SciFiAndTvTalk

Jamie Bamber, Eric Mabius And Hermione Norris Star In New BBC America Sci-Fi Series

BBC America today announced the co-production of a new high concept drama Outcasts.  From Kudos Film & TV - the makers of award-winning and international hit series Life on Mars, MI-5, Hustle and Occupation - Outcasts takes viewers into a new world as it explores humans' drive for power, politics and sex in a new post-earth era. Created by Ben Richards (MI-5), the new explosive series stars Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty, The L Word), Liam Cunningham (Clash Of The Titans) and Hermione Norris (MI-5, Wire In The Blood).

Production is now underway in South Africa with Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), Daniel Mays (The Bank Job, Atonement), Amy Mason (Being Human, Torchwood) and South African actress and model Jeanne Kietzmann also cast in the series.

Outcasts is set in 2040 on a recently-discovered planet and tells of the dilemmas, loves and lives of a group of people setting up a new world. This life-sustaining planet is now home to the surviving population from Earth. Here there is a chance to start again, to bring the lessons learnt from Earth and to put them into action on a new planet.

The series begins on the day the last known transporter from Earth arrives, prompting great excitement on the new planet - who is on board? Friends and loved ones? Important supplies and news from Earth? But also many questions - will the new people bring the problems of Earth with them? Will the mistakes that destroyed Earth be repeated? Will the arrival of a new, would-be leader, rock the fragile and precarious equilibrium of the fresh, unified and courageous new world? And, most importantly of all, how do is a new and better world created?

Executive producers are Jane Featherstone, Simon Crawford-Collins and Faith Penhale for Kudos and Matthew Read for the BBC.

Ashes To Ashes' Keeley Hawes Talks About DI Alex Drake

Ashes to Ashes' DI Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes) and DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister). Photo copyright of the BBC.

As MI5 agent Zoe Reynolds on the hit British TV spy drama series Spooks, Keeley Hawes risked her life in the defense of the realm from international terrorism. For the past three years, the actress has focused more on home-grown threats, specifically involving the sprawling metropolis of London, as DI Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes, which is currently airing its third season in the UK.

When a gunshot wound to the head "transports" Alex Drake back to the early 1980's, she struggles to separate fact from fiction as she tries to find her way back home to the present day and to her daughter Molly. In the show's second season, which premiered Tuesday, May 8th @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST on BBC America, audiences continue along with Alex as she fights to get her real life back. The following is the second of two BBC America Ashes to Ashes Q &A's with actress Keeley Hawes about her work on the series.

As Ashes to Ashes continues, DI Alex Drake and the rest of the CID team are searching for suspects in an underground sewage system,. Luckily for Keeley Hawes, this scene didn't set the tone for what her character could expect to get up to throughout the rest of the season.

KEELEY HAWES - This season we get to see that Alex has calmed down a lot and has begun to settle into the 80's environment. She now considers the people around her to be friends, and because we've moved on a year, things aren't quite so heightened for her.

I've found Alex really interesting to play this season, because the lines are blurring between what she thinks is real and what isn't. She is now beginning to wonder whether the 2008 part of of her life, including her daughter Molly, only ever existed in her head. It's definitely been an interesting angle to explore rather than the story simply concentrating on her trying to get back to the present.

Viewers are also introduced to an enigmatic stranger who is watching the DI and trying to make contact with her in a mysterious manner.

KH - A strange man keeps leaving Alex roses which she initially thinks is another puzzle. She starts to investigate further believing that if she solves the puzzle she may be able to go home. There are certainly lots of twists but I can't give the game away!

Since Alex first met ber boss, the brass DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), the pair have often clashed and enjoy a tempestuous relationship. Viewers are used to their onscreen bust-ups and fiery exchanges, however, Keeley believes they shar a mutual admiration for each other.

KH - They do still have their ups and downs, but Gene is beginning to take onboard different ways of policing and is starting to understand forensics and the importance of collecting evidence. Occasionally he and Alex are quite in tune and they definitely admire each other to a certain extent.

Keeley also reveals that there is a darker edge to this season.

KH - When DS Mackintosh (Roger Allam) joins CID as Gene's boss Alex instantly likes him but then she starts to see a darker side to his life. Roger Allam who plays "Supermac" is absolutely fantastic. He's brought a mysterious side to the character and a darker side to the whole season, which we're all really pleased with. The script writers have also explored Dean Andrews' (DS Ray Carling), Marshall Lancaster's (DC Chris Skelton) and Montserrat Lombard's (WPC "Shaz" Granger) characters more this season, and we get to see a lot more of Chris' and Shaz's relationship.

The 80's was a time of flamboyant fashion, bright make-up and glitzy accessories, and Keeley admits that she had far more costume changes this season.

KH - We haven't gone down the silly 80's fashion route because I don't think Alex would wear those clothes. However, Alex definitely wears a lot more outfits this season and in one episode I think I have eight costume changes. I had one quite brilliant outfit which was a shirt with a giant pussy bow, covered in little anchors, tight jeans with red stripes down the side and anchor earrings which were on chains. It really was quite something. I also had a great Japanese look at one point. The costume department have gone to town with the details this season.

Alex's hair has also changed from a poodle perm to a more grown out look with a fringe. Keeley explains the reason behind the change.

KH - My hair is now much shorter in real life because it had to undergo so much styling for the first season of Ashes followed by Mutual Friends that I had to chop it all off before it fell out. So for this season of Ashes I've now got a growing out perm - a bit like Cagney from Cagney and Lacey. Most of it is my own hair but I needed a bit of extra length at the back so I have a hairpiece that clips on easily.

Although the drama itself is getting darker, Keeley admits that the set was full of laughs and there was good banter between cast and crew.  

KH - We all get on really well, thank goodness, and there was constant laughter on-set. Dean and I would regularly laugh together and, in fact, last season was the first time I've ever been asked to leave a set because I couldn't stop laughing at Dean. I can honestly say we were all a bit better filming this season, but it was still very difficult not to crack up. However, laughing releases a lot of energy, so I think it is a healthy thing on-set.

A rare treat for Keeley was driving the Quattro; an experience usually reserved for the one and only Gene Hunt.

KH - I love driving the Quattro; the hand-break turns are particularly fun! However, there was one time when we were all in the car with a very expensive camera attached and Phil was driving. We were heading towards the end of the road, in the rain, and suddenly the brakes didn't work! It was a hairy moment, but Phil is a very good driver and managed to stop the car; we are all still here, thank God!

As noted above, photo copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

This Week On Doctor Who - 05 - 15 -10

The Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy (Karen Gillan) try to figure out how to deal with the Weeping Angels. Photo copyright of the BBC.

SPOILER ALERT!! - Surrounded by the Weeping Angels, the Doctor (Matt Smith), Amy (Karen Gillan), River Song (Alex Kingston) and their military colleagues are forced to make their way through the twisted maze of the crashed space liner in an effort to escape. Meanwhile, in the forest vault, Amy faces an horrific danger that could abruptly cut short her time as the Doctor's new companion...or worse. Flesh and Stone airs Saturday, May 15th @ 9:oo p.m. EST/PST on BBC America.

River Song (Alex Kingston), The Doctor and Amy manage to locate the control room of the crashed star liner. Photo copyright of the BBC.

Father Octavian (Iain Glen) and his remaining troops do their best to provide some protection for the Doctor and River as they try to help Amy. Photo copyright of the BBC.

As noted above, all photos copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

This Week On Ashes To Ashes - 05 - 11 - 10

Behind-the-scenes with Philip Glenister (DCI Gene Hunt) and Keeley Hawes (DI Alex Drake). Photo copyright of the BBC.

SPOLIER ALERT!! - When a dead man is found in a Soho strip club, it looks like a sex game has gone wrong. So when the deceased is discovered to be a police officer. Gene (Philip Glenister and Alex (Keeley Hawes) are ordered to keep the case under wraps. PC Sean Irvine was supposed to be clearing the streets of vice, but did he instead become seduced by it? When the pathologist uncovers signs that Sean was murdered, the team need to discover whether he was killed because he was a corrupt cop - or an honest one. As the case leads them into dangerous territory, Alex finds herself kidnapped by a man whose words threaten her whole perspective on this world. Only Gene can save her, but even if he gets there in time, Alex fears that someone else in 1982 knows her dark secret - that she's from the future. Meanwhile, sounds and messages from the future suggest to Alex that her circumstances have changed. Lying with a bullet in her head on the wet ground of an abandoned boat, is it possible that someone has discovered her. Episode one airs Tuesday, May 11th @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST. 

DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster) and DI Drake (Hawes) in Soho. Photo copyright of the BBC.

As noted above, all photos copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Ashes To Ashes' Philip Glenister Talks About DCI Gene Hunt

Philip Glenister as DCI Gene Hunt in Ashes to Ashes. Photo copyright of the BBC.

If you happened to be a member of the criminal element during the 1980's in London, then Ashes to Ashes' DCI Gene Hunt was the last person you would want to meet in a proverbial dark alley. Not one to suffer fools gladly, he has even less tolerence for those caught breaking the law. A fair and honest cop, and very often a politically incorrect one, Gene does not fool around when it comes to cleaning up the streets of London and fighting crime.

Having broken in the character's cowboy boots playing him for two seasons on Life on Mars, Philip Glenister brings DCI Hunt's own brand of policing forward from the 70's to the 80's in Ashes to Ashes (season two of which begins airing on Tuesday, May 11th @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST on BBC America). The following is the first of two BBC America Ashes to Ashes Q &A's with the actor about his work on the series.

It's true that over the last four years the public have taken the character of Gene Hunt to their hearts and Philip attributes this to Hunt's ideals.

PHILIP GLENISTER - In this season of Ashes to Ashes, Gene is still out there being a maverick, but what I always say about him is that while he bends the rules, he never breaks them. He merely manipulates and stretches them a bit. If anything he is a decent and honest copper and he'll usually only collar unsavory characters. I love the western connotation with Hunt - he is exactly like a sheriff and sees himself very much in that guise. However, the problem is that he is out of his depth in the 80's metropolis of London and the bottom line is he is a 70's copper at heart.

In this second season of Ashes to Ashes the action moves on a year from 1981 to 1982 and the CID team face tough times.

PG - Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes) becomes much more part of the team. But there is a police corruption theme running throughout the season, so it does feel darker than season one; the corruption breeds a lack of trust and coherence, which is unsettling for everybody. However, viewers can still expect moments of high campiness and there are some great one-liners.

Central to the police corruption theme is Gene's new boss, Detective Superintendent "Supermac" Mackintosh (Roger Allam), who arrives in the first episode determined to restore the reputation of the police in the eyes of the media and the public.

PG - Supermac is a highly respected superintendent who has been in the police force for a long time. He trained at Hendon and has come up through the police ranks which gained him a lot of respect from his colleagues on the force. Supermac enters CID and basically says that the police need to regroup and be accountable. I think Gene agrees with him up to a point, but then certain events lead him to question Supermac's motives.

Gene and Alex's relationship also continues to be fiery with a hint of simmering sexual tension beneath the surface. Does Philip think they would work as a couple?

PG - If you just had a show based on "will they, won't they," it wouldn't be that interesting; hopefully their relationship is a bit more complex than that. It's the moment things spill over from a professional capacity to a personal one when complications set in and you start to question whether they would work as a couple. I think Gene is an enigma and I play him with ambiguity rather than having a preconceived idea of whether Gene fancies Alex or not. There are moments when he teases her and she teases him, but Gene will never give anything away.

Philip admits that the long hours on set did take their toll, but he clearly enjoyed working with the cast and production team who he shared plenty of laughs with.

PG - Filming eight episodes took six months so it was a long shoot, but a great bunch of people work on the show, which is one of the joys of the job. There were so many funny incidents; we laughed a lot - particularly Keeley and Dean Andrews (DS Ray Carling), who are real gigglers. In fact, they are the troublemakers! Dean's laugh is like an animal's and Keeley will just crack up out of nowhere. She's pretty amazing because she can also cry on cue for scenes; her range of emotion is incredibly impressive

Of course an interview about Gene Hunt wouldn't be complete without asking about the love of his life - the Quattro. Philip chuckles as he recounts his experiences of driving what many people consider an antique.

PG - The stunt guys could just whizz past the cameras and do hand brake turns. I then had to get in the car for the interior shots and there would be two cameras stuck to the front and one on the side. I'd have to make sure I didn't drive too close to the curb otherwise I would have taken one out on a lamppost. The camera stuck to the windshield also meant I couldn't see anything out the front and the heavy equipment combined with actors, who had spent five-and-a-half months eating location food and syrup sponge, left the poor old Quattro scratching along the floor!

I always enjoy the driving stuff, though, especially throwing around a car which isn't my own. We had two Quattros this time round, so we weren't stuck if one broke down. In fact, we did have a couple of instances with the Quattro while filming this season, both involving the stunt men and not the cast I hasten to add. First a stunt guy smashed one of the car's front lights when we were filming a chase scene and the two cars clipped each other. The second incident involved a scare when the Quattro had to hit one of the stuntmen. Unfortunately, when the car actually struck him, he accidently smashed the windscreen. Luckily he was alright.

As noted above, photo copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

This Week On Doctor Who - 05 - 08 - 10

The mysterious River Song (Alex Kingston) returns this week on Doctor Who. Photo copyright of the BBC.

SPOILER ALERT!! - If you thought the Weeping Angels were gone forever, then be afraid, very afraid, and make sure not to blink, because they're back! The Doctor (Matt Smith) is recruited by Father Octavian (Iain Glen) to track down the last of the Weeping Angels, but in order to do this, the Time Lord must traverse the Maze of the Dead. Also making a return appearance is River Song (Alex Kingston), a woman from the Doctor's future who audiences first met in the season four episode Silence in the Library. Back then she risked her life to help save his, but can she be trusted now? The Time of Angels airs Saturday, May 8th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST on BBC America.

Amy (Karen Gillan) and The Doctor (Matt Smith) inside the TARDIS. Photo copyright of the BBC.

A somber arrival for The Doctor. Photo copyright of the BBC.

Amy, The Doctor and River Song. Photo copyright of the BBC.

Is there something lurking in the shadows and waiting for The Doctor? Photo copyright of the BBC.

What has surprised River Song? Photo copyright of the BBC.

As noted above, all photos copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Being Human Returns To BBC America In July

Being Human's Russell Tovey (George), Aidan Turner (Mitchell) and Lenora Crichlow (Annie). Photo copyright of Touchpaper TV and the BBC.

THE highly anticipated second season of BBC America's co-production, Being Human, premieres this July. Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow and Aidan Turner return as George, Annie and Mitchell, the three twenty-somethings trying to live as normally as possible despite being a werewolf, a ghost and a vampire.

After the death of vampire leader Herrick at the end of season one, the supernatural friends are hoping they can now get on with their lives, but an even greater danger is lurking within the very human world of which they want to be a part. Unbeknown to the trio, the mysterious Professor Jaggat (Lyndsey Marshal) and her cold-hearted colleague Kemp (Donald Sumpter) - religious zealots who have discovered the existence of vampires, werewolves and ghosts - are determined to carry out brutal experiments and destroy them.

While Professor Jaggat and Kemp plot behind the scenes, werewolf George is coming to terms with the fact the he has Herrick's blood on his hands, and a girlfriend who knows his horrific secret. Turning down the door of death has implications for ghost Annie, but her confidence is at a peak and she's determined to stand up and be counted in the real world. And, with Herrick gone, Mitchell must appease an out of control vampire world - can he find a way to lead by example?

Being Human first premiered on BBC America last July and quickly won over fans, with a sold out crowd at last year's San Diego Comic Con. The Los Angeles Times said it, "has not only avoided any sci-fi Three's Company comparisons, but wound up with a compelling, self-aware and funny story line. Buffy fans - come out of the Twilight and sink your teeth into this import," while The New York Times noted that, "all three characters are highly appealing, but the charm of the show lies in the delicate balance of engrossing drama and disarming humor; the series is not campy or self-conscious, it's witty in an offhand, understated way."

The Being Human: Season 1 DVD and Blu-ray is available from July 20th. It features all six episodes along with over an hour of bonus material including deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, video diaries and character profiles. The entire first season is also currently available on iTunes and Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Season two of Being Human premieres Saturday, July 24th, directing following the Doctor Who season finale.

As noted above, photo copyright of Touchpaper TV and BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

This Week On Doctor Who - 05 - 01 - 10

Guess who's back this week on Doctor Who? Photo copyright of the BBC.

SPOILER ALERT!! - The Doctor (Matt Smith) receives an urgent call from an old friend, Winston Churchill (Ian McNeice), but when he materializes the TARDIS inside the Cabinet War Rooms during the London Blitz, the Time Lord and his companion Amy (Karen Gillan) find his oldest adversary waiting in the shadows as well. Victory of the Daleks airs Saturday, May 1st @ 9:00 p.m. EST on BBC America.

Amy (Karen Gillan) and The Doctor (Matt Smith) deep below the streets of London in the Cabinet War Rooms. Photo copyright of the BBC.

Ian McNeice as Sir Winston Churchill. Photo copyright of the BBC.

Amy, Dr. Bracewell (Bill Paterson), the Doctor and a Dalek! Photo copyright of the BBC.

A Dalek, Dr.Bracewell and the Doctor. Photo copyright of the BBC.

Churchill stares down a Dalek! Photo copyright of the BBC.

As noted above, all photos copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Ashes To Ashes Returns To BBC America

Ashes to Ashes cast - Dean Andrews (DS Ray Carling), Keeley Hawes (DI Alex Drake), Philip Glenister (DCI Gene Hunt), Montserrat Lombard (WPC Sharon "Shaz" Granger) and Marshall Lancaster (DC Chris Skelton). Photo copyright of the BBC.

BBC America's Ashes to Ashes, the critically acclaimed sequel to the UK hit Life on Mars, continues by fast forwarding a year to 1982, where leg warmers are cool and fluorescent is the color of choice. While Thatcher is in her element at No. 10 Downing Street, bullish Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister, Cranford,Life on Mars) is back, policing the streets in his politically incorrect and foul-mouthed style.

Season two of Ashes to Ashes premieres Tuesday, May 11th @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST on BBC America. Sassy Detective Inspector Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes) continues her fiery relationship with Hunt, and though no nearer to getting back to her daughter, Alex believes she's suspended in time and finally understands how the world around her works. But when she starts hearing news from the future, she realizes nothing is as it seems. Clinging on to fast fading hope, she discovers she may mot be alone in her predicament. A mysterious stranger who also seems to be stuck in 1982 is making Alex doubt her current world is merely a figment of her imagination. Is he a friend who can help her get home, or a foe who will destroy all she knows?

And while Gene Hunt saved her younger self from the car bomb that killed her parents, can she ever trust him enough to share in her extraordinary scenario? As she struggles to stay alive long enough to find a way home, it appears she needs him more than ever before. "Alex becomes much more part of the team," explains Philip Glenister. "But there is a police corruption theme running throughout the season, so it does feel darker than season one; the corruption breeds a lack of trust and coherence which is unbalancing for everybody. However, viewers can still expect moments of high campiness and there are some great one-liners."

DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster, Life on Mars) and WPC Sharon "Shaz" Granger (Montserrat Lomboard) couldn't be happier. He's still trying his best to be the perfect 'Feminist" boyfriend and wants to take their relationship to the next level, but predictably DS Ray Carling (Dean Andrews, Life on Mars) continues to tease him about his romantic gestures. Ray is also struggling to contain his emotions about the Falklands War,blaming the "Argies" and throwing his weight fully behind Maggie Thatcher. However, more testing times lie ahead for the trio.

Producer Beth Willis says, "The new season of Ashes to Ashes movies in a slightly different direction and we've really enjoyed developing the characters and Alex's journey further. Her and Gene's relationship is so complex; it is very sparky and they obviously care for each other in a begrudging manner, so it's interesting to see how this evolves. Ray and Chris are still by Gene's side, but when police force legend Detective Superintendent "Supermac" Mackintosh (Roger Allam, The Queen, V for Vendetta) starts working with the team it looks as if Gene's equilibrium could be broken."

The arrival of "Supermac" seems like a blessing to the team because he's been hailed as a star within the force and someone not to be messed with. However, it's not long before Gene's gut instinct tells him something isn't quite right. Could this cop legend be up to no good?"

As noted above, photo copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

This Week On Survivors - 04 - 27 - 10

SPOILER ALERT!! - The group convenes in the ruined Lab. With a new strain of the virus loose, the Lab's work to find a vaccine is more important than ever. Unable to find any signs of Whittaker (Nicholas Gleaves), Abby(Julie Graham) agrees to provide whatever samples are needed to create a cure. Al (Phillip Rhys), believing that he has nothing left to lose, volunteers himself to test the vaccine. Meanwhile, Whittaker, surviving off the serum he gleaned from Abby (in an earlier episode), continues to hamper the group's plans with lies and deceptions, leading them to the abandoned airbase for a final showdown with the mysterious Landry (Patrick Malahide). Series finale airs Tuesday, April 27th @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST on BBC America.