THE FAMILY SHAKESPEARE
NEW HISTORICAL MINI SERIES
Now don't you just love two rival projects on the big or small screens? Because we shall be seeing double Shakespeare on the telly next year! Beside TNT and TBS' historical series WILL which will give a hip twist 
to the story of the Elizabethan bard, we are now also getting THE FAMILY SHAKESPEARE six part mini series written by Oscar winner Shane Connaughton (MY LEFT FOOT)!
to the story of the Elizabethan bard, we are now also getting THE FAMILY SHAKESPEARE six part mini series written by Oscar winner Shane Connaughton (MY LEFT FOOT)!
WILL'S STORY
The story follows William Shakespeare as he moves from Stratford to London in 1585 and is plunged into the exciting, sometimes vicious world of the city, including the court of King James. The Southbank is home to the theatre, brothels, bear baiting pits and surrounded by the skulduggery of both the upper and lower classes. Here Essex and Southampton, Shakespeare’s benefactors, plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth. It is a difficult balance and parallels the struggles being faced in Stratford, where the Catholic religion is outlawed, theatre is banned, and the Puritans have taken over. Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, narrowly escapes the wrath of Stratford for amassing and storing crops as she independently creates wealth to support her husband’s rise to prominence. His only son, Hamlet, dies at age 11. Despite these challenges, Shakespeare remains firmly rooted in both worlds and becomes one of the most important writers ever.
The story follows William Shakespeare as he moves from Stratford to London in 1585 and is plunged into the exciting, sometimes vicious world of the city, including the court of King James. The Southbank is home to the theatre, brothels, bear baiting pits and surrounded by the skulduggery of both the upper and lower classes. Here Essex and Southampton, Shakespeare’s benefactors, plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth. It is a difficult balance and parallels the struggles being faced in Stratford, where the Catholic religion is outlawed, theatre is banned, and the Puritans have taken over. Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, narrowly escapes the wrath of Stratford for amassing and storing crops as she independently creates wealth to support her husband’s rise to prominence. His only son, Hamlet, dies at age 11. Despite these challenges, Shakespeare remains firmly rooted in both worlds and becomes one of the most important writers ever.
'LIFE IN SQUARES' TV SERIES
FIRST TRAILER AND NEW PHOTOS
Meanwhile, BBC has released first trailer and new photos from their spicy new mini series LIFE IN SQUARES. Guys over at 'Daily Mail' report that the first episode has 6 sex scenes with James Norton going naughty with three different men. Such delight! The series describes fraught relationship between painter Vanessa Bell and her sister Virginia Woolf, alongside Vanessa’s complicated alliance with gay artist Duncan Grant. Together they, and their group of like minded friends, navigate their way through love, sex and artistic life in the first half of the 20th century, a 
time in which they legendarily ‘lived in squares, painted in circles and loved in triangles’.
LOVE IN TRIANGLES
We meet the Stephen sisters in 1905 as Vanessa (Phoebe Fox) and Virginia (Lydia Leonard), struggle to escape the stuffiness of Victorian England. They begin to forge a life of bohemian freedom, in which their
friendship with
Bloomsbury contemporaries Duncan Grant (James Norton), Lytton Strachey (Ed Birch), Clive Bell (Sam Hoare) and John Maynard Keynes (Edmund Kingsley)
looms large. Determined
to make the world to their own design, the
group suffers growing pains as friendship turns to many kinds of love,
in many combinations. Later in the 1930s, the drama follows the older
Vanessa and Virginia (Eve 
Best and Catherine McCormack),
as they settle into marriage and creative success. But as war looms once
again, Virginia’s mental anguish returns, though her love for her
sister never wavers. And Vanessa is forced to confront, through the pain
of many losses, the success or failure of her extraordinary experiments
in living.
We meet the Stephen sisters in 1905 as Vanessa (Phoebe Fox) and Virginia (Lydia Leonard), struggle to escape the stuffiness of Victorian England. They begin to forge a life of bohemian freedom, in which their
friendship with
Bloomsbury contemporaries Duncan Grant (James Norton), Lytton Strachey (Ed Birch), Clive Bell (Sam Hoare) and John Maynard Keynes (Edmund Kingsley)
looms large. Determined
to make the world to their own design, the
group suffers growing pains as friendship turns to many kinds of love,
in many combinations. Later in the 1930s, the drama follows the older
Vanessa and Virginia (Eve 
Best and Catherine McCormack),
as they settle into marriage and creative success. But as war looms once
again, Virginia’s mental anguish returns, though her love for her
sister never wavers. And Vanessa is forced to confront, through the pain
of many losses, the success or failure of her extraordinary experiments
in living. 
Will Anne Hathaway be played by Anne Hathaway?
ReplyDeletefingers crossed not
DeleteCan you imagine being seen about town in Shakespears get up? I think England is retaking America, only they are doing it through the media :)
ReplyDeleteThey do know how to make good dramas and comedies. And I love their detective shows as well.
Deletewithout BBC, ITV and Channel 4 we would hardly have anything good to watch!
DeleteWe'd be living in a cultural wasteland without them.
Deleteabsolutely. When I save my British series for summer watching I feel like I've cleansed myself for the year's worth of watching US trash :) I've finished POLDARK and BANISHED dear and will burn them for you.... I forgot to buy disks... thought I had them but I don't :) BANISHED is the best show I've watched in years
DeleteOooooo looking forward to getting those dahlink!
DeleteI just need to buy some discs, dear. And then I will burn you some series and movies.
DeleteNow this is more like it! All good fare on the board for us today darling. The Bloomsbury group were a racy and naughty bunch. Should be a fun watch and the BBC will do a good job. Looking forward to Shakespeare as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm stuck inside as it's been dreadfully hot of late. In the high nineties (F), for you that would be in the mid 30's. Is it still horribly hot in Servia dear?
Serbia not Sevia. Me is daft :0)
DeleteThey were the original swingers, dear :) Such delight! I do love me bisexual shenanigans on TV :)
DeleteIt's been up to 47*C - 48*C, for three days now and they say it will last a week more... even during nights it doesn't go below 25*C and even that when we're lucky... I don't remember such hellish heat in my life.... I can't even pop over to Belgrade to visit my publisher due to these temps.
That's the kind of heat that can kill people. I knew it had been wicked hot there, but didn't know if it was still going on. No, best not to travel in conditions like that, it's too dangerous.
DeleteSo am I to understand that you've several books you are working on?
I think Anne is stealing all the Indiana heat. It's been cold here most summer. Total BS :( I never even put my winter blankets away because we've been using them frequently. We are going to Tennessee this week and I am excited for the hot temps they are having. I can break out my shorts and tee shits and finally feel like I am having a summer!
DeleteWell, not *shits* Stupid phone. SHIRTS! ;)
Delete@Annzie
Deletewe are suffering a heat wave from Africa... I went to town today to buy me groceries and I literally thought I'd die .... sweat just kept pouring down my head in waterfalls.... I'm still a bit shaky and I'm dark like a Nubian prince right now from all the sun this morning.... it's unaturally hot.... on the concrete it's probably 50*C ... absolute hell....
Yes, dear, I've been working for a friend of mine who has her publishing house this year... did four books already and have few more till the end of the year too... The pay is embarrassingly low, but at least I have for the food.
@Sister Theresa
Deletetee shits does sound more amusing, dear :)
It's been a very mild summer here too all the way till last week. May, Jun, half of July was even cold at times... there were nights when it was below 10*C and I had to cover myself with a duvet but then the heat wave came last week and we've been burning alive like damn witches ever since... I'd be dead if I didn't have my little AC in my imperial chamber.
I'm sure Jason will enjoy the sight of your flawless bum in shorts, dear :)
@Theresa
DeleteOur weather has been bi-polar. We'll have a nice week in the high seventies, low eighties, followed by a week of nineties with high humidity. But, we've had loads and loads of rain. My gardens are loving it.
@Dezzy
DeleteSo glad to hear you've got translation work. I know they don't be you anything near what it's worth. Although I do hope that the more you do, the more valuable your name as a translator becomes. You is still young dahlink and one day you could be in high demand.
hardly possible, dahlink, my country doesn't really value effort and work... My name is already known in the professional circles here and even wider, amongst the readers, but that doesn't mean a thing here. With the number of books I have behind me I'd be a managing editor in some other country already :)
DeleteMy gardens are definitely loving all the rain too, Anne, so I guess I can't complain too much as we'll have a bounty of veggies next month.
DeleteDezzy, I'll be trying to visit each night we get back to our hotel room, however Facebook is a problem for me right now. My phone had an unfortunate accident with a puddle of water and is being doctored as we speak. They don't expect to revive it until late tomorrow, and by then we will be gone for the week. Just want you to know that I am not ignoring you on FB. I keep my personal account open on my phone and my spammy/blog work Facebook on my computer. Switching between the two is such a hassle because I can never remember my passwords for either, so I try not to log out. I'll catch up with your page there as soon as we get back :)
no worries, dear, have fun on the trip! Hope nice weather will follow you and bring you fun and relaxation!
DeleteShakespeare AND the Bloomsbury Group! I'm in heaven!
ReplyDeleteshould be uber fun!
DeleteSorry... you were saying? Shake...who?
ReplyDeleteShaky Willz, the new rapper!
DeleteHmm...lived in squares and loved in triangles? Interesting tagline!
ReplyDeletetotally! Although I'd prefer loving in octagons if possible :)
DeleteNaughty with 3 different men? Consider me intrigued!! ...in response to Adams comment, I love Anne Hathaway. You don't?
ReplyDeletenot really... can't say I hate her... but there is something in her that make most people can't stand her :) But she was good in most of the films I've seen her in
DeleteA different take on Shakespeare sounds interesting.
ReplyDeletewe do love unusual twists and takes
DeleteI doubt we'll ever run out of stories about Shakespeare. He was a writer of note and his life always interests me, so I'll be tuned in to see the latest about him.
ReplyDeleteShould be fun, although I didn't like the miniseries on him from a few years ago
DeleteI've got to have a pair of those shoes and socks! (Shakespeare)
ReplyDeletearen't they delightful? Almost like china cups
DeleteI'm excited to watch the Family Shakespeare. A different twist sound really good.
ReplyDeleteWILL will have a different twist, FAMILY SHAKESPEARE will probably be a classic period set series :)
Delete