Your Favorite Books Brought to Life - BBC Minseries News
Since last writing, I have more Emma news as well as some information on a few exciting new series that will hopefully (rather briskly one can dream) make their way across the pond. The first episode of Emma airs tonight in England! That's right! Those lucky, lucky Brits will be just finishing watching episode one right about now...or seven minutes ago to be precise...and I can't help wondering how it will stack up to the previous adaptations ...Personally I think this is one of the best casts the BBC could have assembled, especially now that I learn Jodhi May and Tamsin Greig are also part of the cast! Jodhi May is best known as Mirah, the girl who get's Daniel, Hugh Dancy, in Daniel Deronda, beating out her Emma costar, Romola Garai. Plus she also turned down Jamie Bamber! She was literally beating them off with sticks in that spectacular Andrew Davies adaptation! But who I'm really excited about is Tamsin Greig. I personally don't think anyone could ever beat Sophie Thompson's (Emma's little sister's) performance, but I gotta say, I love this casting. Tamsin is most recently known for the hit or miss show Love Soup, but I will always think of her as Fran. Bernard's best friend and cohort in debauchery and drunkenness on Black Books, possibly the best British sitcom to ever be made. Can't you her Bernard yelling for her right now? No wait, that's Manny he's yelling for...
There is also a new adaptation of The Turn of the Screw, by the same people bringing us Emma. Michelle Dockery, whom you might know from Sky Tv's adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Hogfather. She was brilliantly cast as Death's granddaughter Susan in that miniseries, and now she will star as the young Governess. In fact, the last adaptation the BBC did was back in 1999 and stared the aforementioned Jodhi May, with Colin Firth as her employer. I am very excited to see that Michelle is on her way to becoming a staple of BBC Miniseries, we will also be seeing her this winter in the next installment of Cranford!
The same production team (did the BBC just give them the keys to Broadcasting House or what?) is also doing an adaptation of Kay Mellor's A Passionate Woman, starting Billie Piper. Billie Piper, love her or hate her, personally I like her just fine, she's her to stay. Set in the 1950s (by chance because of how good she looks in period dresses in the Doctor Who episode "The Idiot's Lantern"?) she will not being doing a big period stretch, for those who didn't like her in Mansfield Park. It also stars Joe Armstrong, best known for either marrying Cullie Barnaby on Midsomer Murders, or perhaps as the sometimes turncoat Alan a Dale on Robin Hood.
But it doesn't end there! Helena Bonham Carter stars as Enid Blyton with Matthew Macfadyen and Denis Lawson in Enid. Anne-Marie Duff (that little racist from The Way We Live Now) stars as Margot Fonteyn, one of the greatest dancers of our time in Margot. Jane Horrocks plays singer and comedienne Gracie Fields in a romantic comedy, Gracie! set in the 1930s. (Yes, the BBC is apparently into series this fall of just the lead character's name). There is also an adaptation of Small Islands staring Ruth Wilson from Jane Eyre, a new period court drama, Garrow's Law, an art forgery tale starring Eve Myles, aka Gwen Cooper from Torchwood. We also have new Sarah Jane Adventures, and by the years end...a new Doctor. This season promises to be beyond amazing, and I'm sure once it reaches the States it will sweep the awards shows, you saw how much Little Dorrit won at the Emmys right?
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Jessica Lawlor said... October 4, 2009 at 9:23 PM
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