Wednesday, September 30, 2015

NEW MOVIE ADAPTATIONS: CLIVE BARKER'S 'WEAVEWORLD', ROBERT HEINLEIN'S 'MAN WHO SOLD THE MOON', FREDERIK POHL'S 'GATEAWAY' TO BECOME SERIES. YA NOVEL 'WONDERLING' TO BECOME STEPHEN DALDRY FILM?

CLIVE BARKER'S WEAVEWORLD
TO BECOME A CW SF SERIES
There have been a number of adaptations announced, beginning with Clive Barker's WEAVEWORLD which is to be turned into a CW TV series! The story will follow an app designer who teams up with a young pastry chef who has just discovered that she is destined to be guardian of a mythological realm that can be accessed through a portal in an old Savannah mansion. Together, they fight an epic battle with evil forces who are vying for control of the magical world.
WONDER -LING
Fox 2000 is to make Mira Bartok's partial futuristic YA book manuscript THE WONDERLING into a Stephen Daldry movie! The book which is yet to be shopped to publishers follows a half human half fox who, with a half human half bird journeys from an orphanage to the city to save music.

'THE MAN WHO SOLD THE MOON'
NEW HEINLEIN'S ADAPTATION
Meanwhile, Allen Bein is to turn Robert Heinlein's science fiction classic THE MAN WHO SOLD THE MOON into television series as well about a businessman possessed by a dream to take humanity off Earth. As a young entrepreneur, he starts a private space company to colonize the moon and create the home he never had. He is driven to the brink while single-handedly ushering the entire human race to its next evolutionary step.

FREDERIK POHL'S GATEAWAY
 TO BECOME SYFY TV SERIES
And SyFy will make a TV series out of Frederik Pohl's novel GATEWAY in which humanity discovers an asteroid teeming with the long abandoned spaceships of an advanced alien race setting in motion a gold rush for alien artefacts and technology. The ships are pre-programmed, transporting their voyagers to distant worlds of riches or certain death. Undaunted by the peril or the odds, prospector Robinette Broadhead gambles everything on a journey to GATEWAY. After one nightmare mission, he returns to extraordinary wealth and luxury, but is haunted by the loss of his crewmates, including the love of his life.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

SITCOM MONDAY: NBC ORDERS EVA LONGORIA'S 'BONITA & MECHELLE', 'MANHOOD' AND NEW MARLON WAYANS' COMEDY SERIES! ABC'S 'THE REAL O'NEALS' NEW SITCOM

EVA LONGORIA
 TO PRODUCE 'BONITA & MECHELLE' SITCOM FOR NBC
A bunch of new comedy series has been ordered by major networks, people, and Dezzy is here to tell you which ones! Eva Longoria, who is already starring and producing HOT & BOTHERED comedy series this Fall at NBC, will now produce BONITA & MECHELLE a multi camera sitcom on two women, one Hispanic and one African American who find themselves living together while conquering the ups and downs of single life and parenting!

OTHER NEW NBC SITCOMS
MANLY 'MANHOOD' COMEDY
NBC has also ordered MANHOOD which looks at what it means to be a man today, when the gender lines have never been blurrier, following three men who explore different sides of masculinity in a weekly men’s group meeting, where they cry, beat drums and fire-walk to find the answer.
NEW MARLON WAYANS SITCOM
The same network has also nabbed new sitcom with Marlon Wayans!  Loosely inspired by Wayans’ life, the untitled comedy centres on an inappropriate but loving father committed to successfully co-parenting with his polar opposite ex-wife.

'THE REAL O'NEALS'
 NEW ABC COMEDY SERIES
Meanwhile, coming real soon to ABC is their new single camera sitcom THE REAL O'NEALS starring Martha Plimton, Jay R. Ferguson, Noah Galvin, Matthew Shively and Bebe Wood.  A fresh take on a seemingly perfect Catholic family whose lives take an unexpected turn when surprising truths are revealed. Instead of ruining their family, the honesty triggers a new, messier chapter where everyone stops pretending to be perfect and actually starts being real.

Monday, September 28, 2015

HOLLYWOOD SPY SPOTLIGHT ON 'THE LAST KINGDOM' EPIC TV SERIES WITH ALEXANDER DREYMON, DAVID DAWSON, RUTGER HAUER, TOBIAS SENTELMANN

'THE LAST KINGDOM'
9TH CENTURY EPIC TV SERIES
To end our period set projects weekend in a regal way, here's a spotlight on BBC America's new historical series THE LAST KINGDOM which is to bring 9th century into your Saturday evenings when it starts airing October 10th! Adapted from Bernard Cornwell’s “The Saxon Stories,” THE LAST KINGDOM sees many of the separate kingdoms of what we now know as England under invading Vikings, with only the great Kingdom of Wessex standing defiant under its visionary King Alfred the Great (David Dawson).

BRAVE PRINCE UHTRED
Our main hero is Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon). Born the son of a Saxon nobleman, he is orphaned by the Vikings and then kidnapped and raised as one of their own. Forced to choose between the country of his birth and the people of his upbringing, his loyalties are ever tested. What is he — Saxon or Viking? On a quest to claim his birthright, Uhtred must tread a dangerous path between both sides if he is to play his part in the birth of a new nation and, ultimately, recapture his ancestral lands!

LORD UHTRED OF BEBBANBURG
Uhtred’s father, Lord Uhtred (Matthew MacFadyen), is a formidable fighter and ruler of the kingdom of Bebbanburg in Northumbria. He is a serious and rather distant man whose commitments to Bebbanburg leave little time for his two sons. Young Uhtred struggles to win his father’s affection and approval.

KING ALFRED THE GREAT
As the King who dreamt of uniting the separate kingdoms of England, Alfred (David Dawson) has integrity and is a thinker, master strategist, yet troubled by poor health. A man of great wisdom, he is committed to the power of the written word and the spread of Christianity. Even Uhtred, who first sees Alfred as a humourless nit-picker, grows to admire the man who will become known as King Alfred the Great.

FEARLESS WARRIOR BRIDA
Alongside Uhtred, Brida (Emily Cox) is captured as a child and raised by Danes. Brida and Uhtred’s similar fates bind them as kindred spirits; the two become best friends. Fearless, gutsy, outspoken, and a born fighter, Brida immediately feels at home in the boisterous world of the Danes.

FEROCIOUS WARRIOR UBBA
The most senior ranking Dane, Ubba (Rune Temte) is loud, brash, violent, playful and a little unhinged. A ferocious warrior, Uhtred is warned as a boy never to fight Ubba, but fate may dictate that he must. Ubba’s weakness is his superstition and his reliance on his sorcerer Storri.

RAGNAR THE YOUNGER
Uhtred’s Danish brother Ragnar the Younger (Tobias Santelmann) is  handsome, brave, loyal and fair. Ragnar embodies the Viking way of life for Uhtred — freedom, passion, challenge and adventure…a world away from the strictures of Alfred’s court.

THE BLIND POET RAVN
Ravn (Rutger Hauer), is a ‘skald’ (a Viking poet and wise man). Given his considerable life experience, he is philosophical about the struggles of the Danes and is able to impart his wisdom to young Uhtred, who often acts as the eyes of blind Ravn.

AELFRIC THE USURPER
Aelfric (Joseph Millson) is Uhtred’s uncle and usurper of the throne of Bebbanburg. Aelfric is unscrupulous, scheming and power hungry. He sees Uhtred as a barrier to his claim on Bebbanburg and is committed to his demise.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

'BEOWULF: RETURN TO THE SHIELDLANDS' EPIC TV SERIES TEASER WITH KIERAN BEW, ED SPELEERS, ELLIOTT COWAN! NEW TOM BATEMAN'S 'JEKYLL & HYDE' AND JESSICA RAINE'S 'JERICHO' EPIC SERIES PHOTOS

FIRST TEASER TRAILER FOR
 'BEOWULF: RETURN TO THE SHIELDLANDS' EPIC TV SERIES
Continuing our period set projects  weekend, check out the first teaser trailer for ITV's new epic fantasy series BEOWULF: RETURN TO THE SHIELD- LANDS which should air some time early next year in thirteen episodes starring DA VINCI'S DEMONS' Kieran Bew in the lead role!
With the story set in the mythical Shieldlands, a place of spectacle and danger populated by both humans and fantastical creatures, Kieran Bew plays one of literature’s greatest and most enduring heroes, Beowulf. Ed Speleers (ERAGON, DOWNTON ABBEY) plays Slean and Laura Donnelly takes is Elvina.
KIERAN BEW & ED SPELEERS
BEOWULF is a series about courage, greed, betrayal, revenge, loyalty, power, man versus wilderness and, of course love. It is a series that explores the notion of good and evil, heroes and villains. However, beyond these wider political undercurrents and inner personal turmoils are the excitement, danger and sense of adventure that any great Western has. Epic fights, thrilling chases, raids, celebrations and battles are an essential part of the promise. The cast also includes William Hurt, Joanne Whalley, David Harewood, Elliott Cowan, Joe Sims, David Bradley, Emmett Scanlan and others.


NEW PHOTOS FOR EPIC SERIES
'JEKYLL AND HYDE'
Speaking of ITV, check out new photos from other two of their upcoming epic dramas: JEKYLL AND HYDE and JERICHO!  The first one, set in glamourous 1930s London, will star another DA VINCI'S DEMONS' actor Tom Bateman as Robert Jekyll, Richard E Grant as Bulstrode who heads the secret government department MI0 known as ‘The Invisible Men’ and Natalie Gumede as Bella who forms part of a love triangle with Robert.

'JERICHO'
Meanwhile, there are two set photos from JERICHO,  set in the 1870s, and focusing on the shantytown of Jericho, home to a community that will live, thrive and die in the shadow of the viaduct they’ve been brought together to build. Pioneers, settlers and outcasts, they include people with secrets to hide and those looking to start again. Jessica Raine and Hans Matheson lead the cast!

Saturday, September 26, 2015

PERIOD MOVIES FRIDAY: KATE WINSLET TO BE 'THE FAVOURITE' OF OLIVIA COLMAN'S QUEEN ANNE IN NEW HISTORICAL MOVIE WITH EMMA STONE! RACHEL WEISZ AND SAM CLAFLIN FOR 'MY COUSIN RACHEL' ADAPTATION?

KATE WINSLET TO BE
THE 'FAVOURITE' OF QUEEN ANNE
She's only recently been in period costumes at the court of King Louis in A LITTLE CHAOS, but it seems our dear Kate Winslet will get into corsets again since she has been cast in new historical movie THE FAVOURITE coming from critically acclaimed young director Yorgos Lanthimos (THE LOBSTER)! It will depict the political machinations behind the scenes during the reign of Queen Anne, the last monarch of the House of Stuarts, taking place between the end of the 17th century and first years of the 18th century, when Anne reigned from 1702-1707. Olivia Colman will play Queen Anne, Winslet will be Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, the Queen’s close confidante, and Emma Stone will be Abigail Masham, an impoverished, distant relative of Sarah, who gains a position at court tending to the Queen. The story follows the shifting balance of power between the lead characters as they jockey for influence.

RACHEL WEISZ TO LEAD
'MY COUSIN RACHEL' PERIOD SET MOVIE WITH SAM CLAFLIN
Speaking of Lanthimos, he recently directed Rachel Weisz in the above mentioned THE LOBSTER, and Rachel has a new gig too, according to 'Deadline'! She, and our dearest Sam Claflin, are in talks to join Roger Michell's adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier classic novel MY COUSIN RACHEL, the period set  dark romance which revolves around Philip, a young orphan at a large Cornwall estate, who believes his mysterious, beautiful cousin Rachel may have been responsible for the murder of his beloved guardian Ambrose, also a cousin of theirs. As Philip plots his revenge, he finds his feelings complicated as he falls under Rachel’s beguiling spell.
LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS  
Rachel Weisz is already shooting THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS with Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, which those who've seen some of the cuts, already call one of most emotional movies in years!

Friday, September 25, 2015

RICHARD MADDEN, DUSTIN HOFFMAN LEAD 'MEDICI: MASTERS OF FLORENCE' EPIC TV SERIES! TIM ALLEN'S 'LAST MAN STANDING' STARTS 5TH SEASON! 'DICKENSIAN' BBC SERIES PHOTOS WITH STEPHEN REA, PAULINE COLLINS, TOM WESTON JONES

MEDICI: MASTERS OF FLORENCE  
RICHARD MADDEN AND DUSTIN HOFFMAN LEAD NEW EPIC SERIES
Now the news of the day is extremely exciting: our dearest Prince Charming and King of the North Richard Madden and Dustin Hoffman are set to lead the cast of new eight part historical TV series MEDICI: MASTERS OF FLORENCE which would chronicle the rise of the Medici family and the Italian Renaissance! THE MAN IN THE HIGHT CASTLE's Frank Spotnitz is producing the series following the story of the family’s ascent from simple merchants to power brokers who sparked an economic and cultural revolution, in the process creating a long list of powerful enemies. Richard Madden will play enterprising son Cosimo de’ Medici, and Hoffman is family patriarch Giovanni de’ Medici.

'DICKENSIAN'  BBC SERIES
FIRST PHOTOS REVEALED
Continuing TV news, but this time coming from United Kingdom, check out the first photos from BBC's ambitious new historical series DICKENSIAN which will have 20 half hour episodes starting this Autumn. The series is set in the realm populated by fictional characters from Charles Dickens’ novels including Scrooge, Fagin and Miss Havisham, as their lives intertwine in 19th century London. The Old Curiosity Shop sits next door to The Three Cripples Pub, while Fagin’s Den is hidden down a murky alley off a bustling Victorian street. The all-star cast is lead by Stephen Rea, Pauline Collins, Caroline Quentin, Peter Firth, Tuppence Middleton, Ellie Haddington, Sophie Rundle, Anton Lesser, Ned Dennehy, Adrian Rawlins, Joseph Quinn, Tom Weston-Jones and others. Check out the glimpse into DICKENSIAN and WAR AND PEACE in BBC Autumn trailer.


'LAST MAN STANDING' 
 SEASON 5 OF TIM ALLEN SITCOM
Are you ready for the return of hilarious Mike Buckster and his family? Because this Friday marks the start of the fifth season of beloved ABC family sitcom LAST MAN STANDING starring Tim Allen and Nancy Travis.  In the new season Mike has returned from being on a fantastic two-month road trip, travelling to far-flung places for Outdoor Man, the sporting goods emporium where he is marketing director. It’s great to be back with his wife, Vanessa, and their three daughters, but finds a lot has been going on at home as well as the job since he’s been away. Vanessa is dealing with her new teaching job and with the empty nest syndrome, their oldest daughter Kristin (Amanda Fuller) has married the father of her son Ryan (Jordan Masterson), their midde daughter Mandy (Molly Ephraim) is scoring success with her fashion line, while their youngest Eve (Kaitlyn Dever) is finishing high school!

Thursday, September 24, 2015

BBC ORDERS 'TROY: FALL OF A CITY' EPIC TV SERIES, CASTS MAXINE PEAKE, JOHN HANNAH, MATT LUCAS IN 'MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM' TV MOVIE! 'ANGRY BIRDS' MOVIE TRAILER WITH JASON SUDEIKIS, DANNY MCBRIDE

'TROY: THE FALL OF A CITY'  
TV SERIES COMING TO BBC
As always, BBC has something epic in store for us! Together with David Farr (the NIGHT MANAGER scribe) they will produce a  historical television series based on the fall of Troy! TROY: FALL OF A CITY is supposed to retell the majesty and wonder of the Trojan War to the new generation of viewers. With the 3,000 year old story told for the first time through the eyes of a Trojan family, who become entangled in the conflict as war with Greece breaks out, the drama will re-examine the Judgement of Paris, a key event in the ancient world's most prominent tales. The series will convey the emotional richness, the effects of war, and the toll taken on city and family by the horrors of siege.


BBC'S 'MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM' TV MOVIE 
CASTS MAXINE PEAKE, MATT LUCAS AND JOHN HANNAH
BBC has already announced 20 part drama DICKENSIAN, Ian McKellen and Anthony Hopkin's THE DRESSER and the new adaptation of WAR AND PEACE, Tom Hiddleston's THE NIGHT MANAGER! There's also A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM TV movie adaptation starring VILLAGE's Maxine Peake as Titania, Matt Lucas (Paddington) as Bottom, John Hannah (SPARTACUS) as Theseus, Eleanor Matsuura (The Lady In The Van) as Hippolyta and newcomer Hiran Abeysekera as Puck. The CGI rich project is set in the tyrannical court of Athens and the magical forest around the city!

'THE ANGRY BIRDS' TRAILER 
WITH JASON SUDEIKIS 
Sony has released the first trailer for their animated movie adaptation of famous THE ANGRY BIRDS which are to flap  their wings in the cinemas May next year! The movie takes us to an island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds...Or almost entirely. In this paradise, Red (Jason Sudeikis), a bird with a temper problem, speedy Chuck (Josh Gad), and the volatile Bomb (Danny McBride) have always been outsiders. But when the island is visited by mysterious green piggies, it's up to these unlikely outcasts to figure out what the pigs are up to.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

STUNNING ANNIE LEIBOVITZ 'THE DANISH GIRL' PHOTOS WITH EDDIE REDMAYNE AND ALICIA VIKANDER! 'MEADOWLAND' HAUNTING TRAILER WITH OLIVIA WILDE, LUKE WILSON, ELIZABETH MOSS

STUNNING 'DANISH GIRL' PHOTOS
WITH EDDIE REDMAYNE AND ALICIA VIKANDER
A visual feast for you today coming in the form of gorgeous, Annie Leibovitz shot, photos of Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander in the Tom Hooper helmed visually stunning  drama THE DANISH GIRL on one of the first sex change patients also starring Ben Whishaw and Matthias Schoenaerts. The movie is out this November filled with Oscar winners since beside Hooper and Redmayne, the cast also includes Oscar winning composer Alexandre Desplat!

FIND THE COURAGE TO BE YOURSELF

In early 1920s Copenhagen, the illustrator and artist Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander) asks her husband, Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne), to stand in for a female model. The popularity of the portraits leads to Gerda painting her husband in further pictures as a woman. Einar develops an attraction for a female physical appearance and begins living as a woman named Lili Elbe. Ultimately Elbe becomes the first ever recipient of male to female sex reassignment surgery, and Gerda supports her decision, although their marriage becomes strained when Gerda comes to the realization that Lili is no longer the person she married. A childhood friend of Lili, Hans Axgil (Matthias Schoenaerts), shows up and forms a complex love triangle with the couple.


'MEADOWLAND' TRAILER 
OLIVIA WILDE & LUKE WILSON
You can also check out the first trailer for critically acclaimed drama MEADOWLAND in which Olivia Wilde gives a haunting performance alongside Luke Wilson, Elizabeth Moss and Giovanni Ribisi. In the hazy aftermath of an unimaginable loss, Sarah and Phil come unhinged, recklessly ignoring the repercussions. Phil starts to lose sight of his morals; Sarah takes off on a potentially disastrous journey, falling deeper into her own fever dream.


HOLLYWOOD SPY REACHES 
100 MILLION GOOGLE + HITS  
I'm not entirely sure how it is possible, but our official Google Plus page has just reached more than 100,000,000 hits, that is ONE HUNDRED MILLION hits which is how many hits Lady Gaga and One Direction have at YouTube :) ! I'm guessing tens of thousands of photos I've posted here over the years are connected with that profile too and we get hits from Google Photo Search. Click here to join us there if you haven't so far! 

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

IS EMILY BLUNT DISNEY'S LEAD IN THE SEQUEL TO 'MARY POPPINS'? H.G. WELLS SF NOVEL 'THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU' TO BECOME CBS TV SERIES WITH FEMALE DOCTOR!

IS EMILY BLUNT 
DISNEY'S NEW 'MARY POPPINS'?
So, I kinda decided not to do our traditional and widely popular fashion report from Emmy awards because it was such a parade of atrocious gowns this year that my eyes still hurt! So, we're moving onto the latest Hollywood rumours which are saying that our dearest Emily Blunt has been offered the lead role in Disney's big screen remake of MARY POPPINS which has been announced a few days ago! Although Blunt said there is no official offer (which doesn't mean there isn't an unofficial one wink wink) but if she really gets the role it would reunite her with director Rob Marshall who helmed other of her musicals INTO THE WOODS! The movie actually won't be a remake, but a sequel! It will take place 20 years after the original movie sending the magical nanny onto a new adventure.


 'ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU' TO
BECOME A CBS TV SERIES
Over in today's television news, something really nice: one of the most mysterious of the classic novels THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU from H.G. Wells is to be turned into MOREAU TV series at CBS by SLEEPY HOLLOW creator Phillip Iscove. The TV adaptation will follow the title character of disgraced London physiologist Dr. MOREAU, who retreats to an island to work on the experiments creating animal human hybrids, but here's the catch - this time the doctor is a woman. Fiercely intelligent and fearless, Dr. Katherine MOREAU expands the boundaries of medicine through bold and revolutionary scientific experimentation and treatments in her privately funded island hospital. The book has been adapted into movies many times and many series had episodes inspired by it.

Monday, September 21, 2015

LUKE EVANS TO SING TWO SONGS IN DISNEY'S LIVE ACTION 'BEAUTY AND THE BEAST'! EOIN MACKEN, WILLIAM LEVY, IAIN GLEN JOIN MILLA JOVOVICH IN 'RESIDENT EVIL 6'!

'BEAUTY AND THE BEAST' 
LUKE EVANS TO SING TWO SONGS
Being wonderfully blasphemous and delightfully irreverent as we truly are, we're not sending you to Church this Sunday but to our own enchanting hunkfest! Starting with our deeply beloved Welsh superstar Luke Evans. Now, as some of you know, HOBBIT and DRACULA star has the most amazing singing voice (check out his song from RENT in the clip below) and I myself have been begging him to record an album for years now, but it seems we will hear that stunning voice of his on the big screen since Disney has revealed that he will have two songs in their live action adaptation of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in which he plays charmingly narcissistic Gaston alongside Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Dan Stevens, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Kline. Legendary Alan Menken is writing the music and Luke has revealed, speaking for 'Collider' that his two songs are 'incredibly unique and different'! Bill Condon is directing.


FINAL 'RESIDENT EVIL' MOVIE
CASTS WILLIAM LEVY, EOIN MACKEN, AND IAIN GLEN
And since we're a worldwide read site, it wouldn't do to just give you a Welsh hunk, so we're giving you an Irish and Latino one too! The final, sixth, part of famous sf action franchise RESIDENT EVIL has added Eoin Macken and William Levy to the cast alongside Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter and Iain Glen in the Paul W.S. Anderson helmed movie in which Milla as mighty Alice races against time to stop the villainous Red Queen from destroying the final remnants of humanity. MERLIN's Macken currently stars in NBC's THE NIGHT SHIFT series and has shot THE FOREST thriller in Serbia with Taylor Kinney and Natalie Dormer, while Levi is the most famous of Latin models, actors and heartthrobs!

Sunday, September 20, 2015

BRITISH WEEKEND: NEW TV MOVIES COMING TO BBC 'THE GO BETWEEN' WITH JOANNA VANDERHAM, JIM BROADBENT, VANESSA REDGRAVE, 'CIDER WITH ROSIE' WITH SAMANTHA MORTON, TIMOTHY SPALL

'THE GO BETWEEN' BBC MOVIE
WITH JOANNA VANDERHAM, JIM BROADBENT, VANESSA REDGRAVE
British menu today at The House of Dezmond today, since we have two new programmes to announce coming to BBC in next two Sundays! We begin with the period set TV movie THE GO BETWEEN which airs this Sunday at BBC One. The adaptation of LP Hartley's classic novel stars Joanna Vanderham, Jim Broadbent, Ben Batt and Vanessa Redgrave!

Told from the perspective of Leo Colston, a callow 12-year-old middle-class boy, the story starts when he is invited by upper-class school friend Marcus Maudsley to stay at his elegant family home for the blazing hot summer of 1900. Leo is instantly enthralled by Marcus's family, and most especially his beautiful and wilful older sister Marian. When Marcus is taken ill, Leo is left to his own devices, but finds himself alone and adrift in a world of alien social mores and adult concerns. Gauche and anxious to please, Leo is slowly and unwittingly drawn into a web of deceit as Marian pursues an illicit and passionate affair with tenant farmer Ted Burgess, a man of much inferior social position whom she can never marry. Marian and Ted befriend the lonely and easily influenced Leo and use him to carry secret messages between them. Leo quickly grows friendly with Ted and worships Marian with a mixture of innocent love and incipient sexuality he barely understands. Only when he meets Hugh Trimingham, the kind, war wounded aristocrat to whom Marian is promised, does Leo start to question his role as intermediary. As Leo's 13th birthday approaches, Marian's moods fluctuate and the summer heat becomes more oppressive. Wholly unable to comprehend the true implications of the adult emotions seething around him, Leo sets in motion a chain of events that ultimately prove the catalyst for a shocking tragedy that will haunt him forever.


BBC'S 'CIDER WITH ROSIE'
 STARRING SAMANTHA MORTON AND TIMOTHY SPALL
And then, coming Sunday, the week after, also at BBC One is a 90 minute adaptation of CIDER WITH ROSIE starring Samantha Morton and Timothy Spall!  A vivid memoir of Laurie Lee’s childhood, CIDER WITH ROSIE is an evocative coming-of-age story set in an idyllic Cotswold village during and immediately after the Great War. Marking the journey of young Lol (Archie Cox) as he grows from boy to man, the story chronicles first love, loss and family upheaval. Check out the lovely trailer below: