HUGH BONNEVILLE: (YAY) TwentyTwelve spin-off in the pipeline reuniting hapless Olympics planning team (YAY) (MIRROR)

BBC comedy chiefs are plotting a spin-off of Bafta-nominated Olympic mockumentary TwentyTwelve.

They hope to reunite the core team of hapless PRs including Jessica Hynes as Siobhan Sharpe, Hugh Bonneville as Ian Fletcher, Olivia Colman as his PA Sally and Amelia Bulmore as Kay Hope.

A BBC insider said: “There is a real desire for this to happen.

"The show was such a fantastic success and writer John Morton is a genius, such a massive talent.

"It would be so great to get the team together again.”

Plans are in their early stages, with the spin-off likely to see dithering Fletcher taking on another major national project and hiring back his Olympic colleagues to help him out.

In the show, made in the style of a fly-on-the-wall documentary, Ian headed up the fictional Olympic Deliverance Commission while Siobhan, who has her own PR company Perfect Curve, was head of brand.

One of the highlights was the development of a travel strategy - called Way to Go - in which pedestrians were banned from pavements.

Morton has indicated that a follow-up comedy could be possible, given the right circumstances. He said: “There’s been some talk about whether there can be a life post-Olympics and it’s tempting because I’d love to work with those actors again.”

The BBC2 series received widespread critical acclaim when it was shown in the run-up to the Olympics last year.



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Paul McCartney still tops the richest musician in Britain list (caribbean360.com)

LONDON, England, Friday April 19, 2013 – At the ripe old age of 70, former Beatles and Wings star Sir Paul McCartney is still the richest musician in Britain, booting “Cats” creator Andrew Lloyd-Webber into the doghouse; giving U2 a big “you, too” and conveying a clear message to Elton John to “Get Back, Honky Cat,” not to mention leaving Mick Jagger with no “Satisfaction”.

McCartney's £680 million (US$1.04 billion) fortune put him in the top spot on the Sunday Times Rich List 2013, which will be published in full on April 21, and ranks the UK and Ireland's richest musicians.

The ranking is nothing new for the vintage entertainer who has topped all the charts for the country's wealthiest musicians since the Rich List’s inception in 1989. At that time he was only worth a paltry £80 million.

Apart from his featured appearances at Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee and both the opening and closing ceremonies for the London Olympics, the former Beatle's "On the Run" tour grossed US$57 million last year.

Plumping-up his total was his millionairess third wife Nancy Shevell's stake in her father's New England Motor Freight empire.


Read more: http://www.caribbean360.com/index.php/news/680371.html#ixzz2R0shbxp0

Kenneth Branagh: Queen Elizabeth Accepts BAFTA Award for Being “the Most Memorable Bond Girl Yet” by Julie Miller (Vanity Fair)

Apparently heads of state are eligible for acting awards in the U.K. On Thursday night in London, Kenneth Branagh presented the Queen with an honorary BAFTA for her longtime patronage of British film and television. During the tribute, BAFTA chairman John Willis noted the monarch’s work onscreen for last summer’s Olympic Opening Ceremony, calling her “the most memorable Bond girl yet.” Branagh, meanwhile, encouraged the Queen to pursue her burgeoning acting career and jokingly offered to contact her agent, Daniel Craig, about future casting opportunities.

READ MORE: http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2013/04/queen-elizabeth-bafta

Cutest couple in the world - Will and Kate pics of 2012 (SOCIALITE LIFE)

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge have a laugh at Bacon's College on July 26, 2012 in London, England. The Duke and Duchess, along with Prince Harry launched the 'Coach Core' Programme, a partnership between their Foundation and Greenhouse. (Photo by Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Duchess has a good giggle before Prince William throws a foam javelin s part of a children's sports event. The couple, along with Queen Elizabeth, visited Vernon Park during a Diamond Jubilee visit to Nottingham on June 13, 2012 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images).

The Duke and Duchess surprised everyone by showing off a little PDA during Britain's victory at the Velodrome on August 2, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

William and Catherine take a moment to tour the Kranji War Memorial in Singapore on September 13th, 2012.

The Duchess affectionately puts her hand on William's knee during a swimming event at the London Olympics on August 3rd, 2012.

William was no doubt relieved to have his wife discharge from King Edward VII hospital in London. He drove the Duchess from her parents Berkshire home after she complained of severe morning sickness.

READ MORE: http://socialitelife.com/photos/will-and-kates-cutest-photos-of-2012/london-olympics-swimming-4-040812

Kenneth Branagh recalls the opening ceremony of London 2012 27 July: the actor relives working with Danny Boyle to help create the dazzling opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics (GUARDIAN)

"I have never learned a part more thoroughly": Kenneth Branagh performs at the opening ceremony. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

I was in Liverpool on a location scout for the film Jack Ryan when I got the call. Danny Boyle rang me and explained that they'd had a great tragedy – Mark Rylance's daughter had passed away and he was pulling out of his role in the opening ceremony. He asked if I would take over. I was standing on a street corner and I was so shocked at Mark's news that I didn't really take in the second part.

A couple of days later I went to see Danny at the Olympic Stadium. It was three weeks before the ceremony and the place was packed with thousands of people all doing things impressively. Danny seemed to know everybody's first name – it was like taking a walk with the Pied Piper. We climbed on to the hill that I'd eventually be doing my piece from. It was quite a lot to take in. Danny said, "You'll be here in the person of Isambard Kingdom Brunel performing Shakespeare to the accompaniment of Elgar," and I said, "God, that's a lot of Great Britons all at once." I asked him where the prompter or autocue would be and he said, "Oh, no we won't have one of those." I have never learned a part more thoroughly in my entire professional career. The notion of screwing up in front of a billion people concentrated the mind very strongly.

On the opening night the energy was incredible and hard to resist. There was a temporary structure built as our dressing rooms and all the children involved were on the top floor. They were so wild with excitement the building was shaking. I remember being in my dressing room with the Arctic Monkeys rehearsing "Come Together" for the 5,000th time next door, and on the other side of the partition, Rowan Atkinson and Simon Rattle were discussing, in minute detail, how to be funny in two minutes and 11 seconds. Across the way Danny Boyle was talking JK Rowling off the ledge because it was her first time performing in public. As for me, I was just trying to keep my head straight and going through my lines: "Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises…"


READ MORE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2012/dec/23/kenneth-branagh-danny-boyle-olympics