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Hello people, I’m back from my holidays, and boy do I have a lot to talk about. Soooo many things have happened while I have been away. The Olympics has been and gone, the football season has started again, "Bonekickers" has finished on TV, "Last Choir Standing" has condensed down to the final three, I saw David Tennant in "Hamlet" (faint), war broke out in Europe, and a lot of rain has fallen across Britain. Soooo many things to talk about. In fact, so many things that I’m not sure where to start.
Oh, alright, I'll start up-to-date and work backwards. So where was I?
Ah yes.
* Today Anne-Marie decided she needs some new general icons that don't have anything to do with Doctor Who, Torchwood, David Tennant or John Barrowman. "Huh? Does this mean I have more interests now? That's... odd."
Oh, alright, I'll start up-to-date and work backwards. So where was I?
Ah yes.
"Mutual Friends" started last night, the first episode in a season of six, staring the rest of the best of the BBC crop of actors. When I say, ‘the rest’, I mean most of those who didn’t pop up in "Bonekickers", but may have been turned up – however briefly – in an episode of Doctor Who. But more on that another time.
"Mutual Friends" is the new comedy for Alexander Armstrong and Marc Warren. Even if you don’t know their names, you’ll know their faces from a variety of shows each of them has done in the past.
Starting with Alexander Armstrong, of "Armstrong and Miller" fame, you might have also seen him in "Life Begins" with Caroline Quentin, or as David Cameron in "The Trial of Tony Blair", or – even more likely – to have heard him as the voice of the computer Mr Smith in both "The Sarah Jane Adventures" and "Doctor Who".
No, really.
Then there is Marc Warren.
Well what can you say about Warren, except he has one of those faces which seem to pop up everywhere – "Hustle" – in what feels like every major BBC new drama – "Life on Mars" – in unexpected roles – "Dracula" – before capping it all off with the guest roles in the BBC’s flag ship, yes, you’ve guessed it, "Doctor Who". He played Elton in "Love and Monsters" if you want to know, and if you didn’t know who he was before I said that, you probably know exactly who I mean now. Right?
Anyway, back to "Mutual Friends". For those of you who may have missed the adverts, the concept is, on the surface, rather simple. Warren plays happily married Martin Grantham, who has two best friends, Patrick and Carl, the usual kind of old/university mates you never seem to be able to shift even twenty years down the line. Patrick and Carl couldn’t be more different. One is an irresponsible, unreliable, feckless womaniser, and the other is dead.
Guess which one slept with Martin’s wife?
Armstrong plays Patrick, the not dead one. Dunno who plays Carl because since he commits suicide in the opening ten minutes it doesn’t really matter. What matters is Carl’s funeral, because that’s what brings them all back together. The friends, their wives, their children and their exes.
To quote from the BBC’s official Press Office, "It’s not a matter of life and death; it’s much funnier than that."
And it’s true; this opening episode was rather funny. Not in the laugh out loud sort of way, but in a holding back a smirk, perfect comic timing sort of way. It’s funny because when it comes to poor Martin, everything that could go wrong is going wrong, all at the same time. Marriage, friends, work, life, you name it and it’s entertaining to say the least. It’s like watching teams drop the baton in the 4 x 100m relays. It’s funny when it’s not happening to you. (Oh, how I laughed when the US dropped the baton....)
Anyway, joining Armstrong and Warren are of course the usual selection of BBC actors.
Martin’s wife is played by Keeley Hawes – "Wives and Daughters", "Spooks" and lately "Ashes to Ashes". On a side note, she’s got to be one of the few BBC actors not to have turned up in "Doctor Who" but she was probably tied up with "Ashes to Ashes". She was, however, in the BBC’s Shakespeare Re-Told series, admittedly, not the one with Billy Piper and the who’s who of David Tennant’s former and future cast-mates, but rather the "Macbeth" adaptation, written by Peter Moffat (yes Peter, not Steven) who also wrote "Einstein and Eddington" which will be shown later this year, with Andy Serkis and David Tennant in the title roles respectively. Oh, and she was also in "Othello" with Christopher Eccleston some years ago.
Patrick’s ex is played by Sarah Alexander – "Stardust", "Coupling", "Green Wing", "Teachers", "Smack the Pony" and some years ago "Armstrong and Miller". Understandably, with an IMDB list that contains all of those and more, she too hasn’t found the time to appear in Doctor Who, but it’s a matter of time. Right?
Which leaves Carl’s widow, played by Claire Rushbrook, not a particularly household name compared to the others – that is to say, if it’s name a name that doesn’t ring my bell then I’m sure few of you will know the name – but she’s a face that turns up every so often, like in "Ashes to Ashes", "Spaced", and of course, Doctor Who. Yes, she was in Doctor Who. In this case she was the excellent Ida Scott in "The Impossible Planet/Satan’s Pit". Ahhh, I hear one or two of you say – or it’s just the voices in my head I’m hearing, but never mind – now you know who I’m talking about.
So there you have it. A selection of the BBC’s talent, bringing you something new and fresh.
The BBC has helpfully classified the programme as a "comedy drama", which means that at best it will be both those things, at worse, neither. I’m hoping for somewhere in the middle and so far I haven’t been disappointed. There were some extremely amusing moments that whilst didn’t have me falling off my chair clutching my sides, they none the less still hit the funny bone. The part in the church, for instance, was classic. As was the argument scene between Martin and his wife which ends with their son turning up at just the wrong moment. In fact they were good enough for me to want to re-watch them on i-Player, which I have done and they still make me smirk.
Now, the humour is not everyone’s cup of fair trade espresso hot chocolate, but well worth at least a small sip. The first episode is now up on BBC i-Player, and the rest of the series will follow on Tuesdays at 9pm BBC. With more characterisation and less sweeping dramatic plot lines than most things that our neighbours across the pond throw us, I always feel I should watch more BBC dramas. That explains watching "Bonekickers", I suppose. Now, speaking of BBC dramas, I wonder if I can get hold of older episodes of "New Tricks"? Hmmmm.
"Mutual Friends" is the new comedy for Alexander Armstrong and Marc Warren. Even if you don’t know their names, you’ll know their faces from a variety of shows each of them has done in the past.
Starting with Alexander Armstrong, of "Armstrong and Miller" fame, you might have also seen him in "Life Begins" with Caroline Quentin, or as David Cameron in "The Trial of Tony Blair", or – even more likely – to have heard him as the voice of the computer Mr Smith in both "The Sarah Jane Adventures" and "Doctor Who".
No, really.
Then there is Marc Warren.
Well what can you say about Warren, except he has one of those faces which seem to pop up everywhere – "Hustle" – in what feels like every major BBC new drama – "Life on Mars" – in unexpected roles – "Dracula" – before capping it all off with the guest roles in the BBC’s flag ship, yes, you’ve guessed it, "Doctor Who". He played Elton in "Love and Monsters" if you want to know, and if you didn’t know who he was before I said that, you probably know exactly who I mean now. Right?
Anyway, back to "Mutual Friends". For those of you who may have missed the adverts, the concept is, on the surface, rather simple. Warren plays happily married Martin Grantham, who has two best friends, Patrick and Carl, the usual kind of old/university mates you never seem to be able to shift even twenty years down the line. Patrick and Carl couldn’t be more different. One is an irresponsible, unreliable, feckless womaniser, and the other is dead.
Guess which one slept with Martin’s wife?
Armstrong plays Patrick, the not dead one. Dunno who plays Carl because since he commits suicide in the opening ten minutes it doesn’t really matter. What matters is Carl’s funeral, because that’s what brings them all back together. The friends, their wives, their children and their exes.
To quote from the BBC’s official Press Office, "It’s not a matter of life and death; it’s much funnier than that."
And it’s true; this opening episode was rather funny. Not in the laugh out loud sort of way, but in a holding back a smirk, perfect comic timing sort of way. It’s funny because when it comes to poor Martin, everything that could go wrong is going wrong, all at the same time. Marriage, friends, work, life, you name it and it’s entertaining to say the least. It’s like watching teams drop the baton in the 4 x 100m relays. It’s funny when it’s not happening to you. (Oh, how I laughed when the US dropped the baton....)
Anyway, joining Armstrong and Warren are of course the usual selection of BBC actors.
Martin’s wife is played by Keeley Hawes – "Wives and Daughters", "Spooks" and lately "Ashes to Ashes". On a side note, she’s got to be one of the few BBC actors not to have turned up in "Doctor Who" but she was probably tied up with "Ashes to Ashes". She was, however, in the BBC’s Shakespeare Re-Told series, admittedly, not the one with Billy Piper and the who’s who of David Tennant’s former and future cast-mates, but rather the "Macbeth" adaptation, written by Peter Moffat (yes Peter, not Steven) who also wrote "Einstein and Eddington" which will be shown later this year, with Andy Serkis and David Tennant in the title roles respectively. Oh, and she was also in "Othello" with Christopher Eccleston some years ago.
Patrick’s ex is played by Sarah Alexander – "Stardust", "Coupling", "Green Wing", "Teachers", "Smack the Pony" and some years ago "Armstrong and Miller". Understandably, with an IMDB list that contains all of those and more, she too hasn’t found the time to appear in Doctor Who, but it’s a matter of time. Right?
Which leaves Carl’s widow, played by Claire Rushbrook, not a particularly household name compared to the others – that is to say, if it’s name a name that doesn’t ring my bell then I’m sure few of you will know the name – but she’s a face that turns up every so often, like in "Ashes to Ashes", "Spaced", and of course, Doctor Who. Yes, she was in Doctor Who. In this case she was the excellent Ida Scott in "The Impossible Planet/Satan’s Pit". Ahhh, I hear one or two of you say – or it’s just the voices in my head I’m hearing, but never mind – now you know who I’m talking about.
So there you have it. A selection of the BBC’s talent, bringing you something new and fresh.
The BBC has helpfully classified the programme as a "comedy drama", which means that at best it will be both those things, at worse, neither. I’m hoping for somewhere in the middle and so far I haven’t been disappointed. There were some extremely amusing moments that whilst didn’t have me falling off my chair clutching my sides, they none the less still hit the funny bone. The part in the church, for instance, was classic. As was the argument scene between Martin and his wife which ends with their son turning up at just the wrong moment. In fact they were good enough for me to want to re-watch them on i-Player, which I have done and they still make me smirk.
Now, the humour is not everyone’s cup of fair trade espresso hot chocolate, but well worth at least a small sip. The first episode is now up on BBC i-Player, and the rest of the series will follow on Tuesdays at 9pm BBC. With more characterisation and less sweeping dramatic plot lines than most things that our neighbours across the pond throw us, I always feel I should watch more BBC dramas. That explains watching "Bonekickers", I suppose. Now, speaking of BBC dramas, I wonder if I can get hold of older episodes of "New Tricks"? Hmmmm.
* Today Anne-Marie decided she needs some new general icons that don't have anything to do with Doctor Who, Torchwood, David Tennant or John Barrowman. "Huh? Does this mean I have more interests now? That's... odd."
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