A fan's guide to the 216+ roles played by Alun Armstrong, including descriptions, images, availability, ratings & reviews.
Henry IV, Part 1 will reportedly air on Saturday, 7 July on BBC2 followed by Henry IV, Part 2 on Saturday, 14 July, although these dates have not yet been confirmed by the BBC. Henry V will air the next Saturday, while Richard II airs in late June. The films will also be shown in the U.S. on Great Performances on PBS later in the year. More information and clips of the series, entitled The Hollow Crown, are forthcoming at the BBC site.
Alun Armstrong plays the Earl of Northumberland in Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2 and his son Joe Armstrong plays Northumberland's son Henry "Hotspur" Percy. From the official BBC Press Release:
Continuing with the incredibly high standard set
by Richard II, Jeremy Irons plays the role of King Henry IV in this
production adapted and directed by Richard Eyre. Tom Hiddleston joins
the cast as Prince Hal, Simon Russell Beale plays Falstaff and Alun
Armstrong plays the Earl of Northumberland. Lady Northumberland is
played by Niamh Cusack with Hotspur played by Joe Armstrong.
As with Richard II and Henry V, these bold adaptations are set in the
medieval period and are being shot at some of the UK’s most stunning
locations. The films will bring a new scale to Shakespeare in one of the
most ambitious television projects of recent years.
Garrow's Law Series 3 DVD out in August in the U.S.The Region 1 (US/Canada) DVD of Garrow's Law Series 3 will be released on 7 August 2012. It is available to pre-order from Amazon. Some local PBS stations are also showing Garrow's Law Series 3. Check the listings for your local station via PBS.org.In series three, Lady Sarah is obsessed with regaining custody of her son Samuel. Southouse advises against it, but after he learns that he is gravely ill with gaol fever he changes his mind and helps her, assisted by his wayward nephew George Pinnock. |
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The Mystery of Edwin Drood on DVDThe Mystery of Edwin Drood was released on Region 1 (US/Canada) DVD and Blu-ray on 1 May 2012 and can be ordered from Amazon. The Region 2 (UK/Europe) DVD has not been scheduled for release yet.In an interview with Total TV Guide, Alun said: "I’ve played some strange Dickens characters in the past. Flintwinch from Little Dorrit was pretty horrible, as was Wackford Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby, but Grewgious is the absolute opposite. He’s delightfully warm and eccentric. He’s the guardian of Rosa Bud, an orphan and Edwin Drood’s fiancée. He applies himself with great seriousness to the job and is an odd sort of father figure to her." Matthew Rhys, who stars as John Jasper, told Digital Spy: "... we were all very lucky in that we had some great veterans of Dickens, like Alun Armstrong and Ian McNeice - the words fall out of their mouths as if they were born to say this stuff, so that influence was fantastic to have." |
Alun Armstrong as Mr Grewgious |
Filming underway on New Tricks Series 9New Tricks has been commissioned for two more series of ten episodes each. Series 9 will air in 2012 and Series 10 will air in 2013. The ninth series is currently being filmed.James Bolam has decided to leave the show and will not be reprising his role as Jack Halford. He has been replaced by Denis Lawson playing retired DI Steve McAllister. The character is described as "a bundle of energetic optimism with a tendency to get personally involved in the cases he’s working on," which Radio Times observes "appears to be the complete antithesis of Brian Lane's pessimistic persona." Alun Armstrong told @totaltvguide, "They'll bring in a different character which will change things slightly, but it won't be a problem." DVD release dates: Region 2, UK/Europe - Series 8 out now Region 1, US/Canada - Series 6 out now |
Filming in St James Park, January 2012; photo by Garry Knight  |