Author: Eamonn
Stage News 2019
RADA graduate Leah Gayer makes her professional debut in Always Alys a gripping new psychological thriller by Lucinda Coxon playing at The Bridge Theatre and directed by Nicholas Hytner. Lyndsey Turner directs RWCMD grad Ashna Rabheru as Kit and Charlotte Lucas as Win in a revival of Caryl Churchill’s landmark play Top Girls at The National Theatre. Stephen Kennedy joins Josie Rourke at The Donmar for her final show as Artistic Director.
West End transfers include Robert Hands in Come From Away opening at The Phoenix Theatre from The Abbey, Dublin; Sophie Stone as Margaret Clifford in The Globe’s Emilia at The Vaudeville, Hywel Morgan as Marcus in Laura Wade’s Home I’m Darling at The Duke of York’s and Daniel Crossley who joins The Almeida’s production of The Twilight Zone at The Ambassadors.
Jodie Mc Nee returns to The RSC in 2019 to play Belvidera in Venice Preserved with Prasanna Puwanarajah directing and Patrick Brennan also joins the company in As You Like It directed by Kimberley Sykes and Measure for Measure with Greg Doran. Colm Gormley joins Julie Hesmondhalgh in Mother Courage at The Royal Exchange with Amy Hodges directing whilst Trevor Nunn’s production of Agnes Colander with Sally Scott transfers from The Bath Ustinov to Jermyn Street.
Gavin Spokes continues as Harry in the acclaimed Company playing at The Geilgud Theatre whilst Natasha Gordon performs as Lorraine in Nine Night her award winning debut play now running at Trafalgar Studios.
Autumn Shoots
Peaky Blinders returns and we are delighted to confirm that Andrew Koji will play a guest lead over 2 episodes filming this autumn. Eugene O’Hare is currently shooting Dublin Murders for the BBC; adapted by Sarah Phelps this 8 part crime drama will come to our screens next year with Eugene playing series regular Detective Quigley. Oliver Dench joins the cast of Noughts and Crosses, Mammoth/BBC’s adaptation of the Malorie Blackman books now filming in Cape Town with Kibwe Taveres directing; Jordan Mifsúd plays the recurring role of Krzystof in new Tall Story Pictures/ ITV drama The Bay set in Morecambe with Lee Haven Jones directing whilst Max Fowler will join the regular cast of The Affair for the 5th and final season of the acclaimed drama from Showtime. Jospeh May will play Brett across the new series of Dark Money, a timely and evocative new drama around child abuse written by BAFTA winner Levi David Addai for BBC/The Forge. Gary Oliver, David Nellist and Rocky Marshall have all been cast in The Confession penned by Jeff Pope (Little Boy Blue, The Moorside) which details the investigation behind the disappearance of Sian O’Callaghan in 2011, Paul Andrew Williams directs. Richard Teverson will portray Colin Tenant in the much anticipated Season 3 recast of The Crown for Left Bank Pictures/Sony/Netflix whilst Joe Sims joins the Netflix Original and Emmy Winning Free Rein for Season 3. Graduate Lion Russell Baumann makes his screen debut as Prince Sigmund in Mammoth /ITV’s Victoria. Aleksandar Mikic and Robert Hands film guest roles in Paramout’s Berlin Station; Chris Harper returns to ITV screens in the ever popular Endeavour, Rebecca Johnson joins the cast of Good Karma Hospital this season playing the returning role of Lesley McConnell and Robert Cavanah will play the role of Gilbert Benson across Season 5 of BBC’s Shetland.
Comedy shoots this autumn include Melanie Kilburn in new Sky comedy Brassic; Carol Macready and Kate Fahy currently filming new BBC comedy drama Don’t Forget The Driver, written and directed by Toby Jones and set in the post Brexit world of Bognor Regis; Cosima Shaw in Home a new comedy series for Ch 4 written and starring Rufus Jones and Sophie Stone will be playing a guest lead in the next series of BBC comedy Two Door Down.
In film news Ben Dilloway shoots Rare Beasts, Billie Piper’s directorial debut, Thomas Coombes and Sally Scott film Summerland, Jessica Swale’s first feature and Robert Cavanah portrays Joe Boyle in historical drama Queen Marie of Romania.
Stage news
Natasha Gordon’s hugely successful Nine Night which premiered at The National this spring transfers to The Trafalgar Studios from December. Natasha will take the role of Lorraine in the West-End transfer of her debut play for which she recently won the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright at The Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018.
Gavin Spokes will play Harry in Marianne Elliot’s updated production of Company Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy about life, love and marriage which will run at The Gielgud Theatre, West End from October. Tom Edden joins the Jamie Lloyd Company for Pinter at The Pinter, a season of one act plays in which he will perform Trouble in the Works, Night and Girls. Anita Reynolds joins the cast of ear for eye at The Royal Court Theatre with Debbie Tucker Green directing. Robert Hands will play Nick in the Tony Award Winning Come From Away directed by Christopher Ashley and premiering at The Abbey Theatre Dublin before transferring to the West End in January. Nicholas Lumley transfers to the Garrick, West End with the RSC’s Don Quixote with Angus Jackson directing with Richard Dempsey also joining the cast as Duke. Elsewhere graduate Patricia Allison will play Hermia in The Sheffield Crucible production of A Midsummer Nights Dream directed by Artistic Director Rob Hastie, Hayley Carmichael joins Les Bouffes du Nord’s production of The Prisoner directed by Peter Brook, Michelle Bonnard plays Darina in Iqbal Khan’s Tartuffe at The RSC, Sara Powell joins the cast of Adam Penford ‘s revival of The Madness Of George III with Mark Gatiss in the title role at Nottingham Playhouse.
Openings include Dan Rabin in the Chichester transfer of King Lear playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre and staring Ian Mckellen, Scott Karim joins the cast of The Village, Nadia Fall’s first production as artistic director at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Howard Ward, Sophie Stone and Clemmie Sveaas all join Michelle Terry’s inaugural season at Shakespeare’s Globe (in The Winter’s Tale & Eyam, Emilia and Othello. Jenna Augen and Peter McGovern, meanwhile, continue at the Criterion Theatre in the hit show The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, Jason Callender continues in the West End company of The Play That Goes Wrong.
Summer TV Update
Patricia Allison has been cast as regular Ola in Sex Education an eight part Netflix Original coming-of-age dramedy set in the corridors, classrooms and toilet block of a Norwood High School. The show will follow an awkward teen, Otis Thompson (Asa Butterfield) who lives with his mum, a sex therapist (Gillian Anderson) whose work has turned him into an unwitting relationship expert. The drama is created and written by Laurie Nunn, exec produced by Eleven Film co-founders Jamie Campbell and Joel Wilson, and will be directed by Catastrophe’s Ben Taylor.
Aleks Mikic joins the cast of Hanna a new 8 part thriller by David Farr in which he plays the role of Emil, Gavin Spokes will play Andrew Cooper in Brexit, the story of the leave campaign written by James Graham and directed by Toby Haynes for Channel 4, Lochlann O’Mearain plays Rory in Women On The Verge, a new Sharon Horgan penned comedy drama filming London and Dublin, Olwyn May films Jenny, the new Jimmy McGovern drama directed by David Blair for LA Prods and BBC shooting in Liverpool this summer and Thomas Coombes films London Kills, a brand new detective murder series from Paul Marquess. Vincenzo Nicoli joins the cast of Sky Arts real life drama The Trial of Joan Collins whilst on screen, watch out for Ken Bones as the scheming Papal Envoy in Versailles Season 3, currently tx on BBC2.
Currently filming:
Jodie McNee plays Vivian and John Mackay plays Johnnie Ray in Judy, directed by Rupert Goold and with Renee Zellweger in the title role. Hayley Carmichael films the role of Anna in Mr Casanova with Benoit Jacquot and Stefan Kalipha films The Good Liar opposite Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen with Bill Condon directing.
On TV, Andrew Koji continues filming Warrior for HBO, Jay Simpson plays regular Perevozchenko in HBO/Sky collaboration Chernobyl about the 1986 Soviet disaster with Alex Blake and Daniel Crossley also playing guest roles across the 10 part series and Johan Renck as lead director. Jodie McNee returns as Willa in the second series of Britannia, joined this season by Joe Sims who plays Euan with Luke Watson directing. Also for Sky, Oliver Dench and Tafline Steen play regulars Sam and Leigh in Nyela’s Dream a 25 part teen comedy drama exec produced by Foz Allan. Hayley Carmichael, Anton Saunders and Patricia Allison join the cast of the BBC’s Les Misérables, Tom Shankland directing whilst Stephen Kennedy and Sarah Malin film Dark Heart for ITV based on the Will Wagstaff novels and adapted by Chris Lang. Unforgotten, also written by Chris Lang, sees Sara Powell and Michelle Bonnard join the cast for Season 3 , both characters featuring across the series and Howard Ward shoots Manhunt also for ITV, which details the pursuit of serial killer Levi Bellfield. Joseph May plays regular TJ in Living the Dream for Big Talk/Sky, Kriss Dosanjh is Moeen in Ackley Bridge for Channel 4, whilst James Doherty can be seen in The Windsors Wedding Special next month celebrating Harry and Meghan’s nuptials. Guest roles include Howard Ward as Kastor Breakspear in Carnival Row for Amazon, Alex Blake in Mrs Wilson for Brontë Film & TV, Richard Laxton directing and Max Fowler as Colin in The Affair (Season 4) , Showtime, Director Rodrigo Garcia.
Currently showing: Video clips
2018 – Stage
Gavin Spokes returns to the West End playing Charles Ingram, ‘the coughing major’ in James Graham’s new play Quiz. Directed by Daniel Evans, the Chichester Festival Production opens for a limited season at the Noel Coward Theatre from 31 March 2018. (click to watch trailer) Anita Reynolds joins the cast of Absolute Hell at the National Theatre with Joe Hill Gibbons directing and Laura Rogers plays the leading role of Kay Summersby in the London premier of Pressure opening at the Park Theatre. Other openings include Ben Dilloway as Jack Brennan in The Sheffield Crucible’s production of Frost/Nixon directed by Kate Hewitt, Christopher Harper in ATG’s Strangers On A Train which tours until April and Daniel Rabin in the West End transfer of Robert Ike’s critically acclaimed Mary Stewart playing at The Duke of Yorks Theatre. Josie Walker and Tamsin Carroll, meanwhile, continue in acclaimed new musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie whose run has been extended at the Apollo Theatre until Christmas 2018 (click to watch trailer).
Sandy Foster returns to the RSC as Joan in a new play about the life of Joan Littlewood, also for the RSC Graham Turner reprises his Fool in King Lear for a New York transfer whilst Kate Fahy reprises her role as Maggie Thatcher in the US premiere of Handbagged opening in Washington DC. George Caple plays Alex in A Clockwork Orange and Patrick Brennan Iago in Othello both for Liverpool Everyman, Nicholas Lumley joins the NT touring production of This House whilst Molly Logan plays Ethel in Lucy Bailey’s production of Love From a Stranger, also on tour.
2018 – Screen
Viewing
The Sky Atlantic premier of British historical period drama Britannia written by Jez Butterworth and featuring Jodie McNee as Willa tx from January 18th. Also on Sky Atlantic Thomas Coombes plays regular Michael “Goz” Gozdecki in Save Me a thriller from the producers of Line of Duty written by and starring Lennie James. On Netflix and E4 catch Pooky Quesnel and Hayley Carmichael in the eagerly anticipated Kiss Me First an innovative and emotional 6 part thriller written by Skins creator Bryan Elsley. On the BBC Daniel Coonan plays murdered detective Alex Butler and Sam Alexander Father Michael in new crime drama Hard Sun from the creators of Luther. The fifth and final season of Episodes will air in February with Joseph May reprising his regular role of Andy Button.
Filming
Andrew Koji is currently shooting The Innocents for Netflix and then continues filming on the first series of Warrior for HBO. Hayley Carmichael heads to Serbia to shoot Undergods a collection of darkly humorous, kafkaesque tales about failed societies and the people who inhabit them written and directed by two times winner of the Cannes Lions, Chino Moya. John Mackay plays the role of Dirk Schreiber in writer/director Hugo Blick’s new BBC/Netflix drama The Forgiving Earth a drama concentrating on the prosecution of international war crimes whilst Sarah Malin films 2 episodes of Jed Mercurio’s latest drama Bodyguard, a political thriller that follows the lives of the royal protection branch, tx this summer. Meanwhile Ken Bones joins the cast of A Discovery of Witches an 8 part adaptation of Deborah Harkness’ historical fantasy novel for Sky 1, Anton Saunders has been cast in the role of Godric in the third series of the BBC drama The Last Kingdom and Ben Dilloway shoots the TV adaptation of the Royal Court’s Wanderlust by Nick Payne for BBC/Netflix
Screen News
TV
Andrew Koji will play the lead role of Ah Sahm in new 10 episode HBO drama Warrior Written by Jonathan Tropper, based on the writings of Bruce Lee. Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown after the Civil War the drama focuses on Ah Sahm who arrives in America from China and finds himself caught up in the bloody Chinatown Tong wars. Aidan Kelly also guests in the role of Rooney in the first episode of Warrior with filming starting in Cape Town this month. Meanwhile Kate Maravan films Netflix’s Safe an eight-part drama series from bestselling writer Harlan Coben, Thomas Coombes shoots Stan Lee’s Lucky Man for Sky, Kate Fahy joins the cast of Witless for its third series, Molly Logan, shoots Irish comedy Dave Allen At Peace, Patrick Brennan guests in Shakespeare and Hathaway for the BBC, Aleks Mikic films In The Clouds for Little Island Productions, Jordan Mifsúd shoots HULU’s 40 North in Morocco, Sevan Stephan guests in Abi Morgan drama The Split for Sister Pictures and Joe Sims plays regular Dean in Zodiak Media’s Joe All Alone.
FILM
Paddington 2 hits our screens next month with Nicholas Lumley playing Old Timer Jack opposite our favourite Peruvian bear. Meanwhile, Gary Oliver will film Mary Queen of Scotts directed byJosie Rourke for Working Title.
CURRENTLY AIRING
Catch Pooky Quesnel playing regular Fiona Craig in W1A and Louise in The A Word series 2; Geraldine Alexander in BBC 1’s The Child In Time, Melanie Kilburn as Eastenders’ resident Vicar Irene Mills, David Seadon Young performing Oklahoma as part of this year’s BBC Proms, Emma Handy in ITV’s Doc Martin series 8, Joseph May playing Canadian President Justin Trudeau in The Windsors on Channel 4, Chris Harper’s character Nathan Curtis facing trial in ITV’s Coronation Street and Hywel Morgan appearing in Channel 4’s ‘The End Of The F***ing World’ airing on October 24th.
To view some of these clips click here
