BBC TWO

Maryland – BBC Two – Watch Now

Maryland the stunning and affective film is now available on BBC iPlayer.

Maryland began life as a stage play at the Royal Court in 2021. It was described by writer Lucy Kirkwood as a ‘howl’ of rage against male violence, written over 48 hours following the violent, high-profile murders of several women in 2020/21. After its first performance, acclaimed documentary maker and director Brian Hill worked with Lucy to bring the script to life for the BBC.

Lucy has adapted the stage play into a screenplay, and the production features an outstanding cast, including Daniel Mays, Zawe Ashton and Hayley Squires. Whilst dealing with a very dark and difficult subject, Maryland has flashes of wit and humour that make it a compelling watch.

Zawe Ashton and Hayley Squires play the lead roles of two women, both named Mary, who meet at a police station in the aftermath of their respective sexual assaults. Guiding them through this world is PC Moody and his colleague PC Eddowes. They are supported by a cast of Furies, similar to a Greek chorus, who rail against the injustices the women face, both in the events of the play and in the wider world.

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Maryland – BBC Two – 20 July

BBC Press Office has announced the TX date for Maryland – written by playwright Lucy Kirkwood and starring Daniel Mays, Zawe Ashton, and Hayley Squires. Premiering on Wednesday, 20 July on BBC Two and iPlayer.

First seen at the Royal Court in London in 2021 and a fictional artistic response to recent real-life events, the play grapples with the violence women are forced to reckon with in their everyday lives. This new 30-minute adaptation, co-directed with acclaimed documentary-maker Brian Hill, tells the story of two everywomen, both called Mary, and a chorus of modern day furies as they deliver their stories of assault.

Zawe Ashton and Hayley Squires play the lead roles of two individual Marys, who meet at a police station in the aftermath of their respective sexual assaults. They are supported by a cast of furies who rail against the injustices the women face both in the events of the play, and in the wider world. It will TX on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on 20 July at 10pm.

Lucy Kirkwood says: “I wrote the original play as a howl against the way we have normalised violence against women as something to be accommodated by women themselves, rather than protested by all of us. Against the way that women, especially women of colour, cannot at present even rely on the forces of law and order to protect or respect their bodies. Against the recent deaths of women including Sarah Everard, Bibaa Henry, Nicole Smallman and Sabina Nessa in particular, and the anxiety and fear which we culture girls to expect and accept in general.

“I hope the film will give new oxygen to that protest, but I wish it was not still such an urgent conversation.”

Suzy Klein, Head of Arts and Classical Music TV at the BBC, says: “Lucy Kirkwood is one of the most exciting voices in British theatre, whose work has won awards for its portrayal of issues around social justice, climate change and politics.

“Maryland brings Lucy’s searing, incisive vision to the issue of male violence against women and I’m really proud to have it broadcast on the BBC with this extraordinary cast. It’s not a piece that gives any easy answers to one of the most pressing social problems of our time, but it’s impossible to look away from this compelling play – a work brought to us by one of the most trusted and sensitive voices in contemporary drama.”

Full cast list:

Mary: Hayley Squires

Also Mary: Zawe Ashton

PC Moody: Daniel Mayes

PC Eddowes: Justine Mitchell

Furies: Zainab Hasan, Jennifer Joseph, Sarah Lam, Gabriella Leon, Sarah Woodward

Maryland is a Century Films production for BBC Film. The producer is Caroline Levy, the directors are Brian Hill and Lucy Kirkwood and the executive producers are Vicky Featherstone and Lucy Morrison for the Royal Court and Suzy Klein and Rose Garnett for the BBC.

We hope that you will watch this important and relevant film on Wednesday 20 July at 10PM on BBC Two.

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Inside No. 9

We are so excited that Daniel Mays has been announced as one of the Inside No. 9 guest stars for series 7, set to premiere in 2022!

Produced by BBC Studios Comedy Productions and broadcast on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, the new series of Inside No. 9 will feature six stand-alone stories, once again inviting viewers into Shearsmith and Pemberton’s world of the extraordinary and macabre.

Headlining series seven are Daniel Mays (Line of Duty, Good Omens), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The OA), Sophie Okonedo (The Escape Artist, Britannia), Jessica Hynes (There She Goes, W1A), Diane Morgan (Mandy, Motherland), Daisy Haggard (Back To Life, Breeders), Annette Badland (EastEnders, Doctor Who), Siobhan Redmond (The Replacement, Unforgotten) and Ron Cook (Hot Fuzz, The Salisbury Poisonings).

Also set to feature in the upcoming series is Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s fellow co-creator, writer and star from The League of Gentlemen, Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Dracula).

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton say: “We hope you’ll join us and another incredible cast of actors for more surprises that will make your jaws drop and spines tingle. Heads might even roll, and if not heads, definitely eyes.“

Gregor Sharp, Commissioning Editor at the BBC, says: “Inside No. 9 is a crown jewel of comedy and we can’t wait to see what twisted gems Reece and Steve have in store for us in the new series.”

Josh Cole, Head of Comedy, BBC Studios Production, says: “It’s a joy to be back in the Inside No. 9 saddle. Reece and Steve are comic masters, and their new scripts are better than ever. Which really is saying something when the last bunch won Best Comedy at the BAFTAs!”

Since its launch in 2014, Inside No. 9 has received widespread critical acclaim and has won an enviable étagère of awards, including the comedy prize at the 2016 Rose d’Or, two RTS Awards and two BAFTA TV Craft Awards (including Comedy Writing), South Bank Show and Writers’ Guild awards. In addition to this, Steve Pemberton won the Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme at the 2019 BAFTA TV Awards and the series won Best Scripted Comedy at the 2021 BAFTA TV Awards.

All previous episodes of Inside No. 9 are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer and series seven will premiere on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in 2022.

Inside No. 9 is a BBC Studios Comedy Production created and written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. The Executive Producers are Josh Cole (Good Omens, Sally4Ever, Crashing) and Adam Tandy (The Thick Of It, Detectorists). The Producer is Kim Crowther (Midsomer Murders, The Worst Witch). The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Gregor Sharp.

Check out the news from Elliot Gonzalez over at I Talk Telly

We will have more on this exciting project for Danny in the near future!

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The Kemps:All True – Sunday, 5 July

The Kemps:All True. Or is it….?


Tune in this Sunday 5 July at 10PM on BBC Two.

Spandau Ballet global superstars Gary and Martin Kemp are to star in a new one-off spoof documentary, playing themselves recording a new album.

 

Made by BBC Studios, The Kemps: All True will see Rhys Thomas OBE interview the pair about their lives and careers following Spandau Ballet’s 40th anniversary celebrations in December. As part of Spandau Ballet, the pair have sold more than 25 million albums with 23 hit singles worldwide, and in 2011 they received a BMI award after hit single True became one of the most played songs in US history.

As well as looking back at their musical history, The Kemps: All True sees the Kemps other passions: Martin attempts to launch a new film franchise and Gary plans a new Vegan meat-substitute, Wonge.  Daniel Mays stars as himself, taking the role of Dick Turpin at a read-through of Martin’s movie script.

Perry Benson (The Real McCoy, Operation Good Guys, Benidorm, Oh You Rang M’Lord?) features as their brother ‘Ross Kemp’. The Kemps: All True also features Simon Day (The Life Of Rock with Brian Pern, The Fast Show), Anna Maxwell Martin (Line Of Duty, Motherland), Daniel Mays (Line Of Duty, Good Omens), Alan Ford (Snatch, Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels), Shirlie Holliman (Pepsi & Shirlie), Lucy Montgomery (Tracey Ullman’s Show, The Life Of Rock With Brian Pern, The Fast Show), Tony Way (Extras, Black Books, After Life) and Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who).

Q&A with Martin & Gary Kemp– Gary Kemp says “we have the great Daniel Mays. I’ve seen a lot of his stage work and love him. I met him backstage when I did Pinter’s The Homecoming.”

Tune in Sunday 5 July at 10PM on BBC Two and catch up on BBC iPlayer!

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Mother’s Day – Tonight – BBC Two

Mother’s Day airs this evening at 9PM on BBC Two.

This factual drama Written by Nick Leather (Murdered For Being Different, Broken)  and directed By Fergus O’Brien (Against the Law) Mother’s Day focuses on two ordinary women living either side of the Irish Sea, brought together in the wake of the tragedy:

On the day before Mother’s Day 1993, Colin and Wendy Parry’s lives are torn apart when their youngest son Tim is killed in a terrorist attack by the IRA in Warrington’s town centre. The attack shocks ordinary people on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Sue McHugh, an unassuming and normally shy Dublin housewife, is deeply affected by the tragedy. Spurred into action by the events in Warrington and the hope that she can make a difference, Sue urges people across Ireland to demonstrate that the killings on all sides must stop. But has Sue underestimated the challenge of brokering peace in a community that has known only conflict?

As the grieving Parrys search desperately for answers to their son’s senseless killing, they form an alliance with Sue, her husband Arthur, and her Peace ’93 movement, travelling to Dublin in a bid to bring about peace and ensure Tim’s enduring legacy is one of hope and tolerance. Based on real events.

Daniel Mays (Against The Law, Rogue One) will play Tim’s father Colin Parry, Anna Maxwell Martin plays Wendy Parry, with Vicky McClure and David Wilmot (The Alienist, Black Sails) as Susan and Arthur McHugh.

We hope that you will watch this important, moving factual drama.

For Tim and Johnathan.

The BBC has information and support if you, or someone you know, have been affected by the issues raised in Mother’s Day.

Peace Centre

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Mother’s Day – Trailer

The BBC has released the trailer for the upcoming 90 minute drama about the 1992 Warington IRA bombing – Mother’s Day. This emotional look at the families and the aftermath of that horrific and shocking event stars Daniel Mays, Anna Maxwell Martin, and Vicky McClure.

On Twitter, Daniel Mays said: “Can’t recall a drama I’ve acted in over the years that emotionally resonated with me as much as . Colin, Wendy & Sue, my gratitude knows no bounds in allowing us tell to your story. For Tim & Johnathan.”

Written by Nick Leather (Murdered For Being Different, Broken) Mother’s Day focuses on two ordinary women living either side of the Irish Sea, brought together in the wake of the tragedy.

Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland, Good Omens) plays Wendy Parry, the mother of 12 year old Tim Parry who lost his life in the attack which left two boys dead and many others injured. Vicky McClure (Line of Duty, The Replacement) plays Susan McHugh, the Dublin mother of two so outraged by the loss of young life that she organised one of the largest peace rallies in Irish history, leading thousands through the streets in protest at the continued violence of the Troubles.

Daniel Mays (Against The Law, Rogue One) will play Tim’s father Colin Parry, with David Wilmot (The Alienist, Black Sails) as Arthur McHugh.

Mother’s Day will air on BBC two on 3 September .

You can see Tim and Jonathan’s legacy at work at the Tim Parry Jonathan Ball Peace Foundation. If you are able, we encourage you to donate to this wonderful foundation as they wage peace on all fronts.

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Daniel Mays Joins The Cast of Good Omens

It was announced today that Daniel Mays has joined the cast of Amazon and BBC Two’s Good Omens as Arthur Young, the unknowing father of Adam Young, the antichrist.

Commenting on his casting, Daniel Mays says: “Beyond overjoyed to be jumping on board Good Omens. It’s not everyday you get to play the father of the antichrist! Neil Gaiman’s scripts are out of this world and the cast they’ve assembled are second to none. Can’t wait to get cracking!”

Sian Brooke will play Deidre Young, Arthur’s wife and the mother of Adam Young, played by Sam Taylor Buck.

Described as equal parts humor and horror, fantasy and drama, Good Omens takes place in 2018 when the Apocalypse is near and Final Judgment is set to descend upon humanity. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, and tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan — except that Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon, are not looking forward to the coming war, and someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.

Neil Gaiman, writer, says: “Almost 30 years ago Terry Pratchett and I wrote the funniest novel we could about the end of the world, populated with angels and demons, not to mention an 11 year-old Antichrist, witch-finders and the four horsepeople of the Apocalypse. It became many people’s favourite book. Three decades later, it’s going to make it to the screen. I can’t think of anyone we’d rather make it with than BBC Studios, and I just wish Sir Terry was alive to see it.”

Joe Lewis, Head of Comedy and Drama, Amazon Studios, says: “Spanning not only the universe but also the entirety of time, Neil Gaiman has created a story that may be the largest ever told on television. We’re excited to be working with BBC Studios to bring Neil and Terry Pratchett’s incredible book to life and to Prime members everywhere.”

Daniel joins previously announced cast David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Miranda Richardson, Jack Whitehall, and others.

Filming began in London over the last week.

Good Omens was commissioned for Amazon Prime Video and for BBC Two by Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two; Shane Allen, Controller, BBC Comedy Commissioning and BBC commissioning editor Gregor Sharp. It is being produced by the comedy team at BBC Studios, the BBC’s commercial production arm, Narrativia and The Blank Corporation, in association with BBC Worldwide.

BBC Worldwide distributes rights for Good Omens internationally, after the series premiere on Prime Video. The series will be brought to the screen by the highly acclaimed director/executive producer Douglas Mackinnon, whose credits include Knightfall, Dirk Gently, Doctor Who, Outlander and the standalone Victorian episode of Sherlock: The Abominable Bride, winner of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie last year.

Good Omens will launch globally on Prime Video in over 200 countries and territories in 2019 including in the UK, where it will also air on BBC Two at a later date.

We will have more on this truly exciting new project in the near future.

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Passchendaele 100

Daniel Mays took part in the BBC’s World War One Remembered: Passchendaele with his emotional reading of  “Concert Party: Busseboom” by Lieutenant Edmund Blunder.

To mark and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele, the BBC will broadcast a series of special live programmes from the Passchendaele centenary commemorations in Flanders, Belgium.

Spanning two days, the commemoration programming will be presented and anchored by Kirsty Young from a BBC studio at The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Tyne Cot Cemetery, near Ypres. Kirsty will be joined by broadcaster and historian David Olusoga in the studio, together with special guests, and Dan Snow will be bringing all the reaction to events and meeting those taking part.

The commemorations will begin on BBC Two on Sunday 30 July, with a special broadcast including the traditional Menin Gate ceremony followed by a dramatic event in the city’s Market Square. The imposing façade of the Cloth Hall will be illuminated with projections and lights, together with special live performances from artists including Dame Helen Mirren, Daniel Mays, Alfie Boe, War Horse, and the cast of The Wipers Time.

Every evening, the last post is played at the Menin Gate. The distinctive sounding of the bugle call remembers all the men who fought and fell fighting for the restoration of peace around Ypres during the First World War. On this evening, TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the ceremony. TM The King and Queen of the Belgians will also be in attendance.

Following The Menin Gate ceremony, there will be a special event in Ypres Market Square. Presented in front of the historic Cloth Hall, this will be broadcast live on BBC Two and will feature music, stunning projections and live performances. In attendance, among an audience of thousands, will be TRH Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, TM The King and Queen of the Belgians and the British Prime Minister. Highlights of the evening will include performances by Dame Helen Mirren, Daniel Mays, the cast of The Wipers Times introduced by Ian Hislop, a specially written extract from War Horse narrated by Michael Morpurgo, a tri-service orchestra and the voices of the National Youth Choir of Scotland.

Daniel’s reading is towards the end of the broadcast (at 2 hours 43 minutes) but we encourage you to watch the entirety of this extraordinary and moving tribute to the soldiers who bravely fought and to those soldiers whose lives were lost during the long fought Battle of Passchendaele in World War I.

Lest We Forget. 

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Against the Law – The Reviews

Against the Law starring Daniel Mays aired in the UK Wednesday 26 July on BBC Two to rave reviews from both the viewing audience and television critics. The one-off factual drama was in third spot for Twitter trends during the almost 90 minute broadcast.

Agains the Law is BBC Two’s powerful factual drama about Peter Wildeblood, a thoughtful and private gay journalist whose lover Eddie McNally, under pressure from the authorities, turned Queen’s evidence against him in one of the most explosive court cases of the 1950s – the infamous Montagu Trial.

More than ten years before the decriminalisation of homosexual acts in 1967, Peter Wildeblood, and his friends Lord Montagu and Michael Pitt-Rivers, were found guilty of homosexual offences and jailed.

With his career in tatters and his private life painfully exposed, Wildeblood began his sentence a broken man, but he emerged from Wormwood Scrubs a year later determined to do all he could to change the way these draconian laws against homosexuality impacted on the lives of men like him.

The reviews are in:

Observer New Review : [Daniel Mays] is perfect in the role.

The Times: ★★★★☆ Daniel Mays was ideally cast as Peter Wildeblood, whose bravery and testimony in 1954 helped to bring about changes in the law for gay men.

The Telegraph: ★★★★☆ A moving story of men who refused to feel ashamed. “…Daniel Mays, who can play cocky and cruel, but here wore the heartbreaking look of a schoolboy learning the vital skill of moral self-defence.”

The Guardian: Mays is unobtrusively brilliant as Wildeblood

The Arts Desk: Daniel Mays is a revelation in a factual drama about Peter Wildeblood’s imprisonment for homosexuality. He exceeds all expectation with this performance. He finds a remarkable range in a life wholly governed by watchfulness and fear.

The Spectator: In the central role, Daniel Mays captured Wildeblood’s reluctant journey into the spotlight perfectly.

Digital Spy: Against the Law is a powerful reminder of how far we have come.

Den of Geek: Daniel Mays delivers an astonishing performance as Peter Wildeblood.

The Conversation: A fitting tribute to gay men whose persecution in the 1950’s paved the way for new rights.

Radio Times:  Against the Law won heaps of praise from viewers last night, many of whom were moved to tears as they hailed the docudrama as both “heartbreaking” and “frustrating”.

The Northern Echo: Daniel Mays says that he believes the drama is “a profound, important piece of work”

You can catch up with Against the Law on BBC iPlayer through 25 August.

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Against the Law – Tonight 9PM on BBC 2

Against the Law starring Daniel Mays has it’s television debut this evening at 9PM on BBC Two.

2017 sees the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised homosexual acts in England and Wales between adult males, in private. While it would take several decades before homosexuals would reach anything like full equality in this country, this legislation marks the beginning of this journey.

But the dramatic events that led to this Act took place over ten years before and are at the heart of this powerful factual drama, starring Daniel Mays and Mark Gatiss. Mays plays Peter Wildeblood, a thoughtful and private gay journalist whose lover, under pressure from the authorities, turned Queen’s evidence against him in one of the most explosive court cases of the 1950s – the infamous Montagu Trial. Wildeblood and his friends Lord Montagu and Michael Pitt-Rivers were found guilty of homosexual offences and jailed. But the public thought the trial unfair and forced a reluctant government to set up a committee to investigate whether homosexuality should be legalized. The committee was led by Sir John Wolfenden. With his career in tatters and his private life painfully exposed, Peter Wildeblood began his sentence a broken man, but he emerged from Wormwood Scrubs a year later determined to do all he could to change the way these draconian laws against homosexuality impacted on the lives of men like him. He was the only openly gay man to testify before the Wolfenden Committee about the brutal reality of being gay in this country at that time. In 1957, the committee recommended that the laws be changed. It would take a further ten years before these recommendations would become law.

Woven through this powerful drama is testimony from a chorus of men who lived through those dark days, when homosexuals were routinely imprisoned or forced to undergo chemical aversion therapy in an attempt to curethem of their ‘condition’. There is also testimony from a retired police officer whose job it was to enforce these laws, and a former psychiatric nurse who administered the so-called cures. All these accounts amplify the themes of the drama and help to immerse us in the reality of a dark chapter in our recent past, a past still within the reach of living memory.

We hope that you tune in this evening to watch this incredibly important factual-drama.
Against the Law – BBC Two 9PM 26 July 2017.

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