Ewan McGregor: 'Islands on the Edge' launch, and car commercial debut

From Variety:

Wildlife docu to be launched at MipTV

Scottish thesp Ewan McGregor, who features in Bryan Singer’s latest pic Jack the Giant Slayer, provides the voiceover for a wildlife docu filmed in the Hebrides islands off the Scottish coast, which will be launched at Cannes television mart MipTV.
The four-parter, with the working title Islands on the Edge, is distributed by ITV Studios and is produced by U.K. shingle Maramedia.
The series uses state-of-the-art camera technology and was made by a team of filmmakers whose credits include the BBC’s “Frozen Planet” and “Yellowstone,” both strong sellers at international markets. The latter, narrated by Peter Firth, aired in the U.S. as a two-hour special on Animal Planet.
The Hebrides are a collection of small islands off the west coast of Scotland populated by red deer, otters, gannets and eagles. In the nearby Atlantic, dolphins, basking sharks and seals can be seen.
In common with “Yellowstone,” “Islands on the Edge” was filmed over the course of a year.
“Islands on the Edge” is a Maramedia production for BBC Scotland and is due to bow this spring in the U.K.

MipTV runs April 8-11.

Source (including photo): Variety


Watch James Gray direct Ewan McGregor and Vinessa Shaw in a car commercial
The Playlist has come across the following video clip for an ad being produced for French auto company Citron, from director James Gray. Instead of actually advertising anything, or being pulse-pounding as theatrical teasers are, this is the complete opposite, taking viewers behind the scenes into the production, which stars Ewan McGregor and Vinessa Shaw. Ambient music plays over edited footage of TV monitors, a production crew at work, and the actors sitting around a table on set. Not a French car to be found. Watch the video for yourself and see how excited you find yourself for the actual commercial.
Read more, and watch the video, at Cinema Blend

Peter Capaldi: new role as Leonardo Da Vinci

Peter Capaldi to play Leonardo Da Vinci for Sky Arts

© WENN / Daniel Deme

The Thick of It star Peter Capaldi will play Leonardo Da Vinci in a new 3D dramatised documentary based on the Italian's journals.

Da Vinci's journals feature over 6,000 pages of notes and drawings and chronicle the life of the world's most renowned inventor, philosopher, painter and genius.

The show will use stunning visual effects and 3D technology to recreate the polymath's mindscape and ideas.

"Leonardo's journals are an extraordinary body of work, highlighting Da Vinci's position at the vanguard of ideas, thought and design. It's wholly fitting therefore, that his works are being brought to life in such a creative way with the use of Sky's cutting edge 3D technology," said James Hunt, channel director of Sky Arts.

Inside the Mind of Leonardo airs on Sunday, March 24 at 9pm on Sky Arts 2 and Sky 3D.

Read more at Digital Spy 

David Hayman: 'In Search of Robert Burns'

STV goes In Search of Robert Burns to reveal the face of Scottish poet

Facing the Bard: David Hayman reveals enthralling new look at Robert Burns

A new documentary presented by David Hayman will exclusively unveil what Scotland’s most famous poet, Robert Burns, really looked like.
In Search of Robert Burns is set to air on STV on January 22 at 8pm. The documentary follows revered actor and Burns enthusiast David Hayman as he finds out some amazing new details about the globally renowned Scottish poet.
Reconstructed using state-of-the-art forensic technology, Professor Caroline Wilkinson and her team at The University of Dundee, have created a life-size model of Robert Burns’ head.
The conclusion of In Search of Robert Burns reveals the newly constructed head of Scotland’s beloved bard at a public event for the very first time.
While experts work on the reconstruction, David Hayman delves into the world of Robert Burns (1759 – 1796).
Hayman admitted: “A fascinating and extraordinary journey into the heart of a truly exceptional man, I loved every minute of it.
“I hope our audience will enjoy it as much as I did. I am a lover of Burns but I discovered something new about him every day on this film, it is a little gem."
On his journey the presenter finds out how Burns’ upbringing, education, tough life and romantic spirit forged a creative genius that would transform him from humble farmer to one of the world’s best known poets.
Elizabeth Partyka, deputy head of channels at STV, said: “This unique documentary offers a fantastic insight into not only Robert Burns’ background but, for the first time, what he actually looked like.
“David Hayman is the perfect narrator as we journey through Burns’ world and viewers are sure to be surprised by the real face of this iconic poet.”
Caroline Wilkinson, professor of craniofacial identification at The University of Dundee, added: “This project has been quite a challenge and an enormous responsibility.
“We assessed as much material as we could for this reconstruction, including skeletal and anatomical structure, facial proportions from the Reid miniature and the Miers silhouette and texture details from the portraits.
“This 3D depiction is as accurate as possible based on the available information and shows Burns in his full living glory.”

• In Search of Robert Burns will be shown on STV at 8pm on January 22, and repeated on January 25.

Source (including photo): STV

Also reported by Glasgow Evening Times and Cumnock Chronicle

STV 2013 TV schedule revealed

STV reveal new 2013 TV schedule

A documentary about the forthcoming referendum, a film about Robert Burns and a new series of Grant Lauchlan's film review show Moviejuice are the highlights of STV's new schedule.

The Scottish broadcaster also unveiled a new cookery series featuring  celebrity chefs Nick Nairn and Paul Rankin at their 2013 launch yesterday. The foodies will explore the links between food in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A one-off documentary narrated by actor David Hayman, In Search of Robert Burns, is set to reveal "a brand new vision" of the Bard.

Former Doctor Who David Tennant's turn in ITV drama Broadchurch will also be shown, as will network dramas Ice Cream Girls starring Greenock's Martin Compston. Jill Halfpenny will feature in drama Lightfields while Mr Selfridge, starring Corrie's Katherine Kelly, will also be shown in Scotland.

Meanwhile, Taggart pair Blythe Duff and Alex Norton and weathergirls Cat Cubie are among the names in the new series of Scottish Passport, presented by Daily Record journalist Paul English and featuring Record fashion expert Julie Hannah.

Source: Daily Record 

More about the Robert Burns documentary here

Clare Grogan and John Gordon Sinclair go back to school

31 YEARS ON, IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL FOR GREGORY AND GIRL

John Gordon Sinclair and Clare Grogan take a nostalgic trip back to Abronhill High

At last, Gregory gets one of his girls back to the old school that made them both famous.

Film stars John Gordon Sinclair and Clare Grogan are taking the nostalgic trip back to Abronhill High in Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, which formed the backdrop for their 1981 hit film Gregory’s Girl.

The pair are reunited at the school in documentary When Clare Grogan Met John Gordon Sinclair, to be broadcast by BBC2 on Tuesday, December 11.

These days, Abronhill High is set to be bulldozed, despite a campaign to save it.

Having both turned 50 this year, Grogan and Sinclair enjoy a meander down memory lane as they recall working together for the first time on the film that catapulted them to stardom at the age of 19.


Directed by Bill Forsyth, the cast list was a Who’s Who of Scottish talent with veterans such as Chic Murray, Alex Norton, John Bett and Dave Anderson also on board.

After sharing memories of making and promoting the film as teenagers, they reflect on their subsequent parallel careers as actors and singers – Grogan in the band Altered Images and Sinclair in stage musicals – though more recently he has taken to writing novels.

Glasgow-born Sinclair took the role of infatuated Gregory, with Clare and Dee Hepburn playing the girls who stole his heart. Hepburn, 51, capitalised on her break with a three-year stint on popular ITV soap Crossroads before quitting showbiz disillusioned to become  a full-time mother to two children.

Clare said: “I always thought of it as John Gordon Sinclair’s film. He’s amazing in it.

“The highlight was finding out what catering had for us, as the food was great. It was a blast.”

Abronhill High is facing closure under plans by North Lanarkshire Council to merge it with nearby Cumbernauld High.

A consultation into the proposed package of savings, which includes the closure of Abronhill, closed last week.

The council proposes to close the school from August 2013, with pupils going to Cumbernauld High, which itself may be replaced at a later date by a a new-build school. The Abronhill closure will save the council £1million a year.

Source (including photo): Express

Brian Cox

Actor Brian Cox on new show Addicted to Pleasure and why drugs in Scotland should be legalised
Dundee-born Cox admitted he smoked opium on a trip to India in the 1980s, and that he enjoyed taking the highly addictive drug.

Actor Brian Cox presents new BBC programme Addicted to Pleasure.

Scots actor Brian Cox has revealed he smoked opium and called for the legalisation of hard drugs in Scotland.
The Dundee-born Hollywood star says “everything” should be legalised if the government has any hope of getting on top of the country’s drug problem.
Cox admitted he smoked opium on a trip to India in the 1980s, and that he enjoyed taking the highly addictive drug.
He said: “I used to be very down on drugs. I tried marijuana occasionally, but I was never really into it. I was in India touring with a play and I thought I would experiment and see what it was like. So I went to an opium den.
“It was great, very beatific. I got my feet massaged and had two great hours there. But I never did it again because what eventually happens is that pleasure decreases as want increases. Want becomes the thing that drives you, not the pleasure. You can never recreate that first fix. Once it’s over it’s over. But that’s why people get into a spiral, especially with heroin.”

Brian Cox looks at addictions of all kind in the new programme.

Cox was speaking ahead of Addicted to Pleasure, a four part documentary series he’s presenting on BBC Scotland. It addresses our nation’s addictions to sugar, alcohol, tobacco and opium.
The X Men II star blamed Scotland’s addiction issues on the relocation projects of the 1960s, which saw whole communities decanted from city centre environments to housing schemes.
He said: “Environment and drugs go hand in hand. We have created these appalling environments for people to live in, especially the housing schemes which are a hotbed for drugs.
“We took people away from towns with structure to schemes with no structure. Now there are four generations of addicts. We moved people into these areas and they have a lack of functionality, which leads to negativity, loss of self esteem and self worth. They’re thwarted people, and they take drugs for the lack of something.
“Taking something like heroin helps them deal with that.
 “Everything should be made available, but monitored, of course. Prohibition is a problem. Look at any prohibition era in history.  Al Capone and the rest made a lot of money there. It’s the same today with drug dealers. We need to try to get people’s self worth and sense of empowerment back again.”
Addicted to Pleasure is on Monday, 26 November BBC at 9pm on BBC1.

Source (including photos): Daily Record

Elaine C Smith: 'Desperately Seeking SuBo' documentary

Desperately Seeking SuBo documentary to air on STV

STV viewers are in for a treat when one hour documentary Desperately Seeking SuBo hits our television screens.

The programme follows the journey of Elaine C. Smith as she co-writes and rehearses the stage show I Dreamed A Dream, about Susan Boyle’s life so far.

From fascinating stories about the moment Elaine and Susan met, to the Britain’s Got Talent star’s reaction to the first time she saw the show; Desperately Seeking SuBo is a treat for both Susan Boyle and Elaine fans alike.

Watch as Elaine goes in search of a hit and her star. Will she find either of them?

This exclusive behind the scenes look at the new musical about the extraordinary life of Scottish singer Susan Boyle will air on Tuesday October 9 at 8pm.

After the show, there will be more about the musical, Susan and Elaine at stv.tv/susanboyle. For those of you outwith the UK who won’t be able to watch the show go out, log on to stv.tv/susanboyle from 9pm (GMT) on Tuesday October 9 to watch exclusive clips from Desperately Seeking SuBo.

Source (including video): STV

Pater Capaldi: new projects

How to Make Better Decisions - thought-provoking documentary by the BBC 

“In this program,” says narrator Peter Capaldi at the outset, “we’re going to show you how to be more rational, and deal with some of life’s biggest decisions.” It’s a pretty big claim, and you may doubt that it’s true (especially during the silly opening scene involving a group of nerds trying to score a date) but give this 2008 BBC Horizon program a little time and you might come away with a few things to think about. 

How to Make Better Decisions takes us inside cognitive science laboratories and out on the streets to demonstrate how the emotional part of our brain gets the better of the rational part. The film introduces a number of intriguing concepts, including Prospect Theory,  “the framing effect,” and “priming.” More controversially, it highlights some research that suggests the possibility that our intuition may have something to do with an ability to sense future events.  

How to Make Better Decisions is 49 minutes long, and we’ve decided to add it to our growing collection of Free Movies Online.

Source: Open Culture

Maleficent
Maleficent, the Angelina Jolie-starring revisionist Disney fairytale that’s set to pull a Wicked on Sleeping Beauty, is shooting right now.
And joining Jolie, in the cast is a considerable amount of Brit talent, including Juno Temple, Imelda Staunton, Peter Capaldi and one Mr Sam Riley.
Read more at Total Film

 

Alan Cumming: Lincoln Center Festival and Dublin documentary

Lincoln Center has announced the lineup for this year's Lincoln Center Festival, to run in various venues July 5-August 5. There will be a total of 72 performances by artists and ensembles from seven countries.

Theatrical offerings include dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov in Dmitry Krymov's staging of a new play, In Paris; the Sydney Theatre Company's acclaimed production of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, starring Cate Blanchett, Hayley McElhinney, Richard Roxburgh, and Hugo Weaving; the National Theatre of Scotland's one-person Macbeth, starring Alan Cumming and directed by John Tiffany and Andrew Goldberg, and DruidMurphy, a cycle of plays by Tom Murphy to be staged by Tony winner Garry Hynes.

Also on tap is Émilie, a one-woman opera by Kaija Saariaho and Amin Malouf, about French Enlightenment thinker Émilie du Châtelet, to star Elizabeth Futral and be directed by Marianne Weems, and Feng Yi Ting, a chamber opera by Chinese composer Guo Wenjing, which will be directed by Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan.

For more information, visit www.lincolncenter.org.

Source: Theater Mania 

Also reported by Playbill

Hidden city gems to be revealed in offbeat TV series

The hidden sights of Dublin are set to be revealed in a new documentary by Sky Atlantic.

City Secretsplans to delve into the underground aspects of various cities across Ireland and the UK. Filming in Dublin, which takes place next month, will see presenter Alan Cumming unveil some of Dublin's less famous landmarks.

"We don't want to cover the classic tourist spots, we want to look at more underground, niche aspects," Aimee Johnston of TwoFour told the Herald.

"What we really want to do is scratch beneath the surface and find unique parts of the city and interesting people that are harder to find, or interesting facts that are lesser known," said Ms Johnston.

"The aim of the programme is to make Dublin look as appealing as possible and to paint the city in a really positive light. We're looking for interesting people, quirky stories, beautiful obscure buildings and hidden parts of the city," Ms Johnston added.

"Ideally we want our presenter Alan to embark on a kind of a tour of the city, looping back around by the end."

Filming begins on April 28. Anyone with information on a quirky piece of Dublin is recommended to email TwoFour at enquiries@twofour.co.uk The series will be screened on Sky Atlantic in early July.

Source: Herald.ie

Northern Lights

Northern Lights is a mass participation documentary film project for Scotland. Here's a message from the project co-ordinators:

Northern Lights is a nationwide documentary film project created by you. We want you to share your world, your life and your Scotland. From March 20 you will be able to upload your films here. To keep in touch and find out more sign up for our newsletter or follow us via our social links. Northern Lights will be a feature documentary created from your films. We want you to share your vision with us. We want you to do this creatively and we don’t care if your film is a brief fragment or a stream of consciousness. You might be angry, funny, confused or inspired. You might use your camera to film someone you care about or a place or an issue that means something to you. We’re not sure what you will share with us but we hope to have our eyes opened by a Scotland we think we know but we have yet to discover. The trailer for our project is up:

We want to spread the word as much as possible. Project starts 20 March 2012 - Get involved! http://www.facebook.com/WeAreNorthernLights http://www.wearenorthernlights.com https://twitter.com/#!/weRnLights [@weRnLights]

Billy Connolly: 'Troubles' film restored | New role in Eric Idle's 'What about Dick?'

A fly-on-the-wall documentary which shows Billy Connolly on tour in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles is to be screened at the Glasgow Film Festival. Big Banana Feet was made in two days during Connolly's 1975 tour of Ireland. The only remaining copy of the programme is in an American film archive which has been restored and brought back to Glasgow for the screening.

See a clip on the BBC website or watch the full interview of Billy Connolly in conversation with film-maker David Peat at BBC

Billy Connolly to star in new Eric Idle production 

Stand-up comedian Russell Brand will take the titular role in former Python Eric Idle's latest musical, What About Dick?. Set in the early 20th Century, the production is to be presented as a radio play with the cast reading from scripts. It will run for just 4 nights in April, from the 26th to 29th, and will also star Tracey Ullman, Billy Connolly, Sophie Winkleman, Eddie Izzard and Tim Curry. Jane Leeves, a former (Benny) Hill's Angel but better known for the role of Daphne in long-running US sitcom Frasier, will also appear, and Idle himself will act as narrator.

Written by Idle with his long-term musical collaborator John Du Prez, the story is described as a "farcical romp" that follows Oxford student Dick as he studies philosophy and gynaecology; Izzard's character is the inventor of the vibrator. A previous version of the production was staged in a similar form in 2007. Idle told the Los Angeles Times that he and Du Prez have spent the last 5 years re-writing the scripts and adding more songs to the show. He added: "It's essentially the same idea as before, but the part of Dick got bigger - if I'm allowed to say that."

Idle also confirmed that What About Dick? will be recorded for release as a 'concert film'.

Source: The British Comedy Guide

Bomber Command documentary with Ewan McGregor to be aired on BBC

A Bomber Command documentary filmed in Lincolnshire with Hollywood star Ewan McGregor will be aired on BBC One.

Bomber Boys sees the actor fly in a Lancaster Bomber with his pilot brother, Colin McGregor, talk with veterans about their experiences in the Second World War and visit Lincolnshire RAF stations. The film focuses on men who fought and died in the skies above occupied Europe, while highlighting the heroes of the time.

The 90-minute show covers six years of wartime operations and traces the obstacles that were overcome as the RAF developed and deployed the fighting force that was Bomber Command.

Producer and director Harvey Lilley from Lion Television, which made the show, said Lincolnshire is "a central character" in the feature length documentary.

"It felt like something of a pilgrimage to some of those hundreds of air bases that sprang up throughout the county in the Second World War," he said.

"They were packed with thousands of young men – all volunteers – who took the fight to Germany in the dark days of the Second World War when nobody else was capable of striking at the Nazi War Machine.

"Colin and Ewan met veterans in the Bluebell at Tattershall Thorpe and stayed at the Petwood Hotel at Woodhall Spa, previously the officers mess of the Dambusters.

"And in an unrepeatable experience for both, they got to fly in the BBMF's Lancaster, the City of Lincoln, at last year's Lincolnshire Lancaster day.

"It all helped paint a picture for them of what life was like for the 125 000 young men who fought in the bombing campaign of the Second World War, many of whom – more than 55,000 – paid the ultimate price."

The brothers filmed at the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight based at RAF Coningsby and the former bases of Faldingworth, Wickenby and East Kirkby, last summer.

Squadron Leader Ian Smith, officer commanding the RAF BBMF, said: "We were delighted to support this documentary and keen to help as much as we could with the project. The documentary will highlight the courage the personnel of Bomber Command had and the ultimate sacrifice that 55,573 of them made. Lest we forget."

Other filming was carried out in London, Afghanistan, Hamburg and the former wartime air base of White Waltham in Berkshire.

The show will air on Sunday, February 5, at 9pm, on BBC One. It will then be available on BBC iPlayer for catch-up viewers. 

Source: This Is Lincolnshire

 
Photo courtesy of Radio Times

John Barrowman: TV appearances and book signings

TV:
It's John Barrowman Day on UKTV on Friday 3 February 2012

Hustle
John's episode (series 8, episode 4) of Hustle will air on Friday 3 February 2012 on BBC1 at 9pm. He plays a character called Dr Dean Deville. There are spoilers for the whole series including John's episode on Cultbox site here.
Promotional photos in the gallery here

Chris Moyles Quiz Show
John won his round of Chris Moyles' Quiz Night and will now appear in the final of the series, competing against Alesha Dixon and boy-band JLS.
The show is at 10.30pm on Channel 4 on Friday, 3 February 2012. Right after Hustle!
Read more about the show here

All About Me Pilot Quiz Show
A comedy panel show which is hosted by, and all about, a different celebrity each week.
In the pilot episode, John Barrowman presents a series of rounds all based on his life for the two team captains, Jason Manford and Myleene Klass, who are joined by celebrity and comic guest panellists.
Free tickets to the recording can be bought here

Source: John Barrowman: The Official Site


Dallas
Channel Five has announced a number of new programmes in development, including a cookery show fronted by Marco Pierre White, a documentary presented by John Barrowman on the TV show Dallas
Source: The CMU website


Hollow Earth:
Torchwood star John Barrowman has written a children’s book inspired by his Scottish childhood. The star, who was born in Glasgow and moved to America when he was eight, wrote the book with his sister Carole. They are in talks to turn the novel into a TV series.

Hollow Earth, which is set on a Scottish island, is about 12-year-old twins with special powers. It comes out next month.
Source: Daily Record

John and Carole Barrowman's children's fantasy book is due out in February 2012 and available for pre-order from Amazon

Hollow Earth book signings are listed here

Radio interviews have now been confirmed for John and Carole Barrowman. See John's Official site for details.

More details of the book at Largs & Millport Weekly News and a booksigning at Waterstones in Bluewater shopping centre at 1pm on Saturday, February 4 is reported in the Dartford Messenger