STUNNING POSTERS AND TRAILER FOR HISTORICAL EPIC THE WARRIOR QUEEN OF JHANSI WITH DEREK JACOBI, RUPERT EVERETT, NATHANIEL PARKER, BEN LAMB, DEVIKA BHISE

'WARRIOR QUEEN OF JHANSI'

The film is out in India this November

WHO FOUGHT AND DIED FOR THE
FREEDOM OF HER PEOPLE

I've written about this one a couple of times over the years, but now it is finally getting into cinemas with November set as the release month for THE WARRIOR QUEEN OF JHANSI previously known as Swords and Sceptres, which boasts a rather strong British cast led by Derek Jacobi as Lord Palmerston, Rupert Everett as Sir

She was the queen of Jhansi in mid 19th century

Hugh Rose, Nathaniel Parker as Sir Robert Hamilton and Jodhi May as evil Queen Victoria herself!

The Warrior Queen Of Jhansi 
 also starring Ben Lamb and directed by female director Swati Bhise (the producer of Dev Patel's The Man Who Knew Infinity), is a sweeping historical tale of women's empowerment, which brings the true story of Lakshmibai (played by Indian star Devika Bhise whom you have watched before in The Accidental Husband and The Man Who Knew Infinity with Dev Pathel and Jeremy Irons), the historic

She died aged 30 in the battle with 5,000 of her soldiers

Queen of Jhansi who fiercely led her army against the British East India Company in the infamous mutiny of 1857. From Queen Elizabeth to Queen Victoria, two-and a half centuries of East India Company rule will be reversed by its attempt to crush India's Warrior Queen. Lakshmibai is known as one of the most prominent figures within the independence movement of India. The passion to free her province from colonial rule led this young woman to become one of the greatest generals of the Indian army and to go down in history for her bravery, strategic acumen, and as a force to reckon with by the East India Company and the British Raj. The Warrior Queen of Jhansi is the story of the woman who lived, fought and died for the freedom of her people.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on another great female ruler!

THE SHOCK! THE SCANDAL! VICTORIA EPIC TV SERIES SEASON 3 TO START AIRING THIS SUNDAY ON PBS BEFORE EVEN SETTING UK AIRING DATE!

'VICTORIA' TV SERIES

SEASON 3 STARTS THIS SUNDAY!

Season 3 arrives this Sunday on PBS!

The shock! The scandal, and a royal one too! Listen to this: the long awaited third season of super popular British epic drama VICTORIA will start airing in Northern America on PBS Masterpiece from this Sunday, January 13th, before even setting its British airing date! This is the first time in history something like this happens! The British fans are flabbergasted that the series won't hit ITV screens first (and we don't even know when it will). Anyhows, all is set for the eight new episodes to start airing in USA this weekend. The story of the new season will be set in 1848

The third season should end with the eight episode on March 3rd

a turbulent and uncertain time for both Europe and the British monarchy. With revolutions on the continent and the Chartist movement reaching its

Tom Hughes and Jenna Coleman will play the royal couple again

peak in London, VICTORIA is under pressure from the government to leave London for her own safety. The queen will also face the traumatic impact of a

The series will hit ITV in UK March 24th, a month after its end in USA

cholera epidemic on the streets of London and also an assassination attempt. And of course, there will be more royal babies as well, as the queen kept them coming like hot cakes.

THE NEW COURT MEMBERS

The new season will have eight episodes!

ITV has also revealed new cast members who will join Jenna Coleman as Victoria and Tom Hughes as Prince Albert! If you were in tears after Leo Sutter's character was killed in the last season finale, do not despair, a new hunk is arriving to the court: Laurence Fox will play Lord Palmerston, the wayward Foreign Secretary! Kate Fleetwood will portray Feodora, Victoria’s mysterious sister who makes an unexpected return into the Queen’s life. Not everyone will be happy! The eight episode season

Jenna Coleman said that she might be leaving the series soon as the queen is getting older in the story and the cast will have to change with older actors

three has also added John Sessions as Prime Minister John Russell, Lily Travers as the Duchess of Monmouth, Nicholas Audsley, David Burnett

The queen is facing revolution, cholera, new babies and exile in the new season

and Emily Forbes to the cast. Previous two seasons traditionally aired in Autumn with a magnificently festive Christmas special on Christmas Day! The third season took longer to shoot and the airing schedule was thus changed.

1ST 'VICTORIA' SEASON 3 PHOTO WITH JENNA COLEMAN, TOM HUGHES! SPECTACULAR EXTENDED 'AQUAMAN' TRAILER WITH JASON MOMOA, PATRICK WILSON, AMBER HEARD, NICOLE KIDMAN!

  'VICTORIA' EPIC SERIES

FIRST SEASON 3 PHOTO!

While we're expecting for the new season to start sometime this Autumn, ITV has released the first photo of Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes as queen VICTORIA and her husband Prince Albert in the third season of the popular series which starts in 1848, when the whole of Europe is falling apart

A gloom has set over the royal court in the third season of Victoria

with the French king thrown off the throne and the riots in Berlin which makes Victoria and Albert a bit terrified. Kate Fleetwood is joining the series as Victoria's sister Feodora who is married to a poor German Prince.

  NEW 'AQUAMAN' TRAILER

 A SON OF LAND, A KING OF SEA, HE'S PROTECTOR OF THE DEEP

Aquaman is out December 21st!

DC has released a gorgeous extended trailer for their latest superhero adventure AQUAMAN which will dive into cinemas this Christmas starring Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry who learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and be a hero to the world. Amber Heard stars as Mera, Willem Dafoe as the royal councillor Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Aquaman's brother Orm or Ocean Master, the King of Atlantis, Dolph Lundgren as King of the Atlantean tribe Xebel Nereus,  Nicole Kidman as Arthur's mom, queen Atlanna with Ludi Lin as Atlantean Captain Murk, and Temuera Morrison as Arthur's dad, lighthouse keeper Tom Curry. 

'VICTORIA' EPIC TV SAGA STARTS SEASON 3 PRODUCTION CASTS LAURENCE FOX, KATE FLEETWOOD, LILY TRAVERS! BBC REVEALS 1ST SURANNE JONES 'GENTLEMAN JACK' EPIC SAGA PHOTO

  'VICTORIA' EPIC SERIES

STARTS SEASON 3 PRODUCTION

Laurence Fox is the new foreign minister!

While you were watching that ghastly bad wedding over at the British isle last weekend, another royal missive from the British court and the Windsors popped up into our mail box! ITV has started with the production on the third season of their epic saga VICTORIA which will be set in 1848 a turbulent and uncertain time for both Europe and the monarchy. With revolutions on the continent and the Chartist movement reaching its peak in London, Victoria is under pressure from the government to leave London for her own safety.

MEET THE NEW CAST! 
ITV has also revealed new cast members! If you were in tears after Leo Sutter's character was killed in the last season finale, do not despair, a new hunk is arriving to the court: Laurence Fox will play Lord Palmerston, the

Lily Travers and David Burnett are the new additions at the court!

wayward Foreign Secretary! Kate Fleetwood will portray Feodora, Victoria’s mysterious sister who makes an unexpected return into the Queen’s life. The eight episode season three has also added John Sessions as Prime Minister

Kate Fleetwood and Nicholas Audsley have also joined the cast

John Russell, Lily Travers as the Duchess of Monmouth, Nicholas Audsley, David Burnett and Emily Forbes to the cast. The series will air this Autumn in UK and probably next spring on PBS in USA.

   'GENTLEMAN JACK'

BBC REVEALS FIRST PHOTO

ITV's main rival BBC has revealed the first photo of Suranne Jones as GENTLEMAN JACK the 19th century rich lesbian heiress from their new period set series. The photo also shows Sophie Rundle as her love interest

Suranne Jones and Sophie Rundle are the new love couple

whom she wants to marry after returning to her father's home Shibden Hall in Halifax in 1832 and taking over his industrial and mining business. Based on Anne Lister's real diaries, the series will also star Gemma Whelan, Timothy West, Gemma Jones, Peter Davison, Vincent Franklin and Shaun Dooley.

MAGICAL SNOWY TRAILER FOR ITV'S 'VICTORIA' EPIC SERIES CHRISTMAS SPECIAL AIRING THIS CHRISTMAS! WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE FESTIVE EPISODE!

  'VICTORIA'

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL TRAILER!

Epic delights today with ITV's trailer for Christmas episode of their super popular historical drama VICTORIA which will air its two hour festive special on Christmas Day! Jenna Coleman returns as Queen Victoria, Tom

Christmas Special will air 9PM on ITV on Christmas Day!

Hughes as her husband Prince Albert, David Oakes as Prince Ernest who will be spending Christmas with them and the rest of their court. As you can see it will be a very snowy episode with lots of holiday delights. Real Prince

Special was written last year but ITV didn't know Victoria would be so popular

Albert was known to be a man obsessed with Christmas decorations and festive spirit. Albert gives Victoria an emerald and diamond coronet for

How dashing is David Oakes' prince Ernst on his elegant skates?

Christmas and in return gets a very intimate and revealing (at least for that age and time) portrait of his wife from Victoria herself. There will also be a proposal in the special, and a very dramatic rescue as well!

A TRUE CHRISTMAS STORY
The special episode will actually depict the true story of a Nigerian girl called Sarah Forbes Bonetta who is brought to the palace after being rescued by a

Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes return in their leading roles

British Naval captain involved in an anti-slavery ring. Set in Christmas 1846, the rest of the episode sees Victoria uncharacteristically melancholic as she

There will also be a proposal in the festive episode!

prepares to tackle her first Christmas without her beloved Baroness Lehzen. Pregnant with her and Albert’s fourth child, the festive period reminds her of

That's the emerald crown Albert gives to Victoria for Christmas

her lonely childhood spent at Kensington. Albert, on the other hand is gripped by an obsession with staging the perfect family Christmas, transforming the

An expensive gift for the famous enslaver queen Victoria

palace into a magical festive wonderland. Tensions arise between him and Victoria, however, when Albert invites some unwelcome house guests to join the celebrations. The second season will be airing in USA on Masterpiece from January 14th, by the way!

PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON 'VICTORIA' EPIC TV SERIES 2ND SEASON WITH JENNA COLEMAN, TOM HUGHES, DAVID OAKES! TRAILER & PHOTOS

'VICTORIA' EPIC SERIES

ALL BOW FOR THE 2ND SEASON

The royal pair will visit France and Germany

Are you ready, royal subjects? Her Royal Majesty Queen VICTORIA returns to reign the small screens in United Kingdom on ITV this Sunday, August 27th, earlier than ever, with eight new episodes of the second season which will be topped later on in December with a two hour Christmas special for royal festive delights. Viewers in United States will start watching the second season later next year in January on Masterpiece PBS.

QUEEN'S POSTNATAL DEPRESSION
Resuming one month after the first series ended with the queen giving birth to her first child (she had more than a dozen of them which is strange given that history has marked her as a non motherly and even cruel matriarch

Victoria won't find motherhood easy in the second season

 who never liked children nor babies), the new season establishes VICTORIA as a working mother, learning to balance her responsibilities as both parent

Victoria and Albert will discover a sanctuary in the Isle of Wight

and Queen. However, Prince Albert is still struggling to find a role for himself alongside his powerful wife as she returns to her duties, intent on proving that she can be both a mother and dutiful Queen.

THE CAST OLD, THE CAST NEW

The role of the impulsive and fitful monarch is again in the safe hands of lovely Jenna Coleman who, as you can see in the trailer below, will be sporting the latest glamorous outfits the 19th century could provide,

The queen will face troubles in Ireland and Afganistan

while Tom Hughes again plays her toyboy husband Prince Albert who feels robbed of his masculinity as the queen's consort. Among the known faces, we shall again watch marvellous David Oakes as Albert's brother Prince Ernest, 

Mammoth Screen is again producing the popular series

Nigel Lindsay as Sir Robert Peel, Alex Jennings as King Leopold, Peter Bowles as Duke of Wellington, Daniela Holtz as dear Baroness Lehzen and Catherine Flemming as the Duchess of Kent. Below stairs Nell Hudson

David Oakes returns as dashing Prince Ernest of Coburg

returns as Nancy Skerrett, Ferdinand Kingsley as chef Francatelli!  The series will also see some new faces arrive at the palace, with Diana Rigg joining the regular cast as the Duchess of Buccleuch, the young Queen’s new

Fitful queen will be throwing a hairbrush at poor Albert in one of the episodes

and very outspoken Mistress of the Robes, and guest appearances will include Emerald Fennell, Martin Compston (who will fight for the poor that the

Tom Hughes returns again as Victoria's long suffering husband Albert

queen has left to die of hunger in Ireland after potato famine), Leo Suter, Bruno Wolkowitch and Denis Lawson (as the Duke of Atholl, who welcomes Victoria and Albert to the Scottish Highlands).

PERIOD SET TUESDAY: 'VICTORIA' EPIC SERIES SECOND SEASON TRAILER WITH JENNA COLEMAN, TOM HUGHES, DAVID OAKES! TOM BATEMAN JOINS 'VANITY FAIR' EPIC TV SERIES! ITV TO MAKE NEW 'PRIDE AND PREJUDICE' TV DRAMA

'VANITY FAIR' SERIES

 CASTS TOM BATEMAN AS BESOTTED CAPTAIN CRAWLEY

We're all British, ITV, Mammoth Screen today, people! I've already announced that those last two are preparing a mini series based on

Tom Bateman is Captain Rawdon Crawley

Thackeray's classic novel VANITY FAIR and that Olivia Cooke will take the lead role of Becky Sharp, a girl from the 19th century who attempts to claw her way out of poverty and scale the heights of English Society, and now Da Vinci's Demon's star Tom Bateman has been cast as Rawdon Crawley in the series that will also air on Amazon. He and his  brother are at risk of losing their family and fortune through their passion and desire to be with Becky Sharp! The seven part series is set in the background of Napoleonic wars in Europe. Bateman already work with ITV on Jekyll and Hyde series which flopped massively. He also appears in Kenneth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express.

'VICTORIA' TV SERIES

SECOND SEASON TRAILER OUT!

While the buzz around the finale of the latest season of BBC's Poldark was reaching its zenith yesterday, rival ITV did something deliciously naughty: they released the first trailer for the second season of their

There will also be a two hour Victoria Christmas Special this year

VICTORIA series (which won ratings battle last year when it aired together with Poldie on Sunday nights). You can check it out below featuring lead stars Jennna Coleman as queen Victoria, Tom Hughes as her husband and David Oakes as his dashing brother

Jenna Coleman's own grandfather will appear in the second season too

Prince Ernest, as well as some new faces like Diana Rigg who arrives as Victoria's new Mistress of Robes! In the new season that starts this Autumn, the queen will be struggling with motherhood, marriage and ruling an evil monarchy.

NEW 'PRIDE AND PREJUDICE'
ITV has also announced their work on a new mini series version of Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE which will be a bit darker this time and will be done by Mammoth Screen, who are also producing

The series airs on PBS in USA next year, in UK this Autumn

all the other three epic series mentioned today. Playwright Nina Raine has been hired to write the script and she claims she's never seen any of the previous adaptations. 

PERIOD SET MONDAY: 1ST 'VICTORIA' EPIC TV SERIES 2ND SEASON CLIP WITH JENNA COLEMAN, TOM HUGHES! 1ST 'OPHELIA' PHOTO WITH DAISY RIDLEY AS HAMLET'S TRAGIC LOVE

FIRST 'VICTORIA' CLIP

FROM THE SECOND SEASON!

Period set news for you this Monday, people, starting with the first clip from the second season of VICTORIA epic series released today to celebrate Victoria's Day. It shows a scene from the christening of Victoria's (Jenna Coleman) and prince Albert's (Tom Hughes) first child that was born at the end of the first season.

The second season will see her expand her family with new babies (she had nine kids in total) while trying to balance family life with her royal duties in mid 1800's. Prince Albert is, meanwhile, still struggling to find a suitable role for himself in their marriage and in the kingdom. VICTORIA will also face the Irish potato blight of 1845, where more than a million people died and people hated her calling her the famine queen cause she donated just 2000 pounds. When it returns this Autumn, with eight episodes plus a two hour Christmas special, VICTORIA will also have some new actors in the cast, Diana Rigg as the new Duchess at court and Victoria's new Mistress of the Robes and Martin Compston to name two. David Oakes returns as everybody's favourite charmer Prince Earnest, Albert's brother.

FIRST 'OPHELIA' PHOTO

DAISY RIDLEY AS HAMLET'S LOVER

The first photo, of Daisy Ridley in the title role, has been published for OPHELIA movie, which, set in the 14th century but spoken in a contemporary voice, is a dynamic re-imagining of the Shakespeare’s tragedy that tells the untold story of her tragic romance with the prince. She is the Queen’s (Naomi Watts) most trusted lady-in-waiting. Beautiful and intelligent, she soon captures the attention of the handsome Prince Hamlet (George MacKay) and a forbidden love blossoms. Clive Owen is Claudius, Tom Felton is Laertes and Devon Terrell Horatio.

RICHARD MADDEN, HOLLIDAY GRAINGER JOIN 'ELECTRIC DREAMS' SF SERIES! MARTIN COMPSTON AND OTHERS JOIN 'VICTORIA' EPIC SERIES 2ND SEASON! IAN MCKELLEN, GABRIEL BYRNE IN 'HAMLET REVENANT' MOVIE ADAPTATION

'ELECTRIC DREAMS' SF SERIES

RICHARD MADDEN AND HOLLIDAY GRAINGER JOIN THE CAST

Rejoice, people! Two of our most favourite youngsters Richard Madden and Holliday Grainger will work together again and I think it will be their fifth time! They will star in The Hood Maker episode of ELECTRIC DREAMS anthology series in which each of the ten episodes will be done by a different director and cast adapting one of the stories from Philip K. Dick's sf opus. As I've informed you before some of the other episodes of the Channel 4 and Amazon series will star Timothy Spall, Greg Kinnear, Jack Reynor, Terrence Howard, Bryan Cranston!

THE HOOD MAKER is set in a world without advanced technology where mutant telepaths have become humanity's only mechanism for long distance communication. Their powers have unintended implications and when the public begins to embrace mysterious telepath blocking hoods, two detectives with an entangled past are brought in to investigate.

'VICTORIA' SECOND SEASON

LATEST CASTING ADDITIONS!

In television news, still staying over in Britain, the second season of the hugely popular ITV series VICTORIA set to come back this Autumn with eight episodes plus a two hour Christmas special, has just added Martin Compston, Bruno Wolkowitch,  Emerald Fennell, Jo Stone-Fewings, Leo Suter and Michael Maloney to the cast with previously announced Diana Rigg! They will all join the second season which sees the Queen (Jenna Coleman) facing motherhood. She is now a working mother, trying to balance her responsibilities but with Prince Albert (Tom Hughes) still struggling to find a role for himself, there is an inevitable power struggle between husband and wife.

Martin Compston will be playing Dr Robert Traill, a key campaigner in the petition to gain awareness and support for those suffering from the potato famine in Ireland during the 1840s. French actor Bruno Wolkowitch will star as French King Louis Philippe, who Queen Victoria visits on her first outing to France. Nigel Lindsay returns as Sir Robert Peel, Alex Jennings as King Leopold, Peter Bowles as Duke of Wellington, David Oakes as Prince Ernest, Daniela Holtz as Baroness Lehzen and Catherine Flemming as the Duchess of Kent.

'HAMLET REVENANT'

CASTS SIR IAN MCKELLEN!

Brits in our last piece of news today as well: as 'Deadline' reports acting legend Ian McKellen and Gabriel Byrne will star in HAMLET REVENANT the latest big screen adaptation of Shakespeare's famous plays on the tragic Danish prince. Connie Nielsen and Lambert Wilson will also join them in the Ken McMullen directed film together with Medici star Lex Shrapnel!

HAMLET REVENANT follows a character caught amidst treasonous political upheavals, family crisis, sexual tensions and ambiguous friendships: a vortex of revenge, doubt and madness out of which no main character escapes. It brings to the surface the violence and destructive instincts that haunt the human psyche!

DIANA RIGG IS A NEW DUCHESS IN 'VICTORIA' EPIC TV SERIES SECOND SEASON! 'THREE DARK CROWNS' FANTASY SAGA TO BE ADAPTED BY SHAWN LEVY

'VICTORIA' EPIC TV SERIES

 DIANA RIGG JOINS THE CAST

We've had a really epic post yesterday on Russian Grand Duchess Sophia and today, here's another Duchess for you: as you know the production on the second season of the super popular ITV historical series VICTORIA on the 19th century monarch is fully on and now they have a new cast addition. Legendary Diana Rigg will play the very much outspoken Duchess of Buccleuch, the young Queen Victoria's new Mistress of the Robes! With Jenna Coleman again as the queen, Tom Hughes as prince Albert and brilliant David Oakes as prince Ernest, the eight episode second season (plus a two hour Christmas special) will start about a month after the queen gives birth to her first child.

'THREE DARK CROWNS' 

GETS MOVIE ADAPTATION
Meanwhile, a new big screen book adaptation coming our way: as 'Deadline' reports Fox has bought the movie rights on Kendare Blake's THREE DARK CROWNS YA fantasy saga and has set Shawn Levy to produce it. The second book One Dark Throne is out this Autumn and two more books are planned in upcoming years. Three Dark Crowns is the first of four planned volumes, a fantasy series about magically gifted triplet queens who must use their powers against each other in a battle to ascend the throne.Levy's production company has worked both on Oscar nominated Arrival this year and Stranger Things Netflix hit series.

BRAND NEW TRAILERS AND PHOTOS FOR BRITISH EPIC TV SERIES 'POLDARK' WITH AIDAN TURNER AND 'VICTORIA' WITH JENNA COLEMAN, RUFUS SEWELL

'VICTORIA' EPIC SERIES

GETS A NEW ROYAL TEASER

The time when the titans will clash is nearing, people, with the beginning of September seeing ITV's epic drama VICTORIA and BBC's second season of POLDARK period set series facing of in the same primetime slot on Sunday evenings. VICTORIA will, though, air its hour and a half long opening episode on the last Sunday of August (but I hear it will clash with X FACTOR) and today we have new teasers for both new shows! As I said VICTORIA starts airing August 28th with eight episodes to be aired later in January on at PBS in USA too!

VICTORIA follows the longest ruling British monarch (Jenna Coleman) for the first three years from the time she is crowned queen in 1837 at age 18 through to her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert (Tom Hughes). She comes to the throne at a time of great economic turbulence and resurgent republicanism – and died 64 years later the head of the largest empire the world had ever seen, having revitalised the throne’s public image and brutally colonised, robbed and enslaved half of the planet. The first season of VICTORIA will tell the story of the first years of the reign, beginning with the moment of the Queen's accession in 1837, following her first faltering steps from capricious, hormonal teenager with a weak grasp on her duties and responsibilities to her marriage to Albert. The show is a saga of interlocking circles – the circuits of power in Buckingham Palace and Westminster, the intermarrying royal houses of Europe and the scandals of the below-stairs palace staff. At the centre stands the new Queen – a spirited, passionate woman who must, somehow, become an enduring icon of strength and ruthless imperialism. Rufus Sewell plays Lord Melbourne, her right hand and friend.

'POLDARK' SEASON 2

 GETS A FEISTY NEW TRAILER

Meanwhile, after the short teaser a few weeks ago, British national broadcaster has released a dynamic trailer for the long awaited second season of their mega popular period set series POLDARK which starts its new run on Sunday September 4th starring famous heartthrob Aidan Turner. Eleanor Tomlinson returns as his beloved Demelza but as you can see from the trailer there will be trouble in paradise for them.

POLDARK IN TROUBLE 
Beside being arrested and fighting to save his mining business in the time of poverty, whilst also grieving the loss of his first child with his loving Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson), we can expect Ross facing new battles, new family and new loves in the backdrop of the French revolution which casts a shadow over life in Cornwall. He will also go naughty again with his old love Elizabeth (Heida Reed) when ten new episodes of the late 18th century set series, based on Winston Graham's bestselling novels, hit the small screens! John Nettles has joined the cast as a wealthy landowner.