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Jilly Kitzinger is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life perso ...
in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
me ''
Torchwood
''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...
'', a
spin-off from the long-running series ''
Doctor Who'', portrayed by American actress
Lauren Ambrose
Lauren Anne D'Ambruoso (born February 20, 1978), known professionally as Lauren Ambrose, is an American actress and singer. She performs in television, film, and on Broadway.
Ambrose had television roles as Claire Fisher in ''Six Feet Under'' ...
. The character was promoted as one of five new main characters to join ''Torchwood'' in its fourth series, ''
Torchwood: Miracle Day'' (2011), as part of a new co-production between ''Torchwood''s British network,
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
, and its American financiers on US premium television network
Starz. Ambrose appears in seven of the ten episodes, and is credited as a "special guest star" throughout. Whilst reaction to the serial was mixed, Ambrose' portrayal was often singled out by critics for particular praise and in 2012 she received a
Saturn Award nomination for
Best Supporting Actress on Television.
''Miracle Day'' depicts the effects of an event which halts the process of death worldwide. Jilly Kitzinger is a
public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...
expert who sees this phenomenon, labelled "Miracle Day" by the media, as an opportunity she can use to further her career. Early in the series she becomes a representative for the paedophile-murderer
Oswald Danes
Oswald Danes is a fictional character in the BBC television programme ''Torchwood'', a spin-off from the long-running series '' Doctor Who'' and is portrayed by American actor Bill Pullman. The character was promoted as one of five new main ch ...
(
Bill Pullman
William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. He made his film debut in ''R ...
) which gains both parties publicity; however Kitzinger has little personal sympathy with her client and abandons him when she no longer needs him. Towards the end of the series she affiliates herself with 'the Families', the main villains behind the supernatural event of 'Miracle Day' and her own personal view of the world becomes apparent. Though those she works for are defeated in the series finale, it is revealed that Jilly has survived, leaving the character's future uncertain.
The character is used by the production team to provide commentary on mass-media; she is ostensibly first and foremost concerned with profiting from global events. Jilly is also used as a
foil
Foil may refer to:
Materials
* Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine
* Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal
* Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food
* Tin foil, metal foil ...
to the contemptible Oswald Danes; during the series each uses the other for their own ends. Whilst she was promoted as having a "heart of stone" and described by critics as a "bad-girl" and "
amoral", Ambrose stated that the character also had positive characteristics. Series writer
Jane Espenson
Jane Espenson (born July 14, 1964) is an American television writer and producer.
Espenson has worked on both situation comedies and serial dramas. She had a five-year stint as a writer and producer on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and shared a ...
felt the character to be partly defined by her "ego" and "self-delusion".
Appearances
Jilly first appears in the second episode of ''Miracle Day'' where she offers the controversial
Oswald Danes
Oswald Danes is a fictional character in the BBC television programme ''Torchwood'', a spin-off from the long-running series '' Doctor Who'' and is portrayed by American actor Bill Pullman. The character was promoted as one of five new main ch ...
(
Bill Pullman
William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. He made his film debut in ''R ...
), a recently released convicted child murderer and paedophile, representation.
Danes agrees to be represented by her after being assaulted by vigilante police officers; with him assured as a client Jilly sets out to sell his celebrity status in addition to the public image of drug company
Phicorp and "Miracle Day" itself. Kitzinger also approaches the respected Washington DC surgeon
Vera Juarez
Dr Vera Juarez is a fictional character in the BBC television programme ''Torchwood'', a spin-off from the long-running series ''Doctor Who'', portrayed by Cuban American actress Arlene Tur. The character was promoted as one of five new main char ...
(
Arlene Tur
Arlene Tur is an American actress, television presenter and model. She is best known for her roles as Bebe Arcel in the 2008 television drama series ''Crash'', Armenia in the 2010 film ''Eat Pray Love'' and as Vera Juarez in '' Torchwood: Miracl ...
), but she allies herself with Torchwood—a group of renegades composed of two former alien-hunters and two former CIA agents—and distracts Jilly from an infiltration by
Gwen Cooper
Gwen Cooper is a fictional character portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles in the BBC science-fiction television programme ''Torchwood'', a spin-off of the long-running series ''Doctor Who''. The lead female character, Gwen featured in every ep ...
(
Eve Myles
Eve Myles (born 26 July 1978) is a Welsh actress. She is best known for her television roles portraying Ceri Lewis in the long-running BBC Wales drama series '' Belonging'' (2000–2009), Gwen Cooper in the BBC science-fiction series ''Torchw ...
).
In spite of her professional remit Jilly expresses disgust at Oswald in "
Escape to L.A." when his public persona is eclipsed by
Ellis Hartley Monroe (
Mare Winningham
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...
), stating that she cannot look at his hands after the crime he has committed. When a publicity stunt ensures that Danes starts trending on
social networking site
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
"like never before" her enthusiasm is restored.
Whilst backstage at the Miracle Day rally at which Danes is speaking she is told by
a mysterious blue-eyed man (
Teddy Sears
Edward M. Sears (born April 6, 1977) is an American actor, known for his roles as Richard Patrick Woolsley on the TNT legal drama series ''Raising the Bar'', Patrick on the first season of FX anthology horror drama ''American Horror Story'' ( ...
) that she has started to become noticed by "the right people" through her role as Danes' publicist.
"
End of the Road" sees the tension between Kitzinger and Danes reach a climax; when Danes learns that he has been made "Category Zero" – someone due to be incinerated for moral reasons under emergency legislation – Kitzinger reveals cold-heartedly that she knew about these plans, and Oswald's moment of fame had changed nothing for him. After Danes and Kitzinger part ways the blue-eyed man returns and offers Kitzinger a promotion.
At the climax of "
The Gathering" she meets
The Mother (
Frances Fisher
Frances Louise Fisher (born May 11, 1952) is a British-born American actress. She began her career in theatre and later starred as record executive Suzette 'Red' Saxon in the CBS daytime soap opera ''The Guiding Light'' (1985). In film, she is ...
), the
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
representative of the Families, who introduces her to the Blessing, an
antipodal geological formation which is said to show an individual the contents of their soul. When asked what the Blessing reveals to her Jilly appears unfazed, replying "That I'm right."
She is present for a final philosophical stand-off between Torchwood – represented by
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off series, '' Torchwood''. The character first appears in the 2005 ''Doctor Who'' episode "The Empty Child" and subsequently features in the ...
(
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his role as Captain Jack Harkness in ''Doctor Who'' and '' Torchwood'', and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrowv ...
) and Gwen Cooper – and the Families and throws her allegiance behind the Families' plan for world power, responding to a moral appeal by Cooper by declaring that she considers all
altruism to be fraudulent. After Torchwood end the Miracle and Oswald blows up the Shanghai facility, Kitzinger escapes alive. Some time later she meets the blue-eyed representative of the Families, who informs her that their work is not yet done.
Casting and characterisation
Lauren Ambrose's casting was announced on 13 January 2011, with her character Jilly Kitzinger initially being billed as "a sweet-talking PR genius with a heart of stone who's just cornered the most important client of her career ... and maybe of all time". Jilly is involved in the commercial side of Miracle Day, and provides commentary on how global events are often "spun for profit". Show creator
Russell T Davies
Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include ''Queer as Folk'', '' The Second Coming'', ''Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scien ...
approached Ambrose directly about starring in the series, which marked her first role in a science-fiction production. The actress recalls that his discussion with her regarding the series helped her to decide to take the role, remarking that she was "really inspired by his words and by his care for every detail of the story."
The actress later said in an interview with ''
New York Magazine
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...
'' that another reason she was attracted to the part of Jilly was that it was completely different from any role she'd played previously.
Whilst filming the series Ambrose worked closely with American film actor Bill Pullman, who played Oswald. Pullman states that he was already aware of Ambrose through her accomplishments as a stage actress but "came away from the series even more impressed with her."
Speaking of her character's relationship with Oswald Danes, Ambrose observes that they have a contentious relationship, but need each other.
[
Prior to the casting of the role, the writers had already established several details relating to the character of Jilly with series writer ]Jane Espenson
Jane Espenson (born July 14, 1964) is an American television writer and producer.
Espenson has worked on both situation comedies and serial dramas. She had a five-year stint as a writer and producer on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and shared a ...
stating that "the high heels, the attitude, and the name were there from the beginning". Speaking of how the character's clothing formed part of her identity, Ambrose praised costume designer Shawna Trpcic
Shawna Trpcic (; née Shawna Leavell, born October 18, 1966 in Artesia, California)
is a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood costume designer.
Biography
She got her start in the industry with the 1990 film ''Megaville'', and went on to work ...
, noting that everything co-ordinated well and that "each costume for me is more beautiful than the next" leading her to suppose that "Jilly Kitzinger spends her money well". The BBC's ''Torchwood
''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...
'' website, which was re-vamped shortly prior to the broadcast of series four, draws attention to Jilly's ruthless and manipulative qualities stating that she understands "how the world spins and instinctively knows how to manipulate her position in it". A promotional character video released by Starz on 9 June 2011 highlighted these character traits; in it the character of Jilly states she would do whatever it takes to sell 'Miracle Day', including "making a bargain with the devil himself". Reporting on the video TV.com
TV.com was a website owned by Red Ventures that covered television series and episodes with a focus on English-language shows made or broadcast in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Origin ...
's Tim Surette described the character as a "bad-girl" and a "hard-ass", noting a transformation in Ambrose from previous "sweet-girl" characters she had portrayed. Despite her character's ruthless ambition Ambrose feels that Jilly is more than a one dimensional villain and still possesses a soul, explaining that the character has "a lot of good qualities ndshe's just doing her job."[ In an interview which ]BBC Online
BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
she enumerated on her character's positive aspects, describing her as "business-minded", "fierce" and "shrewd".
Jane Espenson described Jilly as a "scene-stealer who uses her klutziness to both draw attention to herself and divert attention from her agenda". Though Oswald believes that Jilly was his assistant, Espenson feels that she acted more as his keeper; ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''s Dan Martin notes that the character of Oswald is played for laughs against Ambrose's "high heeled career bitch". Russell T Davies provided Jilly's response to the Blessing in "The Gathering", where she looks into the crevasse and finds conviction. When asked about this scene, Espenson commented that she felt this sequence gave insight into Jilly's "self-delusion" and "the ego of someone who can look into the void and walk out of it with confidence", though added the caveat that "I think the line is meant to hang there, unexplained and fantastically question-raising." In the final episode of the fourth series, Jilly's own political views are demonstrated as she launches a morally nihilistic attack on the hypocrisies of modern society; in light of this rant Martin describes her as "the only woman who can make a Guardianista flirt with the right wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this pos ...
through lipstick and compassion alone."
Reception
Reaction to the character was largely positive; even as reviews of the fourth series became increasingly mixed. Rob Owen writing for the ''Cape Cod Times
The ''Cape Cod Times'' is a broadsheet daily newspaper serving Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, which encompasses 15 towns on Cape Cod with a year-round population of about 230,000. It is owned by Gannett, which also owns several ...
'' described her as "a smiling shark... played with scheming glee" whilst Kevin Fitzpatrick, of UGO Networks
UGO Entertainment, Inc. was a website that provided coverage of online media in entertainment, targeting males aged 18–34. The company was based in New York, New York, United States.
History
The company started in 1997 as Unified Gamers Onlin ...
labelled Kitzinger as "our favorite fiery redhead". Meredith Jacobs, previewing "The Categories of Life
"The Categories of Life" is the fifth episode of '' Torchwood: Miracle Day'', the fourth series of the British science fiction television series ''Torchwood''. It was first broadcast in the United States on Starz on 5 August 2011 and in the Unit ...
" for Gather.com stated that "Lauren Ambrose has excelled as Jilly Kitzinger on '' Torchwood: Miracle Day'', and so far has shown that she was the right choice for the role"; in a review of the episode Ivey West from Clique Clack TV also praised Ambrose's performance, remarking she "brings this giddiness to the character that is incredibly refreshing". Dan Martin, weighing up the first eight episodes for ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' felt that the character was one of the highlights of the series stating that "Lauren Ambrose's daffy, deliciously amoral Jilly Kitzinger owns every scene she's in."
io9
''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...
's Charlie Jane Anders
Charlie Jane Anders is an American writer and commentator. She has written several novels, published magazines and websites, and hosted podcasts. In 2005, she received the Lambda Literary Award for work in the transgender category, and in 2009, t ...
described the scene where Jilly looks into the heart of 'the Blessing' as excellent, noting that it posited her as a character without compunction. In her review of " The Blood Line" Anders praised "Jilly Kitzinger's final embrace of villainy", believing this to be a great evolution of the character and something that she wished the audience had seen more of. In his review of the series finale ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' correspondent Emily VanDerWerff singled out Jilly as the "only new character worth writing home about" attributing this to her "delightfully evil" character and Ambrose's portrayal. In a retrospective of the successes and failures of the fourth series, Digital Spy's Morgan Jeffrey notes that Lauren Ambrose was "superb" stating that "in the early episodes of Miracle Day especially, she brought a sense of fun to proceedings that was absolutely vital." Jeffrey was glad the character survived the conclusion to the series, believing her to have untapped potential.
For her performance as Kitzinger, Ambrose has received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in Television at the 38th Annual Saturn Awards, held on 20 June 2012.
References
External links
Jilly Kitzinger on the BBC's Torchwood website
Jilly Kitzinger on the Starz Torchwood website
Jilly Kitzinger
on IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitzinger, Jilly
Torchwood characters
Female characters in television
Television characters introduced in 2011
Fictional journalists and mass media people