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

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!

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].

[More content and images coming soon.]

What’s the story about?

From various sources, we have this synopsis

Fire Horse. A story about holding onto the past. It is about recognising that change is not always good. Society is moving so fast, sometimes we need to take a step back and look at the world we have created and the world we are leaving behind.

We got in touch with the Director, Matt Bell, and received a more detailed summary of the film’s plot

My film is about an old lady, Ada (Doreen Mantle) who lives in a little rural village in middle England. She uses the village shop everyday, even buying goods that she doesn’t need (e.g. food for her deceased dog). Over the years herself and Roddy the shopkeeper (Barnaby Kay) have developed a lovely relationship. She knows the shop is on the brink of closure but hopes her little routine will help to keep the place open. Roddy is struggling to keep his head above water but deep down knows the days are numbered as the supermarkets and their home delivery service force him out. He feels like a failure to his family and doesn’t want to let his wife Jules (Nicola) down. Jules is wise and knows exactly what is going on. She assures Roddy that everything will be alright. Under pressure one day, Roddy snaps at Ada. This sparks Ada into taking matters into her own hands by staging a sit down protest in the road. She hopes to stop the supermarket delivery van (driven by Rick) getting through. She thought she could force villagers to use the shop. It’s her final stand born out of friendship and a belief in a way of life.

Matt also gave us these comments

The film is in essence a story about change and friendship between old and not so old, hence the title Fire Horse. That was a term used during the industrial revolution when steam trains took over from horse and cart. It was inspired by a return visit to the little village I grew up in after living in London for 10 years. Everything had changed and I felt the community spirit that used to exist had slipped away. The village shop I worked in as a teenager had closed and a massive house with 4×4′s on the drive had been built in it’s place. The pub and the dairy had shut. All the charm and character had been lost and new houses had sprung up all over the place. This little old village that I had such fond memories of had been taken over by the 21st century. The days of leaving your door unlocked and stopping to have a chat with all and sundry was left in the past.

What touched me the most about working in the shop as a child was the fact that the old people who didn’t get out much would just come in to have a chat and would often buy a couple of token efforts. It was just a place for them to get out and have a chin wag. Of course we stocked most daily essentials that they relied on but they would mainly come in just to say hello and to mooch about the village.

This is my first film, I’m a little nervous about how it will be perceived. It was shot last minute as we didn’t know what Nicola’s schedule was going to be on Spooks – the original shoot was done in 2011, around the same time as Nicola was shooting Series 10 of Spooks. We were only given 48 hours final notice of her availability so this was all the time I had to get everything into place. It was quite a stress and chaotic 2 days and I’m hoping this hasn’t come across in the film. It has taken me nearly 2 years to finish post production due to a combination of parenthood, work commitments and frustratingly, my editor being mugged and having his MAC and my drives with the film’s final cut on it stolen. I also wanted to make sure that the film was the best it could be before it was released to festivals etc.

A huge THANK YOU to Matt for giving us these comments and the pic of Nicola and Barnaby in character from the film. This sounds like a really interesting film. With more backing financially, it could be turned into a feature length movie or TV movie. We wish Matt all the best with this film. Since the film is only about 17 minutes long (in its present form), Matt is currently hoping to show this in various film festivals in order to generate more interest. If any visitor to this site can help publicize this movie, please get in touch with Matt. He is on Twitter, as @MattBellAD.

Oh, and Bravo to Nicola and Barnaby for getting involved with this project!!!

Six degrees

Marnie Dickens, the writer of this short film is listed as a Second Unit Director or Assistant Director on Law & Order : UK. Nicola guested episode 401 “ID” of that show.

Barnaby Kay plays Roddy the shopkeeper.

Doreen Mantle plays the old lady, Ada. She also appeared with Nicola in an episode of Chalk [TV] titled “The Star Pupil”.

Background

Update : 15 May 2013

Writer/director Julian Simpson has tweeted about a new radio play which he has written in which Nicola has been cast.

This dream cast is kind of like a Spooks reunion, since Robert Glenister. Tim McInnerny and Herminone Norris have all appeared in Spooks [TV] with Nicola.

From further Tweets, we know that the show will be recorded on Monday, 20 May 2013 and Tuesday, 21 May 2013, and it will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 5 June 2013. If the show airs in the afternoon, its likely to be the Afternoon Drama slot at 14:15 which usually lasts for 45 minutes.

Update : 21 May 2013 – We now have a title and synopsis

Thanks to Rosemary on the Spooks Information Central Forum, we now have a name, “Kokomo” for the show as well as this synopsis and cast list (taken from the BBC Media Centre) :

All information online across the world is being held hostage by terrorists. Alice Price is sent in to negotiate the safe return of the information before the world descends into chaos. But who are the terrorists and why have they asked for Price?

With Nicola Walker as Alice Price, Hermione Norris as Columbina, Louise Brealey as Harlequin, Robert Glenister as Levine. Written by Julian Simpson. A thriller by Julian Simpson.

Update : 23 May 2013 – Further tweets from Mr. Simpson

Click to see a larger image. Beware – some of you may find the language slightly offensive.

Update : 31 May 2013 – Link to BBC Radio 4 Extra page / Background info on the show

The programme is now included in the BBC Radio 4 schedule for 5 June 2013.

Writer/Director Julian Simpson has written an article about how he came up with the story, and title, for “Kokomo” which you can read on this Blog. Its essential reading for any one who intends to listen to the show. He has also posted “Never Make Friends with the Actors” – The Worse Piece of Advice Ever on his own blog which makes very interesting reading. Nicola is mentioned in this piece.

Credits

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 7 days thereafter.

Six Degrees

Robert Glenister was Nicola’s co-star in Spooks. He played the Home Secretary in Series 4, 5, 8 and 9.

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

Hermione Norris was Nicola’s co-star in Spooks Series 5. She played Ros Myers. Herminone was also in A Mother’s Son though she did not have any scenes with Nicola.

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 and Bad Memories.

26 March 2013 : She’s nominated!

CONGRATULATIONS to Nicola on being nominated in the category of Best Actress in a Supporting Role in the 2013 Olivier Awards!!!

Nicola has been nominated for her role as Judy, Christopher’s mother in Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. She is recognised as having given a “moving and heart-wrenching performance” during the Play’s initial run at the National Theatre’s Cottesloe Theatre in 2012. Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time has earned 8 nominations, the most number of nominations in the 2013 Olivier Awards. Read the press release HERE. Nicola and Luke Treadaway (as Christopher) are the only cast members who earned acting nominations. For all information which we have collected on this Play when Nicola was still involved, go HERE. You can check out a full list of the 2013 nominees in all categories HERE.

©Manuel Harlan / Royal National Theatre

This is Nicola’s first nomination for an Olivier Award. Each of the four other actresses is a previous Olivier Awards nominee/winner so the competition in this category will be intense :

 
 
The Olivier Awards are the most prestigious theatre related awards in the UK. Nicola has often said in the past that she considers herself a stage actress first who does occasional roles on TV. So this nomination must mean a lot for her. You can find out more about the history of the Olivier Awards and how the awards are voted on by going to The official Olivier Awards website.

We have high hopes that Nicola will attend the award ceremony which will be held at the Royal Opera House, London on 28 April 2013.

The play is still being staged at the West End. If you’re interested in going (even though Nicola is no longer involved), HERE is the theatre’s official website.

28 April 2013 : She Won!!!

MANY MANY CONGRATULATIONS to Nicola. She’s won the 2013 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play for her performance in the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. This award must mean a lot to her since she’s always considered herself a stage actress first who dabbles in TV work on the side.

The 2013 Olivier Awards was broadcast live on BBC Radio 2. There was no direct telecast. It is difficult for us to understand the logic (of the power-that-be) of giving coverage to an awards show which celebrates visual arts only via an audio channel! After the actual ceremony finished, iTV broadcast only an edited highlights show for general viewers which was heavy on all the musical numbers but cut all of the speeches from the winners in the Drama category, with the exception of big names like Helen Mirren. You can view the full results on the official Olivier Awards homepage. Click on each category to see the names of the nominees and the winner in that category.

Nicola’s acceptance speech

Nicola was presented with her award by her Spooks co-star, Rupert Penry-Jones. The Awards was a bit of a Spooks Alumni meeting, as in addition to Rupert, Lara Pulver and Anna Chancellor were also there as presenters. In addition, Suranne Jones, Nicola’s co-star from Scott & Bailey was also there as a presenter.

In the televised version of the Awards Ceremony, Nicola was allotted only 14 seconds of screen time. A fan has very helpfully uploaded this clip onto YouTube :

The ever wonderful and resourceful @SofieB_, who was on the red carpet, also filmed this clip from the outdoor broadcast.

We managed to tape Nicola’s acceptance speech off the BBC Radio 2 broadcast and present it here for your hearing pleasure. Warning : Nicola used one word which BBC Radio 2 felt might be offensive to some listeners. If you’re the easily offended type, then don’t click on this clip. The Olivier Awards and BBC Radio 2 own the copyright in this audio clip. No infringement is intended.

Nicola pics at the event

You can look in HERE for 28 pics of Nicola on the red carpet and back stage. You can also see Nicola on stage in this photo from the official Oliver Awards website. For copyright reasons, we can’t present those images here.

Nicola’s dress

You can find more information about the dress HERE and HERE. We said it on Twitter, and we’ll say it again here : whoever helped Nicola put together her look for awards night – hair, makeup + dress, brought out the beauty that is Nicola in real life. Thank you, kind sir/madam!

Thank you, Ruth (@theoofoof) for finding the information on the dress for us.

Turn the page to read press coverage after the awards ceremony.

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

Production News

The good news is, there will be a Series 2. The bad news is, Series 2 might not be on screen for some time yet. See tweets below from some of the cast members about possible filming dates (not starting until June 2013) and possible screening dates (late 2013 or even early 2014)!

Click on pic to see bigger image.

Click on pic to see larger image.

Update : 28 April 2013 Production work will begin soon

Andy Morgan, production manager for the show, just tweeted today :

 
 
It is unclear from this tweet whether this means only the production side has begun, or whether any principal photography will take place. From previous tweets logged by various cast members, it would appear that the actors are not required on set at least until June 2013.

Update : 17 May 2013 The Actors are on board

On 12 May 2013 on the BAFTA TV Awards red carpet, Nicola told fans that she expects to report for filming in two weeks’ time. Subsequently Anne Reid told a London morning chat show that she will start filming on 10 June 2013. On 17 May 2013, Josh Bolt confirmed via Twitter that he has received the scripts for the first 3 episodes.

Order from Amazon UK

Order the Series 1 (Regions 2 and 4 compatible) DVD from Amazon UK.

Turn the page for more news and information about Series 2.

Nicola has a new radio project. She will be the reader of a series of 3 stories featuring a new fictional detective, Annika Stranded. Here’s what we have found out from the BBC Radio 4′s webpage

Annika Strandhed is a leading light in the murder squad of the Oslo police. Her neuroses – and she has a few – are mostly hidden by a boisterous manner and a love of motor boats. And she thinks she’s funny – although her colleagues aren’t so sure.

Commissioned specially for Radio 4, these three stories by Nick Walker introduce us to a new Scandinavian detective: not as astute as Sarah Lund or Saga Norén perhaps, but probably better company.

Episode 1 (of 3): A Body Of Water
Duration: 15 minutes

First broadcast: Sunday 20 January 2013

A sound is a body of water narrow enough for a man to swim across. But on the island of Oscarsborg, Annika finds the body of a man who clearly didn’t make it.

Episode 2 (of 3): Deep Six
Duration : 15 minutes
First broadcast: Sunday 27 January 2013

After a tip off from a witness on a passing train, police divers bring up a mysterious crate from the depths of the Oslofjord.

Episode 3 (of 3): An Echo
Duration: 15 minutes
First broadcast: Sunday 3 February 2013

A body is found in a metro carriage – but Annika’s judgments are being clouded by personal matters.

Nick Walker is part of the Coventry-based mixed media experimentalists Talking Birds whose work has been presented extensively in the UK as well as in Sweden, Ireland, and the USA. He has worked with some of the country’s leading new work theatre companies both in the UK and abroad, including Stan’s Cafe, Insomniac, and Theatre Instituut Nederlands.

He is the author of two critically-acclaimed novels ‘Blackbox’ and ‘Helloland’. His plays and short stories are often featured on BBC Radio 4 including: Arnold In A Purple Haze (2009), the First King of Mars stories (2007 – 2010), the Afternoon Play Life Coach (2010), and the stories Dig Yourself (2011) and The Indivisible (2012) – all of them Sweet Talk productions.
Reader: Nicola Walker
Sound Design: Jon Calver
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
Annika Stranded is a Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.

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 seven 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.

A big THANK YOU to Ana from Oz who gave us the heads up on this project!

This comment was taken from producer Jeremy Osborne’s blog

Fans of Spooks, and lately, Last Tango In Halifax, will need no introduction to Nicola Walker. TV casting has tended to put her in victim or generally-put-upon roles – and since Nicola is good in all she does it’s a safe bet – but radio has so far provided more scope to show how warm, versatile and funny she is. In Annika Stranded she is all these things, and inhabits the character so completely that it would be easy to believe she’d written the stories herself.

Six degrees

Nick Walker is the writer of these three stories. Nicola was featured in one of his stories, Life Coach [Audio] in 2010. Nicola is not related to Nick Walker.

Following the success of the Easter Diaries on BBC Radio 4 Extra earlier this year, producer Paul Arnold and writer Nick Warburton have teamed up again to produce the Christmas Diaries. This programme will be a series of 5 short episodes of about 5 minutes each, airing from Friday, 21 December 2012 until Thursday, 27 December 2012 (there will not be any broadcasts on Saturday and Sunday during this period), at just before 11 am and 9 pm GMT each day on BBC Radio 4 Extra.

From producer Paul Arnold’s BBC Radio 4 Blog

Like the earlier project, the idea was to re-tell the familiar story from the perspective of those involved, either well-known characters such as Joseph and Mary, or those from Nick’s imagination – a traveller on the Nazareth road, or one of Herod’s lawyers. And we wanted once more to do that in real time, hearing day by day how it might have felt for them, without our perspective coloured by the centuries in between.

Nicola will voice the part of the Traveller, who meets Joseph and reflects on the past. Her episode will air on BBC Radio 4 on Christmas Eve, Monday, 24 December 2012.

If you cannot tune in at the appropriate time, you can always catch up on the BBC Radio iPlayer which does not have any geographic restrictions – you can listen to BBC radio programmes from anywhere in the world. (Look for this programme under “C” for the “Christmas Diaries”.)

Once again, Liga has prepared for us an Advent Calendar, featuring the one and only Nicola Walker!

You can view the 2012 Advent Calendar HERE.

Want to see the 2011 Advent Calendar? Go HERE.

Enjoy!

Table of Contents

Background information / updates and the announcement of an air date

Links to the BBC’s Media Pack for this show, Episode Trailers, Episode Guides, Reviews, Ratings and Filming Locations

Articles/interviews available online, Press Articles Gallery, Script Download, Awards and Nominations, Screencaps and Six Degrees

Cast and other Production details

Brief production details

The links above will take you to the individual actor’s or writer’s IMDb page. For more detailed information on the show, including guests in individual episodes and a full crew list, visit on the show’s IMDb page.

Buy the DVD on Amazon UK

Release date for the Region 2 DVD box set : 6 May 2013

Table of Contents

Background information / updates and the announcement of an air date

Links to the Press Kit for this show, Episode Trailers, Episode Guides, Reviews and Ratings

Filming Locations, Articles/interviews available online, Press Articles Gallery, Screencaps and Six Degrees

Cast and other Production details

Brief production details

The links above will take you to the individual actor’s or writer’s IMDb page. For more detailed information on the show, including guests in individual episodes and a full crew list, visit on the show’s IMDb page.

Buy the DVD on Amazon UK

The Region 2 DVD boxset is released 1 July 2013.

Turn the page and start reading all the information which we have collected on this show.