This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(March 2022) |
Shades was a six-part British television series starring Stephen Tompkinson and Dervla Kirwan, who previously starred together on Ballykissangel. It was produced by ITV and Coastal Productions but ITV never aired the mini series in the UK. It was only shown in the US on PBS and in Ontario, Canada because of the PBS affiliate in Buffalo, New York that is received across the border. It was also broadcast in Australia on the ABC. The DVD was released in February 2012 by Acorn Media.
The series involves Mark and Maeve, who did not previously know each other, dying on the same day in separate incidents, then finding themselves continuing to exist as ghosts, or shades. After their deaths, they learn there are some rules to this existence. One is that they can interact somewhat with the living: Those they'd never met while alive forget any interaction as soon as it is over; and they cannot interact at all with anyone who did know them; yet they can observe them. Mark and Maeve's frustration intensifies at not being capable of intervening directly in their loved one's lives. Instead they must find a way to do so indirectly, which is tricky and involves creative manipulations. From this they realize they are a shade of their former selves: Still conscious, yet diminished on the physical plane. The series follows their attempts to set things right in the lives of new people they encounter, because of the unique advantage they have of being able to see circumstances of which these people are not aware, and also their attempts to resolve the mess their own lives were in when they abruptly died.[ citation needed ]
Within the context of the central theme, the series manages to cover several serious sub-themes. Mark and Maeve help a long-married elderly couple who are facing death find redemption by exploring the meaning of honesty and forgiveness in their relationship. Mark helps a young couple on the brink of marriage and commitment to appreciate and embrace the blessings in their lives. A young nanny learns to accept responsibility for the unintended outcome of a relationship with her married employer. Throughout, Mark agonizes over being able to approach the children he left behind, while being unable to truly bridge the gap between life and death. Finally, the unexpected ending touches on the need to accept the changes life thrusts upon us and let go in order to allow ourselves — and our loved ones — to move forward.
Sweep is a series of young adult fantasy novels written by Cate Tiernan, the first of which, Book of Shadows, was published in 2001. The series follows a teenage girl, Morgan Rowlands, who discovers she is the descendant of a long line of witches, and possesses powerful magic of her own.
Minder is a British comedy-drama series about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television, and shown on ITV for ten series between 1979 and 1994. The series was notable for using a range of leading British actors, as well as many up-and-coming performers before they found their greatest success; at its peak it was one of ITV's most watched shows. The series was revived by Channel 5 in 2009 but was discontinued after only six episodes.
Everville is a 1994 fantasy novel by British author Clive Barker. The second in the Books of the Art series, it follows the 1989 novel The Great and Secret Show.
Sons and Daughters is an Australian Logie Award-winning soap opera/drama serial, created by Reg Watson, and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the Seven Network between November 1981 and April 1987. It is probably best remembered for its regular use of dramatic cliffhangers and its most famous character; Patricia "Pat the Rat" Hamilton, initially played by Rowena Wallace, who won a Gold Logie Award for her spirited performance in the role - and later, by Belinda Giblin, following the character receiving extensive plastic surgery in the storyline.
Chancer is a British television crime drama serial, produced by Central Television for ITV, that first broadcast on 6 March 1990. Starring Clive Owen in the title role of Stephen Crane, Chancer tells the story of a likable conman and rogue at the end of the yuppie eighties. The first series concerns Crane's attempts to save an ailing car firm, which at first seems to be straightforward, until he is forced to reconcile himself with his past. In the second series, Crane, now using his real name of Derek Love, assists his friend Piers, who has inherited a stately home, and with it, a financial nightmare.
Stephen Phillip Tompkinson is an English actor, known for his television roles as Marcus in Chancer (1990), Damien Day in Drop the Dead Donkey (1990–1998), Father Peter Clifford in Ballykissangel (1996–98), Trevor Purvis in Grafters (1998–1999), Danny Trevanion in Wild at Heart (2006–2013) and Alan Banks in DCI Banks (2010–2016). He won the 1994 British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actor. He also starred in the films Brassed Off (1996) and Hotel Splendide (2000).
The Killing Dance is a horror/mystery novel by American writer Laurell K. Hamilton, the sixth book in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series.
Wild at Heart is an ITV television drama series created by Ashley Pharoah about a veterinary surgeon and his family, who emigrate from Bristol, England to South Africa, where they attempt to rehabilitate a game reserve for wild animals and establish a veterinary surgery and animal hospital. The show ran for seven series beginning on 29 January 2006 and ending on 30 December 2012.
Science fiction program Torchwood discusses many themes in its narratives, specifically dealing with LGBT themes associated with its homosexual and bisexual characters and their problems, with various characters portrayed as sexually fluid. Certain characters offer varying perspectives on orientation, although the nature of Jack, Ianto and Toshiko's sexual flexibility is not discussed explicitly.
Kayla Brady is a fictional character from Days of Our Lives, a soap opera on the NBC network. She made her first appearance in 1982. Kayla was created by Pat Falken Smith as one of the original members of the Brady family. She is known for her popular pairing with Steve Johnson. This relationship gave the couple the title of a famous super couple. Kayla was described as being the "good" girl of the serial. During her time on Days of our Lives, Kayla was extremely well received by television critics. Kayla Brady Johnson is one of the six Brady children. She is the daughter of the late Shawn Brady and Caroline Brady. She is the sister of Roman and Kimberly Brady, the half-sister of Bo Brady, and the sister of adopted brothers Frankie and Max Brady. She has been married five times, once to Jack Deveraux and four times to Steve Johnson. Steve and Kayla have two children, a daughter, Stephanie, and a son, Joey. Mary Beth Evans returned to Days of Our Lives for a short-stint on June 18, 2010, and then again on recurring status starting in December 2011.
Close to Home is a British television sitcom created by Brian Cooke, and made by LWT. Two series were originally broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom between 1 October 1989 and 18 November 1990.
Nikhil Sharma is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, played by Rik Makarem. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 11 September 2009. Makarem's departure from the soap was announced on 16 May 2013, and Nikhil made his screen exit on 20 August 2013. Makarem reprised the role in September 2015 and Nikhil returned on 29 October 2015. However, it was confirmed that his return would only be temporary and he departed on 19 February 2016.
Married Single Other is a British television drama created and written by Peter Souter. The series is based on the lives of group of people who are either married, single or "other", other being defined as in a relationship. It began airing on Monday 22 February 2010 on ITV. The drama series was later screened on STV from February 2012. The series was filmed on location in various areas of Leeds, while Left Bank Pictures television studios annexed to The Leeds Studios were used for interior shooting.
Marian, Again is a two-part British psychological thriller serial, written by Ben Court and Caroline Ip and directed by David Drury, that broadcast across two consecutive nights on ITV from 5 September 2005. Filmed in and around Manchester and on Ballaugh and Douglas on the Isle of Man during May and June 2005, the serial is based upon the real-life kidnapping of Colleen Stan in the United States.
DCI Banks is a British television crime drama series produced by Left Bank Pictures for the ITV network. Originally broadcast over five series in 2010–2016, the series was based on Peter Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks novels and stars Stephen Tompkinson as Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. In 2013, the series won in the drama category at the regional Royal Television Society Yorkshire Programme Awards.
Great Expectations is a three-part BBC television drama adaptation by Sarah Phelps of the Charles Dickens’s 1861 novel of the same name, starring Ray Winstone as Magwitch, Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham, Douglas Booth as Pip, Vanessa Kirby as Estella and David Suchet as Jaggers. The adaptation was first broadcast on British television over the Christmas period in 2011.
Laura Norton is an English actress, known for her role as Kerry Wyatt on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Norton has also appeared in numerous television series working for ITV and the BBC, and has significant theatre credits, including The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Live Theatre Company.
Sex Education is a British comedy-drama streaming television series created by Laurie Nunn for Netflix. The series follows the lives of the students, staff and parents of the fictional Moordale Secondary School as they contend with various personal dilemmas, often related to sexual intimacy. It stars an ensemble cast that includes Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Alistair Petrie, Mimi Keene, and Aimee Lou Wood.