Poldark series three to air on BBC1 in June (Aidan Turner)

RADIO TIMES
By Ben Dowell
Monday 3 April 2017 at 6:30PM

The next series of Aidan Turner drama Poldark will start on BBC1 in June, RadioTimes.com can exclusively reveal.

A BBC spokeswoman confirmed the news: “The earlier filming schedule on this series means that we can bring the much anticipated third series back sooner for fans to Sunday nights in June.”

The second series aired in the autumn against ITV drama Victoria but senior BBC sources were insistent that the decision for series 3 was not about avoiding a clash with rival show but about giving viewers a "summer treat".

Other sources also point to the fact that the first series of Poldark aired in the spring, with production sources noting that it would fill what can sometimes be a barren time for drama lovers.

Filming for series 3 started in September, a little earlier than series two started filming, as the team sought to get some better weather than the rather gloomy and wintry recent run of episodes.

However fans of both dramas and Mammoth Screen - which makes both Poldark and Victoria - will be happy that the Cornish period drama avoids a likely clash with the second series of the rival ITV drama starring Jenna Coleman which is expected to air in the autumn again.

The scheduling clash split the audience last autumn with both shows averaging just over 6 million viewers. Series 1 of Poldark averaged more than 8m viewers per episode and a move to earlier in the year has long been on the cards as RadioTimes.com revealed last September.

Earlier this year, Poldark star Eleanor Tomlinson said that the decision to schedule the drama against ITV period show Victoria last autumn was a “real shame”.

Speaking at the Radio Times Covers Party, the actress, who plays Ross Poldark's wife Demelza, insisted that the audience shouldn’t have had to choose between the Cornish period drama and ITV's series.

“I think it’s a real shame that they came out at the same time. It doesn’t make any sense to me!” she said in the interview (below). “I think it did split the audience. At the end we were equal and that’s really good. I think Poldark pulled through.”



http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-04-03/poldark-series-three-to-air-on-bbc1-in-june

SPOILER ALERT: Poldark finale watched by 6 MILLION as Aidan Turner drama attracts rave reviews

MIRROR
13:27, 27 April 2015
By Sherna Noah



Six million viewers tuned in to the emotional final episode of Poldark last night - and lamented the end of the first series.

The finale featured the sudden death of Poldark and Demelza's baby daughter Julia and ended with a cliffhanger which will run in to the second series.

The episode peaked with 6.1 million viewers on BBC1, winning its 9pm slot.

It averaged 5.9 million and a 25.4% share of viewers - more than last week but not matching the heights of the first episode - which secured almost seven million.



The installment left many viewers in tears.

"I went to bed with tears streaming. Harrowing but superbly acted," Jo Cooper wrote on Twitter.

Fiona Rose McGregor wrote: "I need a bucket for my tears."

The finale attracted warm reviews, with Allison Pearson in The Daily Telegraph saying that it was "hard to remember a more emotionally pummelling hour of television drama".

On Digital Spy, Cameron K McEwan wrote that it was "a brave move to have such a cheerless finale, but the emotional resonance amid the events of this packed 60 minutes will reward fans immeasurably."

Ellen E Jones wrote in The Independent: "Poldark is not a sophisticated drama, but the simple things can sometimes be very satisfying."

Jim Shelley wrote on MailOnline: "There was only one way the nation's swooning viewers could find brooding, pouting, heartthrob Ross Poldark any more irresistible - make him Tragic. So it proved in the final episode of the swashbuckling Seventies revival."

The BBC is planning a second series of the Cornish saga.

(I am coping as best I can... - Karen V. Wasylowski)

READ MORE HERE: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/poldark-finale-watched-6-million-5591665

Poldark gets second series after ratings help BBC1 to 10-year high

THE GUARDIAN
Jasper Jackson
@JaspJackson
Wednesday 8 April 2015 10.21 EDT

Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson in Poldark – the BBC has commissioned a second series of eight episodes of the period drama. Photograph: Robert Viglasky/BBC/Mammoth Screen

The BBC is recomissioning Poldark for a second series after the period drama helped BBC1 record its highest ratings share for the first three months of the year in a decade.

The BBC’s flagship channel took a 23.3% share of viewers overall and 25.2% during peak times, helped by strong performances from EastEnders, Six Nations rugby, new comedy Still Open All Hours and the corporation’s prime-time dramas.

Poldark’s consolidated viewing across the season so far has hit 8.1 million.

http://smouldark.tumblr.com/post/114085291733/poldark-2015-bbc

The series starring Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson will return for an eight-part run covering books three and four of Winston Graham’s series, as will screenwriter Debbie Horsfield.

In an interview with the Guardian last month, Horsfield said she had already begun adapting more episodes of the drama about a soldier returning to Cornwall from the American War of Independence.

Another BBC prime-time drama, Call the Midwife, averaged 10.3 million viewers, making it the most watched drama series across all channels so far this year.

 READ MORE HERE: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/apr/08/poldark-second-series-bbc1-winstone-graham-aiden-turner

Poldark spoilers: Aidan Turner fans - get ready to see the star in a whole different light

MIRROR
23:37, 4 April 2015 By Nigel Pauley



He’s the daddy - A very special new arrival brings a smile to screen hunk Ross Poldark’s face.

There is the patter of tiny Poldark feet as his former street urchin wife Demelza, played by Eleanor Tomlinson, gives birth to a baby girl.

And Poldark’s new daughter, Julie Grace, is a red-head - just like her mum.



Poldark, alias Aidan Turner, 33, has gained an army of female fans by showing off his rippling torso and brooding good looks.

But how will the nine million fans of the BBC 1’s Cornish-based costume drama, based on Winston Graham’s best-selling novels, react to their pin-up become a dad?

READ MORE HERE: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/poldark-spoilers-aidan-turner-fans-5461746

Joe Absolom: ‘I’m skint, but Death in Paradise was worth it!”

WHAT'S ON TV
10:05am, Monday, 9 February 2015



Joe Absolom reveals he’s broke after working on Death in Paradise, but doesn’t regret taking a guest role in BBC1’s Caribbean murder mystery.

In a laughter-filled chat with What’s on TV the laidback Doc Martin and EastEnders’ star explains why he likes being a jobbing actor and is enjoying fatherhood. He also spills the beans on the return of Doc Martin and tells-all about former co-star Kevin Costner’s close encounter with a bee!

You guest star in Death in Paradise as volleyball coach Aiden Parker. Was it a tough job to say yes to?
“I know, I know… tough sell! I was supposed to be going on a family holiday to France to visit my mum and dad when I got the call from my agent telling me I’d been offered a part in Death in Paradise, and could I go to Guadeloupe instead?”

How did your family react when you told them?
“They’d been really excited about France and looked so sad when they heard I was off to the Caribbean for two weeks. So my girlfriend and I decided we’d make it work and take all three kids too. My parents were gutted and a bit jealous. And it turned out it rained in France when we were supposed to be there! We’re absolutely skint now of course, but we don’t want any sympathy. It was a good way to spend money and we all had a fantastic time.”

How nice is it to be offered a role and not have to audition?
“It doesn’t usually happen. It’s only happened once before with Midsomer Murders. Auditioning underlines my little foibles! I can go into the audition room and even though I’ve rehearsed something and felt good about it at home, suddenly I think things like ‘I don’t like this chair’. But I like being a jobbing actor, it's interesting and good fun. Yet the reality is sometimes you only do one or two jobs a year.”

Is that enough?
“No! Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. The fact we went to Guadeloupe as a family – that’s an amazing experience. Listening to stories and meeting really interesting characters - our family photos with all the Death in Paradise cast and crew are fantastic.”

Were your children impressed by you?
“No, they were impressed by the pool! My little boy learned to swim. For Liz and me it was the best holiday we ever had, even though I had to work nearly every day. It’s a beautiful place with a beautiful atmosphere. Kris Marshall and Danny John-Jules’ kids were there too, and everyone got on fantastically.”

Did you have to do any special preparation for the role of volleyball coach Aiden?
“They told me to get a tan because I was so pasty and the character is supposed to have lived on the Island for 10 years!”

Does this mean Death in Paradise now rivals Doc Martin as the best job in television?
“Doc Martin really is a great job. We film in Cornwall and it’s really good fun with lots of very nice people. But that’s now been usurped by Death in Paradise. They flew me to the Caribbean – and when you’re not working you can sit around a hotel pool!”

What’s next for you?
“The new series of Doc Martin starts filming in Cornwall in March. I might have to get a proper job while I’m waiting for that – these kids keep growing!”

READ MORE HERE: http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/tv-news/news/joe-absolom-i-m-skint-but-death-in-paradise-was-worth-it

Aidan Turner almost breaks Twitter as fans gush over heartthrob as he discusses Poldark re-make on This Morning

THE MIRROR
11:45, 5 March 2015 By Rebecca Pocklington



Actor Aidan Turner caused quite a reaction as he appeared on This Morning today - and that was just from host Amanda Holden .

The presenter had to fan herself as she welcomed the actor on to the show , and Twitter fans were just as excited to see the heartthrob, as he discussed his upcoming role in the re-make of Poldark.

Asked what his family thought to his new role, Aidan revealed: "My mum said something like 'don't screw it up'."



As Amanda giggled along with the rest of us, to pretty much everything the actor said, they showed spoilers from the upcoming hit.

The actor will be reunited with former Being Human co-star Russell Tovey later in the show, and he couldn't resist dropping his friend in it.

When asked about any secrets between them, Aidan admitted Russell was great at karaoke - and his speciality was Fast Car.

Could we be treated to a rendition? Or even better, a duet?

BBC1’s new £12million version of Poldark airs this Sunday night.

See all the hilarious reaction ere

Kevin Doyle on Downton Abbey and swapping serial killers and servants for an alpha male

RADIO TIMES
Susanna Lazarus
7:33 AM, 06 April 2014




Kevin Doyle is fed up of playing serial killers. And servants (most famously as Mr Molesley in ITV's Downton Abbey). BBC1's new WW1 drama The Crimson Field affords him the opportunity to step into some alpha male shoes as Colonel Roland Brett, and he's relishing it. "It's nice to be giving orders rather than receiving them," he told RadioTimes.com. "It took me a while to get used to being a figure of authority - to have someone with quiet authority who is rather placid."

But besides acting creepy, it turns out there are other downsides to being typecast as a murderer. "I played a killer in the Lakes a few years ago and somebody screamed at me on the tube once. I thought, 'Oh god, have I got to get used to his now?"

And when he's not giving viewers a fright, he's getting mistaken for a handyman. "I got somebody who asked me, did you do my central heating last year?" Lord Grantham would never have to put up with this...


READ MORE HERE: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-04-06/kevin-doyle-on-downton-abbey-and-swapping-serial-killers-and-servants-for-an-alpha-male

Oh God, Stop Telling Benedict Cumberbatch You Think His Mom Is 'Hot'

JEZEBEL
Rebecca Rose
December 30, 2013



Filed under things I should never, ever have to tell you, everyone please stop going up to Benedict Cumberbatch and telling him you think his mother is hot.

For those that don't know, everyone's most beloved Tumblr gif is the son of actress Wanda Ventham, who yes, is quite beautiful indeed. She starred in the science fiction drama UFO and had a recurring role in a sitcom called Only Fools and Horses which sounds fucking awesome, obviously. In the understatement of the year, Cumberbatch says he feels "awkward" when strange men come up to him in small, enclosed spaces and want talk to him about his hot, sexy mom:

Wanda Ventham

"I've been trapped with men in elevators who say to me, 'Oh... I really used to like your mum. She's really hot'", he told the Daily Mirror. ''I don't know what to say. If I say, 'No, she's not', that is really insulting to my mother, and if I say she is, it seems very wrong. She is smokin', I guess.''

Yes, he's at a loss for words because he's too busy running and screaming in fit of maniacal panic to find the bleach in which he might douse his mind.

So, we're all in agreement on this one. Let's not go up to actor Benedict Cumberbatch and talk to him about his super hot mom,OK? Here's a suggested list of nice conversation starters you can use if you ever run into him at the Taco Bell by your dorm room, (which is a thing I know about 75 percent of you believe totally could happen for real) that don't have anything to do with the man's mother:


READ MORE HERE: http://jezebel.com/oh-god-stop-telling-benedict-cumberbatch-you-think-his-1491451980

Martin Freeman ALMOST missed out on Sherlock role - because he was mugged before the audition!

HEATWORLD
CELEB NEWS
Posted by Emmeline Saunders on 28 December 2013 20:43



Speaking to Radio Times ahead of the third series of the hit BBC1 show, Martin explained that his first ever meeting with the casting team was almost ruined when he was attacked in the street for his wallet.

"I'll admit maybe I was a bit stressed. But a week later my agent rang and said, 'Listen, this Sherlock thing, they're sort of under the impression you weren't that into it.'

"And I said, 'Oh … I am really interested. Please call them and let them know that I am interested.'"
Luckily for every fan of the show, Martin's next audition went much better.

"So I came in again, read with Benedict and it instantly worked, it seemed to me … I thought he was a fantastic actor and there was something about our rhythms, similarities and differences that meant that it just happened."


READ MORE HERE: http://www.heatworld.com/Celeb-News/2013/12/Martin-Freeman-ALMOST-missed-out-on-Sherlock-role---because-he-was-mugged-before-the-audition/

Benedict Cumberbatch gets a little touch-up as filming continues on Sherlock

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 06:57 EST, 28 August 2013 | UPDATED: 08:21 EST, 28 August 2013

 It maybe the most hotly anticipated television return of the year, but Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch didn't look as though the pressure was getting to him.

The 37-year-old was spotted having his make-up done before enjoying a cuppa with the crew at a London pizza restaurant last week.

The Star Trek actor and co-star Martin Freeman were in the capital filming scenes for the third series of the hit BBC1 show.

One thing we do know about episode one is that it will be loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story The Adventure of the Empty House – in which Holmes reveals he faked his own death. The end of series two was one of the most thrilling cliffhangers in modern television. In the final episode, entitled The Reichenbach Fall, viewers saw Sherlock watch his own funeral from a distance after appearing to leap from a tower block.





READ MORE HERE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2403932/Benedict-Cumberbatch-gets-little-touch-filming-Sherlock-season-3.html

Richard Armitage rumoured to replace Christian Bale as Batman

Daily Star Reporter

Published 4th August 2013

Armitage, 41, was linked to the Caped Crusader job after impressing movie bosses in The Hobbit.

He played Guy of Gisborne in BBC1’s Robin Hood and was Dawn French’s love interest in The Vicar Of Dibley.

Christian Bale quit the role after completing the Dark Knight trilogy.

Movie chiefs are weeks away from starting work on Batman Vs Superman, with producer Zack Snyder looking for an “unusual” leading man.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/330385/Richard-Armitage-rumoured-to-replace-Christian-Bale-as-Batman

DAVID SUCHET RECORDS ENTIRE BIBLE BETWEEN POIROT PERFORMANCES (EL DORADO SPRINGS)

Posted July 11, 2013 at 10:20 am


Actor reads all 752,702 words of holy book for a 78-hour audio version

A different use for the little grey cells … David Suchet in Jerusalem recording In the Footsteps of St Paul
David Suchet has spent the past 25 years playing Hercule Poirot in ITV’s adaptations of Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective stories, breaking off only to star in carefully-chosen dramas, tours and theatre productions to keep him challenged. But in the past year, as he has recorded the final episodes of the 70-part Poirot series while also starring in Eugene O’Neill’s A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, the 67-year-old actor has pursued a passion project. He has spent 200 hours recording the entire Bible from Genesis to the Book of Revelation – 752,702 words, in his deep, melodic, unrushed voice. Publisher Hodder Stoughton says it is the first time a single British actor of stature has tackled it. The recording is now in the editing stages, for a 78-hour release next Easter.

The extent of Suchet’s commitment surfaced when In the Footsteps of St Paul, a two-part documentary he made for BBC1, won the premier prizes at the Sandford St Martin’s Trust religious programme awards in June . To accompany those Christmas programmes, for which Suchet toured the eastern Mediterranean, he recorded The Acts and Letters of St Paul, which were released without fanfare by Hodder. A further instalment of The Gospels followed at Easter. But the executive producer of the St Paul programmes, Ray Bruce, struck fertile ground when he suggested that Suchet record the entire Bible with him. The studio was just south of Tower Bridge, opposite Suchet’s home on the Thames. “He always arrived prepared, for three-hour sessions … And then he went on to perform on stage. It was the most remarkable thing I have ever done in 40 years,” said Bruce.

He is clear it was about “David Suchet’s personal journey”. The background is that St Paul is very close to the actor’s heart because he was converted to Christianity when reading a Bible in a hotel room in 1986. Suchet’s moment of epiphany came with St Paul’s epistle to the Romans, chapter eight, in which the evangelist lays out the Christian hope of salvation – ( “if God be for us, who can be against us?”). He was subsequently confirmed and has said : “I am a Christian by faith. I like to think it sees me through a great deal of my life.”


READ MORE HERE: http://eldoradospringsmo.com/pages/?p=17226

Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Amy Adams on The Graham Norton Show (Entire show)

TVWorld 2013

Jonny Lee Miller: Sherlock to face showdown with Moriarty in Elementary finale (RADIO TIMES)

Written By

Paul Jones

3:27 PM, 09 May 2013

A tense, season-ending showdown between Sherlock Holmes and his arch-nemesis Moriarty – it’s a scenario fans of BBC1's Sherlock are familiar with. And it’s one that’s set to repeat itself in Elementary, the stateside take on the great detective.

So far, the closest Jonny Lee Miller’s New York-based Sherlock Holmes has come to the criminal mastermind he believes murdered his former lover – one Irene Adler – is a phone conversation. But as the first series of the US show approaches its conclusion, Elementarycreator Rob Doherty says all that is about to change.

“It is a Moriarty-centric finale” says Doherty. “It comes to our attention he may be operating in New York. The finale is really about a build to a showdown between Sherlock and Moriarty."

Not that the action will be entirely confined to the Big Apple. For the first time, viewers will see Sherlock in his native London, in flashback sequences that will also introduce Adler, played by British actress and Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer.

“For the first time, we're going to see actual moments from his past,” says Doherty. “We're going to see him outside of New York and in London. Seeing London isn't so much the point. It's really about how he came to meet and fall for Irene Adler.

READ MORE:http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-05-09/sherlock-to-face-showdown-with-moriarty-in-elementary-finale

Benedict Cumberbatch to appear on Graham Norton Show MAY 3 (RADIO TIMES)

The Sherlock and Star Trek Into Darkness star will be joined by Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall and UK Eurovision 2013 entrant Bonnie Tyler on Friday 3 May

Tim Glanfield
4:54 PM, 19 April 2013

If you like Benedict Cumberbatch (which, let's face it if you're reading this story, you probably do) - then you're going to love The Graham Norton Show on Friday 3 May.

Yes, you guessed it (the headline was a clue) - Mr C is dropping in to see Graham Norton, and everyone watching BBC1 from 10:35pm that night is invited to join the pair.

READ MORE: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-04-19/benedict-cumberbatch-to-appear-on-graham-norton-show

Benedict Cumberbatch spotted filming latest scenes for new series of Sherlock April 1, 2013 | by SWNS Reporter

Benedict Cumberbatch arrives at The Daffodil restaurant in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire to film scenes for the new series of the BBC TV’s Sherlock drama

TV star Benedict Cumberbatch was today spotted filming the latest scenes for hit show Sherlock.

The stylish actor was seen playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous character on Suffolk Parade in Cheltenham.

Cumberbatch was joined on set by Amanda Abbington, partner of co-star Martin Freeman, who has recently joined the cast of the BBC1 detective drama.

READ MORE: http://swns.com/news/benedict-cumberbatch-spotted-filming-latest-scenes-series-sherlock-33491/

Martin Freeman: Sherlock series 3 starts filming "the week after next" (RADIO TIMES)

Paul Jones
11:12 AM, 08 March 2013

A “brilliant” script for the first episode of Sherlock series three will start filming “the week after next”, says Martin Freeman.

The star, who plays John Watson opposite Benedict Cumberbatch’s great detective in the BBC1 drama, shared the news with Graham Norton on his marathon BBC3 Comic Relief chat show last night.

Freeman says he's read the script for the episode that will explain how Sherlock managed his death-defying plunge in series two finale The Reichenbach Fall – "Yes, it's brilliant" – but admits it hasn’t completely cleared up the mystery for him.

Asked whether he now knew how Sherlock had survived, Freeman admitted "Do you know what, actually, no. Even we, on reading the script, aren't quite sure. [Writer] Mark Gatiss is a clever fella."

read more: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-03-08/martin-freeman-sherlock-series-3-starts-filming-the-week-after-next

Sean Bean, Sheridan Smith, Jo Brand, Jack Whitehall and Ant & Dec all up for Royal Television Society gongs (DAILY MIRROR)

Sean Bean is up for a prestigious award for his portrayal of a transsexual teacher in a courtroom drama.

The actor, who made his name in the Napoleonic war drama Sharpe, is shortlisted for best male actor at the Royal Television Society's Programme Awards 2012.

Bean donned a mini-skirt and a blonde wig for the role in BBC1's Accused where he played an English teacher called Simon and his alter ego, Tracie, whose quest for love leads to the courtroom.

READ MORE AND SEE THE LIST OF NOMINEES: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/royal-television-society-award-nominations-1738219

Tom Ellis rules out Downton Abbey role (METRO)

Tom Ellis has decided not to take up a role in hit ITV period drama Downton Abbey.

Ellis, who plays Miranda Hart’s long-term love interest in her BBC1 sitcom, had been lined up to portray Lady Mary’s new suitor in Downton, according to sources.

But now the actor has revealed that he has opted not to join the Golden Globe-winning drama.

‘OK, so it’s been lovely to hear all the congrats for Downton but the truth is I’m not going to be in it… but thank you for your messages,’ the star tweeted.

READ MORE: http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/24/miranda-star-tom-ellis-rules-out-downton-abbey-role-3511604/

Matthew Macfadyen: Ripper Street to return for second series Gritty detective drama set in Victorian London starring Matthew Macfadyen has been a hit on BBC1 and BBC America (GUARDIAN)

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/ripper%20street

Maggie Brown
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 29 January 2013 08.57 EST


BBC1 has ordered a second series of Ripper Street, the gritty Sunday night drama starring Matthew Macfadyen.

The BBC confirmed that a second, eight-part series was due for broadcast in 2014.

Ripper Street's first series, set in London's East End after the hunt for Jack the Ripper was called off in 1889, has averaged 7.1 million viewers and a 22.9% audience share so far, according to consolidated ratings including seven-day catchup viewing.

Macfadyen features as a police inspector, with Jerome Flynn as his sergeant colleague and Adam Rothenberg an American surgeon and former Pinkerton detective.

The first episode resulted in more than 90 viewers complaining about insensitive scheduling, because of the combination of sex and violence so close to the 9pm watershed.

But critics have praised the production, by Tiger Aspect and Look Out Point, for its authentic depiction of Victorian London, and gritty contrast to traditional costume dramas.

Ripper Street is a BBC Worldwide co-production which airs on BBC America, where it has been the US cable channel's most successful drama apart from Doctor Who.

READ MORE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/jan/29/ripper-street-second-series