Ashes To Ashes Returns To BBC America

Ashes to Ashes cast - Dean Andrews (DS Ray Carling), Keeley Hawes (DI Alex Drake), Philip Glenister (DCI Gene Hunt), Montserrat Lombard (WPC Sharon "Shaz" Granger) and Marshall Lancaster (DC Chris Skelton). Photo copyright of the BBC

BBC America’s Ashes to Ashes, the critically acclaimed sequel to the UK hit Life on Mars, continues by fast forwarding a year to 1982, where leg warmers are cool and fluorescent is the color of choice. While Thatcher is in her element at No. 10 Downing Street, bullish Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister, Cranford,Life on Mars) is back, policing the streets in his politically incorrect and foul-mouthed style. 

Season two of Ashes to Ashes premieres Tuesday, May 11th @ 10:00 p.m. EST/PST on BBC America. Sassy Detective Inspector Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes) continues her fiery relationship with Hunt, and though no nearer to getting back to her daughter, Alex believes she’s suspended in time and finally understands how the world around her works. But when she starts hearing news from the future, she realizes nothing is as it seems. Clinging on to fast fading hope, she discovers she may mot be alone in her predicament. A mysterious stranger who also seems to be stuck in 1982 is making Alex doubt her current world is merely a figment of her imagination. Is he a friend who can help her get home, or a foe who will destroy all she knows? 

And while Gene Hunt saved her younger self from the car bomb that killed her parents, can she ever trust him enough to share in her extraordinary scenario? As she struggles to stay alive long enough to find a way home, it appears she needs him more than ever before. “Alex becomes much more part of the team,” explains Philip Glenister. “But there is a police corruption theme running throughout the season, so it does feel darker than season one; the corruption breeds a lack of trust and coherence which is unbalancing for everybody. However, viewers can still expect moments of high campiness and there are some great one-liners.” 

DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster, Life on Mars) and WPC Sharon “Shaz” Granger (Montserrat Lomboard) couldn’t be happier. He’s still trying his best to be the perfect ‘Feminist” boyfriend and wants to take their relationship to the next level, but predictably DS Ray Carling (Dean Andrews, Life on Mars) continues to tease him about his romantic gestures. Ray is also struggling to contain his emotions about the Falklands War,blaming the “Argies” and throwing his weight fully behind Maggie Thatcher. However, more testing times lie ahead for the trio. 

Producer Beth Willis says, “The new season of Ashes to Ashes movies in a slightly different direction and we’ve really enjoyed developing the characters and Alex’s journey further. Her and Gene’s relationship is so complex; it is very sparky and they obviously care for each other in a begrudging manner, so it’s interesting to see how this evolves. Ray and Chris are still by Gene’s side, but when police force legend Detective Superintendent “Supermac” Mackintosh (Roger Allam, The Queen, V for Vendetta) starts working with the team it looks as if Gene’s equilibrium could be broken.” 

The arrival of “Supermac” seems like a blessing to the team because he’s been hailed as a star within the force and someone not to be messed with. However, it’s not long before Gene’s gut instinct tells him something isn’t quite right. Could this cop legend be up to no good?” 

As noted above, photo copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Piers Wenger And Beth Willis Talk About Doctor Who

No rest for the weary Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) in his first adventure, The Eleventh Hour. Photo copyright of the BBC

This is the last of four BBC America press interviews with Doctor Who cast and crew, counting down to the premiere of the show’s new season on BBC America, April 17th @ 9:00 p.m. EST/PST. Enjoy!  

Piers Wenger and Beth Willis have taken on executive producer duties, alongside Steven Moffat, from the outgoing Doctor Who team of Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner. Here they reveal the challenges they have faced with taking on such a hugely successful series and why it’s so important for Doctor Who to evolve. 

“It has definitely been a big challenge taking on this show because we love it so much and why tinker with something that has been as popular, successful and brilliant as it has been?” says executive producer Beth Willis. “But at the same time we are terribly aware we have to look forward and work out how the show is going to survive in the future. In 2005, the team looked at what was fresh and new then and we have to do a bit of that ourselves. Looking at the episodes we’ve filmed so far, we’re starting to see the impact of those changes; what the team has managed to achieve is pretty thrilling.” 

Fellow executive producer and Head of Drama for BBC Wales, Piers Wenger, agrees and adds: “The thing which is most important to us is telling a good story at the end of the day; that’s always the thing the audience is going to be most demanding about. Beyond that, any changes we have made have been motivated by giving the show the best production values money can buy. It’s the nation’s favorite, and that means it deserves the best.” 

The advances in technology over the past five years have inevitably enabled the program makers to use more sophisticated techniques and create awe-inspiring visual effects. However, a new lead writer and Doctor are undoubtedly what viewers will feel mark the dawn of a new era for the hit series. 

“The fact that we have Steven Moffat [executive producer] writing it and Matt Smith [The Doctor] starring in it gives the show an inevitable element of change,” explains Willis. “However, the one thing that hasn’t made us scared about this change was reading Steven’s scripts. I feel deeply honored and excited to be in a position to be working with such great scripts. It doesn’t really matter what color you use, where the camera is or how you position a light; Steven and Matt are brilliant, which has made mine and Piers’ jobs much easier.” 

Renowned as the most dedicated and passionate fans in the world, it seems Whovians certainly have a lot to look forward to. But would Wenger and Willis consider themselves part of the loyal following? 

“Steven, myself and Piers were some of the most excited people in the country when we found out Doctor Who was coming back in 2005. Well, in truth, Steven was probably the most excited, but Piers and I weren’t that far behind him!” laughs Willis. 

“I’ve always been a fan and I was even accused at the age of eight of shoplifting a copy of Doctor Who Magazine from my local newsagents - completely wrongly I hasten to add,” confesses Wenger. “I was accused of it probably because I was in there all the time reading them!” 

As noted above, photo is copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

New Doctor Who Arrives On BBC America In April

Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor in Doctor Who. Photo copyright of the BBC

BBC America announced today that the new era of the BBC’s iconic BAFTA-winning drama, Doctor Who, will make its U.S. premiere on Saturday, April 17th, 2010, soon after the UK broadcast. Doctor Who, BBC America’s highest-rated series ever, continues its tradition of rebooting with new lead actors and creative team. Matt Smith debuts as the new, Eleventh incarnation of the famous Time Lord alongside a new traveling companion, the enigmatic Amy Pond (Karen Gillan).

“Britain has a tradition of reinventing its iconic characters, like James Bond, Sherlock Holmes – and Doctor Who. In introducing the Eleventh Doctor, writer Steven Moffat is opening the show to a whole new audience, while serving fans with an exciting mix of intergalactic time travelling adventures. We can’t wait to meet his new Doctor!”comments Richard De Croce, Senior vice President Programming, BBC America.

BAFTA-winning writer Steven Moffat, creator of some of the most frightening and award-winning Doctor Who episodes to date, takes over as lead writer and executive producer. Writers for the new series include Richard Curtis (The Boat that Rocked, Love Actually), Chris Chibnall (Law & Order UK, Torchwood), Toby Whithouse (Being Human, Torchwood), Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentleman, Sherlock) and Simon Nye (Men Behaving Badly, Hardware). Guest stars include SAG Award winner Alex Kingston (ER, Flash Forward), Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo (The Secret Life of Bees, Hotel Rwanda) and Tony Curran (24).

Travelling both through time and space, the new series has the mysterious Doctor and Amy Pond together exploring 16th century Venice, France during the 1890s and the United Kingdom in the far future, now an entire nation floating in space. The first three episodes of the 13-part series have been confirmed as The Eleventh Hour, written by Steven Moffat, The Beast Below, also by Moffat, and Victory of the Daleks by Mark Gatiss.

Moffat’s work includes the hit comedy Coupling, the critically-acclaimed thriller Jekyll, the new BBC series Sherlock and, along with Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, the screenplay for The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, which is being directed by Steven Spielberg.

Piers Wenger and Beth Willis (Ashes to Ashes) also serve as executive producers on Doctor Who. It is a BBC Wales production for BBC ONE and distributed by BBC Worldwide.

As noted above, photo is copyright of the BBC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!