 8.4 million viewers, making it the biggest new Saturday-night drama series launch across all channels since Robin Hood in 2006.

The finale of the first series saw Paisphae, played by Sarah Parish, revealed to be Jason's mother. Parish, who also features in series two, is currently filming scenes that involve a dramatic shift of power in the kingdom, said the BBC in a press statement that added:
Pasiphae's desire to reign has not abated and rivalry with stepdaughter Ariadne takes her to new depths. Jason's personal involvement with Ariadne is surely a complication for Pasiphae, but will the knowledge that Jason is her flesh and blood weaken her resolve?
Also returning to the drama are Aiysha Hart as Ariadne and Juliet Stevenson as The Oracle, as well as new additions Vincent Regan as Dion and Amy Manson as Medea. Guest appearances are to be made by Robert Pugh (Game Of Thrones, The White Queen) and Peter de Jersey (Broadchurch, Holby City) in episode one.

In the press statement, co-creators Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy said:
It's wonderful to have everyone back in the studio together as we prepare to take Atlantis to new places in series two. We have some exciting new additions joining our exceptional cast and some surprises up our sleeve that we can't wait to unleash on the Atlantis audience later this year.
BBC executive producer Bethan Jones added:
It was a delight to see so many of the BBC One audience take Atlantis to its heart and we are thrilled to be returning with more adventures this year. The vision is as ambitious as ever and, building on the amazing sets in the Chepstow studios, the series will continue to deliver a visual treat for viewers, along with a deeper insight to the characters that drive the drama.
Atlantis was recommissioned by BBC One controller Charlotte Moore and Ben Stephenson, the controller of BBC Drama Commissioning. It is made by Urban Myth Films for BBC One through BBC Cymru Wales and co-produced by BBC America.

The programme is written by Howard Overman and executive-produced for Urban Myth Films by Capps and Murphy.




FILTER: - Atlantis