Lawrence Rickard + sarcasm. That’s basically all you need to know about this week’s Yonderland. It’s time for Rickard and Jim Howick to get more screen time as the Chamberlain and King Bernard respectively.
After the dramatic events of ‘Pandora’s Box’ culminating in Medusa’s transformation into the snake headed monstrosity of legend, we had hoped Atlantis might maintain some momentum. Instead, tonight’s ‘The Price of Hope’ was a transitory piece, appearing principally to introduce two characters for later in the saga.
Gary Russell has connections with Doctor Who that stretch back many years. To name but a few, he has edited Doctor Who Magazine, produced, directed and written Big Finish audio stories and more recently been a Script Editor on both Who and Torchwood. He has also written a wealth of books on the subject, including ten novels across both the Virgin and the BBC ranges.
When plans were announced for a spin-off TV series based on Thomas Harris’ 1981 novel Red Dragon (the first appearance of cinematic horror icon Dr Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ Lecter), with the creative team of Star Trek: Voyager and Heroes writer Bryan Fuller onboard alongside 30 Days Of Night director David Slade and the dream casting of charismatic Dane Mads Mikkelsen in the title role, expectations were understandably high.
So far this series we’ve held off giving any episode of Misfits the full 5 stars. Partly because none of them have been perfect. Partly because we knew deep down in our tummyguts that there’d come an episode that would nudge just a head above the rest to truly deserve them. And guess what? Our tummyguts were right.
It’s Episode 8 of this ten-part cross-country endurance murderthon and finally we can start to see the light at the end of The Tunnel. It’s about time. We’ve been stumbling around in the dark for what feels like ages.
Frozen, the latest offering from Disney, may not be up there with ‘90s classics such as The Lion King or Pocahontas, but it’s a refreshing and thoroughly modern fairy tale for a new generation to enjoy.
“I’m not sure about the songs but the special effects are supposed to be incredible,” was one friend’s response before heading off to see Ghosts at Brighton’s Theatre Royal. “Um, I think you might be thinking of a different show,” I replied. For, rest assured, there are no musical numbers or sexy encounters at a potter’s wheel in this, Stephen Unwin’s re-imagining of Henrik Ibsen’s 1881 play Ghosts, a miserable reflection on patriarchal society and family secrets.
Roald Dahl’s enduring tale of Charlie Bucket is nearly fifty years old. First published in 1964, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has captivated generations, with two screen versions cementing it in the public’s affections. Adapted by David Greig, with a fresh score from Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman (Hairspray, Smash) and direction from Skyfall director Sam Mendes, the story has now been re-imagined for the stage.
If the theme of last week’s Ripper Street was love, then this week it was faith.
In another brilliantly sharp and tragic episode, the second series of BBC One’s period crime drama continued to entertain on the one hand, whilst quietly investigating what it means to be human on the other – this time through the lens of religious faith.