Friday News Roundup Time!
TGIF! And Happy (almost) Halloween!
It’s time for another Friday Roundup of everything we thought was worth reading in British entertainment news this week. Click right on through for bits and bobs on Downton Abbey, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Skins, Upstairs Downstairs and more!
Downton Abbey is getting some criticism for using “historically incorrect language” in the second series, currently airing in the UK (and coming to America January 8th!). Now, considering I loved loved loved The Tudors even though they forgot King Henry VIII had two sisters and combined them into one person, made Margaret (“Marygret,” in my mind) Queen of France, and thereby historically erased a chunk of the Stuart kings from existence, this seems a comparatively trivial thing. Personally, I’m not very bothered if a Downton character says “as if.”
More evidence that all the cool kids are Whovians: Director Steven Spielberg handpicked Steven Moffat, better known to most of us as the guy behind Doctor Who and Sherlock, to write the screenplay for his new The Adventures of TinTin movie, precisely because he’s a big Who fan.
In other Who news, Fifth Doctor Peter Davison has said he thinks it’s unlikely he’ll return for the series’ 50th anniversary. Not because he’s not interested, but rather because he doesn’t expect a multi-Doctor anniversary storyline. I find this speculation horribly upsetting.
And, something that’s even MORE upsetting – a disturbing rumor Matt Smith will be leaving the TARDIS after the next season. (Of course, take this with about a pound of salt, as this is pure speculation based on a one-off interview comment.) Incidentally, it's also Smith's birthday today. Happy 29th, Doctor!
If you’re lucky enough to be in or near London on December 8th, the British Film Institute will be holding a special screening of the first episode of Sherlock Series 2, followed by a Q&A. (Obviously, I’m not at all mentally considering a weekend hop across the pond. Because that would be weird, right?)
Speaking of Sherlock, if you happen to run into (or want to download) a copy of the December issue of Total Film magazine, there’s a 2 page behind the scenes piece on Series 2. (Because you know I have downloaded it already, I can tell you that there's only one picture we haven't seen before, but the write-up is fun. And the cover story on Guy Ritchie's new Sherlock Holmes movie is decent as well.)
The Guardian pits Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes vs. the BBC's Artful Detective. I’ve got a bigger post in the works about why a modern Sherlock is exceptionally awesome, in honor of the Great Sherlock Holmes Debate in a couple weeks, but for now, let’s just say I disagree with this (mostly tongue-in-cheek, I think) analysis.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows won’t even hit theaters yet for a month and a half, but Warner Bros. appears to have already hired a scriptwriter for another sequel.
The Coventry Telegraph has a filming report on the new series of Upstairs Downstairs.
Oscar-winning film Shakespeare in Love to be adapted for the stage by Sir Tom Stoppard?
If you’re a fan of intricately told, intense teen dramas (and don’t mind them being a little more adult than we’re usually used to in America), or you just want to see the real (superior) version of that truly awful MTV remake, the first four series of Skins are now available for streaming on Hulu.
And last but not least, a bit of Royal news: Has Prince Harry met his own Kate Middleton while in San Diego? And, the Queen wraps up her 10-day trip to Australia.
