ITV

Tag: Imelda Staunton

  • Netflix launches trailer for the fifth season of The Crown

    Netflix launches trailer for the fifth season of The Crown

    Mumbai: The official trailer for the fifth season of The Crown was released today, a first chance to see the new cast in their interpretation of the Royal Family characters that Peter Morgan first created in 2016.

    The new season launches globally on Wednesday 9 November.

    Inspired by real events, this fictional dramatisation tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the political and personal events that shaped her reign.

    With the new decade in its stride, the Royal Family are presented with possibly their biggest challenge to date; as the public openly question their role in 90s Britain.

    As Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton) approaches the 40th anniversary of her accession, she reflects on a reign that has encompassed nine prime ministers, the advent of mass television and the twilight of the British empire. Yet new challenges are on the horizon. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the transfer of sovereignty in Hong Kong signals a seismic shift in the international order presenting both obstacles and opportunities. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing closer to home.

    Prince Charles (Dominic West) pressures his mother to allow him to divorce Diana (Elizabeth Debicki), presenting a constitutional crisis of the monarchy. Rumours circulate as husband and wife are seen to live increasingly separate lives and, as media scrutiny intensifies, Diana decides to take control of her own narrative, breaking with family protocol to publish a book that undermines public support for Charles and exposes the cracks in the House of Windsor.

    Tensions are set to rise further, as Mohamed Al Fayed (Salim Daw)  arrives on the scene. Driven by his desire for acceptance of the highest order, he harnesses his self-made wealth and power to try and earn him and his son Dodi (Khalid Abdalla) a seat at the royal table.

    Written by Peter Morgan, The Crown‘s fifth series stars Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as The Duke of Edinburgh, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana and Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker Bowles. Jonny Lee Miller takes on the role of John Major. Also featured is Claudia Harrison as Princess Anne, Marcia Warren as the Queen Mother, James Murray as Prince Andrew and Sam Woolf as Prince Edward. Playing the role of the young princes will be Timothée Sambor and Senan West as Prince William and Teddy Hawley and Will Powell as Prince Harry. Prasanna Puwanarajah is Martin Bashir, Salim Daw is Mohamed Al Fayed with Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed.

  • BBC’s TV distribution event kicks off in Brighton

    BBC’s TV distribution event kicks off in Brighton

    MUMBAI: TV stars from some of BBC Worldwide’s top-selling series are out in force in Brighton to support this year’s BBC Showcase, the world’s largest trade event hosted by a single television distributor.

    The BBC Worldwide event sees a week of international premieres as over 550 buyers from TV networks in 100 countries jet into the UK to buy the best of British programmes.

    Joining them are the stars from series like Mistresses, Ashes to Ashes, Oliver Twist and Cranford who will attend special gala events held to help launch key BBC Worldwide titles.

    Already on the guest list are actors Sarah Parish, Shelley Conn, Sharon Small, Orla Brady, Patrick Baladi, Raza Jaffrey, Max Brown and Adam Rayner from contemporary BBC drama series Mistresses – they will be helping to kick off the four-day TV industry event at a special opening dinner held in the programme’s honour.

    Primeval’s James Murray will also attend, following the series’ huge international sales success.

    In addition, Imelda Staunton and Timothy Spall will also be there, representing the BBC’s success in period drama for Cranford and Oliver Twist, respectively.

    BBC Worldwide is the UK’s largest television exporter, generating £216 million from programme sales last year. Over 1,000 hours of new British programming are available to view at BBC Showcase 2008. The average buyer sits at their viewing booth for 10 hours a day, for four days, to preview as much British programming as possible. Over 100 producers and scriptwriters descend on Brighton to help BBC Worldwide pitch to TV networks from across the globe

    Over 550 buyers will attend the annual event, where they will view around 1,000 hours of the latest, leading television output from Britain.

    Daily screening sessions are held across all genres, as sales teams and leading producers pitch directly to network buyers from around the world. Buyers will be presented with co-production propositions, formats and finished programming.

    Set in a world where friends have become the new family, Mistresses follows the lives and loves of a group of 30-something girlfriends who met at university. But their lives have taken very different turns.

    Cranford stars Oscar-winner Judi Dench and follows the small absurdities and major tragedies in the lives of the people of Cranford, as they are besieged by forces that they cannot withstand.