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Annika, the TV series

At long last, the popular BBC Radio 4 series, Annika Stranded, has been turned into a TV show.

Table of Contents

Main Cast and other Production Details

Production News / Cast Tweets / Updates

Preview Clips

Production Pics

Press Coverage : Interviews / Articles available online | press articles gallery

Episode guides | reviews and ratings

Filming Locations

Awards and Nominations

Fun Stuff – Fun Facts

Trivia | Six Degrees | DVD and streaming news

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Information in the right hand panel. If you wish to leave a comment on this show, do it on any of our social media pages.

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2017 BAFTA TV Awards

Nominations for the 2017 BAFTA TV Awards were announced on 11 April 2017. Nicola made it to the shortlist for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Last Tango in Halifax (Christmas Special). The other ladies in her category included :

  • WUNMI MOSAKU for Damilola, Our Loved Boy
  • SIOBHAN FINNERAN for Happy Valley and
  • VANESSA KIRBY for The Crown
  •  

    The awards were handed out in a ceremony held on 14 May 2017 at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Nicola didn’t win in her category. See the full list of winners HERE.

    To be eligible for the 2017 BAFTA TV Awards, a show should have been broadcast in the UK between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2016. This means that Unforgotten Series 2 was excluded from the 2017 nominations but will be eligible for the 2018 nominations. We have high hopes for Nicola in the 2018 BAFTA TV Awards.

    Sarah Lancashire won in her category, Best Leading Actress, for her work in Happy Valley Series 2. She is such a Nicola Walker fan. In her acceptance speech, she thanked Nicola even though Nicola was not in the cast for Happy Valley!

     

    You may recall that in her acceptance speech when she won Best Supporting Actress in 2014 for Last Tango in Halifax, Sarah thanked Nicola three times!

    Nicola’s plus one at the awards ceremony was her husband, Barnaby Kay. They may such a good looking couple!


     

    (The above two screencaps courtesy of @theoofoof and @AnnDee2013 via Twitter)

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    Unforgotten Series 2


     

    For our coverage on Series 1, please GO HERE.

     

    Table of Contents

    Main Cast and other production details

    Production News / Cast Tweets / Updates

    Cast Pics

    Trailers | Articles/interviews available online | Press Articles Gallery | Radio interview transcripts

    Episode Guides | Reviews and Ratings

    Screencaps | Filming Locations | Awards and Nominations

    Fun Stuff – Script download, Fun Facts

    Trivia, Six Degrees and DVD news

    Order from Amazon UK

    You can order the show’s DVD box sets (Regions 2 and 4 compatible) from Amazon UK. Purchases made through these links will help us raise money for Nicola’s charity, the MS Society of the UK.

     


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    Annika Stranded

    Nicola first starred in this radio project in January 2013.

    For all information about Series 1, go to this Page.

    A 2nd series of this radio show was recorded and was broadcast every Sunday in July 2014. For more information about Series 2, go to this Page.

    A 3rd series was recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2016. For more information about Series 3, go to this Page.

    A 4th series was recorded and began airing on BBC Radio 4 in August 2018. For more information about Series 4, go to this Page.

    A 5th series was recorded and began airing on BBC Radio 4 in June 2019. For more information about Series 5, go to this Page.

    A 6th series was recorded and began airing on BBC Radio 4 in May 2020. For more information about Series 6, go to this Page.

    This is such a brilliant, funny series and Nicola does a superb job of bringing Annika to life. We wish they would turn this radio series into a television series 😀

    [December 2020 Ed’s Note : We are happy to announce that Annika has indeed been turned into a TV show, which is covered HERE.]

    Incidentally, Nicola is not related to the writer of this show, Nick Walker.

    You can listen to this programme, wherever you are in the world, via the BBC Radio iPlayer, which does not have any geographic restrictions. The programme will remain available on the BBC Radio iPlayer for 30 days after the original broadcast date, so if you are unable to tune in at the designated time, you can still catch up on the iPlayer.

    Follow us on Twitter (@BonkerbutBrill or @NicolaWalkerFan) for up to date information about when this programme will be aired or repeated on BBC Radio 4.

    Theme song

    In response to the many enquiries we received from fans of the show about the theme song for this series, we asked and received the answer from Karen Rose of Sweet Talk Productions, the producer of Annika Stranded :

    The artist(s) are Klara and Johanna Soderberg (aka First Aid Kit) and the song title is ‘To A Poet

     
     

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    2016 Good Friday and Easter Haiku

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    The Things Unseen website has posted a series Good Friday and Easter Haikus submitted by their listeners. Of these, six are read by Nicola. A Haiku is a three-line Japanese-inspired poem following a strict 5-7-5 syllable format.

    Of the six Haikus, three are accompanied by a short video which features music and scenery but Nicola does not appear in them. Enjoy!

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    The Circuit, comedy pilot

    The-Circuit-w-airdate
    Nicola has been cast in a new comedy pilot called The Circuit. Here is the press release from Channel 4

    Channel 4 invites you to the worst dinner party that’s ever happened in the world anywhere. The Circuit, produced by Merman and written by Dennis Kelly (Utopia, Pulling) and Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe, Pulling) is a brand new comedy pilot commissioned by Channel 4 about the horror and hilarity of social engagement.

    Gabe (Adeel Akhtar) and Nat (Eva Birthistle) have left their wonderful old life and moved to an area where people seem to oscillate somewhere between highly-strung and psychopathic. The reason they left isn’t immediately clear but they’re here now and trying to make the best of it. They go to one dinner party hosted by neighbour Helene (Victoria Hamilton) and her husband Sasha (Tobias Menzies) with fellow prisoners Danny (Paul Ready), Marty (Nicola Walker) and her girlfriend Angie (Desiree Akhavan). And so begins a descent into hell and Goulash, from which no one will ever fully recover.

    Phil Clarke, Channel 4’s head of comedy said: “The pitch for The Circuit was irresistible. The premise – that everyone hates going to dinner parties but goes anyway – is a great starting place for a comedy. Plus, the prospect of a script from Sharon Horgan and Dennis Kelly, writing together again for the first time since Pulling, was incredibly exciting. The script didn’t disappoint, and I am delighted that we are now making a pilot.”

    Rachel Springett, comedy commissioner for Channel 4 said: “We can’t wait to see this stellar cast breathe life into Dennis and Sharon’s fabulous script. It’s a very exciting project which we are thrilled to be making with them.”

    Clelia Mountford, Founder and MD for Merman, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Channel 4 on the longest dinner party ever. We just hope they’ll bring the wine.”

    Dennis Kelly and Sharon Horgan said: “It has taken just 10 short years for us to agree to work together again. It was a mistake.”

    The Circuit pilot was commissioned by Channel 4 and is produced by t (The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Divorce ) for Merman. It was written by Sharon Horgan and Dennis Kelly, who also serve as executive producers.

    At this stage, it looks as though Nicola will only be involved in the filming of the pilot. The pilot will be aired, hopefully sometime in 2016, and then it will be up to Channel 4 to order a full season of shows. If that happens, Nicola may or may not be further involved. She has filmed other pilots in the past where she did not end up having any further involvement because of scheduling conflicts by the time the pilot is picked up.

    Sharon Horgan has written a lot of comedy hits, but equally, she has written some shows which failed to hit the mark, e.g. Dead Boss. So we’re keeping an open mind about this new project. It would be nice to see Nicola in a comedic role.

    Production Updates

    Sharon Horgan has shared these production pics on Hellomerman, her Instagram page :

    Nicola can be seen on set in the third pic.

    Trailer

    The pilot will be aired on Channel 4 in the UK on Thursday, 25 August 2016. Here’s a trailer made available on YouTube.

    It is still unclear at this stage whether the show will progress to a full series, and if so, whether Nicola will still be attached as a series regular.

    The Circuit--(None)_LRG
    Six Degrees

    Adeel Akhtar was in River, though he did not have any direct scenes with Nicola in that show.

    Tobias Menzies was in two episodes of Series 8 of Spooks, though he did not have any scenes with Nicola.

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    Fugue State

    Fugue State

    A new SweetTalk Productions radio project starring Nicola. The show was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 29 October 2015.

    In the heart of the English countryside in a specialist residential hospital. A man, a government agent, is in a fugue state – a psychological shutdown – the result of something seemingly threatening that has taken place in a remote village.

    Needing to act before the situation escalates and believing the patient can still hear, Doctor Fallon uses sound recordings to recreate events leading up to the point of shutdown, to prompt the patient’s brain into remembering what has happened.

    Julian Simpson’s original drama was inspired by a series of talks and workshops at the Wellcome Trust, based around the latest thinking on how the human brain processes inputs – how it builds a model of the world, which we call reality, based on sensory information and our prediction of what we are expecting to see, hear or feel.

    How to listen to the show

    Non-UK fans can tune into BBC Radio 4 via the BBC Radio iPlayer which does not have any geographic restrictions. After the show has been aired, it should remain available on the BBC Radio iPlayer for 30 days thereafter.

    Six Degrees

    Phoebe Fox was Nicola’s co-stars in A View from the Bridge.

    Tim McInnerny was Nicola’s co-star in Spooks. He played Oliver Mace in Series 3, 4 and 5.

    Stephen Mackintosh was Nicola’s co-star in Inside Men.

    Julian Simpson directed Nicola in a number of episodes in Spooks Series 4 and New Tricks. He also directed Nicola in a number of radio plays, Fragments/Pleasant Green, The Listener, Bad Memories and Kokomo.

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    Last Tango in Halifax Series 4

    LTiH-Series-4-banner-pic

     

    UK transmission date :

    After waiting for almost two years, finally!!!

    Monday, 19 December 2016, 9pm BBC One
    Tuesday, 20 December 2016, 9pm BBC One

    Back in February 2015 …

    First the good news, YES there will be a series 4. After Episode 6 of Series 3 was aired in the UK on 1 February 2015, an announcement was made at the end of the programme to the effect that “Last Tango in Halifax will return with a new series“, AND the BBC logged this tweet :

    20150201 BBC Tweet

     

    And now, for the bad news : Series 4 won’t be on screen until late 2016, at the earliest! Various sources have confirmed this. Read more in our Last Tango in Halifax FAQ.

    Series 4 may well turn out to be a movie rather than a series with 6 episodes. On 29.11.2014, we saw on Twitter that Sally Wainwright gave a talk to the Overgate Hospice in Calderdale during which she revealed that Last Tango in Halifax might be made into a film. How exciting. Nicola on the big screen. Yes!!! At the end of the day, whether Series 4 will have six episodes or one long movie is up to Sally Wainwright and the BBC. It will also depend on the respective schedules of the lead actors/actresses.

    For our coverage on Series 3 of this show, go HERE.
    For our coverage on Series 2 of this show, go HERE.
    For our coverage on Series 1 of this show, go HERE.

    Table of Contents

    Main Cast and other production details

    Production News / Cast Tweets / Updates

    Production Pics

    Press Coverage : Articles/interviews available online | Press Articles Gallery | Radio interview transcripts

    Trailers | Episode Guides | Reviews and Ratings

    Screencaps | Filming Locations | Awards and Nominations

    Fun Stuff – Fun Facts

    Trivia, Six Degrees and DVD news

    Order from Amazon UK

    You can order the show’s DVD box sets (Regions 2 and 4 compatible) from Amazon UK. Purchases made through these links will help us raise money for Nicola’s charity, the MS Society of the UK.

     


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    Dr Who : Doomsday Coalition

    Dr-Who-Doom-Coalition

    Big Finish has just announced a new Dr Who audio project which features Nicola once again as the Doctor’s companion, Liv Chenka.

    In October 2015 the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) and his companion Liv Chenka (Nicola Walker) will head into a brand new era of Doctor Who, as the TARDIS is recalled to Gallifrey by the Time Lords. And they will be battling a new foe known only as The Eleven…

    Doctor Who: Doom Coalition is an epic saga that will span four box sets (a total of sixteen episodes) forming one breathtaking inter-connecting saga that will push the Doctor’s bravery and resourcefulness to its limits.

    Doctor Who: Doom Coalition 1 is released in October 2015. The remaining three volumes will follow across 2016 and into 2017 and can be bought as a collected Bundle.

    For the complete press release about Doomsday Coalition, head over to the Big Finish website.

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    Unforgotten Series 1

    For our coverage on Series 2, GO HERE.

     
     

    Table of Contents

    Main Cast and other production details

    Production News / Cast Tweets / Updates

    Production Pics

    Press Coverage : Articles/interviews available online | Press Articles Gallery | Radio interview transcripts

    Trailers | Characters Guide | Episode Guides | Reviews and Ratings

    Screencaps | Filming Locations | Awards and Nominations

    Fun Stuff

    Trivia, Six Degrees and DVD news

    Order from Amazon UK

    You can order the show’s DVD box sets (Regions 2 and 4 compatible) from Amazon UK. Purchases made through these links will help us raise money for Nicola’s charity, the MS Society of the UK.

     


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    19th Annual Satellite Awards (2015)

    20131202-satellite_awards

    CONGRATULATIONS to Nicola!

    Nicola has received a nomination in the 2014 Satellite Awards, in the category of Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for her work on Last Tango in Halifax. Please scroll down the page to get to Nicola’s category.

    We believe the nomination is for Nicola’s work on Series 1 of this show. No other cast member from the show managed to score a nomination for these awards.

    Winners will be announced in Los Angeles on 15 February 2015. It is unlikely that Nicola will attend the presentation ceremony, whether or not she will win, because she will be appearing on stage at the Wyndham Theatre for A View from the Bridge.

    The Satellite Awards are annual awards voted on and awarded by the International Press Academy.

    The International Press Academy (IPA) is an entertainment media association with voting members worldwide who represent domestic and foreign markets via print, television, radio, blogs, and other content platforms for virtually every notable outlet.

    Many thanks to members of the Academy who voted to get Nicola on the shortlist in her category.

    The other nominees in Nicola’s category are :

    Nominee Show Studio
    Ann Dowd The Leftovers HBO
    Allison Tolman Fargo FX
    Michelle Monaghan True Detective HBO
    Sarah Paulson American Horror Story FX
    Zoe Kazan Olive Kitteridge HBO

    This is Nicola’s first nomination from a US awards organisation, and we are certain it won’t be her last. We are very pleased that Nicola has finally earned some recognition in North America for her work. Fingers and toes tightly crossed!

    Thanks, SofieB, for the heads up on this nomination 😀

    16 February 2015

    The winners have been announced. Unfortunately, Nicola did not win in her category. 🙁

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    2015 Whats On Stage Awards

    2014-WOS-Awards

    Nicola has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress in a Play category in the 2015 Whats On Stage Awards, for her work in A View from the Bridge.

    These awards are voted on by fans only, so get voting by going to the WhatsOnStage website. The voting period will expire on 31 January 2015. Winners will be announced on 15 February 2015.

    You do not have to vote in every category although you can, if you want to. Every vote counts, but each person is only allowed to vote once – you will be asked to register an email address and their system will tag your computer and IP address to prevent multiple votes logged by the same person. There is no geographic restriction on voting – you can vote from anywhere in the world!

    Whilst you are there, why not also vote for Nicola’s co-star in the same play, Mark Strong, who has been nominated in the Best Actor in a Play category.

    Nicola has never before appeared on a shortlist of nominees for the Whats On Stage Awards. In 2012, she was included in the longlist of nominees for her work in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. In this Post, we urged fans to vote Nicola through to the shortlist but in the end, Nicola didn’t make it.

    Good luck, Nicola! 😀 😀 😀

    16 February 2015

    The winners have been announced. Unfortunately, Nicola didn’t win in her category. 🙁

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    Babylon Series 1

    Babylon-S1

    This page and the various page links will become live and constantly updated, so check back now and again for more news. The links below will contain information about cast members, possible story arcs etc. which may be considered by some fans as “spoilery”. So don’t click on those links if you do not want to know anything about the show before it airs.

    For our coverage on Babylon (the Pilot), go HERE.

    Table of Contents

    Main Cast and other production details

    Production Pics

    Press Coverage : Press Pack | Articles/interviews available online | Press Articles Gallery

    Episode Trailers, Episode Guides and Reviews

    Screencaps | Filming Locations | Awards and Nominations

    Six degrees

    James Nesbitt appeared in episodes 201 and 202 of Touching Evil back in 1998.

    Order from Amazon UK

    You can order the show’s DVD box sets (Regions 2 and 4 compatible) from Amazon UK. Your purchase made through this link will benefit Nicola’s chosen charity.

     


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    River

    River-cover-pic-v2

    This page and the various page links will become live and constantly updated, so check back now and again for more news. The links below will contain information about cast members, possible story arcs etc. which may be considered by some fans as “spoilery”. So don’t click on those links if you do not want to know anything about the show before it airs.

    Table of Contents

    Main Cast and other production details

    Production News / Cast Tweets / Updates

    Production Pics

    Press Coverage : Articles/interviews available online, Press Articles Gallery

    Episode Trailers, Characters Guide, Episode Guides, Reviews and Ratings

    Screencaps | Filming Locations | Awards and Nominations

    Fun Stuff – Script download, Fun Facts, Set visits

    Trivia, Six Degrees and DVD news

    Order from Amazon UK

    You can order the show’s DVD box sets (Regions 2 and 4 compatible) from Amazon UK.

     


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    Dr Who : Dark Eyes

    Dr-Who-Dark-Eyes-2-CDs

     
    For all information relating to Dr. Who : Dark Eyes 2, go HERE.
     
    For all information relating to Dr. Who : Dark Eyes 3, go HERE.

    Screen Shot 2015-01-27 at 10.49.40 pm

    Update : 27 January 2015

    Big Finish has announced that post-production work on has completed. Once again, Nicola a cast member. Here is the synopsis, taken from the Big Finish website :

    4.1 A Life in the Day by John Dorney

    The Doctor and Liv return to post-World War I London, where the Doctor meets Kitty Donaldson (Beth Chalmers), and Liv strikes a friendship with her brother Martin (Barnaby Kay). But what mysterious force is hunting them?

    4.2 The Monster of Montmartre by Matt Fitton

    The Doctor and Liv’s investigations bring them to Paris, where a monster stalks the streets.

    4.3 Master of the Daleks by John Dorney

    The Master and the Dalek Time Controller have forged an alliance. History hangs in the balance, and this time the Doctor can’t help…

    4.4 Eye of Darkness by Matt Fitton

    It’s the endgame. Truths will be revealed, and a hero will make the ultimate sacrifice.

     

    Trailer

    This trailer has been released by Big Finish

    Nicola with Alex MacQueen

    Nicola with Alex MacQueen


    Big Finish has released this studio photo of Alex MacQueen with Nicola in the studio. The all-star cast includes Paul McGann, Barnaby Kay, Rachel Stirling and Susannah Harker, to name just as few.
     
     
     

    Order Now

    Dark Eyes 4 will be out in March 2015. Both Dark Eyes 2 and Dark Eyes 3 are now available. Place your order on the Big Finish website. If you order the CDs, they will ship anywhere in the world, post free. The show is also available to purchase as an audio download. Big Finish also accepts PayPal in addition to credit cards. Enjoy!

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    Last Tango in Halifax Series 3

    LTiH-Series-3-banner-pic

    UK transmission date :
    Sunday, 28 December 2014, 9 pm GMT BBC One

    For our coverage on Series 2 of this show, go HERE.
    For our coverage on Series 1 of this show, go HERE.

    This page and the various page links will become live and constantly updated, so check back now and again for more news. The links below will contain information about old and new cast members, possible story arcs etc. which may be considered by some fans as “spoilery”. So don’t click on those links if you do not want to know anything about Series 3 before it airs.

    Table of Contents

    Main Cast and other production details

    Production News / Cast Tweets / Updates

    Production Pics

    Press Coverage : Articles/interviews available online | Press Articles Gallery | Radio interview transcripts

    Trailers | Characters Guide | Episode Guides | Reviews and Ratings

    Screencaps | Filming Locations | Awards and Nominations

    Fun Stuff – Script download, Fun Facts

    Trivia, Six Degrees and DVD news

    Order from Amazon UK

    You can order the show’s DVD box sets (Regions 2 and 4 compatible) from Amazon UK. Purchases made through these links will help us raise money for Nicola’s charity, the MS Society of the UK.

     


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    A View from the Bridge

    A-View-from-a-Bridge

    This play was staged at the Young Vic between 4 April 2014 to 7 June 2014. For our coverage of this Play during its run at the Young Vic, go HERE.
     
     
    A-View-from-the-Bridge-Wyndham

    This play will be transferred to the West End and staged at the Wyndham’s Theatre for a limited 8 week run starting from 11 February 2015. For our coverage of the West End run, go HERE.
     
     
    A View on Broadway
    This play will transfer to Broadway and staged at the Lyceum Theatre, New York for a limited season to start on 21 October 2015 and end on 21 February 2016. For our complete coverage of the Broadway run, go HERE.

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    2014 BAFTA Nomination

    NS-BAFTA-2B

    Nicola has received her first BAFTA TV Awards nomination, in the Best Supporting Actress category, for her work as Gillian in Series 2 of Last Tango in Halifax.

    The following actresses are also nominated in the same category as Nicola :

    Sarah Lancashire for Last Tango in Halifax
    Claire Rushbrook for My Mad Fat Diary
    Shirley Henderson for Southcliffe

    Sarah Lancashire is Nicola’s co-star in Last Tango in Halifax. Nicola has described Claire Rushbrook as one of her best friends. Amongst other projects, Claire was in Shiner [Film] and 50 Revolutions [Stage] with Nicola. When Claire was in Collision, a candid photo showing Claire and Nicola was used as a prop – see this Fun Fact for more details.

    Nicola doesn’t think she will win and is rooting for Shirley Henderson to win, since she is the only nominee she does not know personally. We hope this is merely pre-awards jitters talking.

    Download the 2014 BAFTA TV Awards Full List of Nominations. The awards will be handed out in London on Sunday, 18 May 2014. Best of luck to Nicola! 😀

    18 May 2014

    You can read a copy of the BAFTA Awards Brochure HERE. Amongst other things, this Brochure lists the names of the members of the jury who voted on the various categories.

    The Guardian thinks that Nicola should win, in her category, whilst the Telegraph doesn’t think she deserved her nomination!

    We’re crossing all of our fingers and toes!!!

    Red carpet interview

    And the winner is …

    Sarah Lancashire!

    Here’s Sarah Lancashire’s acceptance speech and backstage interview :

     
     

    Sarah thanked Nicola THREE times in her acceptance speech!!!
     

    BAFTA Boothnation taken from wholia87.tumblr.com

    BAFTA Boothnation
    taken from wholia87.tumblr.com

     

    Better luck next time, Nicola 🙁

    Red Carpet Report

    For those of you who’ve been wondering since Awards night last Sunday, we have a red carpet report and pics HERE.

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    November Dead List

    November-Dead-List

    What’s the show about

    From the BBC Radio 4 website, we have this synopsis of this new radio show :

    Nicola Walker stars as a police detective who investigates a murder in London’s Catholic community in this new, gritty crime drama by Nick Perry.

    Each Roman Catholic parish compiles a Book of the Dead from the lists of departed loved ones submitted by parishioners. Printed on the front of the envelopes are three words: November Dead List. A young priest opens one such envelope and discovers not a list of the dead, but a list of people he knows to be alive, and members of his congregation. At first he thinks it’s someone’s idea of a joke. Then the people named start turning up dead.

    DI Flood – Nicola Walker
    Father Manu -Paul Ready
    John – Steve Toussaint
    Father Pat – Dermot Crowley
    Simon – Arthur Hughes
    Terrence – John Norton
    Gerry – Stephen Hogan
    Kevin – Sean Murray
    Eileen – Carolyn Pickles
    Journalist – Carys Eleri
    Producer – Sasha Yevtushenko
    Writer – Nick Perry

    The theme song is Roads by Portishead.

    When will it be broadcast?

    The show will broadcast over a five day period, with a 15 minute segment on each day, from Monday 20 January 2014 to Friday 24 January 2014, at 10:45 to 11:00 am GMT and repeated the same evening at 19:45 pm GMT.

    The show is also available as an Omnibus Edition, i.e. all five episodes aired together, aired on BBC Radio 4 Extra on Saturday, 25 January 2014 at 12 noon.

    After each broadcast, the show will be available on the BBC Radio iPlayer for 7 days. There is no geographic restrictions for the BBC Radio iPlayer, so you can tune in from anywhere in the world.

    Reviews

    There Ought to be Clowns

    It’s no secret that I like me some Nicola Walker and so seeing her take the lead in Nick Perry’s radio drama November Dead List was definitely a thrill. It was the 15 minute drama of the week, five short episodes split across five days which I always find a little annoying so the omnibus edition was infinitely more preferable. A police procedural in which Walker plays a DI called in to investigate a murder which was seemingly predicted on a dead list, normally a list of deceased parishioners in a Catholic congregation but in this case, full of people who are still alive.

    Soundtracked by the moody tones of Portishead’s Roads, it proved a rather effective police procedural as the race against time seems compromised by someone close to the case. From Kent wetlands to an Irish seminary and back again, Walker’s DI Flood is an utterly determined cop, at the expense of a personal life, and so the unexpected chemistry with Paul Ready’s Father Manu – who found the list – is a surprise to all but yet really well done in creating a palpable relationship in which one really invests. Lots of fun.

    Update : 25 January 2014

    Great news! The entire 67 minutes of this programme is now available for download and keep as an iTunes Podcast*!!! As far as we know, this is the first time one of Nicola’s radio shows is made available to fans in this manner. Lets hope the BBC will do the same in future and/or release some of her older stuff as downloadable iTunes Podcasts 😀

    Thank you, RuthF, for the heads up about the programme. Thank you, Judith, for the heads up about the iTunes Podcast download! 😀

    *Ed’s Note : the BBC has removed this programme from its iTunes Podcasts lists one week after the show was broadcast. 🙁

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    Second Coming

    [This Post has been compiled with some links provided by SofieB. Thanks, Sofie.]

    This is the big screen debut for writer, Debbie Tucker Green.

    From various sources, we have this summary of the story :

    Second Coming follows a tight family unit navigating their way through family life as it breaks down in the aftermath of an unexplained pregnancy of a family member who isn’t entirely mentally stable.

    Debbie Tucker Green

    Debbie Tucker Green

    The film is funded, in part, by a grant from the British Film Institute and is also co-financed by Film4, Channel 4’s movie unit and supported by the Sundance Institute Film Program.

    Nicola will play a Counsellor in this movie. Given that Debbie Tucker Green usually writes big ensemble pieces, it seems unlikely that Nicola will have a big role in the movie. However, Debbie is also a brilliant writer who gives all of her characters meaningful and significant voices. So even if its a minor role, we are confident that Nicola’s part will be an interesting one.

    From IMDb, we know that the project is now in the post production phase, which means it should be ready for release soon. Here’s hoping that with a big name like Idris Elba involved and support from the Sundance Institute, the movie will get a proper cinema release around the world so that we can all get to watch Nicola on the big screen!

    Reviews

    The film had its debut at the 2014 September Toronto International Film Festival and here is a selection of film reviews posted by critics who have seen the movie :

    Hollywood Reporter | Standard UK | Variety | IndieWire

    Nicola does not have a big role in this movie, so its not surprising that her cameo hasn’t merited a mention in any of these reviews.

    2014 London Film Festival

    Here are the show times for the film at the 2014 London Film Festival :

    Oct 17, 2014 9:15 PM
    Odeon West End, Screen 1

    Oct 18, 2014 6:30 PM
    Rich Mix Cinema, Screen 1

    Oct 19, 2014 3:30 PM
    Ritzy Cinema, Screen 2

    The film is in competition in the First Feature Competition.

    Six degrees

    Idris Elba, a cast member, also appeared in Luther [TV] with Nicola.

    Debbie Tucker Green, the writer of this film, also wrote Gone [Radio].