Hugh Bonneville: BBC2 mockumentary W1A to return in 2015

THE GUARDIAN
Tara Conlan
theguardian.com, Monday 15 September 2014 08.00 EDT



Hugh Bonneville has signed up to reprise his role as Ian Fletcher in the second series of BBC's acclaimed mockumentary W1A. Photograph: BBC/Jack Barnes
BBC mockumentary W1A is to return for a second series next year with Hugh Bonneville’s head of values, Ian Fletcher, facing the thorny issue of the corporation’s charter renewal.

Downton Abbey star Bonneville has signed up for another outing of the follow-up to writer John Morton’s acclaimed Olympics comedy Twenty Twelve.

The new four-part series of W1A will begin with a 60-minute episode, followed by three 30-minute ones. It is being produced by BBC in-house comedy.

After the success of the first series of W1A – which featured BBC presenter Clare Balding and creative director Alan Yentob and drew 1.6 million viewers for its opening episode on BBC2 – the corporation was keen to let the cameras into New Broadcasting House for a second time.

Further casting details, storylines and cameos are still being discussed.

Jessica Hynes and Olivia Coleman, fleetingly, reprised their Twenty Twelve roles in W1A. There was speculation that BBC director general Tony Hall – referred to as “Tonyship, Lord director general” in the show – might appear in future episodes.

The BBC said in a statement on Monday: “Until the cameras roll it won’t be known exactly what crisis will be averted or indeed where Ian’s desk will be.”

However, in the second series there is an indication that charter renewal will be covered as the BBC added that “with charter renewal in 2016 getting ever closer, Ian’s job as Chair of the Way Ahead Task Force will be even more important than ever”.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/sep/15/bbc-mockumentary-w1a-return-hugh-bonneville

Hugh Bonneville: 'Giant C**k Up!': What Went Wrong In W1A Tonight? Check Out The 5 Funniest Moments

E.
BY LYDIA RICHARDSON ON MARCH 26, 2014



W1A the hilarious mockumentary (that's a staged documentary to you and me) is back again and once again tackling the big topics. Tonight the subject was sexism and “institutional anti-West Country bias” in the BBC. Well, naturally.

The second episode of the comedy-doc once again follows Ian Fletcher (played by Hugh Bonneville) as he struggles with his new role as Head of Values at the BBC. With a live radio interview with Woman's Hour looming and an awkward encounter with Carol Vorderman and Clare Balding, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments in this tongue-in-cheek four part series.

1. Justin Bieber Twittergate

With new PR brand advisor Siobhan Sharpe (played by the brilliant Jessica Hynes) nothing was ever going to run smoothly. Whilst on the train to Manchester for the damage control interview for BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour, both Tracey Pritchard (played by Monica Dolan) and Siobhan are at logger heads at how they should handle the sexism situation. Tracey reckon Woman's Hour is the best way to convince women that the BBC has their best interests at heart. Seems sensible right?

Not according to Siobhan who thinks Twitter is the way forward. When asked how many people actually listen to Woman's Hour (3.4 million) Siobhan is very quick to point out that rebellious pop star Justin Bieber has 45 million followers on Twitter, although we'd like to point out that he's currently at 50.5 million, and wants Ian to use the power of the Twitterverse to stop this ageism/sexism debate.

Trust Tracey to throw in some common sense though, we love it when she lets both Ian and Siobhan know that Ian is no J-Beebs: “I'm sorry Siobhan, I don't want to be rude or anything but Ian is not Justin Bieber and to be honest as far as I can see he's never going to be either. Sorry Ian I have to tell you things as they are.” Brilliant!

2. Clare Balding Fiasco

The other main storyline is about new show, Britain’s Tastiest Village. They already have Alan Titchmarsh (who was apparently voted the world’s sexiest man after George Clooney) on board, but they just need to seal the deal with his potential co-host Carol Vorderman.

It all looks like it is going to plan until hapless Entertainment Format Producer David Wilkes (played by Rufus Jones) reveals that their original favourite, Clare Balding is still on board.

Uh oh... with both Voderman and Balding due to come to the office at the same time, how can they keep the two veteran presenters from finding out about each other?

3. David Tennant's Commentary

We couldn't talk about this episode without giving props to David Tennant. He might always be Doctor Who to us (in fact you might recognise a lot of the cast from the Beebs sci-fi drama), but David adds just the right amount of comedy to his mockumentary narration. With lines like “giant and protracted c*ck up” and sometimes the completely obvious (yet somehow very funny) “another thing is about to happen”, we can't stop giggling at David.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/144807/Giant-Ck-Up-What-Went-Wrong-In-W1A-Tonight-Check-Out-The-5-Funniest-Moments

Hugh Bonneville on Downton Abbey, W1A and falling foul of BBC security

EVENING TIMES
Wednesday 19/03/2014

Hugh Bonneville, centre, and his W1A co-stars - Jason Watkins, Jessica Hynes, Monica Dolan, Hugh Skinner, Nina Sosanya, and Sarah Parish

But global fame didn't stop Hugh Bonneville falling foul of the BBC's security system while shooting new comedy W1A at the corporation's London headquarters.

"We were filming in the lobby the other day, 20 of us milling around, and the chaps on the doors were chuckling watching us do it. Then I tried to get back inside to get changed and they wouldn't let me because I didn't have the right pass," he recalls.

"People who have worked here a long time will know what I'm talking about; the bureaucracy of the machine is part of the thing that is so lovable about it.

"And so confusing," the actor adds with a laugh.

London-born Bonneville is reprising his role as bumbling boss Ian Fletcher in W1A, a spin-off from the award-winning Olympics mockumentary Twenty Twelve. Filmed amid the bustle of Broadcasting House, W1A sees the BBC turn its satirical sights on itself.

Ian, former head of deliverance for the London Games, has a new and equally vague job title as the broadcaster's head of values as it gears up for charter renewal and a new licence fee settlement.

As with Twenty Twelve, the corporate jargon is rife. There are hot desks, digital handshake sessions, daily senior team damage limitation meetings, and a 'balancing area' which consists of a huge orange see-saw (a prop, not a permanent fixture, presumably).

On the day I visit the set, the BBC's creative director Alan Yentob is sitting near the aforementioned see-saw, preparing to film a cameo.



Fictional crises discussed - and then discussed some more - in W1A range from Jeremy Paxman falling asleep during an interview with Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, to claims that Cornwall is under-represented by the BBC.

It seems like a brave move for the corporation to poke fun at itself - indeed, the new show was announced just a day after director of television Danny Cohen hit out at "the daily chorus of BBC-bashing".

Bonneville thinks the organisation is right to show it has a sense of humour.

"It's wonderful. In the same way Sebastian Coe got the joke about Twenty Twelve - that it wasn't actually satirising the notion of the Olympics - and allowed us to film him, we're not having a go at the BBC.

WE are highlighting the strange corporate speak and structures of in any organisation, be it a FTSE 100 or the village hall."


READ MORE HERE: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/bonneville-is-a-leader-and-lord-156227n.23663818

Hugh Bonneville to star in Twenty Twelve BBC spin-off

WHAT'S ON TV



The Olympics may be long gone, but Ian Fletcher - the head of the fictional Olympic Deliverance Commission from BBC spoof Twenty Twelve - will be returning in a new sitcom in which the corporation pokes fun at itself.

Downtown Abbey star Hugh Bonneville will be reprising his role as the man trying to fight his way through a forest of bureaucratic red-tape in W1A (title taken from the postcode of BBC Broadcasting House), but this time his job title is BBC's Head of Values.

In his new position, Fletcher will be expected to 'clarify, define or redefine the core purpose of the BBC across all its functions and to strengthen its future position, in particular for Licence Fee Renegotiation and Charter Renewal in 2016 and 2017'.

Yes, we're just as confused as you are...


Read more at http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/downton-abbey/news/hugh-bonneville-to-star-in-twenty-twelve-bbc-spin-off#1DgaOSJB3C50lHjq.99

David Tennant:Broadchurch named best TV show of 2013 by Radio Times critics

RADIO TIMES
Radio Times Staff
11:45 PM, 27 December 2013



ITV crime drama Broadchurch has been named the best TV show of 2013 by Radio Times critics.

Starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman at the head of an ensemble cast, the drama follows the story of a police investigation into the murder of a schoolboy in a small Dorset coastal town.  Described by the series creator Chris Chibnall as "a labour of love", the beautifully crafted whodunit captured the imagination of the nation as almost every character became a suspect across eight rollercoaster weeks.

Both a critical and popular hit, the show attracted around nine million viewers an episode on ITV - and after being shown on BBC America will be remade for a US audience, with Tennant reprising his starring role as troubled DI Alec Hardy.  A second series of Broadchurch is expected on ITV in 2014.

Last year the critics choice was won by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman crime drama Sherlock, which returns to television on New Year's Day.

"The death of event TV has been greatly exaggerated," said Tim Glanfield, editor of RadioTimes.com & digital products. "Broadchurch drew the nation into a collective hysteria every Monday night for eight weeks, as who killed Danny Latimer became the talking point in the press, pubs, front rooms and factories up and down the country.

"A brilliant piece of homegrown drama with an exquisite cast of actors, Broadchurch is a fantastic example of British TV at its very best."  


READ MORE HERE:http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-12-27/broadchurch-named-best-tv-show-of-2013-by-radio-times-critics

'Broadchurch': Arthur Darvill on Working With David Tennant and 'Heartbreaking' End (Q&A)(some spoilers)

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
1:45 PM PDT 9/18/2013 by Philiana Ng

With time slipping away and the murder of Danny Latimer still unsolved, Broadchurch is feeling the pressure.

THR caught up with (Arthur) Darvill, who was in New York during his run on Broadway's Once the Musical to discuss his character, the final two episodes of the season and going toe to toe with fellow Doctor Who alum David Tennant.

How are things at Once the Musical?

It’s great. I’ve just been, like, singing a lot. (Laughs.) And playing guitar. I feel like I’m actually in a band. I feel much cooler than I actually am.

Did you ever think that you’d be doing something like that at this point in your career?

No. I mean it’s really silly, where people go, “What do you do?” “I’m in the lead in a Broadway musical …” It’s a really, really silly thing that I still can’t get used to coming out of my mouth. I think it’ll hit me when I’ve left, but I’m having the time of my life. It’s brilliant.

How different have Broadchurch and Once been for you?

I tell you what, the whole reason why I love doing this is the whole variety of roles. I’ve got a chance to play a real variety of different people. I haven’t gotten stuck in any one thing. That’s the real worry with actors, that you’ll just be seen as one thing. The stuff I’ve got to do the past couple years have been so wildly different from each other. It keeps you interested and it’s just really good fun.

Last week’s episode had an intense confrontation between you and David Tennant, wherein Hardy is interrogating Paul. What was your take on that moment?

It was a well-written scene. Paul Coates has never been in a police station in that way before. He has to remain impartial but I don’t think he likes Alec. They have a personality clash to start with. I love that line, “Don’t question my faith because you have none.” It’s an emotional response from him and it really shows that he does have quite a strong faith and it guides him and it’s important to him. It revealed a lot about Paul in that he can step up and go, “Actually you’re in the wrong.” It comes from an emotional place, and I think as someone who can’t always respond emotionally, it’s a good insight into how he is as a person. I’m sure I just waffled my way through that answer.

It must be odd to still be talking about a show that has already aired in the U.K. and that you shot so long ago.

(Laughs.) It was filmed a year ago. I’ve watched it once ages ago, so I can’t remember what happens in it. It was funny, when I was watching it, I obviously knew what happens but because it was such a big ensemble piece, we all got quite close; we’ve got lots of friends who are in it and people who I admire doing some great work. We didn’t get to see everyone do their scenes, so I got completely hooked watching it -- to the point where I forgot I was in it, and then I’d pop up and go, “I know what happens in this bit, let’s get on to the next bit.” I just think it’s such a brilliant piece of TV. I came over to New York before the last two episodes [aired in the U.K. in April] and I was going mad. I had to have my agent send me copies of the DVD because I needed to see the [end] and she was like, “You know what happens.” “I know, but I need to see it!” It’s a testament to it being a good piece of telly.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/broadchurch-arthur-darvill-david-tennant-630915

Olivia Colman: David Tennant is the sweetest man in the world

METRO
11 August, 2013


Olivia Colman has said her Broadchurch co-star is the ‘sweetest man in the world’.

The actress spoke about the former Doctor Who star while she promoted Broadchurch as it goes to air in the US on BBC America.

‘He’s the sweetest man in the world, an absolute joy to work with,’ she told Buzzfeed. ‘Everyone keeps asking me what it’s like working with him, and I wish there was something that I could make up as he’s so nice. He’s awful! Very rude!

READ MORE HERE: http://metro.co.uk/2013/08/11/olivia-colman-david-tennant-is-the-sweetest-man-in-the-world-3919942/

'Broadchurch': TV review - David Tennant, Olivia Colman

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
David Hinckley
7 August, 2013

Over on this side of the pond, we think of British TV dramas as sweeping, like “Downton Abbey,” or uniquely stylish, like “Sherlock.”

“Broadchurch” is simply a well-written, well-produced and well-acted murder mystery that’s a pleasure to watch.

It’s eight episodes long, which gives the producers time to spin a fascinating web of subplots and suspects after a young boy named Danny Latimer is found dead on the beach in the small English town of Broadchurch.

At one point or another, half the people in town come under suspicion, either as perps or for withholding information to protect their own secrets.

Secrets seem to be the primary currency of Broadchurch, which gives the show an intriguing undertone of uncertainty. We never quite know whether some small bit of peculiar behavior hides dark truth or just everyday neurosis.

The large cast features David Tennant as Detective Alec Hardy, who has moved to Broadchurch from the big city for reasons that only gradually unfold. His reluctant partner, Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), is a local cop who thinks she should have gotten Hardy’s job.

Title: "Broadchurch"
Network / Air Date: BBC America, Wednesday at 10 p.m.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/broadchurch-tv-review-article-1.1419246

After gripping Britain, mystery drama 'Broadchurch' starring David Tennant, to premiere in US

By ALICIA RANCILIO  Associated Press

First Posted: July 25, 2013 - 4:21 pm

Last Updated: July 25, 2013 - 4:23 pm

DAILY REPORTER, GREENFIELD, INDIANA

BEVERLY HILLS, California — Another popular British TV series is getting exported to the U.S. to hopefully grip American viewers.

"Broadchurch" is a murder mystery drama centered on the killing of a young boy in a small town.

Cast members Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker and David Bradley promoted the show at Thursday's BBC America presentation as part of the annual Television Critics Association summer press tour. "Broadchurch" also stars David Tennant of "Dr. Who" fame.

The actors shot most of the series' eight episodes not knowing who the killer was, or if any of them would end up as the perpetrator.

"We had bets going on all the way through. In our makeup van we had everybody's photograph up and you put a sticker on who you thought it was," said Colman who plays a detective. "I only got one and I was disappointed," she joked.

The series also explores the events leading up to why the murder took place and each character has an arc. Whittaker says the show could make parents think about how much they really know about their kids.

"You don't know everything that's going on in your child's life and I think that's highlighted. Even children have secrets and have friendships or arguments with people you don't know (about)."

READ MORE HERE: http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/11c8e2b9ca5f43f1ab578e0ea6534a83/US-TV-Broadchurch

David Tennant: 'Broadchurch': Check out images from the mystery series on BBC America (Photos) TVJUNE 20, 2013BY: MEREDITH JACOBS (EXAMINER)

"Broadchurch" has already received critical acclaim, had record ratings, and become a Twitter phenomenon in the UK, but this summer, the US will get a chance to see what's so special about the show, and on Thursday, June 20, BBC America released promotional photos.

"Broadchurch" premieres on BBC America Wednesday, August 7, at 10 p.m., and stars David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Arthur Darvill, Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan, and Will Mellor. The series was created and written by Chris Chibnall, who is also an executive producer along with Jane Featherstone. The show focuses on the investigation into the murder of a young boy in a British seaside town, and leading the investigation are the two detectives played by Colman and Tennant. Colman plays the local Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller, described as "strong yet compassionate," with Tennant starring as Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, her new by-the-book boss. It's up to them to solve the murder, keep the newspapers from derailing the investigation, and try to prevent the crime from hurting tourism at the beach where the young boy was killed. Whittaker plays Beth, Buchan plays Mark, Mellor plays Stephen Turner, and Darvill is the town priest, Paul Coates.


READ MORE: http://www.examiner.com/article/broadchurch-check-out-images-from-the-mystery-series-on-bbc-america

Hugh Bonneville on the Red Carpet at BAFTA TV awards

BAFTA TV Awards 2013: Hugh Bonneville talks... by heatworld

‘Downton Abbey’ season 4: Hugh Bonneville on ‘Twenty Twelve’ success (CARTER)

While we certainly understand viewers in America knowing Hugh Bonneville for precisely one thing, the reality is that the man is a jack of many trades. “Downton Abbey” has caused him to gain international fame, but one of the joys of being on such a show which only shoots around ten hours of TV a year, including the Christmas special of course, is the flexibility that it later allows to take part in a variety of other television programs.

One of those other shows was “Twenty Twelve,” which is what Bonneville was nominated for yesterday at the annual BAFTA TV awards. He did not end up winning, but the series itself did win for Situational Comedy (or sitcom, as we like to call it here in the land of abbreviations otherwise known as North America).

READ MORE: http://cartermatt.com/61877/downton-abbey-season-4-hugh-bonneville-on-twenty-twelve-success/

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.



Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/twentytwelve-spin-off-pipeline-reuniting-hapless-1881610#ixzz2T0FyNZXL 
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RIPPER STREET: 2013 BAFTA TV Award Nominations Announced: ‘Ripper Street,’ ‘The Graham Norton Show’ By staff | Posted on April 9th, 2013

BBC America is proud to announce two of our own have been nominated for BAFTAs.

The 2013 BAFTA Television Award nominations are in. BBC America’s thriller Ripper Street has received a nomination in the drama category; and Graham Norton, who will be hosting the award ceremony on Sunday, May 12, has received two nominations for his entertainment chat show The Graham Norton Show.

Benedict Cumberbatch is notably absent from the list while his Parade’s End co-star Rebecca Hall was nominated for leading actress.

Did your favorite show or actor/actress make the list? … maybe you’ve come across some new programs and talent to check out?!

Here is the complete list of nominations.

Leading Actor:

Ben Whishaw – The Hollow Crown (Richard II)

Derek Jacobi – Last Tango In Halifax

Sean Bean – Accused (Tracie’s Story)

Toby Jones – The Girl

Leading Actress:

Anne Reid – Last Tango In Halifax

Rebecca Hall – Parade’s End

Sheridan Smith – Mrs Biggs

Sienna Miller – The Girl

Supporting Actor:

Peter Capaldi – The Hour

Stephen Graham – Accused (Tracie’s Story)

Harry Lloyd – The Fear

Simon Russell Beale – The Hollow Crown (Henry IV Part 2)

Supporting Actress:

Anastasia Hille – The Fear

Imelda Staunton – The Girl

Olivia Colman – Accused (Mo’s Story)

Sarah Lancashire – Last Tango In Halifax

Entertainment Program:

Alan Carr for Alan Carr: Chatty Man

Ant and Dec for I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!

Graham Norton for The Graham Norton Show

Sarah Millican for The Sarah Millican Show

Female Performance in a Comedy Program:

Jessica Hynes for Twenty Twelve

Julia Davis for Hunderby

Miranda Hart for Miranda

Olivia Colman for Twenty Twelve

Male Performance in a Comedy Program:

Greg Davies for Cuckoo

Hugh Bonneville for Twenty Twelve

Peter Capaldi for The Thick of It

Steve Coogan for Welcome to the Places of My Life

Single Drama:

Everyday

The Girl

Murder

Richard II (Hollow Crown)

Mini-Series:

Accused

Mrs Biggs

Parade’s End

Room At The Top

Drama Series:

Last Tango In Halifax

Ripper Street

Scott And Bailey

Silk

READ MORE: http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2013/04/2013-bafta-tv-award-nominations-announced-ripper-street-and-the-graham-norton-show/

David Tennant and Olivia Colman's wacky races (XPOSE ENTERTAINMENT)

David Tennant and Olivia Colman used to race each other to the set of 'Broadchurch'.

The 39-year-old actress stars alongside the former 'Doctor Who' actor in the detective series and revealed the pair used to make filming more exciting by seeing who could run to the set the quickest - but the Scot always pipped her to the post.

She told BANG Showbiz: ''We used to try to race each other to set so we were at the other end of a van. But he always won! I would be midway through eating some toast or something and he would go, 'You're too late!' And he'd run to set. Maybe I should've tried to trip him up.''

READ MORE:http://www.tv3.ie/entertainment_article.php?locID=1.803.813&article=99532  

Why Detective David Tennant is a prime-time suspect British murder dramas Mayday and Broadchurch have helped bring event television back from the grave, by Libby Brooks The Guardian,

Life's a beach for police officers David Tennant and Olivia Colman in Broadchurch. Photograph: Patrick Redmond

Who wants to think about murdered children on a weekday evening? A fair few of us, if the ratings are anything to go by. This week BBC1 and ITV have gone head to head with new crime dramas Mayday and Broadchurch: both with decorated casts and nuanced scripts that lift them above the standard police procedural; both previewed as the kind of event television that can seem antediluvian in an age of download and bargain box sets.

Mayday, which tracks the disappearance of 14-year-old Hattie as she is about to take the part of May Queen in her village's annual parade, stars Sophie Okonedo, Aidan Gillen and a fabulously overwrought Lesley Manville. It launched on Sunday – the first of five consecutive nights – with 6.2 million viewers and a 25% audience share; but lost out the following evening to the first of eight weekly installments of Broadchurch, which began with 6.8 million and a concurrent gush-in on social media. Coincidentally, both series are made by Kudos, the production company behind Spooks and, most recently, the bizarrely brilliant Utopia.

It has already been suggested that Broadchurch detectives David Tennant and Olivia Colman, investigating the death of a local boy in the eponymous seaside town, owe a debt to the Nordic noir plotlines that have dominated quality crime drama of late – although the scenery of Dorset's Jurassic coast, where the series was filmed, could give any fjord a run for its money, and, as Tennant proved on Monday night, it is difficult to be entirely sombre when you're eating a 99 ice cream.

READ MORE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/05/tennant-prime-time-suspect-mayday-broadchurch

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

Downton Abbey star HUGH BONNEVILLE is evidence that prioritising acting over academia at Cambridge can pay off. He talks to NATALIE GIL. By Natalie Gil Features | 27th February 2013 (CAMBRIDGE TAB)

Hugh Bonneville has become something of a legend to the loyal Sunday night TV viewers of Britain. His current role, for which he is arguably best known, is as Lord Grantham in the mind-bogglingly popular Downton Abbey. But those less enthusiastic about costume dramas and the elevated segregation of the upper classes might also have spotted him as the eponymous and irritable tramp in Mr Stink, or as Ian Fletcher, Head of Deliverance for the Olympics in the BBC mockumentary, Twenty Twelve. Oh, and don’t forget his role as the lovably ignorant Bernie in Notting Hill.

What Do You Do?: One of the most amusingly awkward moments in Notting Hill. Hell, maybe even in the history of British rom coms.

After a stint at a London drama school, Bonneville studied Theology at Corpus Christi in the eighties, where he admits he was a ‘pretty pants’ student, having done ‘far too many plays than was healthy’ for his academic career. Possibly explaining why he came away with a Desmond 2:2 in Theology. But his stellar career and (well-merited) celebrity status, re-ignited by Downton, suggest there’s hope for us all regardless of our results in Finals.

Like a butler with a tray of foie gras canapés, costume dramas come and go in Britain, so why does Bonneville think people have warmed to Downton more than the rest? “If I knew that I’d be a millionaire, having bottled the recipe”, he jokes. Then he re-thinks: “one reason why it’s appealed to a broader audience than one might expect from a traditional costume drama is that it’s about tension not violence, romance rather than sex. It’s not so in your face. And it just breathes out in way that a lot of contemporary shows, which are brilliant, don’t.”

- See more at: http://cambridge.tab.co.uk/2013/02/27/interview-hugh-bonneville/#sthash.gH2N6HaM.dpuf

Interview: Hugh Bonneville Florence Smith-Nicholls talks to the star at the Cambridge Union about Downton fame and college life. by Florence Smith-Nicholls Saturday 23rd February 2013, 00:22 GMT (VARSITY)

It’s twilight on a bleak February evening and I’m sprinting down Castle Hill dodging students whilst frantically keying nonsensical messages into my mobile phone, I’m getting the most exercise I’ve had in Lent term so far. Why the amateur athletics? Rather than a week five bout of supervision amnesia, I’m running late for a much more important appointment. Lord Grantham of Downton Abbey fame has come to Cambridge.

Those of you not acquainted with the Lord might know him by his other name, Hugh Bonneville. You might also know him under the guise of a rather unprepossessing tramp called Mr. Stink, or as Ian Fletcher, Head of Deliverance for the 2012 Olympic Games. Indeed, Bonneville is that rare breed of actor who can put on many faces without you necessarily remembering his original identity. It is as a Lord, though, that Bonneville has really become a national treasure.

Hugh has come to speak at the Cambridge Union, and as I pant my way towards the redbrick building, I already know what my first question will be. As a former Cantabrigian at Corpus Christi college, I ask him about his defining memory of his time as an undergraduate. Rehearsals rooms and auditions, that’s what he remembers: “I’m afraid the School of Divinity didn’t see as much of me as it should have done.” Wearing jeans and a hoody, Bonneville is more the leisurely student than a carefully coifed member of the aristocracy: there is no hint of Grantham here. I feel instantly at ease with Hugh; he emanates the calm confidence of an experienced interviewee.

READ MORE: http://www.varsity.co.uk/culture/5667

David Tennant: Olivia Colman: Scenes with dead child’s parents left me in tears (THE SUN)

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By LAURA ARMSTRONG
Published: 14 hrs ago

THE tears welling up in Olivia Colman’s eyes could not be any more convincing – because they are for real.

Filming heart-wrenching scenes for upcoming ITV drama Broadchurch left the actress, who is better known for her comedy roles, in floods.

The compelling eight-parter, in which Olivia plays DS Ellie Miller, opens with the grim discovery of schoolboy Danny Latimer’s body at the foot of a cliff.

She was moved to tears during the scenes when DS Miller quizzes the dead boy’s grief-stricken parents.

Olivia said: “I found it really hard to do the emotional scenes with Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan who play Danny’s parents.

“Because they are such beautiful actors, I had a hard time keeping it together.


“My character wasn’t supposed to cry half as much as she ended up doing but I couldn’t stop myself. It was so sad.”

Olivia is best known for appearing in TV comedies including Peep Show, Rev, Twenty Twelve and Green Wing. But it wasn’t just the serious subject matter of Broadchurch that wiped the smile off her face.

The mum-of-two found it hard being away from her family while filming on location in Dorset. She wasn’t the only one. Co-star David Tennant, who plays DI Alec Hardy, also found it tough going.

They battled their homesickness together by watching videos of their kids.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/4807352/Olivia-Colman-Scenes-with-dead-childs-parents-left-me-in-tears.html#ixzz2Ldljjo3I