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Louisa Mellor Oct 27, 2016

A host of spooky dramas will air on BBC R4 this Halloween weekend, incl. Rosemary’s Baby and Stephen King…

Today’s incarnation of Halloween—Pound Shop shelves sagging with the weight of glittery pumpkin deely boppers—may come from the Us, but somewhere is keeping the British ghost story tradition alive: BBC Radio 4.

See related Deadpool: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick interview Deadpool: Ryan Reynolds on channeling the character

Halloween weekend on Radio 4 is going to be spiced with old-fashioned scares. Following last year’s inaugural Fright Night, which saw audio dramatisations of Nigel Kneale’s cult TV hit The Stone Tape and Koji Suzuki’s Ring, Radio 4 is bringing more literary horror to life.

Three spooky shorts and a feature-length reading of Ira Levin’s 1967 novel Rosemary’s Baby are airing over the Halloween period. Cookie Jar is a new short story by Stephen King,...

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We're celebrating 50 brilliant UK independent bookshops. If your favourite is missing, please add it to the list below...

In Neil Gaiman’s preface to Shelf Life: Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores, he describes four bookshops from his childhood. One was a travelling school shop, one a local store staffed by a helpful hippy where he’d pick up 25p Tom Disch novels, another was a bus ride away and owned by a Grinch who’d glower at schoolchildren customers, and the last was a now-defunct Soho sci-fi and fantasy treasure trove. Four individual shops run by booksellers with distinct personalities and idiosyncratic tastes. All of which made Gaiman what he is.

That’s the joy of independent bookshops. Their personalities shape those of the people who visit them. They’re not homogenous. Their stock tends to reflect their passions rather than the year's best-performing unit-shifters. And their...

The Labyrinth miniseries is in no way related to the Jim Henson film but is an adaptation of the Kate Mosse novel. As has been trendy from the mid-aughts into the present, Labyrinth bounces between two loosely connected stories—one occurring in the contemporary present and one occurring in a fictional historical past. In this case, the story follows Alice Tanner (Vanessa Kirby) in 2012 and Alais Pelletier du Mas (Jessica Brown-Findlay) in 1209 who both find themselves on a quest for the Holy Grail.

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[This is a review of the miniseries event, Labyrinth. There will be Spoilers.]

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The CW’s decision to purchase the rights to air the European import Labyrinth in the United States proves that the network is quickly becoming the playground for all genre-based programming. With shows like Arrow and their new breakout hit Reign, this fictitious historical narrative produced by Ridley Scott (Prometheus) and based off of Kate Mosse’s 2005 bestseller should fit right in.

Labyrinth, at first glance anyway, is everything a well-produced sprawling miniseries should be. The cast is top notch, featuring acting legend John Hurt (Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor), as well as popular newcomers Sebastian Stan (Click to continue reading ‘Labyrinth’ Miniseries Builds an Intriguing Mystery Surrounding the Holy Grail

The post ‘Labyrinth’ Miniseries Builds an Intriguing Mystery Surrounding the Holy Grail appeared first on Screen Rant.

Many great labyrinths exist in pop culture. There’s Jim Henson’s 1986 gem Labyrinth and Guillermo del Toro’s mystical and delightfully creepy Pan’s Labyrinth. And now there’s the CW miniseries Labyrinth, which, to its detriment, does not feature any cameos by David Bowie or deformed creatures with eyeballs on their palms.

The CW’s Labyrinth is based on Kate Mosse’s book of the same name about two women, one from the 13th century and the other from the 21st century, in search of the Holy Grail. And that’s about it. Kidding! (Sort of.)

If you watched Thursday’s premiere,...

Female protagonist? Check times two. A time period when everyone rides horses? Sure. Cool jewelry? Got it. When the CW acquired "Labyrinth," a four-hour miniseries executive produced by Scott Free (Ridley and Tony Scott's company), CW president Mark Pedowitz called this a "fun companion piece" to the series "Reign." I'm not sure I would call "Labyrinth" fun, but I guess if you think 1209 and 1542 are more or less the same time period, well, then why not snap up this project? But to say "Labyrinth" and "Reign" are of the same species is sort of like saying giraffes and lions should be caged together since they're all zoo animals and, as such, should get along swimmingly. Fans of the book by Kate Mosse will probably be put off (or have already seen this, as it aired in the U.K. and in Canada years ago), and fans of "Reign" expecting an...

No Monty Python jokes here. The CW’s new miniseries Labyrinth, airing Thursday, May 22, and Friday, May 23, at 8pm Et/Pt, is a seriously engrossing adventure. The CW kicks off summer with Labyrinth, a two-night, four-hour miniseries based on The New York Times best-selling author Kate Mosse’s novel of the same name. Jumping back and forth between medieval and modern-day France, the story revolves around two young women divided by centuries but united in their hunt for the Holy Grail. In 13th-century France on the eve of war, 17-year-old Alaïs (Jessica Brown Findlay, Downton Abbey) must protect a book written … Continue reading →

The post The CW embarks on a quest for the Holy Grail with “Labyrinth” appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

One of the most Our Kind of Shows-friendly networks, The CW, has done us a few more favors, bless ‘em. They’ve given us not only the dates for the season finales of all Our Kind of Shows that they broadcast – that’s Arrow, The Tomorrow People, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Star-Crossed, and The 100 – but tacked on a new one as a bonus!

Well, it’s not a new series, but Labyrinth is a four-hour miniseries, and it stars so many familiar faces. The War Doctor! The Winter Soldier! Draco Malfoy! Defiance‘s Datak Tarr! Winter’s Tale‘s Beverly! More info about that below, along with the season finale dates and times. The SciFi Mafia Calendar (see the Calendar tab above) has also been updated.

The CW Sets Season Finale Dates And Kicks Off Summer With Four-hour Event Series “Labyrinth” Labyrinth Makes Its Broadcast Television Premiere Across Two Nights on Thursday,...

The CW’s summer season will kick off with the premiere of the network’s four-hour miniseries Labyrinth. The miniseries, which stars John Hurt and Jessica Brown-Findlay, will air over two nights: May 22 and 23 (8-10 p.m. Et).

Announced back in January, the miniseries — an adaption of the Kate Mosse best-seller — will jump back and forth between modern and medieval France to show the lives of two women who, despite being separated by centuries, are united in their search for the Holy Grail. Sebastian Stan, Tom Felton, and Vanessa Kirby also star.

CW also announced the season-finale dates for its existing series Supernatural,...

The CW today announced the broadcast television premiere of their four-hour event miniseries "Labyrinth." First announced last month , the miniseries will air across two consecutive nights on Thursday, May 22 (8:00-10:00pm Et), concluding Friday, May 23 (8:00-10:00pm Et). Filmed on-location in the medieval town of Carcassonne in southwest France and Cape Town, South Africa, the historical miniseries jumps back and forth between modern and medieval France as it follows the lives of two women who are separated by centuries, but united in their search for the Holy Grail. "Labyrinth," which adapts Kate Mosse's New York Times best-seller, features a multi-national and award-winning cast, including John Hurt, Sebastian Stan, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Vanessa...

Pasadena, Calif. (AP) — The CW network says it has acquired a miniseries about the search for the Holy Grail. The cast of the four-hour project, "Labyrinth," includes former "Downton Abbey" star Jessica Brown-Findlay, along with Vanessa Kirby, Sebastian Stan and John Hurt. The miniseries centers on a 13th-century teenager and a modern woman, and their shared quest for the grail, the cup said to have been used by Jesus Christ. "Labyrinth" is adapted from Kate Mosse's best-selling novel of the same name. An air date wasn't announced for the drama, which has appeared in Britain and elsewhere. Copyright 2014 The...

The CW is on the hunt for the Holy Grail.

The network has ordered a four-hour miniseries, titled Labyrinth, that follows two women — one in modern-day France and the other in medieval France — who are united in their search for the Grail.

An adaptation of Kate Mosse's best-selling novel of the same name, Labyrinth stars Downton Abbey alum Jessica Brown-Findlay as Alaïs, a 17-year-old in the year...

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The CW has acquired the four-hour period mini-series based on Kate Mosse's novel "Labyrinth," though no premiere date has yet been announced.

Jessica Brown Findlay ("Downton Abbey"), Sebastian Stan ("Captain America: The First Avenger"), Tom Felton ("Harry Potter") and veteran acting legend John Hurt lead a cast that includes Janet Suzman, Claudia Gerini, Katie McGrath, Emun Elliott and Tony Curran.

The story follows two women separated by centuries who are united by the search for the Holy Grail, the action switching between 13th century and modern-day France.

Christopher Smith helms the project from a script by Adrian Hodges. The mini was shot in southwest France and Cape Town.

Source: The Live Feed...

The CW is jumping into the miniseries game. The network has acquired the four-hour period mini Labyrinth, starring Downton Abbey alum Jessica Brown Findlay, The CW announced Wednesday afternoon during a panel at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. Veteran actor John Hurt; Sebastian Stan, who returns to The CW (he recurred on Gossip Girl); and Tom Felton also star in the mini. Janet Suzman, Claudia Gerini, Katie McGrath, Emun Elliott and Tony Curran also co-star. A premiere date will be announced later. Labyrinth, based on the novel by Kate Mosse, will shift back and forth between medieval

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Long-term deal with Ridley Scott’s company will encompass all film and TV projects.

Scott Free London and Universal Music Publishing (Ump) have entered into a long-term strategic partnership. The deal will see Ump administer all of the music publishing rights retained by Scott Free across its slate of film and television projects to “maximize the opportunities available worldwide”.

The company, owned by filmmaker and producer Ridley Scott, produces a films and TV series including the Life in a Day documentary franchise and miniseries Labyrinth, based on Kate Mosse’s best-selling novel.

Scott Free is also currently in post-production on Rowan Joffe’s thriller Before I Go To Sleep starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong, and based on S J Watson’s best-selling novel. Upcoming features and TV projects including Blood Red Road, Get Santa directed by Christopher Smith (Triangle) and TV drama Effective Range.

Ump will work closely with Scott Free in areas including...

Italian actress Claudia Gerini is best known to UK audiences for appearances in The Passion of the Christ, Penelope Cruz’s Don’t Move and as a memorable villain in the TV adaptation of Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth. Audiences will soon be able to see her in the mad Italian sex-thriller Tulpa, directed by her husband Federico Zampaglione, whose previous film was the neat little horror, Shadow. A throwback to the classic Italian giallo horror-thrillers of the 1960s and 70s, Tulpa concerns a beautiful banker, Lisa (Gerini) whose life becomes a nightmare when members of the sex club she frequents begin turning up dead.

Sneak Peek director Christopher Smith's new $20 million budgeted TV mini-series "Labyrinth", executive produced by Ridley Scott, based on the 2005 novel of the same name by author Kate Mosse.

Cast includes Vanessa Kirby, Jessica Brown Findlay, Katie McGrath, Tom Felton, Sebastian Stan, Emun Elliott, Tony Curran and John Hurt.

"...separated by time, but united in a common destiny, 17-year-old 'Alaïs Pelletier' from 13th century 'Carcassonne' and modern-day PhD graduate 'Dr. Alice Tanner' experience an adventure that intertwines their lives.

"As their parallel stories unfold, ancient and modern-day conspiracies are unearthed, all of which revolve around three hidden books – 'The Book of Words', 'The Book of Potions' and 'The Book of Numbers'.

"Together, these tomes hold the secret of the true 'Grail', which dates back to the Ancient Egyptian era. Alaïs and those closest to her must battle to protect the secret. She soon discovers she can trust no one – least...

From an Austen anniversary to a Sundance full of female talent, the new year is already packed with highlights. What are you looking forward to this year?

No one expects 2013 to be easy, but we'll take our kicks where we can, and only a week in, there are already cultural triumphs for women to celebrate. The band Haim, three sisters from California, stormed to the top of the BBC's Sound of 2013 list, and for the first time all five categories of the Costa prize were won by women. The frontrunner to take the overall prize on 29 January is Hilary Mantel, with her novel Bring Up the Bodies, but Mary and Bryan Talbot's graphic memoir, Dotter of Her Father's Eyes, has also been highly lauded.

There are plenty of other books to look forward to, including Bedsit Disco Queen by Tracey Thorn (Virago, February), Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld, (Doubleday, June), a...

London, December 5: 'Fifty Shades of Grey' author El James, who was expected to be among the prizes at the Bad Sex in Fiction Award presented by the Literary Review, did not face any further derision for her "mummy porn" at the ceremony.

Instead, the "honour" for bad sex at another ceremony went to Nancy Huston for her novel 'Infrared'.

Despite missing out on the tongue-in-cheek award, James did claimed the prize for Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the Specsavers National Book Awards.

The erotic novel saw off competition from five other books including Bernard Cornwell's historical novel 1356 and Kate Mosse's Citadel.

The.

By Rachel Bennett

Television Editor & Columnist

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As fans and colleagues still recover from the shock of Tony Scott’s apparent suicide on Aug. 19, many have not hesitated from praising the director’s long and illustrious career.

Beginning in 1969, Scott left his mark on the industry with a number of impressive films, including 1986’s Top Gun, 1993’s True Romance and 2010’s Unstoppable, which would be his last time in the director’s chair.

Not as many people know about Scott’s influence on television through Scott Free Productions, a production company he co-founded with his brother Ridley Scott. Along with films, the company has produced such TV series as CBS’s Numb3rs and The Good Wife as well as such miniseries as Starz’s The Pillars of the Earth and its sequel, ReelzChannel’s upcoming World Without End.

Several of the people he worked with remembered Scott as they heard the...

The first synopsis and official images have gone online for Ridley Scott and Tony Scott's production Labyrinth, a four-hour mini-series adaptation of author Kate Mosse's bestselling novel. The story centers on two female protagonists separated by time but united by their shared destiny. The mini-series stars Jessica Brown Findlay, Tom Felton, John Hurt, Sebastian Stan and Vanessa Kirby. Hit the jump to check out the synopsis and images. Here's the official synopsis for the mini-series Labyrinth followed by the first images from the production, via the mini-series' website: Two intelligent headstrong heroines, 17-year-old Alaïs Pelletier from 13th century Carcassonne and modern-day PhD graduate Dr. Alice Tanner experience an adventure that intertwines their lives. Separated by time, but united in a common destiny, both protagonists display tremendous courage, steadfastness and loyalty on their respective quests. As the parallel storylines set in the southwest of France unfold, both ancient and modern-day conspiracies are unearthed,...

Apple is rumoured to be bidding to become the next sponsor of the Prize for Fiction. The tech giant is one of numerous firms hoping to succeed Orange as the company behind the women's literature award, according to The Telegraph. Kate Mosse, co-founder of the award, previously announced that 18 firms are in contention to become its next sponsor, but the newspaper understands that Apple is the frontrunner. Apple's interest in fiction is thought to be motivated by the iPad's success in (more)...

Channel 4 has picked up the rights to Pillars of the Earth follow-up World Without End and John Hurt series Labyrinth. World Without End, based on the novel by Ken Follett, focuses on a young woman called Caris who urges the residents of her medieval town Kingsbridge to save their community from forces including the Church and Crown. Wuthering Heights star Charlotte Riley will play Caris, while other stars involved in the eight-part series include Cynthia Nixon and Miranda Richardson. Spooks actor Peter Firth and Mad Dogs's Ben Chaplin are also featured in the drama. Meanwhile, Labyrinth is based on a novel by Kate Mosse and intertwines stories from the present day and the Crusades, as two heroines from the different periods have to work together to stop a 4,000-year-old (more)...

Harry Potter star describes Nick Clegg 'whipping boy' of Tories and says he will vote Labour

Daniel Radcliffe has announced that he is no longer a supporter of the Liberal Democrats after emerging as one of the party's most high-profile celebrity backers ahead of the last British general election, and will probably vote instead for Labour under its "genuinely leftwing" leader, Ed Miliband.

In what is turning into a hemorrhaging of support for the Lib Dems among a list of celebrity backers it unveiled in the run-up to last year's vote, the star of the Harry Potter franchise described party leader Nick Clegg as a "whipping boy" for the Conservatives. He also hit out at the "homophobia" of some of the Us Republican presidential candidates.

Colin Firth, another actor and A-list Hollywood star declared in December that he was ending his support for the Lib Dems. The party has also...

In The Library Book, published for National Libraries Day on 4 February, twenty-three of the UK’s most outstanding writers describe libraries real or imagined, past, present, and future – why they matter and to whom.

Recognising that without libraries we would not have the writers of today and tomorrow, The Library Book’s contributors are all donating their royalties to The Reading Agency, the independent charity working to inspire more people to read more.

Included in the book are Anita Anand, Julian Barnes, Bella Bathurst, Alan Bennett, Michael Brooks, James Brown, Ann Cleeves, Stephen Fry, Seth Godin, Susan Hill, Tom Holland, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Lucy Mangan, Val McDermid, China Miéville, Caitlin Moran, Kate Mosse, Julie Myerson, Bali Rai, Lionel Shriver, Karin Slaughter, Zadie Smith and Nicky Wire.

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Based on Kate Mosse’s international bestseller, Labyrinth is a four-hour event miniseries which will take a global audience on a richly compelling journey through the South of France of the present, and the dark and tortured landscape of the Crusades and Cathar massacres of medieval times. Two spirited and charismatic heroines must somehow work together across the centuries in order to save a four thousand year-old secret from falling into the wrong hands.

Jessica Brown Findlay stars as Alaïs Pelletier. Jessica (represented by Troika) made her film debut in the coming-of-age drama Albatross. She also played Rachel in Misfits, and was recently seen as Abi in Black Mirror:15 Million Merits on Channel 4. She also appears in Downton Abbey as the politically engaged youngest daughter, Lady Sybil Crawley.

Jessica began her career as a dancer, training with the National Youth Ballet and was asked at the age of...

[1] It feels like James Franco is attached to pretty much everything these days, but now there's one less Franco project we have to look forward to. According to JustJared.com [2], the star has pulled out of The Iceman, a biopic of Mafia hitman Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinski. Franco was lined up to play Robert "Mr. Softee" Pronge, the "mentor assassin" to Kuklinski (Michael Shannon); Ray Liotta and Maggie Gyllenhaal were also set to star in the picture, by director Ariel Vroman. However, with Franco gone, "it looks like this project might fall apart," a source told the site. Details of Franco's exit have not been revealed, although the same source blames "key contractual issues that didn't involve financial terms." The rest of the cast sounds too interesting to waste, so I'm hoping the movie can still come together out even without Franco's involvement. If not, well, there's always The Ice...

Apparently Ridley Scott has developed a bit of a thing for director Christopher Smith. Word is that after seeing Smith's Black Death Scott immediately sought the director out and signed him up to write and direct a project currently listed on the IMDb only as Untitled Christmas Project. But Scott wasn't done with Smith there ...Production has launched on four part miniseries Labyrinth, a four part adventure split between modern and medieval France based on a novel by Kate Mosse about the search for the Holy Grail.Tony and Ridley Scott's Scott Free production house are backing the project along with Germany's Tandem Communications. The cast includes Harry Potter's Tom Felton, John Hurt, Vanessa Kirby, Sebastian Stan, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Emun Elliott and Katie McGrath. The...

Tom Felton, Tony Curran confirmed for Labyrinth adaptation of Kate Mosse bestseller Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Harry Potter star Felton and Curran of The Adventurers of Tintin, join John Hurt, Sebastian Stan, Janet Suzman, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Vanessa Kirby, Katie McGrath, Emun Elliott and Claudia Gerini in the Christopher Smith-helmed project. Smith's notable credit includes the stunning Sean Bean starrer Black Death. The Labyrinth tells two connected stories set 800 years apart. One is of a modern-day archeologist who makes a startling discovery in a cave in the south of France. The other is in 1209 and of a young woman living in nearby Carcassonne which was a stronghold of the outlawed Cathar Christians and how the sect is declared heretical by the Catholic Church and becomes a military target...

Tom Felton, Tony Curran confirmed for Labyrinth adaptation of Kate Mosse bestseller Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Harry Potter star Felton and Curran of The Adventurers of Tintin, join John Hurt, Sebastian Stan, Janet Suzman, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Vanessa Kirby, Katie McGrath, Emun Elliott and Claudia Gerini in the Christopher Smith-helmed project. Smith's notable credit includes the stunning Sean Bean starrer Black Death. The Labyrinth tells two connected stories set 800 years apart. One is of a modern-day archeologist who makes a startling discovery in a cave in the south of France. The other is in 1209 and of a young woman living in nearby Carcassonne which was a stronghold of the outlawed Cathar Christians and how the sect is declared heretical by the Catholic Church and becomes a military target...

Downton Abbey graduate Jessica Brown Findlay reveals the debt she owes to Maggie Smith, and do we really need so many films released?

Lady Sybil heads south

Jessica Brown Findlay can't believe she's about to make her movie debut in Albatross. "I had no idea what would happen when I got a little part in Downton Abbey," she told me. "Now I'm acting with Maggie Smith and the show's winning Emmys and I'm on posters." The husky-voiced star, 22, plays a wild child in the film, and is Lady Sybil Crawley in Downton.

"Maggie Smith is just inspirational – she told me to always give them a version of the line how you really feel it should be delivered, then do it their way: invariably, they'll end up using your way because it'll be the one with the most conviction." Using this advice she has now flown off for two weeks in...

[1] Malin Akerman has signed on to star with Tyler Labine, Lucy Punch, and Daniel Petronijevic in Cottage Country, an dark indie comedy by Canadian director Peter Wellington. Written by Jeremy Boxen (Endgame), the story follows Todd (Labine) as he plans to propose to Cammie (Akerman) at his family cottage. However, Todd's plans are ruined by the arrival of his slacker brother (Petronijevic) and the brother's free-spirited girlfriend (Punch). The film will be Wellington's first feature since 2003's Luck. Wellington has been working primarily in television over the last several years, on shows including Rookie Blue and Slings and Arrows. The film is currently shooting in Ontario through late October for a 2012 release. [The Hollywood Reporter [2]] After the jump, Pacific Rim gets another star and John Hurt joins a project called Labyrinth that is totally unrelated to Jim Henson's Labyrinth. Bet you got worried there for a second that it would be a remake.

Sebastian Stan ("Captain America"), Katie McGrath ("Merlin"), Emun Elliott ("Game of Thrones") and acting legend John Hurt have signed on to star in the three-part adventure thriller mini-series "Labyrinth" says The Hollywood Reporter.

Tandem Entertainment and Scott Free Films, who previously teamed on "The Pillars of the Earth", are producing the adaptation of the novel by Kate Mosse which jumps between modern and Medieval France and centers on a search for the holy grail.

Janet Suzman, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Vanessa Kirby and Claudia Gerini also star. Adrian Hodges ("Primeval") adapted the script while Christopher Smith ("Black Death") is directing.

Shooting kicks off in southern France mid-October before moving to South Africa ahead of a mid-2012 air date.

Back in March we learned that Ridley and Tony Scott would be producing a mini-series adaptation of Kate Mosse's best-selling novel Labyrinth, and now we finally have word on the cast coming together for the project. THR reports John Hurt (V for Vendetta) has just signed on to star in the project with Sebastian Stan of (Captain America: The First Avenger), Katie McGrath (Syfy’s Merlin) Emun Elliott (Game of Thrones) also signed on along with British actors Janet Suzman (Nicholas and Alexandria), Jessica Brown-Findlay (Downton Abbey), Vanessa Kirby (The Hour) and Italian actress Claudia Gerini (The Passion of the Christ). That's an interesting assembly of talent for a mini-series that will likely get attention come Emmy time next year. The project is in the hands of director Christopher Smith (Black Death) working from a script by Primeval writer Adrian Hodges, and production is slated to begin in France next month.

Adaptation of Kate Mosse's The Labyrinth medieval quest for Holy Grail lands lands John Hurt, Sebastian Stan John Hurt and Sebastian Stan are all set to star in the Christopher Smith-directed TV adaptation of Kate Mosse's medieval bestseller which tells of the quest for the Holy Grail. Variety reports that The Labyrinth tells two connected stories set 800 years apart. One is of a modern-day archaeologist who makes a startling discovery in a cave in the south of France. The other is in 1209 and of a young woman living in nearby Carcassonne which was a stronghold of the outlawed Cathar Christians and how the sect is declared heretical by the Catholic Church and becomes a military target. Also in the cast are Janet Suzman, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Vanessa Kirby, Katie McGrath, Emun Elliott and Claudia Gerini.

Adaptation of Kate Mosse's The Labyrinth medieval quest for Holy Grail lands lands John Hurt, Sebastian Stan John Hurt and Sebastian Stan are all set to star in the Christopher Smith-directed TV adaptation of Kate Mosse's medieval bestseller which tells of the quest for the Holy Grail. Variety reports that The Labyrinth tells two connected stories set 800 years apart. One is of a modern-day archaeologist who makes a startling discovery in a cave in the south of France. The other is in 1209 and of a young woman living in nearby Carcassonne which was a stronghold of the outlawed Cathar Christians and how the sect is declared heretical by the Catholic Church and becomes a military target. Also in the cast are Janet Suzman, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Vanessa Kirby, Katie McGrath, Emun Elliott and Claudia Gerini.

Paul Andrew Williams's new film Song for Marion finishes location shooting, Jeanette Winterson tweets the Bible and Andrew Lloyd Webber lets schools take on Cats and Phantom

Film boom up north

Location filming has just finished on a British movie that, on paper, has all the signs of success.

Song for Marion was written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams (who made London to Brighton) and has a cast that includes Vanessa Redgrave, Terence Stamp, Christopher Eccleston and Gemma Arterton. It's a very British story about an unconventional amateur choir, a kind of choral Brassed Off.

It was filmed in the north-east, not because it is set there, but because film-makers are waking up to the area's potential.

Producer Ken Marshall told the Diary: "There are so many advantages being here as opposed to London. It's easier logistically, and it's more film-friendly. It is unbelievable how much support we've...

Ridley Scott is reportedly developing a television adaptation of Kate Mosse novel Labyrinth. According to Variety, the Alien director will produce the four-hour mini-series from a script by Primeval co-creator Adrian Hodges. The original 2005 novel follows two stories, charting both the discoveries of a modern-day archaeologist and the plight of a young woman who lives through the Crusades and Cathar massacres in France. Scott, whose production company Scott Free will team with Tandem Communications on the project, said: "[This] story affords us the opportunity to create exciting drama that will thrill and delight the book's readers (more)...

Scott Free and Tandem Communications are teaming for a four-hour event miniseries adaptation of Kate Mosse's 2005 international bestseller "Labyrinth" reports Variety.

Published in 2005, the narrative swaps between two shorelines. The first has a modern-day archaeologist who makes a startling discovery in a cave in the south of France. The second follows a young woman living in nearby Carcassone in 1209 which became a military target after the Catholic Church declares the sect which rules the town as heretical.

Adrian Hodges ("Primeval") is adapting the script and shooting takes place this Fall in southern France for airing next Spring. The companies previously teamed on last year's epic mini-series adaptation of Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" and Tandem is also starting production this year on the eight-hour TV adaptation of Follett's 'Pillars' sequel "World Without End."...

We just recently learned that the Emmy categories for TV miniseries and made-for-tv movies will be combined next year to allow for a little steeper competition. Now we have word on one of the projects that could end up getting a nomination in the combined category as Variety reports filmmaking brothers Ridley and Tony Scott are developing a TV miniseries adaptation of Kate Mosse's best-selling novel Labyrinth. Scott Free last teamed up with Tandem Communications for The Pillars of the Earth, and the two are back together for this four-hour adaptation with Adrian Hodges (writer and producer of Primeval series) scripting. Hit the jump for the official synopsis of the book. Here's a synopsis of Kate Mosse's Labyrinth: In the present, Alice Tanner, a volunteer at a French archaeological excavation, stumbles across the skeletal remains of two people in a cave, as well as a ring with an intricate labyrinth engraved on it.

"Great LezBritian" is a fortnightly stroll through the very best of British lesbo-centric entertainment and culture. Plus there will be some jolly good interviews with the top ladies who are waving the flag for gay UK.

If AfterEllen.com was a British site, it would be called AfterSandi.com. We grew up watching Sandi Toksvig on children’s TV show Number 73 in the 80s, felt her pain as she sailed around Britain with John McCarthy in the 1990s and today we are entertained weekly by her Radio 4 panel show, The News Quiz.

She recently flew into Glasgow for the city’s book festival, Aye Write, and we had the privilege of spending a funny, informative and inspiring 40 minutes with her before her performance inside one of Glasgow’s grandest buildings, The Mitchell Library.

She arrived in the green room, a very short lady, with a massive presence and immediately told...