PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON 'HOUDINI & DOYLE' PERIOD SET PARANORMAL PROCEDURAL TV SERIES WITH MICHAEL WESTON AND STEPHEN MANGAN

'HOUDINI & DOYLE' TV SHOW

FIRST TRAILER AND PHOTOS

When winter ends in couple of months one of the first of the brand new period set television series to arrive to us with Spring will be HOUDINI & DOYLE with Michael Weston and Stephen Mangan in the titular roles. The historical crime series will air on ITV Encore in The United Kingdom, at Fox in the United States and also on Shaw Media in Canada, connecting the greatest magician of all times with the legendary creator of Sherlock Holmes! The show itself is based on their real life friendship, which was very unlikely to begin with given that Houdini was a debunker of mediums and psychics, while Doyle was an ardent spiritualist!

SERIES INSPIRED BY A REAL LIFE FRIENDSHIP

Inspired by true events, HOUDINI & DOYLE historical procedural draws heavily on the rich history of the period. Two great men of the 20th Century – Harry Houdini (Michael Weston) and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Stephen Mangan) – grudgingly join forces with New Scotland Yard in Edwardian England to investigate unsolved and inexplicable crimes with a supernatural slant. You will watch them teaming up in 1901 London at the behest of Constable Adelaide Stratton (Rebecca Liddiard), a somewhat fictionalized take on a little-known historical figure, to investigate crimes that might or might not have a supernatural component.
In the ten episode series, the two of the great characters of the 20th century, Houdini, master magician, escape artist and paranormal debunker, and Doyle, creator of the world’s greatest detective and a paranormal aficionado, grudgingly join forces to investigate crimes with a supernatural slant. Although they’re both rich, famous and brilliant, they’re the original odd couple, with Houdini believing in nothing, Doyle in everything. Emily Carey will appear as Mary Conan Doyle!

ENCHANTING TRAILERS FOR NEW YEAR'S NEW EPIC SERIES 'JERICHO' WITH JESSICA RAINE, HANS MATHESON, 'DICKENSIAN' WITH TOM WESTON JONES, PAULINE COLLINS, STEPHEN REA

'JERICHO' EPIC TV SERIES

TODAY'S WILDERNESS, TOMORROW'S FUTURE

We continue reminding you of all the epic series beginning around New Years, starting today with ITV's JERICHO which will air in January starring Jessica Raine and Hans Matheson. Set in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1870s, the 8 part drama focuses upon the shanty town of Jericho, home to a community that will live, thrive and die in the shadow of the viaduct they’ve been brought together to build. Rough, rustic and remote with a carnival atmosphere, Jericho is a community of pioneers, settlers and outcasts, people with secrets to hide and those looking to start again.

'DICKENSIAN' EPIC TV SERIES

ENCHANTING NEW TRAILER

Meanwhile, rival BBC is all ready and set to start airing their wonderful new half hour series DICKENSIAN from Saturday December 26th! The enchanting 20 part drama will be set within the fictional realms of Charles Dickens' critically acclaimed novels, bringing together some of his most iconic characters as their lives intertwine in 19th century London. Stephen Rea as Inspector Bucket, Tom Weston Jones as Meriwether Compeyson, Pauline Collins as Mrs Gamp, Ned Dennehy as Scrooge, Anton Lesser as Fagin, Caroline Quentin as Mrs Bumble, are all set to star!

PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON 'BEOWULF' EPIC FANTASY TV SERIES WITH KIERAN BEW, ED SPELEERS, WILLIAM HURT, ELLIOT COWAN, JOE SIMS, JOANNE WHALLEY

'BEOWULF' EPIC TV SERIES

RETURN TO THE SHIELDLANDS
We've started our festive end of December yesterday with INDIAN SUMMERS and all till the end of the month I will be reminding you or presenting you with all the new historical and epic shows that are launching around the New Years! Today you can check out our final premium spotlight on ITV's new fantasy series BEOWULF: RETURN TO THE SHIELDLANDS which will bring mythical family adventure to the small screens from Sunday, January 3rd, and later on January ... ... 23rd at Esquire Network in USA as well! Filled with our most beloved hunks Kieran Bew and Elliot Cowan from DA VINCI'S DEMONS, Ed Speleers from ERAGON and DOWNTON ABBEY and Joe Sims from BROADCHURCH, the 13 part drama will follow the adventures of the famous mythical hero BEOWULF.

BRITAIN'S DARK AGES  
The series is set in the mythical Shieldlands, a place of spectacle and danger populated by both humans and fantastical creatures. Essentially, a western set in the Dark Ages of Britain’s mythic past, in which BEOWULF who, after spending many years wandering as a mercenary warrior, returns to Herot to pay his respects to the recently deceased Thane, Hrothgar - the man who raised him. But when Herot is attacked by the terrifying monster Grendl, Beowulf has no choice but to hunt it down, winning favour with Herot’s new female Thane, and the wider community, in the process. And so begins a personal journey that sees this mighty and capable man slowly reconnect with the notion of family and home.

THE STARSTUDDED CAST

Kieran Bew plays the lead role of Beowulf, William Hurt will play Hrothgar, Joanne Whalley takes on the role of Rheda. David Harewood will play Scorann, a born warrior, fearsome fighter and man of great honour, Ed Speleers has been cast in the role of Slean, David Ajala will play Rate and the cast will also see warriors or villains played by our favourite Bristol hunk Joe Sims, Elliot Cowan, Lee Boardman, David Bradley and Emmet J Scanlan.

KIERAN BEW IS BEOWULF

Beowulf is an exceptional and intelligent warrior with a reputation as a fearless ‘hero’ that he struggles to live up to and accept. What BEOWULF realises upon arriving to Herot is that what it needs to survive isn’t a Reeve who will ‘go by the book’ but one who’ll do what it takes to ensure its survival. He knows he has to step up for this community to stand a fighting chance.

JOANNE WHALLEY IS REDA

Capable, intelligent, tough when she needs to be and Herot’s Thane, Rheda proves herself as a leader and at times dangerous politician.

ED SPELEERS IS SLEAN

Rheda’s son. Ambitious, intelligent and greedy but never the fighter his father was. Brave and with a burning desire to be a great warrior but lacking the natural talent that BEOWULF is blessed with, his feelings of inadequacy and insecurity have left their mark. He believes the rule of law is vital in Herot’s progression but that doesn’t mean he necessarily follows it himself.

 WILLIAM HURT IS HROTHGAR

The Thane of Herot who adopted Beowulf and aimed to mold the then boy into a leader - a boy who, in Hrothgar’s eyes, was inherently more capable than his own son.

1ST 'HOUDINI & DOYLE' TV SERIES PHOTOS WITH STEPHEN MANGAN, MICHAEL WESTON! 'RED MARS' CLASSIC SF SAGA ORDERED INTO SF TV SERIES! ABIGAIL BRESLIN IS BABY IN 'DIRTY DANCING' TV REMAKE

 ABIGAL BRESLIN IS BABY

IN TV'S 'DIRTY DANCING'  REMAKE

In TV news, ABC has found their Baby for the brand new small screen remake of famous dance movie DIRTY DANCING which they will produce in the form of a three hour mini series. Abigail Breslin will take on Jennifer Grey's original role! As 'Deadline' reports, like the original, the new DIRTY DANCING centres on Baby, an innocent young woman in the early 1960’s who vacations with her affluent parents and siblings in the Catskill Mountains and falls for the resort’s working-class dance instructor.

 'RED MARS' SF SAGA

ORDERED INTO TV SERIES  
Meanwhile, 'Deadline' also reports that Spike TV has officially ordered the ten episode sf series based on cult sf novels RED MARS by Kim Stanley Robinson that will air in January 2017 describing the colonization and terra forming of Mars into a place where humans can live sustainably! With rigorous attention to scientific detail, based on at-the-time current science and speculative science, the three novels had the large cast of widely different and richly detailed characters followed over the course of decades and centuries, as well as the somewhat utopian social and political ideals the novels explore.

 'HOUDINI & DOYLE'

FIRST PHOTOS FROM ITV'S PERIOD SET TV SERIES

Over at the British Isles, ITV has revealed the first look from their new historical series HOUDINI & DOYLE, revealing Stephen Mangan as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Michael Weston as Harry Houdini. Set at the turn of the 20th century, the ten part TV drama will explore the duo's friendship and how they, the creator of Sherlock Holmes and one of world's most famous illusionists,  worked with New Scotland Yard on unsolved crimes. The series will air sometime next year inspired by their real life friendship!

2,500 HOLLYWOOD YOUNG STARS AUDITION FOR STAR WARS HAN SOLO SPIN OFF MOVIE! ITV ORDERS 'THE HALCYON' HOTEL WW2 SERIES!

 'STAR WARS' HAN SOLO SPIN

OFF AUDITIONS 2,500 ACTORS

And while Steven Spielberg confirmed today that he is still planning to make INDIANA JONES 5 and that he has no intention of replacing Harrison Ford in the lead role with some of the popular young actors (Chris Pratt was mentioned in gossips), Harrison will still be replaced by a young actor in STAR WARS Han Solo spin-off movie to be directed by moviemakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

FROM COLTON TO HUNTER   
And more than 2,500 actors have already auditioned for the role in the film set for May 2018 release! And the list of those who have tried out for the role of young HAN SOLO includes some well known names such as: X MEN'S Aaron Johnson, WALKING DEAD's Chandler Riggs, Hunter Parrish, JURASSIC WORLD's Nick Robinson, Miles Teler, Dave Franco, Ed Westwick, Tom Felton, GALAVANT's Joshua Sasse, Ansel Elgort, Logan Lerman, TRANSFORMERS' Jack Reynor, ARROW's Colton Haynes, and even MR. ROBOT's Rami Malek! Before this one hits the cinema, you will first see STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS later this month, then STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE spin off December 2016 and STAR WARS VIII in May 2017!

 'THE HALCYON' HOTEL

WW2 SET DRAMA AT ITV

Do you wonder how will ITV replace DOWNTON ABBEY which ends this Christmas? They plan to open the doors of THE HALCYON Hotel, an eight part series which will reveal London life against the backdrop of WW2 and the impact it has on families, politics, relationships and work across every social strata. The story will unspool through the eyes of journalist Joe O’Hara visiting the bustling and glamorous five-star hotel! 

SPOTLIGHT ON NEW 19TH CENTURY HISTORICAL TV SERIES 'JERICHO' WITH JESSICA RAINE, HANS MATHESON, MARK ADDY

'JERICHO' EPIC TV SERIES 

 JESSICA RAINE & HANS MATHESON IN BRITISH WESTERN

Another new British historical series to spotlight today with some brand new photos and a link to watch the trailer (I will embed one below as soon as they give it to us) - ITV's new epic series JERICHO which has been announced for airing in January! The story will be spread in eight episodes with the cast lead by Jessica Raine, Mark Addy and Hans Matheson!

LIVE, THRIVE AND DIE 

Set in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1870s, JERICHO follows Annie (Jessica Raine) who travels to the shantytown of Jericho, home to a community that will live, thrive and die in the shadow of the viaduct they’ve been brought together to build. She's here to build a new life for her family and finds romance in the shape of Johnny (Hans Matheson), a mysterious stranger. Rustic and remote and beautiful, yet with a wild west, carnival atmosphere, JERICHO is a community of pioneers, settlers and outcasts, people with secrets to hide and those looking to start again.

SPOTLIGHT ON NEW PERIOD SET HORROR SERIES 'THE FRANKENSTEIN CHRONICLES' WITH SEAN BEAN, ED STOPPARD AND ANNA MAXWELL MARTIN

THE FRANKENSTEIN CHRONICLES 

NEW EPIC HORROR TV SERIES

What better way to mark today's Hallow's Eve than with some good old English horror! Popular British ITV channel (which is currently airing JEKYLL AND HYDE series to be followed soon by BEOWULF epic saga) is ready to start airing new period set horror series THE FRANKEN- STEIN CHRON- ICLES on Wednesday November 11th in six episodes with the cast lead by Sean Bean, Anna Maxwell Martin, Richie Campbell, Samuel West, Ed Stoppard, Charlie Creed Miles, Steven Berkoff and Kate Dickie! Incorporating elements from the investigative and horror genres with an extraordinary hero at its centre, Inspector John Marlott, played by multi award winning leading actor Sean Bean, is taken on a terrifying journey in pursuit of a chilling and diabolical foe.

STEP INTO THE DARKNESS
With the slogan Step Into the Darkness, and set in Georgian London in 1827 THE FRANKENSTEIN CHRONICLES will be an epic reimagining of one of literature's most famous stories.To be aired at A&E over in USA too, it tells the story of Marlott, a Thames River detective, hunting down a killer who appears to be assembling humans from mutilated body parts in a copycat twist on the Frankenstein story. When a child’s corpse is discovered during an investigation, Marlott is horrified to discover that it’s in fact a grotesque assembly of human body parts. In classic outlier fashion, his probe takes him into the dangerous, picturesquely crime-ridden London demimonde — and soon sets him at odds with the medical and political establishments. Benjamin Ross, know for masterfully THE YOUNG POISONER'S HANDBOOK, is directing.