The BBC, Classic-novel adaptations and other related things

The BBC to announce Sunday adaptation of Les Misérables

By TV adaptations

The BBC is to announce a new six-part Sunday night adaptation of Les Misérables , written by the man behind the corporation’s wildly successful production of War and Peace. Andrew Davies, who penned the recent BBC One adaptation of the Tolstoy epic, said...

Why American Gods is perfect for TV

By TV adaptations

The news that Neil Gaiman’s seminal novel American Gods is finally greenlit by US network Starz for a TV series (after years stuck in development) doesn’t surprise me at all. If anything, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner to a truly great book too...

BBC worth the licence fee?

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An analysis of social media by the TV Licensing company has revealed the shows that most viewers think are worth the cost of the Licence Fee (basically, they counted up how many people on Twitter said a show was "worth the Licence fee"). BBC1 drama The...

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Meet the Cast

By TV adaptations

And now, for your bank holiday delectation, A Midsummer Night's Dream as you've never seen it before. Former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies brings the Shakespeare comedy to life on BBC1, but who are the major players? Find out more about the cast...

Martin Freeman (Sherlock) defends the BBC

By TV adaptations

“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” sang Joni Mitchell, once upon a time. Ain’t that the truth. At the Baftas recently, a journalist on the red carpet asked me to say a few words about what the BBC meant to me. Ah, that’s easy. Blimey, that’s...

Game of Thrones: the new book-free status

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"You never know what's going to happen tomorrow," actor Kristofer Hivju tells THR about the show's new book-free status quo. Twenty years ago this year, George R.R. Martin released A Game of Thrones, the first novel in a sprawling series chronicling the...

The BBC to Adapt Shakespeare's Roman plays?

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If you’ve been enjoying the Henry VI and Richard III Hollow Crown dramas with Benedict Cumberbatch et al on the BBC, you may be glad to hear that the Corporation is considering taking on Shakespeare’s Roman plays for the next batch of the Bard. Discussions...

Benedict Cumberbatch on the Hollow Crown 2

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Sleek and savage as a raven in sheeny blue-black robes, Benedict Cumberbatch is surrounded by a force-field of concentration; you can practically hear the crackle of synapses as he prepares to go on set as Shakespeare’s Richard III. A few feet away, Judi...

Mark Rylance wins Leading Actor BAFTA for Wolf Hall | BAFTA TV Awards 2016

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Peter Kosminsky accepts Wolf Hall's Drama Series award | BAFTA TV Awards 2016

By TV adaptations

Peter Kosminsky's Baftas speech backing the BBC – full text Read the Wolf Hall director’s defence of the corporation against John Whittingdale’s attempts to undermine its independence THE GUARDIAN Thank you. On behalf of all of us who worked on Wolf Hall,...