People Roundup

Thursday, 18 October 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Paul McGann is to be interviewed as part of the Personal Development Planning Week at the Liverpool John Moores University on Tuesday 23rd October. The actor will be there to discuss how his own career has developed. The event is only open to university staff and students. [LJMU, 15 Oct 2012]

Russell T Davies is to be a guest on BBC Radio 2's Graham Norton show on 27th October, to tie in with the premiere of his new children's show Wizards vs Aliens on CBBC on 29th October. Questions can be submitted to the show address.

Arthur Darvill is adding theatrical composition to his ever-growing list of activities; the actor/musician said: "I write music as well, so I work a lot with Sean Walker. We've been working on a twisted version of The Bacchae called The Lightening Child (written by Che Walker) with carnival music, so I've co-written music for that. We made it really big and refused to scale it down. Finally, the Globe said they would love to do it, so we’ll be doing that next summer." [Independent, 17 Oct 2012]

Actress Chase Masterson talks about working with two Doctors on the forthcoming Big Finish audio dramas The Shadow Heart and Night of the Stormcrow: "They were all absolutely charming and very welcoming to me, and it was big fun to see them exude the same playfulness and brilliant quirks that they displayed on screen. Tom and Sylvester were particularly generous with stories of working with other British greats, including Olivier and Gielgud and McKellen, and I even got Sylvester to do a command performance on the spoons. Some of my now-favorite career moments include hearing Sylvester recount stories of the roots of his career in vaudeville, as well as tales of his upcoming, key role in The Hobbit trilogy. Also truly lovely and deserving of her reputation as a favorite Companion is the gorgeous Louise Jameson. What is even more stunning about Louise is the richly aware person she is, and her kindness and personal attention to everyone she comes into contact with." [Star Trek, 11 Oct 2012]

Nina Toussaint-White is currently playing one of four twentysomething white witches in the new contemporary ITV2 comedy-drama Switch. The six-episode show, which started on Monday 15th October, is set in Camden Town and Kensington, with Toussaint-White's character, Jude, as the fashionista of the group, and she said she couldn't believe how alike she was to her. "When I first read the script I thought, 'That's me!' I could see myself in the role because we are so similar. We're both quite bolshie, energetic people. Jude is a hedonist. I wouldn't say I'm a hedonist as such, but I sometimes speak before I think. I like to go out and have fun and party. She's confident and loud, fun and care-free, and I think that's what I'm like," she said. [ITV Press Centre]

BBC Four is to show Mark Gatiss's documentary Horror Europa on Tuesday 30th October at 9pm, it has been confirmed. The 90-minute journey through European horror cinema is a follow-up to his 2010 series A History of Horror for the same channel. [BBC Media Centre, 18 Oct 2012]

Phil Collinson is leaving his post as Coronation Street producer but will be staying at ITV to take up a new role of drama development. He has produced the soap opera since July 2010 and will hand over the reins to current Emmerdale producer Stuart Blackburn in January 2013. He said: "It's been an honour to produce Coronation Street and I'll be sad to leave. But the drama can only stay at the top of its game if the producer is re-energised every two to three years." [ITV Press Centre, 17 Oct 2012]




FILTER: - People - Special Events - Arthur Darvill - Russell T Davies - Audio - Theatre - Broadcasting

Australian ratings for The Angels Take Manhattan

Monday, 8 October 2012 - Reported by Adam Kirk
The Angels Take Manhattan has averaged 552,000 viewers in the five major Australian capital cities. It was the top-rating ABC drama of the day and the tenth-highest-rating programme of the day overall. These figures do not include regional and rural viewers, time-shifted viewers, and iView downloads.





FILTER: - Ratings - Broadcasting - Series 7/33 - Australia

Australian ratings for The Power of Three

Sunday, 30 September 2012 - Reported by Adam Kirk

The Power of Three has averaged 565,000 viewers in the five major Australian capital cities. It was the top-rating ABC drama of the day and the thirteenth highest rating programme of the day overall. These figures do not include regional and rural viewers, time-shifted viewers and iView downloads.





FILTER: - Ratings - Broadcasting - Series 7/33 - Australia

Australian ratings for A Town Called Mercy

Sunday, 23 September 2012 - Reported by Adam Kirk

A Town Called Mercy has averaged 556,000 viewers in the five major Australian capital cities. Up against the football finals, it was the top-rating ABC drama of the day and the ninth highest rating programme of the day overall.





FILTER: - Ratings - Broadcasting - Series 7/33 - Australia

Broadcast Date For Room At The Top Finale

Thursday, 20 September 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
The second and concluding part of the BBC Four adaptation of Room At The Top starring Jenna-Louise Coleman will be shown on Thursday 27th September.

Coleman plays Susan Brown in the drama, which is set in the 1940s, and Kevin McNally portrays her father, Councillor Brown.

The first episode is being shown on Wednesday 26th September, and both parts will air from 9pm to 10pm.

Alice forgives Joe for his outburst and the two start seeing each other again. It becomes harder to keep the affair secret and they are soon the subject of Warley gossip. Susan hears the truth and ends her relationship with Joe.

Joe and Alice decide to disappear to a seaside cottage for four days of illicit and perfect love. Alice is fearful about what the future holds for them both. Promises are made. Alice suppresses her fears – but a sense of tragedy hangs over them.

Upon their return, Joe discovers that his colleague, Charles, has been promoted above him. Charles warns Joe against pursuing a relationship with Alice, advising him that a messy court case and complicated divorce would end his career and social aspirations.

The next morning Joe composes a letter apologising to Susan and asking for her forgiveness. They meet, make love, and Susan says: "You won't need her now, will you Joe?" Joe is in an agony of indecision.

He gets a call from Susan's father: Meet me at the Conservative Club. Councillor Brown tries to pay Joe off as a test – leave my daughter alone and I'll set you up in your own business. Joe's class anger leads him to refuse. Brown reveals that his daughter is pregnant. By Joe. He offers Joe his daughter's hand and a place in his business – but only if Joe ends his relationship with Alice. Joe accepts the bargain.

Joe meets Alice and finishes it. She is devastated.

The next morning in the treasurer's office Joe goes into work and starts to write his resignation letter. However, Charles tells Joe he has terrible news . . .







FILTER: - Jenna-Louise Coleman - Broadcasting - BBC

Room At The Top Start Date Confirmed

Friday, 14 September 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
The first part of the BBC Four adaptation of Room At The Top starring Jenna-Louise Coleman has been given a confirmed broadcast date of Wednesday 26th September.

The two-part drama was made nearly two years ago by Great Meadow Productions and should have been shown in April 2011 but had to be shelved until a copyright dispute between the estate of the late author, John Braine, and Remus Films could be settled. It will air from 9pm to 10pm.

Coleman plays the role of Susan Brown and Kevin McNally that of her father, and a number of pictures of Coleman in the production have been released:


Having qualified as an accountant in a German prisoner-of-war camp, Joe Lampton leaves working-class, industrial Dufton behind him and takes a job as senior audit clerk at the town hall in affluent Warley. Having secured lodgings at "T'top" – the poshest part of the town – he starts to make his mark on Warley society. Good at his job, Joe quickly shows his natural skill at climbing the career ladder up through the petty politics of local government. But he has two things on his mind – money and sex – and his ambitions go well beyond anything offered by civic life.

He embarks on a plan to marry into the prosperous middle classes by joining the local amateur dramatic society so as to meet a better class of woman. Seeing that Joe's working-class, chip-on-the-shoulder attitude is likely to get him into trouble, fellow thespian Alice Aisgill takes him under her wing. She is 10 years older than Joe, and urges him to date Susan Brown, daughter of the richest and most powerful man in Warley.

Alice is unhappily married to a rich local car dealer and is known in the am-dram society as something of a femme fatale. She watches as Joe succeeds in luring Susan away from her rich boyfriend, Jack Wales. But Joe's cold-blooded ambition and Alice's detached role as matchmaker are blown apart by something neither she nor Joe can control – their passion for each other.

The second and concluding part is currently unplaced in the schedules for the week beginning 29th September.





FILTER: - Jenna-Louise Coleman - Broadcasting - BBC

Who's Mastermind

Wednesday, 12 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Doctor Who returns as a specialist subject for the long-running knowledge quiz show Mastermind this coming Friday (8:00pm, BBC2). The questions will be based around the show between 1963 and 1989, while the topics for the other contestants are the geography and history of Arkansas from 1836, football manager Terry Venables, and the story of Moses in the King James Bible.

The show has featured as a specialist subject a number of times in the past, such as in 2004, and notably when the Telegraph's resident Doctor Who reviewer Gavin Fuller became champion during Doctor Who's 30th Anniversary in 1993.

There was also a special Doctor Who-themed version of Mastermind on 19th March 2005 as part of BBC2's Doctor Who Night the weekend before Rose was to herald the triumphant return of the show on television. The questions were set by John Leeson and the winner, Karen Davies, received the trophy from the Doctor himself, Christopher Eccleston. The actor also appeared on Junior Mastermind nearly a year later, where he was interviewed by the young contestant Sam who had chosen Doctor Who's premiere year as his specialist subject on 26th February 2006.

In addition, David Tennant had Doctor Who as his specialist subject on a celebrity edition of Mastermind for Comic Relief on 13th March 2009.

Meanwhile, back in 1988 the New Zealand version of Mastermind featured Doctor Who as the specialist subject from long-term fan Jon Preddle - you can read more about his 'adventure' on the show via the New Zealand Doctor Who Fan Club.

(with thanks to Chris Moore)




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Special Events - UK - Broadcasting - BBC

Australian ratings for Asylum of the Daleks

Monday, 10 September 2012 - Reported by Adam Kirk
Asylum of the Daleks has debuted in Australia to good ratings. The series debut averaged 549,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. Up against the football finals, it was the top-rating drama of the day and the eighth highest rating programme of the day overall. These figures follow the episode setting a daily viewer record for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation iView internet TV service, recording 75,900 plays on its first day. All episodes of series 7 will debut on iView immediately after their broadcast in the UK.

Fans have noted that when the weekly episode is on made available to viewers on Sundays via ABC iView, it is at approximately 5am or 6am local time - making it very close to the transmission time in the UK!


Media Links: TV Tonight, Sydney Morning Herald

(iView availability details with thanks to Christian Kent)




FILTER: - Ratings - Broadcasting - Series 7/33 - Australia

Doctor Who 'fast-tracked' to Australian internet TV

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - Reported by Adam Kirk
ABC1The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has announced via its TV Blog that Asylum of the Daleks will be fast-tracked to premiere on its internet TV iview service on Sunday 2 September from 5.10am AEST immediately after its UK launch on 1 September. ABC1 Controller Brendan Dahill said, “For Doctor Who fans, it is a fantastic opportunity to see new episodes within hours of them premiering in the UK – each episode will be available on iview on Sundays.”

“ABC’s iview is the most watched catch-up service in Australia with 48% of online Australians aged 16+ having accessed iview,” said Dahill. “The new iview app for iphones and iPod Touch, launched on June 26, has seen a phenomenal 434,000 downloads recorded to date – with 210,000 downloads recorded in its first week.”

As previously reported, Asylum of the Daleks will have its debut on Australian terrestial TV on ABC1 on Saturday 8th September 2012 at 7.30pm.

Media Links: TV Tonight




FILTER: - Broadcasting - Series 7/33 - Australia

Doctor Who premieres 8th September for Australia

Thursday, 23 August 2012 - Reported by Adam Kirk
ABC1The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has confirmed via Twitter that Asylum of the Daleks will have its Australian premiere on ABC1 on Saturday 8th September 2012 at 7.30pm. It will also be repeated on ABC2 on Tuesdays at 9.30pm starting from 11th September.

As previously reported, Asylum of the Daleks will debut in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States on 1st September.

Media Links: TV Tonight




FILTER: - Broadcasting - Series 7/33 - BBC - Australia