Drama Wars 2013: BBC vs ITV

By all accounts, 2012 was a pretty stellar year for drama output from the BBC and ITV. Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Endeavour, DCI Banks, Scott and Bailey, Call the Midwife and Upstairs Downstairs to name a few. In 2013, it only gets better as both the BBC and ITV are getting ready to rumble for drama […]

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The Secret of Crickley Hall – a BBC treat this Halloween

Airing this Halloween on BBC One, The Secret of Crickley Hall, adapted from the 2006 James Herbert novel and directed by Doctor Who writer Joe Ahearne, is a great treat (no trick). The haunted house horror tale stars Suranne Jones (Scott and Bailey, A Touch of Cloth), Tom Ellis (Miranda) and Douglas Henshall (Primeval, Doors […]

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Wallander 3 set for September 2012 on PBS

Word from PBS World Headquarters is that the newest series of Wallander now has a September 2012 broadcast transmission date set. The greatness that is Sir Kenneth Branagh will return as Kurt Wallander for another three installments of Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell’s classic detective series. Written by Peter Harness, who is known to PBS […]

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Birdsong – another Masterpiece, 4/22 on PBS

The upcoming April 22 premiere of Birdsong will, undoubtedly, bring endless comparisons to Downton Abbey. Airing as part of PBS’ Masterpiece series on April 22 and 29, the BBC adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ modern classic set during the First World War has, literally, been 20 years in the making. When this appeared in the UK […]

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ITV commissions Endeavor series for 2013

ITV has announced that their Inspector Morse ‘prequel’, Endeavor, has now officially been commissioned for an additional four episodes, to be filmed on location beginning this summer in Oxford, most likely for transmission in early 2013. PBS viewers in the United States will get a chance to experience what UK viewers already know when Endeavor […]

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Sir Kenneth Branagh – more Mankell & more Wallander in 2012

Following their most recent on-screen efforts together in My Week with Marilyn, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Kenneth Branagh will, again, join forces in an adaptation of Henning Mankell’s Italian Shoes. Branagh is no stranger to the work of the Swedish author as he is currently filming the third season of Mankell’s Wallander series for […]

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Scattershooting on Wallander III, Dark Shadows and more….

Wallander III in production From the watchful eye of tellyspotting reader, Patty Winter, comes a report of Sir Kenneth being spotted filming scenes for an upcoming episode of Wallander for series III, entitled “Dogs of Riga”, at the Riga Centra Market in Latvia, along with co-star Ingeborga Dapkunaite. Wallander, the BBC mini-series stars the greatness […]

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PBS style Final Four with Masterpiece Madness

Step aside Virginia Commonwealth. Forget about Butler, Kentucky and Connecticut. Bringing together PBS Masterpiece‘ 40th anniversary season with the 10 April premiere of Upstairs Downstairs, this years true Final Four bracket, PBS-style, pit powerhouses from the East Region (Sleuths, Cops and Justice Seekers), the Midwest Region (Women of Inferior Birth, Lesser Means and the Working […]

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Branagh returns as Kurt Wallander – tonight on PBS

Wallander returns to PBS tonight Another stellar season of Masterpiece premieres tonight on PBS when Kenneth Branagh again brings Swedish policeman, Kurt Wallander, to life in the second season of Wallander 9p ET/8p CT. Branagh created the character, which is based on the highly successful and griping international bestsellers by Henning Mankell. Tonight’s episode, “Faceless Killers”, […]

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Kenneth Branagh returns as Wallander

PBS’ brilliant Masterpiece series enters its 40th season in a few weeks with a stellar line-up of both familiar faces and newcomers. Sunday, October 3, on PBS stations nationwide will see the return of Kenneth Branagh in the role of police inspector, Kurt Wallander. Based on the novels of Swedish novelist, Henning Mankell, Branagh’s portrayal […]

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