Regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation, Sir Ian McKellen had been a pillar of British theatre for decades before venturing to Hollywood. After his early days in London theatre, including a stint in the 1970s with the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company, he crossed the pond in 1981 to play Antonio Salieri in a Broadway production of "Amadeus" — and took home a Tony Award. The movies beckoned, bringing McKellen to a new level of fame that crested when he was tapped to play the wise and courageous wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Meanwhile, McKellen also made headlines in 1988 when he came out as openly gay in 1988 and was then knighted by the Queen in 1991.
While Gandalf is the most iconic of his many roles, by no means is it his only memorable performance in film and television. For a refresher course on his extraordinary career,...
While Gandalf is the most iconic of his many roles, by no means is it his only memorable performance in film and television. For a refresher course on his extraordinary career,...
- 2/5/2023
- by Brent Furdyk
- Slash Film
Watching “The Trial of Christine Keeler,” it’s clear why the show’s namesake tabloid-fodder scandal would have captured an entire nation’s attention. An affair between a young aspiring model and the UK’s War Secretary became a flashpoint for racial, sexual, and class politics of the day, ripe for manipulating fears and assumptions about Where the Country Was Headed. As a series, “The Trial of Christine Keeler” lays out plenty of the relevant particulars, giving a certain level of context to the headlines that emerged from a series of connected court proceedings. It’s a dramatization (now available on HBO Max after airing on the BBC last year) that doesn’t glean as much as possible from this saga, but it still ends up as a watchable drama about intertwined, doomed fates under public scrutiny.
That writer/creator Amanda Coe puts forward Christine (Sophie Cookson) as the title character is a clear choice.
That writer/creator Amanda Coe puts forward Christine (Sophie Cookson) as the title character is a clear choice.
- 12/9/2020
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
In the new PBS series “Roadkill,” Hugh Laurie plays Peter Laurence, a conservative (both with a big and small ‘c’) who fights scandal after scandal to try and remain near the top of the greasy political pole.
There have been a handful of recent series depicting right-wing demagogues (think “The Comey Rule” in the U.S. and “Years and Years” across the pond), but Peter Laurence isn’t one of those.
Instead, “Roadkill” focuses on the kind of conservatism that has been in power in the U.K. for the better part of the last 50 years, according to creator David Hare.
“The last six governments in Britain have been Conservative. England is a conservative country, we vote in Conservatives whenever we can, that’s our default position. Yet it’s extraordinary how little fiction there is about them, it’s extraordinary how almost nobody studies them seriously,” Hare says.
Plenty...
There have been a handful of recent series depicting right-wing demagogues (think “The Comey Rule” in the U.S. and “Years and Years” across the pond), but Peter Laurence isn’t one of those.
Instead, “Roadkill” focuses on the kind of conservatism that has been in power in the U.K. for the better part of the last 50 years, according to creator David Hare.
“The last six governments in Britain have been Conservative. England is a conservative country, we vote in Conservatives whenever we can, that’s our default position. Yet it’s extraordinary how little fiction there is about them, it’s extraordinary how almost nobody studies them seriously,” Hare says.
Plenty...
- 10/31/2020
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
Following the success of The Crown and its very own A Very English Scandal, it’s unsurprising that the BBC has chosen to adapt another important chapter of British history.
The Trial of Christine Keeler revisits the Profumo Scandal of 1961; an event which saw the then Minister for War John Profumo embroiled in an extramarital affair with the eponymous Keeler.
The scandal was seen as a watershed moment for politics and went on to contribute to the downfall of Harold MacMillan’s Conservative government.
As producer Rebecca Ferguson notes, the scandal showed that “men in established positions were suddenly human beings, fallible and prone to bad behaviour.”
However, a key part of the new six-part drama is a change of emphasis. Whereas previous versions of the story have concentrated on Profumo, or the political machinations, this story grounds itself much more in the human impact of the events.
“The context...
The Trial of Christine Keeler revisits the Profumo Scandal of 1961; an event which saw the then Minister for War John Profumo embroiled in an extramarital affair with the eponymous Keeler.
The scandal was seen as a watershed moment for politics and went on to contribute to the downfall of Harold MacMillan’s Conservative government.
As producer Rebecca Ferguson notes, the scandal showed that “men in established positions were suddenly human beings, fallible and prone to bad behaviour.”
However, a key part of the new six-part drama is a change of emphasis. Whereas previous versions of the story have concentrated on Profumo, or the political machinations, this story grounds itself much more in the human impact of the events.
“The context...
- 12/16/2019
- by Luke Walpole
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
“The Crown” finally returns after a very long hiatus on Sunday with the premiere of its third season. And because it’s been almost two years since Season 2 of the royal drama dropped on Netflix, we’re sure even the most diehard fans have forgotten what happened on the most recent episode.
But don’t worry, TheWrap has compiled a refresher to get you all caught up with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their regal brood before the new episodes launch.
(Here’s your reminder that the second season marked the final performances of Claire Foy as Elizabeth, Matt Smith as Philip, Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, and all of the rest of the Seasons 1 and 2 cast who were replaced for the time jump that hits the series for Seasons 3 and 4. Now you’ll have Olivia Colman as your queen, Tobias Menzies as her prince and Helena Bonham Carter as her sister.
But don’t worry, TheWrap has compiled a refresher to get you all caught up with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their regal brood before the new episodes launch.
(Here’s your reminder that the second season marked the final performances of Claire Foy as Elizabeth, Matt Smith as Philip, Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, and all of the rest of the Seasons 1 and 2 cast who were replaced for the time jump that hits the series for Seasons 3 and 4. Now you’ll have Olivia Colman as your queen, Tobias Menzies as her prince and Helena Bonham Carter as her sister.
- 11/16/2019
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
James Norton and Sophie Cookson have lifted the lid on their roles in BBC drama The Trial of Christine Keeler – saying that it turns up the volume on Keeler’s role in the Profumo scandal in light off the #metoo movement.
The stars were joined on a Deadline-moderated panel at Mipcom by writer Amanda Coe and The Crown’s Ben Miles to discuss the six-part series, which is being sold by Keshet International.
Kingsman: The Secret Service star Cookson plays Keeler, the 19-year old woman who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, while Norton stars as Stephen Ward, the society osteopath who drew her into the in-crowd.
Norton told Deadline, “It’s imperative that we go bac and look at these moments in history in light of the recalibration with the Times Up and Me Too movements. It’s also far more interesting – what a better way to...
The stars were joined on a Deadline-moderated panel at Mipcom by writer Amanda Coe and The Crown’s Ben Miles to discuss the six-part series, which is being sold by Keshet International.
Kingsman: The Secret Service star Cookson plays Keeler, the 19-year old woman who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, while Norton stars as Stephen Ward, the society osteopath who drew her into the in-crowd.
Norton told Deadline, “It’s imperative that we go bac and look at these moments in history in light of the recalibration with the Times Up and Me Too movements. It’s also far more interesting – what a better way to...
- 10/14/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
McMafia’s James Norton and The Crown’s Ben Miles are set to star in BBC One drama The Trial of Christine Keeler.
Kingsman: The Secret Service star Sophie Cookson plays Keeler, the 19-year old who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, while Norton stars as Stephen Ward, the society osteopath who drew her into the in-crowd.
Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) plays Welsh model and Keeler friend Mandy Rice-Davies. Ben Miles (The Crown) plays Profumo and Emilia Fox (Silent Witness) stars as Valerie Profumo. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Angels in America) plays Johnny Edgecombe, a jazz promoter, whose involvement with Keeler inadvertently alerted authorities to the Profumo Affair, and Anthony Welsh (Black Mirror) plays jazz singer Aloysius “Lucky” Gordon.
It is produced by Fleming producer Ecosse Films and Kate Triggs’ Great Meadow Productions.
The six-part drama, which is set to air in 2019, takes a look at the infamous Profumo Affair,...
Kingsman: The Secret Service star Sophie Cookson plays Keeler, the 19-year old who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, while Norton stars as Stephen Ward, the society osteopath who drew her into the in-crowd.
Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) plays Welsh model and Keeler friend Mandy Rice-Davies. Ben Miles (The Crown) plays Profumo and Emilia Fox (Silent Witness) stars as Valerie Profumo. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Angels in America) plays Johnny Edgecombe, a jazz promoter, whose involvement with Keeler inadvertently alerted authorities to the Profumo Affair, and Anthony Welsh (Black Mirror) plays jazz singer Aloysius “Lucky” Gordon.
It is produced by Fleming producer Ecosse Films and Kate Triggs’ Great Meadow Productions.
The six-part drama, which is set to air in 2019, takes a look at the infamous Profumo Affair,...
- 12/5/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
McMafia’s James Norton and The Crown’s Ben Miles are set to star in BBC One drama The Trial of Christine Keeler.
Sophie Cookson (Kingsman: The Secret Service) plays Keeler, the 19-year old woman who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, while Norton stars as Stephen Ward, the society osteopath who drew her into the in-crowd.
Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) plays Welsh model and Keeler friend Mandy Rice-Davies. Ben Miles (The Crown) plays Profumo and Emilia Fox (Silent Witness) stars as Valerie Profumo. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Angels in America) plays Johnny Edgecombe, a jazz promoter, whose involvement with Keeler inadvertently alerted authorities to the Profumo Affair, and Anthony Welsh (Black Mirror) plays jazz singer Aloysius “Lucky” Gordon.
It is produced by Fleming producer Ecosse Films and Kate Triggs’ Great Meadow Productions.
The six-part drama, which is set to air in 2019, takes a look at the infamous Profumo Affair,...
Sophie Cookson (Kingsman: The Secret Service) plays Keeler, the 19-year old woman who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, while Norton stars as Stephen Ward, the society osteopath who drew her into the in-crowd.
Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) plays Welsh model and Keeler friend Mandy Rice-Davies. Ben Miles (The Crown) plays Profumo and Emilia Fox (Silent Witness) stars as Valerie Profumo. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Angels in America) plays Johnny Edgecombe, a jazz promoter, whose involvement with Keeler inadvertently alerted authorities to the Profumo Affair, and Anthony Welsh (Black Mirror) plays jazz singer Aloysius “Lucky” Gordon.
It is produced by Fleming producer Ecosse Films and Kate Triggs’ Great Meadow Productions.
The six-part drama, which is set to air in 2019, takes a look at the infamous Profumo Affair,...
- 12/5/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
McMafia’s James Norton and The Crown’s Ben Miles are set to star in BBC One drama The Trial of Christine Keeler.
Kingsman: The Secret Service star Sophie Cookson plays Keeler, the 19-year old who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, while Norton stars as Stephen Ward, the society osteopath who drew her into the in-crowd.
Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) plays Welsh model and Keeler friend Mandy Rice-Davies. Ben Miles (The Crown) plays Profumo and Emilia Fox (Silent Witness) stars as Valerie Profumo. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Angels in America) plays Johnny Edgecombe, a jazz promoter, whose involvement with Keeler inadvertently alerted authorities to the Profumo Affair, and Anthony Welsh (Black Mirror) plays jazz singer Aloysius “Lucky” Gordon.
It is produced by Fleming producer Ecosse Films and Kate Triggs’ Great Meadow Productions.
The six-part drama, which is set to air in 2019, takes a look at the infamous Profumo Affair,...
Kingsman: The Secret Service star Sophie Cookson plays Keeler, the 19-year old who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, while Norton stars as Stephen Ward, the society osteopath who drew her into the in-crowd.
Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) plays Welsh model and Keeler friend Mandy Rice-Davies. Ben Miles (The Crown) plays Profumo and Emilia Fox (Silent Witness) stars as Valerie Profumo. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Angels in America) plays Johnny Edgecombe, a jazz promoter, whose involvement with Keeler inadvertently alerted authorities to the Profumo Affair, and Anthony Welsh (Black Mirror) plays jazz singer Aloysius “Lucky” Gordon.
It is produced by Fleming producer Ecosse Films and Kate Triggs’ Great Meadow Productions.
The six-part drama, which is set to air in 2019, takes a look at the infamous Profumo Affair,...
- 12/5/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Kingsman: The Secret Service star Sophie Cookson is set to star as controversial party girl Christine Keeler in a BBC drama about the Profumo Affair.
Cookson, who also starred in the Kingsman follow-up The Golden Circle and Netflix drama Gypsy, leads the line-up of The Trial of Christine Keeler, produced by Fleming producer Ecosse Films for BBC One.
Production on the six-part drama, which is expected to air in 2019, starts in October.
The show takes a look at the infamous Profumo Affair, which involved 19-year old Christine Keeler, who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government. He initially lied to the House of Commons about the affair and the incident became a global scandal after it emerged that Keeler may have simultaneously been involved with a Soviet naval attaché.
The drama is written by Apple Tree Yard...
Cookson, who also starred in the Kingsman follow-up The Golden Circle and Netflix drama Gypsy, leads the line-up of The Trial of Christine Keeler, produced by Fleming producer Ecosse Films for BBC One.
Production on the six-part drama, which is expected to air in 2019, starts in October.
The show takes a look at the infamous Profumo Affair, which involved 19-year old Christine Keeler, who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government. He initially lied to the House of Commons about the affair and the incident became a global scandal after it emerged that Keeler may have simultaneously been involved with a Soviet naval attaché.
The drama is written by Apple Tree Yard...
- 8/31/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
by Nathaniel R
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Happy June 5th, especially if it's your birthday. Is it your birthday? Do speak up this month if you're a Gemini please. Here's what was happening on this day in history as it relates to our favorite topic: showbiz.
1883 The first Orient Express leaves Paris. The train ride becomes mythologized in multiple pop culture works.
1953 Producer Kathleen Kennedy born in Berkeley. Currently rules the Star Wars franchise with a director-firing iron will.
Lisa Cholodenko with her two time muse Frances McDormand
1963 John Profumo resigns his post in the House of Commons due to an affair with an alleged prostitute. There's an underdiscussed movie about this called Scandal (1989).
← 1964 Happy 54th birthday to undervalued writer/director Lisa Cholodenko born in Los Angeles on this day in history. She goes on to make two bonafide lesbian classics...
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Happy June 5th, especially if it's your birthday. Is it your birthday? Do speak up this month if you're a Gemini please. Here's what was happening on this day in history as it relates to our favorite topic: showbiz.
1883 The first Orient Express leaves Paris. The train ride becomes mythologized in multiple pop culture works.
1953 Producer Kathleen Kennedy born in Berkeley. Currently rules the Star Wars franchise with a director-firing iron will.
Lisa Cholodenko with her two time muse Frances McDormand
1963 John Profumo resigns his post in the House of Commons due to an affair with an alleged prostitute. There's an underdiscussed movie about this called Scandal (1989).
← 1964 Happy 54th birthday to undervalued writer/director Lisa Cholodenko born in Los Angeles on this day in history. She goes on to make two bonafide lesbian classics...
- 6/5/2018
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Keshet International, the global sales arm of the Israeli producer and broadcaster, is to shop BBC One drama The Trial of Christine Keeler around the world after striking a deal with Fleming producer Ecosse Films.
The deal is the largest third party pick-up for the firm that originated Homeland and comes as it steps up its focus on external productions. It marks the first investment since the launch of its Keshet International Fund, which it announced in March during the In-tv conference in Jerusalem.
The six-part drama, which is expected to air in 2019, takes a look at the infamous Profumo Affair, which involved 19-year old Christine Keeler, who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government. He initially lied to the House of Commons about the affair and the incident became a global scandal after it emerged that...
The deal is the largest third party pick-up for the firm that originated Homeland and comes as it steps up its focus on external productions. It marks the first investment since the launch of its Keshet International Fund, which it announced in March during the In-tv conference in Jerusalem.
The six-part drama, which is expected to air in 2019, takes a look at the infamous Profumo Affair, which involved 19-year old Christine Keeler, who was involved in a relationship with John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government. He initially lied to the House of Commons about the affair and the incident became a global scandal after it emerged that...
- 5/3/2018
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Donmar; Aldwych, London; Crucible, Sheffield
Tom Hiddleston's Coriolanus is blazing but bleak, and there's as little love in a 60s sex scandal as there was in Dickens's London
The first time I saw Tom Hiddleston act was at the Donmar six years ago. He was 26, a doleful Cassio to Chiwetel Ejiofor's Othello, and he made a small part look essential. Now he takes centre stage as a blazing Coriolanus. Blazing but bleak. He is the ideal combination of emotional reserve and physical bravura.
Reserve has always been one of the problems of this difficult play. Where do spectators put their trust? The play's martial hero treats the audience as he does the populace – don't say plebs – he despises. He will not show his wounds to the public in order to get their vote. He will not let spectators into his thoughts with a soliloquy.
A couple of years...
Tom Hiddleston's Coriolanus is blazing but bleak, and there's as little love in a 60s sex scandal as there was in Dickens's London
The first time I saw Tom Hiddleston act was at the Donmar six years ago. He was 26, a doleful Cassio to Chiwetel Ejiofor's Othello, and he made a small part look essential. Now he takes centre stage as a blazing Coriolanus. Blazing but bleak. He is the ideal combination of emotional reserve and physical bravura.
Reserve has always been one of the problems of this difficult play. Where do spectators put their trust? The play's martial hero treats the audience as he does the populace – don't say plebs – he despises. He will not show his wounds to the public in order to get their vote. He will not let spectators into his thoughts with a soliloquy.
A couple of years...
- 12/22/2013
- by Susannah Clapp
- The Guardian - Film News
The cast for the World Premiere of Stephen Ward, directed by Richard Eyre, will comprise Alexander Hanson as Stephen Ward, Charlotte Spencer as Christine Keeler, Charlotte Blackledge as Mandy Rice Davies, Anthony Calfas Lord Astor, Daniel Flynn as John Profumo, Joanna Riding as Valerie Hobson, Ian Conningham as Ivanov, Chris Howell as Murray, Ricardo Coke Thomas as Lucky Gordon and Wayne Robinson as Johnny Edgecomp. Other cast members are Martin Callaghan, Kate Coyston, Jason Denton, Julian Forsyth, Amy Griffiths, Paul Kemble, Emma Kate Nelson, Carl Sanderson, Emily Squibb, John Stacey, Helen Ternent and Tim Walton.
- 9/6/2013
- by BWW Special Coverage
- BroadwayWorld.com
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