Karen Gillan: NTA awards, new film, DVD release

Karen Gillan won the National Television Award for Best Drama Performance: Female for her portrayal of Amy Pond in Doctor Who
You can view a full HD video of Karen receiving the award at KarenGillanWeb
 

New film: Not Another Happy Ending
LevelK has come on board for international sales of Synchronicity Films’ Glasgow-set indie romcom Not Another Happy Ending.

As previously reporterd, John MacKay (Crush) will direct, and the cast includes Jessica Brown Findlay, Sophie Wu, Karen Gillan, Emun Elliott, Gary Lewis and Anna Chancellor. Elliott and Findlay are both former Screen International Stars of Tomorrow. Claire Mundell (Crying With Laughter, Weekend) produces, with Wendy Griffin as co-producer. LevelK has also worked with Synchronicity’s Crying With Laughter and Blood or Water and plans to continue working on a slate together.

The story is about a successful author who can only write well when she’s unhappy; her publisher tries to make her unhappy but then realises he’s in love with her.

The film has backing from Creative Scotland, Southwest Scotland Screen, BBC Scotland and Savalas Films Fund.

The film starts shootings in May in Glasgow.

Source: Screen Daily

Competition: Win We'll Take Manhattan on DVD
Relive the Swinging 60s and the birth of British fashion in We'll Take Manhattan, out on DVD on 30th January 2012, from Universal Playback. Take home the compelling true story which defined style for a generation in this one-off drama starring Karen Gillan (Doctor Who).

Shown on BBC Four on Thursday 26th January 2012, We’ll Take Manhattan focuses on an unpredictable and electric photoshoot for British Vogue in 1962 New York. It reveals how visionary photographer David Bailey (Aneurin Barnard - Ironclad) refused to conform and insisted on using an unconventional and unknown model for the June cover, Jean Shrimpton (Gillan).

Over the course of a freezing week in Manhattan, David Bailey realised he had found his muse - someone both he and his camera had fallen in love with. Having thrown out the rule book he made startling and original photographs, which changed the face of fashion and catapulted Shrimpton into celebrity status as one of the world's first ever supermodels.

We’ll Take Manhattan brings to life the whirlwind romance between Bailey and Shrimpton and the explosive love affair which inadvertently set the look of the Sixties along the way. Written and directed by John McKay (Robin Hood - TV Series) and also starring a scene-stealing Helen McCrory (Hugo, Harry Potter) as Vogue fashion editor Lady Clare Randlesham, We’ll Take Manhattan explores the electric tale of two young people falling in love; who took a chance and accidentally changed the fashion world forever.

Entertainment Focus has three copies to give away on DVD, so be in with a chance just answer the following question:

Karen Gillan made her name in which BBC sci-fi series?

This competition closes on Friday 17th February 2012 at 11.59pm

For details on how to enter the competition, please go to Entertainment Focus

John Hannah and Karen Gillan in Radio Times' "TV to look forward to"

Radio Times presents their guide to some of the best television programmes to look forward to this year:

A Touch of Cloth (Sky 1)

'The motivation behind A Touch of Cloth was simple', writes the show’s creator Charlie Brooker. 'Along with my co-writer, TV Burp’s Dan Maier, I wanted to create the silliest programme we could muster, but disguise it as the most serious. Writing this was a joy: we all sat round a table attacking our favourite clichés and lobbing in as many extra gags as possible.'

The result is a deadpan spoof of detective shows like Messiah and Luther, starring John Hannah as DI Jack Cloth and Suranne Jones as DC Anne Oldman.

Expect lots of moody glances, disturbing flashbacks, gruesome crime scenes, and bits where a maverick cop battles with demons. Inner demons, not actual outer demons, obviously. Inner demons are cheaper to shoot – you don’t need CGI.


We'll Take Manhattan (BBC4)


In her first leading television role without the Doctor by her side, Karen Gillan will be stepping out of the TARDIS and into the shoes of 60s supermodel Jean Shrimpton. We’ll Take Manhattan tells the story behind David Bailey’s photo shoot with Shrimpton for Vogue that changed fashion photography forever.

“I was quite interested in David Bailey’s photographs, and in the 60s in general” says Gillan. “Whenever I’d send pictures to stylists of the sort of things that I liked, she was always in the pictures. So when I saw this script, I thought it was perfect!”

The drama chronicles not only the legendary photo shoot but the love affair between the rebellious but talented Bailey and his young muse. Full of nostalgic 60s fashion and gorgeous young things frolicking around New York, it presents the modelling world as incredibly glamorous and exciting.

Gillan was in fact a model herself while she was trying to make her break into acting, but for her it wasn’t quite the exhilarating experience it was for Shrimpton.

Now that Amy Pond is soon to meet a “heartbreaking” end on Doctor Who, would she ever consider returning to the catwalk? “I don’t think so. It was just a way to get by, to be in London and to go for auditions.”

Read more at Radio Times

First look: Karen Gillan as supermodel Jean Shrimpton

Here's the first shot of Amy crossing the Pond, as Karen Gillan takes time out from the Tardis to take on the role of 60s fashion icon Jean Shrimpton.

Gillan stars alongside Aneurin Barnard, as photographer David Bailey, in BBC4 drama We'll Take Manhattan, charting their "explosive love affair" in New York.

The one-off drama centres on a week-long photoshoot Bailey did with Shrimpton in 1962 for Vogue magazine.

Gillan said both Shrimpton and Bailey approved of the project.

"[Jean] left a lovely message saying she really enjoyed it," said Gillan. "David Bailey loved it, too. And they're really honest people so that means something to me."

The star admitted she had been concerned about playing a real person.

"I guess there is more pressure because part of me thinks I should stay true to what this person actually was," said Gillan. "And they're still alive, which is quite a significant thing as well, because they're going to see how you portray them."

We'll Take Manhattan is expected to screen on BBC4 in January

Source: Radio Times