Timeless shall have an end

SF show Timeless which over the 2 years it has been on TV has built a loyal audience has been given a 2 part finale to tie up loose ends.This is the second time the show has come back from TV heaven after it was cancelled after it's first season. The show about a group of time traveller and their efforts to stop a conspiracy called Rittenhouse changing historic (the birth of the blues, American Civil War battles etc) events to further their agenda. The decision comes after fans hired a plane to fly a banner asking for the show's revival and it worked.

Bernard Hepton (1925-2018)

The death has been announced of the actor Bernard Hepton. Throughout his career notched up an impressive number of credits.  Appearing in the highly acclaimed custome dramas Elizabeth R and I. Claudius. Going from playing a German prison camp commandant in Colditiz to a Belgian cafe owner involved in the resistance in Secert Army. Guest appearance in the 2 John Nettles Cop shows Bergerac and Midsomer Murders. Film roles included Barry Lyndon, Ghadi and Get Carter. Perhaps the interesting TV role was that of Hungarian born spy Toby Esterhase in the John le Care adaptations Tinker, Tailor, Soldier. Spy and Smiley's People, in the former the character affected an English accent yet in the sequel Toby had gone back to his native accent. Bernard Hepton leaves behind a list of credits in some major productions.

Bernard Hepton R. I. P.

My wife comes from...

UK Forgien Secretory Jeremy Hunt made perhaps the greatest faux pax a person could make. At a funciton in China Hunt said his wife was Japanese before realising she Chinese and corrected himself. Hunt first met his wife in 2008.

TV ratings 29-07-2018

WOS Wreslesting the first mainstream TV outing for British professional wrestling since the days of World of Sport (hence the WOS) was watched by just under a million viewers.  ITV were hoping for a combo of those raised on the likes of Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks et al and those who watch the American WWE but given the figures. It remains to be seen if the series completes it's run.

The legacy of a failed compass

With production on the TV version of Philip Pullman's His Dark Material book series it is worth remembering the last attempt it to the screen. In 2007 the film of The Golden Compass was released to a somewhat less than desirable reception. Religious organisation attacked the film because the book's attack on the Roman Catholic church while secularist ones complained the film's theme had been watered down to appease certain quarters. At the box office the film tanked in the US yet in the rest of the world was a hit this led to Warner Bros to take full distribution of New Line Picture who had outside North America sold the film outside distributors. Despite winning an Oscar for Visual Effects His Dark Materials as a blockbuster film series was dead on arrival whether the forthcoming TV series avoids remains to be seen.

Off the flix

News has come out that ITV will no longer be selling their programmes to Netflix. One suggestion is that ITV will be joining forces with the BBC and Channel 4 their own joint digital platform. This has been rumoured for some time and this could be the most defintive sign of this coming to pass.

Beanz don't mean shake

Heniz have been rapped by the Advertising Standards Agency over an advert that compared their famous to protein shakes. The advert suggested the beans had just as much fibre as that of the standard protein shake. However after an number of complaints the beans were found to have less nurtional value than shakes. The offending will no longer be shown.