Holy hell new Luther!! Forgot that was coming back. :D

Looks like there's some good stuff coming out of BBC this year. Well, that is, if you ignore Don't Scare The Hare. Seriously, what is up with that?

Kaan | April 29, 22:02 CET

I completely forgot that Dichen was going to be in Torchwood! Now I actually have something to look forward to in Miracle Day...

Arison | April 29, 22:21 CET

Dichen, Dichen, Dichen...you just don't go and insult someone like that! Fastest way to get a Welshman (or especially a Welshwoman ;D) hacked off at you is call them "English" to their face. Getting socked in the gob is letting you off easy-like!

:P

BlueEyedBrigadier | April 30, 21:27 CET

Funny, Jane Espenson tweeted the trailer today.

"Watch to end to see teeny snippet of Torchwood! http://www.ugo.com/tv/torchwood-miracle-day-first-footage"


http://twitter.com/#!/JaneEspenson

[ edited by hann23 on 2011-04-30 23:12 ]

hann23 | April 30, 23:09 CET

Yes! Luther is what I am waiting for. LOVE that show. Granted, I have to wait for it to be on BBC America.

*grumble grumble*

guidedby | May 01, 07:41 CET

If 'Doctor Who' is anything to go by there may not be too long a wait (same night broadcast in that case).

Ah Gwen, there's just aren't enough "Yesssss!"-accompanied-by-*fist pump*s to capture my appreciation (that's a hell of a telegraph though, if Dichen's character doesn't at least get her guard up i'd be worried about the best America has to offer). The hand of RTD at work there methinks, though i'd love to think it was one of the international peeps that got it right (there's a bit in 'The Rock' which always irritates me - a baddie calls Sean Connery's character an 'English prick' and he just lets it pass without comment. I mean, he kills him fairly horribly but not for that comment. Just feels like unfinished business. Rare instance where Big Sean plays a character not from his native Edinburgh BTW - John Mason is from Glasgow ;).

Just to be clear BTW, those don't all have Whedonverse peeps in right ? First time through I was trying to remember when John Simm worked with Joss cos I doubt i'd forget that.

(and yay, more 'Luther', that started off a bit bumpy but got hella good by the end. Also, just on looks Ruth Wilson is pretty though maybe not all that stunning but disturbingly enough, when she plays a psychopath I find her incredibly sexy. I'm choosing to believe this doesn't say anything about me)

Saje | May 01, 09:45 CET

That Chiwetel drama had a good write-up in yesterday's Times so I'll be watching that.

Simon | May 01, 10:04 CET

It's noir and it's got a pretty phenomenal cast (as well as Chiwetel there's Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Sher and Stephen Rea among others) so i'd likely be giving it a chance anyway.

Wouldn't have pegged you as a Times reader BTW Simon, dunno why exactly.

Saje | May 01, 10:36 CET

The Cybermen are back on Doctor Who...

I'm really looking forward to Torchwood. I missed the news about James Marsters being back, but that's great news!

Ariane | May 01, 11:49 CET

The new series Cybermen episodes haven't been great IMO (excepting 'The Pandorica Opens' which barely counts) but hopefully Moffat can turn it around. Must say, much as I loved series 5/31, this current one has (so far) been more what I expected a Moffat series of Who to be like, just amazing (like the end of last night's for instance, talk about an OMFG ! moment ;).

Dunno if i'm just misunderstanding you BTW Ariane but James Marsters isn't back on 'Torchwood' (AFAIK anyway).

Saje | May 01, 12:44 CET

Thanks Saje, I just went on a tear through the internet looking to see if John Hart would be back and didn't see anything either.

hann23 | May 01, 14:14 CET

Sorry, I misread. My bad.

[ edited by Ariane on 2011-05-01 15:55 ]

Ariane | May 01, 15:46 CET

Ah Gwen, there's just aren't enough "Yesssss!"-accompanied-by-*fist pump*s to capture my appreciation (that's a hell of a telegraph though, if Dichen's character doesn't at least get her guard up i'd be worried about the best America has to offer). The hand of RTD at work there methinks, though i'd love to think it was one of the international peeps that got it right (there's a bit in 'The Rock' which always irritates me - a baddie calls Sean Connery's character an 'English prick' and he just lets it pass without comment. I mean, he kills him fairly horribly but not for that comment. Just feels like unfinished business. Rare instance where Big Sean plays a character not from his native Edinburgh BTW - John Mason is from Glasgow ;).

A mighty glorious fist pump moment indeed, Saje and it is a lovely jab at Hollywood's tendency to classify any and all residents of the UK as "English" unless their accent is too obvious or stereotypical to mistake otherwise. Then again, Big Sean is most famous for playing a character classified as English, even though Ian Fleming retcon'd Bond into being half-Scot and half-French Swiss...so some people just might not think about it too hard.

Whether it was Russell T. Davies or someone like Jane Espenson who came up with the scene, is an interesting question. Torchwood has been rather unsubtle in its pro-Cardiff/pro-Wales stance, though RTD has of course had/allowed good-natured potshots at his native culture. Would be nice to think it was one of the US senior crew, but...not gambling anything on it ;)

[ edited by BlueEyedBrigadier on 2011-05-02 17:33 ]

[ edited by BlueEyedBrigadier on 2011-05-02 17:33 ]

BlueEyedBrigadier | May 01, 22:38 CET

That episode is episode 2, written by Doris Egan (an American), if memory serves. (I went down for the shoot).

gossi | May 01, 22:54 CET

Dang, the Brits are getting the good shows this season. Color me jealous :)

Madhatter | May 01, 23:05 CET

We also have Don't Scare The Hare so I wouldn't crown us World King of Telly just yet.



I like to read it on a Saturday, it's a ritual.

Simon | May 01, 23:07 CET

I do regret not sticking with Luther now, after hearing it got good towards the end. Might try this second series.

I do find myself watching hardly anything on native telly nowadays though, except the excellent Doctor Who/Torchwood and QI. The BBC's tendency to make three part dramas isn't really helping. I'm sure it is down to money, but that just isn't what I want when I watch a drama.

Looking forward to new Torchwood though. Very much enjoyed Children of Earth and maintain it was the best thing Russell T. Davis did with the new Who-verse (except getting David Tennant to play the Doctor and having Steven Moffat write a few episodes.) Jane Espenson and Dichen Lachman get me even more excited at the potential. Now I've just read on that link it stars Q (John De Lancie)! Can this get any better!

Saje said:



It's been a bit good hasn't it? Great couple of openers. It really amazes me how far they sometimes go with the freaky too. I must say, sometimes it is scary than the supposed horror films that come out in the cinema.

I hope that they really go with making things a little more connected this time around. They teased it a bit last series, so I'm hoping that was them experimenting to see how serialised they can go with such a high ratings programme. The little hints and possibilities that have cropped up in the first two episodes get me quite excited. Alas, the next episode looks to be very standalone though. Hopefully little nuggets will be dropped here and there though.

[ edited by Vandelay on 2011-05-02 00:25 ]

Vandelay | May 02, 00:17 CET

Then again, Big Sean is most famous for playing a character classified as English, even though Ian Fleming retcon'd Bond into being half-Scot and half-French Swiss...so some people mighty just not think about it too hard.

Good intel that BlueEyedBrigadier, didn't know until you mentioned it - Bond is apparently half-Scottish mainly because Fleming liked Connery in the role so much (sensible fellow ;). As to what he's considered by the world at large, yeah, probably mostly English though I don't think we ever find out where he's born.

They teased it a bit last series, so I'm hoping that was them experimenting to see how serialised they can go with such a high ratings programme.

I thought last series was really well connected Vandelay (with the arc and then the arc within the arc and so on), it just wasn't that serialised. Pretty sure this series is gonna be even more of both though (already read various theories about the Silents actually being in several episodes of series 5 but we just don't see them for instance, times when characters have looked momentarily puzzled and so on and the nature of the opening bombshell as well as the revelations we've already seen and River's story all lend themselves to all sorts of timey-wimey interconnected loveliness). And anyway, even the most serialised shows have some standalones and next week's has pirates ! (FTW ;) !

(agreed about the freaky too, the Silents themselves are a very creepy idea and in general I can imagine 8 year old me quaking behind the sofa at quite a few bits during the two openers)

((and i'd watch the last 2 of 'Luther' series 1 BTW or else I suspect at least the start of the feature length eps - it's not actually a new series but a couple of 2 hour "episodes" - won't make much sense))

That episode is episode 2, written by Doris Egan (an American), if memory serves. (I went down for the shoot).

RTD "does a Joss" though doesn't he ? A pass on every script I mean. He certainly did for Who anyway, not sure about 'Torchwood'.

Saje | May 02, 01:57 CET

Jane Espenson talked about the process for Torchwood in some interview. It was sort of a hybrid of American and British processes. They had a writers' room, which apparently British shows usually don't, but instead of fleshing out each episode in detail, they got the broad plot points down and then sent each writer off to write their assignments. RTD would send the scripts back for rewrites with notes and then did a final rewrite himself, if I'm remembering correctly.

Rachelkachel | May 02, 02:50 CET

@Vandelay:

I'd recommend watching the rest of series one first, as it ends on a cliffhanger. I don't know how you'd go starting at series 2 without seeing at least S1's last episode.


I think Luther's second series is a three parter.

Kaan | May 02, 07:22 CET

Well, you're only one off ;). As I say above, it's a two parter (two 2 hour feature length probably standalone "episodes"). That format isn't actually that uncommon for that sort of show over here, not really a new thing either though 3 or 4 feature length episodes per series is probably more the norm ('Luther' may only be two for scheduling reasons - Idris Elba is presumably a very busy fella - or because they're hesitant about splashing the cash since it didn't do brilliantly ratings wise on its first run and I get the impression it almost didn't come back at all). Think stuff like 'A Touch of Frost' or 'Poirot' Vandelay.

They had a writers' room, which apparently British shows usually don't, but instead of fleshing out each episode in detail, they got the broad plot points down and then sent each writer off to write their assignments. RTD would send the scripts back for rewrites with notes and then did a final rewrite himself, if I'm remembering correctly.

Yeah, that sounds roughly like how they did it for 'Children of Earth' (in the UK) so that rings true (there isn't normally a writer's room in the British process but it sounds like they used a rough equivalent because it was one continuous story with relatively few writers. As is 'Miracle Day'). James 'Severance'/'Fires of Pompeii' Moran explains the process for CoE a bit in this Den of Geek interview. [ETA:] Which isn't to say Doris Egan didn't come up with it BTW, she's one of my favourite 'House' writers and easily has the chops/nous.[/ETA]

[ edited by Saje on 2011-05-02 10:11 ]

Saje | May 02, 10:04 CET

Well, you're only one off ;)

Serves me right for not been able to read properly.

"To read makes our speaking English good."

Kaan | May 02, 10:40 CET

Heh, we've all had those "differently good" reading issues at one time or another ;).

Saje | May 02, 10:59 CET

To clarify, it is more the one-off two/three part thing I dislike. As part of an on-going series it is fine, as that still allows scope for continued character development and more interesting stories. Still not ideal though.

The HBO standard of 10-13 episodes is probably my preferred format, as I usually find the standard 22 episode runs of American shows to be a little too on the long side, with stories dragging quite a lot. This probably more of a recent preference though, as I never found that watching Buffy.

Vandelay | May 02, 11:35 CET

I'm British - anything over 6 episodes seems weird to me still.

gossi | May 02, 13:59 CET

I'm British - anything over 6 episodes seems weird to me still.
gossi | May 02, 13:59 CET


So how did you watch shows like the original run Doctor Who then, which I'm sure consisted of seaons with more than 6 episodes, even when you factored in multiple splits of each episode a la movie serial cliffies?

;D

BlueEyedBrigadier | May 02, 17:38 CET

I stopped watching Dr Who, they made too much of it for me to be bothered with.

gossi | May 02, 17:40 CET

"I stopped watching Dr Who, they made too much of it for me to be bothered with."

Care to explain further as I don't quite understand what you mean there. :)

sueworld2003 | May 02, 18:20 CET

He's kidding presumably (I mean, gossi may not watch 'Doctor Who' but it seems unlikely to be because they made more than 6 episodes ;).

Saje | May 02, 18:27 CET

Yeah, once they get past seven hundred and fifty episodes I just tune out...

zz9 | May 02, 19:24 CET

While in principle I agree that longevity should be punished at every opportunity i'm sentimental about Who so I restrict myself to pretending anyone over the age of 35 doesn't exist and burning all literary classics I come across.

Saje | May 02, 20:00 CET