Radio Times
type: channel
link: https://www.radiotimes.com
date: 2022-06-23T08:43:26.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: The Outlaws season 2 release date confirmed
items: BFI and Radio Times announce Bridgerton panel
items: When is I Am Nicola, I Am Kirsty and I Am Hannah on TV? Samantha Morton, Gemma Chan and Vicky McClure star in Channel 4 drama series
items: Russell T Davies won’t return to Doctor Who – even for an anniversary special
items: Derry Girls writer reveals James may join a rival gang in series three
items: Big Narstie explains why he pulled out of Celebrity Bake Off
items: Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio: there was a "discussion" about NOT killing off that main character
items: Russell T Davies explains why he won't return to write A Very English Scandal sequel
items: Charlie Brooker reveals even more scenes that were cut from Bandersnatch
items: Helen Mirren on the shift in roles for women on TV: 'It’s taken much too long, but it's finally happened'
items: Nurse Trixie actress Helen George: I'll do Call the Midwife "till I'm dead"
items: Derry Girls star Dylan Llewellyn: I didn’t understand any Northern Irish slang – but learning it was cool
items: Move over Cumberbatch – Mark Gatiss says "three quarters of the population" will fancy Dracula
items: New Dracula series was inspired by a photo of Benedict Cumberbatch, says Mark Gatiss
items: Line of Duty's Maya Sondhi: I convinced creator Jed Mercurio to kill Maneet off
items: 'She's young, intelligent and joining an unbelievable family' – Josh O'Connor on why Emma Corrin is The Crown's perfect Princess Diana
items: Jed Mercurio says Line of Duty could run for another two series
items: Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio has been planning the 'H' conspiracy from day one
items: Even the producers of Unforgotten don't know the new killer
items: Jennifer Saunders once considered 'killing off' Ab Fab's Eddie and Patsy
items: When is the BFI and Radio Times Television Festival, what's on, and how can I buy tickets?

The Outlaws season 2 release date confirmed
type: item
date: 2022-05-21T18:25:12.000Z
creator: Christian Tobin
subject: Comedy
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival 2022
subject: News
description: Stephen Merchant's comedy-drama is coming back very soon.
encoded: The Outlaws season 2 air date has been confirmed. Stephen Merchant's comedy-drama following a group of strangers who meet on community service will be back for its second season on BBC One on 5th June 2022, with all episodes arriving on BBC iPlayer then too. The news was exclusively announced at a special preview of the opening episode at the BFI IMAX as part of the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival. The Outlaws was a big hit when it was released last year, becoming the BBC’s biggest comedy launch of 2021 with 11 million streams on iPlayer. Read more: The Outlaws shares first look at season 2 of Stephen Merchant comedy As well as writer-director Merchant, the cast includes Eleanor Tomlinson, Gamba Cole, Darren Boyd, Clare Perkins and Jessica Gunning, all of whom took part in a cast Q&A at today's season 2 premiere. Elsewhere, Academy Award winner Christopher Walken, Rhianne Barreto, Charles Babalola, Nina Wadia, Dolly Wells and Ian McElhinney also return for the second instalment, along with Dracula star Claes Bang, who promises to play a key role in the new episodes as the mysterious and menacing Dean. The new episodes were filmed back-to-back with the first season due to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking about the unusual filming conditions at today's Q&A, Merchant joked: "Well it turns out that shooting two series of a show under a pandemic is a nightmare, and I would suggests no one ever does it. "Particularly if one of your key cast members is 79-year-old Oscar winner Christopher Walken, because every day you're on a knife edge hoping he doesn't get COVID. If anyone even looks like they're going to sneeze near him, you jump in front of him like you're taking a bullet for the president." Gamba Cole joins Episode 39 of The Radio Times Podcast - listen now! The official synopsis for The Outlaws season 2 reads: "Following on directly from the first series, the Outlaws still have time to serve on their sentences - but now they must face the fa…

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BFI and Radio Times announce Bridgerton panel
type: item
date: 2021-01-21T16:30:28.000Z
creator: Lauren Morris
subject: Drama
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
subject: Exclusive
subject: Netflix
subject: News
subject: On demand
description: The Bridgerton cast will be reuniting for the BFI and Radio Times' virtual event.
encoded: Calling all Bridgerton fans! BFI and Radio Times are teaming up to host an exclusive online event with the Bridgerton cast and the creator of Netflix's hit period drama. Set to be the talk of the town, the digital event, which will stream on the BFI's YouTube channel, will see broadcaster Kirsty Lang in conversation with Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen, costume designer Ellen Mirojnick and several cast members, including stars Phoebe Dynevor (Daphne Bridgerton) and Regé-Jean Page (Duke of Hastings) to chat about all things season two. Joining them on the virtual panel as part of the Television Festival are stars Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton), Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington), Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury) and Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton). During the event, which will be available from 7pm on Wednesday 27th January, the panel will be discussing "the show's groundbreaking approach to character and plot, diverse casting" as well as use of contemporary music, visual splendour and adapting Julia Quinn's hugely popular novels. Bridgerton, which landed on Netflix on Christmas Day, has since climbed the platform's streaming chart thanks to its Regency era drama, saucy scenes and scintillating scandals. The new issue of Radio Times – out Tuesday 26th January. The series, produced by Grey's Anatomy's Shonda Rhimes, looks at the competitive world of London's Ton in the 1800's, where well-to-do families enter their debutantes in the marriage market. The eight-part series mainly focuses on the Bridgerton family, who are the subject of the anonymous Lady Whistledown's scandal sheets and whose eldest daughter Daphne makes her social season debut. For more information on how to join the BFI and Radio Times' Television Festival and how to watch the free-to-view event, please visit: bfi.org.uk. BFI & Radio Times' Bridgerton panel will be available from 7pm on Wednesday 27th January. Read an exclus…

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When is I Am Nicola, I Am Kirsty and I Am Hannah on TV? Samantha Morton, Gemma Chan and Vicky McClure star in Channel 4 drama series
type: item
date: 2019-07-23T10:32:55.000Z
creator: Flora Carr
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
subject: Channel 4
description: The emotionally-charged series includes three female-led anthology films
encoded: Channel 4's ambitious new anthology series "I Am..." stars Oscar nominee Samantha Morton, Humans' Gemma Chan and Line of Duty's Vicky McClure in three standalone "female-led" stories. Created by Bafta winner Dominic Savage (The Escape), each hour-long film follows a different women as they experience "moments that are emotionally raw, thought-provoking and utterly personal". Shot over the summer and autumn of 2018, each of the three episodes is co-authored and developed by its female lead, a collaborative process that Samantha Morton compared to "singing a duet" during a Q&A at the BFI & Radio Times Festival. Vicky McClure, Gemma Chan and Samantha Morton to star in trio of “emotionally raw” TV films 15 books you need to read before they become TV series and movies in 2019 The biggest movies of 2019 The first episode is called I Am Nicola, starring Vicky McClure, while the second is called I Am Kirsty, which stars Samantha Morton (Minority Report). The third, starring Gemma Chan, is called I Am Hannah. Here's everything you need to know about the I Am... series: When is I Am Nicola on TV? The hour-long films begin airing on Tuesday 23rd July at 10pm on Channel 4, starting with I Am Nicola. I Am Kirsty and I Am Hannah are expected to air over the following weeks. Is there a trailer for Channel 4's I Am... series? There is indeed — showing the ups and downs of McClure, Morton and Chan's characters, it offers an intriguing glimpse into the dramatic heft of the films. View oEmbed on the source website What is I Am Nicola about? I Am Nicola will star Line of Duty actress Vicky McClure and Perry Fitzpatrick, telling the story of a dysfunctional and coercive relationship. The two actors have actually known each other since they first began acting together as kids, and the whole story came together as a collaborative effort with plenty of improvisation. McClure's character Nicola is a hairdresser "dissatisfied with her life and envious of her customer's exciting new experien…

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Russell T Davies won’t return to Doctor Who – even for an anniversary special
type: item
date: 2019-04-17T14:49:18.000Z
creator: Thomas Ling
subject: News
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: However, the former showrunner's new BBC1 series will be travelling to the future
encoded: It’s now been over 14 years since Doctor Who made its big 21st-century comeback when showrunner Russell T Davies successfully established a new era for the Time Lord. However, despite earning God/Doctor-like status among Whovians after his five years helming the BBC show, Davies has vowed not to write another episode. Russell T Davies explains why he won’t return to write A Very English Scandal sequel Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston threatened to sue the BBC after quitting show Listen to the RadioTimes.com Podcast now: subscribe on iTunes /subscribe on Google Podcasts Speaking about a possible return to Who at the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival, Davies told us a comeback will never be on the cards – even if he had the opportunity to write a special Who 60th anniversary episode. “It'll be like coming back to a job I did 10 years ago, wouldn’t it? Who would do that?” View oEmbed on the source website Seems like Davies' views haven’t shifted since he penned the novelisation of episode Rose. Speaking then, he said: “Really, think about it. Go back to the job you had 13 years ago. Or go back to your old school. Walk in, say hello, take your old seat. And start giving instructions! Watch everyone’s faces. Shortly before they call the police. “Move on! And besides. Why look back? The future is golden.” Although he won’t be returning to Who, Davies’ upcoming TV project Years and Years will be another time-jumping drama – but won’t include a Tardis. Instead, the six-part series starring Emma Thompson will follow one family, the Lyons from Manchester, through events of a near and dangerous future. Everything you need to know about Russell T Davies' new series Years and Years “It jumps five years ahead in the first episode and then every week it goes forward another year more or less. But in the end, it will be set 15 years in the future,” Davies explained. “The world has got madder over the past few years,” he added. “I thought of this series before the 20…

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Derry Girls writer reveals James may join a rival gang in series three
type: item
date: 2019-04-17T07:00:59.000Z
creator: Ellie Harrison
subject: Comedy
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: The wee English fella isn't leaving Derry – but could he be ditching Erin and the girls for a rival gang?
encoded: The series two finale of Derry Girls ended on a surprisingly uplifting note, with wee English fella James (Dylan Llewellyn) choosing not to leave Derry for good after all. But now the writer of the Bafta-nominated sitcom has revealed that although James isn’t leaving Northern Ireland, he could be ditching the Derry Girls for a rival gang in series three. Derry Girls renewed for series three Derry Girls star Dylan Llewellyn: I didn’t understand any Northern Irish slang – but learning it was cool Listen to the RadioTimes.com Podcast now: subscribe on iTunes / subscribe on Google Podcasts Speaking about her plans for a third series, Lisa McGee told RadioTimes.com at the BFI & Radio Times Festival: “I was thinking about maybe one of them joining another gang, a rival gang, and how the others try to get them back and deal with that.” Who could be the Judas breaking away from the group? “I think James, maybe,” McGee teased. James hasn’t exactly been welcomed into the gang with open arms since the day he arrived as the only English kid in the school for girls, and he finds it pretty hard to keep up with all the slang – so it’s wouldn't be the biggest shock if he became the one to split off. But there was a very touching moment between him and his cousin Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) in the series two finale, where after a lot of tough love and teasing, Michelle finally showed her vulnerable side and asked James to stay. McGee – who in a recent interview revealed there also might be more to explore with James and Erin’s (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) budding romance – added: “I’m just thinking about storylines at the minute. I have a political back story I want to do. It’s a bit scary but I’ll have to start writing things down soon. “We’ll continue from ’95 so obviously it was very different for us then: for one thing all these splinter organisations came out of nowhere, which was quite strange, and then people were just getting used to peace time. “They had more to lose, I thin…

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Big Narstie explains why he pulled out of Celebrity Bake Off
type: item
date: 2019-04-16T08:00:21.000Z
subject: Entertainment
subject: News
subject: Reality TV
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: The grime star opened up about his health scare – and how he's still proud of his dog biscuit bake
encoded: Although well on his way to stealing James Acaster’s worst ever Bake Off contestant crown, Big Narstie sadly had to pull out halfway through Channel 4's Stand Up to Cancer celebrity competition. Host Sandi Toksvig became "Little Narstie" as she stood in for the godfather of British grime, with co-presenter Noel Fielding telling the bakers Big Narstie was “a little bit unwell”. While the show didn’t give any more details about his illness, the MC recently revealed to RadioTimes.com that he had collapsed the night before filming and had to visit hospital. Prue Leith aiming “to at least equal Mary Berry” on Bake Off Is Big Narstie the best weather presenter ever? (Yes.) Listen to the RadioTimes.com Podcast now: subscribe on iTunes /subscribe on Google Podcasts View oEmbed on the source website “Truth be told, between TV and my music career, they've been working me like a prostitute,” he said when asked about his withdrawal at the BFI and Radio Times Television Festival. “So f***ing nine days with only 24 hours sleep…I f***ing collapsed, you get me? I went to hospital. That was a wake up that I really needed to slow down. I'm only a human being. I'm not a robot. Adding how he planned to slow down his working life, Narstie said: “I realised that opportunities don't mean s*** if you're not healthy. If I haven't rested or I haven't slept or had food or done the normal basic things as a human being, how could I stand in front of a camera and do stuff, you know what I mean? It's mad! “When my body just gave up it was crazy! At night I just felt a bit f***ed up and then it all went downhill.” However, despite the health scare, Narstie was delighted about his bakes that did make it to air. Yes, really. “My rasta pie – vibes!” he beamed. “My doggy biscuits were flavours! Snap! It was like school biscuits with custard!” We're unsure exactly what sort of custard cream Narstie was talking about here, but judging by his interpretation of shortbread, we're not sure we want to know..…

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Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio: there was a "discussion" about NOT killing off that main character
type: item
date: 2019-04-15T20:40:00.000Z
creator: Eleanor Bley Griffiths
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: Jed Mercurio told Bodyguard fans at the BFI & Radio Times Festival that he considered changing the outcome of the mid-season bomb attack
encoded: It was a defining moment in 2018's hit thriller Bodyguard – but creator Jed Mercurio says he actually considered not killing off Keeley Hawes' character Julia Montague. Asked whether there was a point where he considered keeping her in the BBC drama, Mercurio told the audience at the BFI & Radio Times Festival: "Oh sure, of course." He added: "We examine everything, and there certainly was that discussion." Jed Mercurio is “optimistic” we’ll get a second series of Bodyguard Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio has been planning the 'H' conspiracy from day one Who is ‘H’ in Line of Duty? Meet the suspects Bodyguard fans were stunned when Home Secretary Julia Montague was hit by a massive bomb blast in the cliffhanger ending to episode three. Had she lived or died? And would Jed Mercurio really kill off one of his main characters – just like that? The answer came in the next episode, when a horrified David Budd (Richard Madden) heard the news: Julia had died of her injuries in hospital. But crucially, Mercurio decided not to show the Home Secretary's actual death or her body – a choice which left many fans convinced that Julia was still alive. So was this always the plan, or did Mercurio ever contemplate showing her death on screen? "Yeah we did. We did consider that as well," the showrunner revealed. "It was purely actually about the point of view, and I think we're all familiar with some shows where you're watching it and you're thinking, hang on, how is that person witnessing – you know what hospitals are like! Try getting into an operating theatre, it's not easy. So it felt like if we were staying true to the idea that it was David Budd's point of view, there was no circumstance in which he would be allowed in. "So, what we created was a sense of him observing the news being given, and then it kind of plays on his mind about whether – firstly that he's been excluded from that moment and he feels tremendous responsibility for it, but then, yes, it also opens up that ot…

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Russell T Davies explains why he won't return to write A Very English Scandal sequel
type: item
date: 2019-04-15T15:05:15.000Z
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: The writer said writing the follow-up to the BBC anthology series would be like "getting lightning to strike twice"
encoded: After a critically-acclaimed first series, writer Russell T Davies has said he has no plans to pen more episodes of A Very English Scandal. Although it was recently revealed by RadioTimes.com that the BBC1 drama would be turned into an anthology series akin to American Crime Story, Davies told us that returning would be like “getting lightning to strike twice”. Helen Mirren on the shift in roles for women on TV: ‘It’s taken much too long, but it’s finally happened’ Nurse Trixie actress Helen George: I’ll do Call the Midwife “till I’m dead” Listen to the RadioTimes.com Podcast now: subscribe on iTunes / subscribe on Google Podcasts View oEmbed on the source website “No, I think I had a scandal that was tailor-made for me there,” Davies said at the BFI and Radio Times TV Festival when asked if he’d write again for the show. Referring to his 2018 series – which centred on Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe (played by Hugh Grant) and his desperate attempts to cover up an affair with Ben Whishaw's Norman Josiffe (better known in the media as Norman Scott) – Davies added: “I always wanted to tell the story of Jeremy Thorpe and Norman Scott. And I loved writing every single second of it. But it would be like getting lightning to strike twice if I did it [again]. Good luck to [the new team] – how many scandals have there been in our society? A million! But, for me, [the Jeremy Thorpe scandal] was the one.” While Davies’ series was anchored in the 1970s, the second series of the show will jump back to examine the 1963 sex scandal involving Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll. While divorcing her husband Ian Campbell, it emerged Margaret had been involved in several extramarital affairs, allegedly with a number of figures holding positions of power. As executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins previously told RadioTimes.com, “The Duchess of Argyll was the first woman to be publicly slut-shamed. “We’re going to focus on the very public divorce from her second husband. He w…

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Charlie Brooker reveals even more scenes that were cut from Bandersnatch
type: item
date: 2019-04-15T13:21:52.000Z
creator: Ellie Harrison
subject: News
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
subject: Netflix
subject: On demand
description: From unlocking achievements to showing a full 90-minute movie, the Black Mirror creator reveals the weirder ideas that never made it to the final film
encoded: There are hundreds of different journeys that Black Mirror viewers can take through the narrative of its interactive Netflix movie Bandersnatch – and now show creator Charlie Brooker has revealed there could have been even more. Speaking at the BFI and Radio Times Television Festival, Brooker and co-showrunner Annabel Jones spoke about the number of scenes and ideas they eventually had to cut from Bandersnatch, as they attempted to build the paths through the drama. Back in January Brooker and Jones revealed some of the grisly deleted scenes from Bandersnatch – find out more about what else was left on the cutting room floor below... The best TV shows to watch on Netflix How many endings does Black Mirror’s interactive film Bandersnatch have? Listen to the RadioTimes.com Podcast now: subscribe on iTunes / subscribe on Google Podcasts 'Achievements unlocked' Charlie Brooker said his initial idea involved leaning even more heavily in to the video game concept, saying that he thought about ways that viewers/players could unlock special bonus features by completing tasks in the show. “I wanted it to unlock achievements like an Xbox does,” he said of Bandersnatch, adding that he maintains that “it would have been a good idea” despite co-showrunner Annabel Jones not being so keen. While Brooker didn’t go into detail about exactly what the rewards for viewers could be, but we're kinda happy we don't have to spend hours and hours exploring every corner of Stefan's bleak, doom-laden world. Cereal killers The very first choice that viewers make in Bandersnatch is whether protagonist Stefan eats Frosties or Sugar Puffs for breakfast. It sounds like a fairly benign choice, considering viewers are later asked to choose between cutting up a body or burying it, but it turns out Brooker wanted to bring back the cereals in a gruesome scene later on in the film. “The pay-off for choosing the cereal later on,” explains Brooker, “when you hit Dad with the ash tray and kill him, was goi…

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Helen Mirren on the shift in roles for women on TV: 'It’s taken much too long, but it's finally happened'
type: item
date: 2019-04-14T20:18:59.000Z
creator: Eleanor Bley Griffiths
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: Actress Helen Mirren has been inducted into the Radio Times Hall of Fame alongside David Attenborough, Joanna Lumley and Michael Palin
encoded: Helen Mirren has said the shift in TV roles for women has "finally happened" – but it has "taken too long." Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com ahead of her induction into the Radio Times Hall of Fame, the actress said she had noted a "massive" change within the TV industry over the last few years. Terminator Genisys actor Jason Clarke to star opposite Helen Mirren in new Sky drama Catherine the Great Move over Cumberbatch – Mark Gatiss says "three quarters of the population" will fancy Dracula Mirren first appeared on television in 1967 and, in an acting career spanning five decades, has starred in more than 130 films and TV shows including Prime Suspect, The Queen, and Gosford Park. Asked about whether roles for women on the small screen had shifted, Mirren said: "Absolutely. In the last five years, incredible. It's taken a long time, taken too long, much too long. But I think it's finally happened." Ahead of her return to TV in Catherine the Great on Sky Atlantic, Mirren said her role as DCI Jane Tennison in crime drama Prime Suspect had "absolutely" been a game-changer for female characters on TV. "I got lucky. I got the role," she said, crediting the female writer and producer behind the show: "I took that ball and I ran with it, if you like, but the insemination of that was Lynda La Plante and Sally Head." Mirren's Hall of Fame induction marks the final night of the BFI & Radio Times Festival, as she joins existing members David Attenborough, Joanna Lumley and Michael Palin. "I'm obviously in very good company, and it's an honour," she said, joking: "Do I get a badge?" The ceremony is also a chance to look back over a long and varied career on screen. "I started thinking about the number of TV things I've done, and I suddenly realised, my goodness I've actually done a huge amount of television," Mirren said. "Of great variety as well, in the past. So it's kind of nice to revisit that... it made me think about all those things that I haven't thought about in…

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Nurse Trixie actress Helen George: I'll do Call the Midwife "till I'm dead"
type: item
date: 2019-04-14T18:08:13.000Z
creator: Eleanor Bley Griffiths
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: Don't ever doubt Helen George's commitment to Call the Midwife
encoded: Helen George has no plans to quit Call the Midwife – and the actress revealed that only death itself will prevent her from starring as Nurse Trixie Anderson. Trixie has been part of the Call the Midwife line-up since the very first episode in 2012. Over the years we have seen her become one of the pillars of Nonnatus House; her only absence from the show came in series seven when Helen George went on maternity leave to have her daughter, while Trixie herself disappeared abroad to recover from a relapse into alcoholism. Writer Heidi Thomas on plans for a possible Call the Midwife movie Here's how Helen George disguised her baby bump in Call the Midwife Filming begins on Call the Midwife series 9 Speaking at the BFI & Radio Times Festival, George responded to a question about whether she planned to stick around "until the end" of Call the Midwife with the words: "Oh I do, till I'm dead." Frankly, you can't get much more committed than that. It looks like Call the Midwife fans will be seeing plenty more of George for years to come, as series nine, 10 and 11 have already been commissioned and the future of the BBC1 drama is secure until at least 2022. Creator and writer Heidi Thomas also told the audience at the BFI in London that the nuns she'd consulted were "vexed" when Call the Midwife did not lead to a rise in women taking the veil. While applications from students hoping to train as midwives initially rose after series one was broadcast, Thomas reported there was "no increase in people applying to become nuns. Which the nuns were quite surprised and vexed about. But I think - we're obviously going to have to up our game."

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Derry Girls star Dylan Llewellyn: I didn’t understand any Northern Irish slang – but learning it was cool
type: item
date: 2019-04-14T17:13:30.000Z
creator: Ellie Harrison
subject: Comedy
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: From “wee’un” to “ride”, the only English kid in the Channel 4 comedy had a lot to learn
encoded: Dylan Llewellyn’s character James in Derry Girls sticks out like a sore thumb. Not only is he the sole boy in a school for girls, but he’s also the only English kid in the Northern Irish comedy. It turns out it’s not just James who’s a bit out of his depth when it comes to keeping up with the Derry Girls – the actor who plays him also had a lot of Northern Irish vernacular to learn on set. “I am a Derry Girl!” – fans celebrate uplifting ending to Derry Girls series two Derry Girls writer Lisa McGee breaks down the series 2 finale and what might happen next Listen to the RadioTimes.com Podcast now: subscribe on iTunes / subscribe on Google Podcasts View oEmbed on the source website “I didn’t understand any of it,” Llewellyn admitted to an audience at the BFI & Radio Times TV Festival. He initially misheard “wee’un” which means 'child' (“Who’s Wayne?” he laughed) and marvelled at the fact that “wee” can mean both “small or big,” “Learning new slang was cool,” he said, "“it’s like a whole new thing, it’s brilliant.” Saoirse-Monica Jackson, who plays Erin, added that she thinks the word “ride” – meaning “to sleep with”– is “lovely”. “I remember when I first moved to England and I was at uni,” she said, “and I would be asking my friends, ‘Did you ride him?’ And they’d be like, ‘That’s so grotesque.’ “I actually don’t think that, I think it’s a much nicer word. It’s lovely, it’s so much better. It’s more casual." Laughing, she concluded: "Ah no, that was not the right thing to say…” Show writer Lisa McGee helped the actress out by adding: “It’s more adventurous.” Derry Girls was recently renewed for a third series, so here’s hoping there’ll be plenty more slang – and adventures – to look forward to.

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Move over Cumberbatch – Mark Gatiss says "three quarters of the population" will fancy Dracula
type: item
date: 2019-04-14T16:23:56.000Z
creator: Flora Carr
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: Danish actor Claes Bang stars as the eponymous vampire in the BBC/Netflix co-production
encoded: BBC1's Sherlock transformed its lead actor Benedict Cumberbatch into an international sex symbol — and according to its co-creator Mark Gatiss, the upcoming BBC/Netflix adaptation of Dracula is set to do the exact same for its leading man. Gatiss, who co-wrote both Sherlock and Dracula alongside Doctor Who's Steven Moffat, has said that "three quarters" of the national population will end up fancying Claes Bang, who plays the eponymous vampire. New Dracula series was inspired by a photo of Benedict Cumberbatch, says Mark Gatiss Steven Moffat’s Dracula drama WON'T be set in the modern day Mark Gatiss reveals the part he wants to play in his new Dracula TV series In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com at the BFI & Radio Times TV Festival, Gatiss said: "Claes Bang is a fantastic Dracula. We’re having a really good time. He’s a wonderful man and really thrilled and committed to it, and really enjoying himself. View oEmbed on the source website "He looks amazing and is so up for it, but equally I think he’s asking that question that all people who play big parts like that: 'Well, what do I bring to it, this iconic part?' And I think that’s been very interesting for us to explore together." Asked whether half the population would end up fancying Bang, Gatiss said: "Half the population? I would say three quarters. I don’t know what’s wrong with the other quarter to be honest!" Gatiss also revealed that filming had just wrapped on episode one of Dracula, with some locations shot in Slovakia. "It’s the novel in three 90-minute episodes," he said, "not necessarily exactly the same, not necessarily the same order, but the beats of it are very faithful to the novel. "We just wanted to find all kinds of ways of doing the horror, you know, a lot of that is psychological. There’s quite a lot of really nasty stuff in it which I’m very excited about."

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New Dracula series was inspired by a photo of Benedict Cumberbatch, says Mark Gatiss
type: item
date: 2019-04-14T14:25:51.000Z
creator: Flora Carr
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
subject: On demand
description: Gatiss has co-created the BBC/Netflix adaptation alongside Steven Moffat
encoded: Sherlock's Mark Gatiss has revealed that the original inspiration behind his upcoming BBC/Netflix series Dracula came from a rather unlikely source: a photograph of Benedict Cumberbatch. Speaking at an event at the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival, Gatiss said that the "germ" of the idea came midway through filming the third season of Sherlock. Steven Moffat’s Dracula drama WON'T be set in the modern day Mark Gatiss reveals the part he wants to play in his new Dracula TV series View oEmbed on the source website "It came about several years ago," Gatiss said. "We were filming — we'd just started the third series of Sherlock, where he comes back from the dead, and we had to break off after two days to go to the RTS awards (somebody has to do it) and I had a picture on my phone of Benedict silhouetted against the door of Mrs Hudson's room." "I showed it to Ben Stephenson, who was then the Head of Drama [at the BBC], and I said, 'Looks like Dracula'. And he said, 'Do you want to do it?'" "It didn't happen immediately but that was the germ of it, really. So it just seemed like the natural one to do if we were able to." The three-part literary adaptation is co-written by Gatiss and Steven Moffat, and stars Danish actor Claes Bang as the eponymous vampire.

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Line of Duty's Maya Sondhi: I convinced creator Jed Mercurio to kill Maneet off
type: item
date: 2019-04-13T19:35:55.000Z
creator: Ben Allen
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: "Yeah, not many actresses ask to die!" the star of series five said
encoded: Line of Duty fan favourite Maneet Bindra became the latest victim of serial character killer Jed Mercurio in series five – except this time, it wasn't the writer's idea to kill her off. Maya Sondhi, the actress who played the unfortunate AC-12 police officer, said that in fact she was the one who suggested that Maneet should die. Speaking at the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival 2019, the actress said that she told writer Mercurio that in order to wrap up the series four storyline – which saw her feed info on her fellow AC-12 officers to corrupt copper ACC Hilton – he needed to do something drastic. Who is ‘H’ in Line of Duty? Meet the suspects Line of Duty: Examining the evidence against Ted Hastings Meet the cast of Line of Duty series five "Jed rang me before the scripts were coming out," she said, when asked by host Mark Lawson when she knew her time on the show was coming to an end. "But before that I had also suggested to him: 'Why don't you kill me?" And he went, 'Really?' "Yeah, not many actresses ask to die!" she joked. Sondhi said she was particularly happy with how she went out: in a blaze of glory, attempting to take on the organised crime group from the inside, before being murdered at the docks. "I think it was so unexpected; Jed said you'll have lots to do in the first episode and it'll be great. And actually, even though I love the show and everything, what a way to go," she told the audience. "I would much rather have gone like that than just sort of been hanging around being dodgy in the background." However, just like Mercurio's other hit series Bodyguard, there have already been theories flying that Maneet may not be as dead as she appears. Actress Sondhi was quick to pour cold water on the rumours – even if, as everyone knows, it's dangerous to second guess Mercurio's true intentions. "Hmm, not sure how many people get their throats slit and survive," she said. "But, you know, it is Jed..." Line of Duty series five continues on Sundays at 9p…

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'She's young, intelligent and joining an unbelievable family' – Josh O'Connor on why Emma Corrin is The Crown's perfect Princess Diana
type: item
date: 2019-04-13T18:32:01.000Z
creator: Kimberley Bond
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
subject: Netflix
subject: On demand
description: Newcomer Emma Corrin will play the Princess in the fourth series of The Crown
encoded: She may have only just been cast as Princess Diana in The Crown, but it seems Emma Corrin has already landed a fan in the shape of her Prince Charles. Josh O’Connor, who plays her soon-to-be husband in the Netflix biopic, says that newcomer Corrin is the perfect person to play the key role. Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com at the BFI and Radio Times Television Festival, the actor explained, “I’ve met her and I think she is young but she’s totally on point. She’s an incredible talent. View oEmbed on the source website “She’s incredibly intelligent and she seems really bright and switched on and I think that makes such a difference," O'Connor added. "She’s entering a family of unbelievable actors, unbelievable crew, production and a support system where she won’t feel unsupported and hopefully she’ll be able to enjoy it. She’ll be unbelievable. She’s great.” The Crown cast "can’t stop talking about" Olivia Colman’s Oscar win When is The Crown season 3 on Netflix? Who is in the cast, and what is going to happen? The Crown star Josh O’Connor says the Queen “loves him in The Durrells” When asked about whether the pair had a natural chemistry, he responded, “Chemistry is a funny word. It never works like that. But she’s a really nice girl and she’s going to be brilliant.” O’Connor will be playing the prince during his younger years, starting as a student at Cambridge University and featuring major moments in his early life, including his investiture as the Prince Of Wales in 1969. While O’Connor is familiar to British audiences thanks to his roles as Larry in The Durrells and Marius in Les Miserables, he is set to embrace international fame due to the worldwide popularity of The Crown. “The whole experience from start to finish [on The Crown] has been pure joy and working with those actors and directors and that writing, it feels amazing,” he said. “That’s the focus for me. All the overnight fame stuff? That’s alright.” The Crown is set to return to Netflix later th…

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Jed Mercurio says Line of Duty could run for another two series
type: item
date: 2019-04-13T18:17:30.000Z
creator: Ben Allen
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: He knows "a few key points" of the show's eventual ending
encoded: Jed Mercurio says that Line of Duty could run for a further two series on BBC, depending on how series five is received. Who is 'H' in Line of Duty? Meet the suspects Line of Duty: Examining the evidence against Ted Hastings Meet the cast of Line of Duty series five The show has traditionally taken two years between each series, and series three, four and five were made in the knowledge that they would definitely not be the show's final run - allowing Mercurio to set up plot points for future series. Series six is already commissioned, and Mercurio, speaking at the BFI and Radio Times Television Festival, said that he will discuss plans for series seven with the BBC once the dust has settled on the current run. "Once series five has finished airing we'll have a conversation with the BBC, with a view to whether there's a possibility to series seven being commissioned," he said. "But we definitely know we've got series six." This has always been the plan, it seems. "The only reason is that there are a lot of loose ends to tie up, and we couldn’t take the risk of getting it commissioned later on," he said. "So if we didn’t know that we could go beyond this series, then we would have to approach it in a way that concluded things." It's this crafty forward planning that is ultimately responsible for the extended delays between series, and that is likely to be no different this time around. "We are not going straight into series six, we never shoot them back to back," Mercurio said. "It's really helpful to the process that we are allowed time for the series to go out, and then we can kind of take stock of audience reaction. That's just really helpful to us – the stories that have resonated, the things that people are interested in – those help us plan ahead. So we're going to take stock after series five, and that's always the way that we do it." Mercurio confirmed he hasn't started writing the upcoming series, but he has a clear idea of the direction it will take, based …

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Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio has been planning the 'H' conspiracy from day one
type: item
date: 2019-04-13T17:34:52.000Z
creator: Ben Allen
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: Although we may not find out who 'H' is in series five...
encoded: Jed Mercurio has confirmed that he had planned for the identity of corrupt copper 'H' to become the central mystery of Line of Duty from the very beginning. Speaking at the BFI and Radio Times Television Festival 2019, the show's creator and writer said that he intentionally gave several characters names beginning with 'H', and made it so that others could theoretically take on the moniker given to the officer allegedly at the heart of police corruption. Who is 'H' in Line of Duty? Meet the suspects Line of Duty: Examining the evidence against Ted Hastings Meet the cast of Line of Duty series five "There aren't 28 - there are about six, aren't there?" Mercurio said, after host Mark Lawson had jokingly suggested the number of characters who could potentially be H was in the twenties. Did he plan this H-eadache? "Yeah, yeah," he said. "And, sometimes there were characters whose name could be corrupted or nicknamed into being an 'H' if I wanted to, so some of the characters were given names where they could have been revealed as having an 'H' connection if it was required." Though Mercurio said he has known the whole time who 'H' is, the writer also admitted that he would have no qualms about doing a u-turn if a better idea came to him. "I suppose if I had an idea later on that was even better then, yeah, of course I would change it – because you want it to be as good as possible and surprising and so forth." There have been several hints in the series that beloved bent copper-catcher Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) could in fact be the corrupt officer in question, ever since he suspiciously ordered Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) to take his picture off the suspects board at the end of series four. Who is 'H' in Line of Duty? Meet the suspects Fans have been hoping that they will discover the antagonist's identity in series five, but according to the show's creator, we may not get the answers we are looking for quite so soon. "I think ther…

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Even the producers of Unforgotten don't know the new killer
type: item
date: 2019-04-13T15:56:48.000Z
creator: Kimberley Bond
subject: Drama
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
subject: ITV
description: Series four is going to be a big surprise...just don't expect any drugs or fast cars
encoded: The Bafta-winning Unforgotten has always shocked and surprised its audience with the final reveals of its culprits. When is Unforgotten series four on TV? Unforgotten gets a fourth series Unforgotten viewers have some major questions about the series three finale With the exception of the third series, which tipped its hand earlier in the run, a new suspect always emerge just when we have convinced ourselves whodunnit. Now even the producers are keen to avoid spoilers, requesting that Unforgotten writer Chris Lang keeps them out the loop. Speaking at the BFI and Radio Times Television Festival, executive producer Laura Mackie explained, “we have made an interesting decision in series 4. In the past, [executive producer] Sally Haynes and I have always known who’s done it. “This time we’ve decided with Chris that we don’t want to know. We’ve got five scripts now, Chris has written drafts of five out of the six scripts of series 4. We came in a few weeks ago and Sally and I were looking and ask each other who we thought could be the culprit and we literally didn’t know.” However, Mackie insisted that this actually works as an advantage for them for when the series comes out. “It’s actually great to be able to read it because then you are objective, you’re not bringing any baggage to it,” she continued. “But we do have notes, we do have little annoying anal notes that probably get on Chris’s nerves.” The fourth series will see the return of police detectives Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) and Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) as they attempt to solve another case. Lang added at the festival that it was their “ordinary” depictions as detectives on screen that made them “extraordinary” in televisual terms. “Most TV detectives seem to often require external tropes in ordinary to make them seem more interesting,” he said. “They have a fast car or a drink or drug habit or a mental health issue or some kind of quirk that I think is a little bit bolted on because actually, watch 24 …

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Jennifer Saunders once considered 'killing off' Ab Fab's Eddie and Patsy
type: item
date: 2019-04-13T14:03:45.000Z
creator: Radio Times staff
subject: Comedy
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: Joanna Lumley revealed during the BFI and Radio Times TV Festival that her co-star suggested a drastic way to end the show – but she joked that the characters "can never die"
encoded: Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley revealed that her co-star Jennifer Saunders once considered a drastic way to end the show – by killing off Patsy and Eddie. Lumley said during the BFI & Radio Times TV Festival that Saunders once wrote her a message asking her whether they should "kill them off and bury them". Lumley's response? Patsy and Eddie can "never die". Find out more about the BFI & Radio Times TV Festival "“I utterly adore her [Patsy]," she told Saturday Live presenter and Q&A host Richard Coles. "The thing is, she can’t be destroyed. I hope I’m not saying anything out of turn, but Jennifer said, ‘Shall we just kill them off and bury them?’ and I wrote back the fastest email return I’ve ever written back. "I said, ‘No, we’ve promised the world we will never die!' Anyway, I think I’ve made that up, but I just said, ‘No, we can’t die!’." Jennifer Saunders hints at “age-appropriate” Absolutely Fabulous return Lumley was speaking as she was inducted into the Radio Times Hall of Fame, an event to celebrate her 50-year career in TV and entertainment. Quashing any suggestions of retirement, the 72-year-old star said that she would never give up the "dream" of performing. “The thing is, if I was in a job that I hated or was tedious or tired me out, and was not rewarding and that I couldn’t wait to get my holiday every year to get away from it, I’d retire like a shot," she said. "But as all I’m doing is all I dreamed of doing and being in life: why would I give it up?" Lumley also confirmed that she would be travelling to Cuba later in the year for a new TV travelogue.

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When is the BFI and Radio Times Television Festival, what's on, and how can I buy tickets?
type: item
date: 2019-04-08T14:11:19.000Z
creator: Flora Carr
subject: Entertainment
subject: News
subject: TV
subject: BFI & Radio Times Festival
description: Everything you need to know about the star-studded television festival, including line-up, ticket information and dates
encoded: Whether it's the chance to hear Charlie Brooker discuss Black Mirror, enjoy a spot of tea with Bake Off's Nadiya Hussain, meet the stars of Clique, or you're looking to catch an exclusive preview of Russell T Davies' hotly-anticipated drama Years and Years, there's something for everyone at this year's BFI & Radio Times Television Festival. The festival will comprise more than 30 interviews, screenings, talks and previews, with more to be announced. There'll be sessions on Black Mirror, Bodyguard, Line of Duty, new Keeley Hawes drama Summer of Rockets, and many more... Plus, you can hear from stars such as Joanna Lumley, Zawe Ashton, Jamie Oliver and Big Narstie, as they talk about their life on TV. How can I get tickets to the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival 2019? If this sounds like your dream weekend, you can join us at London's BFI Southbank from Friday 12th — Sunday 14th April 2019. Priority tickets are on sale for Radio Times magazine readers from Monday 11th February at 11:30am (using the special booking codes found inside your 9th-15th and 16th-22nd February copies) and the general public from Friday 15th February at 11:30am. You can also buy tickets in person at BFI Southbank, London. *Lines open 11.30am – 8.30pm; calls cost 5p per minute from a BT landline, other networks and mobiles may vary. Here’s your guide to all the TV shows, stars and talent due to appear – look out for more events to be announced in the coming weeks... First look at Emma Thompson in Russell T Davies drama Years and Years Watch full series of Patrick Melrose, Save Me and In the Long Run for FREE on RadioTimes.com Stay up to date with the RadioTimes.com newsletter Game of Thrones Sunday 14th April, 7.30pm (Tickets £20) On the same day that the eighth and final series of the epic fantasy drama airs around the world, two potentially key players – Joe Dempsie (Gendry) and Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm) – join Thronecast's Jamie East for an evening of conversation about all things Game…

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