Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown If you have watched the TV show Succession , then I think you may enjoy a three part documentary on BBC iPlayer about the Murdoch family called "The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty". It's a fascinating documentary about the family and the terrifying number of political connections and power wielded by the family. And if you haven't seen Succession - well, I think it was one of the best dramas of the last couple of years. Superbly acted, filmed and a great story full of pretty despicable people. Great stuff!
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Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown On TV on the 17th August, there was a 20 year celebration of Derren Brown's work called "Derren Brown: 20 Years of Mind Control". I've been a fan of Derren Brown since he first started on TV and so I was beyond excited when I got to work with him on his series "Trick of Treat" in 2007. It was all very secretive and I had to sign non-disclosures so that it was all a surprise when it was broadcast. The episode I'm in can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghW595-zsbg I played the "dead girl in the car" which involved prosthetics and playing dead! It was a genuinely thrilling experience and I was so delighted to be a part of the show.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown I love the soap "Neighbours" as I have mentioned before in this blog. Well, I think we have now entered into episodes which were filmed with social distancing. By and large you can't really see it, but I did notice that the coffee shop (Harold's) has suddenly got a whole load of new plants (presumably to replace people and make it look less obviously empty) and that the extras have dwindled to single figures. Neighbours was one of the first shows to go back into production around the world. I believe Emmerdale was the first to resume in the UK. So far, there has been no mention of a global pandemic and I'm wondering whether there will be. I know they are going to work it in to the storylines for EastEnders. I guess the others have to work out if they want the soap to continue to occupy the "real world" or whether they decide to keep the likes of Erinsborough, Weatherfield or Hollyoaks in a...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Today we finished watching Chernobyl, the mini-series produced by Sky/HBO. It has rightly been nominated for over a hundred accolades and won 64 so far. I thought this was an incredible series, very well written and paced with excellent performances throughout. Not a binge watch though - you need 24hrs at least between episodes in my opinion! The whole tragic, avoidable incident of the explosion at Chernobyl is quite extraordinary and I still find it hard to believe how recent it was. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Not only do these stories and truth need to be better known, but it proves beyond doubt that cover-ups and lies lead ultimately to tragedy. There is also an excellent podcast which accompanies the series called "The Chernobyl Podcast" which provided some further insight into the filming of the series, but also countless other stories and facts that they didn't have time to fit i...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown I've not watched a lot of Sally Wainright's work, but what I have seen, Unforgiven and Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters I had really enjoyed. Gentlemen Jack was on the BBC recently, featuring Suranne Jones (Wainright favourite!) in the lead role. It was fun, funny, pacey and the majority of the characters were women in all strata of society. I really enjoyed it and look forward to series 2. The show is based on the life and diaries of Anne Lister who I knew nothing about, but she was certainly a trailblazer and ahead of her time.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown I am fortunate to have a job at the moment and I have some annual leave to take before a certain date. I am normally one to hang to my annual leave and not use it willy-nilly, but the date is looming and with no-where to go I am at a bit of a loss with what to do. Personally, I don't fancy going anywhere at the moment. I really don't feel inclined to get on a plane to go anywhere - I don't particularly enjoy flying at the best of times - and the idea of having to wear a mask for the duration of the journey doesn't appeal. In previous years, the idea of just being at home with no-where to be was incredibly appealing, but as that's kind of the status quo at the moment, it's lost some of it's magic. So what to do with my leave - well, I think the garden and a book do still beckon and maybe a whole series on Netflix...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Yesterday Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested. This is a story which will be continually updated but she is accused of grooming underage girls to be abused by her and Jeffrey Epstein. There is an excellent documentary on Netflix "Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich" which provides a timeline and a voice for some of his many victims. I find the arrogance of men like Epstein and the people who enable him like Ghislaine, reprehensible. We see it time and time again. Men in positions of power and with wealth who go around behaving exactly as they choose and getting away with it. The law, it seems, can be bought. Epstein, Maxwell, Weinstein, Nassar. People always know and they help cover it up. Are they as guilty?
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown If you haven't watched Staged yet and you have access to BBC iPlayer then I recommend you hop to it as soon as you can. Six 15 minute episodes of excellence. It's funny, very funny, moving and is bursting with celebrity cameos. Go on and give yourself a treat - trust me on this one!
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown The beauty of having subscription TV is finding and watching something you always meant to watch but never did. My current binge is Entourage which ran from 2004-2011 and is about a fictional famous actor Vincent Chase and his half brother and two friends who make up his entourage. I genuinely laugh out loud quite a lot and really enjoy the many, many cameos from the Hollywood elite playing themselves, from James Cameron to Scarlett Johansson. Also, each episode is just the right length for a cup of tea and a biscuit, which is kinda perfect.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown There was an excellent drama on BBC 1 this week (now iPlayer) called The Salisbury Poisonings. It was a very well written three part piece, based on something that happened so recently and yet was able to tell a side of the story that I imagine most of us didn't know. Rather than focus on the criminal side it focuses on the residents of Salisbury and the unintended victims and their families, who's lives were changed forever by this act of terrorism. I found it very moving - catch it when you can.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Today I saw two planes in the sky, leaving fluffy trails behind them. Now maybe I've not been looking closely enough, but I can't remember the last time I saw a plane flying overhead. I'm pretty sure that the birds have been louder too - or maybe I can just hear them better. When not looking at the sky, I spent most of Thursday on Zoom. I was on there pretty much all day for my day job followed by two back to back calls in the evening with a weekly writing group and then friends. And it's exhausting. I actually enjoyed all parts of the day but "being on" and constantly seeing your own reflection is just a bit too much sometimes. I look forward to bed not just because of fatigue but as it's where I can look at a book instead - I've even taken to preferring to read my current "not on Google Play books" book because otherwise it's just another screen. And I...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Lots of casting directors have been extremely open and generous with their time during the lockdown and have been doing Q&A's live on Instagram. There is general optimism that work in the world of commercials, film and television will be getting back in production fairly soon, with social distancing measures in place. This is great news and hopefully will happen. My query is this: the dramas or adverts being made, are they going to reflect our current world or the one we left on the 23rd March 2020? I can slightly answer my own question - any drama that was mid-filming and set pre-Covid will likely not change, that would be madness. But the on-going dramas and soaps will be able to have adapted their stories to encompass our new situation. Commercials - this is where I am most interested. Just prior to lockdown I auditioned for a commercial which involved hugging. That commer...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown I love a crappy film. You know the kind, usually on Channel 5 in the afternoon, staring people you've never heard of, set somewhere in America that you haven't visited, with a storyline encapsulated in the title. Here are some I've watched recently: Girlfriend Killer Who Stole My Daughter? The Other Mother Cheat Sleeping with my Student Can you guess the plot outline from the title? Of course you can. The thing is, these films aren't that bad. The acting is usually pretty decent, the stories often have a good twist you didn't see coming and the production values are high. So why do they have a bad rap? I've seen plenty of over-hyped, big studio backed crap, with big stars that I'd happily swap for one of these little gems. On a technical note, a title that tells you what the film is about is actually quite a skill. "Four Christmases" - yep I have...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Theatre is probably going to be one of the last type of venue to open and is going to struggle. The Nuffield in Southampton has already gone into administration. 50 members of the House of Lords have signed a letter urging the government to provide financial support to the performing arts industry. The letter is below. What I find incredibly sad about this, is that there was virtually no reporting of this. At all. Google it, you won’t find much. I know that at a time of economic uncertainty it will be low down the list of priorities of things and people who need money. So, let me just ask you a question. During lockdown, have you watched tv? A film? Read a book? Listened to music? The artists which brought you that work need to be paid and need support now and for the future so that the very entertainment that has helped keep us all sane and t...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Pinch and a (socially distanced) punch for the first of the month. I am very aware that I started this blog in March and it is now May... wow Today the weather has been mildly apocalyptic - sunshine followed by hail - going outside even briefly seems like a fool's errand. In Couch to 5k news, we have reached the point when it's all running - 5 minute warm up walk followed by 30 minutes of running (or jogging in my case). Managed our second run of the week yesterday before being drowned although I did feel I was almost going backwards at one point, I was going so slowly. And in digital-Freeview-box-recording-capacity news - we are at 17%. I am pleased.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Like many people, we have a digital Freeview box - it can record two programmes at once and we can watch a third. I remember when these first came into existence and we waved goodbye to the worn out workhorse VHS's. We no longer needed to understand how to programme a video recorder (which were all different from one another and somewhat tempermental). Now all one had to do was browse the digital tv guide and press one button, usually red, and bingo, RECORD. They were even smart enough to series link the recordings so you didn't have to remember to do it each week. Genius. Except if you're like me and don't want to miss out on any TV, you end up with a very full box, very fast. Ours has been coasting at 9% for sometime. Yes that means that it has already been filled to 81% with recorded stuff. It is occassionally quite amusing "Oh look, we must have recorded this in December - C...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Who watched Quiz? I thought it was great. I saw the play in the West End a few years ago. They gave every audience member a keypad (a la Fastest Finger First) and we were asked to vote half way through if we thought they were guilty or not and then again at the end. At the halfway point, it was approx 80% guilty. By the end it was about 50%. Watching the TV show, I am still left wondering, as I think lots of other viewers were too, whether there had been a gross miscarriage of justice.
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Friday 27th of March was World Theatre Day. Probably one of the most ironic timings of a day to celebrate something that's ever occurred - when most theatres across the globe are closed. As we come towards the end of our first week of proper lockdown, things in the world of theatre, film and tv still seem positive however. There is lots of talk of the future and for when production all starts up again in real life. There are still casting breakdowns going out - mainly with the dates of auditions and/or production TBC and advise that self-tapes are going to be utilised. There are lots of constructive initiatives from casting directors, agents and theatres designed to keep everyone connected and creative. The industry & it's participants are being wonderfully resilient and supportive. Brighton Fringe has been cancelled and Edinburgh is still hanging in the balance - news thi...
Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Self-Isolation I am a big fan of Neighbours . Yes it's still on Yes really Channel 5 Yes, still twice a day. Three times actually, I think it's also on 5Star... Anyway, now is a great time to re-connect with your friends down-under as last week was EPIC. There were late night episodes! Deaths! Marriages! And don't worry if you haven't watched it since the early 90s, half the old characters have come back to celebrate it being 35 years old. So that's my top tip for today - Neighbours - cos everyone needs good friends