Day Of The Triffids cast; Richard & Judy flop; Doctor Who salary; No Heroics USA; Witches Of Eastwick; Lost In Austen movie

The BBC's two-part remake of John Wyndham's Day Of The Triffids has attracted a stellar cast: Dougray Scott as hero Bill Masen, Joely Richardson, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, Eddie Izzard and Jason Priestly. The script has been written by Patrick Marber (Closer) and is now filming. The story concerns a world where the majority of the population have been blinded by a meteor shower, allowing walking carnivorous plants to slowly takeover.

Richard & Judy's New Position is likely to be axed by December, following its lowest ever viewing figures: a truly pathetic 8,000. That's a 90% decrease since R&J transferred to new digital channel Watch from Channel 4, with 100,000. The couple used to enjoy ratings of 3 million at Channel 4, but were lured to Watch because of a big pay-deal and more creative freedom. A recent change of timeslot from 8pm to 6pm doesn't seem to have helped matters, and the couple don't seem to have retained their Channel 4 audience. There is widespread speculation that Judy Finnegan will retire when New Position ends (to write books), leaving her husband to pursue a solo career.

Matt Smith is being paid £1 million for a three-year contract on Doctor Who, when he takes over as the Time Lord. David Tennant (who Smith is replacing) is reportedly on £1 million per year, so this new deal will save the BBC a lot of money.

ITV2's superhero comedy No Heroics is going to be remade by Will & Grace's Jeff Greenstein, who hopes to create an American pilot for ABC. The sitcom was mostly ignored in the UK (being a low-budget, minority channel project), but creator Drew Pearce could get the last laugh if his idea becomes a big hit in the States. Mind you, superhero comedies on television have a bad track record. The Tick, anyone?

And finally... veteran TV director David Nutter is helming the pilot of ABC's The Witches Of Eastwick adaptation; a fantasy drama about three women with supernatural abilities who summon the Devil to their sleepy town. The script has been written by Josh Friedman (who recently worked with Nutter on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.) Nutter himself has become the go-to guy for television pilots in the States, having directed 14 that all got picked up for series.

Remember ITV1's Lost In Austen last year? The fantasy costume drama about a modern girl who is transported into the fictional universe of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice? Well, it seems you can't keep a good idea down for long. British director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) is developing a movie version, that he will produce. No word on casting yet, but wouldn't it be funny if Gemma Arterton (who appeared in the series, fairly briefly, as Elizabeth Bennett) is promoted to lead for the movie, in light of her post-Bond fame? Of will they get a loudmouth Yank to play the lead, for maximum fish-out-of-water potential?

LOST IN AUSTEN: Part 4 of 4

Writer: Guy Andrews

Director: Dan Zeff

Cast: Jemima Rooper (Amanda Price), Gemma Arterton (Elizabeth Bennet), Elliot Cowan (Mr. Darcy), Alex Kingston (Mrs. Bennet), Hugh Bonneville (Mr. Bennet), Morven Christie (Jane Bennet), Tom Riley (Wickham), Perdita Weeks (Lydia Bennet), Christina Cole (Caroline Bingley), Lindsay Duncan (Lady Catherine de Bourgh), Guy Henry (Mr. Collins), Michelle Duncan (Charlotte Lucas) & Tom Mison (Mr. Bingley)

The final part of this surprisingly enjoyable rom-com fantasy tumbled to a decent climax, albeit one that will have the sci-fi crowd quibbling over heroine Amanda's (Jemima Rooper) existential crisis. Fact is, Lost In Austen is aimed at costume drama lovers first and foremost, so there was unfortunately no big mind-bending conclusion a la Life On Mars or Quantum Leap. Sadly, Jane Austen didn't descend from the heavens and give a baroque version of The Architect's speech from The Matrix Reloaded just before the end credits. But it did provide the usual mix of amusing dialogue, enjoyable performances and enough closure to satisfy most people...

After a not-especially-thrilling dash to Hammersmith -- to find Mr. Bingley (Tom Mison), who had eloped with Lydia (Perdita Weeks) – Amanda's lies about her hometown existence were spared exposure by Wickham (Tom Riley), who had arrived ahead to spare her blushes and help Amanda tweak her cover-story. I caught inferences that Wickham is himself an inter-dimensional traveller like Amanda, primarily because of his unwarranted kindness in keeping her secret, and also through his agreement with Amanda that a nasty cut sustained by Mr. Bennet (Hugh Bonneville) would have to be sewn closed – a medical act that sounded preposterous to the ears of Mr. Darcy (Elliot Cowan).

The main source of entertainment in part 4 was Amanda's unexpected arrival back in modern-day London, along with a very puzzled Mr. Darcy. Guy Andrews didn't have long, but he managed to write an effective sojourn around contemporary London for the out-of-time characters, with Mr. Darcy as the archetypal fish-out-of-water: standing bemused in London traffic, sharing a bus with "a surfeit of negroes", identifying Teletubbies and scratching a TV screen's picture. Even better was the belated return of inter-dimensional exchange student Elizabeth Bennet (Gemma Arterton), who had actually managed to fit into the 21st-century with comparative ease: she's become a nanny, learned how to use a mobile phone, discovered and bookmarked a Colin Firth fan-site on the internet, and given herself a pixie-like modern hairdo.

Sadly, a full hour of this new adventure wasn't on the cards. The episode returned to the slightly less interesting Austenland for the last 20 minutes, where Amanda finally put the "Pride & Prejudice" storyline back on track with the help of Elizabeth. Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet (Morven Christie) got their chance of happiness, thanks to Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Lindsay Duncan) agreeing to annul Mr. Collins' (Guy Henry) unconsummated marriage, in return for Amanda's departure. Mrs. Bennet (Alex Kingston) lost her twittering obsession with finding male suitors for her daughters, finding an Amanda-like strength of her own. The great romance of Elizabeth and Darcy was more complicated to rectify – with Lizzie agreeing to try and fall in love with Darcy, as the story demands. Yet it was implied Elizabeth has outgrown this restricting Georgian lifestyle, thanks to her holiday in the more vibrant real world – likely hinting at a return trip to contemporary Hammersmith for another series.

Lost In Austen was also faced with a tricky storytelling problem in its final moments, as Amanda's attempts to get everything back on track was at odds with the audience's desire to see Amanda and Mr. Darcy become an item – however much Jane Austen would be "spinning in her grave". The final moments were vague about the success of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's pairing, ending instead on Amanda and Darcy having a full-blown kiss.

Overall, despite some creaking towards the end and the disappointing lack of a big surprise or twist (couldn't Wickham have been more openly behind it all?), Lost In Austen was generally very entertaining and richly written. The actors all did a superb job, with Rooper really growing into her role and Cowan proving to be very charismatic and watchable after a wobbly introduction. The supporting cast also left good impressions – particularly charming Bonneville, quivery Kingston, likeable Mison, poised Christie and sneering Christina Cole (sadly underused in this final part).

To summarise, Lost In Austen was a fine piece of populist drama from ITV1; probably the best light-hearted and wantonly silly entertainment Sunday nights never had. A sequel might be stretching things, but a spin-off would be very welcome. What The Dickens, anyone?


24 September 2008
ITV1, 9pm

LOST IN AUSTEN: Part 3 of 4

Writer: Guy Andrews
Director: Dan Zeff

Cast: Jemima Rooper (Amanda Price), Elliot Cowan (Mr. Darcy), Alex Kingston (Mrs. Bennet), Hugh Bonneville (Mr. Bennet), Morven Christie (Jane Bennet), Tom Riley (Wickham), Perdita Weeks (Lydia Bennet), Christina Cole (Caroline Bingley), Lindsay Duncan (Lady Catherine de Bourgh), Guy Henry (Mr. Collins), Michelle Duncan (Charlotte Lucas) & Tom Mison (Mr. Bingley)

The sparkle of the concept has dulled, but Lost In Austen's third part manages to retain interest thanks to a stronger performance from Elliot Cowan as Mr. Darcy and keener development of the overarching plot and fractious relationships, particularly in the second half.

Amanda (Jemima Rooper) is still trapped in Austen-land, although Mrs. Bennett's (Alex Kingston) hospitality is drawing to an end -- and Amanda can't break through the upstairs doorway leading back to reality. Meanwhile, Jane (Morven Christie) is stuck in a loveless marriage with creepy Mr. Collins (Guy Henry), whose sexual abstinence is about to end; Mr. Bingley (Tom Mison) is becoming a maudlin drunkard having allowed sweetheart Jane to slip through his fingers; and Mr. Darcy begins to realize how much Amanda fascinates, excites and obsesses him. Should Amanda admit her own feelings and alter the "Pride & Prejudice" plot so Elizabeth and Darcy will never fall in love?

Lost In Austen is a comfortable watch, even as the ad breaks slip by as half-hearted beats. There's a beguiling, dreamy sensibility that works very well, although I sometimes wish I was better acquainted with "Pride & Prejudice", as the specifics of everyone's social standing and connections sometimes passes me by. For example, I'm still rather puzzled by the Wickham (Tom Riley) as a character, and that's not helped by the fact our heroine's a self-proclaimed Austen fanatic -- so rarely pauses to explain matters. It might have been nice to be led through the story by someone with only a working knowledge of the book. Mind you, I suppose the target audience are au fait with the Bennett brood, so I'm probably in the minority.

Jemima Rooper doesn't quite have the acting strength to shoulder the whole enterprise, but she's still very engaging. Her face is particularly well-suited to the character; both old-fashioned in repose and modern when animated. It's often just a joy to watch her flip from slack-jawed shock to infectious grin. I particularly liked her accidental cry of "bumface" at a posh dinner, forcing her to pretend it's the name of a new card game! Sadly, Amanda's voice-overs remain unnecessary and distracting -- giving the script an amateurish quality.

As mentioned, Elliot Cowan really comes into his own here -- making me wonder why his take on Mr. Darcy wasn't allowed to buzz into life much earlier. I found him very charming and brooding, and it was easier to understand why he's so revered as a romantic fantasy for singletons since the 1800s. It was also a masterstroke to have Amanda insist this version of Mr. Darcy recreate Colin Firth's soggy emergence from a pond in the BBC adaptation. Playful, post-modern fun.

That about sums up Lost In Austen, really. It's not quite as surprising as it could have been, and has chosen to ignore some interesting avenues (anyone else have their fingers crossed we'll see Elizabeth in modern-day London?), but a combination of sparkling dialogue and agreeable performances keeps you engaged in the story -- even as the initial excitement of the concept fades.

Overall, this instalment took awhile to get going, but significant developments between Amanda and Darcy, amusing tweaks to the established characters (dastardly Wickham's actually a decent chap), and a lovely villainous turn from Christina Cole as Caroline, steered things back on-track. Now that the have bedded in, this episode had a lot of fun pushing them into fascinating new directions.

I'm actually excited to see how Guy Andrews pulls everything together, too. Will Amanda live happily ever after with Mr. Darcy? Will Lizzie return to reclaim her life, now armed with words like "minger"? Is this all a dream, with Amanda still curled up on her sofa? Will Jane Austen herself appear, revealed as some kind of inter-dimensional Goddess?


17 September 2008
ITV1, 9pm

LOST IN AUSTEN: Part 2 of 4

Writer: Guy Andrews
Director: Dan Zeff

Cast: Jemima Rooper (Amanda Price), Alex Kingston (Mrs. Bennet), Hugh Bonneville (Mr. Bennet), Elliot Cowan (Mr. Darcy), Morven Christie (Jane Bennet), Tom Riley (Wickham), Perdita Weeks (Lydia Bennet), Gemma Arterton (Elizabeth Bennet), Christina Cole (Caroline Bingley), Lindsay Duncan (Lady Catherine de Bourgh), Guy Henry (Mr. Collins), Michelle Duncan (Charlotte Lucas) & Tom Mison (Mr. Bingley)

With the exposition dealt with last week, Lost In Austen's free to cut loose with some amusing farcical scenarios, as modern-day time/dimension traveller Amanda Price (Jemima Rooper) turns matchmaker...

Amanda's arrival in Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice" has inevitably upset the course of true love -- meaning Mr. Darcy (Elliot Cowan) has yet to meet his sweetheart Elizabeth (she's stuck in contemporary London); Mr. Bingley (Tom Mison) has been distracted by Amanda, making him blind to Jane's (Morven Christie) affections; and the arrival of creepy, wealthy bachelor Mr. Collins (Guy Henry) forces Amanda to take drastic measures, before he fixates on Jane…

As far as knockabout romantic comedy goes, Part 2 washes over you -- leaving you charmed, but not particularly gripped. But the actors are doing a great job; particularly Jemima Rooper, whose open expressiveness and heartfelt determination to get Austen's narrative back on-track is what keeps the whole thing moving along.

I'm not acquainted with every "Pride & Prejudice" adaptation to make insightful comparisons regarding these interpretation of Austen's characters, but Mr. Bingley is a likeable fop, Mr. Darcy is gruffly annoying, Mrs. Bingley (Christina Cole) is wonderfully icy, Jane is beautifully played, and Mr. Collins is unpleasant without becoming a caricature. Sadly, Alex Kingston and Hugh Bonneville don't get as much to do this week as the Bennett parents.

There are lots of dances, horse-drawn carriages, gazing out of windows, polite but sharp arguments, crying and bitter misunderstandings. Still, while some of the period goings-on can become repetitive, and knowledge of "Pride & Prejudice" is more essential this week with the introduction of Captain Wickham (Tom Riley), it remains watchable thanks to the out-of-time fun. Here, Amanda's £27,000 salary caused a mighty stir (as it eclipsed Mr. Darcy's formidable fortune), she halts Mr. Bingley's advances by saying she's a lesbian, and during an evening of entertainment she opts to sing Petula Clark's "Downtown" to the puzzled audience.

Overall, this is easily ITV1's most enjoyable home-grown drama for ages - faint praise, but true. I was disappointed to see Part 1's ratings were so low (3.8 million; 17% share), but that's mainly because it's competing with BBC1's Who Do You Think You Are? (6.2 million; 27% share). It would do far better as early-evening Sunday night entertainment, surely. Oh well. While not as enjoyable as Part 1 (and I suspect Lost In Austen might have worked better as a couplet of 90-minute episodes shown over a weekend), this is still cheerful, silly, well-written fun.

10 September 2008
ITV1, 9pm

LOST IN AUSTEN: Part 1 of 4

Writer: Guy Andrews
Director: Dan Zeff

Cast: Jemima Rooper (Amanda Price), Alex Kingston (Mrs. Bennet), Hugh Bonneville (Mr. Bennet), Elliot Cowan (Mr. Darcy), Morven Christie (Jane Bennet), Tom Riley (Wickham), Perdita Weeks (Lydia Bennet), Gemma Arterton (Elizabeth Bennet), Christina Cole (Caroline Bingley), Lindsay Duncan (Lady Catherine de Bourgh), Guy Henry (Mr. Collins), Michelle Duncan (Charlotte Lucas) & Tom Mison (Mr. Bingley)

A flight of fancy for the middle classes, Lost In Austen does for 19th-century costume drama what Life On Mars did for '70s cop shows. Jemima Rooper plays Amanda Price, a thoroughly-modern working girl obsessed by Jane Austen's classic "Pride & Prejudice" -- to such an extent that she regularly curls up on the sofa, avoiding her boorish boyfriend and dreaming of bonnets and breeches…

Dream becomes reality when Amanda discovers the book's heroine, Elizabeth Bennet (Gemma Arterton), in her bathroom -- having arrived in the real-world through a hidden door in the wall. After venturing through the door herself, Amanda becomes trapped in the Bennet household of Austen's prose. Having performed an "exchange trip", patriarch Mr. Bennet (Hugh Bonneville) accepts Amanda as his absent daughter's best friend from Hammersmith.

As a keen Austenphile, Amanda adjust to the 19th-century lifestyle with relative ease, as she meets the book's main "characters" -- Mrs. Bennet (Alex Kingston) and the Bennet brood of single sisters. Cue amusing differences between the time-periods: Amanda insisting on "last minute lippy" before a posh party, showing off her "vaginal topiary" and realizing she hast to clean her teeth using twigs and powdered salt! She also excitedly notices she's chronologically at the beginning of the "Pride & Prejudice" storyline; yet to meet literary lothario Mr. Darcy (Elliot Cowan)…

It's classic fish-out-of-water stuff, although having Amanda know the book intimately somewhat undermines the difficulties she faces. But this is partly designed as wish fulfillment for the female demographic tuning in; those full of adoration for Austen's oeuvre and memories of Colin Firth in the '90s BBC adaptation. On that level, this is a treat for P&P anoraks and a unique approach to ordinarily stuffy costume drama.

Amanda's arrival inevitably creates problems, as her modern attitudes and slang elicit the attention of handsome Mr. Bingley (Tom Mison), who should actually be falling in love with Jane Bennet (Morven Christie) -- while later attracting the ire of Mrs. Bennet, who starts to believe Amanda's behaviour is distracting male attention away from her daughters. Bingley's sister Caroline (Christina Cole) is also less than impressed with the uncouth newcomer in the Bennet household.

It's all cheerful, light-hearted fun, nicely acted by Rooper and populated with strong actors who would fill out a straight-forward P&P adaptation extremely well. I particularly enjoyed Hugh Bonneville as Mr. Bennet (making amends for Bonekickers), Alex Kingston as his wife and Tom Mison as the slightly daffy Bingley. But there wasn't really a weak link anywhere, and any male viewers will soak up the effervescent beauty of Cole, Kingston, Christie and Arterton (about to swap bonnets for Bond in Quantum Of Solace.)

But there are a few kinks. Obviously, the mechanism of Amanda's transportation to Austen-land lacks the mystery that fuelled Life On Mars. It's clearly not time-travel and we can't attribute Amanda's experience to a bump on the head, or suchlike. It's simply magic. I'm fine with that, but it might have been more interesting if approached from a more ambiguous angle -- especially for viewers unfamiliar with the book and preferring to approach it as a time-travel fable.

Also, I couldn't help thinking the flipside of Lost In Austen's scenario would be more fun to watch: imagine Elizabeth Bennet living in London, 2008. Amanda has familiarity with a novel and history lessons to draw on, but what would a polite fictional character from a Jane Austen novel make of pub crawls, television, the internet, nightclubs, randy men, and fast cars? Lost In Austen is a four-part series, so maybe we'll get to find out in future weeks. Or is that the natural idea for an Enchanted-style sequel?

Overall, while unlikely to draw too much of a crowd beyond middle-class women who love period romances, there's still plenty to enjoy if you're curious. It's "time-travel" in a hazy Life On Mars style, well-performed by a very attractive cast. Familiarity with the novel help give it texture, but it's certainly not a barrier to being entertained by this charming slice of whimsy.


3 September 2008
ITV1, 9pm