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doctors-star · 3 years

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writing challenge prompt: apricity - the warmth of the sun in the winter. (Pairing Peter/Alex/Ruth if you fancy it)

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apricity - the warmth of the sun in the winter

The farmyard looks like it’s on fire. Great coiling, curling masses of steam are rising off it and ascending heavenward, for all the world as if a large dragon had set up shop beneath the chickens’ feet and is now puffing away to itself. The steam is solid silver and grey in the midmorning light, swirling on invisible thermals like Degas’ ballerinas, and edged with sunlight that is altogether too bright to look at.

He is looking anyway.

His eyes are scrunched up with an intensity usually reserved for awkward texts and inscrutable hill forts, brow furrowed and creased over heavy, dark brows. He’s got one hand on his hip, the other wrapped thoughtfully around his chin; his feet are planted squarely in boots coated in solid, cloying mud. He looks immovable as an oak tree, there in the farmyard. The world around them could end, he thinks, and Peter would still be standing.

Peter shifts, hand moving from chin to forehead to form a slight shield against the vivid wall of brightness. His sleeves are rolled up and it is possible to watch his muscles shift under his skin, as has been impossible for the past few weeks of seemingly endless rain. It has been cold and wet and miserable for all of January, feels like, and the dawn of February has not given them much cause for hope; but now, the rain has stopped, the clouds cleared, the mercury in the thermometer made the effort and risen above five degrees, and Peter has his jacket off and sleeves rolled back right away, as if this is the only sunshine he expects this year and he had better appreciate it.

In fairness, it is Britain. Stranger things have happened.

And anyway, Alex can understand the idea. He is, after all, watching Peter as though the man might disappear; as if this is his only opportunity to lean propped up on the cart in the sunlight and see him, sleeves pushed back and squinting and lit up by light and steam. How very long the winter has seemed.

Alex leans back a little and folds his arms, glaring into the east a little more himself, to look the same way as Peter. Ruth - of course, of course they are watching Ruth - is talking with great animation to their flock of chickens, hands on her hips as she chides them. They keep ducking about around her feet rather indignantly, dipping their heads with their strange stop-motion movements to tap their beaks unenthusiastically against the frozen ground as if to say why aren’t you feeding us? we cannot possibly be expected to feed ourselves in this weather! And Ruth is laughing at them, with the sun behind her head and behind the trees so that the rays are oddly defined; segmented spikes, like a great art deco sunburst.

“I will not feed you,” she is telling the birds with stern amusement. “You do not need it. It is a glorious day, at last, and you can go and enjoy it. And eat all the other things who are out enjoying it, too. It’ll be good for you. Lazy sods.” One of the chickens, the buff-coloured, famously bad-tempered one, darts forward and then struts nonchalantly away towards the pig sty. Ruth sputters an indignant laugh, jaw dropped in surprise. “Did you just peck my shoe?” she cries after the retreating bird, who puts on a burst of speed. “The audacity!”

Alex can feel the grin that’s lodged on his face; Peter, face still screwed up against the light, snorts inelegantly and she looks his way and beams. “Are you no longer a chicken authority?” he asks her very solemnly and sympathetically.

“My shoe has been pecked!” she informs him, rather redundantly, but it makes them both grin all the same. “They’ve lost all respect for me.” She watches the other chickens follow the vicious ringleader towards the patch of grass by the pigs where they peck morosely at the grass and dirt as if they don’t expect to find anything and reckon they’ll have starved by lunchtime. The various worms and insects which have ventured to the surface to enjoy the rare sunlight and which are now being snapped up by the sharp, aggressive movements of the chickens appear to do little to make them feel better.

“Get free-range chickens, they said,” Peter sighs, not unhappily. “It’ll be so rewarding to watch them hunt for themselves, they said.”

Ruth turns back to him, hand dropping from over her eyes, to laugh. Then she tilts her head on one side, offering him a lop-sided smile. “Are you alright?” she says. “I’m sure the camera crew would lend you some sunglasses until we film, if we haven’t got any thirties specs - face all screwed up, you look like a gargoyle.”

“I’m feeling great, thanks,” Peter says, voice all level and dry to make her laugh. “Really complimented and supported too. Have we actually got any proper shades, though? Alex’ll love them - he likes pretending he’s in Top Gun.”

“I do not,” Alex protests automatically and without a great deal of conviction.

Peter and Ruth turn to the sound of his voice, faces open with pleasure and slight surprise. “Oh, hello lurker,” Peter says cheerfully. “Was wondering where you’d got to.”

“I do not pretend I’m Tom Cruise,” Alex tells Ruth firmly, ignoring the lurker comment. She raises her eyebrows, one finger pressing against her mouth in futile prevention of a smile, and waits with interest for him to elaborate. “That - that bloke in The Mummy,” he finds himself saying, snapping his fingers as the name escapes him. “He’s got to wear sunglasses at some point, hasn’t he? I’ll be him.”

“Who, John Hannah?” Peter says, chirpy and obtuse with a grin from ear to ear and his hand cupped around his eye to shade against the February sun. Alex sends him a mock-withering glare and his smile somehow widens; Ruth laughs, bright and affectionately evil. “You do kind of look like John Hannah, you know,” Peter says, very deliberately reasonable.

Alex points at him warningly. “I’m going to take that as a compliment,” he tells Peter’s smirk, “but you know I was talking about the other one. O’Connell,” he says, snapping his fingers again in triumph.

Peter tuts and shakes his head sadly. “Nope, the hairstyle will out - you’ll have to be Hannah and I-” he places his hand on his heart like an old-timey Shakespearian actor about to monologue his way through a half-hour death scene, “-shall be O’Connell.”

Alex spreads his arms in indignation, appealing to Ruth in supplication for aid; as expected, she laughs at him.

“Ruth can be whatsherface. Evie,” Peter adds happily.

“No, no, I’m being Lara Croft,” Ruth corrects. “I want to run about in temples and have a mansion and a butler.”

Alex nods, conceding this point. Peter wanders over and places one large, sun-warmed palm on Alex’s shoulder, gesturing at him with the other and squinting towards Ruth. Heat leeches from the sun to the air to Peter, and he presses it into Alex’s joints like a balm. It soothes and steadies, even as Peter says “Do you want Alex for your butler?”

“Oh, yes please,” Ruth says cheerfully and Alex sighs, as deliberately and falsely put-upon as the chickens. Peter snorts and hauls him closer, half hug half headlock; he goes willingly, even as he makes an effort to look hard-done-by for Ruth.

“Why aren’t there any more cool archaeologists?” he says.

“Well,” Peter says, sounding rather apologetic, “there is always…”

“Indiana Jones is a terrible archaeologist,” Alex says firmly. “Great jumped-up cowboy.”

Ruth huffs a laugh at the tired old argument and tips her face up into the sun rather than engage with its well-trodden lines. She breathes deeply, inhaling great lungfuls of warmed, clear air; against his back, Alex can feel Peter breathe slow and steady and perfectly in-time. There’s something soothing about it, in the same way that there was something soothing about watching Peter watch Ruth: it is nice to know, sometimes, that other people operate the same way he does. For a moment, there, in their long-awaited sunlight, the whole thing had been as mana from heaven, all warmth and brightness and that peculiar kind of beauty that cannot be looked at head-on. He’s not sure he had really noticed, before, how much the interminable, rainy January had worn on him, until he had been confronted by the sunshine; by Ruth’s art deco halo, and Peter’s scrunched-up gargoyle face; by truculent chickens for the laws of farm and man. And intensity of emotion can be isolating, if the moment is not shared - but it is. Ruth is breathing it; Peter is holding him a little too tight; they are all together under a sun a little too warm for the season.

“There should be more films about historians,” Ruth declares to the sky, eyes resting closed. “What’s not cool about this?”

“Right,” Alex says. “We haven’t been rained on for, ooh, must be twelve hours now. Hours of action and entertainment in this line of work.”

“What’s it mean for Candlemas weather predicting,” Peter says, shaking Alex’s shoulders slightly but letting him stand fully and lean into his side, “if Candlemas itself is disgustingly wet and rainy but the day following is worryingly sunny?”

“Worryingly?” Ruth snaps, cracking an eye open to frown at them.

Alex ignores this and sucks his teeth. “Oh, nothing good, I’m sure. We’re being lulled into a false sense of security, mark my words.

Peter frowns with deep and false concern. “Snowed in by the morning?”

“If we even last the night.”

Ruth works one glove off her hands and throws it at them, nailing Peter in the chest; he scrambles to catch it. “Worse than the chickens, you two are,” she says, fighting a smile. Peter holds out the glove and she presses her lips together and crosses the yard. Her fingers fold around the leather in his palm; his thumb falls gently to rest over her knuckles. Ruth looks up at them, all amused reproach. “Can’t you just enjoy it?”

Alex and Peter share a look, and then Peter shrugs. Alex looks back at her, and the sunlight, and the chickens and the pigs and the way her hair shines copper and Peter’s scrunched-up face and the warming, thawing ground - like spring is coming. He shrugs too. “We’ll give it a go,” he says.

#all heavily influenced by the time i yelled the audacity! in a public place because a pigeon peckedd my shoe #a pigeon!#the audacity!!#i'm not over it.#incidentally it's minus two and snowing today so this is based on a day last week #i'm cold :(#thanks for the prompt!#i am working on the others #this is your captain speaking

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sixohthree · 7 years

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Toby Stephens is on the episode of Poirot I'm watching and every time I see him I just want to watch the Jane Eyre miniseries he was Mr. Rochester in. So good. It will always be the best one.

#oh man everyone from Britain is in this episode! it's like UKs greatest hits #all twelve of their actors are guest starring

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marvelhero-fics · 4 years

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Silent Britain

Series - Chapter One

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: You and Tom are working as love interests in a new Scorsese film, essentially leading to be love interests in real life

A/N: This is technically chapter one! Thanks for all the support on the prologue I'm glad heaps of you enjoyed it! I also wasn’t really planning on doing a taglist for this fic but a lot of people requested to be on it so I ended up making one (it’s below the cut at the bottom). If you’d like to be on it just send me a message or leave a comment on pretty much any Silent Britain post. Thanks for the support again!!!!!!

This chapters a bit of a slow-burn but next chapter get much more interesting. Please go read the prologue first, this chapter will make much more sense if you do. It’s linked down below in the masterlist.

The italics in this story are the readers thoughts!

Word Count: 3,800

Silent Britain Masterlist || Full Masterlist

And there goes the explosion. “I need to pull over. I’m about to have a stroke.”

The next two weeks truly flew by. You were partly happy, because you couldn’t wait to fly out to California and meet everyone, but it did also heighten your nerves. You did as much research as you could about Britain in the 70’s, even taking time to go see your grandparents who were conveniently alive at the time. But, by their description of the decade you could tell they must’ve been on some crazy drug back then, I guess that’s a pretty big tell of what the 70’s were like anyway.

“I promise you’re gonna do such an amazing job, I’m always just a phone call or text away if you need me, (Y/N/N).” Evie sung, pulling you into the tightest embrace.

“I know, Eve. I’m gonna miss you so much.” You pouted. To make life a little easier for yourself, you’d decided to fly out to California and stay there until production started, which was set to be in about a month. That way you didn’t have to fly there, then home, then there again, considering it was a twelve hour flight, and God, you hated flying.

“You are going to be incredible, my darling girl.” Your mum stated, giving you a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She knew she wouldn’t be able to see you for a while so she’d come over to send you off.

“Thanks mum. I love you heaps and I’ll call you when I get there.” You were incredibly close with your mum. She had always been such a huge support system for you and your career, you always credited any success you had to her.

And with that, you were in the car being driven to the airport.

The twelve hour flight had taken your physical and mental battery down to about 0. Even up in First Class all you did was read your script over and over, and panic. As well as getting some time to watch The Departed, one of Scorsese’s incredibly well done films. Unfortunately, instead of enjoying it, you essentially studied it. Fortunately, you got to use your ‘Taxi Driver’ notebook. Is this slightly obsessive? You studied how DiCaprio and Nicholson delivered their lines, and how often the sets changed, and all the camera angles. God, you’re purposely trying to freak yourself out now.

Touching down in California was nice. The first thing you really noticed was the heat. It was July, so it was the middle of summer, and in California it got hot. Of course, you weren’t complaining, this meant nice air conditioning on set, as well as good weather to work with in production. Yea, that would be the only thing I think about.

An older looking gentleman stood at the arrival gate with a sign that read (Y/L/N) in bulk letters. You quickly went over to greet him. Lazily, you strolled out to the large SUV, trying to get as much time on your feet as possible after the long flight. You’d seen photos, and heard horror stories of actors being mobbed at airports, with fans even waiting at the arrival gates all day to catch a glimpse of their favourite celebrity. That never happened to you, but you tried to be much more thankful than jealous. Large crowds weren’t really your forte.

“How was your flight, Miss (Y/L/N)?” Your driver politely asked, turning on the engine of the car.

“It wasn’t too bad. It just felt super long,” you chuckled, sluggishly.

“Well, at least you’re back on solid ground now.” He smiled through the rear-vision mirror.

“Yea, very happy to be. Out of curiosity, are you picking up any other members of the cast?” You peered up, knowing this man likely worked for the studio.

“Indeed, I am. I picked up Jude Law yesterday morning, and Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz last night.” He responded,

“Huh, and what’re they like?”

“Well, Mr Law was very friendly, we ended up chatting most of the way to the hotel. And Mr Craig and Mrs Weisz seemed lovely, but I didn’t talk with them very much. They were a little more closed off.” He continued, you simply nodding to his words, “And I believe I’m picking up a Mr Holland much later tonight.”

“Oh, right. Busy day for you then.”

“Well, it’s just the usual.” And with that, you stopped talking. Your mind wandered off the small talk. God almighty, it’s gonna be a fucking long night tonight. You thought, simply just processing all the things you knew you had to organise before tomorrow. The ride to the hotel didn’t seem like a very long one, or maybe it was? Maybe you’d zoned out to an entire different reality and didn’t notice time passing, either way you made it to the Four Seasons and checked in with no trouble at all.

It was pretty much exactly what you’d expect from the Four Seasons. A small, spacious living area, with a large, grey L-shaped couch, and a big-screen TV. A small kitchen to the left, that you’re sure wouldn’t be able to make more than a bowl of pasta. A bedroom off in a separate room, with a bed that was far too big for one person. And an Asylum-white bathroom with a bathtub that was going to make your stay here much better. Looks like this is home for the next month. Being apart of the Hollywood scene, you got kind of used to hotel rooms becoming a second home. The amount of time you spent essentially having to tour around California for filming, staying in different hotels with similar-looking hotel rooms just became second nature.

First point of action; now that you’d touched down and gotten comfortable, was to call your mother. She’d slowly figured out how to worry less about you, now that you were older and had figured your life out a bit more, but she was still always going to be a mother.

The phone only rang twice before she picked up. “Hey, mum.” You greeted,

“Hi, love! I’m glad you’re safe and well, how was your flight?”

“Long. But the hotel’s really nice.” You responded, letting your body fall back onto the king-sized bed.

“Did you watch any movies?”

“Yea, I watched The Departed.”

“Oh, that’s a bit of a grim film, love.” Your mum stated, being as motherly as ever.

You chuckled a bit, “wait until you see the film I’m about to be in.”

“Did you get any sleep on the plane? And how was the food?”

“Yea, the food was really nice, it was like a salmon and couscous thing. And no, I didn’t really get any sleep, but I didn’t really try too, I kinda had a lot of other things to do.” You spoke.

“Well, you need to make sure you get some sleep tonight. And you let me know if you need anything at all!” Your mother conveyed

“Thanks, mum. And I promise everything is going fine, I’m fine. And I’ll let you know how the cast meet up and rehearsals go.” You returned. And with her best wishes, your mother hung up. That left you lying there, your body slightly sunken into the soft mattress of the Four Seasons bed. Almost every celebrity you’d met had told you to not search your own name on the internet. They always told you you’d find some very unfavourable things, but if you didn’t go looking for it you wouldn’t find it. So with that excellent mentality, you searched your name.

(Y/N) (Y/L/N). It took only seconds to type and click enter. The first article talked about the upcoming film. I guess the news already broke. It was probably leaked purposely for publicity, you didn’t care either way.

Upcoming Scorsese Film to have Star-Filled Line Up, Signing Hopkins, Hardy, Bale, and (Y/L/N). Being called a star was quite nice. It always shocked you just a little bit, knowing that people knew your name. Knowing that you’d actually become news. This is what you’d wanted for a long time though, to be a movie-star. You read further into the article.

‘Scorsese’s latest film to centre around 1970’s British Mob family, the Bakers. No news on the initial release date, however official members of the cast include Tom Hardy, Anthony Hopkins, Christian Bale, and (Y/N) (Y/L/N).’ The article showed photos of the four of you, including a photo of Scorsese. At least they picked a nice picture.

‘If this mobster film is anything like we’ve seen in the past from Scorsese, we can expect a stunning and vivid look at the ugliness and volatile nature of true Gangster films. Potentially even a few Academy Awards if Scorsese continues his war-path of masterly crafted cinema.’ You even chuckled at that last line, the Academy Awards. You’d attended the Emmys last year and that was the highlight of your life. If you were at the Oscars you’d probably spontaneously combust. You flicked your phone off and threw it to the other side of the bed, lying patiently in the quickly setting Californian sun. Am I supposed to feel this overwhelmed? You simply sat with your thoughts for a few moments, knowing that nothing was going to be the same after this film. Martin Scorsese essentially started Robert De Niro’s career in Taxi Driver, same with Jodie Foster. Not to mention Al Pacino’s career starting in a 70’s gangster film too. Each of these actors now being multi-award winning, millionaires. I don’t think I could function being that famous.

Once you’d finished basking in the glory and horror of it all, you sorted out your clothes from all of your luggage, and headed to bed. It was probably still too early to be in bed, but you’d had no sleep on the flight and just wanted to rest, especially for the chaos of tomorrow.

That all-too-familiar noise of your phone alarm ripped you back into consciousness. Surprisingly, you’d slept like the dead last night. You thought the panic and nerves would’ve kept you up, or disrupted your sleep, but thankfully it was actually very peaceful. Wonder how long that’s gonna last. Everything you did during the morning was mechanical. Having a shower, getting dressed, doing your hair and make-up. It was all just simply going through the motions while your mind ticked away. You tried to remember every part of the script, while also going over today’s encounters. Am I supposed to act like a fan of these actors? Or do I act super cool? Like I don’t care?

Your gaze rested upon your figure in the mirror. Wearing a casual pair of jeans, a regular t-shirt, with your favourite Nikes. Along with bits and pieces of jewellery that fitted. Do I look too plain? Like one of the million assistants on set? Was everyone else going to be dressed up? What sort of cast meet up is this? It was 9:00 am, so regardless of your racing thoughts, you didn’t have any time to change. You grabbed your hand-bag, script, and note-book and went downstairs to get into the car the studio had sent, and with that you were on the long drive to set. Neither you or the driver talked to each other, you partly blamed yourself for not initiating conversation. Your mum would’ve been upset with you. ‘No matter how famous you get, my darling, you’re not allowed to look down on others. You can never think of yourself as better than others. You’ll always be a regular person, who makes mistakes, and does great things. Always, always be kind.’ She’d always lecture you. God, you’d kill to have your family here with you.

The SUV pulled up to the lot, getting access to the private area where the meet-up was happening. You made sure to thank the driver before you met up with a shorter, plumper lady, who obviously seemed like she was expecting you by her greeting.

“Welcome to the studio, (Y/N). My name’s Angela, I’m the production manager for Silent Britain.” She spoke, the Californian accent very prominent in her voice.

“Nice to meet you.” You responded,

“It’s nice to meet you too, if you could just follow me, I'll take you to the room where everyone’s meeting.” She said with a smile.

“Sounds good.” Angela walked you to the huge garage-type room. Well, it wasn’t actually a room, it was just an empty stage on the lot. The 12 ft tall garage-like door was open to let natural light illuminate it. It was full of people, most of whom you’d never seen in your life. Everyone from the special effects men, to the boom mic operators, to the assistant director were packed in. Luckily it was a huge area. Angela told you to follow her further, taking you to a separated room down the other end of the stage. This was the room full of actors. God, we’re pretentious. Needing a whole other room to ourselves. Not only did it have the main actors, it had quite a few background actors. Which, admittedly, you were slightly thankful for. If it was just the main actors you’d be the least famous person in the room, and that’s never the best feeling.

Angela let you know that the meeting would be happening very soon. By meeting, she essentially meant the presentation about the film, and how production was going to work and such. And with that flow of information, she left. Leaving you to fend for yourself in a room full of actors.

Who the fuck am I supposed to talk too? Why does everyone seem to know someone already? “Hiya!” A loud, high pitched noise rang behind you. You turned on your heel to see a slightly shorter girl with long, wavy brunette hair.

“Hi?” You returned, not sure if she was mistaking you for someone she knew.

“I’m Allison.” She introduced, extending her hand out.

“Oh, right. I’m (Y/N).” You smiled back, shaking her hand.

“Yea, I’ve actually seen you in quite a few films before. It’s really nice to meet you.”

“Wow, I’m really not used to actually being recognised.” You somewhat laughed, feeling some of the tension leave your shoulders.

“You’re playing the lead role in this film though, aren’t you?” She queried.

“Yea, Elizabeth Baker. I’m still not entirely sure how I landed that. Do you mind if I ask who you’re playing?” You responded.

“Of course! I’m playing Donna, which is one of Lizzie’s school friends.” She explained. It was only a very minor role, with maybe one line of dialogue. But she seemed happy enough to be here.

“Oh, well, thanks for introducing yourself. Now I’ll finally know someone on set.” You joked.

“Do you not know the other actors already?”

“Honestly, no. I haven’t really had the chance to meet anyone yet.”

“You should go over and introduce yourself. You’re the lead role! And maybe you could introduce me to some of them.” She laughed, trying to slightly play off the words she just said. Ah, lovely. Someone trying to use me to their advantage.

“Hm.” You simply smiled. “I think I’ll just grab a coffee first, then maybe I’ll socialise.” You added, taking almost no time to venture away from her.

You moved towards the small tables set up with coffee, tea, water and small snacks. You couldn’t help but notice the divide in the room. There was the big-time actors to one side of the room, and the lesser-known, mainly extras to the other side. You also couldn’t help but notice that you stood on the extras side of the room. In the moment you didn’t particularly care. You spent time fiddling away with the sugar packets, not even making a coffee as you thought about your next move. You needed to go introduce yourself, to at least one person you were going to be acting beside. But who were you supposed to choose? I bet Daniel Craig wasn’t this nervous introducing himself. Fuck, I wouldn’t be if I was James Bond.

Without thinking past James Bond, you walked over to the ‘A-list’ actor area. Fuck it, I’m the greatest. It’s an absolute pleasure to meet me. You repeated, entirely trying to sike yourself up. Daniel Craig, Michael Fassbender, Christian Bale, and Rachel Weisz stood in a small group, chatting amongst themselves. Oh, this is definitely the most threatening group. You thought, diving straight in.

“Hi there,” You interrupted, “I just wanted to introduce myself, I’m (Y/N) (Y/L/N).” You spoke, confidently. Good thing I’m such a good actor.

“Nice to meet you,” Michael responded, his Irish accent thick as he spoke. Daniel, Rachel, and Christian all introduced themselves after, breaking into a conversation about Martin Scorsese.

“I actually haven’t had the chance to meet him. Not properly at least.” You stated, referring back to your audition were you simply spoke in front of him, without him engaging in much conversation.

“He’s great. He’s incredibly intelligent at what he does, but he is really fast paced. He seems to constantly be thinking about the next thing to do.” Daniel began speaking, “But try not to be nervous, he’s pretty good at sensing nerves.” He smirked. Awesome.

“As if the cast wasn’t intimidating enough.” You joked, earning a chuckle from the group. The five of you continued to discuss past acting experiences, and working together on other films and such, with yourself not having much to bring to the conversation. Simply being happy enough to stand with these four god-like actors.

Angela seemingly appeared out of nowhere in front of the crowd of actors, earning a hush amongst the group. She began by thanking everyone for being here, and introducing herself once again as the production manager. She explained the outline of what was going to happen, and when production was due to start, most information of which you’d received in emails earlier. All and all, it was a very quick meeting. I guess it was more about getting to meet everyone. Angela finished her statement and the crowd sparked conversation again, most of the background actors dispersing off. As you were about to say your goodbyes, a smaller, younger gentleman walked up to where you and your newly formed actor friends stood. He handed each of you a small envelope.

“These are from Martin, inviting you to dinner with him tonight. All the information is on the letters. Please RSVP as soon as possible.” He stated, scuttling off to the next group.

“The theatrics,” Christain stated, waving the envelope, “that’s very Scorsese.” He finished.

“Who was that kid?” You asked Michael,

“Would’ve been Martins PA, probably.” He replied, opening his letter. You shrugged and opened yours. The beautiful calligraphy hit you first, each letter individually addressed to each actor. By the looks of it, the main cast of about 12 of you were invited, along with the higher up crew members. It was being held at his property in Hollywood. Well, this should be fun.

“I guess we’ll see you all there.” Daniel stated, earning a cheer of goodbyes from the rest of you as him and Rachel walked off.

“I better head off too,” You smiled, leaving Michael and Christain behind you as you strolled towards the door, continuing to read over your letter. The handwritten note occupied so much of your thought, that you’d forgotten to look where you were walking. All of a sudden, you were stumbling straight into someone's torso. The first sense to hit you was the scent, the only way you could think to describe it was the smell of the wealthy. It was an incredible cologne that you could only imagine A-listers would wear.

“Sorry, love.” His voice sung, the thick British accent very apparent. His larger hands came up to grab your shoulders, steadying your body. His grip was firm against you arms. You could feel the heat of his hands through the thin material of your shirt. You couldn’t help but notice the veins slightly bulging from his tanned forearms. You face moved up so your gaze aligned with his. Brunette curls, light brown eyes, glowing smile, a jawline that looked like it was carved from stone.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was walking.” You awkwardly laughed as Toms taller frame stood right in front of you. Do not freak out.

“Don’t worry about it.” He responded, “I was meaning to come meet you earlier, but I got a little caught up. I’m Tom, by the way.” He added, his grin not leaving his face. Yea, I fucking know.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m (Y/N).” You replied, politely.

“Yea, I’m actually a bit of a fan. I’ve seen some of your work in the past, I’m really glad you got this role.” He added.

“Oh, wow. I thought we we’re going to play it cool, but I’m a huge fan of yours too. I love all the Marvel stuff.” You broke out of your ‘big-time actor’ persona. He chuckled at your comment.

“I see you got an invite, too.” He pointed down at your letter, holding his in his hand too.

“Oh yea. Have you ever done this sort of thing before? Like this whole dinner with the cast thing?”

“Yea, a few times actually. Robert Downey Jr loved doing this stuff for the Marvel cast.” He returned, “with the directors, and the crew and everyone.”

“Right, well I’ve never done all this before. It’s pretty crazy.”

“Yea, I know. The cast of this movie is fucking insane. I’ve never seen so many stars in one room, honestly.” Tom acknowledged. “You seem like you’re holding it all together pretty well.”

“No, I’m just a really good actor, internally I’m absolutely freaking out.” You stated in a joking manner, earning a laugh from Tom. I mean, it’s true.

“That’s great practice for the film them.” He replied, his eyes looking deeper into yours. You could almost feel your knees turning to jelly.

“I’m so sorry to leave you stranded like this, but I really need to get back to my hotel and sort my shit out for this dinner tonight.” You spoke, truthfully.

“Oh, yea. I should probably go do the same. I guess I’ll see you there.”

“Yes, you will. It was really nice to meet you, Tom.” You expressed, your hand moving to rest against his bicep as you cocked your head with a smile. He returned the good-bye and you waltzed out of the stage. Your heart was pumping in your throat and you had to bite down on your lip to suppress your awfully huge grin. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad.

Taglist!

@averyfosterthoughts @loxbbg @musicandbokkslovingweirdo @yourwonderbelle @iamanerdnot @kayceeeveeee @autty0314 @poorlittlesuperstar @rebeccamckirgan99 @xherosxvillainsx @rachaeldonnaspiteri1 @hollands-osterfield @shambhavi-sethi @a-phan-of-youtube @theobssessiveweirdo

A line through your name means it wouldn't let me tag you!

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 3 years

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What was your sinnoh team and why was it infernape, floatzel, lucario, staraptor, luxray and garchomp?

Oh god this made me crack up. I have seen those memes and I love them, because they are mad relatable. It's kind of like the joke about how Shakespeare only has a dozen plays, because people always do the same ones. Or how Britain only has twelve actors, because all of the best people are in the same things. As for me, I enjoy all of the pokemon you just listed and while I've never had a team that quite resembled that one, I'm pretty sure most of my Sinnoh teams had at least one of them. That said, the two pokemon that I invariably wind up using almost every time if they're available are Roserade and Froslass. (Also known as Rosebud and Frostbite) I just think they're neat.

#Pokemon #Pokemon Gen IV #Pokemon Platinum #Pokemon Memes

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tellthemeerkatsitsfine · 3 years

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So I recently watched all 12 episodes of the sit-com Grandma’s House in two days. Simon Amstell wrote and starred in it. He left Never Mind the Buzzcocks after the season that aired at the end of 2008. The first season of Grandma’s House came out in 2010. In it, Simon pretty much played himself. I realize the correct way to put this is to say he played “a fictionalized version of himself”, but it really, really feels like he just fucking played himself.

I generally enjoy the genre of “comedian or actor writes and stars in a show and/or movie in which they play a fictionalized version of themselves”. I’ve watched several examples of that genre during my year of watching all the comedy in Britain: Not Going Out, The Trip, GameFace, Moone Boy (though in that case Chris O’Dowd plays the imaginary best friend to the childhood version of himself), I think Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy could technically count as a very warped version of this (season 2, at least). All examples of this have varying degrees of fictionalization of the main character; some claim to be very close to the writer/actor’s actual personality and circumstances with only some exaggeration, while others are just slightly inspired by the real person.

Grandma’s House is the furthest I have seen along the spectrum, and it’s at the “I’m pretty sure the character just is the real person” end. It’s about a guy who’s just left his soul-sucking job as the host of a shitty television show where he was an asshole to music stars for a living. That job made him quite popular with viewers, but also made him hate himself, so he quit to try to do something more meaningful. The character’s name is Simon Amstell (at first I assumed Simon would just share a first name with the character, like how the main character in Not Going Out is named “Lee” but never given a last name – but no, during Grandma’s House they do occasionally say the main character’s last name is “Amstell”). They never go so far as to actually refer to the show he left as “Never Mind the Buzzcocks”, but they also make no attempt to disguise it. In the very first episode and in the very last episode, they have Simon watch some footage of the show he has left. For those moments, they play actual footage of Simon Amstell on Buzzcocks.

The character shares a bunch of Simon’s real-life traits, like being awkward, gay, vegan, awkward, sober, anxious, desperately in search of meaning in life while also being incredibly cynical and hating everything, awkward, and sarcastic. The character is close with his mother and her family; they’re Jewish but don’t actually practise the religion. His dad used to be that way, until he had a very messy divorce when Simon was a kid; then he became more dedicated to the actual religion of Judaism. As far as I can tell from Simon Amstell’s stand-up sets and Wikipedia page, all of that is true of the real person as well as the character.

If you assume everything he says in his stand-up sets is true (which is something I have an easier time believing about Simon Amstell than about almost any other comedian I’ve ever seen), there are a huge number of little similarities between the real person and the character. Such as the fact that his family blamed his grandfather’s diabetes on stress caused by his dad cheating on his mom.

The show is set entirely in and just outside his grandmother’s house, and is centred on his interactions with his family. His mother is played by Rebecca Front, whom I best know as Nicola Murray on The Thick of It. His mother’s shitty fiancé is played by James Smith, whom I best know as Glen Cullen on The Thick of It. Seeing those two people play a couple is… weird.

In the first episode, Simon said that after moving on from hosting his shitty television show, he might want to try acting instead. His family members asked him if he can actually act. After watching all twelve episodes of this sit-com, I still feel like I don’t know whether Simon Amstell can act. Obviously I realize the fact that I can watch him star in a sit-com and feel like I haven’t seen him act means he is a good actor, but it really just seems like he put cameras in his actual grandmother’s house. Logically I know that’s not the case, because I’m at least 97% sure that Rebecca Front is not Simon Amstell’s real mother and Nicola and Glen did not really have an on-set romance on The Thick of It. Oh, and his Wikipedia page says he has siblings but the character in the show is an only child. That is the only difference I can find between parts of Simon Amstell’s real life that are public information, and that character’s life.

It really does feel like that whole bit of his life is just on television for people to watch, even though the sit-com is technically fiction. One can watch him get his soul sucked out on Buzzcocks, then go straight into Grandma’s House to see a an only lightly fictionalized documentary about how he decided to quit that show and do something more meaningful. Then one can watch Benjamin, this painfully artsy and romantic movie he made in 2018, as confirmation that he did, in fact, get his wish. And between all those things, there are stand-up shows where he updates us about his real life and lets us know that, yes, it’s exactly like the life of the character on the sit-com.

Oh, and he also made another movie-like-thing about how eating meat is bad, which I already knew. For the record, I am quite aware of the fact that Simon Amstell is a better person than I am because I eat meat and drink alcohol and he doesn’t. I don’t especially need a movie-like-thing to tell me that, but I watched Carnage anyway for completion. I’m pretty sure a movie about how everyone should be vegan is exactly what Simon Amstell wanted to make all along, and I’m pleased that he got to make it. Also it has Mawaan Rizwan in it, so that’s fun.

I mentioned this earlier today, but in case anyone who would enjoy following this shit missed it, I did upload all these things to Google Drive. So you, too, can watch this strange journey that he decided to televise. You’re welcome.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ieBi5uYySxfr1VIEfUw7ZFCoYkGYtjlE?usp=sharing

#Simon Amstell

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blackswaneuroparedux · 5 years

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The Hero of Rorke’s Drift by William Topaz McGonagall

Twas at the camp of Rorke’s Drift, and at tea-time, And busily engaged in culinary operations was a private of the line; But suddenly he paused, for he heard a clattering din, When instantly two men on horseback drew rein beside him.

“News from the front!” said one, “Awful news!” said the other, “Of which, we are afraid, will put us to great bother, For the black Zulus are coming, and for our blood doth thirst,” “And the force is cut up to pieces!” shouted the first.

“We’re dead beat,” said both, “but we’ve got to go on,” And on they rode both, looking very woebegone; Then Henry Hook put all thought of cooking out of his mind, For he was surrounded with danger on every side he did find.

He was a private of the South Wales Borderers, Henry Hook, Also a brave soldier, and an hospital cook; A soldier of the Queen, who was always ready to obey, And willing to serve God by night and day.

Then away to the Camp he ran, with his mind all in a shiver, Shouting, “The force is cut up, sir, on the other side of the river!” Which caused the officer in command with fear to quiver, When Henry Hook the news to him did deliver.

Then Henry Hook saluted, and immediately retired, And with courage undaunted his soul was fired, And the cry rang out wildly, “The Zulus are coming!” Then the alarm drums were instantly set a-drumming.

Then “Fall in! Fall in!” the commanders did cry, And the men mustered out, ready to do and to die, As British soldiers are always ready to do, But, alas, on this occasion their numbers were but few.

They were only eighty in number, that brave British band, And brave Lieutenant Broomhead did them command; He gave orders to erect barricades without delay, “It’s the only plan I can see, men, to drive four thousand savages away.”

Then the mealie bags and biscuit boxes were brought out, And the breastwork was made quickly without fear or doubt, And barely was it finished when some one cried in dismay, “There’s the Zulus coming just about twelve hundred yards away.”

Methinks I see the noble hero, Henry Hook, Because like a destroying angel he did look, As he stood at the hospital entrance defending the patients there, Bayoneting the Zulus, while their cries rent the air, As they strove hard the hospital to enter in, But he murdered them in scores, and thought it no sin.

In one of the hospital rooms was stationed Henry Hook, And every inch a hero he did look, Standing at his loophole he watched the Zulus come, All shouting, and yelling, and at a quick run.

On they came, a countless host of savages with a rush, But the gallant little band soon did their courage crush, But the cool man Henry Hook at his post began to fire, And in a short time those maddened brutes were forced to retire.

Still on came the savages into the barricade, And still they were driven back, but undismayed. Again they came into the barricade, yet they were driven back, While darkness fell swift across the sun, dismal and black.

Then into the hospital the savages forced their way, And in a moment they set fire to it without dismay, Then Henry Hook flew to assist the patients in the ward, And the fighting there was fearful and hard.

With yell and shriek the Zulus rushed to the attack, But for the sixth time they were driven back By the brave British band, and Henry Hook, Who was a brave soldier, surgeon, and hospital cook.

And when Lord Chelmsford heard of the victory that day, He sent for Henry Hook without delay, And they took the private before the commander, And with his braces down, and without his coat, in battle array grandeur.

Then Lord Chelmsford said, “Henry Hook, give me your hand, For your conduct to day has been heroic and grand, And without your assistance to-day we’d been at a loss, And for your heroic behaviour you shall receive the Victoria Cross.

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Henry Hook was one of eleven defenders of Rorke’s Drift to be awarded the Victoria Cross (Britain’s highest military honour), the most VCs ever awarded for a single action. These men, and 140 of their comrades, held their isolated post against 4000 Zulu warriors in ten hours of fierce fighting. A few miles away at Isandlwana, the British army had just suffered one of its greatest ever defeats.

The battle of Rorke’s Drift is best remembered today through the 1964 film Zulu, which launched the career of actor Michael Caine. Henry Hook is a prominent character in the film, but he is portrayed as a rogue and barrack-room lawyer, rather than McGonagall’s perfect soldier. For once McGonagall is nearer the mark, as Hook had a spotless military record.

Whilst McGonagall was writing poetry at the time of the Zulu war (1879) this poem was not written until several years after the event. McGonagall makes a common mistake (as does the film the 1964 Zulu movie) in describing Hook’s regiment as the South Wales Borderers. In fact the 24th Regiment did not receive this designation till 1881, they were the 2nd Warwickshire Regiment at the time of the action.

#poem #mcGonagall #rorkes drift #hook #zulu #britain #empire

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su-o · 5 years

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Like some elaborate, irresistible confection, a soothing balm for frustrated Brexiteers, Downton Abbey swishes gracefully into a cinema near you this weekend, bearing more tales of kindly nobs, harmless misunderstandings and pathetically grateful servants. Though the TV series finished four years ago, nothing much has changed at the fusty Yorkshire estate, whose staff and owners are excitedly preparing for a visit by King George and Queen Mary.

Downton's nostalgic vision of a racially homogenous, redoubtably harmonious Britain in which all shoes were shined and everyone knew their place must be a pleasing fantasy for fans of Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, but in fairness to the show's creator, Julian Fellowes, he has always tempered patriotic sentiment with investigations of more controversial themes, such as bereavement, marital breakdown and the plight of gay people in 1920s Britain.

Fellowes even tackled the dreaded 'Irish Question' via the dashing conduit of Dublin actor Allen Leech, who made his debut in season one playing the chippy Irish chauffeur, Tom Branson. As Tom ferried Downton's owners to garden fetes and other vital social engagements, the War of Independence raged across the Irish Sea: he was a republican, and not shy about sharing this inconvenient truth.

Through the series, Leech's character has experienced more than his fair share of ups and downs, but he's still knocking around Downton, and in the movie takes on a major and at times heroic role.

"He does, yeah," Leech (38) agrees when I meet him - later that day, he announces that his American actress wife Jessica Blair Herman is expecting their first child. (At the end of our interview, he beams broadly and says: "I don't know when you're publishing this, but my wife's pregnant, and we're going to reveal that on the carpet later, so keep it under your hat.")

"Before we got the script, the one thing I really wanted to see was that he would get an opportunity to do something, because he had faded a little bit into the furniture towards the end of the TV series," he continues.

"I was really surprised when I got it, because I hadn't expected I'd have quite as much to do.

"When Hugh Bonneville read it, he rang me and said 'you have more plots than an allotment'."

Without giving too much away, Branson may find love again, and perform an unexpected heroic service.

"I'm a bit worried though - you've seen the film, he does this thing at one point, and I mean I did have a little think about it, because I don't know how it's going to go down at home!" says Leech.

"Julian said it's not really about the royals, he does it for the family. That's what he always says."

For Leech, reuniting on the shoot with long-time cast members like Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter and Maggie Smith was special. "Because we've enjoyed the show's success together, there is that sense of family, which is really lovely.

"But as Jim Carter says, we are like a family but the great thing is we only have to be around each other for 12 weeks at a time."

Twelve weeks doesn't sound like loads of time to shoot a complex feature film, but Leech says it was plenty. "When you know the characters so well, you're almost hitting the ground running, it's like putting on an old pair of shoes, there's a comfort there, an understanding, so you just go straight into it."

Downton Abbey's success has been astonishing: by the end of its TV run it was achieving per-episode viewing figures of 10 million in Britain, it's been sold all over the world, and in America it's absolutely huge. But Leech and the rest of the cast had no sense of this at all when they started making it.

"I remember Jim Carter saying at the end of the first series 'we'll see you on the next gig', as in definitely not another series of this.

"I think it just caught the zeitgeist of the time, with austerity and all, and people just wanting some kind of escapism."

Leech had even less expectation than the rest of the cast, having been brought in late on to audition for the role of the chauffeur.

"I had done a movie with Julian called Time to Time, weirdly enough with Maggie and Hugh in it as well, and when I came in to read for Downton the character was called John Branston, he was from Yorkshire, he was just a chauffeur.

"But when I auditioned, Julian went, 'I have an idea', and he changed it to Tom Branson, and made him a socialist and an Irish republican. It gave the character this whole extra level."

Leech is well aware of how much he owes the show. "I've never had an experience of success in my career like Downton, it's massive here, it's massive in America, and it has opened all sorts of doors for me. Like, the producer of The Imitation Game said to me, 'I didn't know who you were, but my wife's a huge fan of Downton', and it was the same with Bohemian Rhapsody. I'm very grateful to the show for what it's done for me, and that's one of the reasons why coming back to do this film was really special," says Leech, who moved to Los Angeles three years ago.

"I love LA," he tells me. "I lived in London for 12 years and I kind of felt like I wanted a change after Downton, and it is a big change, but I have to say I love the lifestyle."

Raised in Killiney, in south Co Dublin, Leech became obsessed with acting after playing the cowardly Lion in a school production of The Wizard of Oz.

"I had this moment where I realised this was what I wanted to do. And a lady called Maura Cranny, she saw that I had a real love for it and did private classes with me in (St Michael's College) on a Wednesday with a friend of mine, we used to do duologues and all that, and it was amazing, and she was RADA trained, and she taught me all the classics in a way that no child of 12 or 13 is getting.

"After that I just loved it so much and then I wanted to go into college, and Dad and my Mom said, 'Look, as long as you get a degree...'; they were understanding, but you know the age-old thing of something to fall back on if the acting doesn't work out. So I did drama and theatre studies. But I kind of always pushed for it, it was always something I felt really passionate about."

Leech was just 16 when he appeared onstage with two-time Oscar-winner Frances McDormand in a Gate production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

"I didn't really understand who she was," he says, "but doing that show at that point in my life was such an amazing experience. Liam Cunningham played Stanley, and John Kavanagh, who became a great mentor of mine, was also in it.

"When we were at the Golden Globes a few years back for The Imitation Game, and she was up for Olive Kitteridge, the Downton cast were there as well, and I said, 'should I go up to her?' and they said, 'yeah go on'. So I went up and I said, 'Ms McDormand, you probably don't remember me', and she was like 'Allen Leech'. Then she turned to her husband, who's one of the Coen brothers, and said, 'Look, it's our boy, whenever we watch Downton we're like, there's our boy'. That was so cool!"

#allen leech #downton abbey #downton movie

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claudia1829things · 4 years

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"THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" (1981) Review

"THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" (1981) Review Some might find this hard to believe, but I used to be an avid viewer of PBS's "MASTERPIECE THEATER" years ago. Even when I was a child. That is right. Even as a child, I was hooked on period dramas set in Great Britain's past. One of the productions that I never forgot happened to be one that is rarely, if ever, discussed by period drama fans today - namely the 1981 miniseries, "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA".

"THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" is really a biopic - an adaptation of author Elspeth Huxley's 1959 memoirs of her childhood in Kenya during the last year of the Edwardian Age . . . that last year before the outbreak of World War I. The story begins in 1913 when young Elspeth Grant and her mother Tilly arrive in British East Africa (now known as Kenya) to meet her father, Robin. The latter, who is a British Army veteran, has plans to establish a coffee plantation. The Grants encounter many problems in setting up their new home. With the help of a Boer big game hunter named Piet Roos, they hire a Kikuyu local named Njombo to serve as translator for any new workers. Two of those workers are another local of Masai/Kikuyu descent named Sammy, who serves as the Grants' headman; and a Swahili cook named Juma. As life begins to improve for the Grants, they acquire new neighbors, who include a recently arrived couple named Hereward and Lettice Palmer, a Scottish-born former nurse named Mrs. Nimmo, a young and inexperienced farmer named Alec Wilson and a very dashing big game hunter named Ian Crawford. However, just as the Grants were learning to adjust to life in British East Africa, World War I begins and they are forced to adjust to a new future all over again. Overall, "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" struck me as a pretty decent production. It is a beautiful series to look at, thanks to Ian Wilson's cinematography. He did a marvelous job in recapturing the space and scope of Kenya. Yes, the miniseries was filmed on location. My only qualm is that Wilson may have used slightly inferior film stock. The production's color seemed to have somewhat faded over the past twenty to thirty years. Roy Stannard's art direction greatly contributed to the miniseries' look. I can also say the same about Maggie Quigley's costume designs. They looked attractive when the scene or moment called for borderline glamour. But Quigley remained mindful of her characters' social standing, age and personalities. I feel that Stannard and Quigley, along with production managers Clifton Brandon and Johnny Goodman did a very good job in recapturing the look and feel of colonial pre-World War I East Africa. Let me clarify . . . colonial East Africa for middle-class Britons. I might as well be frank. Many years had passed between the first and last times I saw "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA". It took this recent viewing for me to realize that the production's narrative was not as consistent as I had originally assumed it was. Let me put it another way . . . I found the narrative for "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" a bit episodic. I tried to think of a continuous story arc featured in the miniseries, but I could only think of one - namely the love affair between Lettice Palmer, the wife of the Grants' boorish neighbor; and big game hunter Ian Crawford. And this story arc only lasted between Episodes Three and Seven. Otherwise, the viewers experienced vignettes of the Grants' one year in East Africa. And each vignette only seemed to last one episode. I must admit that I found this slightly disappointing. There were some vignettes that enjoyed. I certainly enjoyed Episode One, which featured the Grants' arrival in East Africa and their efforts to recruit help from the locals to establish their farm. I also enjoyed those episodes that featured the Grants and the Palmers' efforts to kill a leopard; a major safari in which Tilly Grant, the Palmers and Ian Crawford participated in Episode Six; and the impact of World War I upon their lives in the miniseries' final episode. However, I had some problems with other episodes. I found Episode Two, which featured young Elspeth's rather strange New Year's experiences nearly boring. Nearly. I must admit that some of the characters featured in that particular episode struck me as rather interesting. The episode that featured a personal quarrel between the Grants' translator Njombo and their headman Sammy ended up pissing me off. It pissed me off because its resolution, namely an "Act of God" in the form Tilly, struck me as a typical example of European condescension . . . even in the early 1980s. The performances for "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" struck me as pretty first-rate. I rather enjoyed Hayley Mills and David Robb's performances as young Elspeth's parents, Tilly and Robin Grant. Although both actors came off as likable, they also did an excellent job in portraying Tilly and Robin's less than admirable qualities . . . including an insidious form of bigotry. What I am trying to say is . . . neither Tilly or Robin came off as overt bigots. But there were moments when their prejudices managed to creep out of the woodwork, thanks to Mills and Robb's subtle performances. Sharon Maughan and Nicholas Jones were also excellent as the Grants' neighbors, Lettice and Hereward Palmer. It was easier for me to like the delicate and ladylike Lettice, even though there were times when she came of as self-absorbed. Jones' Hereward struck me as somewhat friendly at first. But as the series progressed, the actor did a great job in exposing Hereward's more unpleasant nature, which culminated in the safari featured in Episode Six. Ben Cross gave a charming and slightly virile performance as big game hunter Ian Crawford. But if I must be honest, the character was not exactly one of his more complex and interesting roles. But the one performance that shined above the others came from the then twelve year-old Holly Aird, who portrayed Elspeth Grant, the miniseries' main character. Not only did Aird give a delightful performance, she also held her own with her much older cast mates. Quite an achievement for someone who was either eleven or twelve at the time. There were other performances in "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" that I found impressive. Carol MacReady was entertaining as the somewhat narrow-minded Mrs. Nimmo. Mick Chege gave a charming performance as the always cheerful and popular . David Bradley's portrayal of young neighbor Alec struck me as equally charming. Paul Onsongo gave a solid performance as the Grants' major domo/cook Juma. However, Onsongo's last scene proved to be very complex and interesting when Juma discovered that he could not accompany the Grants back to Britain. One of the series' most interesting performances came from William Morgan Sheppard, who portrayed Boer big game hunter, Piet Roos. The interesting aspect of Sheppard's performance is that although he conveyed Roos' more unpleasant and racist side in Episode One, he did an excellent in winning the audience's sympathy as his character dealt with the even more unpleasant Hereward Palmer during the leopard hunt in Episode Five. Another interesting performance came from Steve Mwenesi as the Grants' headsman, Sammy. Mwenesi did an excellent job in portraying the very complex Sammy. The latter seemed so cool and subtle. Yet, Mwenesi also made audiences aware of Sammy's emotions by utilizing facial expressions and his eyes. Overall, "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" was an entertaining production that gave audiences a peek into the lives of colonial Britons during the last year of peace before the outbreak of World War I. Realizing that the story deal with members of the British middle-class and the Kikuyu and Swahili locals, the production team ensured that the miniseries was rich in atmospheric details without over-glamorizing the setting and costumes. And although the miniseries' narrative came off as somewhat episodic, I also managed to enjoy the performances of a first-rate cast led by Hayley Mills, David Robb and an enchanting Holly Aird.

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the-little-crime-writer · 5 years

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Aircraft Crashes: accidents or murder?

The past nine decades, various fatal air crashes have spawned conspiracy theories that linger as haunting historical mysteries. Five cases produced official verdicts of criminal activity, but no suspects were ever indicted. The remainder are listed as accidents, but nagging doubts remain. These cases include:

July 4, 1923 Actor-pilot Beverly “B.H” DeLay and passenger R.I short (president of the Essandee Corporation) died while performing aerial acrobatics at Venice Beach, California. Time Magazine reported that half-inch bolts in the wings of DeLay’s aircraft had been switched with smaller bolts, causing the wings to collapse during flight. Gunshots of unknown origin had also been fired at DeLay days earlier, during a performance in Santa Monica. Journalists linked the crash to bitter litigation between DeLay and C.E Frey, a rival who claimed ownership of an airstrip purchased by DeLay in 1919. Several Frey employees were jailed for sabotaging that airfield, but no one was indicted for DeLay’s murder.

October 10, 1933 A United Airlines Boeing 247 aircraft travelling from Cleveland to Chicago crashed near Chesterton, Indiana, killing all seven persons aboard. Witnesses reported hearing a mid-air explosion at 9:15pm and watching the plane plummet into flames from 1,000 feet. Investigators from North-western University and Chicago FBI office concluded that a bomb had detonated in the plane’s baggage compartment, but no suspects were ever identified.

March 29, 1959 Barthelemy Boganda, first prime minister of the Central African Republic (C.A.R) and presumed to win election as president when France released control of his nation in 1960, died with all others aboard when his plane crashed 99 miles west of Bangui. No cause of the crash was officially determined, but suspicion of sabotage persists. On May 7, 1959, the Paris weekly L’Express reported discovery of explosive residue in the plane’s wreckage whereupon the French high commissioner banned sale of that issue in the C.A.R. In 1997 author Brian Titley suggested that Boganda’s wife, Michelle Jourdan, may have killed hi to avert divorce and collect a large insurance policy.

November 16, 1959 National Airlines Flight 967 vanished over the Gulf of Mexico with 42 persons aboard while en route from Tampa, Florida, to New Orleans. The final radar contact with Flight 967 was recorded at 12:46 am. Searchers found scattered wreckage with corpses near that point, but most of the aircraft was never recovered. Suspicion focused on passenger William Taylor, who boarded the plane with a ticket issued to ex-convict Robert Vernon Spears. Authorities surmised that Spears had tricked Taylor, a friend from prison, into boarding the plane with a bomb, thus permitting Spears to collect on a life insurance policy purchased in his name. Police later arrested Spears in Phoenix, driving a car registered to Taylor, but he subsequently vanished and was never charged with any crime pertaining to the crash.

September 18, 1961 Dag Hammarskjold, second secretary-general of the United Nations, died with 15 others when his plane crashed near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), during a diplomatic tour of the strife-torn Congo. Security was tight during the tour, including use of a decoy aircraft, and Hammarskjold’s pilot filed no flight plans on the trip. Officially, the crash resulted from a pilot’s error in approaching Ndola’s airfield at the wrong altitude after nightfall. Many observers suspected a bomb or rocket attack. In August 1998, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, chairman of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, announced that recently uncovered letters implicated South African intelligence officers, Britain’s MI5, and the American CIA in Hammarskjold’s death. One letter claimed that a bomb in the plane’s wheel bay was set to explode on landing. In July 2005, Norwegian major general Bjorn Egge told the newspaper Aftenposten that an apparent bullet hole in Hammarskjold’s forehead was air brushed out of photos later published showing his corpse.

October 16, 1972 House majority leader Thomas Hale Boggs, Sr., was campaigning for Representative Nick Begich when their airplane vanished during a flight from Anchorage to Juneau, Alaska. Also aboard were pilot Don Jonz and Begich aide Russell Brown. The plane was never found. Begich won November’s election with a 56-percent margin, but his presumed death left GOP rival Don Young running unopposed in a special election to fill Begich’s vacant seat in Congress. Some conspiracy theorists link the disappearance to Bogg’s outspoken criticism of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (who died in May 1972), but Begich’s children blamed President Richard Nixon, claiming that the crash was staged in a vain attempt to thwart congressional investigation of the unfolding Watergate scandal.

August 1, 1981 Brigadier General Omar Torrijos Herrera, “Supreme Chief of Government” for Panama since 1968, died with several others when his plane exploded in mid air during a storm. Slipshod radio coverage delayed the report of his plane’s disappearance for nearly a day, and several more days elapsed before soldiers found the wreckage. Florencio Flores succeeded Torrijos as commander of Panama’s National Guard and de facto ruler of the country.

October 19, 1986 Samora Moises Machel, president of Mozambique and leading critic of South Africa’s racist apartheid system, died with all board when his plane crashed near Mbuzini, in South Africa’s Lebombo Mountains. At the time, Machel was returning home from an international conference in Zambia. The Margo Commission, an investigate panel including representatives from several nations, blamed the crash on pilot error, a verdict flatly rejected by the governments of Mozambique and the Soviet Union Russian members of the commission filed a minority report claiming that Machel’s plane was lured off-course by a decoy radio beacon, set up by South African intelligence officers. Machel’s widow, Graca, remains convinced that was murdered. In 1998 she married then-South African president Nelson Mandela.

August 17, 1989 General Muhammad Ziaul-Haq, ruler of Pakistan since he overthrew predecessor Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1977, died with several other generals and U.S. ambassador Arnold Raphel when their plane crashed shortly after take off from Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Witnesses reported a smooth lift off, followed by erratic flying and a steep nosedive. FBI agents called the crash accidental, but persistent conspiracy theories blame a wide range of suspects, including the CIA, Russia’s KGB, Israel’s Mossad, India’s RAW Intelligence agency, Afghan communists, ad Shi’ite Muslim separatists.

April 6, 1994 Unknown snipers shot down a government aircraft at Rwanda’s Kigali airport, killing Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana, President Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi, and all others aboard. The resultant political chaos led to full-scale genocide in Rwanda, where ruling Hutu tribesmen slaughtered rival Tutsis, and sparked civil war in Burundi.

July 19, 1994 Alas Chiricanas Flight 901 exploded while en route from Colon, Panama, to Panama City, killing all 21 persons aboard. Authorities found evidence of a bomb, blaming the crime on terrorists. Suspicion focused on Jamal Lya, the only passenger who corpse remained unclaimed after the bombing. Soon afterward, an unknown spokesperson for a group calling itself Ansar Allah (“Followers of God”) claimed credit for the attack, but investigators could find no other trace of the organization.

July 17, 1996 Trans World Airlines flight 800 left New York’s JFK Airport, bound for Paris, at 10:19pm Twelve minutes later it exploded in mid-air, killing all 230 persons aboard and littering the ocean with wreckage offshore from East Moriches, New York. Despite initial speculation of a terrorist attack, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a final report in August 2000, blaming the explosion on a presumed electrical short circuit that ignited fumes in the aircraft’s centre wing fuel tank. Meanwhile, multiple eyewitnesses on land reported seeing “a streak of light” rising from sea level toward the airliner before it exploded. Initial examination of the wreckage revealed apparent residue from three different explosive compounds, PETN, RDX, and nitro-glycerine but authorities claimed to find no evidence of impact from a rocket or missile. Some conspiracy theorists maintain that Flight 800 was shot down by terrorists, while others suggest a disastrous mistake during an offshore U.S. Navy training exercise involving surface-to-air missiles. The case is officially closed.

October 25, 2002 Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone died with seven others, including his wife and three children, when his aircraft crashed near Eveleth, Minnesota. Wellstone was near the end of his campaign for a third Senate term, his death coming 11 days before the scheduled balloting. Initial reports blamed icing of the aircraft's wing, but that suggestion was later rejected. Federal investigators finally named pilot error as the “likely” cause of the crash, claiming that deceased First Officer Michael Guess was “below average” in proficiency. In fact, Guess had been fired from two previous flying jobs for incompetence. Jim Fetzer, a philosophy professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, published a book in 2004, blaming Wellstone’s death on unnamed members of President George W. Bush’s administration.

July 30, 2005 Dr. John Garang De Mabior, vice president of Sudan and former head of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army, died when his helicopter crashed in southern Sudan. Circumstances of the crash remain unclear, and Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni blamed “external factors” for the incident. Foreign observers note that Garang’s death helped bring an end to Sudan’s long-running civil war.

#Aircraft crashes: accidents or murder?#The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes #tcc blog #tcc account #tcc community #tcc blogger #true crime #true crime blog #true crime community #tcc love #real crime #conspiracy theory #accident or muder #my serial killer addiction

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uglypastels · 6 years

Text

When You Say Nothing At All - Tom Holland movie AU (2/3)

Part 2

(a/n) I don’t think I actually have anything to say about this...

word count: 8184

warning: swearing; mentions of divorce, infertility, the dark side of fame; sexual themes; SPOILERS FOR NOTTING HILL

part 1

Tom’s POV - 1999 - London - Characters are in their late 20′s It had easily been the most painful hour of Tom’s life. All of the actors he had met, looked at him as if he was crazy or stupid. Tom couldn’t decide which was worse. But he knew they weren’t wrong.

He walked out of the last interview he had done. It was with a young child actress that clearly already at the age of twelve had her life more put together than he would ever have. It was clearly already getting late, as the crew had started to pack up and most journalists had already left. Tom was also more than ready to leave this suite. He never wanted to come back again.

He was almost at the door when Karen’s voice sounded from the end of the hall. “Mr. Holland,” she called him out. Tom stopped in his tracks, mumbling “Oh, no” a bit too loud. He slowly turned around. Karen was looking at him brightly. “Have you got a minute?”

“No.,” he said honestly. Karen, fortunately, heard it as a joke and broke a little laugh. Defeated, Tom followed the assistant to a room, in which he surprisingly had not been in yet. He wondered how many rooms there could possibly be in this suite alone.

She opened the door for him. Tom’s face lit up with a smile at the sight in front of him. (Y/N) got up out of her chair when she saw him. Her suit jacket lay somewhere abandoned. Her long hair loose. She said a small “Hi”. The door closed behind him. He didn’t even look. They were finally alone again. Had she asked for him? Probably. Tom did his best to hide his excitement. He also responded with just a “Hi.” For some reason, (Y/N) looked nervous. He didn’t understand why. It was just him.

“Uhm… Yeah, so, the, um…” She started mumbling. It was cute, Tom thought. “The, the thing I was doing tonight. I’m not doing anymore. I told them I had to spend the evening with Britain’s premiere equestrian journalist.” She smiled.

“Oh,” Tom smiled too. “Well, great. Fantastic.” He already started to think where he could take her this evening. Of course, nothing would probably even come close to what she was used to. He barely could afford to eat himself. Dinner...oh no! He completely forgot.

“Shit. It’s my brother’s birthday. Shit.” He rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. “We’re meant to be having dinner.”

“Okay, that’s fine,” she said, not seeming to be very bothered by the fact.

“No. I’m sure I can get out of it.”

“No, I mean, if it’s fine with you, I’ll be your date.” Had he heard that correctly? Did (Y/F/N) really just suggest to be his date? He looked at her with wide eyes. “You’ll be my date to my little brother’s birthday party?”

“If it’s alright.” She looked a bit concerned. He must have sounded rude.

“Well, yeah, I’m sure it’s all right. My friend Max is cooking,” he remembered, “and he is generally acknowledged to be the worst cook in the world, but you could hide the food in your handbag or something.”

“Okay.” she genuinely seemed happy to go.

“Okay.”

Tom had asked (Y/N) if it would be okay if he picked her up at eight. She had simply nodded and then her publicist walked in, saying that she had a sudden interview in two minutes and had to get ready.

When he got back home, Tom called Bella, Max’ wife to check if it was okay if he brought a date. The party would be held at their place as it would be very likely that Max could burn down the kitchen in an attempt to cook. So it would be better if it wasn’t someone else's.

(Y/N) stood next to him as Tom rang the doorbell. She looked very casual, but still very fabulous. Her hair was up in, what he thought was called, a milkmaid braid. She was just wearing jeans and a t-shirt, over that a light jacket.

The door opened. Max had not even come up to it. Just opened it as soon as he could reach the handle, and walked away immediately after it. “Hi, come on in. Vague food crisis.” He disappeared back into the kitchen. Tom looked at (Y/N), who was in a small shock. They laughed together and stepped into the house. Tom, of course, let her walk in first.

“Hiya,” Bella said from the living room, they followed her voice. “Sorry, the guinea-fowl is proving more complicated than expected.”

“He’s cooking guinea-fowl?” Tom asked. It was a classic move for Max, to cook something he could barely even pronounce.

“Don’t even ask.” Bella rolled her eyes. Then, she noticed (Y/N). they both said hi and shook hands. Then, Bella’s eyes widened. “Good lord, you’re the spitting image of…” before she could finish, Tom said: “Bella, this is (Y/N).” he introduced his date to his friend. Bella scoffed in disbelief and answered with a “Right.”

“Okay, crisis over!” Max could be heard out of the kitchen. Bella’s eyes didn’t leave (Y/N).

“Max, this is (Y/N).” He put his hand on her back, and lead her to the kitchen, where Max was fanning away some smoke erupting from the oven with a hand towel. (Y/N) gave him her hand and said a small “hi” still remembering her entrance.

“Hello, (Y/N)...(Y/L/N).” Max seemed to be in a small state of shock, realizing whose hand it was that he was shaking. “Have some wine.” he smiled nervously.

“Thank you,” she said. Then the doorbell rang and Max, being the good host, excused himself to welcome their next guests. While he was gone, Tom thought it would be quicker if he poured the drinks. “Red or white?” he asked. She was about to answer when Tom’s brother, Patrick, walked in.

“Hi guys,” he seemed excited, probably ready to give Tom a tight hug. Then he saw (Y/N). “Holy fuck!” Tom felt like he was the one that was supposed to break the ice in this situation.

“Paddy, this is (Y/N). (Y/N), this is Paddy - Patrick. He’s my baby brother.” (Y/N) was looking at him and her expression softened when she knew what was going on, she turned around to Patrick, who was holding a hand in front of his mouth in shock. “Hi.” she smiled.

“Oh god. This is one of those key moments in life when it’s possible you can be really genuinely cool and I’m going to fail just 100%.” (Y/N) looked very confused at the younger man in front of her. “I absolutely adore you.” he took a few steps to her. “And I just think you are the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Tom looked at (Y/N) while his brother was having his little moment. She didn’t seem mad that Patrick was technically confessing his love to her, but she wasn’t very comfortable with it either.

“And I’ve believed for some time now, that we could be best friends.” Well, that was not as bad as Tom had expected. “So what do you think?” (Y/N) looked at Patrick rather flabbergasted. She mumbled a few uhh…’s before saying: “Lucky me.” She cleared her throat and remembered she had a present for him. Tom had told her that she didn’t need to bring him anything, but she had insisted.

“Happy birthday.” She handed him the small box. Patrick actually gasped. Tom wasn’t sure when the last time was that he watched his baby brother act like that. It was like he was twelve all over again.

“We’re best friends already, then.” he smiled. Then, his eyes lit up, “Marry Tom, he’s a really nice guy, then we can be siblings.” Tom laughed awkwardly. Thinking, if he would slam his head hard enough on the cupboard, would he maybe pass out? This was getting a bit too much. (Y/N) smiled politely and responded with: “I’ll think about it.”

The doorbell rang again, releasing a bit of the awkward tension in the room. Max sighed: “That’ll be Bernie.”

Bernie walked into the living room, holding some shapeless purple package, that was probably Patrick’s birthday present. Max introduced (Y/N) before Tom had the chance.

“Hello, (Y/N). Delighted to meet you.” They shook hands for a second and then Bernie immediately walked to Patrick. “Pads, happy birthday to you.” he sang. He said a quick “Hi” to Bella. Patrick looked interested at the strange package that was now in his hands. “It’s a hat,” Bernie explained. “You don’t have to wear it or anything. Hi Tom.” Bernie walked around, grabbing a handful of peanuts that were displayed on the table as a casual snack. Everyone looked at him, awaiting a moment of realization and shock about who was standing in front of him, but nothing happened.

“Hi,” Tom repeated, a bit awkwardly.

“What?” Bernie saw how everyone was looking at him. Then Max moved into action. “Wine, Bernie?” Bernie hummed a yes. Max picked up a glass from the kitchen and then pulled Tom away from the rest, to the corner of the room where all the alcohol for the night was laid out.

“You haven’t slept with her, have you?” The sudden question startled Tom a bit, almost making him burn his hand from the match his was holding.

“That is a cheap question and the answer is, of course, no comment.” they had been doing this to each other ever since they met, years ago. The answer always stayed the same, whether it was true or false.

“No comment means yes.”

“No, it doesn’t.” He looked at Max, again almost burning his fingers while he tried to light another candle.

“Do you ever masturbate?”

“Absolutely no comment.” He looked away from his friend.

“You see, it means “yes”.” Max walked away with the wine bottle. Tom followed, not being done with the conversation. They soon did change the subject, getting a bit too uncomfortable with the last one. From the corner of his eye, he saw (Y/N) talk to Bernie. He couldn’t hear what they were exactly talking about, but at a certain point, he saw Bernie widen his eyes… almost as if in horrific shock.

“Right, I think we’re ready.” Max clapped his hands. Bella and Patrick were already at the table. (Y/N) turned around from Bernie and looked down at Bella. “Bella, can you tell me where I can find…”

“Oh, sorry, yeah, yeah. It’s down the corridor on the right,” she said, understanding the problem without it being said. Patrick got up.

“I’ll show you. I’ll show you.” Tom almost choked on his drink. What was Pads doing? Before he could stop his younger brother, unfortunately, he had already walked into the corridor. (Y/N) walked behind him, smiling nervously at Tom. He smiled back, reassuring her it was gonna be fine. The moment she was in the corridor too, Bella and Max gathered around him. In a quick and hushed voice, she said: “Quickly, quickly, quickly. Talk very quickly. What are you doing here with (Y/F/N)?”

“(Y/F/N)?” Bernie said out loud, “What, the movie star?” Max and Bella tried to shush him. Bernie hit his head with the palm of his hand. “Oh god. Oh goddy God.”

“What did you say to her?” Tom asked scared. Right then, Patrick walked back in. His face almost the same color as the hideous red-orange shirt he was wearing.

“I can’t believe it. I don’t believe it. I actually walked into the loo with her.” Tom felt like he was about to faint. His brother just harassed his date, great. “I was still chatting when she started unbuttoning her jeans. She had to ask me to leave.” Max started laughing. In any different situation, Tom would have laughed too at the idiocracy of his little brother, but this was not okay.

“So you knew who she was?” Bernie asked Patrick, who was now laughing along with Max.

“Of course I did, but he didn’t!” he started to laugh at Bernie, who rolled his eyes.

“Well, not instantly, but I got away with it though.” Tom slightly started to wish he hadn’t brought her with him.

Those thoughts did slowly fade, once dinner had actually started. The guinea-fowl had not been a complete disaster. The six of them were now talking and laughing about nonsense. Max left the table momentarily to get the cake.

“So, how’s the guinea-fowl?” he asked from the kitchen. He wasn’t looking at anyone in particular, but Tom knew it was mostly intended to (Y/N). She smiled and said: “Best guinea-fowl I’ve ever tasted.” That was a bit strange of her to say, Tom thought, as he had not seen her eat the poultry and he was pretty sure that he had read somewhere that (Y/N) was vegetarian. Anyway, he appreciated it how she didn’t want to hurt his friend's feelings.

Patrick put on the horrible blue hat that Bernie had given him. It looked horrendous, but he somehow pulled it off. There were many more laughs after Max had brought out the cake and the brownie. Patrick had blown out the candles and then they talked more while popping celebratory crackers. Tom couldn’t help it but gaze over at (Y/N) from time to time, who was sitting right opposite him. She didn’t say much through the whole evening. She mostly just observed while the others held their conversations. He doubted that she had many chances in her life to just do simple things like that: sit around a table with close friends and laugh. Nothing specific on anyone’s mind, while they stuff themselves with slightly overbaked cake.

“Having you here, (Y/N), firmly establishes what I’ve long suspected, that we really are the most desperate lot of under-achievers,” Max said as he shoved another piece of brownie into his mouth. Tom agreed. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” Max added. “In fact, I think it’s something we should take pride in.” He looked as Bernie handed the plate of brownies to Tom and he, in his turn, gave it to Patrick. “I’m gonna give the last brownie as a prize to the saddest act here.” He smirked. Everybody was getting a bit excited, already thinking of some sad stories in their lives, in a chance to getting that brownie… at least, that’s what Tom was doing.

“Bern?” he suggested his friend goes first. Bernie looked surprised at the call of his name. Max, Bella, and Paddy started laughing. (Y/N) had also giggled a little bit.

“Alright, alright. Well, obviously it’s me, isn’t it?” he said, almost inaudible because of the piece of brownie still in his mouth. “I mean, I work in the city in a job I don’t understand and everyone keeps getting promoted above me. I haven’t had a girlfriend since, well, since puberty.” He swallowed the rest of his brownie. “And nobody fancies me...and if these cheeks get any chubbier, they never will.” With that, he put the last piece of his own fudge brownie into his mouth.

“Please, unless I’m much mistaken, your job still pays you rather a lot of money.” Max commented once Bernie was done pitying over himself, “While Paddy here earns twenty pence a week flogging his guts out in London’s worst record store.”

“Yes!” he agreed. “And I haven’t got hair, I’ve got…this” he pointed around his head. Tom had to admit, it looked rather tragic. “And I’ve got funny looking eyes and I’m attracted to cruel women. Actually, no one would want to marry me because my balls have actually started shrinking.” everyone laughed.

“You see, it’s incredibly sad,” Max concluded.

“Yeah, but on the other hand, his best friend is (Y/F/N),” Bella added.

“That’s true. I can’t deny it. She needs me. What can I say?” Paddy smiled while taking a tug at his cigarette.

“And most of her limbs work, whereas I’m stuck in this thing day and night, in a house full of ramps.” Bella sighed. “And to add insult to serious injury, I’ve totally given up smoking, my favorite thing. And uhm…” she looked at Max, who smiled at her lovingly, “Well, the truth is, we can’t have a baby.” A silence around the table fell. Tom shared a look with (Y/N), who was sitting right next to Bella and Max.

“Oh, Belle,” Tom felt so sorry for his friend. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

‘C’est la vie.” she sniffed. “Still, we’re lucky in lots of ways. But surely that’s worth a brownie.” She smiled.

“Well, I don’t know.” Max leaned forward in his seat, “Look at Thomas.” Tom laughed, knowing what will come next. “Very unsuccessful professionally.”

“That’s true.” Bella and Patrick agreed. Tom hoped that (Y/N) somehow managed not to hear any of this. Although, that was very unlikely to happen. His friends continued bashing his life. “Divorced. Used to be handsome, now kind of squidgy round the edges.” Max specifically looked at (Y/N) while he said this last part. She laughed with the rest. “And absolutely certain never to hear from (Y/N) again once she’s heard that his nickname at school was Floppy.” Before Max had finished the sentence, Tom tried to stop his friend, but he only said it louder, accompanied by Bernie.

“You did. I can’t believe it, you did.” His friends laughed even louder. “Thanks very much. Thank you.” he bowed down in his seat. “Well at least I get the last brownie, right?” he was already leaning forward, trying to reach the plate, when (Y/N) stopped him: “Well, wait, what about me?” The rest stopped laughing and looked at each other, a bit surprised. Even Tom had not expected her to join in.

“I’m sorry?” Max asked, “You think you deserve the brownie?”

“Well, a shot at it at least, huh?” she looked around the table, lastly at Tom. “Right, well, you will have to prove it,” he smirked, the brownie still in his hand. “I mean, this is a very, very good brownie and I’m gonna fight for it.” She thought for a moment and then started naming a list, that was, even for Tom, a bit too long: “I’ve… been on a diet every day since I was 19, which basically means I’ve been hungry for a decade.” she laughed, giving the rest an OK to join her. “I’ve had a series of not so nice boyfriends, one of whom hit me… And every time I get my heart broken, the newspapers splash it about as though it’s entertainment.” she gave a nervous laugh, the rest didn’t. Too captivated by her sad story.

“And it’s taken two rather painful operations to get me looking like this.”

“Really?” Paddy sounded fascinated.

“Really.” (Y/N) said, pointing first at her chin, then at her nose with a sly smile. “And one day, not long from now, my looks will go, they will discover I can’t act, and I will become some sad middle-aged woman who looks a bit like someone who was famous for a while.” Her eyes were transfixed onto one of the candles that stood on the table. Bella put down her cup and looked sadly at her, so did Max. From his angle, Tom couldn’t properly see what Patrick or Bernie were doing, but from his own actions and those of his other two best friends, he could assume it was something like it. Max stroke his chin, as if in deep thought.

“No, nice try, gorgeous, but you don’t fool anyone.” She started laughing at Max.

“Pathetic effort to hog the brownie.” Tom joked. On the inside, he wasn’t very sure if it was appropriate, but she kept smiling.

Not much later, it was already getting late and it was time for Tom to take (Y/N) back to her hotel.

“Thank you for such a terrific time.” She shook hands with Max and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Max had wanted to say that he was delighted but suddenly fell very still. “That’s a great tie.”

“Now you’re lying,” he spoke.

“Okay, it’s true. I told you I was bad at acting.” She walked over to Bella. “It was lovely to meet you.”

“And you, and you. I’ll wait until you’ve gone before I tell him you’re a vegetarian.” Bella smiled. Max, who had been re-adjusting his tie, almost choked on it when he heard his wife say this. With terror in his eyes, he apologized. (Y/N) smiled and then walked to Patrick and Bernie. “Goodnight.”

“Look, I’m so sorry about the loo thing.” Tom wished he wouldn’t bring it back up again. It was already rather uncomfortable. “I meant to leave, but I just…”

“Happy birthday.” She said before Paddy would dig a whole he couldn’t get out of. He thanked her. “Sorry, can I just,” he gripped her in a small embrace. This was a definite sign for Tom to go.

“Leave her,” Tom pulled his younger brother off of her and lead (Y/N) back to the corridor. They all said “Bye” a few more times until the door between them was definitely closed. Tom and (Y/N) were already walking away when the sound of people laughing and screaming loudly could be heard from the inside of the green house. (Y/N) started to break out laughing too.

“Sorry. They always do that when I leave the house.” Tom joked. “It’s a stupid thing. I hate it. They continued walking, in silence once the screams of his friends died down.

“Floppy, huh?” she asked curiously, looking ahead.

“It’s the hair. It’s to do with the hair,” he explained. Tom saw on her face that there was another question she wanted to ask. “Why is she in a wheelchair?”

“Because she had an accident about 18 months ago.” He looked down at the ground, not sure if his friend wanted him to tell (Y/N) her whole story. He simply kept to the very basics of it.

“And the pregnancy thing, is that to do with the accident?”

“You know, I’m not sure. I don’t think they tried for kids before, as fate would have it.” They walked on in silence. It was not exactly the silence that would be called uncomfortable, but it was not the silence that you want to keep for long. It was a silence that Tom had a need to break. Just didn’t know with what.

“Do you want to…” he started talking before the full question actually had formed in his mouth. She looked at him, waiting for Tom to finish the question. “My place is just…”

“Too complicated.” She said. There were no clear emotions in her voice or her face. Yet, still, Tom understood what she meant.

“That’s fine.” He put his hands in his pockets. Feeling a bit stupid he had asked her in the first place.

“Busy tomorrow?” She asked. He looked up at her, surprised.

“I thought you were leaving tomorrow.” they looked at each other and she smiled. “I was.”

They walked on, the streets were dark for the most part. Some bits lit up with the old lanterns and some lights coming from the houses around them. Tom was not sure how late it was. It didn’t feel past midnight, but it just as well may be already 3 in the morning.

“All these streets round here have these mysterious communal gardens in the middle of them.” He told her, while they passed a wall of bushes and hedge, separating two houses on either side. “They’re like little villages.

“Let’s go in.” She said when they were in front of the gate. It was towering above them, a big lock on eye height.

“No, that’s the point. They’re private villages. Only the people who live around the edges are allowed in.” She turned to look at him, looking a bit disappointed.

“You abide by rules like that?” She raised an eyebrow mockingly.

“I don’t, no, no, but others do.” He started walking up to the gate. “And I just do what I want.” Tom pulled at the gate. It moved around but it was still far from opening. He saw that a part of the fence which was normally covered with ivy, was a bit visible, making it hopefully easier to climb over it. “Uhm… right.” He pulled his leg up on a horizontal bar in the fence and started to pull himself up. He could already look over it when he felt his leg slip up. He could just manage to not fall on the ground. With a ground he kept his balance, mumbling a “Whoopsie-daisies.”

(Y/N) was laughing. “What did you say?” He turned around.

“Nothing.”

“Yes, you did.”

“No, I didn’t.”

She smiled knowing very well what he said: “You said whoopsie-daisies.”

“No one says whoopsie-daisies, do they? I mean unless they’re…”

“There is no “unless”. Because no one has said whoopsie-daisies for 50 years. And even then it was just little girls with blonde ringlets.” She could barely make out the words while laughing. Tom, feeling extremely embarrassed, just nodded and said: “Exactly, right.” He glanced at the gate, then at her, then at the gate again. “So here we go again.” He gripped the bars tightly and tried to pull himself. Alas, once again, he felt his legs slip and he fell against the wall of ivy that covered the rest of the iron fence. “Whoopsie-daisies,” he exclaimed as he this time really fell on the ground. (Y/N) laughed loudly at his actions.

“Yeah, well, it’s a disease. It’s a clinical thing.” He got up and turned to her. “I’m taking pills and having injections. And I’m told it won’t last long so…”

“Okay, stand aside,” she shooed him away. Tom did as she told him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said as she was eyeing down the fence. “Really, it’s quite tricky. (Y/N)... (Y/N), don’t, it’s harder than it…” She was already at the top and pulling her leg over the fence. “No, it’s not. It’s easy.” She got her second leg over it and jumped down on to the little wall next to the gate. She held onto a thick tree branch to keep her balance.

“Come on, Flopsy.” She said, looking ahead of her and leaving Tom behind the gate.

“Right. Right!” He could do it. He had to do it. He couldn’t leave (Y/N) alone in the garden. For the third time, he gripped onto the bars at the top of the fence and pulled himself up. With a groan, he managed to stay up there. Now was the really hard part. He had to manage to get over to the other side. He tried not to think about the spiked bars that were right underneath him while he pulled his leg over the fence.

“Oh, God. This could be very unpleasant.” He said to himself. He managed to get one leg over it. Now the other one and he would be there. OK. Slowly, carefully, he pulled his other leg over the fence. Then he could feel his hand slip from one of the iron bars. He swung a bit to the right, hitting his knee on the gate. He groaned in pain.

(Y/N) was standing a few feet away from him. In an open space of the garden. She was turned with her back to him.

“Now what in the world in this garden could make that ordeal worthwhile?” He said as he reached her. His knee still hurt, but he tried not to think about it. (Y/N) turned to him and kissed him. It threw him off a bit. Why did she have to kiss him everytime he wasn’t ready? Once, just once, he wanted to be the one to make her feel like that.

She pulled away before he could do anything, and smiled. Tom felt his cheeks heat up a bit. “Nice garden.” He had to keep it a bit cool. She rolled her eyes and pulled his hand as she started walking. He hadn’t even noticed when she grabbed it.

They walked around for ages. Talking about nothing and everything. They looked around, even though there was barely anything visible in the dark. Finally, they stopped in front of a wooden bench in the middle of a clearing. A lamp behind them made it possible for them to see the engraving that was added to the backrest. (Y/N) read it out loud: “For June who loved this garden, from Joseph who always sat beside her.” underneath that, stood: June Wetherby 1917 - 1992, with a shamrock. She looked at it amazed, while Tom couldn’t keep his eyes from her. She looked so beautiful in the night light. The one street light illuminating her profile and making her eyes sparkle.

“Some people do spend their whole lives together.” she gasped and sat down on the bench. She looked at the sky. There weren’t many stars visible, due to the clouds and light pollution in general. Tom stood there, a few feet away from the bench. His legs started to move backward. It felt like she wanted to be alone.

“Come and sit with me.” She said. He did exactly that.

The next morning, Tom woke up late. He was supposed to meet (Y/N) at the movies and he couldn’t find his glasses anywhere. He had gotten out of the shower, he ran around the flat looking for them. Water still dripping off of him while he tried to hold on to the towel around his waist.

“Have you seen my glasses?” He asked Harrison, who lay half awake on the couch, his feet on the table in front of him. He hummed out: “No, afraid not.”

“Big, big bollocks.” he looked at the bookshelf, “Average day, my glasses are everywhere. Everywhere I look there’s a pair of glasses. But when I want to go to the cinema they’ve vanished.” He turned over pillows and threw some clothes around. “It’s one of life’s real cruelties.”

“That’s compared to, like, earthquakes in the Far East or testicular cancer, is it?” Harrison said, not looking up from his paper. Tom wanted to comment on his flatmate's sentence, but when he looked up his eyes caught a glance at the clock on the desk.

“Oh shit, is that the time?” He ran upstairs to get dressed. When he ran back down, he yelled out to Harrison: “Thanks for all your help on the glasses thing.”

“Oh, you’re welcome,” he said, still not looking up from the article he was reading. “Did you find them?”

“Sort of.” Tom groaned as he couldn’t find the sleeve of his jacket.

“Great.”

He only had one other option, except for going to see the movie half blind. So, when the movie started and the lights went off, he put on his diving goggles. (Y/N) almost started crying from laughter when she looked at him. He didn’t mind. He knew he looked like a twat.

During the movie, she would keep throwing popcorn at his face, scaring him every time as he couldn’t see her because of the goggles blocking most of his peripheral vision.

After the movie, they went to a sushi restaurant. It was an average dinner time, so the place was quite packed. Every table was occupied with people talking and laughing. Including the one where Tom and (Y/N) were seated. They had a table at the window. There wasn’t much of a view except for the plants growing outside. They had been talking about their own lives. Just getting to know each other a bit better.

“So who left who?” she asked him. Somehow they managed to land on the topic of his tragic divorce. Normally he didn’t like to talk about it but he felt comfortable around her. “Er - she left me.”

“Why?” she stirred the drink in her hand. Tom had to think about how to make his story less pathetic.

“She saw through me.” he smiled a lightly. She brought her glass to her lips. “Oh-oh, that’s not good.”

A laughter from behind them broke out. There was a table with a couple of businessmen. They all looked to Tom as neither could pronounce any of the dishes that they were currently eating. Their laughter getting louder and more obnoxious.

“You can give me (Y/F/N) any day.” One of them said. (Y/N) raised an eyebrow as she listened to what the man had to say. There was a small wall between their tables so the man couldn’t see her or Tom.

“I didn’t like her last film.” Another one commented. “Fell asleep as soon as the lights went down.” She gave Tom a look of “fair enough”.

“I don’t really care what the film’s like.” the first guy said. “Any film with her in, it’s fine by me.” The man laughed. (Y/N) smiled. A third man added to the conversation: “She’s not my type at all. I prefer the other one. You know, blonde, sweet looking. You know, what’s her name? Has an orgasm every time you take her out for a cup of coffee.” (Y/N) mouthed the words “Meg Ryan” to Tom just as the man at the next table said it too in a chorus.

“No, she’s too wholesome.” the first one talked again. “You see, the point about Miss (Y/L/N) is she’s got that twinkle in her eye.” She gave Tom a seductive look with a wink and smirked, then started laughing. The conversation of the men at the next table continued: “Probably drug0induced. Spends most of her life in bloody rehab.” She rolled her eyes.

“Well, whatever. She’s so clearly up for it.” (Y/N) the smile disappeared from her face. She listened in concentration to what they had to say about her. “I mean, you see, most girls, they’re all like, “stay away chum”. But (Y/N)...” he made a disgusting sound. “She is absolutely gagging for it.” Tom saw her getting a bit uncomfortable. He wanted to do something about it. Those guys were being extreme dicks.

“Do you know that in over 50% of languages, the word for “actress” is the same as the word for ‘prostitute’?” They started laughing. One of them asked where his friend got that “fact” from.

“And (Y/N) is your definitive actress,” the same guy said it, with his mouth full.

“Right, that’s it. Sorry.” Tom got up, now really sick of it. His heart was raging with anger. Who did they think they were, talking like that about another person. About (Y/N). The sweetest, most beautiful woman he had ever met. She tried to stop him, but it didn’t work. He walked up to the table of dicks while they were enjoying another of their vulgar comments about the girl that was sitting just a table away from them.

“Sorry, sorry to disturb you guys, but…” they looked up at Tom, still laughing. One of them, the one who had made most of the remarks asked: “Can I help?”

“Well, yeah,” Tom said. “I wish I hadn’t overheard your conversation, but I...I did. And, I just think, you know the person you’re talking about is a real person and I think she probably deserves a little bit more consideration rather than having jerks like you drooling over her.” he didn’t want to pull her into it. He could handle it himself.

The guy in front of him scoffed. “Oh, sod off, mate. What are you, her dad?” they all started laughing obnoxiously again. Tom wanted to say that he was her boyfriend, in fact. But was he? They’ve only been on two dates, one including his brothers birthday party one night ago. You wouldn’t call it a relationship really. Before he could come back with a remark, he could feel her tug at his arm, pulling him backward.

“I’m sorry,” Tom said embarrassed at his failure to defend her.

“No, I love that you tried.” Ow, that hurt. “Time was I’d have done the same thing. In fact…” They had been walking to the exit when she stopped. She put on a smile on her face and walked back, straight to the table of jerks. Tom followed her but stayed in the distance as she neared the table. “Hi,” she said. Tom couldn’t see her face, but the expressions on the guys’ faces were priceless. The color of their faces vanished as they looked up at her.

“Oh my God!” said the most obnoxious one of all.

“I just wanted to apologize for my friend. He’s very sensitive.” The guy shot up, his chopsticks held on to a piece of fish that were on the verge of falling to the ground and he held his pint in a way that it could spill if he only moved his hand by a millimeter. He stammered something that could be a start to an apology. (Y/N) stopped him. “No, no, no, leave it. I’m sure you didn’t mean any harm. I’m sure it was just friendly banter… I’m sure you guys have dicks the size of peanuts.” She added the last part through gritted teeth, probably still trying to smile. “Enjoy your dinner. The tuna’s are really good.” and she turned around. Tom walked after her, giving the guys one last look. They still looked paralyzed as they watched her walk away.

“I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have done that,” she repeated it all the way up to the entrance of the Ritz.

“No, you were brilliant,” Tom assured her.

“I’m rash and I am stupid.” she laughed at herself, “What am I doing with you?” she looked him in the eyes.

“I don’t know, I’m afraid.” He really didn’t. How had he managed to convince the amazing (Y/N) to go out on a date with him? It was a miracle.

“I don’t either.” They reached the entrance of the hotel. (Y/N) looked inside and then at Tom again. “Here we are.”

“Yes.” He didn’t know what to do. “Well, look…”

“Do you wanna come up?” she asked.

“Well, there seem to be lots of reasons why I shouldn’t, so…”

“There are lots of reasons.” she agreed. “Do you wanna come up?” Tom simply nodded. “Give me five minutes.” She walked away with a smirk. When she disappeared behind the door, Tom leaned against the wall. This was really happening. He would go up to her room. Where they would be alone. And, possibly, kiss…

Four minutes and thirty seconds later, Tom walked inside. He got into the elevator, pressed the same number three button he did last time and the doors closed. When they opened again he was on the third floor. Immediately taking a turn to the right, he walked on. This time there were no journalists. No interviews. It would just be him and her. He knocked on the door.

(Y/N) opened. They said hi. Tom walked up to her to kiss her, but she had moved slightly, causing his lips to land on her cheek. He wasn’t mad. “To be able to do that is such a wonderful feeling.” He confessed with a smile.

“You’ve got to go,” she whispered.

“Why?”

“Because my boyfriend, who was in America, is, in fact, now in the next room.” She pointed to the wall next to her.

“Boyfriend?” Tom didn’t understand. He thought he was the boyfriend. Or, at least, possibly on his way there. Was it too bold of an assumption?

“Yes.” She wanted to explain but as if on cue a voice from the other room called: “Hey, baby, who is it?”

“It’s a…” (Y/N) didn’t manage to mumble out much. Out of the next room, walked out a man, who Tom couldn’t help but think that he would fit perfectly around the jerks from the restaurant. He looked at Tom suspecting.

“Uh… Room service.” Tom improvised.

“Oh. How are you doing?” he smiled. Tom had to admit, the man looked a mess. “I thought you guys always wore those penguin coats?” he joked. Tom had to go along.

“Usually we do. But I was just changed to go home. And..uhm… then I thought I’d take this final call.”

“Oh, great. If you don’t mind, I would like something, too.” He was unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt. “Could you bring me up some really, really cold water?”

Tom barely heard the words, still confused about the whole situation. She had a boyfriend. Who was standing right in front of him? Blankly, he said: “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Still, not sparkling.”

“Absolutely, Ice-cold still water.”

He removed the dress shirt, under which he had a normal grey t-shirt. “Unless, of course, it’s illegal in the UK to serve beverages below room temperature. I wouldn’t want you going to jail just to satisfy my whim, now.” he joked. Tom didn’t exactly understand it, but smiled.

“No, I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Thanks.” he left to the bathroom. (Y/N) looked at Tom and was about to say something when her boyfriend came back. “Hey, one more thing, if you don’t mind, could you adiós those dirty dishes and take out the trash, too?” Tom was sure that under any other circumstance, he would be a really great guy, but now he just seemed like a huge dick. As if in trance, Tom stepped in and went over to the table where the plates lay. (Y/N) tried to push him back.

“No. No. Don’t do that. I don’t think it’s his job to clear.” she explained to her boyfriend who looked at her weirdly.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. What’s your name, man?” Tom couldn’t think of his own name. Completely blanking on everything… maybe he was having a seizure? Yes! And these were all some cruel hallucinations. That must be it. Tom just said the first name that popped into his brain: “Bernie.”

“Oh, listen, Bernie, thank you, I really appreciate it.” the man pulled out a note and put it in Tom’s hand. He didn’t see how much it was. Then, he went over and kissed her. Right in front of Tom. The audacity to pull her in so close, just like Tom wanted to do ever since he met her. He pulled away.

“So, tell me, tell me, tell me. Good surprise or nasty surprise?” She stared at him, definitely surprised, then said: “Good surprise.”

“Oh, you’re such a liar.” he shook his head excited. He turned to Tom to tell him that “She hates surprises.” How funny, Tom thought, he hates them too. “Hey, what are you gonna order?”

“Huh?” she looked confused at her boyfriend, who suddenly was jumping with energy.

“From him,” he pointed at Tom, “What are you gonna order?”

“Oh, uhm… I haven’t decided yet.” She confessed.

“Well, don’t overdo it.” he walked away to the bathroom. “I don’t want people saying, there goes that famous actor the big fat girlfriend.” If Tom wasn’t scared of him hitting him back, he would have punched the shit out the guy.

“I should leave,” he whispered when the bathroom door closed. (Y/N) looked at him with broken eyes. He picked up the dirty plates and the waste bucket. (Y/N) rushed her hand through her hair, clearly feeling nervous and uncomfortable. Tom wanted to make her feel better, but it wasn’t his place to do so. Not with her boyfriend in the room next door. “This is a fairly strange reality to be faced with.” he sighed.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her words were getting a bit stuck in her throat. “I don’t… know what to say.”

“Well,” he looked away for a second, “I think goodbye is traditional.” he hated goodbyes. He hated traditional. Especially both together, if it had to do with her. In her eyes, he could see she was thinking the same.

(Y/N) walked him out, apologizing once more. Tom walked down the empty corridor, now feeling much colder than when he was walking there before. He left the plates in front of another room, knowing that the actual room service would clean it when they saw it.

Finally, outside, he was met with fresh air, but he still couldn’t breathe. He started walking wherever his legs were taking him, which was apparently the bus stop. The red vehicle didn’t come much later. Of course, it was one of those that promoted the HELIX movie. Her beautiful face right in the middle of it.

Tom stepped inside, paid for a ticket and then walked all the way to the back. There were other places for him to sit, but he felt like the last row would be isolating, very fitting to his current situation and feeling.

Once he got home all he wanted to do was fall into his bed and fall asleep, hopefully never to wake up again. But he couldn’t even close his eyes. He lay wide awake for at least an hour. He wondered what he could do to get the sleep to hit his brain. He knew that there was a movie theatre not far from the flat which had late screenings. Maybe there was something.

There was definitely something. Unfortunately, the only movie that still had tickets available was HELIX. Tom had no other choice. He purchased the ticket and went inside. There weren’t many people in the small room.

He wanted to hate it. He wanted to hate her. But his heart wouldn’t let him. She still looked as beautiful as she did yesterday, before all of that in the hotel room happened, before the boyfriend. Tom watched (Y/N) walk in slow-motion. Her space suit shiny from all the touch ups the editors had made to the film. He watched her stop in the middle of the hall of the space station and put on her helmet. He listened to her saying her lines, but nothing stuck. He couldn’t concentrate on anything.

“Come on. Open up.” Harrison was sitting opposite of him on the sofa. “This is me. Hazza.” He made some sad jazz-hands. It somehow made Tom chuckle a bit.

“I’m in contact with some quite important spiritual vibrations. Come on. Hit me with it.” Tom looked at his flatmate. Not really sure if he was the person who he should tell this to. But Harrison was the only person there and Tom at least hoped he could trust him a little bit. He took a deep breath before talking.

“There’s this girl.”

“Aha.” Harrison nodded along. “See, I’d been getting a female vibe. Good. Speak on, dear friend.”

“Er- she’s someone who… can’t be mine.” Tom stared into his cup of now cold tea. “And it’s as if I’ve taken love heroin and now I can’t ever have it again.” he laughed at his stupid analogy. “I’ve opened Pandora’s Box and there’s this trouble inside.”

Harrison leaned back. “Hmmm, yeah. Tricky. Tricky.” He talked very slowly. “I knew a girl at school called Pandora.” Tom wasn’t sure where that came from or what it had to do with anything he had just said.

“Never got to see her box though.” Harrison giggled idiotically.

“Right. Right, thanks, that’s very helpful.” Harrison kept on giggling.

“You didn’t know she had a boyfriend?” Max asked. Together with Bella, Paddy, and Bernie, they were eating dinner at Tony’s new restaurant. It had been open for a few weeks already and they were, with the exception of two others, the only diners there that night.

“No. No. Why, did you?” he looked up from his food. Had his best friends known and not told him? Max didn’t respond, just raised an eyebrow to Bernie and continued eating his soup. “Oh, bloody hell. I don’t believe it. My whole life ruined because I don’t read Hello! magazine.”

“Let’s face facts. This was always a no-win situation. Y/N)’s a goddess.” Tom definitely agreed with that. “You know what happens to mortals who get involved with the gods.”

“Buggered, is it?”

“Every time.” he smiled to Tom weakly. “But don’t despair, I think I have the solution to your problems.” Tom wasn’t so sure about that.

“Really?”

Max nodded proudly, straightened the napkin on his lap and announced: “Her name is Tessa, and she works in the contracts department.” Tom laughed at the idea of a blind date. So did the rest of his friends. “The hair I admit is unfashionably frizzy. But she’s bright as a button, and kisses like a nymphomaniac on death row.” Bella stopped laughing and looked Max dead in the eyes. “Apparently.” He added quickly, too scared of his wife.

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New British TV Series for 2021: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky Dramas, Britbox & More

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Among the detective dramas and high-stakes thrillers due to arrive on British television in the next year or so, there are a clutch of sci-fi, supernatural and horror shows also coming our way. April saw the release of Sky One original Intergalactic – the story of a wrongly imprisoned galactic pilot who breaks out of space jail with a gang of other high-security female prisoners – and Netflix has ordered fantasy novel adaptations Half Bad, Cuckoo Song, Lockwood & Co. and The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle – respectively, tales of witches, supernatural pacts, ghost-hunters, and a woman who jumps between bodies in her quest to solve a murder mystery. Coming to terrestrial TV, there’s Life After Life and The Three, stories about living multiple versions of the same life, and the miraculous child survivors of a mysterious plane crash.

On top of that, there’s plenty of true crime, thrillers, a new Sally Rooney adaptation for fans of Normal People, the screenwriting debuts of Candice Carty-Williams and Cash Carraway, plus Shane Meadows’ first period drama. Find out what’s coming from the UK in 2021 and beyond below.

We’ll keep this list updated with new commissions and as casting details and release dates are confirmed.

Anansi Boys (2022)

Following on the heels of Good Omens‘ surprise second series renewal by Amazon Prime Video came the announcement that the same team were to adapt Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys novel into a television series. It’s the story of Fat Charlie Nancy and his slippery brother Spider, sons of Mr Nancy, the folkloric spider god and trickster famed in West African and Caribbean mythology. Casting for the six-part series has yet to be announced.

Around the World in 80 Days (tbc)

Filming began in South Africa on this new eight-part adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel in February 2020, and was halted in March by Covid-19 with an episode and a half in the can, before resuming in early July, then finally wrapping in March 2021. The European-funded series will air on BBC One and stars David Tennant as Verne’s famous explorer Phileas Fogg. To satisfy a foolhardy wager, Fogg and his valet set off on a globe-circling journey, this time in the company of journalist Abigail Fix, played by The Crown’s Leonie Benesch. It’s been adapted by a team led by Life On Mars’ Ashley Pharoah.

Anne (tbc)

World Productions, the makers of some of the best British drama around (Line Of Duty, Save Me, Jed Mercurio drama Bodyguard) are behind this four-part drama for ITV. Written by novelist Kevin Sampson, who was present at Hillsborough Stadium on the tragic day that ninety-six football fans died, it tells the real-life story of Anne Williams’ decades-long fight for justice for her teenage son and all the victims of the 1989 disaster. Maxine Peake stars in the lead role and Bruce Goodison directs. Peake was spotted filming the series in Liverpool back in late 2018 but there’s no sign yet of a release date.

Before We Die (May)

Adapted from the Swedish crime thriller of the same name (pictured above), Before We Die is the six-part story of a detective who discovers that her son is acting as an undercover informant in a brutal murder investigation. This English-language version is set in Bristol and stars Lesley Sharp, Vincent Regan and Patrick Gibson. The series aired on Channel 4 in May to lukewarm reviews.

Behind Her Eyes (Feb)

This six-part psychological thriller arrived in February, went straight into Netflix’s Top 10 and had an ending that left a real impression on viewers (spoilers in our discussion of it.) Adapted by Hannibal and The Punisher’s Steve Lightfoot from Sarah Pinborough’s 2017 novel, it’s the story of a woman who becomes involved in an unconventional love triangle that develops into a dark, twist-filled web of secrets. Tom Bateman (Vanity Fair, Beecham House) and The Luminaries’ Eve Hewson star.

Best Interests (tbc)

Jack Thorne (pictured), the busiest screenwriter in the UK is returning to BBC One fresh from His Dark Materials series two with a new original four-part drama partly inspired by the real-life Charlie Gard case. It’s about a young child with a life-threatening condition whose medical team judge it in her best interests that she be allowed to die, a decision her family can’t support and fight every step of the way. The commission was announced in July 2019 and filming was due to begin in 2020 before the pandemic took hold. As of June 2021, there were no recent updates about progress on this one.

Bloodlands (Feb)

Series two has already been ordered of new BBC One Belfast-set crime drama Bloodlands, which stars The Missing and Cold Feet‘s James Nesbitt. The thriller, from new writer Chris Brandon, revolved around a cold case that held personal significance for Nesbitt’s detective and dug up buried secrets for him and the people of Belfast. Susan Lynch, Michael Smiley, Ian McElhinney and Lisa Dwan were among the cast for series one.

But When We Dance (tbc)

Directed by Johnny Campbell (of In The Flesh and Dracula fame) and written by Esio Trot’s Paul Mayhew Archer, this one-off comedy-drama about two people with Parkinson’s disease was announced in late 2019 and will be coming to BBC One. Described as a touching and hilarious love story, it’s the story of Tony and Emma, a couple who first meet at a dance class for people with Parkinson’s. It promises to be a witty, heart-felt 90 minutes throwing a light on a much-diagnosed condition in the UK.

Call My Agent (tbc)

An English-language adaptation of the hit French comedy-drama following a Parisian talent agency is coming to the UK, and from the best possible choice of writer – WIA and Twenty Twelve writer John Morton. Filming took place in summer 2021 on the series, which is set to welcome a host of star cameos including Helena Bonham Carter, Kelly Macdonald and Jim Broadbent, all playing satirical versions of themselves. Jack Davenport leads the regular cast.

Cash Carraway w/t (2022)

Inspired by writer Cash Carraway’s recent memoir Skint Estate, this new BBC drama will star This Country’s Daisy May Cooper as a working class single mum skewering stereotypes and exploring the brutal realities of austerity Britain. Creator Carraway assures viewers that it won’t be “a woeful tale of poverty porn,” but a love story between a mother who refuses to give in, and her 10-year-old daughter.

Champion (2022)

From Candice Carty-Williams (pictured above), writer of 2019 hit novel Queenie, comes a series celebrating contemporary Black British Music. Champion is the story of a highly personal rap battle between a South London brother and sister, former rap sensation and ex-con Bosco, and his former PA and younger sister Vita. Which of the Champion siblings will prosper?

Chloe (tbc)

From Alice Seabright, director of Netflix’s Sex Education comes six-part BBC One psychological thriller Chloe. It’s the story of Becky, who becomes so obsessed with the death of an estranged friend that she takes on a false identity to find out the true story. The cast (pictured above) was announced in April 2021 and includes Poldark‘s Jack Farthing, The Crown‘s Erin Doherty, The Serpent‘s Billy Howle and Gangs of London‘s Pippa Bennett-Warner.

Come Again (2022)

Robert Webb’s debut novel Come Again, which was published in April 2020, is being adapted for television. It was announced in May 2020 that Firebird Pictures Ltd is working on the screen version of the story by the writer-actor. Come Again is the first novel by Webb (Peep Show, Back, That Mitchell And Webb Look). It tells the story of Kate, a karate expert, computer genius widow mired in grief who gets an out-of-this-world chance to go back into her past and change the future. It’s part love story, part coming-of-age story, part spy thriller packed with action and 90s nostalgia.

Conversations with Friends (2022)

Following the enormous success of Normal People – the story of young Irish couple Marianne and Connor navigating love, sex, university, class, friendship and mental health – the BBC and Hulu are collaborating on an adaptation of author Sally Rooney’s debut novel, Conversations with Friends. This one’s on a similar bent, as the story of a pair of young Irish students who get involved with an glamorous older, married couple. The cast looks excellent too, with Joe Alwyn and Jemima Kirke playing Nick and Melissa, newcomer Alison Oliver playing the lead Frances, and Utopia (US) and Loki‘s Sasha Lane as Frances’ friend Bobbi.

Crime (tbc)

Filming began in April 2021 on Irvine Welsh crime thriller adaptation Crime, a Britbox exclusive due to arrive late this year. Welsh is adapting his novel for the screen in collaboration with Dean Cavanagh. Set in Edinburgh, it’s the story of Detective Inspector Lennox (played by Dougray Scott) and his investigation into the disappearance of a schoolgirl. Angela Griffin, Joanna Vanderham and Ken Stott also star. Broadchurch and Vigil (see below) director James Strong describes it as “a dark, visceral, shocking ride.”

Cuckoo Song (2022)

Based on the acclaimed young adult novel by author Frances Hardinge (The Lie Tree, Fly By Night), this six-part fantasy series is coming to Netflix. Among the writers are Doctor Who’s Sarah Dollard, Elizabeth is Missing’s Andrea Gibb and The Innocents’ Corinna Faith. It’s the story of two sisters – one human and one a monster – at war with each other, who have to reunite to reverse a supernatural pact gone wrong.

Danny Boy (May)

New BBC Two feature-length drama Danny Boy aired in May and told the story of real-life soldier Brian Wood, accused of war crimes in Iraq by human rights lawyer Phil Shiner. Ordeal by Innocence’s Anthony Boyle plays Wood, with the magnificent Toby Jones as Shiner, from a screenplay written by Murder and Party Animals’ Robert Jones. It’s currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Death Comes as the End (tbc)

With Agatha Christie adaptation The Pale Horse having completed Sarah Phelps’ quintet of adaptations for the BBC in 2020, it’s the turn of a different voice on a very different kind of Christie novel. That voice? Vanity Fair and Five Days screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes. And that novel? Death Comes As The End, a murder mystery set not in the early 20th century, but in ancient Egypt. The arrival of a new concubine sends ripples through an Egyptian priest’s family. The cast and air date have yet to be announced.

Devils (February)

Italian-French-UK co-production Devils came to Sky Atlantic in February, a high-finance thriller based on Guido Maria Brera’s novel of the same name. It’s a story of a top investment firm, multi-million dollar deals, a mysterious death and a public scandal. Alessandro Borghi stars.

Domina (May)

From Simon Burke, the creator of Sky weird-thriller Fortitude, eight-part historical family saga Domina is set in ancient Rome, beginning in the wake of Julius Caesar’s assassination. Based on real historical characters, it follows the ascendancy of Livia Drusilla through the Roman political ranks, as she strategizes her way to the top, driven by revenge.

Englistan (tbc)

Actor, rapper and screenwriter Riz Ahmed (pictured) was announced in 2018 as developing this ambitious nine-part series with BBC Two, but no updates have been released since. It was set to be a drama about three generations of a British Pakistani family set over the course of four decades. As soon as there’s any news on this one, we’ll include it here.

Everything I Know About Love (2022)

Novelist and journalist Dolly Alderton has turned screenwriter to adapt her own memoir Everything I Know About Love for the BBC. Described as “a generous, funny, warm-hearted and uplifting Sex & the City for Millennials, it’s the story of two young women Maggie and Birdy, who move to London and have to navigate relationships, flat-shares, heartache and friendship.

Extinction (2022)

This one needs to be on your radar: Giri/Haji creator Joe Barton has written an eight-part action thriller starring I May Destroy You and Gangs of London‘s Paapa Essiedu. It’s the story of a man recruited into an organisation formed to stop global catastrophes, who ends up reliving the same day again and again. Strike‘s Tom Burke, The Bodyguard‘s Anjli Mohindra and Jonathan Creek‘s Caroline Quentin co-star.

Finding Alice (January)

Keeley Hawes stars as a woman who discovers a host of unsettling secrets when her partner Harry unexpectedly dies when they finally move into their newly built dream house. A black comedy that aired on ITV in early 2021, Finding Alice also stars Joanna Lumley and Nigel Havers, and was written by The Durrells’ Simon Nye.

Four Lives (tbc)

Previously titled The Barking Murders, Four Lives is a three-part BBC drama based on real-life killer Stephen Port, and the aftermath of the four murders he committed. Port raped and murdered four men between 2014 and 2015, using Grindr to attract his victims. Jeff Pope, who previously penned The Moorside and Little Boy Blue, is the writer, with Neil McKay directing. Sheridan Smith and Jamie Winstone will star alongside Stephen Merchant as Port. In this Entertainment Focus interview from April 2020, actor Michael Jibson confirmed the drama was currently postponed due to the ongoing real-life criminal case.

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Ginger Snaps (2022)

It’s 20 years since the release of Ginger Snaps, the first in a trilogy of now-cult horror films, and, according to Sid Gentle Films, high time for a live-action TV adaptation. The darkly comic feminist werewolf movie will be adapted for a TV co-production by Anna Ssemuyaba, who has previous written for Sky’s Guerilla, Channel 4’s Adult Material and ITV’s Unsaid Stories, and from by the co-producers of Killing Eve and Orphan Black.

Grace (March)

From Endeavour creator Russell Lewis come two feature-length adaptations of Peter James’ crime novel series about a Brighton-based Detective Superintendent. Life on Mars’ John Simm plays unorthodox investigator Roy Grace, who’s haunted by the disappearance of his wife, in two-hour versions of Dead Simple and Looking Good Dead. The first film, which aired in May, revolves around a cold case and a groom who goes mysteriously missing just days before his wedding, and the second film will air later in 2021. Reviews were good so catch up on ITV Hub if you missed it.

Half Bad (tbc)

Based on Sally Green’s celebrated book trilogy of the same name, Half Bad will be an eight-part one-hour Netflix fantasy drama. It’s about a 16-year-old boy who has spent his life surveilled for signs that he may follow in the footsteps of his father – the world’s most feared witch. Giri/Haji creator Joe Barton is writing the series, with Andy Serkis among the producers. We. Can’t. Wait.

Harlan Coben’s Stay Close (tbc)

Thriller writer Harlan Coban is currently part of the way into a five-year deal with Netflix to adapt 14 of his novels, and Stay Close is the latest adaptation from writer Danny Brocklehurst and RED Productions, the team that brought us The Stranger. Like The Stranger, Stay Close will star Richard Armitage and move the book setting from the US to the UK. It’s the story of three characters whose dark secrets threaten to destroy their lives. James Nesbitt and Cush Jumbo also star.

Hollington Drive (tbc)

If you’ve seen writer Sophie Petzal’s Irish thriller Blood starring Adrian Dunbar, you’ll want to tune in for this. Coming to ITV, it’s a four-part thriller about two grown-up sisters who become entangled in a tense mystery when their children are involved in the disappearance of a 10-year-old local boy. Expect twists, turns, and sharp writing. The cast looks great too, led by Rachel Stirling and Anna Maxwell-Martin (pictured above).

Inside Man (tbc)

The latest BBC One drama from former Doctor Who and Sherlock showrunner Steven Moffat is a four-part crime thriller entitled Inside Man. The twisting story is about a death row inmate in the US and a woman who’s trapped in a cellar under an English vicarage, whose lives interlink “in the most unexpected way”. The cast (pictured above) looks excellent and includes plenty of Moffat’s past collaborators in David Tennant, Dracula‘s Dolly Wells and Lydia West, and Mr Stanley Tucci.

Intergalactic (April)

Sky One’s Intergalactic is an original, British space-set drama about a galactic pilot who’s falsely imprisoned, then breaks free with a gang of other high-security female prisoners. It stars The Tunnel‘s Savannah Steyn in the lead role, with Parminder Nagra, Eleanor Tomlinson, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Natasha O’Keeffe, Thomas Turgoose and Craig Parkinson, so lots of great British talent in the cast. The first series aired in Spring 2021 and is available to stream on NOW.

It’s a Sin (January)

This 1980s-set drama (previously titled The Boys) comes from acclaimed screenwriter Russell T. Davies (A Very English Scandal, Doctor Who) and tackles the impact of AIDS on the lives of three young men across a period of ten years. It’s the story of “the epidemic, the pain of rejection and the prejudices that gay men faced throughout the decade.” It was one of the dramas of the year, with a fantastic cast including Olly Alexander, Lydia West, Omari Douglas, Neil Patrick Harris, Keeley Hawes, Stephen Fry, Tracy Ann Oberman and Shaun Dooley.

Karen Pirie (tbc)

A new detective is on her way to ITV in the form of Karen Pirie, the creation of novelist Val McDermid who’s also the literary source of ITV’s popular Wire in the Blood forensic pathology series. The new crime drama comes adapted from the first in McDermid’s five-book series The Distant Echo by Harlots and Save Me Too’s Emer Kenny. It’s about a young Scottish detective working in St. Andrews who is tasked with reopening cold cases. The first involves the 25-year-old death of a teenager whose unsolved murder has become the subject of a true crime podcast. It’s being made by Bodyguard and Line of Duty‘s World Productions.

Landscapers (tbc)

A four-part true crime series about ‘Mansfield Murderers’ Susan and Christopher Edwards is on its way to Sky Atlantic and HBO. Alexander Payne (Sideways) was set to direct, but departed the project in October 2020 following what’s being reported as a scheduling conflict after Covid-19 pushed production back. The Edwards killed Susan’s parents and buried them in their garden, then spent over a decade draining their bank accounts before being discovered in 2014. Olivia Colman will star as Susan Edwards, from a script written by Colman’s producer husband Ed Sinclair. Giri/Haji and Flowers’ Will Sharpe replaces Payne as the director.

Life After Life (tbc)

Kate Atkinson’s 2013 novel Life After Life is a masterpiece of imaginative fiction, so it’s no surprise that BBC One is currently preparing a TV adaptation. It’s the story of Ursula, a woman with the extraordinary power to keep being continually reborn into new and alternative versions of her life after she dies. Seemingly insignificant changes to people and circumstances set her on new courses every time – can she alter the course of history? Playwright Bash Doran (Traitors) has adapted the novel and filming began in April 2021 with a cast including Sian Clifford, James McArdle and lead Thomasin McKenzie.

Lockwood & Co (tbc)

Attack the Block’s Joe Cornish is writing and directing this Netflix adaptation of Jonathan Stroud’s supernatural adventure series about a ghost-hunting detective agency run by two teenage boys and a psychic girl. It’s set in London and was only announced in December 2020, so don’t expect to see it arrive on the streaming service for a little while yet.

Magpie Murders (2022)

One of a slate of original drama commissions for UK streamer Britbox, Anthony Horowitz will adapt for screen his own murder mystery novel Magpie Murders, the first of his Susan Ryeland series. Lesley Manville will play literary editor Ryeland (Manville), with Spall playing her client’s fictional 1950s detective Atticus Pünd. A dream cast for this six-part thriller.

Marlow (2022)

Another Britbox commission that shows the UK streamer is serious about making a splash in quality original drama, Marlow will be an eight-part thriller from Southcliffe and Red Riding’s Tony Grisoni, starring The Crown’s Claire Foy. It’s a modern-day crime fable based around two warring families “amid the unsettling and indelible landscape of the Thames Estuary,” or as Foy’s revenge-seeking character Evie Wyatt calls it, the Edgelands.

Marriage (2022)

From Stefan Golaszewski, the creator of excellent comedy-drama Mum (pictured above) and comedy Him & Her, comes four-part drama Marriage. Not much is known about the show yet, but we can expect it to examine “in intimate detail the fears, frustrations and salvation of marriage and the comfort that can only be found in togetherness.”

My Name is Leon (tbc)

Filming began in March 2021 on a feature-length adaptation of Kit de Waal’s novel My Name is Leon, the 1980s-set story of a nine-year-old biracial boy forced to cope with his mother’s breakdown. Writer-director Shola Amoo is adapting the screenplay, with Kibwe Tavares directing, and Malachi Kirby and Monica Dolan among the cast.

My Name is Lizzie (tbc)

This four-part Channel 4 drama, based on real events, will star The Virtues and Raised by Wolves’ Niamh Algar as an undercover police officer used in a honeytrap search for a killer in the 1990s. Written by The Tunnel’s Emilia di Girolamo, it promises to take viewers behind the scenes on one of the UK’s most controversial police investigations. It was only announced in late 2020, so don’t expect it for a little while.

No Return (tbc)

Filming is due to begin in summer 2021 on ITV’s No Return, a Manchester-based four-part drama from Danny Brocklehurst (The Stranger, Shameless). It stars Sheridan Smith (pictured above) as the mother of a 16-year-old boy accused of a serious crime while on a family holiday in Turkey. Secrets unfurl as the family fights an alien legal system to free their son and get to the truth.

Ragdoll (tbc)

Attn: crime fans. Alibi has commissioned darkly witty six-part thriller Ragdoll, to be adapted from the novel of the same name by Daniel Cole. It’s a Jo Nesbo-ish crime drama about a grotesque murder in which six victims have been sewn into the shape of a single body. Detectives Rose, Baxter and Edmunds are on the case, charged with protecting the killer’s next set of advertised victims. The Irregulars’ Henry Lloyd Hughes, Lucy Hale and Thalissa Teixeira will star.

Ralph and Katie (tbc)

This six-part half hour is a spin-off from BBC One’s hit family drama The A Word, following the married lives of the titular characters, both of whom have Down’s Syndrome. The original series creator Peter Bowker is writing the show, which stars Leon Harrop and Sarah Gordy, alongside new and emerging disabled talent.

Red Rose (tbc)

A contemporary teen horror series is on its way to BBC Three and Netflix, written by Michael and Paul Clarkson (The Haunting Of Hill House, pictured). Red Rose will be an eight-part series about the relationship between teenagers and their online lives. It’s the story of Rochelle, a Bolton teen who downloads a mysterious app that sets in motion a series of terrifying events. Ultimately, say the Clarksons, “it’s the story of friendship told through the prism of a classic horror-thriller.”

Riches (tbc)

From Empire to Succession, the complicated family lives of the super-wealthy are a continued source of fascination on screen. ITV has ordered drama Riches from writer Abby Ajayi to mine that seam. The six-part drama revolves around successful businessman Stephen Richards, a specialist in cosmetics for black women, who’s on a winning streak until a dramatic event forces his grown-up children from two marriages to gather together and decide what happens next.

Ridley Road (tbc)

Four-part BBC One thriller Ridley Road is adapted from Jo Bloom’s 2014 novel of the same name by screenwriter-actor Sarah Solemani (Him & Her, No Offence). It’s the story of the fight against fascism in 1960s London. According to Solemani, the novel reveals “a darker side of Sixties London and the staggering contribution the Jewish community made in the battle against racism.” Newcomer Aggi O’Casey is joined by Eddie Marsan, Rory Kinnear, Samantha Spiro and more.

Ripley (tbc)

Sherlock and Fleabag’s Andrew Scott will play Tom Ripley in a new TV adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith five-strong novel series for Showtime and Sky Atlantic. The first season will restage events as depicted in Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr Ripley, when a young grifter in 1960s New York is hired by a wealthy man to convince his wayward, hedonist son – played by Emma and Beast’s Johnny Flynn – to return home from Italy. Steven Zaillian (The Night Of, Schindler’s List) will write and direct.

Rogue Heroes (tbc)

A major new drama is on its way to BBC One, from Steven Knight, creator of Peaky Blinders and Taboo. The six-part drama is based on Ben Macintyre’s SAS: Rogue Heroes book, which charts the creation of the famed Special Forces unit. Knight has written the adaptation, which will tell a tale “celebrating the glory, action and camaraderie at the heart of this story” while delving into the psychology of the officers and men who formed the SAS in WWII. With real-life events given Knight’s visionary treatment, this one promises to be a spectacle with real depth. Jack O’Connell and Alfie Allen are among the cast (pictured above.)

Screw (tbc)

Inspired by his real-life experience as a civilian prison worker, writer Rob Williams (Killing Eve) is bringing a six-part prison drama to Channel 4. Screw promises to show “the uncensored, terrifying and often darkly funny reality of life as a prison officer in an all-male prison in 21st century Britain.” The story focuses on veteran officer Leigh, who’s trying to keep her past buried, and mouthy new recruit Rose. The cast includes Nina Sosanya, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell and Stephen Wight.

Sherwood (tbc)

A new six-part crime drama is coming to BBC One from acclaimed playwright James Graham, the writer behind Quiz and Brexit: The Uncivil War. Set in post-industrial Nottinghamshire, where the drama was filmed, Sherwood is fictional but inspired in part by real events and tells the story of two murders that lead to one of the largest manhunts in British history. Two police officers have to set aside their differences to find the killer, against a socio-political backdrop of community divisions riven during the 1980s Miners’ Strikes. Lesley Manville, David Morrissey and Joanne Froggatt star.

Showtrial (tbc)

The Tunnel’s writer Ben Richards has teamed up with World Productions (the folks behind Bodyguard and Line of Duty) on six-part series Showtrial. Coming to BBC One, it’s a legal drama that questions the role class, money and power play in justice being done. The story treats the disappearance of a young working class student and the subsequent arrest and trial of the accused, “the arrogant daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur.” Filming began in April 2021, and you can read more about the cast here.

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Superhoe (tbc)

Nicôle Lecky’s one-woman Royal Court stage show is getting the Fleabag treatment and being turned into a six-part BBC Three series. It’s the musical story of a would-be singer and rapper thrown out of home who moves in with a young woman who inducts her into the life of social media influencing and sex work.

Sweetpea (tbc)

From Kirstie Swain, the screenwriter of Channel 4’s Pure comes a new eight-part series adapted from C.J. Skuse’s 2017 novel of the same name. It’s the story of a young woman who seems unremarkable on the surface and works as an editorial assistant in a British seaside town. Unfulfilled by her job, she turns to darker pursuits outside of work, because who would ever suspect her? The comedy-drama is coming to Sky Atlantic and no casting has yet been announced. Read our interview with Kirstie Swain about Pure, mental illness in TV drama and more.

Tenacity (tbc)

If you saw His Dark Materials on BBC One, then you know Welsh-based Bad Wolf Productions are capable of great things on a grand scale. In 2019, ITV commissioned them to make six-part thriller Tenacity, from a screenplay by Flightplan’s Peter A. Dowling, based on the J.S. Law novel of the same name. It’s about a body discovered on a British nuclear submarine, investigated by military detective Danielle Lewis. Think assassins, high-stakes action and a momentous threat to national security. The cast is tba.

The Amazing Mr Blunden (December)

Following on from Sky’s beautiful festive family film Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse with another, this time written and directed by Mark Gatiss. The Amazing Mr Blunden comes adapted from Antonia Barber’s novel ‘The Ghosts’ and its original 1972 film adaptation. The 90-minute feature will star Gatiss, Simon Callow and Tamsin Grieg, and tells the story of two London teenagers whose mum moves them to a haunted country house where they get involved with a thrilling story of strange visitors, time travel and wicked would-be murderers…

The Baby (tbc)

The Baby is a darkly comic horror on its way to Sky Atlantic. The eight-episode first season was co-created by screenwriter Siân Robins-Grace (Kaos, Sex Education) and Gangs of London production manager Lucy Gaymer. It’s being billed as a provocative, dark and funny story about a woman in her late thirties who’s unexpectedly landed with a baby that takes over her world. The cast includes The Duchess‘ Michelle de Swarte (pictured), who’ll star alongside Amira Ghazalla and Amber Grappy.

The Birth of Daniel F Harris (tbc)

With a similar premise to Sky One’s Two Weeks to Live, but a psychological drama instead of a knockabout comedy, this Channel 4 drama by Urban Myths‘ (pictured above) Pete Jackson is the story of a young man raised in isolation from society after his mother’s death, by a father who told him the outside world is filled with monsters. When the boy turns eighteen, he enters the world to find the person responsible for his mother’s death. Read more about it here.

The Confessions of Frannie Langton (tbc)

Adapted by Sara Collins from her own Costa Prize-winning novel of the same name, The Confessions of Frannie Langton is a four part murder mystery set in Georgian London. It follows the title character, born on a Jamaican slave plantation and transported as a ‘gift’ by the man who enslaved her to the home of a wealthy London couple who meet a grim fate. Was Frannie really responsible? Or is she being used?

The Devil’s Hour (tbc)

Peter Capaldi and Jessica Raine lead the cast of a new six-part “mind-bending” Amazon Prime Video thriller from writer Tom Moran, produced by Steven Moffat. It’s the story of Lucy (Raine) who suffers from terrifying visions every night at precisely the same time (the titular devil’s hour), and who becomes entangled with a series of brutal murders. Capaldi, pictured above, plays “a reclusive nomad driven by a murderous obsession”, which all sounds rather fun.

The Elephant Man (tbc)

The story of Victorian Joseph Merrick was memorably brought to the screen by David Lynch in 1980, and has since been retold on stage (notably starring Bradley Cooper in the lead role). This two-part BBC drama stars Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton (pictured) and is written by Moorside’s Neil McKay. The biopic will tell the story of Merrick’s life from the start to the end and promises to “explore the man behind the myth”. Filming was due to take place in Wales in late 2018, but there’s been no news about this one since so it’s a bit of a question mark.

The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies (tbc)

In this original six-part BBC One thriller, screenwriters Penelope and Ginny Skinner (pictured above) tell the story of two very different women, both of whom are being conned by the same man. Alice and Caroline have Rob in common, a celebrated ecopreneur who may well be trying to destroy them both. Inspired to fight against society’s glorification of the predator, The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies was commissioned in August 2020, so it’ll be a little while before we see it.

The Gallows Pole (2022)

You’re going to want to look out for this one. Director Shane Meadows (This is England, The Virtues), whose TV work usually airs on Channel 4, is making his BBC drama debut with an adaptation of Benjamin Myers’ acclaimed novel The Gallows Pole. It’s a true historical story about Yorkshire legend David Hartley and the Cragg Vale Coiners, who became the biggest fraudsters in British history. Meadows describes himself as buzzing about making his first period drama, produced by Element Pictures. The cast led by Michael Socha, with George McKay, Thomas Turgoose and Tom Burke, promises a real roster of the best young British talent.

The Girl Before (tbc)

This BBC-HBO Max co-production boasts a great cast in Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Loki, Black Mirror – pictured above – Belle) and David Oyelowo (Selma, Les Misérables), and a hit psychological thriller as its source material. It’s to be a four-part limited series created by JP Delaney (one of Tony Strong’s pseudonyms), adapted from his novel of the same name. It’s about a woman given the chance to move into a stunning home on the condition that she obeys an exacting set of rules, and presumably things get murder-y from then on in.

The Irregulars (March)

The modern version. The Robert Downey Jr version. The gnome version. The version where Watson is Lucy Liu. Just when you thought the world had no more Sherlock Holmes to give, along comes The Irregulars on Netflix. Written by My Mad Fat Diary‘s Tom Bidwell, this version focuses on the Baker Street gang of teens used as a resource by a sinister version of Dr John Watson, and a Sherlock Holmes whose best days are long behind him. It’s supernatural and horror-tinged, and unfortunately only lasted one season before being cancelled, but did manage to wrap up satisfactorily so don’t let the early ending put you off.

The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe (tbc)

Power, love, loyalty and politics all come to play in Dan Sefton’s (Trust Me) BBC adaptation of Keith Badman’s 2010 book The Final Years Of Marilyn Monroe. Narrowing the time-frame (as the working title suggests) Sefton’s drama will take in the final six months of Monroe’s life until her death in 1962 at the age of 36. We first heard about this one back in April 2019, but since then there’s been no news about casting or filming.

The Midwich Cuckoos (2022)

John Wyndham’s classic 1957 sci-fi is getting a modern TV adaptation courtesy of The Night Manager and Hanna writer David Farr. The eight part series will update the novel to the present day and set the action in a commuter town south of London, where the local women all mysteriously fall pregnant at the same time and give birth to a cohort of very unusual children. The most famous adaptation to date was 1965 cult favourite Village of the Damned (pictured above). Keeley Hawes and Max Beesley will star.

The North Water (September)

Film director Andrew Haigh (Weekend, 45 Years, Lean On Pete) has adapted and directed Ian Maguire’s novel The North Water into a four-part BBC Two drama with an excellent cast. Colin Farrell, Stephen Graham (pictured above), Tom Courtenay, Peter Mullan and Jack O’Connell are all on board – literally so as the series is set on a whaling ship in the Arctic in the 1850s. It’s the story of a disgraced ex-army surgeon who joins a whaling expedition and finds himself “on an ill-fated journey with a murderous psychopath” and in a struggle to survive. Filming took place on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard in late 2019.

The Offenders (tbc)

From co-creator of The Office and writer-director of fab wrestling film Fighting with my Family, Stephen Merchant (pictured above, and soon to be seen playing killer Stephen Port in ITV true crime drama Four Lives) and Mayans M.C.’s Elgin James is a six-part one-hour comedy The Offenders. A BBC One-Amazon Studios co-production, it follows seven strangers forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol. Merchant is joined by Christopher Walken, Darren Boyd and Eleanor Tomlinson in the cast.

The Pembrokeshire Murders (January)

This three-part ITV true crime drama stars Luke Evans as Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins, who, in 2006, reopened and solved a cold case from the 1980s using new forensic DNA evidence and, bizarrely, an episode of darts-based quiz show Bullseye. Keith Allen plays John Cooper, the man in Wilkins’ sights.

The Pursuit of Love (May)

Emily Mortimer wrote and directed this glorious BBC One adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s 1945 comic romance about an aristocratic family in the interwar period (loosely based on Mitford’s own family, which gained notoriety through her popular novels and her sisters’ scandalous connections to the British Union of Fascists and Adolf Hitler). Downton Abbey‘s Lily James plays lead Linda Radlett in the three-part series.

The Red Zone (tbc)

Sports writers Barney Ronay and Jonathan Liew are behind this six-part half-hour comedy “about football, but also not about football,” which is coming to Netflix in 2021. Director Sam Mendes is executive producing through his Neal Street Productions company. Only announced in late 2020, no casting has yet been confirmed for this one.

The Responder (tbc)

Filming begain in May 2021 on this BBC Two five-part series from new screenwriter and former police officer Tony Schumacher, who’s been mentored by Jimmy McGovern as part of a BBC Writers Room initiative. The Responder will star The Hobbit and Sherlock‘s Martin Freeman as officer Chris, who works a series of night shifts in Liverpool, alongside his rookie new partner Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo). The series is described as funny, tragic, and showing the realities of policing in Britain.

The Rig (tbc)

In November 2020, Amazon Prime Video green-lit this six-episode supernatural thriller from Line of Duty and Bodyguard director John Strickland, written by David Macpherson. It’s due to film in Scotland and is set onboard the Kishorn Bravo oil rig in the North Sea. The crew finds itself marooned on the rig by a mysterious fog that cuts off communication with the outside world. Line of Duty‘s Martin Compston, Owen Teale and Rochenda Sandall will star, alongside Iain Glen, Mark Bonnar and more (see above.) Filming has concluded so the wait shouldn’t be too long for this one.

The Serpent (January)

Ripper Street writer Richard Warlow scripted this eight-part BBC drama about serial killer Charles Sobhraj, Interpol’s most wanted man in the 1970s for the robbery and murder of multiple young Western travellers across South Asia. Tom Shankland (Les Miserables, The City & The City) directs, and A Prophet and The Looming Tower‘s Tahar Rahim played the lead role of Sobhraj, with Jenna Coleman as his girlfriend/accomplice Marie-Andree Leclerc. Read more about the true story that inspired the series here.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (tbc)

Now this sounds like a bit of alright. Adapted from Stuart Turton’s novel of the same name, it’s a seven-part murder mystery coming to Netflix. The story’s a high-concept thriller about a woman trying to solve a murder who keeps waking up in somebody else’s body every time she gets close to the answer. Sophie Petzal (The Last Kingdom, Blood) is adapting it, and the announcement only arrived in late 2020, so don’t expect it for a little while yet. Casting is tba.

The Three (tbc)

Another BBC drama commission based on a book series, The Three, “an international thriller with a supernatural twist”, was announced in late 2017 but there’s been no news since then. The premise of Sarah Lotz’ trilogy sees four planes crash on the same day in four different countries, leaving three children as the miraculous survivors… Wolf Hall’s Peter Straughan was attached as adapting this eight-part drama but as yet, it’s still to appear on his IMDb credits. We’ll keep you posted if more arrives.

The Tourist (tbc)

Producer-writers Harry and Jack Williams (Fleabag, Baptiste, The Missing, Liar) are back with a six-part BBC-HBO Max drama set and filmed in South Australia. The Tourist is an outback noir about a British man pursued through the Australian outback by a tank truck. When the man awakens in a hospital with no memory of who he is or how he got there, his search for answers takes him to some unsettling places. Chris Sweeney (Back to Life) directs, with The Fall‘s Jamie Dornan leading the cast.

The Tower (tbc)

Three-part detective drama The Tower is coming to ITV, starring Game of Thrones‘ Gemma Whelan, Peaky Blinders‘ Emmett Scanlan and Kate & Koji‘s Jimmy Akingbola and The Haunting of Bly Manor‘s Tahirah Sharif. It’s adapted by Homeland‘s Patrick Harbinson from former Met Police officer Kate London’s novel Post-Mortem, and follows the investigation into two deaths and two disappearances from a London tower block.

The Undeclared War (2022)

Channel 4 has teamed up with Peacock to commission this six-part cyber thriller written by Wolf Hall’s Peter Kosminsky. It’s set in 2024, as a team of GCHQ cyber specialists secretly work to fend off a cyber attack on the UK electoral system. There’s an impressive cast, from Mark Rylance (pictured above in Bridge of Spies), to Adrian Lester, Alex Jennings, Simon Pegg, Maisie Richardson-Sellers and newcomer Hannah Khalique-Brown. The commission was only announced in April 2021, so we can expect to see this one next year.

Three Families (May)

This drama based on real-life abortion stories set in Northern Ireland – the only part of the UK where pregnancy termination remains illegal – aired on BBC One in May 2021. Written by Vanity Fair‘s Gwyneth Hughes, who travelled to Northern Ireland to meet the families who inspired the drama, Three Families was produced by the makers of hard-hitting Three Girls and explores the experience of families and loved ones whose lives have been affected by the law in Northern Ireland. It’s currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Time (June)

Three-part prison drama Time is the latest from legendary British screenwriter Jimmy McGovern (Cracker, Accused, Broken), and stars Sean Bean and Stephen Graham. The four-part drama aired in June 2021 and followed the story of Bean’s character Mark, a former teacher in his 50s who finds himself in prison for the first time, and Graham’s character Eric, a prison officer targeted by a dangerously connected inmate. It’s currently available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Tom Jones (tbc)

Praise for 2018’s Vanity Fair adaptation, scheduled opposite Bodyguard in 2018, was drowned out somewhat by the hit political thriller, but there was plenty of it, and deservingly so. Good news then, that ITV has brought screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes back to tackle another classic novel – Henry Fielding’s 1749 book Tom Jones. Following in the footsteps of the acclaimed Albert Finney-starring 1963 film, and the raucous 1997 version with Max Beasley, expect rollicking fun. The last update we had in November 2019 confirmed that Hughes was mid-writing, but news has been thin on the ground since then.

Too Close (April)

Emily Watson (Chernobyl, Apple Tree Yard, Breaking the Waves) stars in this meaty psychological three-part ITV thriller. Based on the novel of the same name written by Natalie Daniels (the pseudonym of actor-writer Clara Salaman, who’s also behind the screenplay), it’s about a forensic psychiatrist treating a patient who’s committed a heinous crime that she says she doesn’t remember. The two women become locked in a dark struggle of influence and manipulation. Watson stars opposite Denise Gough (pictured above).

Trigger Point (tbc)

Line of Duty‘s Vicky McClure plays bomb disposal expert Lana Washington in this new ITV thriller from the Jed Mercurio stable. Written by Daniel Brierley and executive produced by Mercurio, it’s the story of a front-line bomb disposal pro whose squad is pushed to the limits tackling a terrorist threat to London. Six episodes are on their way, and likely to arrive in early 2022.

Vigil (August)

With a working title of Vigil, a new six-part thriller filmed in Scotland is on its way from the makers of Bodyguard and Line of Duty. Created by Strike‘s Tom Edge, it’s the story of the mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death on board a Trident nuclear submarine that brings the police into conflict with the Navy and British security services. It stars Suranne Jones, Rose Leslie, Shaun Evans, Anjli Mohindra, Martin Compston, Paterson Joseph and more.

Viewpoint (April)

This five-part ITV thriller from Rillington Place and Manhunt writer Ed Whitmore and Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer aired in April 2021 (well, most of it did. The final episode was pulled from the schedules and made available as streaming-only following a series of sexual harassment complaints made about its star, Noel Clarke). It was the story of a police surveillance investigation in Manchester following the disappearance of a primary school teacher in the vein of Rear Window and The Lives of Others.

Wahala (2022)

This BBC series, described as “Big Little Lies meets Girlfriends meets Peckham” is adapted from Nikki May’s as-yet-unpublished novel of the same name. It’s about Simi, Ronke and Boo, three 30-something Anglo-Nigerian women living in London whose friendship is shaken by the arrival of the beautiful, charismatic Isobel, with tragic consequences.

White Stork (2022)

Formerly known as Spadehead, White Stork is a 10-episode political drama coming to Netflix courtesy of Eleven, the British production compnay behind Sex Education. Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers, The Night Manager – pictured above) stars as James Cooper, whose secret past is unearthed when he’s vetted in preparation for a parliamentary election. It was creted by Jericho and Meadowlands‘ Christopher Dunlop, with Taboo‘s Kristoffer Nyholm directing.

Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? (tbc)

Hugh Laurie (pictured above in BBC political drama Roadkill) has adapted Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel as a Britbox original. It’s the story of a vicar’s son and socialite duo played by Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton, who become amateur detectives and set out to solve a crime when they discover a dying man asking the titular question. Production began in June 2021, with a very fine British comedy cast.

Wolfe (September)

From the creators of Shameless comes six-part crime drama Wolfe, which stars Guerilla‘s Babou Ceesay (pictured above) as an expert forensic pathologist and university professor described as “half genius, half liability”. With a complicated home life and a varied work team including a child prodigy, Wolfe uses his unusual expertise to solve a case of the week. Amanda Abbington, Natalia Tena, Naomi Yang, Adam Long and Shaniqua Okwok co-star.

You (tbc)

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We might expect the working title of this one to change to avoid confusion with the Netflix stalker story of the same name, but as it stands, You will be an eight-part thriller coming to Sky. Filming started in June 2021 in the UK and Morocco on this adaptation of the Zoran Drvenkar novel, which tells the story of Tara O’Rourke, a woman on the run across Europe after committing a deadly crime. She’s pursued by a dangerous gangster and a serial killer known only as ‘The Traveller’. The Capture (pictured above) writer-director Ben Chanan has written the adaptation.

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