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Colm Meaney, the Irish actor perhaps best known for playing Miles O’Brien across all seven seasons of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” but with a wealth of other major film and TV credits to his name, is set to be honored with the Irish Academy Award for lifetime achievement.

Presented at the Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) awards on Feb. 14, the honor will celebrate a career spanning five decades that has seen Meaney work with some of the world’s most renowned filmmakers and actors.

“To say I was surprised when I got the news that IFTA wanted to give me this award, would be an understatement. I was truly shocked,” said Meaney. “To be asked to join this long list of very illustrious previous recipients is a huge honour, and I’m thrilled and looking forward to a good night in Dublin.”

Film credits on Meaney’s resume include...

Colm Meaney is best known for playing Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but he's also clocked up a long list of other critically acclaimed acting roles across film and television. 

The Irish actor counts the likes of Hell on Wheels, Layer Cake, The Damned United, and The Journey among his credits, and most recently stars alongside Charlotte Kirk in Neil Marshall's action-packed new British action-crime thriller, Duchess.

While Meaney is only in one lengthy scene as the protagonist's father, "Mad Frank," it's another phenomenal performance which sees the actor embrace his dark side. 

"Oh, I think [Frank is] straight-up bad," he tells us in the video below. "He says so himself, 'I was born like this. I'm rotten to the core. I'll never be any different, don't fool yourself. You're not going to get redemption here.' He's got a very clear...

Peter Morgan is a playwright, screenwriter and TV series creator and showrunner who has been described by The Guardian as “Britain’s leading contemporary screen dramatist,” and about whom the publication wrote, “There is no one who works quite like him. Actually, there might be nobody who has worked quite like him in British drama since Shakespeare. He specializes in taking the lives of public figures, mingling the events and words of their lives with his own imaginings, and recasting it as drama that is as close to documentary as possible without actually being a docudrama.”

Morgan wrote the theatrical productions Frost/Nixon, which was on the West End in 2006 and Broadway in 2007; The Audience, which was on the West End in 2013 and Broadway in 2015; and Patriots, which was on the West End in 2023 and Broadway in 2024. He was also the screenwriter of TV films including 2003’s The Deal, 2006’s Longford...

Brian McCardie, the Scottish actor who portrayed the younger brother of Liam Neeson’s titular hero in Michael Caton-Jones’ historical drama Rob Roy, has died. He was 59.

McCardie died “suddenly at home” on Sunday, his sister Sarah announced on X. “A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work and touched many lives, and is gone much too soon,” she wrote.

(1) It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian James McCardie (59), beloved son, brother, uncle and dear friend to so many. Brian passed away suddenly at home on Sunday 28th April. A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work and pic.twitter.com/1xSLsETNob

— Sarah McCardie (@SarahMcCardie) April 30, 2024

Born on Jan. 22, 1965, and raised near Glasgow, McCardie appeared on the BBC soap opera EastEnders in one of his earlier roles.

He went on to play gang lord turned...

Scottish actor Brian McCardie, who played Tommy Hunter in the BBC series “Line of Duty,” died on Sunday. He was 59.

His sister, Sarah McCardie, shared the news in a post on her X account. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian James McCardie (59), beloved son, brother, uncle and dear friend to so many. Brian passed away suddenly at home on Sunday 28th April. A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work and touched many lives, and is gone much too soon,” the statement reads. “We love him and will miss him greatly; please remember Brian in your thoughts. Funeral arrangements will be announced in the days ahead. As a family, we would ask for privacy at this time.”

McCardie’s representation, United Agents, also confirmed his death in a post on X: “We are shocked and so deeply saddened by...

Colm Meaney played Chief Miles O'Brien for 12 years in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, showcasing his considerable acting talent and delivering memorable performances. Meaney's role as Charlie Kelly's father in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia highlighted his dry delivery and comedic skills, proving that he was perfectly cast in the long-running sitcom. Colm Meaney's performances in films like Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, The Damned United, and Layer Cake showcased his versatility, with his strong physicality and comedic timing stealing the limelight from other legendary actors.

Colm Meaney became a household name in the US for his role as Chief Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it's just one of the actor's many great film and TV roles. Born in Finglas, Dublin, Ireland in 1958, Colm Meaney studied acting from the age of 14 before joining the Irish National Theatre.

Award recognises outstanding contribution by an actor to British film.

Stephen Graham will be awarded the honorary Richard Harris award at the 2023 British Independent Film Awards.

The actor will receive the award at the ceremony on Sunday, December 3. The award, which has been given since 2003 at the annual ceremony, is given in the name of UK actor Harris, recognising ‘an outstanding contribution by an actor to British film.

Liverpudlian Graham received a Bifa nomination in 2007 for his breakthrough role as neo-Nazi Andrew ‘Combo’ Gascoigne in Shane Meadows’ This Is England; Graham went on to reprise the role in three This Is England TV series.

British-Australian film director Tom Hooper's résumé is long and impressive. Since breaking into film and TV in the late 1990s, Hooper has bagged a startling number of accolades, including a Primetime Emmy for Elizabeth I (2005), a Golden Globe for his HBO miniseries on the famous American president, John Adams (2008); and an Academy Award and BAFTA for The King's Speech (2010).

And although, more recently, Hooper has made headlines for the wrong reasons – his work on the 2019 box office bomb Cats puts him alongside Kevin Costner as one of only two people to have won both an Oscar for Best Director and a Golden Raspberry for Worst Director – there's no denying his dedication to the craft.

But while mainstream audiences will be familiar with his work on Cats, The King's Speech, Les Misérables, and Michael Sheen's sports drama The Damned United (2009), Hooper's first movie is arguably his best. Red Dust (2004) was a taut,...

‘The Woman King’ & ‘Aftersun’ Dominate Girls On Film Awards

The Woman King and Aftersun dominated the main awards at the second annual Girls On Film Awards. The Woman King picked up Best Ensemble, sponsored by Netflix, and Best Female Friendship On Screen. Woman King star Viola Davis was also awarded the Feminist Superhero award. Woman King lead Sheila Atim was there in person to accept the awards. Aftersun nabbed Best Feature Film Sponsored by Eon Productions, while the film’s publicity team also won Best Publicity Campaign. Other big winners included Sebastián Lelio’s The Wonder, which took home Best Cinematography and the Sinéad O’Connor pic Nothing Compares (Best Documentary). Nominees for the awards were chosen by a selection of critics and journalists. Girls On Film was launched by Deadline critic and broadcaster Anna Smith and producer Hedda Archbold with the aim of rewarding excellence in the field of feminism,...

Contains spoilers for Pieces of Her episodes one to four

Netflix’s thriller Pieces of Her is based on a novel by the aptly named best selling author Karin Slaughter. Though it’s set in America, the whole of the series was shot in Australia with the majority of filming taking place in 2021, and many of the cast are Antipodeans and Brits as well as Americans.

It’s a twisty tale of a mother who carries out an act of bravery which suddenly exposes her to a world she had long since left behind, and a daughter who discovers she really doesn’t know her mum at all. Pay attention! But in case you’re distracted by the niggling sense of ‘where do a recognise them from?’ we’re here to remind you.

Pieces of Her. Toni Collette as Laura Oliver in episode 105 of Pieces of Her. Cr. Mark Rogers...

Explosive thriller Gangs of London landed on Sky and Cinemax in one intense nine episode package this April. It boasts a large international ensemble cast to match its sprawling narrative style. The cast is a mix of well known faces and relative newcomers all mixed up in the fray.

But who plays who, and where might you have seen them before? We break down the main and supporting cast including their key roles to date and exciting upcoming projects.

The Wallaces Colm Meaney as Finn Wallace

Finn Wallace is the patriarch of the family and the head of a massive crime syndicate who is assassinated in episode one of Gangs of London but appears in flashback throughout the series. Irish actor Colm Meaney might be best recognised by some for his recurring role in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Chief Miles O’Brien.

AFI Fest 2019 said Thursday that it will play host to “An Evening With Peter Morgan,” which will be followed by a gala screening of the Season 3 opener of Netflix’s The Crown. The event is set for November 16, the day before the Morgan-created hit series about the British royal family returns on the streaming service worldwide.

Morgan, who recently signed a major overall deal with Netflix, will be feted in a Q&a at the Tcl Chinese Theatre, with Season 3 cast members Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies, Helena Bonham Carter, Josh O’Connor and Erin Doherty expected to attend.

His feature credits include writing The Queen, Frost/Nixon, The Last King of Scotland and The Damned United. Working alongside longtime collaborator and Left Bank CEO Andy Harries, he has turned The Crown into a global smash for Netflix since its 2016 launch. He currently is working on Season 4, with sources saying...

Netflix has signed a huge overall TV and film deal with The Crown creator Peter Morgan, in another sign that the streamers are prepared to spend tens of millions of dollars tying-up prominent British writing talent. We hear the pact is for at least four years.

Three sources told Deadline that Netflix’s deal with Golden Globe and BAFTA-winner Morgan was done as the company readies itself for the November 17 release of The Crown season three, in which Olivia Colman will replace Claire Foy on the throne.

Morgan is well down the track with season four of Left Bank Pictures’ lavish drama and sources said his exclusive Netflix deal will encompass another two seasons. This would take it to six seasons, which has long been Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos’ plan for the show.

The overall deal will also include projects by Morgan outside of The Crown, including feature films.

Michael Sheen is one of those under-sung actors who rarely disappoints. The curly-haired Welshman who brought TV interviewer David Frost to life opposite Frank Langella‘s Tricky Dick in 2008’s “Frost/Nixon” and played Prime Minister Tony Blair — his second of three times — in 2006’s “The Queen” alongside Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II. But despite solid notices, he was mostly overlooked for his performances when it came to awards. He did land an Emmy nomination for his repeat portrayal of Blair in the 2010 TV movie, “The Special Relationship.” And 2003’s “The Deal,” which featured his first depiction of the British Pm, at least won a BAFTA TV award for Best Single Drama.

Anyone who saw him as volatile English football coach Brian Clough in 2009’s “The Damned United” couldn’t help but think he was cheated out of an Oscar nomination. But he also scored high-profile roles in such horror-tinged big-screen...

Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.

For those unfamiliar, with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors. They also shoot the breeze about their new films, The Dare, World of Darkness,...

Zoe Saldana and Imogen Poots star in the newly recently trailer from Kaleidoscope, I Kill Giants.

Based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel by Image Comics’ Joe Kelly and J.M. Ken Niimura the film is directed by Academy Award-winning Anders Walter and produced by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban).

Also in trailers – J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world makes a return in the First trailer for Fantastic Beasts The Crimes of Grindelwald

The stars Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avatar, Star Trek), Imogen Poots (Green Room, Sweet Virginia, 28 Days Later), Madison Wolfe (Joy, The Conjuring 2, Trumbo)

Noel Clarke (Kidulthood, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Doctor Who), Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice, Zero Dark Thirty) and Sydney Wade (Wolfblood, The Damned United).

I Kill Giants is in Cinemas 6th April and Digital 4th May

I Kill Giants Official Synopsis

I Kill Giants tells the story of Barbara Thorson...

I Kill Giants, produced by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) and directed by Academy Award-winning director Anders Walter, is based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel by Image Comics’ Joe Kelly and J.M. Ken Niimura. The film tells the story of Barbara Thorson (Madison Wolfe), a teenage girl who escapes the realities of a troubled school and family life by retreating into a magical realm fighting evil ‘giants’ – colossal monsters who attack her quiet coastal town.

With the help of her new friend Sophia (Sydney Wade) and her school counsellor (Zoe Saldana), Barbara will learn to face her fears – tackling the mean bullies at school, coming to terms with her difficult home life and battling the mythic giants that threaten her world.

I Kill Giants stars Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avatar, Star Trek), Imogen Poots (Green Room, Sweet Virginia, 28 Days Later), Madison Wolfe (Joy,...

The Northern Irish politicians make an intriguing cinematic pairing, but there are even more fiery duos that film could fictionalise

Nick Hamm’s new film The Journey tells of the decades-long enmity, followed by the highly surprising friendship, between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness as they laboured towards the Anglo-Irish agreement. It slots neatly into a favourite mini-genre of mine, mostly cornered by screenwriter Peter Morgan, who has made half a career of creating dramatic face-offs between real-life figures with diametrically opposed worldviews: Lord Longford and Myra Hindley (Longford); Brian Clough and Don Revie (The Damned United) and James Hunt and Niki Lauda (Rush). Other film-makers have taken up the format, too, in My Week With Marilyn, The King’s Speech and now The Journey.

Related: How Paisley and McGuinness's journey to peace ended at Venice film festival

Continue reading...

Pilot for upcoming Amazon sci-fi costs $15m.

Left Bank Pictures CEO Andy Harries has lifted the lid on what it is like working with Netflix, the famously secretive online giant which fully-financed the company’s £100m series about the royal family, The Crown.

During a Screen Film Summit session about high-end TV, Harries described the Svod service as “the most supportive and hands-off – while also being available – partner I have ever worked with.”

However, even after Netflix committed to the show during its first meeting with Harries, writer Peter Morgan and director Stephen Daldry, it will not disclose to the producer how the series has performed on the service.

“We absolutely don’t know how it’s doing,” he admitted. “We have no indication on how it has done. I’m not sure they will ever tell us. I’ve asked them. We’ll have to wait to see its next trading results to maybe get a sense...

Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation by Cecil Beaton

This week marks the 90th birthday of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in 1926. The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on the 21st of April and her official birthday on the second Saturday in June. (Trooping of the Colours)

She is the world’s oldest reigning monarch as well as Britain’s longest-lived. In 2015, she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regent in world history.

Looking to celebrate her Majesty’s birthday? First, everyone rise for the national anthem of the United Kingdom.

God save our gracious Queen!

Long live our noble Queen!

God save the Queen!

Send her victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us:

God save the Queen!

For more on the Queen’s schedule, visit the official site: www.

Safe, conventional, and not particularly sympathetic to women, cis or trans. Mistakes the external signifiers of femininity with actually being a woman. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

I have not read the source material

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Lili Elbe was a transgender pioneer. She lived openly as a woman, even though she was born in a man’s body, in 1920s Europe at a time when such a thing was seen as perverted or actually clinically insane; she wrote the memoir Man Into Woman about her transition; and she was one of the first people to receive sex-reassignment surgery, which was then highly experimental; complications from it killed her in 1931. She’s an important person to be telling stories about, especially today, as we are starting to be more aware of the trials transgender people face, both publicly and personally,...

★★★☆☆ Tom Hooper has made several films about men playing roles. 2009's The Damned United concerned the managerial exploits of Brian Clough (Martin Sheen), a legend of football who alpha-ed his way to the top of a fiercely competitive business. The King's Speech (2010) was, at its core, a film about a man learning to play a role he felt unfit for: unlike Brian Clough, George VI was skeptical about power and status. The film portrays him as a begrudging king, uncomfortable with a crown that will make him into the sovereign.

Jonny Owen’s entertaining documentary deals with the manager’s success at Nottingham Forest in the late 1970s

Related: Film review: The Damned United

The reputation of Brian Clough (pictured) in pop culture history famously got a revisionist jolt in 2006 from David Peace’s novel The Damned United, lending an unsuspected dark mythic importance to his brief, bizarrely dysfunctional tenure as Leeds United Fc manager in 1974. The cheeky loudmouth now looked troubled, irrational, even faintly sinister. It was adapted for the cinema in 2009 – in gentler and more conventional terms – starring Michael Sheen. Now Jonny Owen has made an undemanding documentary dealing with the happier era after that, about Clough’s resurgence, managing Nottingham Forest in the late 1970s: the Napoleon of football, leading a little-fancied side to glory in the old first division and the European cup. This affectionate film sets aside all the fashionably “dark” reading of Clough in...

"Imagine Rotherham suddenly winning the Premier League, Fa Cup and UEFA Cup and you're close to Nottingham Forest's unbelievable in the late '70s." So opens Empire's four-star review of new football doc I Believe In Miracles, a disco-era fairy tale about one team's journey to football's promised land. After The Damned United, this the happier end of the Brian Clough story as he leads his team from seeming no-hopers to triumph and more silverware than Smaug’s pawnbroker. Named after the Jackson Sisters' disco classic of 1976, the story picks up not long after Clough was left out on his ear after 44 tumultuous days at Leeds United. Jobs at Derby County, while a more auspicious career move, and Brighton came to an end and the maverick manager was left with another fresh start. Clough’s starts didn’t tend to stay fresh for long, although the stars were aligned for...

Period drama awards fare, especially period drama awards fare from British director Tom Hooper, can be counted on for certain surface pleasures. The production design will be lavish and tactile. The costuming will be spectacular, but not try overly hard to present itself as such. And the cast will emote such that hearts of stone are softened, or outright eroded in a downpour of waterworks. As the latest addition to the Hooper oeuvre, The Danish Girl makes for another very nice looking historical bauble.

Unfortunately for The Danish Girl, it arrives with the weight, or perhaps responsibility of being one of the most notable films about transgender living in a year very much defined by discussion of gender fluidity. Adapted from David Ebershoff’s award-winning novel of the same name, The Danish Girl is a fictionalized account of the life of Lili Elbe, the first known transgender woman to receive sex reassignment surgery.

Film about legendary football manager to premiere at UK football ground before going nationwide.

A new film about football manager Brian Clough’s glory years at Nottingham Forest is to be distributed across the UK by Showcase Cinemas, following its world premiere at the club’s City Ground next month.

I Believe In Miracles tells the story of the five-year period in the 1970s when Clough took Nottingham Forest from a run-down second division club to two European Cups, producing one of the best domestic football teams in the history of the game.

It includes interviews with all of the 1979 European Cup winners involved the families of Clough and his managerial partner Peter Taylor.

I Believe In Miracles was written and directed by Jonny Owen, who also produced alongside Baby Cow Productions (Philomena) and Spool Films/Post.

The documentary will receive its world premiere at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground on Oct 11 before previews in UK cinemas...

To mark the release of Mosters: Dark Continent on 31st August, we’ve been given 3 copies to give away on Blu-ray. Directed by Tom Green (Misfits), Executive Produced by Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) and starring Johnny Harris (Atonement, Snow White and the Huntsman, War Horse), Joe Dempsie (Skins, Game of Thrones, The Damned United) and

The post Win Monsters: Dark Continent on Blu-ray appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Timothy Spall is being lined up to play the former Democratic Unionist Party (Dup) leader Sir Ian Paisley.

The actor could star as the late Northern Ireland first minister in The Journey, about Paisley's unlikely friendship with Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness, Deadline reports.

Liam Neeson and Sir Kenneth Branagh were previously linked with the role.

Novelist Colin Bateman is writing the screenplay for the project, which is expected to begin production this September.

Nick Hamm is directing, and will also produce alongside Mark Huffam and Piers Tempest.

Paisley passed away in September last year at the age of 88.

Spall is known for starring in Mr Turner, The Damned United, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and the Harry Potter series.

Michael Sheen has delved into the effort he goes to when portraying real-life people in biopics.

Speaking at a BAFTA Cymru event in London last night (March 11), the actor revealed that he struggles to let go of those he plays, such as in BBC Four's Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!.

"I think to immerse yourself in anyone's life, it becomes fascinating as soon as you start to really get into everything," he explained.

"With Kenneth Williams, because he'd written diaries, that became like the rabbit hole that I went down and so anything he wrote in his diaries - or [if] he said, 'I watched this film' or, 'I read this book' or, 'I listened to this music' - I could do and I did."

The actor - who has also played Tony Blair in The Deal, The Queen and The Special Relationship, David Frost in Frost/Nixon, and Brian Clough...

Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper is the latest in a growing list of filmmakers, movie stars and celebrities to lend their cinematic recommendations to us for a Sky Movies Playlist. Hooper started out in theatre and television - including stints on EastEnders and Byker Grove - before graduating to movies with The Damned United in 2009. His work on The King's Speech in 2010 won him an Oscar for Best Director and Best Picture; more nominations came in 2012 for Les Misérables.

Escape to Victory didn't set the world alight on its initial release in 1981, but as the decades have ticked on the film has firmly cemented itself as a cult favourite among fans of film and football.

Now, this potent mix of The Great Escape and underdog sports tale is in line for a remake with Edge of Tomorrow's Doug Liman at the helm. Liman will surely play it straight in the redo, but the original film featured a glorious mix of big movie stars of the day (Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine), ageing football icons who'd taken a paycheque in the Us (Pelé) and Ipswich Town players (hey, they were big in the '80s!).

With that in mind, Digital Spy has picked a brand new Victory 2014 starting XI ready for 90 minutes of life-or-death football. Fyi, we're playing 4-4-2 - the Nazis might overrun us in midfield but we're old school!

Film Four Productions

Whether you’re destined to be widowed by the beautiful game, sickened by your team’s performance (or that they didn’t even qualify) or just can’t stand another minute of hearing about the World Cup, at some point during the next few weeks, you’re likely to need some distraction from the football. With that in mind, and to celebrate the importance of British cinema (as well as the kingdom’s flagship status in the footballing world) we’re looking at 66 of the very best British films that will give you a good reason to resist putting your foot through the telly after the match.

There’s no guarantee that they’ll cheer you up but they will certainly take your mind off it.

There are a few rules for this list: for the sake of repetition no Bond, no Harry Potter (though there are...

What’s new, what’s hot, and what you may have missed, now available to stream.

new to stream

Computer Chess: dryly humorous and wonderfully weird, this is a preternaturally mundane evocation of early 80s nerdery and an almost scary peek at the history of AI [my review] [at Netflix]

because you missed it

Bobby Fischer Against the World: documentary exploration of the reclusive chess champion as a tragedy of genius and madness as two sides of his own personal coin, and as a uniquely American story [my review] [at Netflix]

streaming now, before it’s on dvd

Inside Llewyn Davis: hilarious in the Coens Brothers’ weird, askew way, but also absolutely crushing; this movie breaks my heart in a hundred different ways [my review] [at Amazon UK Instant Video]

new to Prime

Midnight in Paris: a valentine -— to people, to places, to ideals, to our own dreams -— that does not wear rose-colored glasses; perhaps the Woody Allen-est movie ever [my review] [at Amazon UK Instant Video] The Pirates!

The worst thing anyone's said to me? 'Sorry old boy, but you've got leukaemia'

Timothy Spall, 57, was born in London. After studying at Rada, he joined Birmingham Rep and the RSC before being cast in the hit TV series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in 1983. His movies include Mike Leigh's Life Is Sweet and Secrets & Lies, and Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd. He played Churchill in The King's Speech, Peter Taylor in The Damned United and Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter films. He is currently starring in PG Wodehouse's Blandings on BBC1. He is married with three children.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

I have had a tendency to sleepwalk in the past. I once woke up in the nude in a corridor of a hotel in Cornwall in the small hours of the morning. Oh, the cringing shame.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Wanting...

'In his version of events, each and every character speaks like a race commentator, clarifying events as they happen and saying things like "Ready? I've been waiting for this my whole life..."'

Reading this on mobile? Click here to view

What makes a film British? It's a question that rolls around every January as Bafta's annual nominations spill out of the gate, and their definition of "homegrown" becomes ever broader. This year, all manner of foreign co-productions have made the cut, despite settings as far-flung as South Africa (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Disneyland (Saving Mr. Banks) and outer space (Gravity). Next month, they'll compete for the title of outstanding British film, alongside unarguably local offering The Selfish Giant (which is also out on DVD this week), and Rush, a film with German backing, an American director, Australian and Spanish-born German leads, and a whopping 16-country setting.

The chief...

Films such as Lincoln revitalised the genre by focusing on short periods, but are too many made, too soon?

For a genre that's been dismissed so many times, the biopic is in impertinently rude health. In the past six months in the UK – and only counting the ones about major public figures – we've had Behind the Candelabra, Renoir, Lovelace, Rush, Diana, Hannah Arendt, The Fifth Estate, One Chance, Saving Mr Banks, Kill Your Darlings, and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. The next few weeks alone will grant us audiences with Solomon Northup (12 Years a Slave), Charles Dickens (The Invisible Woman) and Grace of Monaco.

Somewhere down the line, though, the biopic tightened up its act. The Mandela picture's cradle-to-the-grave trudge looks positively old-fashioned now; even 12 Years a Slave is a bit copperplate. The new-school, high-definition biopic goes for the essence, rather than a chronicle of events, focusing on a galvanising...

Wedding Crashers helmer signs on for long-gestating biopic telling life story of Playboy magazine founder

• Peter Morgan in talks to develop Hugh Hefner biopic

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner is to have his life story told in a biopic to be directed by Wedding Crashers' David Dobkin, it has been announced.

The 87-year-old magazine publisher and dedicated party host has seen studio Warner Bros pick up the project, after Universal failed to make sufficient headway and let it go. Dobkin, considered a proficient maker of brash comedies who has Shanghai Knights ad The Change-Up on his CV as well as Wedding Crashers, will direct a script by Peter Morgan, of Frost/Nixon and The Damned United renown.

Hefner founded Playboy magazine in 1953 and subsequently became a leading figure in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, as well as turning Playboy into a powerful multimedia brand. He tweeted last year about...

Interview Andrew Blair 28 Nov 2013 - 05:50

The mighty Colm Meaney talks to us about Alan Partridge, a little bit of Con Air, and The Statham...

Please note: there's a spoiler for near the end of Alpha Papa in this interview. It's marked.

Sharing star billing with Steve Coogan on the critically acclaimed Alan Partridge movie (read our review here), Colm Meaney's varied career has seen him contribute to some prime fillets of geekbait. Second only to Michael Dorn in terms of appearances in Star Trek episodes, he's also played a henchman in Under Siege, sworn entertainingly at John Cusack in Con Air, and reduced Bruce Willis to tears as the tragic British pilot in Die Hard 2. This on top of roles in The Commitments, Last Of The Mohicans, Layer Cake, and The Damned United (he's also due to play a truculent Northern football manager in the forthcoming Pele...

Next in line to inherit the throne of Royal films is Diana. The film takes audiences into the private realm of one of the world’s most iconic and inescapably public women – the Princess of Wales, Diana (two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts) — in the last two years of her meteoric life.

On the occasion of the 16th anniversary of her sudden death, acclaimed director Oliver Hirschbiegel (the Oscar-nominated Downfall) explores Diana’s final rite of passage: a secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews, “Lost,” The English Patient), the human complications of which reveal the Princess’s climactic days in a compelling new light. Diana is in select theaters now.

As long as filmmakers have been bringing the lives of England’s Kings and Queens to the silver screen have moviegoers been going to the cinemas to be schooled in British Monarchy.

So Arise, Sirs and Ladies,...

Left Bank Pictures has reported pre-tax profits of $1.7 (£1.05m) for the nine months to 31 March 2013 after it was acquired by Sony Pictures Television (Spt) for $65m (£40m) last year.

In accounts published on Companies House, the UK production company has shortened its accounting period to fall in line with its owners.

Left Bank, which produced crime drama Wallander, reported pre-tax profits of $1.7 (£1.05m) for the nine month financial period. Previously, pre-tax profits hit $6.44m (£3.98m) in the full year ending 30 June 2012.

Turnover during the nine months to 31 March 2013 stood at $31m (£19.21m). In its previous full year accounting period, sales reached $72.5m (£44.85m).

The indie, which employs 24 staff, saw staff costs increase during the nine months, with wages and salaries reaching $3.4m (£2.12m), up from $2.8m (£1.72m) for the 12 months to 30 June 2012.

Left Bank’s highest paid director took home a remuneration package of $333,550 (£206,250) during the period. This was down on last year, when one executive...

Now that Oscar-winning film-makers are making high quality sports movies, what other tales should be told on screen?

When Peter Morgan wrote Rush he didn't include any motor racing in the screenplay as he assumed that, even if the film was ever made, it would not be backed with a budget large enough to afford F1 cars. Morgan should have shown a little more faith in his creation.

Rush took over £2m on its opening weekend, climbed to the top of the UK box office charts on its second week in cinemas, and audiences have scored it 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.3 on IMDb. Even Niki Lauda approved. "When I saw it the first time, I was impressed," said the driver whose rivalry with James Hunt is captured onscreen. "It was very accurate. There were no Hollywood changes. I wish James had been here to see the movie. It would have been the best.

Star of The Devil's Double said to be interested in the film about the late Queen singer

• News: Queen did not want Mercury biopic 'to be a joke'

• News: Sacha Baron Cohen quits Freddie Mercury biopic

Dominic Cooper is the latest name to be connected to the long-gestating biopic of Queen singer Freddie Mercury, after original lead Sacha Baron Cohen dropped out.

Influential blogger El Mayimbe, of the Latino Review, said a "trusted source" claimed Cooper was "circling the project". As well as a distinct physical resemblance to Mercury, Cooper also apparently has a decent singing voice. Cooper is currently filming Dracula Untold, in the role of vampire hunter Abraham van Helsing.

Baron Cohen left the project earlier this year after his "racy" take on Mercury's life was rejected by the remaining members of Queen. The band's drummer Roger Taylor said: "We felt Sacha probably wasn't right in the end.

Emmy nominated actor Vincent D'Onofrio (Men In Black, Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and Rodrigo Santoro (300, Love Actually) are in final negotiations to star alongside Diego Boneta (Rock of Ages), Golden Globe nominated actor Colm Meaney (Get Him to the Greek, The Damned United) and Seu Jorge (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, City Of God) who have joined the cast of Pele, the inspirational drama about the legendary Brazilian soccer player, written and to be directed by Michael Zimbalist and Jeff Zimbalist, and produced by Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer, Seine Pictures' Ivan Orlic, and Kim Roth, and Colin Wilson.

Principal photography started on September 30 on location in Brazil. Pele will be executive produced by Pel&#233, Paul Kemsley and Exclusive Media.

Seine Pictures is fully financing the film and licensed Pele's life rights from Sports Licensing International B.V.

The film's creative team includes Academy Award nominated director of photography Matthew Libatique (Black Swan,...

Emmy nominated actor Vincent D’Onofrio (Men In Black, ‘Law and Order: Criminal Intent’) and Rodrigo Santoro (300, Love Actually) are in final negotiations to star alongside Diego Boneta (Rock Of Ages), Golden Globe nominated actor Colm Meaney (Get Him To The Greek, The Damned United) and Seu Jorge (The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, City Of God) who have joined the cast of PELÉ, the inspirational drama about the legendary Brazilian soccer player, written and to be directed by Michael Zimbalist and Jeff Zimbalist, and produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, Seine Pictures’ Ivan Orlic, and Kim Roth, and Colin Wilson.

Principal photography started on September 30 on location in Brazil. PELÉ will be executive produced by Pelé, Paul Kemsley and Exclusive Media.

Seine Pictures is fully financing the film and licensed Pele’s life rights from Sports Licensing International B.V.

The film’s creative team includes Academy...

Principal photography on Jeff and Michael Zimbalist's biopic Pelé started earlier this week, and an extensive cast list has been revealed. Vincent D'Onofrio (Men in Black) and Rodrigo Santoro (300) are in final negotiations to join the picture. D'Onofrio would star as the Brazilian team’s World Cup coach, Vicente Feola. Other additions include Colm Meaney (Hell on Wheels), who would play George Raynor, the Swedish World Cup coach. Newcomer Kevin de Paula will play Pelé from age 13-17. Hit the jump for more. Check out the full press release and casting announcement for Pelé below: Principal Photography Begins On Brian Grazer’S PELÉ Vincent D'Onofrio, Rodrigo Santoro, Diego Boneta, Colm Meaney And Seu Jorge To Star In Imagine Entertainment And Seine Pictures Production Los Angeles – Oct 2nd, 2013 – Emmy nominated actor Vincent D'Onofrio (Men In Black, ‘Law and Order: Criminal Intent’) and Rodrigo Santoro (300, Love Actually) are in final...

Emmy nominated actor Vincent D’Onofrio (Men In Black, ‘Law and Order: Criminal Intent’) and Rodrigo Santoro (300, Love Actually) are in final negotiations to star alongside Diego Boneta (Rock Of Ages), Golden Globe nominated actor Colm Meaney (Get Him To The Greek, The Damned United) and Seu Jorge (The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, City Of God) who have joined the cast of PELÉ, the inspirational drama about the legendary Brazilian soccer player, written and to be directed by Michael Zimbalist and Jeff Zimbalist, and produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, Seine Pictures’ Ivan Orlic, and Kim Roth, and Colin Wilson.

Brian Grazer said, “I’ve always been excited about the exploration of genius. PELÉ is that story. He is an inspiration to his country.”

Principal photography started on September 30 on location in Brazil. PELÉ will be executive produced by Pelé, Paul Kemsley and Exclusive Media.

PELÉ tells...

Emmy nominated actor Vincent D'Onofrio ( Men in Black , "Law and Order: Criminal Intent") and Rodrigo Santoro ( 300 , Love Actually ) are in final negotiations to star alongside Diego Boneta ( Rock of Ages ), Golden Globe nominated actor Colm Meaney ( Get Him to the Greek , The Damned United ) and Seu Jorge ( The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou , City of God ) who have joined the cast of Pelé , an upcoming drama about the legendary Brazilian soccer player, written and to be directed by Michael and Jeff Zimbalist, and produced by Imagine Entertainment.s Brian Grazer, Seine Pictures. Ivan Orlic, and Kim Roth, and Colin Wilson. Pelé tells the miraculous story of the legendary soccer player.s rise to glory from a young boy to the 17 year old player who scored the winning...

From Formula One to football and boxing to baseball, here are the big screen's finest sport sagas

Rush

Don't get excited, Liverpool fans: director Ron Howard's latest film isn't about the Reds' all-time leading scorer Ian Rush and his rubbish 'tache. Instead, it tells the extraordinary story of the 1976 Formula One season, dominated by the battle between dashing British playboy driver James Hunt (played by Chris "Thor" Hemsworth) and austere Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel "Good Bye, Lenin!" Brühl). After a near-fatal crash at the Nürburgring, Lauda returned just six weeks later, his horrific scalp burns still bandaged and bleeding, to defend his world title. It's scripted by Peter Morgan, who's made a career out of dramatising real events in the likes of The Queen and Frost/Nixon.

The Damned United

"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the country. But I'm in the top one." Director Tom Hooper...

With Ron Howard's true-life drama Rush hitting the big screen this month, all eyes are on Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl to see how they bring legendary Formula 1 rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda to life.

In fact, Rush screenwriter Peter Morgan is a dab hand when it comes to conjuring up memorable movie mano-a-manos - Frost/Nixon had David Frost and Richard Nixon, The Damned United Brian Clough and Don Revie, and The Deal Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

There are, of course, a host of other iconic screen rivalries, because what would movies be without dramatic conflict? A recent LoveFilm poll even pegged Star Wars's battling father-son pair Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker as the greatest rivals.

Digital Spy picks out 20 of the greatest big screen rivalries - from Lauda and Hunt to Batman and The Joker - in the gallery above.

Rush opens in UK...

We don't tend to go in for much sports-based editorial here on Digital Spy, but with the Premier League about to kick off today (August 17), we're willing to make an exception.

Managers across the country will be prepping their pre-match pep talks right about now, and with that in mind, we've collated ten of the big screen's most motivational speeches - some sporty, some political, all inspirational.

Al Pacino - Any Given Sunday

In Oliver Stone's epic football drama, Pacino plays the veteran coach of a once-great football team who are now struggling to make the Affa playoffs. Tasked with picking his players out of a despondent slump just before a big game, Pacino's D'Amato makes a heartfelt speech instructing them to climb out of hell "inch by inch" by working as a team rather than individuals.

Mel Gibson - Braveheart

Honestly, we're tempted to just paste the entire...