The idea of a channel devoted to classic films isn’t new, but in the UK Talking Pictures TV has found what seems to be the perfect nostalgic formula. While TCM (Turner Classic Movies) has been around since the 1990s and more recently Sony Movies has launched a dedicated ‘Classic’ channel, these and others tend to … Continue reading
Category Archives: Television
The Thief of Bagdad: a childhood spectacle of colour on a rainy day
Can you remember the first film you saw on colour TV? I can remember mine because, by pure luck, it was a spectacular timeless classic that had me glued to the screen – The Thief of Bagdad. It was a rainy August Bank Holiday in 1975. As a family, we were late adopters: for whatever … Continue reading
All The Rage – more delight for crime fiction fans
Fans of brilliantly plotted crime fiction will be delighted that the latest DI Adam Fawley thriller has been published. I was doubly delighted because I got to go to the launch party. All The Rage by my ultra-talented friend Cara Hunter is out now from Penguin Books – the fourth in her Oxford-set Fawley series … Continue reading
From Coronation Street to Ed Reardon’s Week via Agatha Christie: Nicola Sanderson talks stage, screen and radio
Nicola Sanderson is an incredibly versatile British actor with a record of success on stage, screen and radio – from thrillers to soap operas to comedies. I was lucky enough to see her as Auntie Lou in the stage production of Agatha Christie’s Love From a Stranger last year [2018] and have thoroughly enjoyed her … Continue reading
There’s No Way Out (and I’m actually ‘in’)
If there’s one thing more exciting than reading the latest Cara Hunter thriller, it’s being in the latest Cara Hunter thriller. That’s the honour bestowed upon me by my dear friend, the mind-bogglingly talented author of the best-selling Adam Fawley novels. Continue reading
The Tattooist – it’s short, but not short of horrors
Michael Wong, the Malaysian film-maker whose debut short The Story of 90 Coins picked up a host of awards (and was reviewed on this blog!), has released his second film – and it marks quite a change of direction. While 90 Coins was an engaging romance which ran to nine minutes, The Tattooist is a … Continue reading
In the Dark? Yes, I was
Detective Inspector Adam Fawley is back in the second thriller by Cara Hunter – which means I got to enjoy more reflected glory (Cara is a friend) and another launch event. Cara’s debut Close to Home has been a runaway best-seller, a Richard and Judy book club choice, and an audiobook starring Lee Ingleby. Continue reading
Meet Mhairi Calvey – the in-demand actress, whose career started, age 5, eating donuts with Mel Gibson!
From the role of Young Murron in Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning Braveheart to in-demand lead in a huge range of features and shorts, Mhairi Calvey‘s career has come a long way in the last 25 years. As an actor, she has some exciting feature films on the way, and is also writing and directing her own … Continue reading
Sexy, scary or silly – ex-athlete and model Johanna loves every role
Johanna Rae must be one of the busiest actresses in LA – and one of the most versatile. I first saw her as Jamie, a gripping performance in the very demanding central part in the horror short Lilitu (2015), and in total contrast she was hilariously goofy Britany in the caper comedy Masterminds (2016). Continue reading
Close to Home – the clever twists and turns of a crime thriller for our times
I don’t usually post about books in this blog, but I don’t usually have even a tangential involvement in a best-selling crime novel and I don’t usually get invited to the fizz-fuelled launch in an Oxford museum. In the case of Cara Hunter‘s debut Close to Home both apply, so I took a short break … Continue reading