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DVDs in the Works

Archive for the ‘Fantasy’ Category

February 10th, 2012

New blood in Being Human Season 4

Being Human

The new eight-part season of Being Human just premiered in the UK, and we North Americans don’t have very long to wait. Both BBC America and Space in Canada have set the night of Feb 25 for the Season 4 premiere. The DVD and Blu-ray will follow sometime this spring.

Sadly, Mitchell (Aidan Turner) was shot with a wolf-shaped bullet in last season’s finale, but Annie (Leonora Crichlow) and George (Russell Tovey) are back. Michael Socha also returns as the werewolf Tom, and there’s a new vampire in town, Hal (Damien Molony). Those who follow the live feeds from the National Theatre may have recently seen Molony in Travelling Light. Look for Aidan Turner this December as Kili in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

To get in the mood for a season of scary roommates, BBC America is running the Roommate from Hell contest (open to US residents only).

BAFTA / AbFab alert: This Sunday night at 8pm ET BBC America is airing the fabulous film awards ceremony of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. We look forward to it every year, but especially this year because Stephen Fry is returning to host the show

after several years’ absence. To top off the night, BBC America will air the second 20th Anniversary Absolutely Fabulous special at 11pm ET. It features a hilarious turn by Lindsay Duncan (The Rise and Fall of Margaret Thatcher) as the sort of legendary French film star who has grown accustomed to universal worship. Canadian broadcast information is not yet announced.

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January 13th, 2012

Who are the Fades?

The Fades

One of the most talked about BBC series this fall was The Fades, which premieres on BBC America this Saturday, January 14, at 9pm ET. Created by Jack Thorne (Skins), The Fades is firmly in the horror genre, but with a strong thread of mystery surrounding who the Fades are and why they are appearing now. Within the mundane world of suburbia and school, the story unfolds with the heightened imagery of graphic novels. Iain De Caestecker stars as Paul– bewildered seventeen-year-old, reluctant hero and social pariah. Daniel Kaluuya (Skins S1 and S2) plays Paul’s best and only friend Mac, who applies everything he’s learned from the movies to the crisis at hand (with mixed results). The Fades producer Caroline Skinner is also one to watch. She’s the new executive producer for this year’s series of Doctor Who, replacing Piers Wenger and Beth Willis.

A brand new Nerdist special follows Episode One on BBC America at 10:15 pm ET. Devoted to the horror genre, the special features Lily Lovelace (Skins S3 and S4) talking about her role as Paul’s mortified sister, Anna. The cast of The Fades also includes Natalie Dormer (The Tudors, Captain America), Johnny Harris (Whitechapel) and Daniela Nardini (This Life, Reckless). In Canada The Fades premiered January 3rd on BBC Canada, which will air it through Feb 7th on Tuesdays at 8pm ET. The DVD and Blu-ray will be available on February 21st, the Tuesday after the series finale airs on BBC America.

Dramaville Fan Alert: Remember that The Hour and Luther Season Two are in the running for Golden Globe Awards. The ceremony, hosted once more by the irrepressible Ricky Gervais (The Office, An Idiot Abroad) airs this Sunday, January 15th, at 8pm ET on NBC. As we mentioned before, The Hour is up against Downton Abbey, which made its much anticipated return to Masterpiece last Sunday. Series Two is already available for pre-order, delivering February 7th.

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November 4th, 2011

Primeval – now ready for Blu-ray

Primeval

This is the year when Primeval not only came back from extinction, but finally entered the hi-def age. That means that Primeval: Volume 3 (which combines Seasons 4 and 5) will be available on Blu-ray as well as standard DVD. Since Season 4 ended last February, we have been eagerly awaiting Season 5, which premieres next Saturday, November 12th on BBC America. In Canada the premiere is Thursday, November 10th on Space.

Primeval: Volume 3 offers thirteen episodes packed with creatures plucked out of their comfort zones, plus New Dawn (a two-part “Making of” feature) and the five prequel webisodes which you may have caught on BBCAmerica.com. Our favorite prequel includes tantalizing cell phone footage of a stocky dinosaur rampaging through the Members Bar of the House of Commons. We’re glad it’s a keeper now.

As we have seen in previous seasons, the business of working with monsters and unstable geniuses creates a steady turnover at the ARC, second only to that of teachers of the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. This year’s new faces include: Ciaran McMenamin (David Copperfield-1999) as the enigmatic newly recruited field leader; Ruth Kearney as the perky team coordinator; and Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as a charming, rich and famous genius we can’t quite trust. Primeval Volume 3 will crash through an anomaly near you on January 10, 2012.

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October 7th, 2011

Merlin’s magic grows from strength to strength

Merlin: Season 3

It comes as no surprise to fans that Merlin established a niche for itself on SyFy. The youth-oriented take on the Arthurian legend has something for everybody: attractive leads in Colin Morgan and Bradley James, Katie McGrath as the relentlessly dangerous yet deliciously dressed Morgana, solid support from Anthony Head and Richard Wilson, “eye candy” art direction and enough twists on the traditional legend to keep you guessing. SyFy has already announced that Season Four (which just kicked off on the BBC) will air in the US in 2012. (Canadian broadcast details are not yet known.) With Season Four looming, the DVD of Merlin: Season 3 is expected to release early next year, in time to refresh your memory of last winter’s broadcast. This is the season that opened with screaming mandrakes, giant scorpions, a siege on Camelot by an army of 20,000 and a dozen or two sword-wielding skeletons. Semi-regulars and guest stars include Emilia Fox (David Copperfield –‘99), Miriam Margolyes (Oliver Twist –’85, Blackadder, Freud), Pauline Collins (Bleak House, Upstairs Downstairs – ITV) and a goblin voiced by Mark Williams (Harry Potter films, Sense & Sensibility).

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July 29th, 2011

Neverwhere: 15th Anniversary Edition

This is becoming a banner year for novelist Neil Gaiman. He fulfilled a lifelong dream to write for Doctor Who with “The Doctor’s Wife,” Episode 4 of Series 6. His bestselling novel American Gods marks its tenth anniversary, and it’s the fifteenth anniversary of Neverwhere, Gaiman’s first foray into television writing. (Like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the original project was for the BBC, and the novelization came later.) Neverwhere is set in the fantastical world of London Below, which bears a skewed connection to station names in the London Underground: Earls Court, Knightsbridge, Blackfriars… There’s even an angel Islington played by Peter Capaldi (Torchwood: Children of Earth, The Thick of It). Who knows the factual origin of the Angel Islington station name?

We felt that this early series was overdue for a special edition, and launched a quest for special materials. After much rummaging, we found a map of “London Below” from the 1996 press kit and reprinted it on cream paper for a DVD insert. The original cover concept was located in artist Dave McKean’s deep storage and reinstated on the new DVD’s front cover. Best of all: last week we recorded a brand-new commentary with co-writers Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry (Chef!) and producer Clive Brill (who may be better known to Judge John Deed fans as Sir Percy Thrower). In addition, we are retaining all the extras from the original North American DVD plus a highly requested option for subtitles. To pump up the picture quality, we are using masters that were restored for the 2007 UK DVD. Neverwhere will be available in time for Christmas.

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July 8th, 2011

Bed, Bath and Bedlam

Bedlam

There are so many imponderables involved in choosing housing. You’d think it was enough to check out the neighborhood, closet space, plumbing, conveniences, light availability and the like. Few stop to consider the history of the property, an oversight that that the residents of Bedlam Heights may soon regret. The building has been gutted and expertly renovated to appeal to young professionals, but its long – and woefully unenlightened — use as an insane asylum has made it a hotbed of psychic activity of the worst kind. Vengeful spirits of the inmates abound, and they have an uncanny ability to ferret out the guilty secrets of the living. In particular danger are the descendants of the asylum’s original proprietor: Kate Bettany (Charlotte Salt, Lady Ursula in The Tudors S4) and her father, Warren (Hugo Speer, Bleak House, Warrior Queen). The acorns haven’t fallen too far from the tree in the Bettany family, so it’s okay to root for the ghosts.

On the side of helping the restless souls to find peace is Kate’s cousin Jed (Theo James, who played the ill-starred Turkish diplomat in Downton Abbey). Jed’s ability to see ghosts and how they died makes him an especially handy man about the house, though his credibility in the everyday world is all but lost. Will Young (Marple: The Mirror Cracked From Side to Side, Mrs Henderson Presents) plays computer geek Ryan, who is always ready to research into the asylum records for the case histories. Incidentally, Will Young was also the first winner in the original UK Pop Idol series.

Attendees of ComicCon this year will have the chance to see Episode 1 of Bedlam on Friday at 5:15 PM, followed by a Q&A with Theo James and creator David Allison. The rest of us will have to wait till the premiere on October 8th’s Supernatural Saturday. Click here for further details of ComicCon including signing schedules and Matt Smith and Karen Gillan’s panel for Doctor Who.

BROADCAST ALERT: The next season of Torchwood premieres on Starz on Friday, July 8, at 10pm Eastern/Pacific time. Catch it now; the DVD won’t be out till next year.

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December 22nd, 2010

Here’s to 2011!

I don’t know how you are feeling by this time of the year but we’re beat! 2010 was a busy year, filled with successful new launches like Sherlock, Luther, and Life, but we certainly felt like we were all working twice as hard just to stay in place. As it quiets down I thought I’d take a look at the slate we’ve put together next year and share just a few of the things we’re looking forward to sharing with you in the upcoming year:

(1)    Human Planet.  For the first time our Natural History Unit has turned its world class cameramen and story tellers on the most successful animal on the planet—Humans.  What I’ve seen so far looks great!

(2)    More Sherlock!  ‘Nuff said.

(3)    Hamlet at Elsinore.  This much requested version stars Christopher Plummer in the title role.  Sir Michael Caine mentioned at a recent screening we attended that this was the best Hamlet he ever saw (he was also in it) and he wished it would come to DVD.  Your wish, Sir Michael, is our command.  There is also a new Macbeth starring Patrick Stewart, which is airing now in the UK.

(4)    More Primeval!  More MI-5!  More Being Human!  I’m getting a bit overexcited here, aren’t I?

(5)   And finally, our first BD releases of Top Gear (Series 14 and 15).

I don’t want to spoil all our surprises—we’ll have over a 100 new titles next year—but since we’re taking the next week off, we wanted to give you this exciting dose of DVD news to start off what we hope will be a great New Year!

Happy Holidays!

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December 3rd, 2010

Woo-Who! Same day Doctor Who!

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol

If you’ve tuned into BBC AMERICA lately, you’ll already know that this Christmas — for the first time in history – a Doctor Who episode will air in Britain and America on the same day, only hours apart! Over the past five years, the Doctor Who Christmas Specials have become a Christmas tradition for British viewers, so it’s quite a coup for BBC AMERICA to bring the tradition to the States this year with Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol. A number of factors have raised the pitch of excitement this time around. This is the first special to be penned by Steven Moffat (with a tip of his hat to Dickens). It’s the first special for 11th Doctor Matt Smith, who told Radio Times: “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do since I started the show. I love Christmas, plus I’ve always wanted to film something in July that has got snow in [it], loads of snow… it’s very Christmassy.”  And to play the Christmas-challenged Kazran Sardick is the legendary Sir Michael Gambon – legendary in the Harry Potter films as Professor Dumbledore, legendary in television for The Singing Detective, and legendary on Top Gear for executing a flying turn on a corner of the test track that now bears his name.

Watch the Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol trailer below and mark your calendars for tune-in time: Saturday, December 25, at 9pm Eastern/8 Central. To help set the mood, at 1pm on Christmas BBC AMERICA will also air the Doctor Who Prom, which we plan to include on the DVD and Blu-ray. Look for them next year, hopefully before the winter snows thaw.

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September 10th, 2010

Synchronized classic Doctor Who in 2011

Tom Baker - Doctor Who: Meglos

The lag between the UK and US release dates of classic Doctor Who DVDs has been a “prickly” issue for North American collectors lo these many years.  Well, good news… we’ve finally gotten ourselves organized!  Beginning with Meglos this January, we will release most new Who DVDs the day after they come out in the UK.  (Please do not be distressed by the thorny image of Tom Baker here. This is actually Meglos himself, a crafty xerophyte who attempts to impersonate the Doctor with hilarious results.) “Hang on!” I hear some of you say. What about the backlog from this year? What about The Dominators? Time and the Rani?  The Seeds of Doom? All will be slotted in as we progress through the year, usually in months in which there is only a single new title coming out in our territories. Does that mean there will be classic Doctor Who every month? Yes!  Probably. For those who wish to keep absolutely up to the minute on all this, the man with the plan tweets all at classicdw.

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September 3rd, 2010

Wedding bells for Sarah Jane?

The Sarah Jane Adventures

Ever since the new Doctor Who series began five years ago, fans have been clamoring for guest appearances by their favorite companions (and monsters) from the classic era. While each season seems to revive another species of monster, the only classic companion to return has been Sarah Jane Smith. When Elisabeth Sladen, who originally appeared with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, made a guest appearance opposite David Tennant in 2006, the enthusiastic fan reception inspired Russell T Davies to create the spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. The series is still going strong on the BBC, and Season Three offers the added attraction of a guest appearance by David Tennant in the last scenes he filmed as the Tenth Doctor. The Doctor doesn’t seem best pleased to see Sarah Jane hooking up with Nigel Havers, but since this season premieres on DVD, we’ll have to wait until early next year to find out why.

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