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DVDs in the Works

Archive for the ‘Fantasy’ Category

December 21st, 2012

Doctor Who meets the Snowmen this Christmas

Doctor Who Snowmen

In five days the great tradition of the Doctor Who Christmas Special will be renewed with a new adventure “The Snowmen.” It’s a lavishly costumed romp set on Christmas Eve 1892, with Richard E. Grant (The Crimson Petal and the White) guest-starring as the sinister Doctor Simeon and introducing the Doctor’s new companion Clara (Jenna Louise-Coleman, Titanic [2012]). Off-screen, the voice of the Snowmen is provided by none other than Sir Ian McKellen. “The Snowmen” will premiere on BBC America December 25th at 9pm ET / 8pm CT / 9pm PT, and on Space  December 25th at 9pm ET / 6pm PT. Releases on DVD and Blu-ray will follow sometime in 2013.

Fan Alert: Martin Freeman, currently starring as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, is well-known to longtime fans of The Office and Sherlock. He’s pretty easy to spot even in make-up, but recognizing other BBC talent presents a greater challenge. Beneath the dwarves’ beards and prosthetics are Richard Armitage (Robin Hood, MI-5) as Thorin, Aidan Turner (Being Human, Desperate Romantics) as Kili, and James Nesbit (Jekyll, Ballykissangel) as Bofur. We failed to spot Stephen Fry (Blackadder) as the Master of Laketown, but something essentially Sylvester McCoy (Doctor #7) shone through the persona of the wizard Radagast the Brown. The most disguised of all, performance capture wizard Andy Serkis as Gollum, may be seen in Little Dorrit in his Emmy-nominated performance as Rigaud.

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December 6th, 2012

Merlin Season Four on DVD and Blu-ray

Merlin Season 4

This picture from Merlin: Season 4 has a lyricism worthy of an Edward Burne-Jones treatment, and so much more upbeat than Burne-Jones’s own painting of The Beguiling of Merlin. But there is reason to be bittersweet as we await the North American debut of Season 5 next month, because it is to be Merlin’s final season. On the plus side, we are proud to offer Merlin: Season 4 as the first Blu-ray for this series. Joining series regulars Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Anthony Head, Katie McGrath and Richard Wilson (One Foot in the Grave) are guest stars Nathaniel Parker (Inspector Lynley Mysteries), Emilia Fox (Upstairs Downstairs: Season 2), Lindsay Duncan (Wallander 3), Gemma Jones (MI-5) and, in the two-part finale “The Sword in the Stone,” Ben Daniels (Law & Order: UK).  You may pre-order DVD and Blu-ray, available on January 15, 2013.

Look for Merlin Season Five on SyFy on January 4, 2013, and on Space in Canada in January, date still to be announced.

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September 28th, 2012

Six-season Doctor Who Gift set

Doctor Who: Limited Edition Giftset

As the last Doctor Who episode until Christmastime airs tomorrow, September 29th, many Whovians may experience pangs of withdrawal, especially since tomorrow’s episode marks the final appearance of Karen Gillen and Arthur Darvill as Amy and Rory. If you’re a newcomer to Doctor Who, or just lately realized that you’ve become a super-fan, we’re putting together a big gift set for release November 20th.  In addition to all of the new series seasons and specials through Season Six and “The Christmas Carol,” the Doctor Who Limited Edition Gift Set also includes the popular Eleventh Doctor sonic screwdriver, a bonus disc of three BBC America specials on DVD for the first time, three art prints and the “Doctor Who at Comic Con” comic book. Even at full list price, the savings are over 50% of the cost of buying the DVDs separately, but you can save even more during this weekend’s 20% off sale at both BBC America and BBC Canada Shops.

Viewer Alert: Call the Midwife premieres on PBS this Sunday, September 30th, at 8pm ET in the time slot before Masterpiece. If you like what you see, the home video releases offer even more – the full 60-minute versions of the episodes. Coming November 6th, the DVD and Blu-ray, as well as the companion book are available for pre-order now.

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September 21st, 2012

Sinbad from the makers of Primeval

Sinbad

Laurie Sparham © 2012 BBC Worldwide/Sky 1

The wizards at Impossible Pictures who brought so many amazing creatures through the Anomaly in Primeval have set their hands and computers to the Sinbad legend. We’ve seen the first two episodes and can attest that the mythical beasts are of the highest caliber. Newcomer Elliot Knight stars as the errant sailor, and Naveen Andrews (Lost, The Buddha of Suburbia) is his nemesis, Lord Akbari, whose magical powers have a long reach. The constant wandering by Sinbad and his crew allows for some juicy guest appearances along the way from Sophie Okonedo (Oliver Twist [2007]), Timothy Spall (A Room with a View [2008] and Dougray Scott (My Week with Marilyn). SyFy has announced its plans to air Sinbad in April 2013, while in Canada the series is coming to the end of its first season on Space. Sinbad will be available on both DVD and Blu-ray.

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March 23rd, 2012

The final Sarah Jane Adventures

Sarah Jane Adventures

As the Doctor Who community speculates over the announcement that Jenna-Louise Coleman will be the Doctor’s next companion, we turn our attention to Elisabeth Sladen, whose seasons on Doctor Who as Sarah Jane Smith from 1973 to 1976 redefined our expectations for all the companions who came after. The Sarah Jane Adventures spin-off series, which followed her successful reunion with the Doctor in 2006 opposite David Tennant, delighted her long-standing fans as well as a new generation. Sadly, Elisabeth Sladen died last April while Season Five was still in production, but six of the planned episodes were completed, and subsequently aired in the UK last fall. The DVD includes three two-part stories and a memorial piece, Goodbye Bannerman Road.

Don’t forget, Frozen Planet continues this Sunday at 8 pm on Discovery in both the US and Canada.

Good news for Foyle’s War fans: The popular detective series starring Michael Kitchen is being revived for an eighth season, airing on ITV1 next year and hopefully coming to DVD soon after.

Opening this week in cinemas: Rachel Weisz (Page Eight), Tom Hiddleston (Wallander) and Simon Russell Beale (MI-5 – Vols 9 & 10) star an acclaimed new adaptation of The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan. Our nine-play DVD The Terence Rattigan Collection includes the BBC’s 1994 version, which starred Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey), Colin Firth and Ian Holm.

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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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