Downton Abbey season 6: Tom Branson returns in new pictures from set

SUNDAY EXPRESS
By NEELA DEBNATH
PUBLISHED: 12:55, Thu, Jun 18, 2015 | UPDATED: 14:34, Thu, Jun 18, 2015



Tom, who is the husband of the late Lady Sybil, was headed to America with their daughter when we last saw him in the Downton Christmas special but it seems that he is back for one last hurrah.

Irish actor Allen, 34, was spotted on filming on set in scenes featuring what appears to be a motor race, suggesting Tom could have a hand in helping out with the cars thanks to his mechanical skills.

Filming took place at the Brooklands Museum Near Weybridge, Surrey which was the former site of the Brooklands racing circuit and aerodrome.

There were plenty of extras dressed in 1920s costumes, suggesting that the series will still be set in the same era rather than doing any jumps forward in time as it has previously between series.

Actors Matthew Goode, who plays Henry Talbot, and Tom Cullen, who stars as Lord Gillingham, were also spotted filming scenes, hinting that the pair could be racing in a bid to win Lady Mary's (Michelle Dockery) affections.

Only last week the "downstairs" cast reunited to film scenes in Oxfordshire that saw the characters playing cricket together on their say off from looking after the Abbey.

It was announced that the series will be receiving a special Bafta honour later this year for its outstanding global success and flying the flag for British drama around the globe.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/585340/Downton-Abbey-season-6-Tom-Branson-Allen-Leech-Lady-Mary

"Fantastic" Keira Knightley: "Like Having a Sister on Set"

E!
by MARC MALKIN Today 6:15 AM PDT



Not that we ever doubted how amazingly awesome Keira Knightley is to work with, but it's still nice to hear her co-stars gushing over the Oscar nominee.

"She's so down to earth and level headed and works astonishingly hard and keeps it light and easy breezy on the set," Matthew Goode says in an interview included on the upcoming DVD and Blu-ray editions of the The Imitation Game. "[She] has a really good sense of humor. It's like having a sister on set, which is fantastic."

And Knightley had no problem being the lone female star of the movie. "She knew exactly how to control the group of lads…and get over that lads mentality," Allen Leech said.

Fellow Imitation Game Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch believes the film is the "best work she's ever done.

"She's just brilliant, really brilliant," he said.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.eonline.com/news/635193/fantastic-keira-knightley-like-having-a-sister-on-set

Matthew Goode Hits It Big With ‘Good Wife,’ ‘Downton Abbey’ Roles

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By KARA MAYER ROBINSON
Feb. 26, 2015 6:17 p.m. ET


Matthew Goode at Freemans, a restaurant on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. PHOTO: CLAUDIO PAPAPIETRO FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

In less than a year, British actor Matthew Goode joined the cast of a critically acclaimed TV drama (“The Good Wife”), appeared in an Oscar-nominated film (“The Imitation Game”) and secured a role in another, equally successful series (“Downton Abbey”).

“It’s been a really good year. There’s no question about that,” said the 36-year-old actor who grew up in England, studied at London’s Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts, then performed mainly in theater (“The Tempest”) and film (“Match Point,” “A Single Man”).

Mr. Goode was offered the “Good Wife” role of prosecutor Finn Polmar last winter, just as producers Michelle and Robert King were secretly plotting the exit of one of its lead characters, Will Gardner, played by Josh Charles. He quickly accepted, temporarily moving his family—Sophie, his wife, and daughters Matilda, 5, and Teddy, 1—to New York.

It has been a good run, but Mr. Goode is eager to return to England.

He will pack up his family in April, in time to film the next season of “Downton,” shoot a show about wine with friend and fellow actor Matthew Rhys and prepare for a new arrival. His son is due in August.



WSJ: Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, you...Is there some sort of British actor boom going on?

There’s so much work over here. I think the Americans are much more open-minded than British audiences. But you’ve still got to pull it off. America isn’t just a couple of accents; it’s a vast country with a myriad of different accents and classes. You’ve got to get it right.

WSJ: Was it difficult to step into “The Good Wife” midseason, just as Josh Charles’s character was being killed off?

I never felt like I was stepping into his role. When I discussed it with Robert and Michelle, I said, “I think it would be a mistake to throw me in as this immediate replacement love interest. I think the audience needs to mourn and I don’t think it’s that interesting.”

So far, I like Finn. A lot of the characters are quite arch. You think you know them and suddenly they’ll do something that’s actually quite immoral. It hasn’t happened to Finn yet.

WSJ: How did you acquire your American accent?

I found a bloke on the Internet…this lawyer. He was talking to the press for a good five minutes. I didn’t memorize it, but I watched him. I could just learn his rhythms and what he said.

WSJ: Will you return next season?

I don’t know yet. We haven’t had the discussion. I might, but I’m all about the family, really. You can’t keep uprooting your children all the time.

WSJ: How did your “Downton Abbey” role come about?

I knew a few people in the cast already, like Allen [Leech] from “The Imitation Game.” I met Michelle [Dockery] a long time ago. We had a really good laugh and ended up dancing the night away. It’d been on the cards and suddenly it came to fruition.

I don’t know how long I’m going to be doing it, but the game is afoot. My character’s a guy called Henry Talbot. That’s all we know so far.



WSJ: “The Imitation Game” has caused quite a stir. What are your thoughts about it?

The story of Alan Turing is fascinating. We see that he thinks differently, we see that he has an incredible mind. Ultimately, he wins the Second World War. And for his efforts, because he likes to make love with men…?

Because Alan Turing achieved this incredible thing, he’s been pardoned by the queen. What about pardoning the other 49,000 men who you condemned for just being gay? There’s a petition you can sign. They wanted to get 49,000 signatures and I think it’s on its way to 100,000.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.wsj.com/articles/british-actor-matthew-goode-hits-it-big-with-good-wife-downton-abbey-roles-1424992619

Michelle Dockery 'engaged' to financial PR John Dineen following a year-long romance

DAILY MAIL
By NOLA OJOMU FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 19:28 EST, 14 February 2015 | UPDATED: 07:37 EST, 15 February 2015



Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery is reported set to walk down the aisle her boyfriend John Dineen.

The actress is said to be planning her ‘dream wedding’ to the Irish financial PR after he popped the question.

According to The Sun, the 33-year-old actress was showing of her diamond ring to a co-stars at a recent script through.

A source told the newspaper: ‘She’s over the moon and was showing it off to all of the cast and crew.

‘It’s wonderful news and everyone is delighted. She and John make a lovely couple.’
The pair are believed to have started dating in September 2013 after being introduced by Allen Leech, who plays former chauffeur alongside Michelle in the ITV period drama.




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2954045/Downton-Abbey-star-Michelle-Dockery-engaged-financial-PR-John-Dineen-following-year-long-romance.html#ixzz3RvDXuCrt 
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Benedict Cumberbatch Is 'Very Excited' About Becoming a Dad, Says Friend Allen Leech

PEOPLE
BY MONIQUE JESSEN @moniquejessen
02/08/2015 AT 06:10 PM EST

Benedict Cumberbatch can't wait for his next role – becoming a dad.  

On the red carpet at Sunday's BAFTA Awards in London, the actor's friend and costar in The Imitation Game, Allen Leech, said Cumberbatch, 38, is simply thrilled to be expecting his first child. "He's very excited about it and so is Sophie [Hunter]."  

The Sherlock star announced his engagement to theatre director Hunter in the UK's The Times newspaper last November and, in January, the actor's rep confirmed to PEOPLE they were expecting a baby.  

The British actor was one of the last to arrive at the BAFTA Awards ceremony, which take place every year at the Royal Opera House, and spent little time on the red carpet. Perhaps he was keen to be at the side of his pregnant fiancée who wore a loose-fitting, chic black halter neck dress to the awards. 

Benedict Cumberbatch can't wait for his next role – becoming a dad.  

On the red carpet at Sunday's BAFTA Awards in London, the actor's friend and costar in The Imitation Game, Allen Leech, said Cumberbatch, 38, is simply thrilled to be expecting his first child. "He's very excited about it and so is Sophie [Hunter]."  

The Sherlock star announced his engagement to theatre director Hunter in the UK's The Times newspaper last November and, in January, the actor's rep confirmed to PEOPLE they were expecting a baby.  

The British actor was one of the last to arrive at the BAFTA Awards ceremony, which take place every year at the Royal Opera House, and spent little time on the red carpet. Perhaps he was keen to be at the side of his pregnant fiancée who wore a loose-fitting, chic black halter neck dress to the awards. 

"I wish there was something that he wasn't perfect at," admits Irish-born Leech (who also plays widower Tom Branson in Downton Abbey). "He's an excellent runner, he's so fit, he's a great cook, he's a great friend and he'll be a great dad."

READ MORE HERE: http://www.people.com/article/benedict-cumberbatch-bafta-awards-2015-allen-leech

‘Downton Abbey' To End This Year After Six Series As Cast Go Job-Hunting In The US

HUFF POST ENTERTAINMENT UK
The Huffington Post UK |  BY Matt Bagwell
Posted: 29/01/2015 07:20 GMT Updated: 29/01/2015 07:59 GMT



The next series of ‘Downton Abbey’ will be the last, according to reports.

The ITV period drama, which stars Hugh Bonneville and Dame Maggie Smith, will end after the sixth series airs later this year.

The final installment is set to be filmed over the spring and summer and will hit our screens in September.

Writer Julian Fellowes is set to begin working on a brand new series, ‘The Gilded Age’, about 19th century New York, whilst agents for the cast are already in talks to find them new roles.

A source told The Mirror: “It’s an open secret that Downton is ending this year.

"Some of the actors are keen to let it be known they will be available for work after the summer. Some are interested in the US, where Downton is as popular as it is in the UK.

“Joanne Froggatt, Laura Carmichael and Allen Leech were in Los Angeles for the [SAG] awards last week and there were several meetings about both TV and film roles.”

Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary, has spoken in the past about working in America.

She said: “It feels as though there are more opportunities for us over there. “I love spending time there.”


READ MORE HERE: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/01/29/downton-abbey-ending_n_6568420.html

‘Downton Abbey’ NEWS: U.S. Premiere Of Season 5 Brings 10.1 Million Viewers To PBS, Laura Carmichael DISHES On Portraying Lady Edith [SPOILERS]

FASHION AND STYLE

As Americans eagerly try to catch up with the fifth season of "Downton Abbey," new speculation for Season Six centers around whether or not Allen Leech will return next year. Plus, Laura Carmichael discusses what it is like to play Lady Edith Crawley as well.

According to Carter Matt, there's a lot of speculation over whether or not actor Allen Leech will return for "Downton Abbey's" Season Six.

While many fans will miss Tom Branson if is truly gone for good, others have also pointed out that if he changes his mind and decides to stay put, then his arc would have been one big waste of time for the fans.

Aside from whether or not Leech will return, fans have also wondered if Matthew Goode's character Henry Talbot will return in Season Six in order to woo Lady Mary.

Given the fact that she is finally moving on from both Tony Gillingham and Charles Blake, it would be nice if Goode joined the cast in order to add a new twist in Lady Mary's tangled love life, adds Radio Times.

Meanwhile, even though U.K. fans of "Downton Abbey" were disappointed with the past season, American fans gathered in force for the U.S. premiere.

TV By The Numbers writes that 10.1 million American fans sat down to watch the Season Five premiere on Sunday, which made PBS the second most-watched channel that night.



Even better, many of the viewers also stuck around for the one-hour documentary "The Manners Of Downton," which aired right after the premiere and explored the fascinating world of English etiquette.

Hosted by "Downton Abbey's" historical advisor Alastair Bruce, fans were able to get a glimpse of the rigorous training that the cast had to go through in order to accurately portray the British nobility on the show.

Finally, the Wall Street Journal sat down with Laura Carmichael, who discussed what it is like to play Lady Edith Crawley.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/39521/20150107/downton-abbey-news-allen-leech-return-season-6-us-premiere-season-5-brings-10-1-million-viewers-pbs-laura-carmichael-dishes-portraying-lady-edith-spoilers.htm

Downton Abbey star Allen Leech hints he may be leaving the show during Christmas special

EXPRESS
By: Stephanie Takyi
Published: Tue, November 18, 2014



DOWNTON ABBEY star Allen Leech has hinted his character will exit the show during its highly-anticipated Christmas episode.

However the Irish actor, who plays widowed chauffeur Tom Branson in the hit period drama, says the door will always be open for him to return as his character will NOT be killed off.

It is thought that producers of the show don't want to make the same mistake as they did on Christmas Day 2012 when they faced a backlash from viewers after Matthew Crawley died in a road accident.

Allen's character, who has been in Downton since the fourth episode, is currently faced with a tough decision about whether to stay at Downton's estate due to the Grantham family’s rigid right-wing views.

Speaking at the Imitation Game premiere in Los Angeles, Allen said: “I think if he does leave, Tom will be leaving under his own steam and he won’t be dead so it doesn’t mean that he’s leaving forever.

“I think if he does leave, there’s always a chance that he will come back. Will I be sad? It’s been the most incredible journey doing that show so I would be sad.

He added: “But like I said, 'Never say never'. I’d like to finish that story out with all those people whenever that is. If he does leave it will be a nice break lately.”


READ MORE HERE: http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/537027/Downton-Abbey-Allen-Leech-leaving-show-Christmas-special

Keira Knightley Is Terrified Of Benedict Cumberbatch's Fans: 'They Might Come After Me'

FASHION AND STYLE



While appearing on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," actress Keira Knightley opened up about Benedict Cumberbatch's overzealous fans. She co-starred with Cumberbatch in films such as "The Imitation Game" and "Atonement."

"You got to work with Benedict Cumberbatch," Meyers said. "You've really seen the explosion of how ladies have lost their minds."

"The Cumberb----es," Knightley responded, referring to Cumberbatch's hoard of female fans. Other names for the obsessed admirers include Cumbercookies and CumberCollective.

"They've become a thing!" Meyers responded.

"It's terrifying," Knightley said. "I mean, they're lovely. I feel terrified saying they're terrifying cause they might come after me."

The 29-year-old actress then changed her tone a bit, praising the fans.

"They're very artistic! They paint pictures of him. You go to premieres and there's these amazing paintings of Ben looking Ben-like ... (They're) a very hysterical, artistic type."

Knightley went on to describe an awkward interaction with Cumberbatch's fans at an event.

"I actually had a really embarrassing moment at the London premiere, because — they really do — they scream more than I've ever heard for anyone else, but I had a publicist with me and she went, 'You know, go sign some autographs,'" Knightley said. "I went over there and went 'Oh yeah, of course, of course, no problem!' And they were like, 'Oh no, we don't want you. We're just here for Ben.'"

Read more: http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/32254/20141120/keira-knightley-terrified-of-benedict-cumberbatchs-fans-2014-imitation-game-actress-says-they-might-come-after-me.htm#ixzz3JiIR9yCV

“Making Of” Behind-The-Scenes Featurette For ‘The Imitation Game’ – Starring Benedict Cumberbatch As Alan Turing

 FLICKS AND BITS



This new behind-the-scenes featurette has arrived online for ‘The Imitation Game,’ which stars the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Rory Kinnear, Charles Dance, Allen Leech and Matthew Beard.

The film offers a dramatic portrayal of the life and work of Alan Turing, one of Britain’s most extraordinary unsung heroes, and one of the world’s greatest innovators.

READ MORE HERE AT FLICKS AND BITS: http://www.flicksandbits.com/2014/11/03/making-of-behind-the-scenes-featurette-for-the-imitation-game-starring-benedict-cumberbatch-as-alan-turing/78356/

This Woman's Question For Benedict Cumberbatch Will Make You Cringe With Horror

POP SUGAR
by Maria Mercedes Lara 9/11/14



We all know that Benedict Cumberbatch has very dedicated fans, but sometimes the more overeager of the self-proclaimed "Cumberbitches" can make things a bit awkward for the star. Benedict joined the cast of his new film, The Imitation Game, in Toronto on Tuesday to screen the Alan Turing-centered flick and take part in a Q&A. Unfortunately, while at the Q&A, things got a little weird when one female fan asked Benedict point blank if she could "feast on [his] yumminess."

According to one account, the woman opened her question by telling Benedict that he is "quite yummy" and then attempted to ask what part of Turing's life he identified with and also, in keeping with "the theme of the film" about celebrating being different, if she could taste the aforementioned "yumminess." Naturally, the crowd broke out into a mix of horror and laughter, with Benedict's costar Keira Knightley looking particularly amused and shocked. However, Benedict attempted to keep things professional, and gave a flustered answer to her "question:"

"I'll answer the first part of your question, which is . . . Christ. Sorry, I'm taken. I did not go into this Q&A about a gay icon who killed himself at 41 thinking I'd have to answer questions from someone who wants to taste my deliciousness."

READ MORE HERE: http://www.popsugar.com/Benedict-Cumberbatch-Q-TIFF-2014-Video-35692887?gallery=cpc&utm_source=outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=popsugar_celebrity&utm_term=This-Womans-Question-For-Benedict-Cumber

"Downton Abbey" Season 5 Begins With A Jolt (spoilers)

Jace Lacob
BuzzFeed Staff

Period drama Downton Abbey had begun to show signs of wear and tear, particularly in its fourth season, where the creakiness of the subplots began to match that of the house’s ancient stairs.

It was, simply put, not the best year for the drama, which had come off the narrative highs of its third season, including the highly emotional deaths of two linchpin characters, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay). But, in its fourth, Downton sagged into overt melodrama with storylines involving murder, blackmail, and the shocking and highly controversial rape of Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt). For a series that once had such great promise and potential, it felt like the life had been sucked out of the show somewhat as it was forced to restructure in light of those two high-profile departures.

Allen Leech as Tom Branson, Tom Cullen as Lord Gillingham, and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Nick Briggs/Carnival Films 2014 for MASTERPIECE

Resurrecting my crackpot theory that odd-numbered seasons of Downton Abbey are far superior to their even-numbered counterparts (I’m looking at you, Season 2!), the fifth season opener of Julian Fellowes’ period drama — which airs Sept. 21 on ITV in the U.K. and Jan. 4, 2015, on PBS’s Masterpiece in the U.S. — offers a reinvigorated Downton, one full of downstairs intrigues and domestic drama. The first episode back is a bit of a whirling dervish: There are so many subplots that it’s almost impossible to account for all of them.

But rather than feel overwhelming, there’s a particularly pleasing rhythm to all of this narrative dance work, with scenes that are short on time but long on significance. Long-simmering plots come to the boil. The ongoing love triangle between Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Lord Gillingham (Tom Cullen), and Charles Blake (Julian Ovenden) twists in a most unexpected direction, at least by the standards of the time. (It’s 1924, after all.) The relationship between James (Ed Speleers) and Lady Anstruther (a particularly aptly cast Anna Chancellor) is explored with clarity, humor, and a potential resolution. Isobel (Penelope Wilton) and Violet (Maggie Smith) are once again at odds — their temporary cease-fire marred by a new twist in their rivalry, this time over Isobel’s romantic prospects.



Throughout it all, the spectre of Gillingham’s dead valet Mr. Green (Nigel Harman) hovers uneasily over the proceedings, threatening to destroy the fragile happiness of Anna and Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle), whose devotion to each other appears even stronger now, despite suspicious eyes turning toward the couple. And the dark secret harbored by the tremulous Miss Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) — or at least part of it — is finally revealed after being teased out so thoroughly by both Fellowes and by the malevolent Thomas (Rob James-Collier), using it to gain a Svengali-like hold over the lady’s maid.

Then there’s poor Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), whose anguish over secretly giving up the child she conceived with missing paramour Michael Gregson (Charles Edwards) becomes even more palpable with the baby — the adorably named Marigold — living on the estate, just out of her grasp. That Edith should still be able to check in on Marigold, as much as propriety might allow for, might help to assuage the loss that she feels, but the gravitational pull between mother and child may prove impossible for Edith to resist, even as she risks exposure.

Edith has, most remarkably, of late become an incredibly sympathetic figure, and even her more damning actions in this episode (I won’t spoil what they are exactly) don’t derail the character’s redemption. Carmichael infuses Edith with such pathos and barely restrained emotion — she appears to be perpetually on the verge of tears so far — that it’s difficult not to empathize with the character, even when Lady Mary deploys a typically cutting remark against her sister toward the end of the episode.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.buzzfeed.com/jacelacob/downton-abbey-season-5-premiere-review#2gloo6x

Downton Abbey episode one: love is in the air, Lord Grantham v Carson (SPOILERS)

STV
16 September, 2014



Downton Abbey is back on our TV screens this Sunday September 21, and today we can share a breakdown of what to expect from the first episode from series five.

A new Labour government is in power, leaving the aristocratic classes uneasy as the prospect of social change becomes a reality, and their way of life begins to come into question.

Plans for a war memorial in the village unexpectedly pit Lord Grantham and Mrs Hughes against Mr Carson, something that leaves the butler and his master very uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, romance is in the air, as Tom Branson’s head is turned by local schoolteacher and political activist, Sarah Bunting, and Lady Mary is finally ready to move on and find love again. And with many suitors to choose from, she’s going to have a bit of fun before making her choice...

READ MORE HERE: http://shows.stv.tv/downton-abbey/latest/292283-downton-abbey-episode-one-love-is-in-the-air-lord-grantham-v-carson/

Downton Abbey: Behind the scenes of series 5 On location at Highclere Castle for the filming of Downton Abbey

THE TELEGRAPH
By Chloe Fox9:15AM BST 13 Sep 2014



In her temporary tent outside Highclere Castle in Berkshire, Lisa Heathcote, the home economics adviser on Downton Abbey, is peeling countless quail eggs to be served at the cocktail party – a reception being thrown by Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), the Lord Lieutenant of Yorkshire – that is being filmed inside the house.

Things are going well. The sun is out. Everyone is happy. And then there is a problem. The ice in the cocktail glasses is making too much noise. Is there perhaps any rubber ice that they could use instead?

Inside the Victorian castle the atmosphere is hushed. Candlelight, shimmering beads and elegant grandeur are the order of the day. Above the murmur of polite, cocktail-party conversation, a familiar booming voice announces the arrival of each new guest.

Jim Carter, aka Mr Carson the butler, is the physical embodiment of everything that its estimated global audience of 150 million viewers (100 million of them in China alone) has come to love about Downton Abbey: dignified, reassuring, and not quite knowable.

Downton Abbey is a phenomenon. Not since Brideshead Revisited more than three decades ago has a televised foray into the lives of an aristocratic English family held such sway over its audiences.

When it first aired on ITV, on a Sunday night in September 2010, Downton Abbey – written by Julian Fellowes, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Robert Altman's Gosford Park – had a consolidated figure of 9.2 million viewers, instantly making it the most successful new drama on any channel.

Here was something that had all the magic ingredients that Sunday night audiences wanted: period escapism, an original storyline – and Dame Maggie Smith. ‘We knew that we had very good scripts and a top-calibre cast,’ the producer Liz Trowbridge says. ‘But we never in our wildest dreams thought that it would be as successful as it has been. Our dream, when we first set out, was to make three series – before, during and after the First World War – to explore the social history of a house and the people who lived in it.

That was all.’ Three series came and went. Ratings remained high. Devotees hung on every plot twist. Would Lady Mary Crawley (Lord Grantham’s eldest daughter, played by Michelle Dockery) end up with her cousin Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens)? Would Lord Grantham kiss the housemaid? Did Bates, Lord Grantham’s loyal valet (Brendan Coyle), murder his wife? And what possessed O’Brien (Lady Cora, Lord Grantham’s wife’s maid, played by Siobhan Finneran) to leave that bar of soap where she did? With the reassuring feel of an adaptation but the content of a soap opera, Downton Abbey was television gold.

So, what can we expect from season five? From spending one day on set, it is frustratingly difficult to glean anything at all (except, perhaps, that there seems to be some tension simmering between Lord and Lady Grantham). Cast and crew, briefed to within an inch of their lives, are tight-lipped.

‘My friends just know not to ask me any more,’ Brendan Coyle says with a smile. ‘If I told you, I’d have to kill you,’ says Lily James, who plays the mischievous, fun-loving cousin of the Crawleys, Lady Rose Maclaire.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/downton-abbey/11090761/Downton-Abbey-Behind-the-scenes-of-series-5.html

Oscar's Battle of the Brits: Pals Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne Vie for the Gold

DAILY BEAST
Marlow Stern
September 11, 2014

With their towering performances in a pair of biopics, Cumberbatch as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game and Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, the two lads are earning serious awards buzz out of Toronto.

Cumberbitches and Redmaniacs, rejoice: You've got a pair of awards contenders on your hands—err… minds.

For the uninitiated, the Toronto International Film Festival is, aside from being one of the largest, most overwhelming film fests in the world, fertile ground for Oscar bait. The proof is in the poutine. American Beauty, Ray, Black Swan, and The King’s Speech, to name a few, all bowed in Toronto, and all received Academy Award wins for their stars. Most of the acting buzz at the ’14 edition of TIFF has concerned the performances of Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne in a pair of biopics that were practically stitched by hand in a clandestine awards factory beneath the Dolby Theatre.

Let’s start with the stronger of the two. In The Imitation Game, Cumberbatch portrays Alan Turing, a math prodigy and cryptanalyst who’s tasked by Prime Minister Winston Churchill with leading an elite group of code-breakers at Hut 8—a sector of Britain’s top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. Their mission is to break the Nazis’ Enigma code, their highly encrypted and presumably indecipherable method of communicating with their naval fleet via radio transmissions. “We’re going to break an unbreakable Nazi code, and win the war,” says Turing.

Directed by Morten Tydum from a screenplay by Graham Moore, the film chronicles Turing’s tragic life (via flashbacks) from his days as a bullied, reticent budding genius who falls for his boarding school classmate, to his World War II heroism, to the subsequent witch hunt in the days after the war that leads to his 1952 conviction on the grounds of “indecency” for engaging in a homosexual tryst—illegal in the U.K. until the Sexual Offences Act 1967, which decriminalized homosexual behavior. Turing was offered the option of two years in prison or oestrogen injections—tantamount to chemical castration. He opted for the latter, and two years later, took his own life by ingesting cyanide.

Another role Oscars were made for comes courtesy of Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything. The impressively-coiffed Brit plays renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, who fused the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics to create groundbreaking studies on black holes and gravitational singularity theorems. At the age of 21, while studying cosmology at the University of Cambridge, he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease—or ALS—and given two years to live. Hawking slid into a deep depression, but was brought out of it by his girlfriend Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones) who proposed marriage and gave him something to live for.

Directed by Oscar winner James Marsh (Man on Wire) from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, the film is more of a straightforward biopic that traces Hawking’s relationship with Wilde at Cambridge, his groundbreaking work in the field of theoretical physics, and his gradual physical decline—first losing his ability to speak, followed by near-complete paralysis. Though Hawking slowly loses control of his physical faculties, his mind remains sharp as ever, and Redmayne captures this with his boyish charm—the twinkle in his eye, and his self-effacing brand of humor. And the 32-year-old Brit, who coincidentally graduated from Cambridge himself with 2:1 Honours, does a superb job of navigating Hawking through his physical deterioration, including his slide into depression. The scenes between Redmayne and Jones where the latter party struggles to pull him away from the edge are masterful.

Of course, Redmayne also positively looks the part, and his portrayal of Hawking during the latter stages of ALS—the impaired speech and mannerisms—is spot-on.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/11/oscar-s-battle-of-the-brits-pals-benedict-cumberbatch-and-eddie-redmayne-vie-for-the-gold.html

(video) TIFF 2014: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Allen Leech red carpets

CANOE
ENNY YUEN, QMI AGENCY
Sep 9, 2014
Last Updated: 10:44 PM ET



QMI reporter Jenny Yuen hit the red carpet for Day 6 of the Toronto International Film Festival. Jenny caught up with with the stars of David Cronenberg's "Maps to the Stars" and Morten Tyldum's "The Imitation Game."

Jenny at "The Imitation Game" red carper: Keira Knightley calls for stronger roles for women, Allen Leech talks Downton Abbey.

Keira Knightley said that even though disparity between men and women is improving, there is still a long way to go.

Knightley portrays Joan Clarke in Imitation Game, which captures the life and times of British mathematician, cryptanalyst and computer scientist Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), a key figure in cracking The Nazi's Enigma code that helped allies win the Second World War only to be later was vilified for his homosexuality.

Clarke develops a deep friendship with Turing and becomes his confidante and is one-time fiancée.



Downton Abbey star Allen Leech, who plays British spy John Cairncross in the film, said while he is a coder in the movie, English was his forte in school.

"Math was not, to be honest," he said. "We had two weeks for rehearsals, which was such a blessing. (The cast) really got to know each other and you get to see it on the screen."

On a celebrity side note, Leech said he doesn't consider himself famous per se, but said there is a polite method for fans to approach for a selfie.

"If there was someone that was a fan of Downton or a fan of The Imitation Game, if they ask, it's always nice, rather than having a camera shoved in your face," he said. "I remember going up to Pierce Brosnan when I was a kid, back at home, and once you ask, even though it's scary, ultimately it's very flattering that someone would like a picture with you."

READ MORE HERE:http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2014/09/09/21929796.html

(video) Benedict Cumberbatch wins best actor at TV Choice Awards as Sherlock wins best drama

INDEPENDENT
DAISY WYATT
Tuesday 09 September 2014



Benedict Cumberbatch has been named best actor for his starring role in Sherlock at the TV Choice Awards.

The actor, who was recently tipped for an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Alan Turing in new film The Imitation Game, beat David Tennant, Allen Leech and Bradley Walsh to take home the award for the second year running.

Sherlock also won best drama series at the awards, following its success at last month’s Emmys.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/benedict-cumberbatch-wins-best-actor-at-tv-choice-awards-as-sherlock-wins-best-drama-9720063.html