Matthew Macfadyen News

Ian Wylie, entertainment and freelance journalist and former London and TV Editor for the Manchester Evening News, has posted an insightful and interesting interview on his personal blog with Matthew Macfadyen (see Ian's Blog!) Of course, Matthew's current offering, Enid, is the documadrama about the prolific and controversial children's author, Enid Blyton.

Matthew plays Hugh Pollack, Enid Blyton's first husband.

It aires on BBC4 tonight, Monday evening, 9:00 GMT. The memorable Helena Bonham Carter portrays Enid Blyton.

The DVD will be available exclusively to Amazon UK from Universal Playback on the 30th November and tradewide from January 2010.

Thank you May for alerting us at the forum to Mr. Wylie's new and insightful interview of Matthew Macfadyen!

Baz Bamigboye gives word in his column that Matthew Macfadyen and Kim Cattrall will star in Noel Coward's Private Lives. He states:

The pair will star in Noel Coward's Private Lives, directed by Richard Eyre, with performances at the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand for a ten-week season from February 24. The official first night is March 3. 'I think it's a great choice,' said Kim, who is on location in Morocco shooting Sex And The City 2.

also:

Private Lives will begin 'outta town' at the Theatre Royal, Bath, from February 10 until February 20, and then head straight into the West End.

Thank you Baz ;-} !

psst. Make your plans now and get your tickets on the ready.

Congratulations Matthew!

A Very Happy Birthday Matthew and here's to a wonderful year ahead! ;-)

May said in the Matthew Macfadyen Forum:

Youtube Oooh he looks so good!--yes he does, May!

Monday October 5, 2009 on BBC One...watch it!

Thanks May for alerting us the peek of this preview of the thoroughly modern Matthew and also to MonnykQuinn at Youtube for posting it! ;-)

Update 9/30/09: Another version here and featuring Matthew here

Little Dorrit, described by The Hollywood Reporter as the "darkhorse", comes up big at the 61st Annual Emmy Awards Ceremony, Sunday evening, September 20, 2009.

In total, it won in seven categories, topping all other programs as the most awarded program of the ceremony. It was also described as the 'little engine that could' and (with the exception of noted acting awards) it did!

The Hollywood Reporter

Categories awarded at the televised ceremony last night include:

Best Mini Series

Best Director - Dearbhla Walsh

Best Writer Mini Series or Movie for TV - Andrew Davies

Congratulations to all!

UPDATE: As an Encore to it's sweeping Emmy triumph, PBS is running Little Dorrit on it's website until October 7, 09. Catch this wonderful series today! PBS.org

BBC One releases it's press packet for Criminal Justice, a serial drama starring Matthew Macfadyen airing over five consecutive nites this fall.Criminal Justice Press Pack

Matthew describes the project:

...fantastic, a really intriguing, if disturbing, page turner. It grips you and you have to know what happens next.

Matthew plays the role of Joe Miller, a very maticulous and organized QC(Barrister/Prosecuter). On the surface, everything seems perfect and in order for this admirable QC but things aren't what they seem. Mounting tension and unrest in his personal life with his wife, played by Maxine Peake, results in tragic consequences.

Matthew did some intriguing research for the role, investigating the life of the courts and taking up marathon running as his character also runs in marathons for charity.

Writer Peter Moffet brings this BAFTA winning serial drama back to BBC after a successful run last year. Stay tuned for more programming informaiton.

Thanks to Nancy PA for alerting us on the forum!

Little Dorrit was honored with four Emmy Awards at the Creative Arts Emmy Award Cermony Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. In fact, Little Dorrit was the most honored programme of the ceremony with the most awards for one program.

The categories won include:

Outstanding Casting for a Movie, Miniseries or Special: Little Dorrit, PBS

Outstanding Costumes for a Movie, Miniseries or a Special: Little Dorrit, PBS

Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie: Little Dorrit, Pt. 1, PBS

Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie

Four other categories for Little Dorrit will be honored at the 61st Annual Emmy Awards including acting, directing, writing and producing. The Ceremony is teleivsed on Sunday Evening, September 21, 2009. Check local listings.

Much congratulations to all!

Author Ken Follett shares with the Oprah.com Book Club about 'The Pillars of The Earth' mini series.

Mr. Follett, who will be making a "cameo" appearance in the series of his bestselling novel he wrote almost 20 years ago, shares about working on the gorgeous midieval sets he envisioned and now are coming to life. He also mentions working with a stellar cast, including Matthew Macfadyen.

Everything is lovingly made and painstakingly detailed. I was astonished to come across a medieval loom that seemed to me to be completely authentic. People kept asking me: "Do you like it?" Of course I like it. I dreamed it, and now it's real.

Most thrilling of all is the cast of first-class actors, many of whom I have seen and admired before. Prior Philip is played by Matthew Macfadyen, whom I last saw as Prince Hal in Shakespeare's Henry IV at the Royal National Theatre in London.

Oprah.com also has a video blog from Mr. Follett's which will follow the progress of the shoot. More to come on the Pillars Of The Earth websight

Thank you Mr. Follett and to Oprah.com!

Matthew Macfadyen will star alongside Helena Bonham Carter in 'Enid', a made for TV movie about famed children's author Enid Blyton, for BBC4 this autumn.

Matthew will play Blyton's maligned first husband, Hugh Pollack.

Programming information and a press pak from BBC4 gives more details. See the trailer here.

Bonham-Carter gives a chilling and riveting performance as the famed children's author Enid Blyton, who, while a celebrated and loved author of childrens books, was rumoured to have had a tumultous personal life and a strong indifference to children. Matthew plays the role of her first husband Hugh Pollack, who was marginalized by the troubled Blyton and eventually cut out of his own daughter's lives, by her hand.

Thanks Scrappydew for the still! Riveting drama;-)!

Little Dorrit, the latest Dickens novel brought to life on the small screen as a series and starring Matthew Macfadyen as lead Arthur Clennam, landed 11 nominations at the 61st annual Emmy nominations, announced Thursday July 16, 2009. The Masterpiece websight states:

Little Dorrit earned the most nominations ever for a single Masterpiece program in categories including: outstanding miniseries, directing, writing, supporting acting (Tom Courtenay as Mr. Dorrit and Andy Serkis as Rigaud), cinematography, art direction, casting, costumes, hairstyling and music composition.

Interestingly, talk about the leads Matthew Macfadyen and Claire Foy being "snubbed" for lead actor and actress have raised controversy. In an article from Variety addressing some of the confusion, conjecture points out that while Emmy has merged the categories of best actor/actress in both miniseries and television movie-and therefore raising the number of submissions substantially-the same is being considered for both of those categories themselves.

However overlooked, a well deserved congratulations goes also to Matthew Macfadyen and Claire Foy. They undoubtedly carried and contributed much of the great success of Little Dorrit for BBC/PBS. Congratulations to all!

See the Variety article for more information.

The Pillars of the Earth mini series, starring Matthew Macfadyen, Rufus Sewell and Ian McShane, has a websight that is regularly updated!

Visit The Pillars Of The Earth for up-to-date news, cast information, set pictures, interactive discussion and background into the best selling novel by Ken Follett.

Thanks to the webmaster for linking the Topix Macfadyen News site to the discussion and to Tandem Communications, Muse Entertainment and Scott Free Productions for weekly updates of this exciting television event.

Matthew Macfadyen will star alongside Rufus Sewell and Donald Sutherland in Ken Follett's 'The Pillars of the Earth', according to the Hollywood Reporter. Details in the link.

Matthew will play the role of Prior Philip. Shooting will commence on June 22 in Hungary and Austria. Premiere is set for the second half of 2010.

The series is partially produced by Ridley Scott and his brother Tony. Ridley is currently directing and producing Robin Hood, which Matthew is also currently working in as the Sheriff of Nottingham due out next year!

Much congratulations Matthew! ;-)

Update: June 22, 09 - The Official Websight for The Pillars of the Earth series is up and running and being updated weekly. Pictures of the set as well as information about the production are included. Thanks to the production companies Tandem, Muse and Scott Free and thanks Scrappydew for alerting us on the forum. Update September 14, 2009: Photo of Prior Philip portrayed by Matthew. (Tandem Productions GmbH / Pillars Productions (Ontario) Inc. / Pillars Productions (Muse) Inc.

jpritch11 brings word to the forum that Matthew Macfadyen is cast in the BBC's Criminal Justice airing next season.

Matthew will play the role of a barrister. Alongside Matthew are actors Maxine Peake, who recently co starred in Little Dorrit with him, and Denis Lawson, who will appear with Matthew in Enid Blyton next fall.

See this BBC Press Release for further information.

Thanks JPritch11, for the news.