Category: Cast news

Simply Media to release The Mad Death rabies drama

The Mad Death - DVD cover

THE THREE-PART 1983 BBC rabies drama The Mad Death, starring Survivors‘ Richard Heffer (Jimmy Garland) will be released for the first time ever on DVD on 7 May 2018, courtesy of Simply Media.

The drama, which also features Barbara Kellerman (1990) and Ed Bishop (UFO), focuses on the efforts of Chief Veterinary Officer Michael Hilliard (Heffer) to contain an outbreak of rabies in rural Scotland, triggered when a tourist smuggles their infected pet back into the country.

As is standard practice with Simply Media genre DVDs, The Mad Death will be a vanilla release, without any special features or supporting material. Full details can be found in the Simply Media catalogue listing for the release.

The Mad Death

The BBC’s nightmarish vision of Britain under attack by a rabies outbreak. Starring Richard Heffer, Barbara Kellerman and Ed Bishop.

Directed by BAFTA-nominee Robert Young, The Mad Death is a disturbing and chilling three-part thriller that examined in terrifying detail the potential consequences of a rabies outbreak in Britain. Shown in 1983 at the height of Britain’s paranoia about the potential outbreak of the disease.

When a tourist from France cannot bear to leave her cat at home while she travels on holiday, she smuggles it in to Scotland for her trip. But what she doesn’t know is her pet is infected with a deadly disease, which goes unnoticed as it infects the animal population. The Mad Death has already spread far when it is finally noticed when it claims its first human victim.

This sparks off a deadly rabies outbreak, which threatens to attack the entire nation. Michael Hillard (Richard Heffer) and Ann Maitland (Barbara Kellerman) join forces to fight the dreadful disease, with one trying to contain the outbreak, and the other trying to trace the virus back to its source to save others from an agonising death.

What the press Said: “a dark and sometimes shocking plot which is driven by some powerful performances. The emotional impact of certain scenes is enough to ensure you won’t forget the serial any time soon.” – Curious British Telly

Format: DVD
Release Date: 7th May 2018
Run Time: 3 hours
Discs: 1
Language: English (with English Subtitles)

Denis Lill on tour in The Case of the Frightened Lady

The Case of the Frightened Lady poster - portrait

DENIS LILL HAS recently begun a national theatre tour in a Classic Thriller Company production of The Case of the Frightened Lady. This latest production from the company is an adaptation of Edgar Wallace’s acclaimed murder mystery, and includes in its ensemble many of the same cast members that Lill has appeared with in previous touring productions by the Agatha Christie Company, including Witness for the Prosection, Death on the Nile and Then There Were None.

When Inspector Tanner is called in to investigate a ruthless murder at Mark’s Priory, the grand ancestral home of the Lebanon family, he quickly discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. The household is controlled by the family physician, the footmen behave more like guests than servants and the secretary Isla is afraid for her life. As Tanner moves closer to the heart of the mystery he uncovers a shocking and closely guarded secret…

Building on the phenomenal decade long success of The Agatha Christie Company, which sold over two million tickets around the UK, comes a new thrilling chapter. Following this year’s acclaimed production of Ruth Rendell’s A Judgement in Stone, the Classic Thriller Company returns with a brand new adaption from the legendary “King of the detective thriller”, EDGAR WALLACE – the brains behind one of the most iconic films of all time, KING KONG.

Widely recognised as the most popular writer of the early 20th century, Edgar Wallace’s gripping page-turners are regarded as the bedrock of the modern thriller and The Case of the Frightened Lady remains one of his most celebrated works. Adapted for film several times, this is your chance to catch this chilling, captivating and complex thriller live on stage…

The Case of the Frightened Lady poster - landscape

The tour got off to an excellent start, with the opening run at The Theatre Royal in Windsow earning a rave review in the Slough Observer. Performances across the ensemble cast all garnered praise, with Denis Lill “from long-running drama The Royal and Only Fools and Horses” described as “wonderful” in the role of Dr Amersham.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Book tickets

29 Jan-3 Feb Weston-Super-Mare Playhouse 01934 645544 Book
online
5 – 10 Feb Guildford, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre 01483 440000 Book
online
12 – 17 Feb Crawley, The Hawth Theatre 01293 553636 Book
online
19 – 24 Feb Aylesbury Waterside Theatre 08448 717627 Book
online
26 Feb-3 Mar Chesterfield Pomegranate 01246 345222 Book
online
5 – 10 Mar Cardiff, New Theatre 02920 878889 Book
online
12 – 17 Mar Barnstaple Queens Theatre 01271 316063 Book
online
19 – 24 Mar Stoke-on-Trent, Regent Theatre 08448 717649 Book
online
26 – 31 Mar Edinburgh, Kings Theatre 01315 296000 Book
online
3 – 7 Apr Woking, New Victoria Theatre 08448 717645 Book
online
21 – 26 May Milton Keynes Theatre 08448 717652 Book
online
11 – 16 Jun Coventry, Belgrade Theatre 024 7655 3055 Book
online
18 – 23 Jun Southend Palace Theatre 01702 351135 Book
online
2 – 8 Jul Swansea Grand Theatre 01792 475715 Book
online
23 – 28 Jul Leeds Grand Theatre 08448 482700 Book
online
30 Jul – 4 Aug Bury St Edmonds, Theatre Royal 01284 769505 Book
online
2 – 6 Oct Glasgow, Theatre Royal 08448 717647 Book
online

More live dates for Lucy Fleming’s and Simon Williams’ Posting Letters to the Moon

Lucy Fleming and Simon Williams in Posting Letters to the Moon

LUCY FLEMING AND Simon Williams will appear on stage together in additional spoken-word performances of Posting Letters to the Moon, a reading of the wartime letters between the actress Ceila Johnson and her husband Peter Fleming.

A romantic, funny and very touching portrait of life during the early 1940s featuring readings of wartime letters between Oscar-nominated actress Celia Johnson (Brief Encounter) and her explorer and writer husband Peter Fleming (brother of James Bond creator Ian Fleming).

The letters read by their daughter Lucy Fleming (Miranda in The Archers, Survivors) and her husband Simon Williams (Justin in The Archers, EastEnders, Upstairs Downstairs) are full of love and warmth and we get an insight into a young mother’s life whose husband has gone to war.

‘…this intimate and simply spellbinding performance … revealing an abundance of love and affection between ordinary people caught in extraordinary times.’ British Theatre Guide, March 2017

Posting Letters to the Moon logo

Dates

TIVOLI THEATRE, WIMBORNE – MATINÉE
Sunday, 11 March 2018
3.00 pm – 4.20 pm
19 West Borough, Wimborne BH21 1LT
01202 885566
https://www.tivoliwimborne.co.uk
Tickets £15/discounts (plus booking fees)

YVONNE ARNAUD THEATRE, GUILDFORD
Thursday, 22 March 2018
7.45 pm – 9.15 pm
Millbrook, Guildford GU1 3UX
+44 (0)1483 44 00 00
http://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/
Tickets £17 (inc of booking fees)

THE MILL AT SONNING THEATRE
Wednesday, 11 April 2018
4 pm
Sonning Eye, Reading RG4 6TY
0118 969 8000
http://www.millatsonning.com/
Tickets £20.00 to include a glass of Champagne served on stage with a Q & A after the show.

CHIPPING NORTON THEATRE, CHIPPING NORTON
Thursday, 12 April 2018
7.45 pm – 9.00 pm
Chipping Norton Theatre
2 Spring Street,
Chipping Norton
OX7 5NL
01608 642350
http://www.chippingnortontheatre.com
Tickets £12.50/£10.50 concessions (plus booking fees)

FORUM THEATRE, MALVERN
Saturday, 19 May 2018
7.45 pm – 9.15 pm
01684 569256
Grange Rd, Malvern WR14 3HB
http://www.malvern-theatres.co.uk

DEVIZES ARTS FESTIVAL
Tuesday, June 12 2018
7.30pm
Assembly Room
Devizes Town Hall

Lucy Fleming gives reading at commemoration for Major Valentine Fleming MP

Lucy Fleming gave a reading at an event in Nettlebed Village Club this evening (16 May 2017) to commemorate the life of her grandfather (and father of Ian Fleming) Major Valentine Fleming, the Henley MP who died 100 years ago.

Concert to commemorate MP killed in the Great War

THIS time 100 years ago the MP for Henley was Major Valentine Fleming from Nettlebed.

The father of four boys — one of whom, Ian, would later find global fame as the creator of James Bond — Valentine was a close friend of Winston Churchill and a leading light of the South Oxfordshire community.

Elected to parliament in 1910, it was in his capacity as the local MP that he was asked to officially declare open Nettlebed Village Club when it opened its doors for the first time in 1913 — the construction of the building having been funded by Valentine’s father, Robert, the Scottish financier and philanthropist.

Major Valentine Fleming

The following year, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria saw the First World War break out in Europe. Billed at the time as “the war to end all wars”, the conflict would run from July 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918.

Valentine joined “C” Squadron of the Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars, and went to France to fight — later rising to the rank of major.

By his own account, in a letter written to a fellow officer, the cavalry regiment initially had little more than “a tour of the principal French watering places” followed by a “very dull” fortnight hanging about Dunkirk and St Omer.

But then on October 30 he and his men were told by General de Lisle to occupy a line of trenches near Messines.

“This was disagreeable,” wrote Valentine, “as projectiles of every variety were exploding with a disquieting regularity over the ground of our advance. Luckily we had no man hit — I can’t think why — which put some heart into the men. We began to wonder how to fix the bloody bayonets with which we had been issued two days previously.”

After serving with distinction for nearly three years, Valentine was killed by German bombing in the Gillemont Farm area of Picardy on May 20, 1917.

For his war service, Valentine was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Order. His obituary was written by Churchill and his portrait still hangs above the bar at Nettlebed Village Club.

With the centenary of his death approaching, a special “commemoration evening” has been organised in Valentine’s memory in partnership with Nettlebed Folk Song Club, which stages a regular series of Monday night concerts throughout the year.

This will take place at the village club on Tuesday (May 16) from 7.30pm.

The main act for the evening will be Coope, Boyes and Simpson, who are widely regarded as one of the leading authorities on the music of the First World War period.

In 2014, having been involved with the In Flanders Fields Museum for almost 20 years, they issued In Flanders Fields — a two-CD album intended as a homage to the music and song of the First World War.

The evening will also include a performance by Steve Knightley, of folk legends Show of Hands, together with a reading from Valentine’s granddaughter, the actress Lucy Fleming. Henley singer-songwriter Megan Henwood will also perform.

Proceeds from the evening will be donated to the Nettlebed Village Club roof fund.

Henley Standard. 2017. ‘Concert to commemorate MP killed in the Great War‘, Henley Standard, 15 May. http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/music/109799/concert-to-commemorate-mp-killed-in-the-great-war.html

The event was also previewed in: Staff Reporter. 2017. ‘Valentine Fleming Commemoration Concert: Remembering the Great War’, Maidenhead Advertiser, 15 May. http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/news/bands-and-music-news/115338/valentine-fleming-commemoration-concert-remembering-the-great-war-at-commemoration-concert.html

Posting Letters to the Moon – new dates, new web site

Posting Letters to the Moon - web site

Additional dates have been added to the short tour of Posting Letters to the Moon, and a mini-website has been set up to promote current and future appearances.

In addition to the dates, previously advertised on this site, additional readings of the wartime letters between Fleming’s mother Celia Johnson and her husband Peter Fleming read by Lucy Fleming and Simon Williams have been confirmed:

ALHAMBRA CINEMA, KESWICK
Sunday, March 5, 2017
18:30-21:30
Includes a screening of Brief Encounter
£15 per head including refreshments, live performance and film
W: Keswick Alhambra | E: alhambracinema@gmail.com | T: 01768 772195

UPSTAIRS @ THE GATHER, ENNERDALE CENTRE
Ennerdale Bridge CA23 3AJ
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
19:30-21:30
The Gather Ennerdale Centre
£8 per head (plus book fee) via Eventbrite
E: bookings@ennerdalecentre.com | T: 01946 862453

NETTLEBED VILLAGE CLUB
Nettlebed Village Club, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 5DD
Friday, 21 April
19.30 for 20.00
Tickets £15 | Please ring Sue on 01189 345 960 for ticket details
Charity Evening to raise money for the Nettlebed Club’s Roof Fund

The Posting Letters to the Moon tour is previewed in Cumbria Life:

Posting Letters to the Moon - Cumbria Life
Image by Angela Jackson.

The reading of Posting Letters to the Moon at The Dukes, Lancaster on 1 March is reviewed on the British Theatre Guide site

Lucy Fleming and Simon Williams come steeped in their own theatrical fame, either from stage, film or TV appearances, or on radio in The Archers. This very week they both also appear in new cinema release The Viceroy’s House, which just happens to be set in New Delhi where her father was stationed.

So she can be excused if her voice just occasionally falters as she reads her mother’s adoring words of love to her father. Some people may think it was just acting, but a sold-out auditorium knew otherwise—and promptly stifled its own sniffles when her husband joked: “Pull yourself together!”

It was that kind of evening, one of sharing in another family’s heartfelt love.

An image from the Getty Images archive, pictures Peter Fleming, Celia Johnson and a young Lucy Fleming in 1955:

 

The Posting Letters to the Moon tour is covered in:

Julie Graham joins cast for series six of Survivors audio dramas

Big Finish has announced (16 January 2017) that Julie Graham, who played the role of Abby Grant in the BBC’s 2008-2010 remake of Survivors, joins the cast for an episode of series six of new Survivors audio adventures. In the story “Revenge of Heaven”, written by Simon Clark, Graham takes on the role of Katherine Tanner in a standalone story that focuses on Greg Preston’s (Ian McCulloch) eventful trip to Norway.

Series six of Survivors audio adventures will be released in June 2017, and is available for pre-order on the Big Finish site. In December 2016, the company confirmed its commitment to releasing (at a minimum) nine series of Survivors audios.

Julie Graham joins Survivors cast for series six

Survivors – series six news

Coming in June, Survivors – Series 6 is the next of Big Finish’s listener-praised audio continuation of Terry Nation‘s 1970s BBC TV show:

“We’re trying something a little different this time,” confirms producer David Richardson, “Each disc is a separate, self-contained story – and I think it’s working beautifully. Set during the third season of the TV show, it allows us to focus individually on our leads Abby (Carolyn Seymour), Greg (Ian McCulloch) and Jenny (Lucy Fleming). Separated geographically, they each face different challenges. But might their paths finally cross again?”

Of particular note in the forthcoming set to Survivors fans is a particular casting. As David explains: “I’ve wanted to work with Julie Graham for ages, and in Simon Clark‘s Revenge of Heaven we had the perfect role for her – Katherine Tanner, an adventurer who helps Greg Preston on his mission in Norway. Needless to say, Julie was fantastic in the part, and it was lovely to sit and chat to her about playing Abby Grant in the re-imagined BBC TV series of Survivors. The show is clearly still very close to her heart.”

Survivors Series 6 is released in June on Download for £20 and CD for £25 – both pre-release prices offering a £5 discount on the price when the set goes on general release later in the year. A CD order automatically unlocks digital access on release.

Check out the entire Survivors range, including the chance for pre-orders on Series 6 through to Series 9, and to catch up with the first five sets, as well as listening to Carolyn Seymour‘s evocative reading of Terry Nation’s original novel. There’s even a free episode – Series 1’s Survivors – Revelation.

Watch this space for more news.

Lucy Fleming and Simon Williams – ‘Posting letters to the moon’ – at Carnforth Station Heritage Centre

Lucy Fleming and Simon Williams appear at the Carnforth Station Heritage Centre Carnforth, Lancashire LA5 9TR) on Thursday 2 March at 19:30 to deliver a reading of the wartime correspondence between Fleming’s mother Celia Johnson and husband Peter Fleming.

These letters from Celia to her husband tell of her experiences during the war – from coping with a large isolated house full of evacuated children, learning to drive a tractor, dealing with rationing, occasional holidays in Cornwall where she took to surfing, and all the while acting for David Lean, Noel Coward and starring in the classic film Brief Encounter in 1945.

Not only are the letters highly engaging, but they also provide a fascinating historical insight into that time of true austerity and fearfulness.

Carnforth Railway Station was the filming location for the pivotal scenes in the 1945 film Brief Encounter in which Celia Johnson starred. Tickets for the event (‘Posting letters to the moon’) are £9:00 and are only available from the Centre.

Other performances are scheduled for Wednesday 1 March 2017 (Dukes Playhouse, Lancaster) and Saturday 4 March (Glenridding Public Hall, Glenridding).

Posting letters to the moon - Lucy Fleming and Simon Williams

The Westmorland Gazette carries a short preview of the event:

Brief Encounter actress Celia Johnson’s daughter Lucy Fleming to perform at Carnforth Station Heritage Centre in Posting Letters to the Moon

THE daughter of actress Celia Johnson is to make a special appearance at Carnforth railway station this spring, where her mother filmed famous scenes from Brief Encounter in 1945.

Actress Lucy Fleming and her husband Simon Williams – of Upstairs, Downstairs fame – are to appear in Posting Letters to the Moon, when they will read wartime letters between Lucy’s mother and father, Peter Fleming.

Described as touching and amusing, the letters from Celia to her husband tell of her experiences during the war, from coping with a large, isolated house full of evacuated children, to learning to drive a tractor, dealing with rationing, and all the while accepting offers of work when she could get away – for David Lean, Noel Coward, wartime propaganda films and ultimately in 1945 starring in the classic Brief Encounter.

“It was a joy to discover these letters, and I hope you will find them as funny and moving as I do,” said Lucy, whose uncle was James Bond author Ian Fleming.

The performance is to take place at Carnforth Station Heritage Centre on Thursday, March 2, at 7.30pm. The pair will also be taking their show to the Dukes Playhouse, Lancaster, on March 1, and Glenridding Public Hall on March 4.

Ian McCulloch talks Italian horror movies on The Strange and Deadly Show

In a relaxed and reflective podcast interview Ian McCulloch, (Greg, Survivors) discusses his work on the three Italian horror movies in which he starred after his work on Survivors on a new edition of The Strange and Deadly Show.

Ian does mention, in passing, the importance of Survivors in him securing these films roles, but this interview (recorded back in 2012, but only now released online) focuses on the three films – about which Ian is much more positive than (he himself acknowledges) he used to be previously.

The interview begins around 5m:30s into the broadcast.

The Strange and Deadly Show

Ian McCulloch Interview – Tom Elliot gives a short update on the status of The Strange and Deadly Show before presenting an interview with the star of Zombie Flesh Eaters, Zombie Holocaust and Contamination, Ian McCulloch.


 
Please send your feedback to feedback@strangeanddeadly.com

Lucy Fleming appears in Eastenders and The Archers

Lucy Fleming appeared as Judge Evelyn Heap in BBC One soap Eastenders (31 May 2015), an episode viewable (in the UK) on the BBC iPlayer until 30 June 2016.

Lucy Fleming as Judge Evelyn Heap in Eastenders 2016

In May, Fleming also appeared (alongside her husband Simon Williams) in and episode of BBC Radio 4’s The Archers (6 May 2016) playing Miranda Elliott (while Williams voiced Justin Elliott).

Big Finish release first details of Survivors fifth series of audios

The fifth series of Big Finish’s Survivors audio adventures (scheduled for release in November 2016) will focus on the outbreak and spread of a second deadly virus – which threatens the survival of communities only now emerging from the aftermath of The Death.

Recording of series five is now well underway, and features scripts by three returning Survivors script writers: Simon Clark (Contact, series three); Andrew Smith (Judges, series one; Rescue, series three); and Christopher Hatherall (Collision, series four).

It has also been revealed that series five will also feature Doctor Who actors Neve McIntosh and Richard Hope. Also joining original cast members Carolyn Seymour, Ian McCulloch, Lucy Fleming will be the returning Fiona Sheehan, and Barnaby Edwards, Sean Biggerstaff, Andy Secombe, Fintan McKeown, Alex Clatworthy, Roger May and Elizabeth Payne. Further casting announcements are to follow. Read the full update from Big Finish below:

Big Finish - Survivors - series five - Seymour, McCulloch, Fleming and McIntosh

Survivors: Doctor Who stars join Series 5!

Big Finish’s post-apocalyptic series continues in November – with Neve McIntosh and Richard Hope joining the fight for survival!

It begins with just a few people falling ill. Another flu virus that spreads around the globe. And then the reports begin that people are dying…

When most of the world’s population is wiped out, a handful of survivors are left to pick up the pieces.

Cities become graveyards. Technology becomes largely obsolete. Mankind must start again. But viruses are survivors too…

Based on Terry Nation‘s classic television series, Survivors continues the story of a virus-ravaged Britain, featuring the cast and characters of the original program.

Ahead of the June launch of Survivors: Series 4, Big Finish is delighted to announce that recording is underway on November’s Series 5, guest starring a pair of actors well known to Doctor Who fans!

Neve McIntosh and Richard Hope appeared together in the 2010 Doctor Who story The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood, portraying classic foes the Silurians. Since then they have become the recurring faces of the creatures for the series, with Neve memorably starring as Madame Vastra, the leader of the Paternoster Gang.

‘We spent a lot of time thinking of potential names to play the pivotal character of Carol Baker in this set,’ says producer David Richardson. ‘And director Ken Bentley presented me with Neve – which I think is inspired casting. This will actually be Neve’s second role for Big Finish. But what was the first? Ah, you’ll have to wait for that announcement!’

Neve and Richard will join the fifth series of Survivors alongside regulars Carolyn Seymour, Ian McCulloch, Lucy Fleming and Fiona Sheehan. Also appearing will be Barnaby Edwards, Sean Biggerstaff, Andy Secombe, Fintan McKeown, Alex Clatworthy, Roger May and Elizabeth Payne with further cast members to be announced.

‘Series 5 could be subtitled The Second Coming,’; says David. ‘It explores a really powerful storyline – what would happen if the plague broke out all over again?’

Survivors: Series 5 will contain four new stories, written by Andrew Smith, Christopher Hatherall and Simon Clark. It can be pre-ordered today for just £25 on CD or £20 to download.

Survivors: Series 4 will be released in June, continuing the story of the Whitecross community and guest starring Zoë Tapper as Evelyn Piper. You can listen to a trailer for the new box-set below:


 

Three previous series are still available to order, alongside an audiobook of Terry Nation's original novel, performed by Carolyn Seymour.