Playhouse Presents
''Playhouse Presents'' is an anthology series of self-contained TV plays, made by British broadcaster Sky Arts. The series started airing on 12 April 2012, on Sky Arts. Each episode is written by a different writer and stars a different cast. The second series began airing in April 2013. A third season began airing 1 May 2014. Sky Arts announced that they were ordering a five-part spin-off of the third play, ''Nixon’s The One''. They said the full cast, including Harry Shearer as Richard Nixon, Nixon and Henry Goodman as Henry Kissinger, Kissinger, were slated to return for the series run, which was to be filmed in September 2012. The series was scheduled to broadcast in 2013. The four-part adaptation of ''A Young Doctor's Notebook (TV series), A Young Doctor's Notebook'' starring Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe was also broadcast as under the ''Playhouse Presents'' banner in December 2012. It became the most successful series in the history of Sky Arts and a second series was co ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sky Arts
Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, films, documentaries and music (such as opera performances and classical and jazz sessions). The channel is available in the United Kingdom through Freeview, Freesat, BT TV, Sky, Virgin Media, and TalkTalk TV and in the Republic of Ireland via Sky Ireland, Virgin Media Ireland, Vodafone Ireland and Eir, included in most basic subscription packs, but started life as a premium service requiring an additional payment on top of the monthly Sky subscription. The channel launched on Freeview and Freesat as a free-to-air service in September 2020. History Artsworld (2000–07) In its early days, it was owned and managed by a public partnership (Artsworld Channels) including Sir Jeremy Isaacs. However, the channel suffered severe financial difficulty. In July 2002, it even staged its own fare ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sheila Hancock
Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has performed on stage in both plays and musicals in London theatres, and is also known for her roles in films and on television. Her Broadway theatre, Broadway debut in ''Entertaining Mr Sloane, Entertaining Mr. Sloane'' (1966) earned her a Tony Awards, Tony Award nomination for Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, Best Lead Actress in a Play. She won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her role in ''Cabaret (musical), Cabaret'' (2007), and was nominated at the Laurence Olivier Awards five other times for her work in ''Annie (musical), Annie'' (1978), ''Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Sweeney Todd'' (1980), ''The Winter's Tale'' (1982), ''Prin'' (1989), and ''Sister Act (musical), Sister Act'' (2010). In film and television, her credits include ''Carry On Cleo'' (1964), ''The Wildcats of St Trinian's'' (1980), ''B ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gina McKee
Georgina McKee (born 14 April 1964) is an English actress. She won the 1997 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for '' Our Friends in the North'' (1996), and earned subsequent nominations for '' The Lost Prince'' (2003) and '' The Street'' (2007). She also starred on television in '' The Forsyte Saga'' (2002) and as Caterina Sforza in '' The Borgias'' (2011). Her film appearances include ''Notting Hill'' (1999), '' Phantom Thread'' (2017), and '' My Policeman'' (2022). On the stage, she has been nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for ''King Lear'' in 2011, ''Dear England'' in 2024, and '' The Years'' in 2025. Early life McKee was born in Peterlee, County Durham, in 1964, the daughter of a coal miner, and grew up there and in nearby Easington and Sunderland. Her first experience of acting occurred in her final year at primary school where her teacher finished the school week off with improvisations. Seeing a poster in a shoe-shop wi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chloe Moss
Chloë Moss (born 1976 in Liverpool) is an English playwright and screenwriter. Early life Moss grew up in Liverpool and attended Manchester Metropolitan University, where she studied film. She joined the Royal Court's Young Writers programme and wrote her first professional play, '' A Day In Dull Armour''. Career She soon became a writer-in-residence at the Bush and is under commission to the Manchester Royal Exchange, the Royal Court, Paines Plough, Liverpool Everyman, and Clean Break (theatre company). Other work includes '' How Love is Spelt'', which opened at the Bush Theatre London in November 2004 and Off-Broadway in August 2005; '' Christmas Is Miles Away'' (Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester, November 2005, transferring to the Bush in February 2006); and '' The Way Home'' (Liverpool Everyman, November 2006). '' Catch''—a collaborative piece written with four other playwrights (April De Angelis, Laura Wade, Stella Feehily, and Tanika Gupta)—premièred at The Roy ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Martin Shaw
Martin Shaw (born 21 January 1945) is an English actor. He came to national recognition in the role of Ray Doyle in ITV crime-action television drama series '' The Professionals'' (1977–1983). Further notable television parts include the title roles in '' The Chief'' (1993–1995), '' Judge John Deed'' (2001–2007) and ''Inspector George Gently'' (2007–2017). He has also acted on stage and in film, and has narrated numerous audiobooks and presented various television series. Life and career Early years Shaw was born in Birmingham. His childhood was spent in Alleyne Grove in Erdington and Sutton Coldfield. Shaw attended Great Barr School, where he excelled in English literature and drama lessons. At sixteen, he was offered a scholarship to a Birmingham drama school but declined. In his youth, Shaw was involved in a drunken brawl with a friend, suffering broken teeth, injuries to his face and a fractured skull, and needed cheekbone surgery. At age eighteen, Shaw moved ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lucy Punch
Lucy Alice T. Punch (born 30 December 1977) is an English actor. She has appeared in the films '' Ella Enchanted'' (2004), ''Hot Fuzz'' (2007), '' You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger'', '' Dinner for Schmucks,'' (both 2010) and ''Into the Woods'' (2014). She is also known for her role as Amy in ''Bad Teacher'' (2011), Amanda in the BBC sitcoms ''Motherland'' and '' Amandaland''. She also played Esmé Squalor in the Netflix black comedy drama series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events''. Early life and education Punch was born on 30 December 1977 in Hammersmith, London, the daughter of Johanna (née Lowe) and Michael Punch, who ran a market research company. She was educated privately at Godolphin and Latymer School in Hammersmith, London. She performed with the National Youth Theatre from 1993 to 1997, and began a course at University College London before dropping out to become an actress. Career Punch made her acting debut in a 1998 episode of '' The New Adventures of Robin Hood ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Olivia Williams
Olivia Haigh Williams (born 26 July 1968) is a British actress who appears in British and American films and television. Williams studied drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years followed by three years at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her first significant screen role was as Jane Fairfax in the British television film '' Emma'' (1996), based on Jane Austen's novel. She made her film debut in 1997's ''The Postman'', followed by '' Rushmore'' (1998) and ''The Sixth Sense'' (1999). Williams also acted in the British films '' Lucky Break'' (2001), '' The Heart of Me'' (2002) and ''An Education'' (2009). She continued acting in films such as '' The Ghost Writer'' (2010), '' Hanna'' (2011), ''Anna Karenina'' (2012), '' Hyde Park on Hudson'' (2012), ''Sabotage'' (2014), '' Maps to the Stars'' (2014), '' Victoria & Abdul'' (2017), and '' The Father'' (2020). From 2017 to 2019, she played Emily Silk in the science fiction television series '' Counterpart''. From 2022 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rhashan Stone
Rhashan Stone (born November 3, 1969) is an American-born British actor and comedian based in the UK. He has had main roles in series such as ''Bodies'' (2004–2005), ''Mutual Friends'' (2008), '' Strike Back'' (2010–2012), ''The Smoke'' (2014), '' Ballot Monkeys'' (2015), ''Keeping Faith'' (2019–2021) and '' Hollington Drive'' (2021). Early life Stone was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey to soul and jazz singer Joanne Stone. When he was six years old, his mother married the British singer/songwriter Russell Stone, and they moved to the UK to live with him. Together, his mother and stepfather formed the singing duo R&J Stone. His aunt Madeline Bell was also involved in the music industry and became the lead singer for Blue Mink. When Stone was 11, his mother died from a brain tumor. In later years, he studied acting at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Stone is a classically trained singer, musician and composer of jazz, soul and gospel music. Career Stone started his st ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Richard Loncraine
Richard Loncraine (born 20 October 1946) is a British film and television director. Loncraine was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Loncraine received early training in the features department of the BBC, including a season directing items for '' Tomorrow's World''. Before his career in film, he was a sculptor and the first to create a chrome Newton's cradle. In 1996, he won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 46th Berlin International Film Festival for ''Richard III''. In 2002, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for '' Band of Brothers'' with other series directors. Filmography Film *'' Professor Popper's Problem'' (1975) (written only) *'' Slade in Flame'' (1975) *'' Full Circle'' (1977) *'' The Missionary'' (1982) *'' Brimstone and Treacle'' (1982) *'' Bellman and True'' (1987) (also written) *''Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 Ju ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brenda Blethyn
Brenda Blethyn ( Bottle; born 20 February 1946) is an English actress. Known for her character work and versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and two Primetime Emmys. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama in 2003. Blethyn pursued an administrative career before enrolling at the Guildford School of Acting in her late 20s. She subsequently joined the Royal National Theatre, gaining attention for her performances in plays such as '' Benefactors'' (1984), for which she received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Actress of the Year in a New Play. She made her Broadway debut in the revival of the Marsha Norman play '' 'Night Mother'' (2004). She made her feature film debut with a small part in Nicolas Roeg's '' The Witches'' (1990). She starred in the Mike Leigh film '' Secrets & ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946) is an English actress. She received the 1977 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for ''Abigail's Party'', the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film '' Life Is Sweet'' and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as Mari in the original production of ''The Rise and Fall of Little Voice''. In a 2007 Channel 4 poll, the '50 Greatest Actors' voted for by other actors, she was ranked 42. Steadman made her professional stage debut in 1968 and went on to establish her career in Mike Leigh's 1970s TV plays '' Nuts in May'' (1976) and ''Abigail's Party'' (1977). She received BAFTA TV Award nominations for the 1986 BBC serial ''The Singing Detective'' and in 2001 for the ITV drama series '' Fat Friends'' (2000–2005). Other television roles include ''Pride and Prejudice'' (1995), ''Gavin & Stacey'' (2007–2010, 2019, 2024) and '' Here We Go'' (2022–present). Her other film app ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas Jones Woodward (born Thomas John Woodward; 7 June 1940) is a Welsh singer. His career began with a string of top 10 hits in the 1960s and he has since toured regularly, with appearances in Las Vegas from 1967 to 2011. His voice has been described by AllMusic as a "full-throated, robust baritone". Jones's performing range has included pop, Rhythm and blues, R&B, show tunes, country music, country, dance, soul music, soul, and gospel music, gospel. In 2008, the ''New York Times'' called him a "musical shapeshifter [who could] slide from soulful rasp to pop croon, with a voice as husky as it was pretty". He has sold over 100 million records, with 36 Top 40 hits in the UK and 19 in the US, including "It's Not Unusual", "What's New Pussycat? (song), What's New Pussycat?", the Thunderball (soundtrack)#Title theme change, theme song for the James Bond film ''Thunderball (film), Thunderball'' (1965), "Green, Green Grass of Home", "Delilah (Tom Jones song), Delilah", "Sh ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |