Radio Times: Best TV shows airing in 2020
2020 is shaping up to be a year jam-packed with terrific telly. There are some much-missed returning shows, from Doctor Who to Last Tango in Halifax, plus some cracking running series …
Plus, those TV bigwigs have been cooking up a host of exciting new series and one-offs for us to enjoy. There’s an adaptation of Sally Rooney’s bestseller Normal People, David Tennant’s new Channel 4 series Deadwater Fell, and Keeley Hawes’ return to the force in ITV factual drama Honour.
Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar are set to reunite for series four of ITV’s cold crime drama Unforgotten as DCI Cassie Stuart and DI Sunny Khan unearth long-buried secrets in pursuit of justice.
See the full list at the Radio Times website
Read More »BAFTA nomination for Alex Jennings for “Unforgotten”
Alex Jennings has been nominated for a Bafta for his role as Dr Tim Finch in Unforgotten Season 3. One of his rivals for the 2019 Best Supporting Actor award is Ben Wishaw, nominated for his role in A Very British Scandal, in which Alex also starred. The full list of nominees can be seen here. The Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards ceremony will be held at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 12 May
Read More »Netflix announce second season of Chris’s romantic comedy, ‘Plan Coeur’/’The Hookup Plan
Netflix has just announced that it has commissioned a second season of Chris Lang’s “Plan Coeur” (The Hookup Plan)
Elsa, Jules, Charlotte and Emilie will be back for a second season of the hit Netflix show directed by Noémie Saglio ?
Marc Ruchmann (Jules) posted on Instagram to say that filming will begin next month while Zita Hanrot (Elsa), quant à elle shared a photo of the cast and crew of “Plan Coeur” announcing the new season.
Netflix Series: “Plan Coeur”
Delighted to announce that on Friday 7th Dec, my new series, an 8 part rom-com called #PlanCoeur starts on @Netflix. It was shot in Paris and is in French but is subtitled in English. Here is the trailer.
Read More »ITV greenlights a fourth series of Unforgotten
(ITV has announced today that critically acclaimed drama, Unforgotten, will return for a fourth series.
Produced by Sally Haynes and Laura Mackie’s Mainstreet Pictures, the new series will see BAFTA award nominees Nicola Walker (Last Tango In Halifax, The Split) and Sanjeev Bhaskar (Goodness Gracious Me, Paddington 2) reprise their roles as DCI Cassie Stuart and DI Sunny Khan as they investigate another emotionally charged and compelling cold case.
Praised for its realistic portrayal of a police procedural, empathetic approach and powerful performances, each series of Unforgotten follows the unravelling of a historical crime. Attracting a high calibre of acting talent, previous series have starred stellar names including Tom Courtenay who won the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA for his performance in 2016, Trevor Eve, Ruth Sheen, Mark Bonnar, Wendy Craig and Lorraine Ashbourne. The latest series which aired earlier this summer featured moving performances from Alex Jennings, Kevin McNally, Neil Morrissey and James Fleet.
The new six-part series will once again be penned by creator Chris Lang (Innocent, Dark Heart) and directed by Andy Wilson (Ripper Street, Endeavour), both of whom have worked on all three of the previous series. Guy de Glanville (Unforgotten, Age Before Beauty) will also return as producer.
Writer and Executive Producer Chris Lang said:
“I am so delighted to have been asked to make a fourth series of Unforgotten. The reaction to series 3 was better than I could ever have expected (with more people watching the last episode than any other in all three series) and I cannot wait to discover what lies ahead for Cassie and Sunny, and to create a whole new cast of characters for them to grapple with.”
The commission follows the huge success of the third series which aired on ITV earlier this year. Proving immensely popular with viewers and critics alike, the drama was hailed as “television’s best crime drama” by The Daily Telegraph and “the year’s most addictive thriller” by The Independent Online. The series finale received average consolidated figures of 6.9m and a 28% share.
The new series has been commissioned by ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill, who said:
“We have been delighted with the reception of the first three series of Unforgotten and are thrilled to commission a fourth instalment. Chris Lang’s writing is incredibly powerful and his storytelling utterly compelling, so we have no doubt that the new case will have viewers gripped again.”
Read More »Praise for Unforgotten Season 3
‘This subtly woven, quietly emotional, beautifully crafted opener….the most compelling drama of 2018?’
The Daily Telegraph.
‘How good is Unforgotten ….one of our most human and humane cop shows’.
The Observer
‘So uncommonly good….Bronagh Waugh gave a searingly good performance’
Daily Express
‘The dialogue is sparing yet potent, every line earning its keep….compelling TV with no fat on the bone’.
The Times
‘Unforgotten has become the most watchable cop drama on TV….terrifically smart, very moving…no other drama series wears its humanity in such a subtle fashion’. Saturday Telegraph Review
‘The combination of creator Chris Lang’s writing and the beautifully low key performance by Walker and Bhaskar makes this an unalloyed joy to watch.’
The Mail on Sunday
‘..a cut above any other ITV crime drama…the success of Chris Lang’s series is down simply to the superior writing and convincing performances.’
The Times
‘As intelligently plotted and sensitively performed as ever.’
The Sunday Telegraph,
‘Chris Lang has struck gold again’.
The Saturday Mail
‘Unforgotten is once again superb….it’s beautifully crafted and performed, tight, gripping, but also moving and so very human..there is no better drama on television…’
The Guardian
‘A quality piece of TV in every sense…it’s riveting from the outset’
The Sunday Express
‘You must watch the new series of this compelling drama….it’s a brilliantly acted slow burn as the case unfolds over six gripping episodes’
The People
‘Unforgotten is the quiet star of the television crime genre’
Drama Quarterly
The Daily Telegraph *****
The Guardian *****
The Daily Mail *****
The Times ****
Mail On Sunday*****
Daily Express ****
Daily Star ****
Unforgotten Season 3 premières Sunday July 15th
“…as compelling as anything we’ve seen on TV this year”
The Telegraph
Read More »Innocent most watched new ITV drama of the year!
‘Innocent had an opening night consolidate audience of 8.01 million, and 31% of the available audience. The series as a whole averaged over 7.5 million, and was the the most widely watched new ITV drama of the year, with ‘The Express’ calling it ‘The TV drama that has got the whole nation watching….a spellbinding whodunit.’
Praise for “Innocent”
Appointment to view…instantly absorbing…remarkably satisfying.
–Radio Times
The TV drama that has got the whole nation watching….fantastically intense…a spellbinding whodunit.
–The Express
Instantly gripping.
–Mirror
Compellingly acted with both Ingleby and Norris on fine, emotionally intense form
– Sunday Telegraph
A masterfully hard to read performance from Ingleby.
–Mail on Sunday
Chris Lang’s vice like thriller should keep viewers enthralled
– ‘i’
I guarantee you’ll be gripped by this riveting four parter
– ‘TV Times
A cracking drama
– Sunday Mirror
Whodunnits don’t get much more gripping
– Sunday People
I will keep watching every day of the week, which is as good a recommendation as any
– The Times
Submerged secrets, meltdown level performances, and a propulsive pace.
– The Guardian
Trailer for “Innocent”
“Innocent,” will make its U.S. debut Thursday, March 22nd. New episodes of the fast-paced thriller, starring Lee Ingleby, will stream weekly every Thursday until its conclusion April 12th.
Read More »Mark Bonnar wins Broadcasting Press Guild Award
Mark Bonnar with his wife Lucy Gaskell, and his award
Mark Bonnar has won the Broadcasting Press Guild award for Best Actor for four television performances, including his role in Season Two of Unforgotten
The Broadcasting Press Guild Awards recognise outstanding UK programmes and performances seen or heard in the preceding year. All but three of the 16 Awards are voted for by the membership.
The 44th annual BPG awards were presented at an awards lunch held at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Friday March 16th 2018.
On Twitter, Mark said: ‘Absolutely blown away to win BPG award for best actor! Thank you so much.’
Read More »ITV recommissions “Dark Heart”
ITV has commissioned drama label Silverprint Pictures to produce six-part drama series Dark Heart starring Tom Riley as DI Will Wagstaffe, a man haunted by the murder of his parents when he was 16 years old.
Set in London, the series is written for ITV by acclaimed screenwriter Chris Lang whose work includes award-winning drama Unforgotten, Torn, Undeniable and A Mother’s Son. Dark Heart is inspired by characters created by novelist Adam Creed, who has written a series of books featuring Will Wagstaffe.
The 6 x 60 series is the first commission for Kate Bartlett’s new drama label, Silverprint Pictures, formerly ITV Studios Drama London, who are the team responsible for ITV’s multi-award winning drama Vera starring Brenda Blethyn and Kenny Doughty which returns to the channel for an eighth series in January.
Filming will begin on Dark Heart early Spring 2018 with Chris Lang writing the first two part story, Ben Harris (Marcella, The Musketeers) writing the second two part story with Chris writing episodes five and six.
The series has been commissioned for ITV by Head of Drama Polly Hill.
(read the full ITV press release here)
Read More »French romantic comedy series for Netflix
Rolling off “Marseille,” Netflix is launching its next French-language original series, an as-yet-untitled half-hour romantic dramedy set in modern-day Pari based on an original idea by British writer Chris Lang, to be be directed by Noemie Saglio (“Connasse, princesse des coeurs”). Francois Florentiny’s Paris-based banner UnRATED is producing, with Anne Thomopoulos (“Versailles”), Florentiny and Lang exec producing. The show will start shooting on location across Paris early next year. It will mark Netflix’s second French-language series to go into production after “Marseille” which is now in its second season.
Penned by Lang, along with Teisseire and Saglio, the eight-episode series follows a group of friends who embark on a misguided attempt to help their perpetually single girlfriend Elsa regain faith in dating and find love. But things take an unexpected turn when they set Elsa up with a seemingly perfect bachelor who happens to be a male escort.
“I’m very happy to present my vision of French humour on such an innovative platform. Netflix gives creative freedom to writers and directors to express themselves from beginning to end – with this show in particular, the freedom to showcase people in their 30s as realistic and sweet as they are funny,” Saglio said. “As I am also in my 30s, this is an occasion for me to speak about all the ways to be a woman in today’s world.”
The director said she had the ambition to make a coming-off-age series that’s not just about finding love but also about the challenges and doubts that people in their 30’s come across they start their careers and become truly financially independent much later than they did decades ago.
“In the series, these young women will also ask themselves a lot of questions about their professional lives — how they envision their career and how much they’re willing to sacrifice, whether they want a job whose primary goal is to pay the bills or rather a job that plays a big role in their lives,” explained Saglio.
Florentiny and Thomopoulos said Saglio was the “perfect director to helm this playful, poignant exploration of friendship and love in modern Paris.”
Florentiny said Netflix was a full-on partner on this show and was involved on all artistic and production matters. “Our aim is to create a unique series that will have the talents, edginess and high production values in line with other Netflix’s original series.”
Filming will take place in Paris’s underground, vibrant neighborhoods that are seldom seen in films or TV series shot in the French capital.
Erik Barmack, VP of international originals at Netflix, described the series as “a fun and modern romantic story that will bring viewers into the energy of today’s Paris.”
UnRATED was launched less than a year ago by Florentiny, the former boss of ITV Studios France. The company recently tapped Alexandre Bouchard as COO.
While they are now focusing on the production of this series with Netflix, Florentiny and Thomopoulos are currently developing a flurry of projects (crime thrillers, dramas, historical series and a feature film.
The series will be available exclusively to Netflix members around the world in 2018.
Read More »