Year: 2006

Bond, Bond, Bond, Bond, Bond, Bond, Bond, Bond…

28 June 2006 Rob Buckley 1 Comment

Ah Thunderball. Now there was a classic Bond movie. You could say it’s where the Bond movie started to go wrong. Gadgets and stunts being used in favour of good plots? No, no, no.

But Thunderball was a good movie all the same. So good, in fact, that it got remade as Never Say Never Again. Famously, that starred Sean Connery at a time when Roger Moore was Bond-proper. You see, thanks to a fateful court decision a long time ago, someone other than the Broccolis and Eon own the rights to Thunderball.

And you know what? Said owner still doesn’t think it’s been done right. After failing to remake it again in the late 90s as Warhead, if the rumours are true, Kevin McClory is going to send another version of Thunderball into a cinema near you soon.

Guess who’s going to be Bond. It’s not Daniel Craig.

No, it’s Pierce Brosnan!

It’s all just so weird and wacky.

BFI events

NFT’s got some TV classics next month

28 June 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

The remake may have been rubbish, as was the sequel and… erm, those clips from the final episode that were around for years, but A for Andromeda is getting a massive amount of attention next month.

Julie Christie as Andromeda in A for AndromedaThe one remaining 1961 A for Andromeda episode, which only got handed back to the Beeb this year, is getting an airing at the NFT on the 10th. This special event will also feature appearances by members of the cast and crew. As if that weren’t enough, a DVD release that will include all sorts of things, including the remake, the remaining bits of the sequel (probably) and some “intriguing extras”, will be following shortly afterwards, either on the 17th or the 24th. Is there something ‘Andromeda-ish’ about July I should know about?

Adam Adamant Lives!As an aside, following the Andromeda showing at the NFT, there’s another special event, this time featuring Adam Adamant Lives! A “little-seen” episode of the series will be shown and once again, cast and crew will be on hand to reminisce. If you’ve never seen Adam Adamant, I’ll just say it’s an acquired taste: watch one episode and you’ve seen them all more or less, but it’s kind of fun to see Gerald Harper prance about as an Edwardian adventurer who’s frozen in ice and wakes up in the 1960s. I’m not sure if Harper is going, but if he is, I’m not sure I’ll have the nerve to ask him how he managed to go out with Sarah Alexander for so long. Honestly, I’m not making this stuff up! She really did (scroll down to the bottom). If you can’t go to the event, you can always buy the DVD.

There’s supposed to be a bundle deal if you buy tickets to both events, although I couldn’t find the option on the site. I’m hoping they’ll only charge me the bundle price (yes, I’ve booked already). Maybe you have to phone to get the discount price? Oh well.

If you’d rather watch something a bit more serious and a bit less fantastic, also showing at the T (not sure that’s going to catch on, but I’ll give it a try) in July are some Armchair Theatre plays, with producer Leonard White coming along to reminisce, too. Should be well worth it.

ITV has found a clue! Oh wait. No it hasn’t.

27 June 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Hot on the heels of the slightly worrying ITV game plan announced last week comes evidence that ITV may actually have found a clue somewhere: it’s signed up Ricky Gervais and Al Murray for their own shows.

Unfortunately, the clue kind of stops there.

Gervais has written a series based on his book Flanimals, which he’ll be making in association with Aardman Animations. Sounds good for kids anyway. But only for kids. It’s not at all for adults that book or its sequel, so we’re not looking at another family show like Doctor Who here. I’m not thrilled about its long-term prospects.

And Al Murray has his own fake chat show! Cracking. That’s a completely unmined format then. I suspect that’s going to run for about a season at best. I’m also guessing his US pilot didn’t take off, either.

Oh well. At least it’s trying.

Billie’s reason for leaving

27 June 2006 Rob Buckley 4 Comments

Again, assuming it’s all not some elaborate bluff, thanks to the Radio Times (via Entertainmentwise), we learn why Billie Piper’s leaving Doctor Who:

The longer I stayed, the more scared I’d be of leaving because it’s so comfortable and nice. I’m utterly grateful for the whole experience but you have to take care of yourself and do what you feel it right.

Okay. Not much of an explanation, but I suspect that’s the best we’ll get until her autobiography comes out. She’s 23 and she’s writing it now. At that age, my autobiography would have filled a couple of those notepads you find in hotel rooms.