Today’s Joanna Page

In which we try to review and show pictures and clips of the best bits from everything Gavin & Stacey actress Joanna Page has been in on TV, radio, theatre and film (we’re drawing the line at audio books). As life challenges go, it’s not quite up there with Danny Wallace’s Yes Man, but it’s worth doing.

Today's Joanna Page

Preview: Safety Catch (series two)

11 March 2009 Rob Buckley 2 Comments

As Radio 4 comedies go, Safety Catch is an odd little show. Starring Darren Boyd (Green Wing, Smack the Pony), Joanna Page (Gavin and Stacey), Brigit Forsyth (The Likely Lads), Lewis McLeod (Look Around You) and Sarah Smart (Wallander), it’s aimed at the same kind of liberal, middle class audience as more obvious fare like Claire in the Community.

But it’s about a man who makes a living from mass murder, gun running and selling weapons to child soldiers ("putting the infant in infantry").

No wonder then that yet again it’s been marooned in the 11.30pm slot when it returns for its second series on 1st April.

But, hey, I went to see two episodes being recorded last Sunday. Here’s what that was like.

Continue reading “Preview: Safety Catch (series two)”

Today's Joanna Page

Today’s Joanna Page: The Vagina Monologues and Marie Claire

2 March 2009 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Joanna Page

Bit of a brief Today’s Joanna Page today. But be prepared for an extensive one or two in the next fortnight.

Anyway, our Joanna’s appearing in The Vagina Monologues at the Wales Millennium Centre this week (anyone going?) and there’s a big interview with her about it over in thisissouthwales.co.uk. But she’s also doing a lot of work for Comic Relief, including appearing in a Marie Claire photoshoot. Here’s a behind-the-scenes vid of her, Stephen Mangan, Alison Steadman and her Fat Pig co-star Kevin Bishop at said photoshoot.

Today's Joanna Page

Today’s Joanna Page: Comic Relief

23 February 2009 Rob Buckley 2 Comments

Joanna Page and Ruth Jones at the Comic Relief launch

Today’s Joanna Page should have been This Year’s Love. But since she’s not in the cast list at the end, I’m guessing it’s something of a cameo appearance by Ms Page in said movie, so I’m actually going to have to sit through the whole film – Dougie Henshall’s kilt and all – to find out which five frames she’s in or whether she’s simply sitting on a cutting room floor somewhere. Apparently Richard Armitage plays “Smug man at party” in it, so there’s a double whammy for you.

So in the meantime, here’s a picture of her with Ruth Jones from the Comic Relief launch earlier this month. She’s going to be one of the Celebrity Apprentices, you know. And here’s a chat with her courtesy of Holy Moly. It’s quiet brief, but it is revealed that Tom Jones doesn’t know what a chocolate orange is.

Recording dates for Safety Catch – Series Two

10 February 2009 Rob Buckley Post a comment

As discovered by me not so long ago, radio comedy Safety Catch, starring among others – oh look – Joanna Page from Gavin & Stacey, has been awarded a second series. Now the recording dates have been announced. Need anyone ask if I’ve booked my tickets already?

Safety Catch
1 and 8 March, BBC Radio Theatre

A second series of Laurence Howarth’s black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing.

Simon McGrath is generally is nice man who likes to think of himself as a good citizen. He donates blood, although not bone marrow because he’s heard that hurts. He recycles his newspapers, bottles and some of his cans. He’s adopted two tigers. But he has to pay his mortgage like everyone else and that’s why he’s currently working as an arms dealer.

Of course his real love is electronic music and this is just a stop gap until he finds the perfect outlet for his music – okay so it’s a five year stop gap but it’s a stop gap nonetheless.

Anyway, as his mum says, people will always want to kill each other, there’s nothing Simon can do about that and the job pays well, gives him good job security and enables him to buy a decent car. So that’s alright then……

Starring:
Darren Boyd (Green Wing, Saxondale, Little Dorrit) as Simon
Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey)
Sarah Smart (Wallander, At Home With The Braithwaites)
Brigit Forsyth (Calendar Girls, Whatever Happened To the Likely Lads,)
Lewis McLeod (Look Around You)

Recording on Sunday 1 and 8 March at the BBC Radio Theatre, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London. Doors open at 7.15pm.

To apply for tickets, call the BBC Ticket Line on 0370 901 1227* or visit the BBC Tickets Website.

We are delighted to announce that we are now issuing E-tickets for all of our shows, so please keep an eye on the email address that you enter when applying as that is where your tickets will be sent.

We look forward to seeing you in our audience very soon.

Kind regards

BBC Studio Audiences
www.bbc.co.uk/tickets

Today's Joanna Page

Today’s Joanna Page: Love Soup (again)

29 January 2009 Rob Buckley 2 Comments

Today’s Joanna Page is Love Soup again, from her guest appearance last series. Yes, I know I’ve already done it, but this time, you can see her in action, since her collected scenes from that episode are now on YouTube.

The series is by David “Jonathan Creek” Renwick, so you can guess that all is not what it seems: can you crack the mystery before the end of the video? What surprises Mark Heap so much when he visits Heather’s home? The clues are there – can you spot them? Don’t read the original entry before you’ve had a chance to guess though, since I gave the whole game away back then.