Robbie Coltrane, who has died aged 72, arrived on television in the 1980s as one of the new breed of “alternative” comedy performers. A decade later, he was making an even greater impact as the flawed criminal psychologist in Cracker. Then, moving into a new century, he was a favourite with younger audiences as Hagrid in the Harry Potter films.
He came to the fore in The Comic Strip Presents satirical films for television alongside other new faces such as Peter Richardson, Adrian Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French.
From the first story, Five Go Mad in Dorset, the spoofs gave Channel 4, newly launched in 1982, the subversive edge it sought in being different from the TV establishment.
Coltrane was very much part of that establishment, but at its gritty, hard-hitting centre, when he was cast as Dr Eddie Fitzgerald – “Fitz” – in Cracker (1993-96), former Brookside writer Jimmy McGovern’s creation...
He came to the fore in The Comic Strip Presents satirical films for television alongside other new faces such as Peter Richardson, Adrian Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French.
From the first story, Five Go Mad in Dorset, the spoofs gave Channel 4, newly launched in 1982, the subversive edge it sought in being different from the TV establishment.
Coltrane was very much part of that establishment, but at its gritty, hard-hitting centre, when he was cast as Dr Eddie Fitzgerald – “Fitz” – in Cracker (1993-96), former Brookside writer Jimmy McGovern’s creation...
- 10/28/2022
- by Anthony Hayward
- The Independent - Film
We’re back with the latest edition of the Indie Spotlight, which contains all the independent horror news recently sent our way. This week’s edition looks be our biggest yet, with trailers for Molly Crow and VIViD, news on the Shriekfest Film Festival, a new clip from Bad Kids Go to Hell, multiple short films, and much more:
First Details on Alice D: “In the early 1900′s the Davenport House was a famous and successful brothel, until a young prostitute named Alice killed herself there. After her death, the brothel became haunted by Alice’s ghost, and was eventually abandoned. One hundred years later, the old structure is renovated into a beautiful mansion. It is still rumored to inhabit the ghost of Alice. Despite this, the new owner; the rich and arrogant heir to the Davenport fortune, decides to throw a wild party for his first night in the house.
First Details on Alice D: “In the early 1900′s the Davenport House was a famous and successful brothel, until a young prostitute named Alice killed herself there. After her death, the brothel became haunted by Alice’s ghost, and was eventually abandoned. One hundred years later, the old structure is renovated into a beautiful mansion. It is still rumored to inhabit the ghost of Alice. Despite this, the new owner; the rich and arrogant heir to the Davenport fortune, decides to throw a wild party for his first night in the house.
- 1/27/2013
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
The original surviving MTV VJs--Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn--are auctioning off an advance signed copy of their joint history VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims. Complete List: Top 25 Most Powerful Authors in Hollywood The book is the first joint collaboration by music channel's original hosts. Publisher Atria touts, they "stood in as surrogates for viewers, offering a fan’s-eye glimpse into the world of rock and pop during its 80’s heyday. … Simultaneously part of the scene and outside observers, the VJs interviewed, hung out, partied with,
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- 12/3/2012
- by Andy Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Take a peek at the cover to the forthcoming oral history of MTV's first VJs. Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn are getting together with Rolling Stone contributing editor Gavin Edwards to tell their story in their own words in the forthcoming book VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave. The four (along with the late J.J. Jackson) were the first on-air hosts hired by MTV when the channel debuted in 1981, throwing the newcomers into the heady world of rock as the music video revolution exploded. The book offers a behind-the-scenes look at
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- 8/8/2012
- by Andy Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Talk will have to prattle on without Sharon Osbourne, who has been granted permission to go on sabbatical from the CBS daytime show in order to spend more time with her rock star spouse, Ozzie.
“I’ve kept it no secret that I really miss my husband,” Osbourne told AOL TV. “He gets a break [from his tour] at the end of September” — when The Talk returns from summer vacay with fresh episodes — “and so I’ve asked [the show] for a little break so I can be with him.”
Ready for more of today’s TV dish? Well….
* Sources tell Us Magazine that...
“I’ve kept it no secret that I really miss my husband,” Osbourne told AOL TV. “He gets a break [from his tour] at the end of September” — when The Talk returns from summer vacay with fresh episodes — “and so I’ve asked [the show] for a little break so I can be with him.”
Ready for more of today’s TV dish? Well….
* Sources tell Us Magazine that...
- 7/21/2011
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
Iconic show's '90s host says he's excited to bring back a 'trustworthy' place for fans to find new music.
By Ryan J. Downey
Matt Pinfield
Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images
"120 Minutes," two of the most beloved hours in alternative-rock history, is returning to the airwaves. MTV2 will air a brand-new monthly version of the trailblazing music program with a weekly online counterpart dubbed "120 Seconds" on MTV Hive. Both will be hosted by Matt Pinfield, the walking musical encyclopedia and industry veteran whose original "120 Minutes" run made his name synonymous with the best of college rock, indie rock and everything else under the umbrella of "alternative."
"I'm so excited that '120' is coming back," Pinfield told MTV News. "It's been so influential in so many people's lives. Musicians, music fans, actors — so many people have told me the show was pivotal and life-changing for them."
"120 Seconds" will debut this Friday on MTV Hive,...
By Ryan J. Downey
Matt Pinfield
Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images
"120 Minutes," two of the most beloved hours in alternative-rock history, is returning to the airwaves. MTV2 will air a brand-new monthly version of the trailblazing music program with a weekly online counterpart dubbed "120 Seconds" on MTV Hive. Both will be hosted by Matt Pinfield, the walking musical encyclopedia and industry veteran whose original "120 Minutes" run made his name synonymous with the best of college rock, indie rock and everything else under the umbrella of "alternative."
"I'm so excited that '120' is coming back," Pinfield told MTV News. "It's been so influential in so many people's lives. Musicians, music fans, actors — so many people have told me the show was pivotal and life-changing for them."
"120 Seconds" will debut this Friday on MTV Hive,...
- 3/17/2011
- MTV Music News
Back in the '80s, Captain Lou Albano was something of a staple on MTV. Obviously, he starred in four videos for superstar Cyndi Lauper, including the iconic "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." But he was also on the network as a wrestling personality. In 1984 and '85 — the era leading up to the very first Wrestlemania — Albano appeared regularly on wrestling programming hosted by MTV. In fact, the network even aired two live wrestling events (one called "The Brawl to End it All," the other dubbed "The War to Settle the Score") that did record numbers for the still-young cable channel.
Like the greatest pro wrestling personalities — Hulk Hogan, the Rock, Roddy Piper, Ric Flair and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin among them — Albano understood that promotion was king, and that television was the most powerful tool available. He saw the rise of music videos as a form and got involved,...
Like the greatest pro wrestling personalities — Hulk Hogan, the Rock, Roddy Piper, Ric Flair and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin among them — Albano understood that promotion was king, and that television was the most powerful tool available. He saw the rise of music videos as a form and got involved,...
- 10/15/2009
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
The BBC has commissioned four new George Gently dramas to air next year. Based on Alan Hunter's Inspector Gently book series, the new films will focus on veteran Scotland Yard detective George Gently (Martin Shaw) and his partner John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby) as they solve crimes in '60s Northumberland. Peter Flannery and Mick Ford will co-write the four instalments. "The joy of writing the Gently stories lies in the period and the place," said Flannery. "The place because it's where I grew up; the period for the same reason, plus it gives me a chance to write about a (more)...
- 11/18/2008
- by By Simon Reynolds
- Digital Spy
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