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She’s been nominated for seven BAFTAs (winning one), seven Golden Globes (winning two), a couple of Oscars and an Emmy. She’s worked with armfuls of top directors including Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton and David Cronenberg. And 40 years ago, she created one of sitcom’s best-loved characters as the capricious Queen Elizabeth (Queenie to her pals) in Blackadder.

And now Miranda Richardson has proven herself so good she’s been cast not once but twice in Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens, first playing Madame Tracy in series one, and now taking on the tailor-made role of Shax, who becomes Hell’s representative on Earth after Crowley (David Tennant) gets fired.

What better time to revisit some of Miranda Richardson’s most memorable performances, from her impressive film debut in Dance With a Stranger to her more recent appearances in Harry Potter and Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None?...

Today marks the 60th birthday of one of the finest and most underrated actors working: the great Jennifer Jason Leigh. Aside from a brief dalliance with the mainstream in the early 90s, her 40+ year career has been spent largely in independent cinema, from her beginnings elevating schlock like Eyes of a Stranger to her most recent role in Lena Dunham’s Sundance 2022 entry, Sharp Stick.

Leigh has never shown any interest in airing any part of her life offscreen in public. This is likely one of the reasons she has gone under the radar throughout her career. She has amassed huge respect in the industry, but her lack of interest in trophy chasing has meant she has just one Oscar nomination to her name and her pursuit of privacy and choice of roles that she’s never been a huge star. I get the feeling that’s exactly how she wants it.

“Miracle Workers: Dark Ages” gets to have the best of both worlds. There’s an episode-by-episode running gag involving one of the last names of its central characters, part of which is a word that has historically been unwelcome and unspoken on American TV. Over the course of the TBS anthology’s second season, not only does this character’s name get invoked over and over, but the unexpected part of that name eventually arrives emblazoned on banners for the entire medieval town to see.

And yet, for so many other points in this pre-Renaissance-set comedy, the rest of the stronger language gets bleeped out for basic cable. Much like the show has one foot in the present day and one over a millennium ago, there’s a unique flexibility that “Miracle Workers” enjoys that few other comedies can use to their advantage.

“Oh, bleeps are always funnier than actual curses,...

Louisa Mellor Sep 28, 2017

To mark National Poetry Day in the UK, we celebrate a dozen of TV’s best worst fictional poets…

The best words in their best order. That’s how Samuel Taylor Coleridge summed up the task of a poet.

See related Star Trek: Discovery episode 2 review - Battle At The Binary Star Star Trek: Discovery episode 1 review - The Vulcan Hello Star Trek Discovery: take our special quiz here!

Not everyone, however, can be Coleridge, nor can they follow his advice, as this slim volume of fictional TV poets proves…

12. Charlie and Dee – It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Makeup... smearin'/No power steerin'/He be talkin'/but we don't be hearin'/Speaks like Zeus/Smells like poops/Rage all over from his head down to his shoes.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s alliances between Dee and Charlie are always excellent value. She’s ridiculous,...

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Rosario Dawson, Hugh Jackman and Blake Lively lead our look at 2015's best under the radar acting performances in film...

This article contains mild spoilers for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. We've kept these as vague as possible, but if you haven't seen the film yet, you might wish to skip the entry pertaining to that.

2015 was a particularly exemplary year for all kinds of movies, but particularly in genre and blockbuster cinema. When there's so much to talk about, it's inevitable that some of the really good stuff gets lost in the mix of awards season chatter, but that's especially true when there's still some residual stigma about movies outside of the 'worthy' release schedule that will arrive in UK cinemas between now and the Academy Awards ceremony in February.

There are a couple of likely breakthrough geek movies for this year's Oscars, in the...

The leading lights of the TV series romp through a mash-up Shakespeare in Love and Blackadder

The players of TV’s terrific Horrible Histories romp their way through this entertaining mash-up of Shakespeare in Love and Blackadder II. Mathew Baynton is the titular Bill Shakespeare, recently ditched by lute-beat combo Mortal Coil, now off to make his mark as a London playwright. Encounters with Christopher Marlowe and the Earl of Croydon open theatrical doors, although the real behind-the-scenes director is Spain’s King Phillip II (Ben Willbond, co-writing with Laurence Rickard), who’s planning to kill Helen McCrory’s frazzle-toothed Elizabeth. Nicely balancing its historically literate gags with broad knockabout slapstick, Bill is a crowd-pleasing treat that should tickle audiences young and old alike.

Continue reading...

The Horrible Histories team tackle the early life of William Shakespeare. A funny family treat is the end result.

“Half as good as Shakespeare In Love”, is what Bill’s co-creator, Laurence Rickard, says they were aiming to create.

This whimsical imagining of William Shakespeare’s ‘lost years’ certainly pays one or two playful homages to that other less-than-accurate biopic, but its real heritage can be traced to Monty Python and Blackadder. In the fashion of the former, the sextet of main actors, already known for their ensemble work on Cbbc’s Horrible Histories and Sky’s Yonderland, share the majority of the roles between them. Each has a main role, and Mathew Baynton proves a lovably optimistic Shakespeare at the heart of it all. Yet it is the minor characters – ‘the body collector’ and ‘sausage guy’ being particular favourites – who bring this world to life.

Fans of the team...

Talk of a possible Blackadder comeback has got us all excited, even if this isn't the first time we've been told a revival for Rowan Atkinson's devious anti-hero is on the cards. Or the second. Or the third.

But there's something about the prospect of meeting Edmund Blackadder again that thrills us every single time. 26 years since 'Goodbyeee' and there's been no one quite like him since.

These are the magical moments that made Atkinson's collaboration with Richard Curtis and Ben Elton so memorable - the sort of comedic gems we'd love to see replicated in 2015.

1. I'm not a tourist

Perhaps the ultimate example of Blackadder's ability to poke fun at the conventions of its period setting(s) in a wonderfully modern manner.

On the hunt for "deranged druid" the Wise Woman, Edmund encounters a young crone: "Is this Putney?" he asks. "That it be," she rasps. "Yes it is,...

Discarded plots, quotes from canon, Martin Freeman's hatred of Watson's moustache... Here's a long list of Sherlock series 3 trivia...

Released this month, the collector’s edition Sherlock series 3 DVDs are crammed with nerd succour, from the episodes one and three commentaries by Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, Sue Vertue and Una Stubbs, to behind-the-scenes featurettes, falling-over and dancing outtakes, footage from episode read-throughs, a deleted scene in which Lars Mikkelsen licks Benedict Cumberbatch, technical special effects gubbins, clips from the only existing television interview with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and - we almost forgot - the series itself.

For Sherlock fans who haven’t yet had the pleasure, we’ve ploughed through all the bonus material on the discs, turning up the odd bit of trivia treasure as we did so. Find out below about Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat's plans for Sherlock to teach Mary the violin, Benedict Cumberbatch...

Venice - If you liked "The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists!," the "Wallace & Gromit" films, anything by Monty Python or just funny, witty movies in general, make sure you catch Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi's "The Boxtrolls." Based on the book "Here Be Monsters" by Alan Snow, I can't remember the last time I saw a family animation so visually rich, tightly scripted and charmingly performed which was also built on a sound and progressive message. It's unlikely to become a cultural juggernaut on the level of something like "Frozen," but I think it is as enjoyable. The set up has the magical feel of a traditional fairytale blended with the weirder sensibility of a revisionist fable along the lines of "Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes." In a city where fancy cheeses are prized by the upper classes as the epitome of fine living, the middle classes live in fear of The Boxtrolls,...

Patsy Byrne has died at the age of 80.

Metro reports that the veteran actress passed away on June 17 at Denville Hall, a retirement home for performers.

A post on the Blackadder Facebook page said: "Very saddened to hear that Blackadder has lost another amazing actor. Rip Patsy Byrne Aka Nursie Aka Bernard.

"You and Flashheart can flirt for an eternity now."

Born in Ashford, Kent, Byrne had an extensive career on British television and in the theatre.

She was most beloved for her role as Nursie on the popular 1980s comedy show Blackadder II.

She also appeared in Liverpool-based sitcom Watching, Playdays and David Copperfield. Her last credit is Holby City in 2006.

Byrne is the second actor from the Blackadder II series to pass away this month.

Actor Rik Mayall, who played Flashheart on the show, recently died from an acute cardiac event.

Watch Byrne and Mayall in a clip...

Feature Alex Westthorp 9 Apr 2014 - 07:00

In the next part of his series, Alex talks us through the film careers of the second and fourth Doctors, Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker...

Read Alex's retrospective on the film careers of William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee, here.

Like their fellow Time Lord actors, William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker also shared certain genres of film. Both appeared, before and after their time as the Doctor, in horror movies and both worked on Ray Harryhausen Sinbad films.

Patrick George Troughton was born in Mill Hill, London on March 25th 1920. He made his film debut aged 28 in the 1948 B-Movie The Escape. Troughton's was a very minor role. Among the better known cast was William Hartnell, though even Hartnell's role was small and the two didn't share any scenes together. From the late Forties, Troughton found more success on the small screen,...

Tom Baker is 80! National treasure, cult legend and Doctor Who's longest-serving lead, Tom is now an official octogenarian.

To celebrate, Digital Spy has compiled eight of Baker's greatest moments from both the small and silver screens - Happy Birthday, TB!

1. Tom breaks big with Nicholas and Alexandra

In the early '70s, Baker got his big break, taking on a role he was surely born to play - the mad monk Rasputin - in historical epic Nicholas and Alexandra. He was recommended for the part by Laurence Olivier, donchaknow.

2. "The definite article, you might say…"

"Well, here we go again..." In 1974, Tom Baker replaced Jon Pertwee as the star of Doctor Who and television history was made. Alright, so Tom's debut adventure 'Robot' is unlikely to lead any fan's top 10 list, but his commanding charisma had viewers hooked from the off. Jon who?

3. "Do I have the right?"

Perhaps...

Warning: This article contains spoilers that some readers may prefer to avoid.

Over in the Us, The Mentalist finally played its trump card last Sunday (November 24) and revealed the true face of Red John.

Yes, the brutal nemesis of Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) was unmasked - though UK viewers will still have to wait a few weeks before the game-changing episode is broadcast on Channel 5.

But it begs the question... can The Mentalist go on without its driving force and chief boogeyman? Here's five other TV shows that did survive a creative revamp...

> The Mentalist: Red John finally unmasked - Have your say

Blake's 7

When Blake's 7 star Gareth Thomas decided to depart the BBC sci-fi drama back in 1979, the show's producers were faced with the difficult task of producing a third series without their title character. Rather than replace Blake outright, they decided to have Paul Darrow's wily...

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

From the Blackadder II episode Potato back in 1985, here’s Tom Baker as Captain Rum, greeting the lordly Edmund Blackadder as he attempts to hire Rum to helm a voyage to...

The post Talk Like a Pirate Day, Doctor Who Style! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The White Queen enjoyed a decent start on BBC One, overnight data reveals.

The War of the Roses drama topped the ratings on Sunday, launching with 5.34 million viewers (22.8%) at 9pm.

Earlier, Countryfile interested 4.93m (24.8%) at 7pm, followed by Antiques Roadshow with 4.53m (20.5%) at 8pm.

Match of the Day's live Confederations Cup game between Spain and Uruguay scored 1.35m (14.9%) at 10.30pm. BBC Three's broadcast of Mexico vs Italy brought in 1.03m (4.6%) at 7.30pm.

On BBC Two, Peter Jones Meets... was down to 599,000 (3.0%) at 7pm. Operation Snow Tiger was seen by 1.83m (8.3%) at 8pm. Rise of the Continents secured 1.46m (6.2%), while the soon-to-be-knighted Tony Robinson starred in a classic Blackadder II episode with 1.41m (7.4%) at 10pm.

ITV's Tipping Point with Ben Shephard entertained 2.85m (14.3%) at 7pm (216k/1.0% on +1). Meanwhile, Marple had 3.85m (16.9%) at 8pm (208k/1.0%).

On Channel 4, Terror in the Skies was watched by 966k (4.4%) at 8pm (168k/0.7%). French drama...

Big names will take part in venture with Comedy Central, BBC sketch had over 2,000 complaints, plus Ian McKellen's sitcom

This week's comedy news

Can't get to Edinburgh? Kilkenny just that bit too far away? Never fear. The cable channel Comedy Central is teaming up with Twitter to launch the first 140-character comedy festival. The festival will commence on 29 April and run for five days, featuring a host of comedy names tweeting jokes and posting six second videos using Twitter's new video app Vine. Next Monday, Twitter will stream the only live #ComedyFest event, a panel discussion featuring Mel Brooks and Judd Apatow. The New York Times has more on the story, including the lowdown on a new app Comedy Central is developing to help users discover their favourite new comedians.

Back in the world of real festivals, veteran Anglo-American standup Rich Hall has won the Barry award at the Melbourne comedy festival,...

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

When you eat as much fast food as I do, you hear a few things. There’s the urban legend that the disgruntled staff of popular chains take their revenge on rude customers by ejaculating into the tube of burger sauce or glazing the meat with a clump of freshly extracted bloody mucus. Years ago, I was told a story about a woman who bit into a quarterpounder with cheese, only to hear an unwelcome crunch. When she retracted the sandwich from her trap, she discovered that her teeth had unwittingly guillotined a dead mouse.

All of that may provoke revulsion, but there’s an even more unpleasant rumour spreading like wildfire throughout London society. Beware new food outlets, say the gossips; some of them are being set up by feckless wannabe businessman with no knowledge of the catering industry.

Like many I used to laugh...

It would be easy to call Jackboots On Whitehall 'the British version of Team America', and that's because, well, it is, kind of. Want proof? Well, here's an exclusive poster of it, just for you.If you haven't seen the trailer already, Jackboots On Whitehall tells the fantastical tale of how the Germans attacked Britain and actually made it over the border, forcing us Brits to peg it back to Hadrians' wall, it's mad, bad, and made of plastic toys.There's Hitler dressed as Queenie from Blackadder II, Winston Churchill packing an assault rifle, and they've only gone and put Swastikas on Whitehall and The Houses Of Parliament... this is just not on.It also boasts the vocal stylings of some of British's most respected actors, actresses and comedy people, including Ewan McGregor, Rosamund Pike, Timothy Spall, Alan Cumming, Stephen Merchant and Richard E. Grant.Interested? Intrigued? Worried it will...

Craig here with the next Take Three.

This week: Miranda Richardson

Take One: Collateral marriage damage

If you want nearly two hours of Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche miserably humping each other in dull, anonymous locations (all frightfully well lit of course) then Damage is good to go. Louis Malle's, and scriptwriter David Hare's, adaptation of Josephine Hart's novel, about a member of Parliament's affair with his son's girlfriend, is rather too inert and tasteful for its own good, and was only partially praised but largely ignored perhaps for those reasons. Many liked it, but many more had issues with it (or so I've read). I had a hard time remembering much about the film, save for the sullen, cheerless sex scenes mentioned above... and one other aspect: Miranda Richardson, playing Irons' character's dutiful wife. Gosh, I love me some Binoche, but good grief Richardson owned this one.

Those expecting a straight up adaptation of the Wonderland novel will be disappointed, instead the trick here is to make this film a sequel of sorts and Burton has Alice on the verge of womanhood with only a few illusive memories of a place of talking caterpillars and floating cats, bolting at the first sign of a highly dubious marriage proposal and finding herself down a familiar rabbit hole.

Much of the early part of the film is ostensibly a retelling of the classic tale with rabbits and waistcoats and tiny doors in rooms with tables, upon which lie bottles with Drink Me labels, whose telescopic effects are seared into our collective consciousness; it is a well re-told tale and in the beginning is far more Disney than Burton.

It is only when Alice opens the tiny door and enters Wonderland proper that Burton shows his hand, with an orchard...

Lots of actors make a movie or attempt to headline a television show, fail, and then vanish into obscurity. Maybe they resign themselves to character roles or bit parts, or they say "I'm going to concentrate on my family." It's noble, but time and time again we've seen these types burst back onto the public radar courtesy of a breakthrough role in a television series or film. Below is the first part of a list of the ones we think are the best and have since had the longest lasting impact. Feel free to suggest additions.

• • •

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - Neil Patrick Harris

Granted, that poster was actually for the second Harold & Kumar movie, but the fact remains: that brief cameo in the stoner flick Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle gave Neil Patrick Harris an unprecedented bounce-back. After his child-star role in Doogie Howser, M.D.

Chicago – Legendary TV shows deserve legendary DVD sets and the “Ultimate Edition” release for the beloved “Blackadder” truly lives up to the often over-used “ultimate” title. Giving fans everything “Adder”-related that they could possibly ask for, this is the perfect gift this holiday season for fans of British television.

DVD Rating: 5.0/5.0

The glorious six-disc set for “Blackadder” includes every episode of the show digitally restored from the original program masters plus a host of all-new bonus features.

Blackadder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition was released on DVD on October 20th, 2009.

Photo credit: BBC Home Video

Starring Rowan Atkinson (“Bean”), Hugh Laurie (“House”), Stephen Fry, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Miranda Richardson, and more, the four-series program is a classic in England and has a legion of fans here in the States, and this set is good enough to make a few new “Adder”-holics on either side of the pond.

Each...

If it doesn’t already, it should sadden you that Rowan Atkinson’s most well known role is Mr. Bean. Sure, attempting to remove your underwear in public has its comedic merit, but only if you’ve never seen Atkinson’s stupendously idiotic turn as the self-appointed Black Adder in the times of olde. The series spans different eras with each of the seasons taking place in a new one. Then, to further the adventures of the unfortunately inept title character, three of the specials created after the series’ conclusion are included on their own disc. It’s not the first “all inclusive” set to be released but it does a good job rounding up most of the extras that have been created for the show over time – though true Black Adder connoisseurs will notice that some of the smaller events (The Shakespeare Sketch in 1989 or the theatrical show Blackadder:...

Tony Robinson has revealed that classic BBC sitcom Blackadder could be revived in 2010. The cast will reportedly meet later in the year to discuss potentially bringing back the show to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Blackadder II. Robinson, who played the increasingly dimwitted Baldrick on the sitcom, told Teletext: "We always had a fantasy of doing it again in 2010, so we'll be having that conversation. I would love to do it and (more)...