Showing posts with label .matthew macfadyen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label .matthew macfadyen. Show all posts
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Is Matthew Macfadyen attached to new MI5 Spy comic thriller Mindhorn?
CHORTLE
Julian Barratt is writing his first feature film.
The Boosh star has teamed up with comedian Simon Farnaby, best known for Horrible Histories and Yonderland, to write the comic thriller Mindhorn.
It revolves around a former MI5 spy whose eye has been replaced by an ‘optical lie detector’, which means he can literally see the truth. He now lives in the Isle of Man, where he is a crack plain-clothes detective.
BBC Films have developed the project, which is being produced by Ridley and Tony Scott’s company Scott Free in association with Boosh programme-makers Baby Cow.
Filming starts on July 27 on the Isle of Man, which has a development fund run through Pinewood Studios to attract such projects.
No casting has yet been announced, although Ripper Street and Spooks actor Matthew Macfadyen has been rumoured to be attached to the film.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2015/06/24/22725/julian_barratt_writes_a_movie
Julian Barratt is writing his first feature film.
The Boosh star has teamed up with comedian Simon Farnaby, best known for Horrible Histories and Yonderland, to write the comic thriller Mindhorn.
It revolves around a former MI5 spy whose eye has been replaced by an ‘optical lie detector’, which means he can literally see the truth. He now lives in the Isle of Man, where he is a crack plain-clothes detective.
BBC Films have developed the project, which is being produced by Ridley and Tony Scott’s company Scott Free in association with Boosh programme-makers Baby Cow.
Filming starts on July 27 on the Isle of Man, which has a development fund run through Pinewood Studios to attract such projects.
No casting has yet been announced, although Ripper Street and Spooks actor Matthew Macfadyen has been rumoured to be attached to the film.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2015/06/24/22725/julian_barratt_writes_a_movie
Monday, June 22, 2015
Matthew Macfadyen joins Michael Gambon, Ramola Garai in cast of ITV's 'Churchill's Secret'
UPI
By Karen Butler | June 22, 2015 at 10:02 AM
LONDON, June 22 (UPI) -- Romola Garai, Matthew Macfadyen, Daisy Lewis, Rachael Stirling and Tara Fitzgerald have joined the cast of the small-screen movie Churchill's Secret, ITV announced.
Garai will play nurse Millie Appleyard and the others will play former Prime Minister Winston Churchill's adult children.
"Set during the summer months of 1953, Churchill -- now Prime Minister for the second time and in his late 70s -- suffers a life-threatening stroke, which is kept secret from the world," a synopsis said. "Told from the viewpoint of his young nurse, Millie Appleyard, the drama follows his battle to recover as his long suffering wife Clemmie, desperately hopes the stroke will force Winston to retire while his political friends and foe scheme to plot who will succeed him. Meanwhile, his adult children descend on Chartwell, unsure if he will pull through, as tensions within his family begin to surface."
Filming is to begin this month in London, Hayes and at Churchill's principal family home, Chartwell in Kent. Churchill's Secret will be co-produced with Masterpiece where Rebecca Eaton is executive producer and will air in the United States on PBS in 2016
READ MORE HERE: http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2015/06/22/Romola-Garai-Matthew-Macfadyen-join-cast-of-ITVs-Churchills-Secret/3341434977459/
By Karen Butler | June 22, 2015 at 10:02 AM
LONDON, June 22 (UPI) -- Romola Garai, Matthew Macfadyen, Daisy Lewis, Rachael Stirling and Tara Fitzgerald have joined the cast of the small-screen movie Churchill's Secret, ITV announced.
Garai will play nurse Millie Appleyard and the others will play former Prime Minister Winston Churchill's adult children.
"Set during the summer months of 1953, Churchill -- now Prime Minister for the second time and in his late 70s -- suffers a life-threatening stroke, which is kept secret from the world," a synopsis said. "Told from the viewpoint of his young nurse, Millie Appleyard, the drama follows his battle to recover as his long suffering wife Clemmie, desperately hopes the stroke will force Winston to retire while his political friends and foe scheme to plot who will succeed him. Meanwhile, his adult children descend on Chartwell, unsure if he will pull through, as tensions within his family begin to surface."
Filming is to begin this month in London, Hayes and at Churchill's principal family home, Chartwell in Kent. Churchill's Secret will be co-produced with Masterpiece where Rebecca Eaton is executive producer and will air in the United States on PBS in 2016
READ MORE HERE: http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2015/06/22/Romola-Garai-Matthew-Macfadyen-join-cast-of-ITVs-Churchills-Secret/3341434977459/
Friday, June 5, 2015
Matthew Macfadyen - "The Von Trapp Family – A Life of Music" Heading to the Screen This Christmas
PLAYBILL
By Adam Hetrick
04 Jun 2015
"The von Trapp Family – A Life of Music," a new film from Dutch filmmaker Ben Verbong based on Agathe von Trapp's autobiography, promises to tell the story behind the Sound of Music legend.
Currently shooting on location in Salzburg and Bavaria, the new film stars Eliza Bennett, Matthew Macfadyen and Tony Award winner Rosemary Harris. The film is expected to arrive in theatres this Christmas.
Lionsgate acquired U.S., Canada and U.K. rights on the film. Christoph Silber and Tim Sullivan penned the screenplay based on Agathe von Trapp's "Memories Before and After The Sound of Music."
Here's how the film is billed: "'The von Trapp Family – A Life of Music,' tells the fascinating and exciting story of Agathe von Trapp (Eliza Bennett), who has been searching for her path in life since her youth: She is the eldest daughter among many siblings, and her relationship with her father, the distinguished marine officer Georg von Trapp (Matthew Macfadyen) and his second wife Maria von Trapp (Yvonne Catterfeld), is often difficult. She develops her beautiful voice and stimulating musical talent together with her family and with the support of the famous singer Lotte Lehmann (opera singer Annette Dasch). She constantly struggles for the love of her childhood sweetheart Sigi (Johannes Nussbaum) and, not least, she must confront the menacing rise of fascism in Germany and Austria. Emigration to the U.S. finally brings a decisive step toward freedom and world success.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/the-von-trapp-family-a-life-of-music-heading-to-the-screen-this-christmas-350645
By Adam Hetrick
04 Jun 2015
"The von Trapp Family – A Life of Music," a new film from Dutch filmmaker Ben Verbong based on Agathe von Trapp's autobiography, promises to tell the story behind the Sound of Music legend.
Currently shooting on location in Salzburg and Bavaria, the new film stars Eliza Bennett, Matthew Macfadyen and Tony Award winner Rosemary Harris. The film is expected to arrive in theatres this Christmas.
Lionsgate acquired U.S., Canada and U.K. rights on the film. Christoph Silber and Tim Sullivan penned the screenplay based on Agathe von Trapp's "Memories Before and After The Sound of Music."
Here's how the film is billed: "'The von Trapp Family – A Life of Music,' tells the fascinating and exciting story of Agathe von Trapp (Eliza Bennett), who has been searching for her path in life since her youth: She is the eldest daughter among many siblings, and her relationship with her father, the distinguished marine officer Georg von Trapp (Matthew Macfadyen) and his second wife Maria von Trapp (Yvonne Catterfeld), is often difficult. She develops her beautiful voice and stimulating musical talent together with her family and with the support of the famous singer Lotte Lehmann (opera singer Annette Dasch). She constantly struggles for the love of her childhood sweetheart Sigi (Johannes Nussbaum) and, not least, she must confront the menacing rise of fascism in Germany and Austria. Emigration to the U.S. finally brings a decisive step toward freedom and world success.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/the-von-trapp-family-a-life-of-music-heading-to-the-screen-this-christmas-350645
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Ripper Street trailer, premiere is April 29 on BBC America (Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn, Adam Rothenberg, Myanna Buring)
Coming Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at 10/9
Friday, September 19, 2014
Keeley Hawes: TV's toughest detective
LONDON EVENING STANDARD
STEPHEN ARMSTRONG
Published: 18 September 2014
One of the downsides to being Keeley Hawes is getting pulled over by the police. At the end of last year, for instance, she was buying a burrito in Covent Garden when a burly squad in full blue serge piled out of a riot-proofed patrol van to confront her.
‘It looked like I was a major terrorist,’ she laughs. ‘But then they said, “Can we get a picture?” They all got out their handcuffs and posed. Eventually one said, “Come on, we’re going to lose our jobs.” ’ She laughs again. ‘Having said that, this was after Ashes to Ashes and before Line of Duty. I wonder what would happen now…’
It’s easy to see why the boys in blue love Keeley — she’s been adding glamour to the force as Zoe Reynolds in Spooks, Alex ‘Bollyknickers’ Drake in Ashes to Ashes and DSI Martha Lawson in ITV’s Identity. However, as the twisted, lonely DI Lindsay Denton in Line of Duty… well, not so much.
Line of Duty is all about dodgy cops — Jed Mercurio’s internal investigations thriller follows a fictional anti-corruption unit. Denton was its target in this year’s second season, suspected of having set up her colleagues in a fatal ambush. As suspicions mounted, Denton was bogwashed and beaten up by fellow officers, thrown in jail where wardens and inmates did the same, all along protesting her innocence and uncovering even bigger scandals. In terms of water-cooler moments, Line of Duty ranks alongside The Honourable Woman and The Fall as part of the new wave of Brit TV that’s finally making US producers jealous again.
And Hawes — like Maggie Gyllenhaal and Gillian Anderson in Woman and The Fall — was a revelation. She evoked such energy and raw emotion that even the disparaging TV critic AA Gill has put her among our best actresses, alongside Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.
Today, however, she’s just a 38-year-old Londoner. We meet at an outdoor restaurant near Richmond Park on one of the last sunny days of summer. She rummages through the menu, wondering about the healthy options. ‘I’ve got a shoot in a minute,’ she explains, before quickly adding, ‘I don’t feel the pressure any more, though. I honestly don’t give a shit. Two days of dieting isn’t going to happen. I have a ten-year-old daughter and I’ve got far too much responsibility to be seen to be picking around with bits of food.’
Who knew Keeley Hawes was a laugh? Any fears of an ice queen quickly melt away as she riffs on her Marylebone upbringing — riding around her council estate on the back of her brother’s Chopper, playing run-outs, and her mum shouting, ‘Dinner!’ across the blocks. Her dad and her two older brothers are cab drivers and she grew up near the Lisson Grove Estate, in a block that’s since become luxury flats.
If her accent seems a little crisp for a cabbie’s daughter, she points out, ‘I came from Central London, I wasn’t Cockney — my mother made sure we put the Ts on the end of words, and then I went to drama school.’ She pauses. ‘I do sound slightly posher, but listen, I’ve just been working with Tom Hiddleston and I feel very, very London talking to him.’
Next up there’s The Hollow Crown, the second part of the BBC’s ambitious attempt to screen all of Shakespeare’s history plays. She’s playing Queen Elizabeth in Henry VI part 2 and Richard III, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and, terrifyingly, Judi Dench. ‘I haven’t done Shakespeare and I’ve told them I can’t do Shakespeare and they still employed me.’ She seems amazed. ‘We’re rehearsing and I feel like I’m in safe hands, but still… I mean, I’ll be doing it with Judi Dench…’
She trails off, looking genuinely worried, so I leaf through my notes, pull out the AA Gill quote comparing her to Dench and read it to her: ‘Hawes is one of a number of very good female actors we have, from Judi Dench and Maggie Smith down,’ I read. She is momentarily stunned, then her face flushes a deep, deep crimson and she stares at her hands.
‘Well, that’s ridiculous,’ she mumbles. ‘I mean, I don’t even know what to say about that…’ and then she thinks it through. ‘Although he doesn’t say exactly how far down, does he?’ and she looks up, her impish grin returning. ‘I’d say it was fairly far down — but I’d still put that in a frame…’ When it’s time for her to leave, I make a joke about her receiving an honour to match Maggie and Judi and she turns back briefly — ‘Dame Keeley…? I can’t quite hear a copper calling me that.’
Doctor Who is on BBC One Saturday night at 7.30pm
READ MORE HERE: http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/esmagazine/keeley-hawes-tvs-toughest-detective-9739507.html
STEPHEN ARMSTRONG
Published: 18 September 2014
One of the downsides to being Keeley Hawes is getting pulled over by the police. At the end of last year, for instance, she was buying a burrito in Covent Garden when a burly squad in full blue serge piled out of a riot-proofed patrol van to confront her.
‘It looked like I was a major terrorist,’ she laughs. ‘But then they said, “Can we get a picture?” They all got out their handcuffs and posed. Eventually one said, “Come on, we’re going to lose our jobs.” ’ She laughs again. ‘Having said that, this was after Ashes to Ashes and before Line of Duty. I wonder what would happen now…’
It’s easy to see why the boys in blue love Keeley — she’s been adding glamour to the force as Zoe Reynolds in Spooks, Alex ‘Bollyknickers’ Drake in Ashes to Ashes and DSI Martha Lawson in ITV’s Identity. However, as the twisted, lonely DI Lindsay Denton in Line of Duty… well, not so much.
Line of Duty is all about dodgy cops — Jed Mercurio’s internal investigations thriller follows a fictional anti-corruption unit. Denton was its target in this year’s second season, suspected of having set up her colleagues in a fatal ambush. As suspicions mounted, Denton was bogwashed and beaten up by fellow officers, thrown in jail where wardens and inmates did the same, all along protesting her innocence and uncovering even bigger scandals. In terms of water-cooler moments, Line of Duty ranks alongside The Honourable Woman and The Fall as part of the new wave of Brit TV that’s finally making US producers jealous again.
And Hawes — like Maggie Gyllenhaal and Gillian Anderson in Woman and The Fall — was a revelation. She evoked such energy and raw emotion that even the disparaging TV critic AA Gill has put her among our best actresses, alongside Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.
Today, however, she’s just a 38-year-old Londoner. We meet at an outdoor restaurant near Richmond Park on one of the last sunny days of summer. She rummages through the menu, wondering about the healthy options. ‘I’ve got a shoot in a minute,’ she explains, before quickly adding, ‘I don’t feel the pressure any more, though. I honestly don’t give a shit. Two days of dieting isn’t going to happen. I have a ten-year-old daughter and I’ve got far too much responsibility to be seen to be picking around with bits of food.’
Who knew Keeley Hawes was a laugh? Any fears of an ice queen quickly melt away as she riffs on her Marylebone upbringing — riding around her council estate on the back of her brother’s Chopper, playing run-outs, and her mum shouting, ‘Dinner!’ across the blocks. Her dad and her two older brothers are cab drivers and she grew up near the Lisson Grove Estate, in a block that’s since become luxury flats.
If her accent seems a little crisp for a cabbie’s daughter, she points out, ‘I came from Central London, I wasn’t Cockney — my mother made sure we put the Ts on the end of words, and then I went to drama school.’ She pauses. ‘I do sound slightly posher, but listen, I’ve just been working with Tom Hiddleston and I feel very, very London talking to him.’
Next up there’s The Hollow Crown, the second part of the BBC’s ambitious attempt to screen all of Shakespeare’s history plays. She’s playing Queen Elizabeth in Henry VI part 2 and Richard III, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and, terrifyingly, Judi Dench. ‘I haven’t done Shakespeare and I’ve told them I can’t do Shakespeare and they still employed me.’ She seems amazed. ‘We’re rehearsing and I feel like I’m in safe hands, but still… I mean, I’ll be doing it with Judi Dench…’
She trails off, looking genuinely worried, so I leaf through my notes, pull out the AA Gill quote comparing her to Dench and read it to her: ‘Hawes is one of a number of very good female actors we have, from Judi Dench and Maggie Smith down,’ I read. She is momentarily stunned, then her face flushes a deep, deep crimson and she stares at her hands.
‘Well, that’s ridiculous,’ she mumbles. ‘I mean, I don’t even know what to say about that…’ and then she thinks it through. ‘Although he doesn’t say exactly how far down, does he?’ and she looks up, her impish grin returning. ‘I’d say it was fairly far down — but I’d still put that in a frame…’ When it’s time for her to leave, I make a joke about her receiving an honour to match Maggie and Judi and she turns back briefly — ‘Dame Keeley…? I can’t quite hear a copper calling me that.’
Doctor Who is on BBC One Saturday night at 7.30pm
READ MORE HERE: http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/esmagazine/keeley-hawes-tvs-toughest-detective-9739507.html
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Matthew Macfadyen: Lost In Karastan heads to Filmfest Hamburg
NOMINATED FOR HAMBURG PRODUCERS AWARD FOR EUROPEAN CINEMA CO-PRODUCTIONS
Independent film-maker Emil Miller is in the middle of a creative block and on top of that his wife has left him. So the invitation to a film festival in the newly independent Caucasian republic of Karastan is perfectly timed. That the country is a model dictatorship doesn't bother the burnt-out director. He gladly accepts an offer from the president to make an epic film about a Karastanian folk hero from the Middle Ages. But shooting huge battles with several thousand extras soon starts to go wrong: first the leading actor disappears, then the president is toppled by a military junta. Welcome to Karastan is a highly amusing grotesque, whose outrageousness is occasionally reminiscent of Sasha Baron Cohen's mockumentary Borat.
Website: http://www.stealthmediagroup.com/films/lost_in_karastan/
TO BUY TICKETS for Filmfest Screenings http://www.filmfesthamburg.de/en/programm/Film/21947/Welcome_to_Karastan
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Pictures: Matthew Macfadyen and Jerome Flynn film Ripper Street at town hall
MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
Emma Flanagan
May 21, 2013
Mr Darcy may be behind him but Matthew Macfadyen proved he was still worthy of his heartthrob status while in Manchester filming the BBC’s Ripper Street.
Shooting at Manchester Town Hall, the actor is filming the gritty Victorian crime drama here until Thursday.
Alongside the Anna Karenina actor was Jerome Flynn, one half of 1990s singing duo Robson and Jerome and currently starring as Bronn in the fourth series of Game of Thrones.
But thanks to a fans' protest and a sudden ratings boost, the BBC have decided to bring back the costume drama, but it will be shown on Amazon Prime before it makes it to our screens.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/ripper-street-filming-manchester-matthew-7149339
Emma Flanagan
May 21, 2013
Actors L to R Matthew Macfadyen (Det. Insp. Edmund Reid) and Adam Rothenberg (Cpt. Homer Jackson) filming new series of drama Ripper Street at Manchester Town Hall Annex.
Shooting at Manchester Town Hall, the actor is filming the gritty Victorian crime drama here until Thursday.
Alongside the Anna Karenina actor was Jerome Flynn, one half of 1990s singing duo Robson and Jerome and currently starring as Bronn in the fourth series of Game of Thrones.
Ripper Street was axed at the end of last year after not having the audience the BBC had hoped for.
But thanks to a fans' protest and a sudden ratings boost, the BBC have decided to bring back the costume drama, but it will be shown on Amazon Prime before it makes it to our screens.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/ripper-street-filming-manchester-matthew-7149339
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
BBC's Ripper Street saved by Amazon
THE GUARDIAN
Tara Conlan
Wednesday 26 February 2014 05.20 EST
Period crime drama Ripper Street, axed by the BBC, will be returning for a third series on Amazon's video-on-demand service.
Amazon confirmed on Wednesday that filming on the third series will begin in May and be exclusive to subscribers to Prime Instant Video, formerly its LoveFilm VoD service, but will be aired a few months later on BBC1.
As part of the deal the first and second series are now available to Prime Instant Video subscribers.
The deal between Amazon and Ripper Street producer Tiger Aspect marks a significant moment for the UK TV industry – the first time a VoD operator has stepped in to fund a drama series after it was dropped by a major broadcaster.
Ripper Street, starring Matthew MacFadyen and Jerome Flynn, was dropped by the BBC last year. The reason given by the corporation was it "didn't bring the audience we hoped".
Tiger Aspect confirmed in December that it was in talks about alternative funding for the show, with Amazon tipped as being most likely to step in.
Confirming the return of the notorious H Division police precinct, set in Victorian Whitechapel, the head of Amazon Instant Video international content acquisition Jason Ropell said: "We're delighted to have secured not only the highly popular first two seasons of Ripper Street for our Prime Instant Video customers but we can also confirm today that we will be making season three, news that we know will delight the millions of fans of this brilliant British drama."
The US online retail giant announced earlier in February that it was rebranding its UK VoD service, LoveFilm, as Prime Instant Video.
The BBC will continue to put an unspecified amount of money into the show but as Ropell said "we've become the commissioning broadcaster" and Amazon Prime Instant Video customers will see the new episodes first.
Although Tiger Aspect head of drama Will Gould said the show will be delivered to Amazon by late autumn, no transmission date has yet been set, nor has it been decided if they will be available at once - as on-demand rival Netflix does for subscribers of its hits such as House of Cards.
Actress Myanna Buring, who plays Long Sally in Ripper Street, said the deal with Amazon was a "first for a British television shomyw" and reflected the way more consumers view content, while Simon Vaughan from co-producers Lookout Point said it marked a "new paradigm" in the UK content production business.
Vaughan said it would be "business as usual" for the third series, with the same cast, same eight episodes and no sanitisation of the sometimes grisly violence.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/feb/26/bbc-ripper-street-amazon-series
Tara Conlan
Wednesday 26 February 2014 05.20 EST
Period crime drama Ripper Street, axed by the BBC, will be returning for a third series on Amazon's video-on-demand service.
Amazon confirmed on Wednesday that filming on the third series will begin in May and be exclusive to subscribers to Prime Instant Video, formerly its LoveFilm VoD service, but will be aired a few months later on BBC1.
As part of the deal the first and second series are now available to Prime Instant Video subscribers.
The deal between Amazon and Ripper Street producer Tiger Aspect marks a significant moment for the UK TV industry – the first time a VoD operator has stepped in to fund a drama series after it was dropped by a major broadcaster.
Ripper Street, starring Matthew MacFadyen and Jerome Flynn, was dropped by the BBC last year. The reason given by the corporation was it "didn't bring the audience we hoped".
Tiger Aspect confirmed in December that it was in talks about alternative funding for the show, with Amazon tipped as being most likely to step in.
Confirming the return of the notorious H Division police precinct, set in Victorian Whitechapel, the head of Amazon Instant Video international content acquisition Jason Ropell said: "We're delighted to have secured not only the highly popular first two seasons of Ripper Street for our Prime Instant Video customers but we can also confirm today that we will be making season three, news that we know will delight the millions of fans of this brilliant British drama."
The US online retail giant announced earlier in February that it was rebranding its UK VoD service, LoveFilm, as Prime Instant Video.
The BBC will continue to put an unspecified amount of money into the show but as Ropell said "we've become the commissioning broadcaster" and Amazon Prime Instant Video customers will see the new episodes first.
Although Tiger Aspect head of drama Will Gould said the show will be delivered to Amazon by late autumn, no transmission date has yet been set, nor has it been decided if they will be available at once - as on-demand rival Netflix does for subscribers of its hits such as House of Cards.
Actress Myanna Buring, who plays Long Sally in Ripper Street, said the deal with Amazon was a "first for a British television shomyw" and reflected the way more consumers view content, while Simon Vaughan from co-producers Lookout Point said it marked a "new paradigm" in the UK content production business.
Vaughan said it would be "business as usual" for the third series, with the same cast, same eight episodes and no sanitisation of the sometimes grisly violence.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/feb/26/bbc-ripper-street-amazon-series
Friday, November 15, 2013
Matthew Macfadyen: Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense (review). I say, chaps, a top-hole show!
THE BUCKS HERALD
by Anne Cox
anne.cox@jpress.co.uk
15 November, 2013
What ho! Gosh, there’s jolly fun to be had at the theatre these days. Had a simply spiffing time at The Duke Of York’s this week seeing a new comedy featuring a pair of coves that had me in oodles of laughter.
It was Perfect Nonsense of course but the audience laughed like drains. I can’t think of a better night’s entertainment.
It seems impossible to imagine but the hilarious antics of Bertie Wooster and his man, Jeeves, have never made it into the West End – until now. Writer PG Wodehouse would have been delighted that his creations have finally won the recognition they deserve.
His stories, and there are shelves of them, have been notoriously hard to lift off the page. Making the leap to stage or screen has, on the whole, been disappointing (the recent Blandings series on Sunday afternoon BBCTV is a case in point).
But now, everything has come together, in a show that is a hoot to watch from beginning to end. It’s blessed with a near perfect cast and the pedigree of a top-hole production team.
Is casting the key? Stephen Mangan, as Wooster, is sublime. He’s charismatic from the outset, with an ear-to-ear beam that displays his pearly whites to perfection. You can’t help falling for his charm. Wooster/Mangan is just so bally endearing. The chap is brimming with innocence and whimsy, the eternal optimist who seems to always land on his feet no matter what fix he’s in.
He’s joined in this escapade by Matthew Macfadyen who has never struck me as having any sort of funny bone judging from a biography that leans heavily towards classical and heavyweight drama. How wrong I was.
He is the epitome of a gentleman’s gentleman with a beautifully paced performance that is shared by his acting partner, the Macfadyen Left Eyebrow, which should really have its own entry in the programme. It rises in incredulity at frequent intervals and obviously went to the same acting classes as Roger Moore’s Left Eyebrow. It deserves an Olivier.
Who’d have thought the star of Spooks, Wuthering Heights and Ripper Street, was imbued with a sense of humour? It’s rare to ever see him smile or be, in any way, animated in his previous roles. Here he lets caution to the wind and even dons a dress (nice legs, by the way). I hope this is a turning point for the actor. He really should show his comedic talents more often. Mr M, a solidly built, lofty 6ft 3ins, even dances (though I doubt whether he’d score more than a 3 on Strictly).
READ MORE HERE: http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/what-s-on/theatre/jeeves-wooster-in-perfect-nonsense-review-i-say-chaps-a-top-hole-show-1-5683266
by Anne Cox
anne.cox@jpress.co.uk
15 November, 2013
What ho! Gosh, there’s jolly fun to be had at the theatre these days. Had a simply spiffing time at The Duke Of York’s this week seeing a new comedy featuring a pair of coves that had me in oodles of laughter.
It was Perfect Nonsense of course but the audience laughed like drains. I can’t think of a better night’s entertainment.
It seems impossible to imagine but the hilarious antics of Bertie Wooster and his man, Jeeves, have never made it into the West End – until now. Writer PG Wodehouse would have been delighted that his creations have finally won the recognition they deserve.
His stories, and there are shelves of them, have been notoriously hard to lift off the page. Making the leap to stage or screen has, on the whole, been disappointing (the recent Blandings series on Sunday afternoon BBCTV is a case in point).
But now, everything has come together, in a show that is a hoot to watch from beginning to end. It’s blessed with a near perfect cast and the pedigree of a top-hole production team.
Is casting the key? Stephen Mangan, as Wooster, is sublime. He’s charismatic from the outset, with an ear-to-ear beam that displays his pearly whites to perfection. You can’t help falling for his charm. Wooster/Mangan is just so bally endearing. The chap is brimming with innocence and whimsy, the eternal optimist who seems to always land on his feet no matter what fix he’s in.
He’s joined in this escapade by Matthew Macfadyen who has never struck me as having any sort of funny bone judging from a biography that leans heavily towards classical and heavyweight drama. How wrong I was.
He is the epitome of a gentleman’s gentleman with a beautifully paced performance that is shared by his acting partner, the Macfadyen Left Eyebrow, which should really have its own entry in the programme. It rises in incredulity at frequent intervals and obviously went to the same acting classes as Roger Moore’s Left Eyebrow. It deserves an Olivier.
Who’d have thought the star of Spooks, Wuthering Heights and Ripper Street, was imbued with a sense of humour? It’s rare to ever see him smile or be, in any way, animated in his previous roles. Here he lets caution to the wind and even dons a dress (nice legs, by the way). I hope this is a turning point for the actor. He really should show his comedic talents more often. Mr M, a solidly built, lofty 6ft 3ins, even dances (though I doubt whether he’d score more than a 3 on Strictly).
READ MORE HERE: http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/what-s-on/theatre/jeeves-wooster-in-perfect-nonsense-review-i-say-chaps-a-top-hole-show-1-5683266
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Podcast: Stephen Mangan, Matthew Macfadyen and Sean Foley at Jeeves & Wooster Q&A
Listen to the post-show Q&A with cast members Matthew Macfadyen and Stephen Mangan and director Sean Foley on our Outing to see Jeeves and Wooster - Perfect Nonsense
WHAT'S ON STAGE
By Editorial Staff • 6 Nov 2013 • London
Last night we took over 100 theatregoers to see Sean Foley's production of Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense at the Duke of York's Theatre.
Written by siblings Robert and David Goodale, Perfect Nonsense is adapted from PG Wodehouse's The Code of the Woosters (1938), the first installment in the Totleigh Towers saga.
The play stars Stephen Mangan as Bertie Wooster, Matthew Macfadyen as Jeeves and Mark Hadfield as Seppings.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/11-2013/podcast-stephen-mangan-matthew-macfadyen-and-sean-_32560.html?cid=homepage_news
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Matthew Macfadyen: Ripper star: My children would rather watch Gru
LANCASHIRE EVENING POST
27 October, 2013
Keeley Bolger
It’s the Victorian crime drama known for its grit but Matthew Macfadyen, star of BBC One’s Ripper Street, is more likely to laugh his way through gruesome scenes than turn green.
The 39-year-old actor, who plays leading man Detective Inspector Edmund Reid, has had his iron stomach tested while filming the returning second series.
Scenes featuring a man falling from a window and impaling himself are just some of the delights in store, though Macfadyen admits that it’s in these situations that he’s most inclined to inappropriately burst into a fit of giggles.
“The guy who was impaled on the railings in episode one didn’t make me feel too squeamish because it’s very cleverly done,” says Macfadyen. “We were actually trying not to laugh. It’s the dark, high-stakes scenes that, for me, are the funniest.”
And there was one in particular that sticks in this Norfolk-born actor’s mind.
“There was this Contagion-esque episode in the first series where we had a really long scene and spent the whole day on it,” he says.
“At one point I had to say to Adam [Rothenberg, who plays Captain Homer Jackson], ‘What’s in the stomach? What have you found?’”
The reply that it was semen set the two actors off, and after a few bodged takes Macfadyen had to leave the room.
“It’s painful. You think, ‘Is this going to be one of these scenes I can’t get through?’ It really becomes a worry,” laughs Macfadyen, who’s made a name playing brooding types such as Mr Darcy in Pride And Prejudice and Enid Blyton’s first husband Hugh Pollock in 2009’s Enid.
In Ripper Street, Reid and loyal deputies Detective Sergeant Bennet Drake, played by Jerome Flynn, and Captain Jackson are back to battle new crimes in the East End of London.
“Reid’s living in his office in Leman Street. He’s not at home any more, so it’s pretty lonely,” explains Macfadyen.
“His wife isn’t there and we don’t know why. He’s in a pretty dark place and just throwing himself into his work.”
While his marriage is in tatters, his career is busier than ever with a new detective, Sergeant Albert Flight, played by Being Human actor Damien Molony, to take under his wing.
The series, and Macfadyen, has its loyal followers, including his 13-year-old stepson Myles.
“He saw the first episode of the second series recently and really enjoyed it,” says the actor.
“But my younger kids [Maggie, eight, and Ralph, six] aren’t really interested yet. They’d much rather watch Despicable Me 2.”
READ MORE HERE: http://www.lep.co.uk/what-s-on/tv/ripper-star-my-children-would-rather-watch-gru-1-6186150
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Matthew Macfadyen: Review: Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense, Theatre Royal Brighton, until Saturday October 26
SUSSEX EXPRESS
October 24, 2013
I was interested to see how a theatre adaption of Jeeves and Wooster would be updated for modern times.
Would it appear a bit dated perhaps? Would the jokes still be funny? And would there be enough laughs?
I need not have worried because this adaptation starring Stephen Mangan (Green Wing) and Matthew Macfadyen (Spooks) was an absolute riot from start to finish.
Humour has been injected into this play at every possible opportunity.
The performances from Mangan (Wooster), Matthew Macfadyen (Jeeves) and Mark Hadfield (Seppings) are side splittingly funny and the trio boast brilliant comic timing.
While Mangan plays just one character, Matthew Macfadyen and Hadfield play a multitude of different characters, including women.
And Hadfield plays a seven foot man, which involves standing on a chair in a very long coat.
Plus Matthew Macfadyen plays both a man and a woman at the same time, thanks to some inventive costumes, where he is split down the middle - one half man other half woman.
The stage too is used to create yet more humour. The clever Jeeves uses a bicycle to power a revolving stage and change the scenery. He has made furniture on wheels to move about.
This was the most imaginative use of scenery I have ever seen in the theatre - not only was it creative but it set up lots of the jokes in the play too.
The relationship dynamic between Jeeves and Wooster is of course filled with comedy.
Matthew Macfadyen is cool and collected as Jeeves, while Mangan plays Wooster like an over excited young chap who takes child like delight in the world.
And watch out for the lightning speed costume changes and some improvisation along the way.
Oh and they finish with a 20s flapper style dance which is so much fun.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/review-jeeves-and-wooster-in-perfect-nonsense-theatre-royal-brighton-until-saturday-october-26-1-5621695
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Matthew Macfadyen talks 'Pillars Of The Earth'
YAHOO NEW ZEALAND
September 24, 2013, 3:10 pm
TV mini-series 'The Pillars Of The Earth' hits our screens from this week - one of the stars, Matthew Macfadyen, talks about what it was like working on the adaptation of the popular Ken Follett novel.
About his character, Prior Philip:
Well it's interesting in terms of his character (as) he knows himself quite well. I think that he knows that his chief temptation is vanity and pride because he’s intelligent and he’s ambitious for the church and for the greater glory of God I suppose in his way of thinking. And to do that you have to make compromises I suppose; and you have to be able to put yourself in a position of power.
About the cast:
Talking about the other cast members; I can’t remember a job where everyone has enjoyed being in [each other’s] company so much. I can’t speak for the other actors but I, we all really get on. And they are just great; everyone is fantastic and very different.
And I think because it is such an ensemble piece, because you’ve got the monks, and you’ve got the builders, you’ve got the royals, and you’ve got the big powerful noble families, it feels, when everyone gets together it feels like a party.
About the sets:
I mean, you can’t see this, but it is just extraordinary. I had just come off another medieval set, Ridley Scott’s ‘Robin Hood’ project, and there really is no difference. There is a difference in budget but there is no difference in scale here. So it’s just great. When it is like that it’s fantastic because you don’t need to use your imagination the same that you do when you are in a studio.
READ MORE HERE: http://nz.entertainment.yahoo.com/news/article/-/19089184/matthew-macfadyen-talks-pillars-of/
Friday, September 13, 2013
Win a pair of tickets to see Matthew Macfadyen and Stephen Mangan as Jeeves & Wooster plus an overnight stay in London
THE GUARDIAN
the guardian.com, Friday 13 September 2013 05.41 EDT
When a perfectly delightful trip to the countryside takes a turn for the worse, Bertie Wooster is unwittingly called on to play matchmaker – reconciling the affections of his host's drippy daughter Madeline Bassett with his newt-fancying acquaintance Gussie Fink-Nottle. If Bertie, ably assisted by the ever-dependable Jeeves, can't pull off the wedding of the season, he'll be forced to abandon his cherished bachelor status and marry the ghastly girl himself! Jeeves & Wooster in 'Perfect Nonsense' opens at the Duke of York's Theatre next month.
the guardian.com, Friday 13 September 2013 05.41 EDT
When a perfectly delightful trip to the countryside takes a turn for the worse, Bertie Wooster is unwittingly called on to play matchmaker – reconciling the affections of his host's drippy daughter Madeline Bassett with his newt-fancying acquaintance Gussie Fink-Nottle. If Bertie, ably assisted by the ever-dependable Jeeves, can't pull off the wedding of the season, he'll be forced to abandon his cherished bachelor status and marry the ghastly girl himself! Jeeves & Wooster in 'Perfect Nonsense' opens at the Duke of York's Theatre next month.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Ripper Street: I had to let rip with a song but I'll stick to acting – Charlene McKenna
HERALD IE
28 August, 2013
Petite actress and reluctant singer Charlene McKenna had to warm up her vocal chords while filming the upcoming season of Ripper Street.
The 27-year-old, who plays prostitute turned songstress Rose Erskine in the hit TV series, had to belt out several show-stopping tunes on set. And Charlene says it was a daunting experience.
"I just had to sing for Ripper Street, it was my first time. I don't know if it was worth the nightmares and panic attacks," she laughed.
And Monaghan native Charlene doubts she'll be launching a singing career anytime soon.
"I have a very low voice. Beyonce is safe – let me put it that way," she laughed.
Charlene and the rest of the cast finished filming last weekend. But, before they started packing up the faux cobble streets and 1880s set, Charlene made sure her parents experienced the gruesome world of Jack the Ripper which is being filmed in Dublin.
"Mammy and daddy came to visit the set. It's only their second time ever visiting me on set. They usually just let me at it," she explained.
Charlene's mum and dad enjoyed checking out the cells and chatting to the crew but Charlene says she's the only theatrical member of the family.
"No one else in my family is in to acting – just me. I thought I'd go out on that ledge on my own."
And Charlene is in demand.
No sooner had she ditched the corset and tight, ringlet curls, she was she on a plane over to London. She will star in a West End production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts.
Charlene will play the part of Regina at the Almeida Theatre and began rehearsals yesterday.
READ MORE HERE: http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/i-had-to-let-rip-with-a-song-but-ill-stick-to-acting-charlene-29534267.html
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Matthew Macfadyen: What ho! Jeeves and Wooster head for West End By Tim Masters Entertainment and arts correspondent, BBC News
Almost a hundred years on from their first appearance in print, PG Wodehouse's comic creations Jeeves and Wooster are being resurrected on stage.
Matthew Macfadyen will play valet Jeeves with Stephen Mangan as the dim but amiable Bertie Wooster in Perfect Nonsense, by Robert and David Goodale.
"I'm ridiculously excited and slightly scared," Mangan told the BBC.
Perfect Nonsense will open in Richmond and Brighton in October ahead of a West End run at the Duke of York's Theatre.
The new play, which has the blessing of the Wodehouse Estate, is based on 1938 novel The Code of the Woosters.
Mangan confessed he had never read any PG Wodehouse before he was approached about the role of the "mentally negligible" Wooster.
"It was one of those things I'd always meant to do," he said. "As everyone says, he's the finest comedy writer the English language has ever produced.
"So I started tucking in, and it's like crack cocaine. Wodehouse wrote about 90 novels and I've read about a third of them."
"This play from Bobby and David Goodale is an absolute hoot - a wonderfully crafted and joyful bit of perfect nonsense," said former Spooks star Macfadyen. "I am delighted to be a part of it."
Mangan said he wasn't daunted by Fry and Laurie's much-loved portrayals. "They were perfect casting and the TV show was brilliant, but TV and theatre are different things.
"You get a different Hamlet every seven months on the London stage, so I think we can cope with two Jeeves and Woosters in 20 years."
Perfect Nonsense plays at Richmond Theatre from 10 to 19 October and Theatre Royal Brighton from 22 to 26 October. It will then run at the Duke of York's in London from 30 October.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The boys are back: Matthew Macfadyen and Jerome Flynn begin filming grizzly scenes for Ripper Street series two By J J ANISIOBI (MAIL ON LINE)
Friends reunited: Actors, from left, Adam Rothenberg, Matthew McFadyen and Jermome Flynn began filming Ripper Street series two on Tuesday in Dublin, Ireland
The last episode only aired three months ago, but fans of Ripper Street will be glad to see the gritty series will return.
Actors Matthew Macfadyen, Jerome Flynn and Adam Rothenberg will be back with a bang as they began filming the highly anticipated second series on Tuesday in Dublin, Ireland.
The crime fighting case solving trio were seen relaxing between shoots as a more grizzly storyline was being set up just by them.
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