#BBC Radio Dramatic Theatre

[consanguinitatum]

David as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (the first time he did it, that is!)

David Tennant fans are aware of 2011's brilliant Much Ado About Nothing, in which DT starred as Benedick, alongside Catherine Tate as Beatrice. Filmed at the Wyndham's Theatre in London and directed by Josie Rourke, the production was recorded and offered on Digital Theatre.

But did you know David had played Benedick before?

Yep - he sure has!

It was in 2001, a full decade before his production with Catherine.

Beginning in 1999, BBC Radio 3 launched Shakespeare For The Millennium, an ambitious project to dramatize seventeen Shakespeare productions in four years.

The project was done in collaboration with BBC Worldwide, which emphasized it wanted to take a contemporary, innovative approach to the Bard. It launched on 12 September 1999 with a Shakespeare discussion panel, and a new production of Hamlet -- starring none other than Michael Sheen as the Dane!

On 23 September 2001, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a new production of Much Ado About Nothing as the Sunday Play, with David in the lead role as Benedick and Samantha Spiro as Beatrice. Adapted by Sally Avens, it featured an introduction (as had all the previous productions in the Shakespeare For The Millennium series) by Richard Eyre, the former Director of the Royal National Theatre.

The production also starred a few other recognizable names. There was Chiwetel Ejiofor as Claudio, Emilia Fox as Hero, David Swift as Leonato, Julian Rhind-Tutt as Don John, and David Haig as Dogberry.

All original music was composed and performed by Simon Oakes and Adam Wolters.

Radio listings and announcements, and promo photos of David and Samantha Spiro

Here's a review of the prodcuction!

Much Ado About Nothing was commercially released by BBC Worldwide as part of the BBC Radio collection series in 2001.

The sleeve notes of cassettes and CDs of the production include a scene-by-scene synopsis, a full character analysis, and an essay on interpretation from the director Sally Avens.

Almost four years later, in November 2005, BBC One broadcast a television series called ShakespeaRe-Told, a set of four adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. Each play was adapted by a different writer, and all were relocated to the present day.

The first to be broadcast - on 7 November 2005 - was a modern-day version of Much Ado About Nothing starring Sarah Parrish and Damien Lewis...and Billie Piper and Nina Sosanya and Olivia Colman!

You can watch it here:

Six days after this television broadcast - on 13 November 2005 at 7:15 pm - BBC Radio 3 re-broadcast the audio version starring David and Samantha in its 'Drama On 3' slot.

Fast forward to August 2020.

The BBC released a set of four BBC Radio Shakespeare collections: Histories, Comedies, Tragedies, and Roman Plays. Much Ado About Nothing was included in the collection of Comedies, and became available as an Audible digital download.

If you want to listen, you can find this collection a lot of places. It might be at your local library or on Overdrive, on Google Play, or as an Amazon Audible book.

Or, ya know, just go here:

#DavidTennant #ObscureDavidTennantPerformances #DavidTennantAudios #MuchAdoAboutNothing #Youtube

[cantsayidont]

Video Killed the Radio Star

If you don't already feel sufficiently alienated from the culture of your generation, consider getting into old time radio. It's pretty easy to do: Radio was mainstream media from the 1930s well into the 1950s, and it hung on for quite a while after it started losing ground to television. There's a huge amount of programming in various genres, and a surprising amount of it survives; there was a cottage industry in OTR cassettes and CDs for many years, a lot of shows can be found in MP3 format without much effort, and some of it pops up regularly on streaming platforms.

The easiest way to get into it is if you're already got a fondness for some older Hollywood star: If they were a movie star between 1930 and 1960, there's a good chance they guest-starred in various radio shows, and they might even have had their own show for a while. For instance, do you like Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall? Around 1950, they had their own syndicated radio adventure series, BOLD VENTURE, which was essentially an extended riff on their characters in the 1944 film version of TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT. Orson Welles, of course, was a big radio star, playing the lead on THE SHADOW in 1937–38 and then bringing his Mercury Theatre company to a number of different one-hour and half-hour radio series. Vincent Price starred for several seasons as Leslie Charteris's Simon Templar on THE SAINT. And almost everyone who was anyone showed up now and again on SUSPENSE or LUX RADIO THEATRE (which produced all-star one-hour adaptations of popular movies). If you're a Superman or Sherlock Holmes fan, the radio versions of those characters are a must — Holmes was a perennial presence on English-language radio for decades.

If you want something more modern, the British kept producing generally high-quality radio dramas in surprising volume until relatively recently, including a range of both adaptations and originals. Unlike American radio, the survival rate for older British programs from the '40s and '50s is poor, but the BBC has continued periodically airing its better material from the '70s through the '00s, a lot of which has been offered on cassette and CD. For instance, there were excellent BBC radio series dramatizing the Wodehouse Jeeves and Wooster stories (with Michael Hordern and Richard Briers); Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey series (with Ian Carmichael); and Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot mysteries (with John Moffat), along with standalone plays on programs like SATURDAY-NIGHT THEATRE. The big limitation with British radio dramas is that the number of British radio actors who can do convincing American accents is not high (and is definitely lower than the number who mistakenly think they can), and the availability of American actors who know how to act for radio is clearly even more limited, which can become a grating problem when dramatizing American material.

One of the reasons that listening to older (and/or British) radio shows will contribute to your cultural alienation is that it will make a lot of modern dramatic podcast series and audio dramatizations excruciating, because it will reveal to you how bad a lot of modern audio dramatists and performers are at this once commonplace art. (If you are or are contemplating doing a dramatic podcast or audio drama, please, for the love of dog, make a close study of radio shows created before you were born, and diversify enough to recognize the mediocrity of hacks like Dirk Maggs, who's been stinking up audio drama on two continents for four decades now.)

#old time radio #i actually hate the term old time radio #but it's a useful descriptor and it's not up to me #humphrey bogart #lauren bacall #orson welles #bold venture #vincent price #leslie charteris #sherlock holmes #superman #what ho jeeves #michael hordern #richard briers #dorothy l sayers #lord peter wimsey #ian carmichael #hercule poirot #john moffat #saturday night theatre #dirk maggs #radio #bbc radio

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Scottish actor Richard Wilson.

Born Ian Colquhoun Wilson,July 9th 1936 in Greenock, he went on to study science there before completing his National Service in Singapore with the Royal Medical Army Corps. Wilson was a late convert to acting as he worked as a research scientist in Glasgow until the age of 27. He then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London. Before his most famous role as Victor Meldrew, he participated in theatre productions in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester. He also directed several plays.

After several bit parts in TV shows including The Sweeney and Some Mothers Do Have 'Em' in 1978, he portrayed a regular character in the show A Sharp Intake of Breath'with David Jason between 1977 and 1980. This was followed by lead roles in the show High and Dry in 1985, and Hot Metal in 1988. It was in between these two series that I first noticed Richar Wilson in the fantastic BBC Scotland series Tutti Frutti with a host of other Scots, including Robbie Coltrane, Maurice Roëves and Katy Murphy, Richard was Eddie Clockerty, the group's devious and exploitative manager, I remember fondly the scenes he shared with Kate Murphy as his lippy secretary Miss Toner.

Wilson then won his most famous role as Victor Meldrew, although he initially turned down the part as he was younger than the character, in the sitcom One Foot in the Grave. The line 'I Don't Believe It' became the character's catchphrase, the show ran for ten years before they finally bumped him off

After One Foot in the Grave, Wilson enjoyed roles in 'High Stakes' and Life As We Know It' in 2001. Between 2002 and 2004, he appeared in several TV movies including Jeffrey Archer: The Truth and King of Fridges

Wilson returned to a recurring TV show in the form of Born and Bred' between 2004 and 2005 and has since made the transition from a grumpy old man to a wise, old apothecary in Merlin, which debuted in 2008 and finished in 2012. Since then he has been picky with his roles and not appeared in too many shows, however a wee look at Indb tells me he has two projects on the go just now, Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men also stars Alan Cummings and How Sweetly it turns.

Richard has devoted his time to working for the gay rights campaign group Stonewall he is also a patron for the Scottish Youth Theatre and has been a long-term supporter of the charity Sense.

Wilson was planning to reprise the iconic character of Victor Meldrew for one night only at The Edinburgh Fringe a few years back but in the run-up to the event the actor suddenly fell ill and had to pull out.

It was later revealed he suffered a heart attack but remembers nothing of it. He told BBC Radio 2′s Graham Norton:

“I had a heart attack and fell off a balcony. I don’t remember a thing about it.The great thing about the accident – I’m going to mention because I’d love to know who it was – the great thing about the accident is that there was a doctor walking by, and if he hadn’t been walking by, I wouldn’t be talking to you now"

The veteran actor is still working, latest roles have been in Around the World in 80 Days in 2021, A new film, Sweetly It Turns is next for Wilson.

#Scotland #scottish #actor #one foot in the grave #happy birhtday #telivision #theatre #cinéma

[littlequeenies]

Katie Geraldine Scarfe (b. April 17th, 1974) is an English stage, radio, TV & voice actress, the oldest daughter of actress Jane Asher and her husband cartoonist Gerald Scarfe. Katie has two younger brothers, artist Alex Scarfe and book editor Rory Christopher Scarfe. She also has two elder half-siblings, Rupert and Araminta Scarfe from her father's previous relationships.

She graduated from Bristol University in 1995. She trained at LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art; BA (Hons) Acting, 2007-2009). Credits whilst at LAMDA include Maria in "Twelfth Night (2008), Lady Bracknell in "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2009), Molly in "Passport to Pimlico" (2009), "The Girl in The Blue Room" (2009), u/s Pattie and Rachel in "Season's Greetings" (National Theatre, 2010/11).

Her theatre career includes "Just Whores" (New Venture Theatre, summer 2003), "Freakshow", as Eve (New Venture Theatre, fall 2003), her role of Constanze in "Amadeus" ( New Venture Theatre, Brighton, 2005), her role of Richmond in "Richard III" (Brighton Festival, 2007), her role of The Duchess in "Mercury Fur" (Old Red Lion, Trafalgar Studios, 2012) and her role of the Queen in "Beyond Beauty" (Rebel Theatre, fall 2012). In 2015 she acted on the stage along with her mother Jane Asher in "The Gathered Leaves" (Park Theatre).

Radio, television and film credits include her role of Brenda in "The Wistleblower" film, the part of Kerry Harrison in "The Real Kathy Haydn" (Channel 4, 2007), "The Long Walk Home" film (2007), "Nunc Demittis", part of the "Someone Like You" collection, for BBC Radio 4 (2009), her role of Emily Coulson in "Holby City" (BBC, 2010), Sophie in the 2010 film "The Engagement Party", the poet female in "The Cult" film (2010), the short "The Adbucted", as Dr. Murphy in ITV's "Emmerdale Farm" (Yorkshire television, 2012), "A Little Twist of Dahl" (BBC Radio 4) and the short "The Listener" (2014) and the part of Liz Wilde again in in "Holby City" (2015).

--

Pictured, Katie and her father Gerald Scarfe at the South Bank Show, at the Savoy Hotel, on the 22nd January 1998 in London.

*We don’t own any of the copyrights of these photos*

OUR KATIE SCARFE PHOTO COLLECTION HOSTED AT GOOGLE PHOTOS

#Katie Scarfe #Gerald Scarfe #1998 Katie #actress #voice actress #1990s Katie #google photos #join #share #sharing is caring

[redsoapbox]

I, Daniel Blake: Review

Hayley Squires and Dave Johns

Kevin McGrath reviews I, Daniel Blake, directed by Ken Loach and praised for its engaging story and timely politics. 

The title character of Ken Loach’s “comeback” film is a gentle widower, probably aged somewhere in his late fifties, recuperating slowly from a massive heart attack and all the while itching to get back to plying his trade as a carpenter. On the surface, one ordinary Joe’s fate at the hands of an unscrupulous Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) doesn’t seem particularly fertile ground for box-office success in 2016, especially when up against blockbusters like Dr Strange and Bridget Jones’s Baby in the battle to put bums on multiplex seats. Loach, however, the great social-realist director of our age, has spent half a century giving a voice to people otherwise ignored by mainstream cinema and television drama departments and it’s the very fact that the tragedy of Daniel Blake, a casualty of war in the life and death struggle between Britain’s rich and Britain’s poor, could just as easily befall any one of us that will ensure this Palme d’Or-winning film finds a receptive audience.

Loach’s career as a radical filmmaker began after he enrolled in a director’s course at the BBC in 1963. An apolitical figure at the time (he suspected his late father may have voted Tory), he quickly absorbed the left-wing politics of producer Tony Garnett and story-editor Roger Smith when they collaborated together on the groundbreaking BBC series “The Wednesday Play”. Loach was deeply influenced, too, by the social realism of Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop and the plays of John Osborne and the other Angry Young Men being staged at the Royal Court Theatre. The sixties Cultural Revolution was gathering pace and Loach suddenly found himself with an opportunity to make films about the death penalty (Three Clear Sunday’s) and the post-war generation’s new-found sexual freedoms (Up the Junction) all for a ready-made audience, Mary Whitehouse’s National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association not-withstanding!

The astonishing success of “The Wednesday Play” culminated with Loach’s tour de force, Cathy Come Home (1966). Written by Jeremy Sandford, who based the script on his own radio documentary Homeless Families, the play told the story of a young couple Cathy and Reg (Carol White and Ray Brooks), and their harrowing descent into homelessness. The coruscating final scene, in which the couple’s small children are forcibly taken into council care, caused a wave of genuine anger to sweep across the land.

In fact, such was the docudrama’s impact on its twelve million viewers (a quarter of the nation’s population at the time), that it was repeated just a fortnight later with a follow-up discussion taking place on ITV as well as the BBC straight after transmission. Following its broadcast many councils abandoned their policy of separating men from their wives and children and the homeless charity Shelter was founded just 15 days afterward, in recognition that something had to be done in a country where 4,000 children a year were being placed in care because their parents had become homeless. Loach had wanted to ‘draw blood’ and the unprecedented response to the play earned Cathy Come Home its place in the history books.

Fifty years later, Loach has drawn blood again with I, Daniel Blake, a film that cries out in undisguised anguish against the Tory government’s routine punishment of the poor, the sick and the disabled. The film begins with Daniel (under)played to perfection by stand up comedian Dave Johns (continuing Loach’s career long preference for using club comedians in dramatic roles on the basis that ‘they weren’t acting- they were being’) finding out that he has been deemed fit for work by ATOS, a private company contracted by the DWP to carry out ‘work capability assessments’. (Between 2010 and 2011, 10,600 people died in this country while going through the assessment process in which administrators acting as ‘healthcare professionals’ use a point scoring system to override the expert opinions of GPs and Surgeons as to whether a ‘client’ is fit for work).

While attending a DWP meeting, Daniel witnesses single mother Katie (in a beautifully judged performance that should launch a stellar career for Hayley Squires) being ‘sanctioned’ for arriving late for an appointment with her benefit officer. The loss of her income leaves her and her two small children dependent on charity to survive and is the cue for a scene that unfolds in a food bank that’s as agonising to watch as the famous scene that concludes Cathy Come Home. The film plays out by following the fortunes of Dan and Katie, contrasting the kindness and humanity that they show each other, with the institutional barbarity of the DWP as it drives some of the most vulnerable people in society to death’s door.

As wonderful as I, Daniel Blake is, it’s not without its flaws. Loach sensibly lets the straight forward story speak for itself, resolving not to get himself sidetracked in the tangled web of factional socialist politics (a temptation not altogether easy to resist, no doubt, for a former member of the Workers’ Revolutionary Party), so there are no stump speeches, soapbox lectures or crash courses on Marxism for beginners, and aside from one minor character’s semi-coherent rant against Iain Duncan-Smith and the Tories, the subject of politics doesn’t really come up at all in this, the most “political” of films.

While this “show not tell” approach may be pitched correctly in storytelling terms, there might have been a little more political context to illuminate the darkness of Dan and Katie’s lives; a character to mouth off against austerity, the bankers or our rabidly right-wing government (all of which surely drove Loach to come out of unofficial retirement to make the film), while supping a pint in their local, or waiting for their food parcel to be cobbled together. In twenty years’ time it will be possible for a new generation to watch this film without any real sense of which party was in power and quite why they persisted, in the face of opposition from all manner of charities and pressure groups, with the unspeakable cruelty of the Bedroom Tax and cuts to the Independent Living Fund. All the more surprising, perhaps, given that Loach himself has been critical of Cathy Come Home for not being political enough, for not ‘tackling the ownership of the land, the building industry and the financing behind it. Otherwise you’re not really challenging anything.’

When the great socialist playwright J.B Priestly broadcast, during the darkest days of Britain’s fight against fascism, (his Postscript programme was being listened to by a third of Britain’s adult population at its peak), that the ‘common folk of this island rose to meet the challenge and not only saved what we had that is good but began to dream of something better’, declaring the Second World War ‘a people’s war’ to ‘bring into existence an order of society in which nobody will have far too many rooms in a house and nobody will have far too few’, Churchill forced the BBC to take him off the air despite knowing the effect it would have on the morale of a people standing alone against the might of Hitler.

Ken Loach continues to argue for that socialist society and that is the story that lies just beneath the surface of I, Daniel Blake. The great social reforms of Attlee’s post-war government, from The Welfare State to The National Health Service, are being undone at the behest of the Murdoch Press and the foul gang of neo-liberal economists that infected the centre/right political parties of Britain during the reign of Margaret Thatcher and which were then enshrined in Tony Blair’s vision of New Labour. It’s a scandalous ambition, made easier by the complicity of the mainstream media in general and state broadcasters in particular (hang your heads in shame all those commissioning editors at the BBC and Channel 4 who fed the nation a constant diet of ‘poverty porn’ in place of programmes honestly examining welfare provision in time of economic collapse). Ken Loach is still fighting Priestley’s good fight and I, Daniel Blake is a masterful clarion call for us to come to the rescue of an endangered Welfare State, and in so doing, to restore to each and every one of us a sense of common decency.

Any chance to watch the footie "match" from Ken Loach's Kes, I'm going to take it. One of the funniest scenes in the history of film.

This review first appeared in Wales Arts Review in November 2016.

#Youtube

[muzz-khans-journey]

A Versatile Career: Muzz Khan's Journey In Acting And Music

Introduction:

Muzz Khan, born in 1981 in Burnley, Lancashire, is a versatile and talented actor and DJ. His performances are captivating. Khan's on-screen presence is like a symphony of emotions, while his musical talents extend beyond the stage. As a DJ, he creates crowd-pleasing sets that pulse with energy and emotion, transporting listeners to abandon their daily 9-to-5s. His life and career is a testament to the enduring power of artistic exploration, where one individual's passion transcends tradition to create a legacy that echoes through entertainment’s rich history.

Early Life And Education:

Muzz Khan, born in Burnley and raised in Nelson, Lancashire, was born to shine in the world of performing arts. His journey began at Edge End High School, where the BBC chose and elected to film an episode of the Patricia Routledge-led,  detective series "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates." This visit ignited his passion for acting and sparked his determination to pursue his dreams. Khan attended Accrington and Rossendale College to study a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts, where he honed his skills and built a foundation for his future. It is noted that he received a Distinction grade there for his studies.

He then attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in South Kensington, London, where he trained alongside fellow students and now renowned actors Rupert Friend, Natalie Dormer, Tom Mison, and Elyes Gabel. His time at drama school wasn’t a happy one but he was encouraged by Rupert (Friend) to continue his studies and not throw in the towel. Khan's journey from Lancashire to London and later to Los Angeles, is a testament to his passion, tenacity, pursuit of excellence, and the single-minded vision to set the stage for his remarkable career.

Acting Career:

Muzz Khan began his professional acting career in 1999 with a voice-over (ADR) role in "East is East." Khan initially auditioned for a part as one of the core cast members but his lack of experience at a young age and casting fit were not deemed to be quite right at the time. He has since appeared in various UK television shows, including "No Angels" and "Bradford Riots”, on Channel 4. "24: Live Another Day", for Fox Television, "The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher”, for ITV Studios, and "Black Mirror: White Christmas", playing the amusingly-titled character of Fappuccino. In 2016, he starred in the American, ABC musical comedy "Galavant" with Robert Lindsay, Timothy Omundson, Weird Al Yankovic and others. Khan's versatility is clear in films like "Me Before You", "WONKA" and "The Hatching".

He has also performed at prestigious theaters, including the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Noel Coward Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, the Bush Theatre and The Wyndhams Theatre in London’s West End. Khan's talent extends to radio drama, narrating novels such as A.A Dhand’s Virdee detective series – which has just been commissioned for television by the BBC for 2024 – and bringing stories to life in dramas on BBC Radio 4.

Music Career:

Muzz Khan, a renowned DJ, began his music career in 2007 in London. He gained recognition in the music scene, performing as a resident at iconic venues like Pacha London, the Ministry of Sound, KOKO and the O2 Academy Brixton and renowned events like Mixmag, EP/IC, Defected and Hed Kandi. Khan's energetic and crowd-pleasing sets, specializing in house music and multi-genre, have captivated audiences across the UK and beyond.

He has performed at venues like Bush Hall, Electric Brixton, Studio 338, Lightbox London, EGG LDN and Ibiza's Space Nightclub and Es Paradis. Khan served as the resident DJ for the 2016 UK tour of "Rave of Thrones" alongside actor Kristian Nairn. He is currently a resident DJ for Hed Kandi and has made appearances in music videos, including "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit, "Feel It All" by KT Tunstall, and "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life" by Seamus Haji.

Personal Life:

Muzz Khan, a devoted husband and father to a loving family of five, finds solace in the sanctuary of his parental world. Nestled in the countryside of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. His personal life serves as a testament to the balance between fame and family life, reminding us to cherish the bonds of family, the haven of home and to remain grounded.

Conclusion:

Muzz Khan's career spans acting and music, showcasing his versatility and dedication. For over two decades, he has been a shining beacon in the entertainment industry, captivated by his artistic exploration and innovation. Khan's acting is a symphony of dramatic and comedic delight, while his DJing continues to help dancing crowds to find liberation and freedom through music. His journey is an ever-evolving climb, pushing the boundaries of artistic possibilities and reminding us that the only limit to our potential is the extent of our imagination. Khan's passion, versatility, and dedication to the arts make him a testament to the boundless possibilities of a dynamic career in the entertainment industry, particularly as a working class, British-Pakistani actor.

[blogmillymills]

Neil Gaiman’s The Sleeper and the Spindle.

BBC Radio Drama Written by Neil Gaiman Adapted by Katie Homs Directed and Produced by Allegra McILroy A twisted fairy tale part Snow White, part Sleeping Beauty with women at the forefront of the tale. Sleeping Beauty is awoken by a kiss from the Soldier Queen- the prince is redundant and the dwarfs aren’t to be taken seriously. On her awakening we find that Sleeping Beauty put a…

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#BBC Radio Dramatic Theatre #Neil GAiman #The Sleeper and the Spindle

[mariocki]

Frances: [nodding] An enquiry.

Laura: Unofficial. Two-thirty tomorrow. Here. Myself, you, the Chief, Dr Graham and the Chaplain.

Frances: A judicious combination of the temporal and the spiritual.

-

Charlotte Hastings, The Enquiry (1972)

#100plays #Charlotte hastings #The enquiry #modern drama #Theatre #Quotes #Literature #Hastings is a quite minor figure in the canon of 20th century british drama. She had one notable west end success #With Bonaventure and had several plays produced on television and radio. Much of her other work however seems to have #Been written with an eye to amateur dramatics. Certainly the earliest performance of the enquiry i can find any information on #Was in the year it was written by an amateur company and other productions all seem to have been for local acting troupes #None of this is intended to look down on her writing: rather i wonder if this play was always written with the intention of am dram #Thus the simple sets and costumes; small cast with potential for doubling; and no need for technical wizadry or ambitious effects #The play is also heavily choreographed; stage directions are very clear and detailed down to slight movements. #Regardless of whether this had a professional production at all (apart from a bbc radio version in the late 70s i doubt it did) #It is an interesting if uneven piece. Primarily a play for a female cast which is true of Hasting's other work too (inc. Bonaventure) and #Set in a women's prison in 1972. This could have been very modern and very strong. But Hastings was already in her 60s at this point #She belonged to a different era of writing for the stage and it shows. Her characters talk in lofty philosophical style #Or else they are clipped and efficient and reveal truths bluntly but with care. They just don't sound like real people. On such a sensitive #Subject Hastings could have really dug into some interesting commentary or posed some difficult questions. She gets close at times but #Always seems to back off again at the last moment. By no means a bad writer she simply belongs to another time. #In the hands of another writer like caryl churchill this would have been an entirely different work

[phantomnostalgist]

Ethan Freeman Phantom interview

An interview with Ethan Freeman from about 1994 or 1995, printed in “Beneath the Mask” #8 (which I haven’t found my print copy of yet, but the interview was reproduced on our old POTO fan site). 

Also of note about Ethan: at the time he was one of the two youngest actors to have played the Phantom - he and Anthony Warlow were both 28 or 29 when first cast in the role.

Are there any differences between London and Vienna - if so, what are they? The general tone of the production in Vienna was slightly more Operetta-like, probably due to the language, the sound of the translation and style of acting of some of the players. The tempo was also at some points quite different depending on who was conducting, and would undoubtedly feel strange to me now. The audience tended to be less tuned in to the humorous moments in the show in general, and some scenes like "Managers I & II" for example, simply run better and are more clever in English.

How did you get the role? I got the role of the Phantom after auditioning for Hal Prince and Gillian Lynne and the Viennese producer and musical staff. They appeared very excited about the audition. I'd sung "Music of the Night" which they praised in a friendly manner (Hal is always positive and encouraging), and they sent me off to learn the segment from the Final Lair "Order your fine horses... This is the choice. This is the point of no return!" When I came back the next day to do it (the Phantom candidates appeared by then to have been reduced to three) Hal said "OK Ethan I want you to scare me!" So I did the section with as much power and venom as I could muster (Id never seen the show - I think Id heard the record once or twice...) and after it was done, Hal just said "Great. You scared me!" and that was that really. Later that day they explained to Alexander Goebel and me what they would like and would we be willing to share, obviously with Alex, who was very well known, being the dominant of the two. So we split 5/2 which frequently ended up being 4/3 as the run went along.

How did you research the character? I read the novel finally, all the way through. Ruth Hale, my partner in "Cats" at the time, later to premiere as Mme Giry in the Hamburg production, gave me a copy as a present. I'd seen several of the films over the years so I knew there wasn't much to be mined from those - although Lon Chaney Snr did display some magnificent body language, and I've nicked at least one dramatic gesture from him. Principally though, I had several long meetings with Hal in New York to talk about the role and show. He instructed me to go watch Michael a few times then come back and talk some more. Crawford was magnificent, at the peak of his vocal power and still fairly fresh in the role and I was moved and impressed as I have not been since by a Phantom. (Though Dave Willetts, I must say, also made a huge impression the first time I saw him, for his power and well-delineated psychotic behaviour.) At first I thought boy, you've got your work cut out for you on all fronts. So, I would say my "research" of the role was principally based on my own discussions with Hal and also largely on my own thoughts and feelings. Obviously most of the physical manifestations of the role, make-up, costume, blocking, etc were predetermined so there wasn't much scope for change. To be honest, I feel some of the Phantoms I've seen tend, in an effort to be different, to stray from the basic line of the drama and weaken themselves as a result. Michael's acting was extreme, yet very clear and economical at the same time, and I also try to offer the audience a complicated and ambiguous character going through clear, unambiguous moments of his life - otherwise it's so easy for the audience not to "get" everything that's there - or to "get" things that aren't intended to be there at all.

How do you feel on stage? So varied in thought and feeling that I can't really give a concise answer. I feel quite differently now to how I felt 600 odd shows ago. I used to have to concentrate on staying concentrated - now it just happens. I know what to achieve and just try to let it happen. I'd say I'm both in and out of Erik at the same time and he in me.

Do you think it's based on a true story ie. did the Phantom exist? I doubt it - I haven't read this newer novel "Phantom" yet and don't intend to until I finish playing the part. However I've been to the Palais Garnier and in all senses of the word it is a 'phantastic' theatre, one which easily conjures up many stirring images - beautifully represented in the Phantom designs, I'd say!

What do you think of Erik? I wish he'd let me have a little more time to myself! Oh, I don't know. He's a sad, bitter, brilliant man. He has a great brain and can be a real bastard. I find him easy to understand - he's motivated by a terrible profound loneliness and has been forced to create his own universe which has its own laws. Anyone who has known some kind of loneliness or feeling of apartness when they were children or growing up can tune in to this crucial aspect of the Man, which is his great mythical attraction. He is so powerful, awesome, in control and yet so hurt and vulnerable. He must epitomise great beauty and great ugliness at war with each other, reason and insanity, God/Satan, Id/Ego battling it out. In the end, he learns about sacrifice, shows mercy and is redeemed by love - a great, archetypal Romantic drama - another reason why the story has always been so popular. I can't stand it when I see Erik played as a "nutter". Yes, he goes "crazy" a few times, but in general he is not insane in the pathological sense. I feel if he is played as a schizophrenic or a psychopath, the romantic ideal of the story is dashed, because both of those conditions would indicate a "determination" that makes any hope of redemption impossible, and would break with the "Romantic" style. He is very melancholy, angry, egocentric, neurotic perhaps, and goes off into rages of frustrated sexuality, but he is not insane. And I'll kill anyone who thinks otherwise!

What do you think happens to him at the end? That's our little secret! I think the different fan magazines have probably spent pages on that so I don't see I need to contribute. He goes!

Why do you think the show is so appealing? Some lovely songs, great orchestrations, a nice mixture of melodrama and light comedy, some stunning sets and a lot of good theatrical magic: and on the thematic side, many of the things I've mentioned before, which I suppose you could define as the archetypal Beauty and the Beast scenario which, if honestly portrayed, can tug the heartstrings of even the most urbane Japanese businessman.

What is your favourite role of those you've played? Obviously Phantom is the supreme role in my repertoire to date. I did however, really enjoy my stints in other Lloyd Webber shows as well. Che in "Evita" was very cool to play and Gus/Growltiger, while exceedingly 'uncool' thanks to the heavy knitted costumes, was a joy to play, despite being totally knackering, and one that I was surely born to do. I really enjoyed doing Hajj, the Poet in "Kismet" with the BBC Radio 2 last year, working with the composers, and would love to have the chance to do that again on stage someday.

What role would you like to play? I'd quite hope to have a go at Sweeney Todd somewhere down the line and would still like to play the Celebrant in "Bernstein's Mass" at some point. (I've nearly done that a couple of times.) Add to that a heap of great operatic roles I'd love to do but probably never will and whatever new, unknown roles lie lurking up ahead. We'll wait and see!

End note from me - Ethan’s wrong about schizophrenia, but hey, this interview was 25 years ago and actors can’t be expected to be experts on mental illness. But I really love this interview, the depth he goes into, and how his sense of humour comes through too.

#the phantom of the opera #phantom of the opera #ethan freeman #classic phantoms #poto #poto legends #phantom legends

[vivianshkoh]

Reflecting on “Hismanoglu (2005) - Teaching English through Literature”

I’m in absolute agreement with everything Hismanoglu says in his article! It is SO important to teach our children Literature alongside Language skills. I keep reminding my kids, many of whom claim they don’t like Literature even when they don’t really know it, that it is probably the only subject in school that teaches them about the Human Nature - what it means to be HUMAN and how to BE a person! Isn’t that the most important thing/subject anyone ought to learn in life? As Maley (1989) puts it, Literature is universal. Despite our cultural differences, the human experiences we all go through are universal and the themes covered in Literature explores exactly that! And we all know how powerful storytelling can be… The ambiguity of Literature also allows for people to have different interpretations to the same topic/issue. It’s always fun to see the reaction on the kids’ faces when we say, “You know, in Lit, there can be a wide range of answers. As long as they are logical, soundly backed up with appropriate evidence, you’re good to go.”

I’ve been fortunate enough to be given a chance to change my 2nd CS to English Literature (instead of Mathematics, eww good riddance hahaha) and I couldn’t be happier. I often grumble that the 1 hour that we get each week to teach Literature is insufficient but it’s alright; we will make do with what we have. Since in this module, we are focusing on the instruction of oral communication, I zeroed in on the section that discussed how Literature can be used to teach Listening and Speaking. In my school, we’ve done Readers’ Theatre, which usually helps students break down (otherwise) more challenging texts. Dramatic reading is always fun and it takes the stress off having to actually perform/act the parts. Poetry and short stories are often used to teach English Language in the classroom too. These usually serve as a nice break from our usual comprehension practices, etc. Teacher read-alouds are always appreciated, it seems ;) Students seem to be quite engaged in the reading, and it makes me feel good to see the kids so ‘tuned in’ to my voice! I actually toyed with the idea of introducing my students to Radio Drama, after I’d myself fallen in love with BBC Radio 4’s rendition of Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere”. Although radio dramas/renditions are now so rare (who listens to radio anymore, right?), it’s a rather underrated genre that we can consider exploring, especially if there is an adaptation of the novels that we are teaching in Literature. Perhaps this reflection will give me an impetus to explore it further in the years to come!

[scotianostra]

On 6th March 1923, Scotland’s first radio broadcast took place.

This was the fifth radio station to go live and was imaginatively named 5SC. It broadcast from a small attic apartment at Rex House, 202 Bath Street, in what was then the city’s thriving theatre and music hall district.

The building is still there today, with an office occupying what was once a small ‘concert room’.

The only indication to passers-by of its pioneering history is a commemorative plaque on the outside of the building. The first radio broadcasts were primitive, yet highly ambitious for the time.

Technological constraints meant all programmes had to be performed live by local musicians and speakers.  The first broadcast, at 7pm on Tuesday 6th March 1923, began with a pipe band playing the popular folk tune 'Hey, Johnnie Cope’.

John Reith, the BBC’s general manager, then bent to the microphone and announced that 5SC, the Glasgow station of the British Broadcasting Company, was calling.

Within weeks, 5SC was experimenting with 'simultaneous broadcasting’ — the linking of radio stations throughout the country using the Post Office telephone network.

The ability to share programmes lessened the strain on local resources and, by the time additional stations were launched in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee, listeners were enjoying a significant amount of programming relayed from London. It wasn’t all one-way traffic: Scotland’s first 'network production’ — a dramatized production of Walter Scott’s novel 'Rob Roy’ — was the most ambitious radio drama so far attempted anywhere in Britain when it aired nationally on 6th October 1923.

Unable to reach many rural areas, the local stations were largely replaced in 1929 with a more efficient Scottish 'regional’ service, which would be broadcast from higher-powered transmitters.

The pics show the exterior and interior of Rex House, with its equipment used for broadcasting. The Station Director Herbert Carruthers at the microphone in one pic and Engineer-in-Chief, James Cameron, in the control room

There's a wee bit more on the Scotland on Air web page below.

#scotland #scottish #bbc radio #broadcasting history #radio station #glasgow #history

[natromanxoff]

Queen live at Palace Theatre in Manchester, UK - October 30, 1974

(x)

This is the beginning of Queen's first full-scale European tour.

Tonight are the first performances of new songs from Sheer Heart Attack: Now I'm Here, Flick Of The Wrist, In The Lap Of The Gods, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, and In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited (Stone Cold Crazy had already been performed as far back as 1970). Now I'm Here would be a staple in their set, performed at virtually every show hereafter, making it the song they performed most frequently throughout the years - it was clearly a unanimous band favourite, as it is the only song they performed more than Bohemian Rhapsody.

This is the first show where Queen employed the use of delay on Freddie's voice - at the beginning of Now I'm Here. The band sound a bit nervous at the beginning of the show tonight, so Now I'm Here isn't quite the most brilliant version ever played. Still, the band are surely happy to be back on stage, especially Brian May who has made a full recovery from his health issues.

On the Sheer Heart Attack tour, Freddie would be seen singing the line "Now I'm here" on one side of the stage amidst the darkness and dry ice, and a few bars later, at "Now I'm there," he would "appear" on the other side of the stage (a member of the crew would be dressed in an identical Zandra Rhodes outfit to the one worn by Freddie), giving a very dramatic effect.

Although they no longer open the show with Father To Son, the first few bars of the song are still on playback.

Brian, introducing Flick Of The Wrist, the other side of the Killer Queen single (it was a double A-side): "You probably may know, we have a little single out at the moment, and this is the one you don't usually hear on the radio."

These also the earliest known live performances of White Queen and The March Of The Black Queen. White Queen would be a bit stripped down when played live (like the BBC session recorded on April 3), and only a small portion of The March Of The Black Queen would be performed on stage as part of the medley. Queen would perform a medley of songs on most tours from here onward, and tonight it would debut in their set.

The medley on this tour consists of In The Lap Of The Gods, Killer Queen, The March Of The Black Queen, and Bring Back That Leroy Brown (including Brian playing the banjo solo, as heard on the album). For this tour and the 1975 North American tour, Killer Queen is a very abbreviated version, as it is only one verse and a chorus, leading right into the guitar solo (which was never performed in full, as it was physically impossible to reproduce all of those layers of guitars live). They began performing the second verse of the song in Japan. In an interview for "Disc" with Rosemary Horide just prior to the tour, Brian May frankly said, "I'm not sure whether we'll be doing Killer Queen because it could be rather an unexciting number to stage, but we'll certainly do some of the others." Indeed, there was a certain delicacy of the song that they never were able to replicate live.

Brian now uses two analog delays when performing his solo spot in Son And Daughter, something that has become a trademark of his. Even though the guitar solo was heard in Brighton Rock on the Sheer Heart Attack album, the song wouldn't be heard on stage until late 1975.

On this tour, Freddie sings the verses of In The Lap Of The Gods...Revisited in falsetto in the higher octave, as on the studio version. A great example of this can be seen on the Live At The Rainbow video. For the next few years, the song would be performed with dry ice, and it also introduced pyrotechnics to their show, as on the very last note, it would very dramatically signal the end of the set proper. The song would remain in Queen's show into 1977, and would be revived for their final tour in 1986.

The encore on this tour is a medley of Big Spender, Modern Times Rock 'n' Roll, and Jailhouse Rock. See What A Fool I've Been would be used as a second encore a few times the following spring in Japan.

Queen now use their own recorded version of the British national anthem, God Save The Queen, as their exit music - although on this tour it plays about minute after they've left the stage. Brian May's arrangement (recorded just a few days earlier on October 27) would also close out their international breakthrough album, A Night At The Opera. The ritual of leaving the stage to this piece of music would last well over 40 years, into the Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert eras.

In addition to his Fender Strat, Brian now has an additional spare guitar - a Les Paul. But Brian ultimately wouldn't be satisfied with its sound. After this tour he would have a copy of the Red Special built for him by luthier John Birch. Brian used the Birch copy as his backup until he smashed it at a concert in 1982.

The third photo was taken by Howard Barlow.

Fan Stories

“To be honest, I can't remember much about the concert but the build up and after effects have stayed with me to this day. It was 1974 and Glam Rock was in its swan song. I was a nine year old boy who loved seeing bands like Slade and The Sweet on Top of the Pops and had decided to buy 'Tiger Feet' by Mud. On the way to purchase my first single with my 17 year old brother, he suggested that 'Tiger Feet' was for 'teenyboppers' and that I should get 'Seven Seas of Rhye' by a new band called Queen instead, who I had never heard of. After much deliberation, I put my trust in his judgement and bought the Queen single. At first it seemed a bit heavy, but later I began to love it and all things Queen. When my brother suggested going to see Queen in concert, I jumped at the chance. The concert was to promote their latest album, Sheer Heart Attack, and Manchester was the first date. Imagine that now, not one but two superb albums released in the same year (Queen II and S.H.A.) with tours to match! Ahh, those were the days. At the Palace Theatre, I wondered why nobody seemed very interested in the support band Hustler, but we found our seats, caught their set, then waited through the break for Queen to come on stage. My memory is of the theatre rapidly filling up in the following 30 minutes or so, and as it did, so did my feelings of excitement and anticipation. When the house lights suddenly went off, there was a huge roar from the audience and everybody stood up, meaning that this 9 year old couldn't really see much of the stage! I wasn't familiar with many of the songs but I do remember three aspects of the concert in particular. Firstly, the music was the loudest thing I had ever heard, and secondly, the sound was punctuated throughout the gig with huge explosions and flashes of light, accompanied by clouds of white smoke. The other thing that caught my eye was Freddie Mercury himself. He started the concert dressed all in white, finished it wearing all black attire, and never stood still for a single second of it, apart from when he was sat at the piano. He was constantly cavorting from stage left to stage right, then from the front of the stage towards the back and up onto Roger's drum riser and back down again. When I also considered his powerful voice and proficient piano playing, even as someone still at Junior School, I realised I was watching somebody very special indeed. When the concert finally ended and the house lights came on, everyone poured out onto the street, and I experienced mixed emotions on the way home. On the down side, I was upset at the ringing in my ears, but my brother assured me that it would pass. Much more enduring was the feeling that I had just experienced my first rock concert and what an astonishing experience it had been. After this gig, I believe that I had cramped my brother's style and he never took me to see another concert. I had to wait until I was 16 to go and see Queen again, which was on 6th December 1980 in Birmingham. That was the concert that truly blew my mind and converted me into a lifelong Queen fan. But the seed had been sown six years before and will stay with me forever.” - Lee Unal

#queen #queen band #roger taylor #freddie mercury #brian may #john deacon #queen concerts

[blackkudos]

David Oyelowo

David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( oh-YEL-ə-woh; born 1 April 1976) is an English actor and producer. His highest-profile role to date was as Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2014 biographical drama film Selma. He also took the lead role in A United Kingdom (2016) as well as playing the role of a chess coach in Queen of Katwe (2016). He has played supporting roles in the films Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Lincoln (2012), Jack Reacher (2012), and garnered praise for portraying Louis Gaines in The Butler (2013). On television, he played MI5 officer Danny Hunter on the British drama series Spooks (2002–2004).

Early life

Oyelowo was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, to Nigerian parents. His father is from Oyo State, Western Nigeria while his mother is from Edo State, Southern Nigeria. He was brought up as a Baptist. He grew up in Tooting Bec, south London, until he was six, when his family moved to Lagos, Nigeria, where his father Stephen worked for the national airline and mother for a railway company. David attended a "'military-style' boarding school." They returned to London when Oyelowo was fourteen, settling in Islington.

While enrolled in theatre studies at City and Islington College, his teacher suggested that he become an actor. Oyelowo enrolled for a year in an acting foundation course, at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He finished his three-year training in 1998. He also spent time with the National Youth Theatre.

Career

Stage

He began his stage career in 1999 when he was offered a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company playing roles in Ben Jonson's Volpone, as the title character in Oroonoko (which he also performed in the BBC radio adaptation) and Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra (1999) alongside Guy Henry, Frances de la Tour and Alan Bates. However, he is best known for his next stage performance as King Henry VI in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2001 productions of Shakespeare's trilogy of plays about the king as a part of its season This England: The Histories. In a major landmark for colour-blind casting, Oyelowo was the first black actor to play an English king in a major production of Shakespeare, and although this casting choice was initially criticised by some in the media, Oyelowo's performance was critically acclaimed and later won the 2001 Ian Charleson Award for best performance by an actor under 30 in a classical play.

In 2005, he appeared in a production of Prometheus Bound, which was revived in New York City in 2007. In 2006, he made his directorial debut on a production of The White Devil, produced by Inservice, his theatre company in Brighton which is co-run with fellow Brighton-based actors Priyanga Burford, Israel Aduramo, Penelope Cobbuld, and his wife, Jessica. He played the title role in Othello in 2016 at the New York Theatre Workshop with Daniel Craig as Iago, directed by Sam Gold.

Television

Oyelowo is best known for playing MI5 officer Danny Hunter on the British drama series Spooks (known in North America as MI-5) from 2002 to 2004. He had before that appeared in Tomorrow La Scala (2002), Maisie Raine (1998) and Brothers and Sisters (1998). Soon after the end of his time on Spooks Oyelowo made a cameo appearance in the Christmas special of As Time Goes By (2005). In 2006, he appeared in the television film Born Equal alongside Nikki Amuka-Bird as a couple fleeing persecution in Nigeria – they also both appeared in Shoot the Messenger (2006), and in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (2008) as a husband and wife. Other cameos have included Mayo (guest-starring on 30 April 2006) and the television film Sweet Nothing in My Ear (2008, as defence attorney Leonard Grisham), while he has played recurring or main characters on Five Days (2007) and The Passion (2008, as Joseph of Arimathea).

In December 2009, he played the leading role of Gilbert in the BBC TV adaptation of Andrea Levy's novel Small Island. In March 2010, he played the role of Keme Tobodo in the BBC's drama series Blood and Oil.

He starred in the HBO original film Nightingale (2014).

Voice acting

He appeared as Olaudah Equiano in Grace Unshackled – The Olaudah Equiano Story, a radio play adapting Equiano's autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. This was first broadcast on BBC 7 on 8 April 2007, with his wife Jessica Oyelowo as Mrs. Equiano.

In 2007, Oyelowo was the reader for John le Carré's The Mission Song. AudioFile magazine stated: "Think of David Oyelowo as a single musician playing all the instruments in a symphony. That is essentially what he manages in this inspired performance of John le Carré's suspense novel.... Can it really have been only one man in the narrator's recording booth? This virtuoso performance makes that seem impossible." In 2015, he was selected to portray James Bond in Trigger Mortis, written by Anthony Horowitz.

As of 2014, he provides the voice of Imperial Security Bureau agent Alexsandr Kallus on the animated series Star Wars Rebels.

As of 2017, Oyelowo voices the spirit of Scar, the main antagonist in season 2 of The Lion Guard.

Oyelowo is set to voice the Tiger in a television adaptation of The Tiger Who Came to Tea which will air on Channel 4 for Christmas 2019.

Film

In 2012, Oyelowo appeared in Middle of Nowhere. Writer-director Ava DuVernay had been a fan of his work and had considered asking him to take the role, however before she could, Oyelowo received the script coincidentally from a friend of a friend of DuVernay's who happened to be sitting next to him on the plane and was considering investing in the project. The film premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival to critical raves. That same year Oyelowo appeared in Lee Daniels' The Paperboy, which competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Oyelowo reunited with Daniels the following year in The Butler.

In 2014, Oyelowo formed his own independent production company, Yoruba Saxon Productions which has co-produced movies that featured him including, Nightingale, Captive, Five Nights in Maine, and most recently, A United Kingdom.

He worked with his Middle of Nowhere director Ava DuVernay again for Selma (2014), playing civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. The film, based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, had originally been set to be directed by Lee Daniels, but the project was dropped by Daniels so he could focus on The Butler.

He is slated to star with Lupita Nyong'o in a film adaptation of the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie novel Americanah. The story follows a pair of young Nigerian immigrants who face a lifetime of struggle while their relationship endures.

In February 2019, it was announced that Oyelowo had joined the Peter Rabbit cast with James Corden, Rose Byrne and Domhnall Gleeson reprising their roles as the title character, Bea and Thomas McGregor for its sequel due to be released in April 2020.

Awards and honours

For his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Oyelowo received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. He received his first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, while also receiving a nomination for Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor.

Also in 2014, for his performance in Nightingale, he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special and a Satellite Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film.

Oyelowo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to drama.

Personal life

He is married to actress Jessica Oyelowo, with whom he has four children. They live in Los Angeles, California.

A devout Christian, Oyelowo has stated that he believes God called him to play Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Reflecting on his portrayal of King in the film Selma, Oyelowo has asserted that "I always knew that in order to play Dr. King, I had to have God flow through me because when you see Dr. King giving those speeches, you see that he is moving in his anointing."

Oyelowo and his wife became naturalized US citizens on July 20, 2016.

Oyelowo is an omoba (or prince) of the kingdom of Awe, Nigeria, a part of the Nigerian chieftaincy system. He commented, "it was useful for getting dates but probably not much else".

#04/01

[anotheruserwithnoname]

A Jenna Coleman DVD/Blu-ray library

About a year or so ago, I did a quick survey of Jenna’s film and TV work and its availability on home video. With the recent UK release of Victoria S3 and questions over whether there might be a DVD release of this week’s National Theatre Live broadcast of All My Sons, I thought I’d do an updated version. (I’m generally focusing on physical releases - I’m aware some shows unavailable on DVD or Blu-ray may well be available on streaming - though if I know about legal online availability I’ll mention it.)

A text break first as this will be a bit lengthy. (And corrections are always welcome if I goof anything here.)

Summer Holiday: As I was compiling this list I noticed that this has been added to her IMDb listing. This is dated 1998 and is the title of a play Jenna appeared in when she was about 10. An IMDb listing implies that a video has been released, but I know nothing of this. IMDb is also notorious for including dubious listings. I’ve looked around and general consensus is this video does not exist or maybe there’s a snippet someone shot from the audience and somebody decided to make an IMDb listing for it.

Emmerdale: There’s been no DVD release of Jenna’s era on Emmerdale. With about 140 episodes featuring her, it would need to be a very big box set. ITV Hub streams the show, but only recent episodes it seems. I’ve also seen a reference to BritBox but I don’t know if the 2005-2009 era is included.

Waterloo Road: Jenna was featured in Series 5, which has been released to DVD in the UK. For the rest of the world (and those who didn’t get the DVDs), the production company behind the series has made the entire series - including Jenna’s arc - officially available for free on YouTube. (Episodes are edited to remove opening and closing credits, however.) Her first episode can be found here.

Maria’s Story: Around the time she was on Waterloo, Jenna made a PSA for a an organization dedicated to addressing cruelty to children. She performed a dramatic reading of a survivor’s letter and it’s heart-wrenching. The IMDb lists her as the executive producer but I don’t know if that’s accurate. Being just a PSA it’s not on DVD anywhere, but you can view it on Youtube here. This one slipped by many fans because some of the posts don’t mention Jenna (who is uncredited in the video) and the one place she was mentioned, they misspelled her name.

Imaginary Forces: During her year in America, Jenna filmed a role in a Jacobs Ladder-esque horror short that has, as of 2019, never been released. All we have is the trailer which was posted to YouTube in I think 2010. That original post appears to no longer exist (or it didn’t show up on a search anyway), but the trailer was reposted by a fan account for one of the actors about 6 years ago. You can hear Jenna’s early attempt at an American accent and she appears on screen for about one second.

Unknown pilot episode: Jenna auditioned for a large number of TV shows during her time in America. Some of these auditions have circulated on YouTube. According to an interview she did film a pilot for a sitcom in which she played an Australian character. I’ve looked around for a few years and have not found any indication as to the title of the production or anything else. It has never been broadcast, at any rate. But it’s always possible it might turn up somewhere. Maybe in a box set alongside Imaginary Forces. LOL

Captain America: The First Avenger: The Marvel Cinematic Universe classic is obviously widely available and is undoubtedly the biggest-seller of anything on this list. I believe that, for a while, Jenna technically had the biggest box office take of any former companion because of her cameo in this movie, until Karen Gillan joined the MCU as Nebula. Natalie Dormer also has a cameo.

Titanic: The 2012 miniseries has been released to both DVD and Blu-ray worldwide. In Canada it also seems to get rebroadcast quite a lot on cable. There were several Titanic productions in 2012; this is the 4-episode one with Jenna and Perdita Weeks (and Jenna’s picture is on the DVD cover too!)

Room at the Top: The original broadcast of this two-part adaptation of the novel (previously filmed in the 1950s), originally scheduled for 2011, was delayed a year due to rights issues (ending up with it airing around the time Jenna debuted as Oswin Oswald). These same rights issues are presumably the reason behind the fact there has never been a home video release anywhere. Amazon’s streaming service apparently has it available in the UK only. The BBC website once had it available for streaming (again only in the UK) but it’s not available. No idea of its Britbox status.

Dancing on the Edge: This five-episode minseries has been released worldwide on DVD and Blu-ray, though it might be a bit hard to find now. I assume it’s on streaming somewhere. This is the one that also features Tom Hughes, though he shares no scenes with Jenna.

Doctor Who: Obviously, Jenna’s era in the series is available widely both in physical and streaming formats, though some of the spin-off work she did for the 50th such as the Five(ish) Doctors Reboot and The Ultimate Guide might be a bit harder to track down. In Canada, for example, the only way to see these was on a bonus disc in a Matt Smith Era box set. I don’t know if they’ve been put on streaming. Likewise I’ve never bothered to look to see if any of the minisodes she made (especially Clara and the TARDIS), available on the DVDs and Blu-rays, are on streaming.

Death Comes to Pemberley: Widely available on DVD and Blu-ray. However the North American release put out by PBS stresses that it’s the UK version. That implies that (much like Victoria) the US broadcast was different in some way. I’ve never seen the PBS edit so I don’t know if there is actually a difference.

Me Before You: Widely available on DVD and Blu-ray, which also feature a rare appearance of Jenna in a gag reel.

Victoria: All 3 seasons are out on DVD and Blu-ray in Europe and North America. The North American release features the ITV edit, and thus does not include the additional scenes featured in the longer PBS broadcasts (it also often omits some of the special features like commentaries in the UK release). I’m hoping that, when Victoria finishes its run, somebody will release a box set that includes the extra footage for the benefit of UK fans and for those who watched the PBS version. There are some very nice sequences featuring Jenna that are technically missing. I hear mixed messages as to whether the PBS streaming service features the Masterpiece edits or ITV.

Thunderbirds Are Go: Jenna did a guest voice in the second season premiere of the CGI remake of the Gerry Anderson classic, again doing an American accent. The season has been released on DVD in the UK and elsewhere but not in North America. As far as streaming goes, it appears to belong to Amazon. 

The Cry: The miniseries has been released on DVD in the UK and Australia, but at present is not available in North America due to Sundance Now holding the streaming rights. There’s no indication as to if or when we’ll get a physical release here. My guess is probably not until Sundance Now has exclusivity for at least a year.

National Theatre Live: All My Sons: During his recent radio interview with Jenna, Graham Norton brought up the idea of All My Sons getting a DVD release. Jenna couldn’t answer, however National Theatre Live’s website states that they don’t do DVD releases and there are no NTL releases other than a documentary marking an anniversary listed on Amazon.co.uk. All My Sons would have been recorded because NTL’s website is already listing encore broadcasts for next February in the United States so it’ll probably get filed in some archive.

Inside No. 9: Jenna has a guest role in the upcoming 5th series of this comedy show. The series does get a DVD release in the UK, but not in North America where once again we’ll be restricted to seeing it on streaming (via Britbox, apparently).

#jenna coleman #our queen

[blogmillymills]

DI Gwen Danbury: An Odd Body by Sue Rodwell. English cosy crime at it's best. DI Gwen Danbury comes from a family of investigators- her father was a police investigator and discussed his cases with her mother.

#BBC Radio Dramatic Theatre

[charlienick]

some stupid reddie radio show hc

• richie is like grimmy on bbc radio on the breakfast show and he's been there so long and is so well loved that the producers kinda just let him do whatever he wants within reason. he's very loudly and publically bisexual and flirts with Every Single Person they bring in. he hates being up at ass-o’clock in the morning every day but it’s a sweet gig and he’s well loved and he loves his crew so he’s fine

• there's this up and coming actor eddie kaspbrak on the scene that richie is scheduled to interview. he’s struggling to come up with questions for him because he hasn’t seen any of the shit he’s in and is usually too tired to watch films at night anymore (a horrible part of the job because richie loves movies)

• eddie’s out of the closet publically, which he chose to do since this is a movie about the aids crisis, but the topic of boyfriends is blacklisted, which richie is fine with. he’s not a gossip. at least, not on live air

• so eddie’s gonna be in a movie with a bunch of well known people and the interview with richie goes. fucking. HORRIBLY. 

• despite being his last guest of the day, it’s still 10:30 am because it’s, well, a breakfast show, and they’re both exhausted. eddie is incredibly obviously uncomfortable/nervous, which in turn is making richie uncomfortable/nervous. 

• and when both of these guys get nervous, they really get nervous, so richie is, like, visibly sweating, and they visually record all the interviews too so his camera man (stan) is like "FUCKING COOL IT MAN YOUR SWEAT IS MAKING THE LIGHTS SHINE ON YOUR OILY FACE SO BRIGHTLY WE HAD TO TURN OFF YOUR OVERHEAD LAMP" "oh ha ha ha ha is that what happened?"

• richie asks things like “is this your first radio interview?” (god what is this richie’s first rodeo? what a boring question) and “did you get along with your castmates?” and “does ryan gosling really put his money where his mouth is?” but when he gets to "so what was it like being in a movie with all these famous—" eddie cuts the fuck in. 

• beverly, eddie’s handler, giving him the singal to cut it the fuck out. don’t fly off the handle. please. eddie kaspbrak does not fly off the handle. he just. tells it like it is. and if that’s rude, well that’s the other person’s problem

• "okay i'm gonna stop you right there. if you're trying to insinuate that i'm not talented enough to carry this movie like all the other interviewers, i—" "no!” richie shouts, eyes widening and cheeks flaring. he glances around nervously and the crew is giving him looks like this is fucking tanking do something now. “that's not it. not at all. aw hell, alright, let's just—" and then richie RIPS UP HIS QUESTION SHEET like the dramatic motherfucker he is

• "uh. did you just rip up your questions?" eddie asks because this is not his first rodeo, actually, fuck you very much records tozier if that is your real name and he knows that no one can see despite the two cameras being pointed at them. the video feed isn’t live, just something to use for press later.

• "i did. screw those stupid questions i asked you. i’m gonna ask you the things i want to know. what makes you excited about this project? what was your method of getting into character considering how intense the story was?" richie asks, propping his elbow up on the desk and cupping his chin in his hand. 

• "oh.” eddie blinks in shock, like, oh this guy does have a soul? and he’s actually interested and isn’t just a weird, awkard guy? whoops. okay. eddie can admit when he’s wrong, at least to himself, so he changes gears. “well my uncle who i was close to as a kid was a victim of aids, and so the opportunity to play a character so similar to his story was a privilege as much as it was cathartic..." 

• and then it kind of goes off without a hitch from there. they’re really flowing and eddie is getting asked genuinely interesting questions by richie now, things no other interviewer has asked. he’s totally respectful of the topic while still being his dumb, flirtatious self. eddie is charmed. smitten, really. it’s really obnoxious. 

• by the end they're both giggling sweetly and richie is doing some light flirting, not the intensely over the top kind he's been known to with his guests.

• towards the end richie goes "well that was our guest, the delicious, delectable eddie kaspbrak. make sure you go see his movie ‘collison’ in theatres this friday, because i promise you're gonna want this pretty face to bring you to tears on the big screen instead of just hear him do it on radio."

• eddie is blushing like mad and leans into the mic and meekly goes "and because i'm talented." "oh of course. AND because he's talented. what song would you like to play us out with, eds?" "what? my name is eddie. did you forget already? not very professional of you.” zoom in on richie’s grin. “i didn’t forget.” “jesus. can i pick anything?" "within reason, you minx! this IS a top 40 station after all." "well it WAS top 40," eddie giggles. he calls over bill who controls the switchboard and whispers something to him and bill chuckles and nods.

• "what are you two up t—" "well folks, that's our show!" eddie announces brightly. richie scoffs, scandalized, but eddie continues. "i hope you enjoy the dulcet sounds of ‘rocks off’ by the rolling stones." "ohhhh you absolute—" "annnnnd we're clear," bill says from across the room, cutting the mics.

• eddie is a stones guy. fuck, richie seriously hit the jackpot here.

• richie takes off his headphones but eddie doesn't, still dancing to the song coming through. richie smiles over at him and waves mike (the lighting guy) over and asks him to have bill put the music through the overhead speakers. bill does and richie comes up beside eddie, bowing dramatically with his hand out. "may i have this dance?" he asks in some ridiculous british accent, and eddie giggles, rolling his eyes and shrugging. "why not?"

• richie spins him around the room, a bit more practiced than eddie would've assumed with a man who has the gangly limbs of a newborn deer. he calls out to bill to play through his emergency playlist and bill shakes his head with a fond smile and gives him a thumbs up.

• "hey..." richie starts nervously, fiddling with the hem of eddie’s shirt, and, like when was the last time he was this nervous? jesus this kid has gotten under his skin, which is exactly why he says, "whaddya say i take you out to dinner?"

• "are you... are you even allowed to court your guests?" "court?” richie grins with an incredulous raise of his eyebrows. “i like that word. well i'm allowed to court whoever i damn well please. it's a free country," richie shoots back with a sassy cock to his hips and a huge grin.

• "i'm... i'm gonna be really busy with press in the next few weeks," eddie responds breathlessly. "oh. sure. no problem," richie bobs his head very dramatically and for an unnecessarily long time, untangling their limbs. "but!" eddie says, reaching for him again. richie lets himself be tugged into eddie’s space easily. "i'll gladly take you out when the junket is over." "you take me out? i thought i was the one who asked you!" "i thought it was a free country," eddie grins. richie sighs softly, pretending to sound put-out but he can't even manage it with the force of his smile. "alright, mr. kaspbrak." 

• "you live in la, right?" eddie asks. "i live wherever you want me to," richie says, trying to pull some sort of seductive Voice, eyebrows jumping. eddie gives him a funny look. "uh. yeah, i do. sorry, i just—you make me a little nervous." "wow. the famous records tozier all tongue tied just from a lowly up-and-comer. why would your viewers think?" eddie asks softly, smiling up at him. "i think they're probably jealous they don't get to court you." "i regret using that word," eddie groans. richie laughs, "you should. it's my new favorite."

• "eddie," bev cuts in quietly with a grin, "you've got another interview at—" "shit!" eddie immediately detaches himself from richie, picking up his things, and richie feels like he just got dunked into cold water. "i'll call you!" eddie yells out to richie before pushing his way through the cameras and lights with bev in tow. she grins and wiggles her fingers at richie. "oh shit," richie sighs, smiling dreamily.

• "oh shit is right," stan says from behind the camera, which still has the green light on, the bastard, "you didn't ever give him your number in the first place." "motherfucker!" "and i caught all of that on camera," stan smirks. "oh i WILL kill you," richie says, turning to the camera and futzing with it. "gimmie that tape!" "nah, you've gotten enough spank bank material for the day," stan says, flipping off the camera. "plus, ben got a whole host of good shit on camera two."

• richie gasps. "BEN-YA-MEEN, YOU WOULDNT" ben just shrugs, flipping his camera off too. "i work for no man, only the love that drives us." "fuck off."

• it’s a week later, the movie has premiered and eddie is the talk of the town. the second the video of the already-infamous interview goes live on twitter (cut with generous amounts of flirting thanks to mike, the absolute ASSHOLE), both their mentions blow the fuck up.

• eddie’s twitter is LITERALLY STILL PRIVATE despite the fact that bev keeps insisting he undo because he can’t get verified that way. eddie could care less about being verified; he just wants his privacy. he thought being private would make it so that no one could @ reply him but he soon finds out that he was very, very wrong when a bunch of ppl on twitter start asking him how his date with richie went. he turns off his notifications after this shit storm

• eddie had followed richie back the day of the interview, and he didn’t know the option to keep replies from ppl you follow had stayed on, so he gets a notif right before one of his last interviews on the junket

• @richierecords: @eddie_kaspbrak you in town? i know a great sushi place

• eddie grins, trying to futz with his phone and figure out how to reply

• @eddie_kaspbrak: @richierecords I’m around, but I thought I was taking YOU out to eat? and how do you know I even like sushi?

• he’s deeply glad he’s private so no one but his friends can see this response because when richie sends back “@richierecords: @eddie_kaspbrak everyone with taste likes sushi, and that gucci suit at the premiere showcased yours very nicely. and i think i’m gonna be the one doing the eating out if all goes according to plan 🍑👅💦” while eddie’s in his last interview. there are like 7,000 likes by the time he checks it

• his eyes widen and his cheeks flush and he immediately presses his phone into his chest so bev who’s beside him in the limo going back to the hotel doesn’t see. he may not understand what the peach emoji was for, but the tongue and the spit was certainly image enough

• bev snorts as she types out a text. “no need to be shy, kaspbrak. your suitor certainly isn’t.” eddie sputters indignantly but bev just laughs without looking up from her phone, “i already contacted his manager. luang’s on center street at 8 pm. it’s like a half-price place and the paps are told to stay the fuck away or they’re getting sued, but seriously? half price? that’s tactless. your boy has no manners. i’m not dealing with you getting food poisoning so be fucking careful.”

• “he’s not my boy! he’s not my anything!” eddie shrieks. bev winces, “stop being shrill at me, i did not do this. you and your libido did.” “i’m barely even attracted to him,” eddie huffs, tapping out a reply to richie of “You stupid motherfucker.”

• “oh, sure, alright,” bev snorts. “we do share a wall in these hotels you know, and they’re unfortunately not very thick. i’m sure it’s very lonely out there for your right hand and your imagination.” “i will fuck you up, marsh, don’t test me,” but then he grins slyly. “and i need both hands for what i get up to, actually.” “oh!” beverly laughs, delighted, finally putting her phone down. “i’d give you a high five, but i don’t need your cum on me. that ain’t in my job description, puddin’.” “FUCK OFF I HAVEN’T MASTURBATED SINCE LAST NIGHT AND I HAVE WASHED MY HANDS SIX TIMES SINCE THEN.”

• their driver chokes on his spit from the front seat and eddie groans into his hands as beverly puts the divider up and laughs

#reddie #it 2017 #fic #should i be working on real shit? maybe #enjoy my procrastination tactic #masterpost #19 #greatest hits