Peter Capaldi: The Thick Of It returns to BBC Two

It has been described as the 21st century's answer to Yes Minister and won several Baftas. Now Armando Iannucci's political satire is back.

The BBC has announced that a fourth series will be aired on BBC Two this autumn.

The series is made up of seven 30 minute episodes and will see Roger Allam returning in his role as Peter Mannion MP alonside Peter Capaldi as the foul mouthed press secretary Malcolm Tucker and Rebecca Front as Nicola Murray MP.

Chris Addison, Joana Scanlan and Olivia Poulet all also return as part of the ensemble cast.

BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow said of the announcement: "I am delighted to welcome The Thick Of It back to BBC Two. It is an essential part of the BBC Two comedy offering this year. A new Coalition government, what better time for a new series of The Thick Of It."

This series will cover 'unchartered territory' according to Iannucci: "a new Coalition Government, and Malcolm and Nicola fretting in the wings. For the first time too a storyline takes us all the way through the series right to the bitter, bitter end, with Government and Opposition convulsed in an incident that questions every political convention imaginable, but in a funny way."

Source: The Telegraph

Rab C Nesbitt - Christmas Special

RaB C Nesbitt is winding himself up for one final festive rant before he hangs up the string vest for good.

Gregor Fisher, who brings the Govan philosopher to life, and Elaine C Smith, who plays Mary Doll, the long-suffering Mrs Nesbitt, have both agreed to appear in a Christmas special for BBC2. Creator Ian Pattison is working on story ideas.

A BBC source confirmed that the ratings hit, which last year celebrated a 10th series some 25 years after Rab C first appeared, will be back for one show. Fisher and Smith both have plans that make further Nesbitt adventures beyond that look unlikely.

Fisher, 58, is planning to move to France and Smith, 53, is preparing for a world tour of I Dreamed a Dream, the stage musical in which she plays Britain’s Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle. She is on stage in Manchester tonight as part of its UK tour.

Last night, she said: “Everything will be worked around our dates.
“I am back in Aberdeen in panto, but I would be more than delighted to do another Nesbitt. I have got about three or four weeks between the end of the stage tour and the panto. That is all they need to complete filming.”

It is likely that the special will also feature cast favourites Tony Roper as Jamesie Cotter and Barbara Rafferty as his other half Ella.

Source: Daily Express 

David Tennant: The Politician's Husband, True Love, upcoming releases and events

• The Politician's Husband 

David Tennant will play the title role in The Politician's Husband for the BBC.


It is a series of three hour long episodes and is being produced by Mentorn-owned Daybreak Pictures to air during 2013 on BBC Two. Lucy Richer will be the executive produce for the BBC alongside David Aukin for Daybreak. Hal Vogel will produce the drama. The director is Simon Cellan Jones and the writer is Paula Milne.
The synopsis is:

"The Politician's Husband is a drama exploring what happens in a political marriage when the wife becomes more successful than her husband.
Aiden Hoynes, a senior Cabinet Minister, is happily married to Freya, a junior Minister who has consistently put her own career ambitions on hold for the sake of Aiden's career and their family.
When Aiden's career path to the top echelons comes to an abrupt halt, the power balance within his marriage is irrevocably shifted as he witnesses his wife's political career soar.
In his desperation to cling to power, Aiden risks destroying everything he holds most dear."

David Tennant has been in London this past week so appears to have finished filming The Spies Of Warsaw in Poland.


The Politician's Husband starts filming in June and then David's next project, Broadchurch, starts filming sometime in August.

Read more at David Tennant on Twitter (blog)
 
On Saturday 9 June, David Tennant attended both the read-through and a photo shoot for the drama. Read more at David Tennant on Twitter (blog) 

• True Love 

- Air date
The BBC Media Centre have confirmed that the first episode of True Love (starring David Tennant) will air on Sunday 17th June at 10.25pm until 10.55pm (which also makes the episode 5 minutes longer than originally announced). It will air at 10.45pm in Northern Ireland that evening.
 
The other four episodes will be broadcast at various times over the following three evenings with two episodes on Wednesday.
Source: David Tennant on Twitter (blog)

- DVD
Amazon.co.uk have the True Love DVD available to pre-order (with a photo of the front cover). It will be released in the UK and Europe on Monday 25th June and Lovefilm.com will make it available to rent from Wednesday 25th July.

- Clip
The BBC have added a 2 minute clip from David Tennant's episode of True Love. (Or click here for the non-UK version)


- Free screenings 
On Thursday 14th and Friday 15th June at 7.15pm at the Bush Theatre in London, there will be screenings of back to back episodes of True Love which stars actors such as David Tennant, Billie Peper, Lacey Turner and David Morrissey.
These screenings are free and tickets can be purchased from this link
The series is screened from Sunday 17th (which is David Tennant's episode) on BBC One.
Read more at David Tennant on Twitter (blog) 

• Upcoming David Tennant releases

Over the next few weeks and months there are a number of releases scheduled for David Tennant audiobooks and DVDs:

The Rhyming Rabbit - audiobook

Released Thursday 7th June.

Children's audiobook read by David Tennant.

Shakespeare Sonnets - app for iPads

Released Monday 11th June.

David Tennant reads some of the 154 sonnets which are on the app.

Silver: Return To Treasure Island - audiobook

Released Friday 15th June.

The unabridged version of the audiobook is released.

The abridged version is already available.

True Love - DVD
Released Monday 25th June.
UK and Europe release.
Available to rent from Love Film on 25th July.

The Decoy Bride - America

Released Tuesday 26th June on Region One.

This covers the US and Canada and will be available on both DVD and Blu-ray.

It is already released in Europe.

The Decoy Bride - Australia

Released Wednesday 11th July.

This release is in Australia and will be available on both DVD and Blu-ray.

It is already released in Europe and America.

Who Is The Doctor - book

Released Saturday 14th July.

The book is released in the UK.

It is already available in the US.

It includes a section about David Tennant's era of Doctor Who.

Elisabeth Sladen - The Autobiography

Released Thursday 26th July but may be available from 1st July.

Paperback version release with a foreword by David Tennant.

The hardback version is already released.

Twenty Twelve - DVD of the second series

Released Monday 6th August.

DVD is released in the UK and Europe.

My Sister Lives On The Mantlepiece - audiobook

Released on Tuesday 14th August.

US release as it was released in the UK in March 2011.

Doctor Who: The Feast of the Drowned - audiobook

Released on Tuesday 14th August.

A US release of the abridged version.

Prefaces To Shakespeare - DVD

Released Monday 27th August

This is a UK release and David Tennant examines Hamlet in one of the episodes.

The programme is expected to be broadcast in either June or July.

Jack and The Flumflum Tree - audiobook

Released Thursday 13th September.

Hardback book and audiobook read by David Tennant.

The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists - DVD

Released Monday 24th September.

Released in the UK and Europe.

David Tennant recorded some additional scenes for the DVD release.

All of these dates are subject to change.
Source: David Tennant on Twitter (blog)

• Diary Dates 

These are the upcoming David Tennant related events in the near future:
Mon 11 Jun - Shakespeare Sonnets app for iPads is released.
Tues 12 Jun - Radio Times is published with David Tennant interview and front cover.
Thurs 14 Jun - First free screening of True Love at Bush Theatre in London.
Fri 15 Jun - The unabridged version of the Silver: Return To Treasure Island audiobook (read by David Tennant) is released.
Fri 15 Jun - Second free screening of True Love at Bush Theatre in London.
Fri 15 Jun - True Love will be discussed on The Review Show at 11.20pm on BBC Two.
Sun 17 Jun - David Tennant's episode of True Love is broadcast at 10.25pm.
Source: David Tennant on Twitter 



For all the latest news, updated daily, check out David Tennant on Twitter
 

The Thick of It series 4 starts shooting this month

Armando Iannucci’s political satire, The Thick of It, is returning to BBC2 this autumn with seven new episodes…

Having just wrapped HBO’s The Thick of It spin-off, Veep, starring Seinfeld’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a fictional US Vice President, Armando Iannucci and crew are shooting the fourth series of the hit BBC political satire this month.

Due to air on BBC2 this autumn, seven new episodes of The Thick of It are about to start filming, with cast regulars Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison and more being joined by new coalition characters. 

Series 4 will see the gloriously expletive-happy spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in opposition for the first time, continuing the specials’ focus on the run-up to the PM’s departure.

Read more at Den of Geek

Martin Compston to star in Line of Duty

Content Television has secured the international distribution rights for the new BBC drama Line of Duty, produced by World Productions for BBC Two.

Written by Jed Mercurio (Bodies), Line of Duty is a cat-and-mouse thriller of five hour-long episodes. It stars Adrian Dunbar (Ashes to Ashes), Martin Compston (Sweet Sixteen), Vicky McClure (This Is England), Neil Morrissey (Men Behaving Badly) and Gina McKee (Notting Hill). It is executive produced by World Productions’ Simon Heath (United) and Stephen Wright for the BBC. Episodes one to three are directed by David Caffrey and episodes four and five are by Douglas Mackinnon.

Greg Phillips, the president of Content Television, commented, “Line of Duty provides a compelling insight into the harsh realities of modern-day policing, featuring performances from some of the acting world’s most exciting new talents. Jed Mercurio’s script and the first-class team at World Productions have created a thriller which will keep audiences gripped from beginning to end. We are expecting strong interest from our international licensees when this title makes its debut at MIPTV.”

Simon Heath, the creative director of World Productions, added, "It's great to be working again with the team at Content, who did such a fantastic job for us on United. The brilliant Jed Mercurio has created not only a gripping and prescient stand-alone thriller, but a format that can return each year with a new and unique investigation into police corruption."

Source: World Screen