New BBC Drama

Eve Myles will play the title role in Frankie, a new six-part series created and written by Lucy Gannon for BBC One.

Frankie is a modern take on the life and work of a dedicated district nurse whose patients matter more to her than her personal life.

Filmed and set in Bristol, the series follows Frankie and her team as they visit their patients at home, and takes a look at ordinary lives which are often in huge domestic crises.

Eve Myles said: “This is an incredible leading part for a female. It’s tremendous pressure but also tremendously exciting. I can’t wait to step into Frankie’s shoes and get on set. I’m desperate to start. Frankie is an infectious character, she’s electric, quirky, wonderful at her job and adapts to every situation. She’s a vibrant woman trying to live life in the fast lane and juggle a job. Lucy Gannon is an incredible writer and writes relationships so beautifully.”

Joining the cast are Dean Lennox Kelly as Frankie’s long term boyfriend Ian, and Derek Riddell, her confidant and team member Andy.

Lucy Gannon said: “I’m thrilled to be writing about strong modern people, people you and I might know, in our real life communities, a team of lively, varied people who all - whatever their flaws, are determined to make a difference, to make life better.”

September 06 2012 - waveguide.co.uk

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Emmerdale - Live Episode

Emmerdale's 40th birthday will end badly for at least one of its characters who will be killed off in the special live anniversary episode.

Soap bosses are keeping quiet about the identity of the "well-loved character" who will meet "with an untimely death" in the hour-long episode which will also include the arrival of two babies and two weddings.

Series producer Stuart Blackburn said: "In our spectacular live episode viewers will be taken on a whirlwind journey encompassing every life experience from the two cradles to the grave with love, hate and betrayal along the way. We want to avoid speculation as to which character dies but suffice to say it will have major, far-reaching repercussions."

Blackburn added: "It's live in October on a hill in Yorkshire - what could go wrong? The only thing giving me sleepless nights is the weather."

Executive producer John Winston refused to say which character would die, but hinted: "The soap gods are like the Mounties, they always get their man. There was a feeling this character has it coming."

September 06 2012 - waveguide.co.uk

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E4 To Showcase New Drama

Channel 4 Head of Drama, Piers Wenger today announced a pilot scheme to develop new drama for E4, a first for the channel.

Wenger and the Channel 4 drama commissioning team are calling to British indies and writers to bring them bold, authored, entertaining drama ideas aimed at 16-34s. Home to BAFTA winning hit drama series Skins and Misfits, E4 will broadcast the pilot episodes in 2013 as part of its inaugural drama pilot season and increased commitment to home-grown drama.

Piers Wenger said: "This is an exciting first step in the development of a slate of new drama series for E4. There is a wealth of British drama talent out there and I am thrilled to be able to green-light a drama pilot season and invite new and established writers to come to us with their big ideas.

September 06 2012 - waveguide.co.uk

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Simon Cowell X Factor Changes

Simon Cowell has flown into the UK to give The X Factor a "mini makeover" but has denied rumours he will appear in the current series.

The music mogul is said to be unhappy with declining ratings and criticism of the latest series of the talent show so is personally overseeing the edits to give this weekend's shows an overhaul.

Cowell has denied rumours he is going to appear on The X Factor, but said in an interview he is not ruling out a return in the future.

September 06 2012 - waveguide.co.uk

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Plaque For Late Monty Python Star

The life of former Monty Python star Graham Chapman has been remembered with a blue plaque in north London.

Fellow Pythons Michael Palin and Terry Jones unveiled the plaque and were joined by comedians and former colleagues Barry Cryer and Carol Cleveland.

The plaque is on the wall of The Angel Inn pub in Highgate.

The memorial was organised by Chapman's family and friends after English Heritage dropped plans for an official plaque due to budget cuts. The plaque describes Chapman, who died in 1989, as "a very naughty" boy, and says that he "drank here often and copiously".

Palin said: "This was Graham's manor and Graham was a lovely guy. I spent many happy times with him, most of which I forget.

"This was where he was and we used to come up here to see him. Highgate was his patch and he should be celebrated because he was a very good, brilliant, funny, nice, wise, kind man, who occasionally drank too much."

Palin said he believed Chapman would have been pleased that so many of his friends turned out to celebrate his life: "I think he'd be suitably impressed that we all came along. He would have stroked his sideburns a bit as he was known to do. I think he would have approved."

Cryer echoed Palin's words about the significance of the pub and described Chapman as "one of my best mates". He said: "We did an awful lot of writing together, but also an awful lot of drinking together.

"I think the pub is the perfect place to put the plaque. Very Graham, very silly."

Chapman's life and times will be the basis of the forthcoming film A Liar's Autobiography - The Untrue Story Of Monty Python's Graham Chapman, based on his book, and will star the man himself through audio recordings. The animated film brings Chapman together with fellow Pythons Palin, Jones, John Cleese and Terry Gilliam for the first time in 23 years.

September 06 2012 - waveguide.co.uk

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Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber said he has not yet signed up to do another series with ITV after the final of his last show pulled in only half the audience which previous finals on the BBC attracted.

The composer switched from the BBC earlier this year to make Superstar - which saw singer Ben Forster chosen to play the son of God in an arena tour of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

Speaking at the GQ Men of the Year Awards, Lord Lloyd-Webber said he was going to be concentrating on bringing his latest musical, about Stephen Ward, one of the key figures in the Profumo affair, to the stage.

He said: "That could be two years off, but what I can say is I'm in discussions to do a special with ITV after Superstar."

An average of 3.3 million watched the 75-minute Superstar final compared with the 7.2 million who watched the final of his I'd Do Anything show on BBC One and the six million who watched Over The Rainbow.

Forster, a 31-year-old stage school graduate, will join the cast which includes comic Tim Minchin as Judas Iscariot, DJ Chris Moyles as King Herod and Melanie C as Mary Magdalene when it goes on tour in September.

September 06 2012 - waveguide.co.uk

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Dermot O'Leary Not Worried By Ratings

Presenter Dermot O'Leary has said he is not worried by the ratings for this year's series of The X Factor.

The ITV1 show, featuring Gary Barlow, Nicole Scherzinger, Louis Walsh and Tulisa Contostavlos as judges, has performed less well than last year and recently notched up its lowest figures for the series so far.

But O'Leary said: "I never really worry about the ratings because it's been an Indian summer and everyone is out enjoying the sun rather than watching telly aren't they?"

He joked that the sunshine was "why Australia doesn't really have a TV industry", adding "everyone would rather be outside."

Speaking at GQ Men Of The Year Awards, he added: "And even if the ratings dip we are still doing pretty well."

The presenter said he enjoyed having Sharon Osbourne back on the ITV1 show in the judges' houses stage, saying: "She sparkles and she's outspoken and she's great on TV."

He defended changing X Factor rules so singers with management deals can enter.

"It's naive to make a show like this and expect to get people who have never auditioned before or tried to have made it," he said.

September 06 2012 - waveguide.co.uk

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