Radio Times
type: channel
link: https://www.radiotimes.com
date: 2025-11-26T13:11:17.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Wrestle mania!
items: Treasure time
items: We are family
items: 10 Questions with Felicity Jones and Joel Edgerton
items: Felicity Jones and Joel Edgerton talk AI, dual screen watching, and their film’s environmental message
items: Antiques of war
items: Parental guidance
items: View from My Sofa: Polly Walker
items: Bookish star Polly Walker on show’s 'lavender marriage': "There are a lot of sexless marriages"
items: Off the books
items: Mark Gatiss reveals how his new series Bookish is “explicitly” inspired by Doctor Who
items: Ten Questions with David Oyelowo
items: David Oyelowo felt a calling to play Martin Luther King – but Selma's original director rejected him
items: Chris Packham: 'The vile suggestion that ADHD is a fad needs countering in this time of division'
items: The Clock Is Ticking
items: View from my sofa: Martin Compston
items: Martin Compston on new series Fear and 'not getting hopes up' for Line of Duty season 7
items: Jack Rooke and Dylan Llewellyn say goodbye to Big Boys
items: Father Brown's latest mystery involves Radio Times: "It's vital"
items: Troubled Waters
items: Patience star: 'It's common for dramas to infantilise autistic women'
items: Discovering patience
items: All the right notes
items: James May says Clarkson's Farm has given his Grand Tour co-star "a new purpose"
items: 'I'm not a dull man!'
items: Ten Questions with Fiona Shaw
items: Peter Mullan: "The Scots haven't got an equivalent of Happy Valley – and they should have"
items: Ten Questions with Peter Mullan
items: "Predicting elections is an absolute mug's game"
items: The best brand-new dramas due this year

Wrestle mania!
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: From the comedy circuit to the wrestling ring – Phil Wang takes on Ed Gamble in a fight for glory. But how do the two stages compare?
encoded: Add Clash of the Comics to your watchlist For comedy fans, it was the grudge match they’d been waiting for as two titans of the UK scene faced off in front of a 3,000-strong crowd at the Hammersmith Apollo in London last month. But the night, billed Clash of the Comics, was not the verbal jousting of a stand-up roast battle: the usually mild-mannered Phil “Kill” Wang was defending his title as British comedy’s top wrestler against Ed “the Gambler” Gamble. “It was my lifelong dream to be a professional wrestler,” says 35-year-old Wang, who grew up in Borneo watching international stars of the sport like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “The Rock” and Japan’s “Último Dragón”, and then imitating their moves in the school playground. “I never liked boxing, but this sort of performative fighting, where each character has their own special moves, was like playing the video game Street Fighter.” Out of fashion with mainstream broadcasters, wrestling’s golden era might be a distant memory for fans of 80s colossi like Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks, but there remains a thriving scene on both sides of the Atlantic with millions of ardent fans, Wang among them. As well as the main event, contemporary wrestlers like “Bullit” and Nina Samuels rub up against the likes of Maisie Adam, Rosie Jones and Max Fosh in the show, while James Acaster takes on The Celebrity Traitors star Joe Marler. Wrestler-turned-comedian Max Olesker and his double-act partner Ivan Gonzalez first persuaded pals to enter the ring at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2011. While he and Gamble are huge wrestling fans, Wang’s not surprised that their peers have taken to it so readily. “It’s basically a violent panto,” he explains. “Wrestlers and comics have strikingly similar lives, touring our respective circuits with our own routines. They call their moves ‘spots’, which we’d call ‘bits’. They’ll run through a sequence of spots that make up a match, saving the biggest ones to the end, just like we might do with our biggest …

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Treasure time
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: A new series of Civilisations opens the doors of the British Museum to explore epochal society change, seen through its finest objects
encoded: Add Civilisations to your watchlist Almost 60 years on from Kenneth Clark’s landmark series, and seven years since its follow-up, the BBC returns to Civilisations with a plethora of academics on hand to chart the rise and fall of Ancient Rome, Cleopatra’s Egypt, the samurai of Japan and the lost world of the Aztecs. A wealth of treasures from the British Museum, some not on display but conserved behind the scenes, bring the stories to life, along with dramatic reconstructions. RT asked four of the series’ contributors to explain what some of the collection’s most striking items tell us about shifting powers in these ancient civilisations. JAPAN Suit of armour, Katna swords - 19th century Iszi Lawrence, broadcaster and host of the British Museum's membership podcast “This suit of armour, dating from the mid-19th century, is incredibly beautiful and intricate. The mask, with its dragon motif, is designed to be intimidating on the battlefield. Too heavy to be functional, it symbolised honour and family pride. Samurai would have commissioned and conserved armour like this because they wanted to stay connected to their warrior past. “The US Navy expedition of 1853, led by Matthew Perry, effectively forced Japan to trade with America, leading to the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate, the military government that had kept the population isolated. “Samurai, who were high up in the social strata, lost their identity, effectively becoming heavily armed bureaucrats. They could still carry a long-blade katana for training and a shorter piece for indoor use, but these beautifully and individually decorated swords became status symbols. Work would have dried up for the armourers, too, who depended on active samurai for their trade.” AZTECS Turquoise mosaic mask - 15th century The Aubin Codex - 1576 Professor Caroline Dodds Pennock, University of Sheffield “The turquoise mask is thought to represent Xiuhtecuhtli — the Aztec god of fire, time and the year, who was known as the ‘Tu…

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We are family
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Sir David Attenborough lends his voice to Kingdom, a new six-part documentary that follows four African animal families across five years, in a remote river valley in Zambia. Meet the stars of the show…
encoded: Add Kingdom to your watchlist Lions: Rita and Cubs Simon Blakeney, series editor “We follow the pride as it coheres, and they collectively become an increasingly powerful force. But the moment lions have cubs, they suddenly become incredibly vulnerable. As the mothers go off elsewhere to look after their offspring, the pride loses its protection. And while Rita’s off hunting, something terrible happens. “This to and fro is the truth of the natural world. They’re big powerful predators but, like all the animals, they have their areas of weakness.” Leopards: Olimba, Moyo and Mutima Felicity Lanchester, series producer “Early on in the shoot, we were filming a pair of hippos when the leopard family we’d been searching for all day emerged from the bush. One of the cubs, Moyo, creeps closer and closer as the hippo gets grumpier and grumpier, while the other cub, Mutima, relaxes in a hippo’s footprint! “Olimba has been in the area for more than ten years and is a wonderful mother who has successfully raised cubs before. Chaos happens around her. Over five years, we see the mother/daughter relationship between Olimba and Mutima break down and the physical battle between them. It’s a succession story as the initially shy Mutima becomes as wise and strong as her mother.” Wild dogs: Led by Storm Anna Place, producer “We’re used to seeing wild dogs fall in line to chase prey. But with this pack, if one of them spots something, 20 of them will run off in different directions at 40mph. It’s chaos — one chases a baboon up a tree, others go after an antelope. I love their persistence; they just keep going! We see them swim across a river, which I don’t think has been shown before. “Every dog counts. They can’t survive alone, or in small packs. You see how social they are, how they look after and care for each other — as soon as they wake up they’re playing, wagging their tails. They were fabulous to film. I loved being an honorary wild dog!” Hyenas: Tandala and family Felicity Lan…

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10 Questions with Felicity Jones and Joel Edgerton
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: They’re swapping Star Wars ships for life on the American railroad in a drama with an environmental punch.
encoded: Add Train Dreams to your watchlist Australian actor and writer Joel Edgerton, 51, and Birmingham-born Felicity Jones, 42, take us back to the railroad frontiers of early 20th-century America in their new film Train Dreams. Adapted from US author Denis Johnson’s novella, it charts the joy and pain endured by Robert Grainier (Edgerton), a logger and railroad worker in the Pacific Northwest, with his wife Gladys. The film celebrates quiet stoicism in a swiftly changing world. As actors who’ve played in the Star Wars universe (Joel in a film and TV show, and Felicity in spinoff movie Rogue One), was the prospect of a grounded film that puts an “average” couple centrestage particularly appealing? JOEL EDGERTON I think people like to see ordinary lives reflected on screen. Why not celebrate the heroic nature of an ordinary life? Is falling in love not a big event? FELICITY JONES In today’s world, it’s particularly important to celebrate the value of being thoughtful and considered. JOEL Probably 99 per cent of us will never be written into the history books. Like George Bailey discovered in It’s a Wonderful Life, if we’re lucky enough to live a long life, the journey is worth it. What can a film set in the early 1900s teach us about life today? FELICITY You’re at the mercy of whatever time you’re in. We feel we have so much control, but actually we have very little, and it depends on the technological shifts we experience. JOEL Robert feels the same existential threat from the introduction of the chainsaw as we feel today with AI. If you were transported to that time, what would you miss from today’s world? FELICITY Washing machines and dishwashers. Love those! JOEL Having access to every single piece of music at all times. But if some world event caused the internet to crash, I’d adapt quickly. I hate being spoiled for choice. I get intimidated when I walk into a bookstore. I read Train Dreams because someone handed it to me and I trusted them. Joel, since you first read…

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Felicity Jones and Joel Edgerton talk AI, dual screen watching, and their film’s environmental message
type: item
date: 2025-11-04T00:01:51.000Z
creator: Robin Parker
subject: Movies
subject: Climate - Sustainable contributions within wider content
subject: Magazine
subject: Netflix
description: They’re swapping Star Wars ships for life on the American railroad in a drama with an environmental punch.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Australian actor and writer Joel Edgerton, 51, and Birmingham-born Felicity Jones, 42, take us back to the railroad frontiers of early 20th-century America in their new film Train Dreams. Adapted from US author Denis Johnson’s novella, it charts the joy and pain endured by Robert Grainier (Edgerton), a logger and railroad worker in the Pacific Northwest, with his wife Gladys. The film celebrates quiet stoicism in a swiftly changing world. As actors who’ve played in the Star Wars universe (Joel in a film and TV show, and Felicity in spin-off movie Rogue One), was the prospect of a grounded film that puts an “average” couple centre-stage particularly appealing? JOEL EDGERTON I think people like to see ordinary lives reflected on screen. Why not celebrate the heroic nature of an ordinary life? Is falling in love not a big event? FELICITY JONES In today’s world, it’s particularly important to celebrate the value of being thoughtful and considered. JOEL Probably 99 per cent of us will never be written into the history books. Like George Bailey discovered in It’s a Wonderful Life, if we’re lucky enough to live a long life, the journey is worth it. View oEmbed on the source website What can a film set in the early 1900s teach us about life today? FELICITY You’re at the mercy of whatever time you’re in. We feel we have so much control, but actually we have very little, and it depends on the technological shifts we experience. JOEL Robert feels the same existential threat from the introduction of the chainsaw as we feel today with AI. If you were transported to that time, what would you miss from today’s world? FELICITY Washing machines and dishwashers. Love those! JOEL Having access to every single piece of music at all times. But if some world event caused the internet to crash, I’d adapt quickly. I hate being spoiled for choice. I get intimidated when I walk into a bookstore. I read Train Dreams because someone handed i…

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Antiques of war
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: To mark VJ Day 80, Fiona Bruce focuses on some touching family treasures
encoded: Add Antiques Roadshow: VJ Day Special to your watchlist For Fiona Bruce, who is presenting an Antiques Roadshow VJ Day special on BBC1 (Sunday), the personal artefacts on display are “like a lightning bolt through to the past”. They include a baby shoe carried as a good luck charm by a soldier through the jungle, and a chess set made by a prisoner of war. It follows several AR war specials, including a VE Day edition in May. Why are these objects — belonging to the families of those who served in the Second World War — so poignant? As well as reminders of individual bravery, the items are often “humble and personal”, says Bruce. “When we think of conflict, it’s about hardware, death and destruction; you don’t think of a soldier carrying around one of his baby’s shoes in his ammunition pouch.” Soldier Jack Jennings made a chess set from balsa wood while a PoW on the Thai-Burma Railway (known as “the Death Railway”). “Somewhere in all the cruelty and starvation, someone was trying to reclaim some of their individuality and humanity,” says Bruce. “We know what desperate privations those men suffered.” She ends the programme with a moving message: “To all those who endured years of suffering and captivity, soldiers and civilians, and those who gave their lives — you are not forgotten.” It’s a powerful statement: “This is a period of the war many people know very little about. I hope this is our small way of paying tribute and sharing what we know about that time, so we don’t forget.” SHERNA NOAH Chindit bush hat, training manuals and medals Ernie Wainwright. Contributor: Anthony Wainwright (son) The Chindits (a unit of British, Indian, Nepalese and Burmese troops in the Burmese jungle) endured what’s been described as some of the most intensive hand-to-hand combat ever faced by the British military. A gruelling six months left Ernie Wainwright three stone lighter, toothless, and with typhus. Whenever his son Anthony asked about the war, Ernie would get out his bush hat …

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Parental guidance
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: If you thought raising kids was tricky, spare a thought for the mother eaten by her own spiderlings…
encoded: Add Parenthood to your watchlist Babies are often the stars of natural history programmes, leaving their parents as bystanders. But the mums and dads of the animal kingdom finally have their moment in the spotlight in a new BBC series. Looking at how different creatures, from insects to big cats and great apes, nurture their young – or, in some cases, don’t – and the brutal sacrifices they have to make, Parenthood casts an eye over family units across land and sea in 23 countries. “The world is changing incredibly fast and it’s making a parent’s job increasingly challenging, both for humans and animals, who have so many different ways of doing it,” says the series executive producer Keith Scholey. Fittingly, his own son Olly, who’s also an experienced wildlife film-maker, produced and directed the episode focusing on ocean creatures. Scholey’s collaborations with Sir David Attenborough over the past 42 years have created some of TV’s most beloved programmes, and Parenthood expands on themes previously touched on in 1990’s The Trials of Life. Sir David is our guide in voice only for this series and Scholey still marvels at his deceptively simple scripts. “He’s leaps and bounds ahead of other narration writers, and he pores over every word a long way in advance,” Scholey says. “He’s so precise and, behind that simple style, he’s really animated in the voice booth, bringing out every phrase and emphasis in a brilliant way.” As we’ve come to expect, man’s activities and their impact on habitats, food and the wider environment are never far from the surface. But for Scholey, there’s one truth that dictates how animals raise their young: “The chances of survival of not only an individual animal’s family, but also their species, depends on how well their parenting strategy works.” HANUMAN LANGURS Jodhpur, India “You often think that every parent of a species will be landed with the same tasks, but this isn’t true of langurs, who live in a hierarchy. Who you are born to rea…

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View from My Sofa: Polly Walker
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: The Bookish actor loves reading — and watching TV with her dog
encoded: Add Bookish to your watchlist What’s the view from your sofa? We’ve got a big telly and a big sofa. I like to lie down on it when I watch TV, generally with my dog or my husband [actor Laurence Penry-Jones]. What programmes do you like to watch? I was brought up not to turn on the TV until after 6pm because you had to be productive in the day. We’ll watch all the dramas everyone’s talking about, like The White Lotus, but left to my own devices, I like documentaries, most recently a fascinating one about the Titan submersible disaster. I’m tempted – especially when I’m away filming – to get ahead of Laurence on series, but generally I wait. It’s more fun watching with other people. When you’re watching murder mysteries, do you always try to guess whodunnit? Yes, I always think I know, and I make a big statement about my suspicions at the beginning. I’ve read so many scripts that I know the formula at some level. My hit rate’s about 50/50! Did you try to solve the case when you read the scripts for Bookish? Not at all! I read them initially as a story, with an eye on the character, and I really enjoyed it. Mark Gatiss’s writing is clever, like him, and it’s tight, fast, funny and astute. He’s got a great eye for the absurd. I asked Laurence to read it to give his take on it, but he stopped after ten pages and went, “I don’t want to ruin it for myself.” View Green Video on the source website Gabriel Book [Mark Gatiss] and your character Trottie are in a “lavender marriage” of convenience — he’s gay at a time when it was illegal. What do you make of their relationship? It’s unconventional, but as she says, it works. It’s mutually beneficial, supportive and based on genuine friendship and love between two people who’ve known each other since they were kids. It protects them both. There are a lot of sexless marriages, and I just see it like that: she’s open, non-judgemental, and wants him to be happy. He wants that for her, too, and doesn’t give her a hard time about what…

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Bookish star Polly Walker on show’s 'lavender marriage': "There are a lot of sexless marriages"
type: item
date: 2025-07-21T23:01:27.000Z
creator: Robin Parker
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: The Bookish actor loves reading — and watching TV with her dog.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. What’s the view from your sofa? We’ve got a big telly and a big sofa. I like to lie down on it when I watch TV, generally with my dog or my husband [actor Laurence Penry-Jones]. What programmes do you like to watch? I was brought up not to turn on the TV until after 6pm because you had to be productive in the day. We’ll watch all the dramas everyone’s talking about, like The White Lotus, but left to my own devices, I like documentaries, most recently a fascinating one about the Titan submersible disaster. I’m tempted – especially when I’m away filming –to get ahead of Laurence on series, but generally I wait. It’s more fun watching with other people. When you’re watching murder mysteries, do you always try to guess whodunnit? Yes, I always think I know, and I make a big statement about my suspicions at the beginning. I’ve read so many scripts that I know the formula at some level. My hit rate’s about 50/50! Did you try to solve the case when you read the scripts for Bookish? Not at all! I read them initially as a story, with an eye on the character, and I really enjoyed it. Mark Gatiss’s writing is clever, like him, and it’s tight, fast, funny and astute. He’s got a great eye for the absurd. I asked Laurence to read it to give his take on it, but he stopped after ten pages and went, “I don’t want to ruin it for myself.” Gabriel Book [Mark Gatiss] and your character Trottie are in a “lavender marriage” of convenience – he’s gay at a time when it was illegal. What do you make of their relationship? It’s unconventional, but as she says, it works. It’s mutually beneficial, supportive and based on genuine friendship and love between two people who’ve known each other since they were kids. It protects them both. There are a lot of sexless marriages, and I just see it like that: she’s open, non-judgemental, and wants him to be happy. He wants that for her, too, and doesn’t give her a hard time about what she gets up to. …

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Off the books
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Crime fiction and screen adaptations have long gone hand in hand, from Slow Horses to Karen Pirie – now Mark Gatiss and Matthew Sweet are flipping the script and turning their new murder mystery, Bookish, into a novel
encoded: Add Bookish to your watchlist As a lifelong devotee of murder mysteries – and a screenwriter for acclaimed Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle adaptations – Mark Gatiss knows all too well that every detective needs to have their quirk, their schtick, a secret weapon that’s key to their sleuthing skills. And for his new crime-solving creation, it wasn’t a stretch for the writer and actor to settle on books. From Beatrix Potter to his favourite pulp fiction, a literary reference is never far from his grasp. View Green Video on the source website Gatiss presents Bookish, a series that follows Gabriel Book, a man who runs a bookshop – a trove of knowledge that he can call upon to crack the crimes that are stumping the local police. The character of Book sprung from an idea that had been buzzing around the Sherlock writer’s brain for eight years: a gay detective hiding his sexuality in a “lavender marriage” of convenience to Trottie (Polly Walker) in the late 1940s. After an aborted attempt at a novel, Gatiss bashed out a script during lockdown. And curiously, RT plays a small role here. When producer Walter Iuzzolino told Gatiss at the 2022 Radio Times covers party that he was looking for a period detective drama for his production company Eagle Eye, things quickly kicked into gear: cameras rolled last summer with contemporary Antwerp doubling for post-war London and a second series has been commissioned before the first has even aired. Gatiss’s partner in crime on Bookish is writer, historian and broadcaster Matthew Sweet, whom he met at the launch of the rebooted Doctor Who in 2005. The pair quickly bonded over a shared love of Victoriana, crime fiction and classic movies, and now Sweet is performing an unusual task for this new collaboration – as well as writing on the new series, he’s turning the murder mysteries back into novels, as Gatiss had originally intended. A reverse adaptation? Not exactly by the book… A LIFE OF CRIME MARK GATISS Murder mysteries are goi…

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Mark Gatiss reveals how his new series Bookish is “explicitly” inspired by Doctor Who
type: item
date: 2025-07-07T23:01:25.000Z
creator: Robin Parker
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Crime fiction and screen adaptations have long gone hand in hand, from Slow Horses to Karen Pirie – now Mark Gatiss and Matthew Sweet are flipping the script and turning their new murder mystery, Bookish, into a novel.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. As a lifelong devotee of murder mysteries – and a screenwriter for acclaimed Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle adaptations – Mark Gatiss knows all too well that every detective needs to have their quirk, their schtick, a secret weapon that’s key to their sleuthing skills. And for his new crime-solving creation, it wasn’t a stretch for the writer and actor to settle on books. From Beatrix Potter to his favourite pulp fiction, a literary reference is never far from his grasp. Gatiss presents Bookish, a series that follows Gabriel Book, a man who runs a bookshop – a trove of knowledge that he can call upon to crack the crimes that are stumping the local police. The character of Book sprung from an idea that had been buzzing around the Sherlock writer’s brain for eight years: a gay detective hiding his sexuality in a “lavender marriage” of convenience to Trottie (Polly Walker) in the late 1940s. After an aborted attempt at a novel, Gatiss bashed out a script during lockdown. And curiously, RT plays a small role here. When producer Walter Iuzzolino told Gatiss at the 2022 Radio Times covers party that he was looking for a period detective drama for his production company Eagle Eye, things quickly kicked into gear: cameras rolled last summer with contemporary Antwerp doubling for post-war London and a second series has been commissioned before the first has even aired. Gatiss’s partner in crime on Bookish is writer, historian and broadcaster Matthew Sweet, whom he met at the launch of the rebooted Doctor Who in 2005. The pair quickly bonded over a shared love of Victoriana, crime fiction and classic movies, and now Sweet is performing an unusual task for this new collaboration – as well as writing on the new series, he’s turning the murder mysteries back into novels, as Gatiss had originally intended. A reverse adaptation? Not exactly by the book… A LIFE OF CRIME Mark Gatiss: Murder mysteries are going through a pu…

Ten Questions with David Oyelowo
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: He’s a big cheese in Hollywood now, but making his dream roles a reality has taken patience and faith
encoded: Add Government Cheese to your watchlist From Martin Luther King to Coriolanus and gunslinger Bass Reeves, 49-year-old Brit David Oyelowo has become synonymous with some pretty tough dramatic parts on stage and screen. So, his latest role, in Apple TV+’s quirky comedy drama Government Cheese, marks a significant gear change. He plays Hampton Chambers, a family man in the late 1960s, who’s done time in prison for forging cheques but is now determined to go straight, chasing the American dream with his invention — a self-sharpening drill. It’s a deadpan, bizarre story that Oyelowo says is unlike anything he’s done before… Government Cheese is lighter in tone than we often see from you. Was that a conscious decision? Many of the projects I’ve worked on deal with the racial struggle or civil rights. All of that is very much part of what it is to be African- American in America, but that’s not the totality of the experience. Given how much the 1960s were steeped in civil rights, it felt almost radical to put a black family at the centre of a comedy set in that time without bogging it down with those elements. It’s an unusual show in its mix of genres and styles. How would you describe it? It’s a parabolic, surrealist family comedy. I don’t know many shows you could describe as that! It has a whimsical, romantic nostalgia. It might not be for everyone in terms of how it changes gears, but for me, it’s a pretty honest way to look at things that may have occurred in the past. How did you get on board? In 2018, [co-creator] Paul Hunter approached me with the idea for a short film. I’m basically playing a version of Paul’s father. It felt unique, fresh and surreal – I hadn’t read anything quite like it. We shot it for four days in Paul’s mother’s house and felt there was more we could do with it. A TV show felt like the natural progression. What do you think Paul’s family and friends thought of immortalising this period? Paul’s mother was very enamoured with the process, and p…

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David Oyelowo felt a calling to play Martin Luther King – but Selma's original director rejected him
type: item
date: 2025-05-12T23:01:09.000Z
creator: Robin Parker
subject: Comedy
subject: TV
subject: Apple TV
subject: Magazine
subject: On demand
description: The actor speaks to Radio Times magazine about his role in Apple TV+ comedy series Government Cheese.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. From Martin Luther King to Coriolanus and gunslinger Bass Reeves, 49-year-old Brit David Oyelowo has become synonymous with some pretty tough dramatic parts on stage and screen. So, his latest role, in Apple TV+’s quirky comedy drama Government Cheese, marks a significant gear change. He plays Hampton Chambers, a family man in the late 1960s, who’s done time in prison for forging cheques but is now determined to go straight, chasing the American dream with his invention — a self-sharpening drill. It’s a deadpan, bizarre story that Oyelowo says is unlike anything he’s done before… Government Cheese is lighter in tone than we often see from you. Was that a conscious decision? Many of the projects I’ve worked on deal with the racial struggle or civil rights. All of that is very much part of what it is to be African- American in America, but that’s not the totality of the experience. Given how much the 1960s were steeped in civil rights, it felt almost radical to put a black family at the centre of a comedy set in that time without bogging it down with those elements. It’s an unusual show in its mix of genres and styles. How would you describe it? It’s a parabolic, surrealist family comedy. I don’t know many shows you could describe as that! It has a whimsical, romantic nostalgia. It might not be for everyone in terms of how it changes gears, but for me, it’s a pretty honest way to look at things that may have occurred in the past. How did you get on board? In 2018, [co-creator] Paul Hunter approached me with the idea for a short film. I’m basically playing a version of Paul’s father. It felt unique, fresh and surreal – I hadn’t read anything quite like it. We shot it for four days in Paul’s mother’s house and felt there was more we could do with it. A TV show felt like the natural progression. What do you think Paul’s family and friends thought of immortalising this period? Paul’s mother was very enamoured with the p…

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Chris Packham: 'The vile suggestion that ADHD is a fad needs countering in this time of division'
type: item
date: 2025-05-06T10:11:32.000Z
creator: Chris Packham
subject: Documentaries
subject: TV
subject: BBC iPlayer
subject: BBC Two
subject: Magazine
description: Inside our ADHD Minds comes to BBC Two next week.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. For nearly two years, on an almost daily basis, strangers have politely stopped me to say, "Thank you". The focus of their quiet but almost boundless gratitude was, and still is, the two-part BBC2 series Inside Our Minds from 2023, which gave viewers a greater insight into the daily lived experience of autistic people. Whether I'm on the train or in an art gallery, I'm told by everyone from teenagers to grandparents that the series gave them a better understanding of themselves, or one of their relatives or colleagues, to the extent that it precipitated diagnoses, positive changes in their lives or a better societal understanding of the condition. Healthcare professionals frequently assert that the programmes have become an invaluable asset in their work because they articulate, in real terms, things that otherwise have been so difficult to see, describe or feel. So, although we still struggle to be heard and understood, I think the programmes made a difference to the autistic community. Applying the format – in which contributors work with film-makers, designers and animators to bring their internal worlds to life – to other neurodiverse conditions was the logical next step. As someone who once hid my autistic traits and struggled with my condition in my youth before being diagnosed in my 40s, it’s perhaps easier to see that progress is being made communicating our thoughts and needs to society, but I fear that same ongoing success has not been forthcoming for ADHD and dyslexic communities. Indeed, there has been some vile and misplaced prejudice prominently voiced recently about ADHD – suggesting that it’s a fad and has been wrongly or over-diagnosed. That very urgently needs countering in this time of divisive culture wars, with assaults on inclusivity and diversity. My stepdaughter Megan is dyslexic, so I have experience of the positive and challenging impacts of that, and thinking about ADHD is a bit like hol…

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The Clock Is Ticking
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
subject: App Doctor Who 20
description: After three action-packed series as showrunner, Chris Chibnall is preparing to hand back the keys to the Tardis. Robin Parker asks, will he miss it?
encoded: This article was published in RT in April 2022 and is part of our digital Doctor Who anniversary bookazine — click here to download it for free. Nobody in TV cuts a more relaxed figure than a demob-happy Doctor Who showrunner. The heavy toll of years spent configuring their galaxy-spinning imagination with the hard reality of budgets and maintaining their role as custodian of secrets in the face of teaser-hungry fans dissipates as they hit the home straight. As Chris Chibnall prepares for his swansong specials to air (one this week and another later this year to mark the BBC’s 100th anniversary), he has more reason than most to celebrate: producing the behemoth during the pandemic nearly curtailed his and Jodie Whittaker’s three-series-and-out plan. “That we made Doctor Who at all during the past two years is a miracle,” admits Chibnall, hitherto far less of a public face of the programme than his predecessors Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat. “There was a point around April/May 2020 where it looked like we’d have to call it a day after two series. If we hadn’t already planned to leave after series three, there’s no way I’d be staying on now after going through that experience.” Looking back on the time-and-space hopping adventure, he says he’s “flabbergasted” at the team’s efforts to tell a story of scale. This being Doctor Who, of course, there was no let-up and a planned final trio of epic specials, culminating in the Doctor’s regeneration this autumn, nearly fell at the first fence, with production and budget pressures forcing Chibnall to pare down Eve of the Daleks, which aired on New Year’s Day. “We had to ditch our original idea and I had to write a new script in just over a week,” he reveals. “You can’t just go, ‘Right, we’ve got the series and then we’ll do the specials.’ You’re constantly on this treadmill.” It’s that treadmill that he’ll miss the least: simultaneously writing, filming and in post-production on multiple episodes as well as planning the n…

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View from my sofa: Martin Compston
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: He loves a big night out in Vegas, but playing golf with Jed Mercurio? Not so much…
encoded: Add Fear to your watchlist What’s the view from your sofa? We’re at the stage of life where everything revolves around the kid, so I’m rarely on it! Usually, I do the mornings and my wife does night-times. If I’m not working, I’m in bed by half eight and up at six with the wee fella. Do you and your wife ever get to spend time as a couple? We try to get out of the house – we like to go for dinner and see a show. If ever you’re in Vegas [Compston lives there with his wife, American actor Tianna Chanel Flynn and their four-year-old son] see Absinthe, which is phenomenal – it’s like an adult Cirque du Soleil. And The Years, which has just transferred to London’s West End, is the best show I’ve seen in a long time. Anything you’ve liked on TV recently? I was intrigued by The Penguin. I’m not a superhero guy but I’ve followed Colin Farrell through In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin, so I gave it a try. It wasn’t at all what I expected! I loved Colin’s mannerisms – his walk, the blinking of his eye. He’s an evil b*****d, but he has you rooting for him! You’ve spent a lot of time back in Scotland recently filming The Rig and your new Amazon Prime Video thriller Fear. Is it good to be home? Wild Mercury, which produces both shows, has pretty much kept me in work over the past couple of years. They’ve made a huge investment in Scotland and I’m chuffed to be part of it. Fear was filmed in the West End of Glasgow, which is a beautiful area. The house where we filmed overlooks Kelvingrove Park and I got quite giddy, because a lot of Celtic players live around there and I’d see them walking their dogs. The house is a character in itself. Would you like to live there? Running up those stairs, at times they felt endless… There’s all these secret rooms to explore over five levels. But at night, it’d be a lonely place if you had to get up to go to the bathroom. It’s cold and dark and would be hell to heat! Fear taps into a current trend for dramas that depict parental nightmare…

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Martin Compston on new series Fear and 'not getting hopes up' for Line of Duty season 7
type: item
date: 2025-02-25T00:01:07.000Z
creator: Robin Parker
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Amazon Prime Video
subject: Magazine
subject: On demand
description: Compston spoke with Radio Times magazine about his Prime Video thriller co-starring Anjli Mohindra.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. What's the view from your sofa? We’re at the stage of life where everything revolves around the kid, so I’m rarely on it! Usually, I do the mornings and my wife does night-times. If I’m not working, I’m in bed by half eight and up at six with the wee fella. Do you and your wife ever get to spend time as a couple? We try to get out of the house – we like to go for dinner and see a show. If ever you’re in Vegas [Compston lives there with his wife, American actor Tianna Chanel Flynn, and their four-year-old son] see Absinthe, which is phenomenal – it’s like an adult Cirque du Soleil. And The Years, which has just transferred to London’s West End, is the best show I’ve seen in a long time. Anything you've liked on TV recently? I was intrigued by The Penguin. I’m not a superhero guy but I’ve followed Colin Farrell through In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin, so I gave it a try. It wasn’t at all what I expected! I loved Colin’s mannerisms – his walk, the blinking of his eye. He’s an evil b*****d, but he has you rooting for him! You’ve spent a lot of time back in Scotland recently filming The Rig and your new Amazon Prime Video thriller Fear. Is it good to be home? Wild Mercury, which produces both shows, has pretty much kept me in work over the past couple of years. They’ve made a huge investment in Scotland and I’m chuffed to be part of it. Fear was filmed in the West End of Glasgow, which is a beautiful area. The house where we filmed overlooks Kelvingrove Park and I got quite giddy, because a lot of Celtic players live around there and I’d see them walking their dogs. The house is a character in itself. Would you like to live there? Running up those stairs, at times they felt endless… There’s all these secret rooms to explore over five levels. But at night, it’d be a lonely place if you had to get up to go to the bathroom. It’s cold and dark and would be hell to heat! Fear taps into a current trend for dramas tha…

Jack Rooke and Dylan Llewellyn say goodbye to Big Boys
type: item
date: 2025-02-09T09:00:26.000Z
creator: Robin Parker
subject: Comedy
subject: TV
subject: Channel 4
description: "It does feel like we’re still growing as a show, but for now everyone is left where they should be."
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Will the real Jack Rooke please stand up? The Big Boys creator admits that his hit Channel 4 comedy is an amalgam of three personas: lead character Jack, played by Dylan Llewellyn, loosely modelled on his young self but increasingly put in fictional scenarios; Jack the wry narrator, voiced by Rooke himself, and the 31 year-old Bafta-winning writer and performer. More confusingly still, he says, "there’s definitely a lot of me in Jack’s cousin Shannon and a bit of me in [his friend] Yemi as well". Since the largely autobiographical first series, the character of Jack has been honed by the pair of them with director Jim Archer. The journey of discovery undertaken by Jack, a young gay man navigating student life following the death of his father, certainly rang true to Llewellyn. "I read Jack’s book [Cheer the F*** Up] and studied the man he was then rather than him now," the actor reflects. "I related to his shyness in series one – meeting new people and coming out of his shell. At drama school, I became more comfortable with myself and bonded with a group of friends – and like Jack, became sassier too." Read more: Big Boys ends with season 3, but the impact of Jack Rooke's story won't Jack Rooke, Jon Pointing, Dylan Llewellyn & Big Boys cast Play 'Who said that?!' It must be an odd experience to be effectively playing your boss, but the growing bonds between Rooke and his cast have helped. The writer has seen a strong parallel between Jack and his friend Danny and the friendship that blossomed between Llewellyn and co-star Jon Pointing. Away from the show, there have been bowling nights and dinners, including one where they pretended it was Llewellyn’s birthday just to get a cake. "I’m quite a curious person and I ask Jack lots of questions about what ‘Jack’ would do," Llewellyn says. "I feel super comfortable with sharing my thoughts on how to get the best out of the character, and I hope Jack feels comfortable wi…

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Father Brown's latest mystery involves Radio Times: "It's vital"
type: item
date: 2025-01-31T08:00:37.000Z
creator: Robin Parker
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Mark Williams says the plot detail speaks volumes about the magazine's place in the nation's affections.
encoded: The BBC comes to Kembleford in this week’s episode of Father Brown – with none other than Radio Times playing a crucial role in the resolution of the latest murder in the village. The stars of farm-based radio drama The Muckles (no prizes for guessing the inspiration for that), including Graham Snow (Martin Jarvis) and caddish Charlie Chumley (Nick Helm), are visiting to record a special wedding episode and shoot a Radio Times cover. Father Brown star Mark Williams, who has twice graced our cover, says the plot detail speaks volumes about its place in the nation’s affections. "I remember my parents sitting down and going through it in close detail, making crosses against the things they wanted to see or hear. "It isn’t about somebody’s opinion or a press mogul’s power trip – it’s a manual. People have a different attitude towards it than other magazines. It’s vital." It’s also a time capsule: in 1954, around the time that the episode is set, Radio Times marked the 1,000th episode of The Archers with a cover shot on a farm – a template of which was shared with the Father Brown production team so they could re-create their fictional version. "It’s amazing how the Radio Times can date you. It’s like the Blue Peter annual – you recognise exactly the covers from when you were a kid," says the 65-year-old actor, who recalls being a child of the Valerie Singleton and John Noakes era. This isn’t the only nod to BBC history – later in the series, Angela Rippon cameos in another episode featuring a show called Go Dancing. "She’s a fan," says Williams, adding: "She didn’t read the whole script because she wanted to watch it to find out who did it, which requires enormous self-discipline." As for Williams, he’s showing no sign of hanging up his vestments, but after 130 episodes claims, "I’m getting quicker at working out who did it!" Father Brown star admits he was "really worried" about cast changes Father Brown's Mark Williams on show's continued success: "Why are you surpris…

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Troubled Waters
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Can following in the footsteps of a refugee change the minds of those who are anti-immigration? A new C4 series plans to find out
encoded: Add Go Back to Where You Came From to your watchlist It’s a provocative premise: take a group of people with outspoken views on immigration, get them to witness the reality of life in the danger zones of Somalia and Syria, then take them on a month-long journey following a refugee’s perilous route through Africa, the Middle East and Europe into the UK. Go Back to Where You Came From, a new Channel 4 reality series, does just this. The participants are first exposed to life in the war-torn towns – sometimes in armoured cars – that migrants have fled from. They then trek through deserts, navigate perilous border crossings, visit overcrowded refugee camps and burnt-out homes, before finally being crammed into a dinghy from Calais to Dover. Among the participants are a chef, a haulage business owner and a provocative blogger, with most coming from communities in the UK in which immigration has had an impact. Some views on display will be unpalatable to many, but executive producer Emma Young believes the six travellers represent the full spectrum of attitudes towards this hot-button issue. “We weren’t out to judge anyone,” she says. “We wanted to take people who represent voices up and down the UK to these places to see for themselves, and meet the people on whom they’ve had these views. It was key to make sure that on the journeys, all the anti- and pro-arguments were addressed.” This format began life in Australia in 2011, with the first series – in which participants lived in a refugee camp and experienced immigration raids – hailed as groundbreaking. Versions have since been made in Germany and Belgium, and it has been shown in the US. But it has taken years to come to the UK, where producers say they were determined to head off concerns about making entertainment out of often tragic circumstances in the show, which has been criticised by some refugee charities. Young travelled on the Somalian leg. A suicide bomb attack on Mogadishu’s Lido Beach claimed 32 lives jus…

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Patience star: 'It's common for dramas to infantilise autistic women'
type: item
date: 2025-01-07T17:04:20.000Z
creator: Robin Parker
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Ella Maisy Purvis and Laura Fraser speak to Radio Times about their Channel 4 drama.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. When Ella Maisy Purvis, star of the new Channel 4 crime drama Patience, was diagnosed with autism in her late teens, she was advised that adopting the "stigmatising" label would hold her back in life. The first thing anyone will tell you upon meeting Purvis is that nothing holds her back. She knows she's amazing and, in the most charming way, will tell you so in no uncertain terms. Unsurprising then, that at just 20 years old she bagged her first lead role playing Patience Evans, a precise and socially uncomfortable young woman working in Yorkshire Police’s criminal records department, who ends up helping Detective Bea Metcalf, played by Laura Fraser, with her investigations. From the OCD traits of Ben Miller's Professor T and Ralf Little's DI Neville Parker in Death in Paradise, to Saga Noren in The Bridge and David Mitchell's awkward puzzle setter John Taylor in Ludwig, it's not unheard of for TV's crime solvers to display neurodivergent tendencies, even when it’s not made explicit. But compared to those shows, this drama (which is based on the French series Astrid et Raphaëlle, itself available on Channel 4 streaming as Astrid: Murder in Paris) breaks new ground in casting Purvis, who says she was struck by how sensitively the part was written. "Not to speak badly of other shows, but it's common for dramas to infantilise disabled people, especially autistic women. As much as Patience gets things wrong, misses social cues and finds it a hard world to navigate, she has a lot of agency. She’s incredibly determined, and has a strong sense of justice. She's also pretty cool, not weak in any way. She struggles, but it's shown with great empathy and care. And she wears a lot of great turtlenecks!" Purvis initially trained as a classical ballet dancer but felt a switch flip in her brain at the age of 17, telling her, "with absolute confidence", to give up ballet and pursue acting. Though undiagnosed at the time, she at…

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Discovering patience
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Ella Maisy Purvis and Laura Fraser on why their compassionate and quirky new drama is more than just another police procedural
encoded: Add Patience to your watchlist When Ella Maisy Purvis, star of the new Channel 4 crime drama Patience, was diagnosed with autism in her late teens, she was advised that adopting the “stigmatising” label would hold her back in life. The first thing anyone will tell you upon meeting Purvis is that nothing holds her back. She knows she’s amazing and, in the most charming way, will tell you so in no uncertain terms. Unsurprising then, that at just 20 years old she bagged her first lead role playing Patience Evans, a precise and socially uncomfortable young woman working in Yorkshire Police’s criminal records department, who ends up helping Detective Bea Metcalf, played by Laura Fraser, with her investigations. From the OCD traits of Ben Miller’s Professor T and Ralf Little’s DI Neville Parker in Death in Paradise, to Saga Noren in The Bridge and David Mitchell’s awkward puzzle setter John Taylor in Ludwig, it’s not unheard of for TV’s crime solvers to display neurodivergent tendencies, even when it’s not made explicit. But compared to those shows, this drama (which is based on the French series Astrid et Raphaëlle, itself available on Channel 4 streaming as Astrid: Murder in Paris) breaks new ground in casting Purvis, who says she was struck by how sensitively the part was written. “Not to speak badly of other shows, but it’s common for dramas to infantilise disabled people, especially autistic women. As much as Patience gets things wrong, misses social cues and finds it a hard world to navigate, she has a lot of agency. She’s incredibly determined, and has a strong sense of justice. She’s also pretty cool, not weak in any way. She struggles, but it’s shown with great empathy and care. And she wears a lot of great turtlenecks!” Purvis initially trained as a classical ballet dancer but felt a switch flip in her brain at the age of 17, telling her, “with absolute confidence”, to give up ballet and pursue acting. Though undiagnosed at the time, she attributes this sudden d…

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All the right notes
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Piano winner Brad Kella will have a family Christmas to remember, thanks to Claudia, Mika, Lang Lang – and his very own Steinway!
encoded: Add The Piano to your watchlist There’s a bittersweet air puncturing the joyous festive music that rings through the upmarket shopping centre of the converted Battersea Power Station in London. As Lang Lang, resplendent in a Christmas jumper, wows passing shoppers with a rousing take on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, the classical megastar is gearing up to say farewell to The Piano after two years as a judge. “I will miss all the wonderfully talented musicians I’ve met – artists with genuine hearts,” the pianist says with characteristic sincerity. “And of course, I’ll miss my friends Claudia and Mika.” As a selection of contestants from the second series take to the ivories to play a festive favourite (and the odd original), including the winner Brad Kella, it’s clear Lang Lang will be a great loss. “He told me to use all the colours of the piano, to put my heart in it and not rush,” says Kella. “More importantly, to breathe before you play and imagine you’re not playing in front of lots of people.” The brilliant Liverpudlian musician is returning to the show having since played the Royal Albert Hall, the Radio Times Screen Test Awards, in the John Lewis Christmas advert and at Anfield – “which, as a Liverpool fan, was huge! I’ve also recorded an album. None of this would have been possible without Lang Lang and Mika being so supportive.” On the show on Christmas Day he’ll be playing a piece called Shelter, “which I pitched to the John Lewis team, hopefully for next year’s advert. It’s about how it’s important that everyone has some kind of shelter over Christmas. As a kid from care, I know there are some children who’ll get put in a random family’s home and might feel scared and confused, but it’s important they enjoy a homely Christmas.” Following Kella’s success on The Piano, life has completely changed for the 23-year-old and he now does have a safe roof over his head – and his own piano. “I was gifted a Steinway from the show, which is in my l…

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James May says Clarkson's Farm has given his Grand Tour co-star "a new purpose"
type: item
date: 2024-12-05T00:01:34.000Z
creator: Robin Parker
subject: Entertainment
subject: TV
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: The presenter discusses his new TV show with Radio Times magazine.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. After filming his final season of The Grand Tour, James May is back in his Wiltshire shed, where he's been inspired by the Dull Men's Club, an online community that attempts to solve "conundrums you didn’t know you had". Can May cook a casserole in his washing machine while cleaning his whites, can he crack a walnut with a sledgehammer without smashing it to pieces —and is it possible to find a use for the too-short pencil stub? At 61, you're being paid to mess about at home. Is this the dream? To get to this age and still be making a living from blundering about is great. I would be doing a lot of this even if the camera wasn’t there. I feel like I’m reverting to my 12-year-old self – I like to read books, play instruments and make things. As a child, what sparked your interest in making things? I struggled, and I still do, writing with a pen. Subconsciously I avoid anything that involves much writing in favour of things that are more practical, like Airfix and fixing bikes. I would never have made a living writing if I’d had to do it longhand. How was it, making James May and the Dull Men after filming your final instalment of The Grand Tour? It’s the difference between pottering and going out to work. We had 60 or 70 people on those big trips. While not arduous, it got quite intense and stressful. Here, it’s seven of us, which is relatively relaxed. Do you envisage more big adventures in the future? The Grand Tour is done and they don’t want any more of [travel series] Our Man in… so I don’t see much opportunity for more adventures. I’ve been extremely lucky to have seen a huge amount of the world, but as I get a little older, I’m getting more "nesty" – I’m content to be cooking, watching TV, listening to music, and going down YouTube rabbit holes looking at people making things. Is this an admission that you've become, or have always been, a "dull man"? I don’t think it is dull! I’m a bit bored with the idea t…

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'I'm not a dull man!'
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: His boyish adventures in fast cars are over and James May is back tinkering in his shed but, he insists…
encoded: Add James May and the Dull Men to your watchlist After filming his final series of The Grand Tour, James May is back in his Wiltshire shed, where he’s been inspired by the Dull Men’s Club, an online community that attempts to solve “conundrums you didn’t know you had”. Can May cook a casserole in his washing machine while cleaning his whites, can he crack a walnut with a sledgehammer without smashing it to pieces —and is it possible to find a use for the too-short pencil stub? At 61, you’re being paid to mess about at home. Is this the dream? To get to this age and still be making a living from blundering about is great. I would be doing a lot of this even if the camera wasn’t there. I feel like I’m reverting to my 12-year-old self – I like to read books, play instruments and make things. As a child, what sparked your interest in making things? I struggled, and I still do, writing with a pen. Subconsciously I avoid anything that involves much writing in favour of things that are more practical, like Airfix and fixing bikes. I would never have made a living writing if I’d had to do it longhand. How was it, making James May and the Dull Men after filming your final instalment of The Grand Tour? It’s the difference between pottering and going out to work. We had 60 or 70 people on those big trips. While not arduous, it got quite intense and stressful. Here, it’s seven of us, which is relatively relaxed. Do you envisage more big adventures in the future? The Grand Tour is done and they don’t want any more of [travel series] Our Man In… so I don’t see much opportunity for more adventures. I’ve been extremely lucky to have seen a huge amount of the world, but as I get a little older, I’m getting more “nesty” – I’m content to be cooking, watching TV, listening to music – and going down YouTube rabbit holes looking at people making things. Is this an admission that you’ve become, or have always been, a “dull man”? I don’t think it is dull! I’m a bit bored with the idea that…

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Ten Questions with Fiona Shaw
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: The actor on the joys of a Cork Christmas, austere teachers and working with Richard Curtis
encoded: Add That Christmas and Bad Sisters to your watchlist Irish actor Fiona Shaw is the true epitome of a star of stage and screen. Whether she’s popping up in classic films like Three Men and a Little Lady, the Harry Potter series and My Left Foot, treading the boards on Broadway with Medea or stealing the spotlight in hit TV series such as Killing Eve, Fleabag and Bad Sisters, Shaw always leaves an impression. Now, the 66-year-old is tackling a rare festive role in the Richard Curtis-penned animation That Christmas — though in some ways, it’s a role closer to home than any before. This year you’re starring in Richard Curtis’s new animation That Christmas, which explores festive family traditions — what were yours, growing up in Cork? We do sea swimming. We used to leave the church when we were young – there were three masses on a Sunday, and we’d leave after one and just drive off. We’d bring whiskey with us, and put it on our toes at the end of the swim – that was very much part of the tradition. Somehow, there’s a pre-Christian Christmas feeling – it’s something atavistic, almost Celtic. We swim to wash away the year, and to start anew. It’s a sort of baptism, isn’t it? You wash it away. Do you think Irish and English Christmases are different? Very much so. We’re still completely communal in Ireland. I was lucky enough to be brought up in a small city. We knew everybody, so we met a lot of people at Christmas, it was very social. I think maybe some English Christmases are about people retreating to their homes. But it’s much better when people come out and join each other. View oEmbed on the source website You’ve been acting for decades — what are the roles that people usually recognise you for? Well, if I’m in New York, people come up to me about Medea or The Testament of Mary. It’s quite a theatre world in New York, but it depends on the demographic. There’s a huge Killing Eve audience – huge. Nearly everyone in the street says that. With children it’s Harry Potte…

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Peter Mullan: "The Scots haven't got an equivalent of Happy Valley – and they should have"
type: item
date: 2024-11-19T00:01:49.000Z
creator: Robin Parker
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: Channel 4
subject: Interview
subject: Magazine
description: Mullan spoke with Radio Times magazine about his role in New Zealand drama After the Party, which is airing on Channel 4.
encoded: This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine. Actor and director Peter Mullan, 65, has travelled to the other side of the world for his latest roles, in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and drama series After the Party. The part of Phil in the latter – father, teacher and suspected child abuser – was created for him by New Zealander Robyn Malcolm, the show’s co-creator, who plays his accuser and ex-wife, Penny. It’s a long way from Glasgow… You've starred in award-winning British dramas like Mum, hit US series like Ozark, and have just finished filming in New Zealand – do you just follow the work? Ideally, I’d work from home – I don’t like being away from my four kids – but it’s not always possible. I was on and off in New Zealand on The Rings of Power for six months, which included about five weeks on After the Party. If there’s half-decent money and the scripts are good, I’ll go where the money is! As a Scot, you're an outsider in After the Party. What was that like? I felt very at home. A lot of the Pākehā (the Maori word for non-Polynesian, ie European, New Zealanders) came from Scotland and Ireland, so we share the same humour and outlook. The Rings of Power team were really good about me fitting this in – I worked on it for six weeks and then went straight back. A lot of companies might have said, "We own you, we pay your wage, you have to stay around in case something changes." But they let me go. You’ve known Robyn Malcolm since you starred together in BBC2's Top of the Lake in 2013. Had you been looking to work together again? Yes, but when she sent me an early draft of After the Party, I said no! Why was that? I could see the potential but it wasn’t up to scratch – there weren’t enough shades of grey. I said as much to Robyn. But when she sent a revised script, I saw it could be something exceptional. Sometimes programmes that deal with dark subjects can get a bit dull, to be honest. If the message becomes more important than the drama, it …

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Ten Questions with Peter Mullan
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Following good scripts and half-decent pay all the way to New Zealand
encoded: Add After the Party to your watchlist Actor and director Peter Mullan, 65, has travelled to the other side of the world for his latest roles, in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and drama series After the Party. The part of Phil in the latter — father, teacher and suspected child abuser — was created for him by New Zealander Robyn Malcolm, the show’s co-creator, who plays his accuser and ex-wife, Penny. It’s a long way from Glasgow… You’ve starred in award-winning British dramas like Mum, hit US series like Ozark, and have just finished filming in New Zealand — do you just follow the work? Ideally, I’d work from home – I don’t like being away from my four kids – but it’s not always possible. I was on and off in New Zealand on The Rings of Power for six months, which included about five weeks on After the Party. If there’s half-decent money and the scripts are good, I’ll go where the money is! As a Scot, you’re an outsider in After the Party. What was that like? I felt very at home. A lot of the Pākehā (the Maori word for non-Polynesian, ie European, New Zealanders) came from Scotland and Ireland, so we share the same humour and outlook. The Rings of Power team were really good about me fitting this in – I worked on it for six weeks and then went straight back. A lot of companies might have said, “We own you, we pay your wage, you have to stay around in case something changes.” But they let me go. You’ve known Robyn Malcolm since you starred together in BBC2’s Top of the Lake in 2013. Had you been looking to work together again? Yes, but when she sent me an early draft of After the Party, I said no! Why was that? I could see the potential but it wasn’t up to scratch – there weren’t enough shades of grey. I said as much to Robyn. But when she sent a revised script, I saw it could be something exceptional. Sometimes programmes that deal with dark subjects can get a bit dull, to be honest. If the message becomes more important than the drama, it doesn’t matter …

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"Predicting elections is an absolute mug's game"
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: Channel 4’s US election coverage will include Boris Johnson and Stormy Daniels – but it’s not a stunt…
encoded: Add America Decides: US Presidential Election to your watchlist Why should Brits stay up to watch the US election? It’s such high stakes. There are two major wars going on, one in Europe, one in the Middle East, and America’s role in both is absolutely pivotal. A lot of people thought the American experiment with Trump was over, and it clearly wasn’t – and with Kamala Harris taking over from Joe Biden, it’s not the election we at first thought it was going to be. Is America prepared for either outcome? Both candidates are quite unpredictable. Trump will not be the same President as last time, and Harris is relatively unknown. I don’t think anybody has a very firm handle on who they are and what they will be like in office. One of your guests on election night is Boris Johnson. Why? Boris couldn’t be a more pertinent guest. It’s clear, watching his promotional book tour, he thinks he can come back. He’s looking at Trump and trying to learn from him. But don’t be sidetracked into thinking this is a night with Boris Johnson. He’s going to make an appearance, we’ll have a conversation and then we’ll move on. You’ve also got former adult film star Stormy Daniels, who was at the centre of Trump’s hush-money trial, and TV personality Caitlyn Jenner. Are these stunt bookings? Not at all. They’re a really important part of the story of how America has got to this point. Daniels and Jenner will help us understand why America is so polarised. Donald Trump tends to dominate coverage. How do you ensure viewers don’t lose sight of what a Kamala Harris victory would represent? It’s a real challenge not to fall into that trap. If Harris wins, the story is not “Trump loses”. I don’t think the coverage so far has grasped that the US could have its first woman president and one with black and Asian origins. Hers is a real American success story. People are saying it’s one of the closest US elections ever. Would you stick your neck on the line and predict a winner? I’ve been covering U…

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The best brand-new dramas due this year
type: item
creator: Robin Parker
subject: App
subject: App features
description: The next three months are packed with top-notch entertainment, so RT helps you mark your card for what's coming up – with all the details and trailers you need to stay up to speed

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