Archie | |
---|---|
Genre | Drama |
Created by | Jeff Pope |
Screenplay by | Jeff Pope |
Directed by | Paul Andrew Williams |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Lindsay Wright [1] |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
Executive producers | |
Producer | Rebecca Hodgson |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | ITV |
Release | 23 November 2023 |
Archie is a 2023 British drama television serial about the life of Cary Grant starring Jason Isaacs in the lead role with Kara Tointon, Harriet Walter, Jason Watkins, Calam Lynch and Laura Aikman.
The series depicts the man originally named Archibald Leach, born into poverty in Bristol in 1904, before he became Hollywood's Cary Grant. Scenes set later, in the 1960s, feature Grant in Los Angeles with personal issues affecting his happiness despite international stardom and many hit movies. [2] [3] [4] [5]
Despite Grant's Bristol upbringing, and the city of Bristol being the setting for large parts of the series, filming actually took place in the city of Liverpool in the summer of 2022. The four part series is written by Jeff Pope. [9] Filming also took place in Manchester and Cheshire in September 2022. [10] Pope interviewed Grant's daughter Jennifer Grant and Grant's ex-wife Dyan Cannon for the production and both act as Executive Producers. ITV Studios produce with BritBox International as co-producers and Paul Andrew Williams as director. [11] In September 2022, Harriet Walter was added to the cast as Grant's mother Elsie Leach, and Calam Lynch, Dainton Anderson and Oaklee Pendergast were added as younger versions of Archie. Additional cast members added included Jason Watkins, Lisa Faulkner, Niamh Cusack, Kara Tointon, Laura Aikman, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Ian Puleston-Davies and Ian McNeice. [12]
The series became available on 23 November 2023 in the UK, on the streaming service ITVX, and was subsequently broadcast on ITV. [13] The series became available in the USA on the 7 December 2023, on the streaming service BritBox. [14]
News of the production was reported by The Independent as having a positive response by fans. [15]
Cary Grant was an English and American actor. Known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he was one of classic Hollywood's definitive leading men. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award, received an Academy Honorary Award in 1970, and received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1981. He was named the second greatest male star of the Golden Age of Hollywood by the American Film Institute in 1999.
Dyan Cannon is an American actress, filmmaker and editor. Her accolades include a Saturn Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Academy Award nominations and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was named Female Star of the Year by the National Association of Theatre Owners in 1973 and the Hollywood Women's Press Club in 1979.
Jason Isaacs is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot (2000), Michael D. Steele in Black Hawk Down (2001), Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise series (2002–2011), Captain Hook in Peter Pan (2003), James Wolfe in Battle of the Brave (2004), Antonio Pérez in The Escorial Conspiracy (2007), Georgy Zhukov in The Death of Stalin (2017) and John Godfrey in Operation Mincemeat (2021).
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Laura Holly Aikman is an English actress. She has appeared in an array of television shows including The Mysti Show (2004–2005), Casualty (2009–2010), Lemon La Vida Loca (2012–2013), 4 O'Clock Club (2012–2014), The Job Lot (2014–2015), Waterloo Road (2015) and Gavin & Stacey (2019).
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Calam Finbar Lynch is a British actor of Irish descent. His films include the Disney adaptation of Black Beauty (2020) and Terence Davies' Benediction (2021). On television, he appeared in the BBC One drama Mrs Wilson (2018) and the second season of the Netflix series Bridgerton (2022).
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