Monday Scattershooting – Lark Rise, David Tennant and more…
Lark Rise to Candleford axed
After four seasons, the BBC’s popular period drama adaptation of Flora Thompson’s memoirs of her Oxfordshire childhood has come to an end. Set in both the small hamlet of Lark Rise and the neighboring, wealthier town of Candleford, the series starred Julia Sawalha (Absolutely Fabulous), Olivia Hallinan and Linda Bassett. BBC One controller Danny Cohen explained: “Lark Rise To Candleford has been a truly wonderful part of the BBC One schedule over the last few years, but after four series we feel that the time is right to make room for new dramas which we hope will be taken to the nation’s hearts in just the same way.” Cohen pointed to the upcoming Great Expectations and the spy series, Morton, as examples of “new” dramas in the pipeline. For those keeping score at home, 13 February will be the series finale on BBC One.
Former Time Lord and companion descend on London’s West End
Having left the TARDIS behind, David Tennant, the Tenth Traveling Time Lord, and Catherine Tate will star in the London’s West End stage presentation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Beginning in June at the Wyndham Theatre, Tennant and Tate will join forces again as the reluctant lovers Benedick and Beatrice, whose continual witty back and forth sparring threatens to thwart their relationship. The stage is no stranger to either actor with Tennant returning to the stage following a hugely successful stint in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet and Catherine Tate was most recently seen in Alan Ayckbourn’s Season’s Greetings at the National Theatre.
National Television Awards
This past week saw the greats of the British acting world converge at the O2 in London for the National Television Awards. Fresh on the heels of the British Comedy Awards, where I more than agreed with pretty much every award given, the NTA Awards were a bit difficult to predict….or, agree with. David Jason won the award for Best Drama Performance for his work in A Touch of Frost, besting the likes of Philip Glennister (Ashes to Ashes) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock). Been awhile since I’ve seen A Touch of Frost, but both runner-up performances this year were stellar and very deserving of winning. The Best Drama Award went to Waterloo Road, with Sherlock and Doctor Who “feeling just proud to be nominated”. Again, unfairly, I haven’t seen the winner, but Sherlock was brilliant. At least the Guardian agrees with me on this one and they’ve seen all of the nominees.
If you’re searching the Internets this week, keep an eye out for bits of interest and send along….more scattershooting next Monday.
