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Downton Abbey Christmas Special

LOOKS like cook Mrs Patmore is going to be busy in the kitchen next Christmas.

We already knew that a second series of Downton Abbey is to begin filming next month.

With eight episodes to be screened on ITV1 this autumn.

Now - hot off the (freshly ironed) press - comes news that they will be followed by a Christmas 2011 special.

It will continue the story from where the second series ends.

Here are more details from the ITV press release issued for release a minute or so ago:

Gareth Neame, Executive Producer and Managing Director, Carnival Films says, “The public’s reaction to the first series of Downton Abbey was gratifying.

“With a combined audience of 12.8 million people tuning into the last episode we are delighted ITV have decided to return with all the main characters of Downton at Christmas.”

Laura Mackie, Director of Drama, ITV said: “Julian Fellowes has come up with a fantastic story that will give the audience the chance to enjoy the experience of the festive season at Downton Abbey. We’re delighted to have this as part of our Christmas schedule for December 2011.”

Downton Abbey premiered on ITV1 on 26th September 2010 with an aggregate audience of 11.8million and finished on 7th November with an aggregate audience of 12.8 million (ITV1+HD+Repeat+ITV Player) making episode seven the biggest audience for an episode of a new drama series on any channel since 2003.

Furthermore, Downton Abbey has just opened the ‘Classic’ season on Masterpiece in the U.S. (9th January). Early figures show that it has doubled the season’s average audience reaching 6.7 million people making it the highest rated show Masterpiece has transmitted in recent years.

Downton Abbey ITV Site

Downton Abbey: What Is A Weekend?

Downton Abbey Podcast

Downton Abbey: Joanne Froggatt

Life of Wylie

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Posted January 16, 2011

Torchwood: Miracle Day

BBC press release 0001 Saturday Jan 8:

Los Angeles, U.S – BBC Cymru Wales, BBC Worldwide and US premium entertainment network, Starz Entertainment, today announced new cast, plot and character details for the new series of hit BBC ONE hit drama Torchwood. This highly anticipated new series will have the title Torchwood: Miracle Day and will premiere this July.

ER and Lie To Me star Mekhi Phifer will play Rex Matheson, a C.I.A. operative who joins forces with Captain Jack and Gwen Cooper to fight a global conspiracy that reaches from Washington to Wales and the slums of Shanghai whilst Bill Pullman, best known for his big screen roles such as While You Were Sleeping and Independence Day will take on the role of Oswald Danes, a convicted child killer who survives his own execution to become the most infamous man on the planet.

Also making their Torchwood debuts are Alexa Havins as Esther Drummond, a deskbound C.I.A employee who dreams of active duty and who suddenly finds herself running alongside Jack, Gwen and Rex; and Arlene Tur as Dr Vera Juarez, a Washington D.C. surgeon, who ends up on the frontline of medical care on “Miracle Day” advising the government think-tanks on the best course of action for the world’s population.

The plot of Miracle Day is the most explosive Torchwood storyline yet. One day, nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging -- they get hurt and sick -- but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite. It’s said that in four months’ time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can’t be a natural event – someone’s got to be behind it. It’s a race against time as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking “What is Torchwood?", he’s drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human, forever.

John Barrowman and Eve Myles will return in their roles as Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper respectively.

The 10-episode instalment has been written by a team led by Torchwood creator, Russell T Davies, and produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Davies and BBC Worldwide Productions’ SVP Scripted, Julie Gardner, return as executive producers with BBC Worldwide Productions EVP Jane Tranter, and BBC Wales’ Bethan Jones. The series has been commissioned by Controller BBC Drama, Ben Stephenson, and Starz President and CEO, Chris Albrecht.

BBC Worldwide, having previously distributed Torchwood to territories such as Korea, Japan, Italy, Spain, Israel, Russia and across Latin America will distribute the new series to broadcasters globally.

While previous series were based on location in Cardiff, Wales, this new instalment will feature locations in Wales, the US and around the world.

The series was originally commissioned and produced in 2006 by BBC Cymru Wales, with the latest high octane series, Torchwood: Children of Earth capturing UK audiences of more than 6 million.

Life of Wylie

Posted January 8, 2011