Malachi Brendan Martin, also known under the pseudonym of Michael Serafian, was an Irish-born American Traditionalist Catholic priest, biblical archaeologist, exorcist, palaeographer, professor, and writer on the Catholic Church.
Brian George Wilde was an English actor, best known for his roles in television comedy, most notably Mr Barrowclough in Porridge and Walter "Foggy" Dewhurst in Last of the Summer Wine. Although very tall at 6' 3" (1.91m), his gentle demeanor became his hallmark. His lugubrious world-weary face was a staple of British television for forty years.
David Lewis Jacobs, CBE was a British broadcaster. He was the presenter of the BBC Television series Juke Box Jury in the 1960s, and chaired the long-running BBC Radio 4 topical discussion series Any Questions?. His earlier radio work included small acting parts: over the years he played himself or presenter characters in film, television and radio productions. Jacobs finally stepped down as a BBC Radio 2 presenter shortly before his death in 2013, his career having spanned more than 65 years.
Tonight is a British current affairs programme, produced by ITV Studios and ITN for the ITV network, replacing the long-running investigative series World in Action in 1999. Previously airing twice-weekly, on Monday and Friday evenings at 8.00pm, the show runs the gamut from human interest-led current affairs to investigative journalism.
Anna Elisabeth "Anneliese" Michel was a German woman who underwent 67 Catholic exorcism rites during the year before her death. She died of malnutrition, for which her parents and priest were convicted of negligent homicide. She was diagnosed with epileptic psychosis and had a history of psychiatric treatment that proved ineffective.
Exorcism is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be done by causing the entity to swear an oath, performing an elaborate ritual, or simply by commanding it to depart in the name of a higher power. The practice is ancient and part of the belief system of many cultures and religions.
Vincenzo Ricotta, professionally known as Vincent Riotta, is a British actor.
The fourth series of the British medical drama television series Holby City commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 9 October 2001, and concluded on 1 October 2002. The episode run for this series was actually commissioned for 26 episodes, however a further 26 episodes were given the go ahead and were bolted onto the end of Series 4 resulting in a 52-episode series run. In essence, it is a combination of two separate series, but classed as one. From here on, each series was commissioned as a full 52-episode run.
Siobhan Margaret Finneran is an English actress. She made her screen debut in the 1987 independent film Rita, Sue and Bob Too, and subsequently worked consistently in television drama including roles in Coronation Street (1989–1990), Clocking Off (2000–2002) and The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006). In 2005, Finneran originated the lead female role in the stage play On the Shore of the Wide World and was awarded the Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Also a comedy performer, Finneran appeared as Janice Garvey, a leading character in the first seven series of ITV sitcom Benidorm (2007–2015).
Mistresses is a British serial drama television programme that follows the lives of four female friends and their involvement in an array of illicit and complex relationships. The programme was written by Rachel Pole, Richard Warlow, Harriet Braun and Catrin Clarke and filmed in Bristol by Ecosse Films for BBC Drama, Wales.
The Rite is a 2011 supernatural horror film directed by Mikael Håfström and written by Michael Petroni. It is loosely based on Matt Baglio's book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist, which itself is based on actual events as witnessed and recounted by American then-exorcist-in-training Father Gary Thomas and his experiences of being sent to Rome to be trained and work daily with veteran clergy of the practice.
Unforgiven is a three-part British television drama series, written by Sally Wainwright and directed by David Evans, that first broadcast on ITV in January 2009, and later on STV in 2012. Produced by the Red Production Company, Unforgiven follows Ruth Slater, a woman found guilty of murdering two police officers when she was a teenager. Upon release from prison, Ruth is determined to find her sister, who was adopted shortly after the incident. The series is set in Yorkshire, specifically the village of Boothtown in Halifax.
Benidorm is a British sitcom written and created by Derren Litten and produced by Tiger Aspect for ITV that aired for ten series from 1 February 2007 until 2 May 2018. The series features an ensemble cast of holiday makers and staff at the Solana all-inclusive hotel in Benidorm, Spain over the course of a week each year.
Happy Valley is a British crime drama television series, set and filmed in the Calder Valley, West Yorkshire. Starring Sarah Lancashire, James Norton and Siobhan Finneran, it was written and created by Sally Wainwright and directed by Wainwright, Euros Lyn and Tim Fywell. The first series began on BBC One on 29 April 2014, the second on 9 February 2016, and the third and final series on 1 January 2023. It won the 2015 BAFTA Award for Best Drama Series, and won another BAFTA for Best Drama for the second series.
The fourth season of the ITV television series Benidorm, which is a sitcom set in an all-inclusive holiday resort, began broadcasting on 25 February 2011, consisting of six episodes. The entire series was directed by Sandy Johnson and written by Derren Litten. Multiple changes occurred within the cast this series, which saw the introductions of Shelley Longworth as Sam Wood, Tony Maudsley as Kenneth Du Beke, Kathryn Drysdale as Natalie Jones, Adam Gillen as Liam Conroy and Selina Griffiths as Pauline Mahmood. Furthermore, Tim Healy re-joined the cast, now on a permanent basis, whereas Cilla Black, Denise Welch, Bananarama, and Melvyn Hayes made brief guest appearances. Returning from the third series were the Garvey family, consisting of Mick, Janice, Michael and Janice's mother Madge Barron ; swingers Donald and Jacqueline Stewart ; Noreen Maltby ; homosexual couple Gavin and Troy Ramsbottom, though Bazely only appeared in the series finale; and Solana staff Mateo Castellanos and manageress Janey York.
The Moorside is a 2017 two-part British television drama. Written by Neil McKay and directed by Paul Whittington, it stars Sheridan Smith, Gemma Whelan, Sian Brooke and Siobhan Finneran and was broadcast on BBC One in two one-hour episodes in February 2017. The drama is based on the 2008 disappearance of 9-year-old Shannon Matthews and the successful search for her by police and volunteers in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, along with the revelation of mother Karen's involvement in Shannon's kidnapping.
Siobhan Finneran is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television and film. Finneran made her film debut starring as Rita in the 1987 film release Rita, Sue and Bob Too. Over the following decade, Finneran established herself as a television actress appearing frequently in both comedic and dramatic guest roles. Into the 21st century, Finneran began appearing in more regular and leading roles in returning and standalone television series. Her more prolific work includes Benidorm (2007–2015), Downton Abbey (2010–2012) and Happy Valley (2014–2023).
The Young Offenders is an Irish coming-of-age television sitcom, developed by Peter Foott, for RTÉ and BBC Three. Based on the IFTA-winning 2016 film of the same name, the first series began broadcasting on 1 February 2018, to generally favourable reviews. The series follows the lives of Conor MacSweeney and Jock O'Keeffe, lovable rogues from Cork.
Evil is an American supernatural drama television series created by Robert and Michelle King that premiered on September 26, 2019, on CBS, before moving to Paramount+ for subsequent seasons. It features an ensemble cast led by Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, and Aasif Mandvi as three individuals from vastly different backgrounds who are tasked by the Catholic Church to investigate possible supernatural incidents.
The seventh series of the ITV television series Benidorm, which is a sitcom set in an all-inclusive holiday resort in Benidorm, Spain, began broadcasting on 2 January 2015, consisting of seven episodes. The entire series was written by Derren Litten whereas both Sandy Johnson and David Sant were credited as individual directors throughout the series. This was the final series to feature the Garvey family, consisting of Mick, Janice, Michael Garvey and Janice's mother Madge Barron, though Reid did briefly return in the eighth series. Furthermore, it was the first series not to feature Donald Stewart, due to Ireland's diagnosis of cancer and subsequent death. Janine Duvitski reprised her role of Jacqueline Stewart, the character's wife, who was joined by newcomer Glynn. Other returning cast members included Tiger and Clive Dyke, who were joined by Terry Dyke ; hairdressers Liam Conroy and Kenneth Du Beke ; and Solana staff, consisting of barmen Mateo Castellanos and Les/Lesley Conroy, and manageress Joyce Temple-Savage. Elsie Kelly and Johnny Vegas, who are both original cast members of the programme, also reprised their roles during the seventh series.
