Nicola will guest star in UK TV series, “New Tricks”, in episode 2 titled “Old School Ties”, which will air sometime in 2012. Actor Tony Gardner (@tonygardner) just tweeted,
A whole heap of famous actors in the readthrough, but most excited to run into the wonderful Nicola Walker.
He subsequently confirmed the title of the episode.
New Tricks is a much loved UK TV dramady about a fictional cold case squad, Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS), which is made up of 3 retired police officers but led by a woman officer who is still on the police force. The series title is taken from the popular expression “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Cast regulars include Amanda Redman, Alun Armstrong and Dennis Waterman, all household names in the UK. The show was recently renewed for both Series 9 and 10. Series 9 will air sometime in 2012. You can read all about this show on its Wikipedia page or IMDB page.
At the moment, the BBC’s official New Tricks website is only updated to Series 8.
We will update this Post as soon as we know more about the relevant episode and its air date.
Update : 20 November 2011
“Old School Ties” is written by Sarah Pinborough (@SarahPinborough on Twitter, or visit her website) and directed by Julian Simpson (@JulianSimpson1, or visit his website). This episode is starting to sound better and better.
Update : 25 November 2011
@JulianSimpson1 tweeted today, “Also penultimate day with Nicola Walker, who has already owns this episode. Together we’ve made the set fantastically sweary.”
Update : 26 July 2012
This AcornMedia webpage tells us that the Region 2 DVD for series 9 of New Tricks will be released on 3 November 2012. Given that there will be 10 episodes in series 9, we count back 10 weeks or so, which brings us to late August for a possible UK transmission date for series 9. That would bring it right round the time when Last Tango in Halifax is supposed to start airing!
Update : 16 August 2012
Tweets from both @JulianSimpson1 and @SarahPinborough indicate that Series 9 of New Tricks will begin airing in the UK as from 27 August 2012. Nicola’s guest episode will air on 3 September 2012.
Update : 17 August 2012
We have this programme summary about episode 2 from the BBC Media Centre :
The UCOS team reinvestigate the disappearance of PE teacher Jason Bowe after the remains of a body are discovered on the perimeter of the elite public boarding school where he taught.
The investigation couldn’t have come at a worse time for the school, which is preparing to welcome a former pupil, the Rt Hon Geoffrey Parkes MP, for the opening of a new computer centre.
Twenty-five year old Bowe went missing from Peregrine Manor School on the last day of term in June 2007. His disappearance didn’t greatly concern the head teacher Elizabeth Clayton, who saw it as a typical of the lack of commitment displayed by young teachers who move jobs regularly.
The team sense a certain amount of reluctance from the staff to cooperate with their enquiries until they speak to home support worker Helen Hadley, who not only sheds light on Bowe’s time at the school but is also the only person to show any compassion towards him.
Something of a loner as far as his colleagues were concerned, Bowe appears to have got on better with his students, forming close and often inappropriate relationships with several. But could his behaviour have rattled someone enough to kill him?
Amanda Redman is Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, Alun Armstrong is Brian Lane, Dennis Waterman is Gerry Standing, Susannah Harker is Elizabeth Clayton, Nicola Walker is Helen Hadley, Phoebe Fox is Eleanor Higgins and Brian Pettifer is Archie Milgrow.
Update : 22 August 2012
In an article in the 25 August 2012 issue of Whats on TV, Amanda Redman namechecks Nicola as a special guest star in episode of Series 9. (Click on the image to view a larger pic and to read the article.)
Nicola’s guest episode will air on Monday, 3 September 2012 at 21:00 GMT on BBC One. That is also the day and time slot when episode 1 of A Mother’s Son will also be airing on ITV. As of this writing, we do not know whether Nicola will appear in episode 1 of A Mother’s Son or whether her guest role is limited to episode 2 only. If she makes an appearance in episode 1, that will be a historic first for her in that she will be seen in two different programmes on two different channels in the UK at the same day and time!!!
Update : 28 August 2012
There are two small entries about Nicola in this week’s Radio Times (scans courtesy of @born_spook)
Here are two entries we found from this week’s TV & Satellite Times
Update : 31 August 2012
Here is a short synposis of Nicola’s guest episode which appears in the 1 September 2012 issue of Whats on TV (click to view larger image). Beware of possible spoiler in the article, so don’t click to see a larger image if you don’t want to know.
Good to know that Nicola will have lots of scenes with Alun Armstrong. But it looks like Nicola is back in kooky mode for this role.
Screencaps
Screencaps of Nicola from this episode are available HERE.
Six degrees
Anthony Calf, a series regular, also appeared in Gethsemane [Stage] but he did not have any scenes with Nicola.
Dennis Lawson, a new series regular starting from Series 9, also appeared in the same episode of Pie in the Sky [TV] as Nicola, but they did not share any scenes.
Amanda Redman, a series regular, is the ex-wife of Robert Glenister who played the Home Secretary in Series 5 through to Series 9 of Spooks [TV].
Julian Simpson, the director of this episode, previously directed Nicola in episodes 409, 410 and 503 of Spooks [TV] (those were classic Nicola/Ruth episodes), as well as two radio plays, Pleasant Green and Bad Memories.
Buy from Amazon UK
The Region 2 DVD will be available from 5 November 2012.
