Whether it was 1911, when the expression “Use a picture. It’s worth a thousand words” appeared in a newspaper article quoting newspaper editor Arthur Brisbane discussing journalism and publicity, a similar phrase in 1913 “One Look Is Worth A Thousand Words” that appeared in a newspaper advertisement for the Piqua Auto Supply House in Ohio or the earliest recorded use of the exact phrase appearing in an 1918 newspaper advertisement for the San Antonio Light, its meaning could never be more relevant that the image taken on the final day of filming of the second episode of the third series of Sherlock. Principal filming has wrapped for the moment with the first two episodes, “The Empty House” and “The Sign of Three”, now in the can, with shooting on the series three finale due to start later in the year, most likely August.
 

Given his most recent efforts in both Sherlock and Star Trek Into Darkness, it seems fitting to see Benedict Cumberbatch giving the Vulcan ‘Live Long and Prosper‘ hand gesture while dressed as the detective. Flanked by Sherlock director of photography, Steve Lawes, the man responsible for tweeting out the pic and production designer Arwel Wyn Jones, also of particular note in the image is Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman’s reference to the show’s third series with his own pose.

Personally, I think the underlying message in the photo is crystal clear. Sherlock must ‘live long and prosper’ for years to come.

The official release states that the show’s lead writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat, has revealed that he’s already plotting a brand new run of adventures for the Doctor. The 50th special will celebrate half a century of Doctor Who. The 3D special will feature Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman along with with 10th Doctor, David Tennant, and John Hurt, who was seen briefly at the end of last week’s series 7 finale, ‘The Name of the Doctor’. Billie Piper (Rose Tyler) will also return alongside Jemma Redgrave, Joanna Page… and the Zygons!

In the meantime, here’s a brief report on the upcoming plans for the Doctor Who 50th with a bit of behind-the-scenes filming…
 

 

A little over two years ago, October 2010 to be exact, we had the great good fortune to interview Benedict Cumberbatch while in the UK just prior to the first series of Sherlock airing on PBS as part of the Masterpiece Mystery series. In these never before segments from the interview, Cumberbatch talked, early on, about what immediately attracted him to Sherlock, the BBC/PBS series from Moffat and Gatiss.
 

 
Next, in answering Sherlock purists who couldn’t bare to see the world’s most famous consulting detective have a smart phone, he talked about the challenges of incorporating new technology into the 21st century Sherlock while attempting to remain true to the classic nature of the story.
 

 
Finally, it was quite evident even in the early days of Sherlock, that he and co-star Martin Freeman had already developed a great friendship and on-screen chemistry that has been clearly apparent since day one.
 

Bearing out what Cumberbatch alluded to in the 2010 interview, Paul McGuigan, who directed two episodes of Sherlock, continued the defense of the adaptations from Sherlock purists saying that this is in keeping with Conan Doyle’s character, pointing out that “In the books, he would use any device possible and he was always in the lab doing experiments. It’s just a modern-day version of it. He will use the tools that are available to him today in order to find things out.”

More news coming out daily regarding the upcoming November 2013 50th anniversary special that resides in Doctor Who showrunner, Steven Moffat’s mind palace. According to BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning, Ben Stephenson, the centerpiece of the BBC’s blockbuster celebrations to mark the Doctor turning 50 will be such that the Time Lord and current companion, Clara Oswald will be seen like never before – in 3D!

Moffat added: “It’s about time. Technology has finally caught up with Doctor Who. It’s the only show with a box that’s bigger on the inside, so if you have the ability to make your television bigger on the inside, it goes with Doctor Who, surely?”.

To give you a sense of what the Doctor might be like in 3D, here’s a season five trailer featuring the Doctor and new companion, Amy Pond. FYI, you’ll need those 3D anaglyph red/cyan glasses for this one that you’ve been saving since the premiere of Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder waiting for just the right time to get them out of the vault. Unless you are one of the handful of those on the planet that possesses a 3D telly, the rest of the planet will have to wait for the home Blu-ray video release down the line to fully experience The Doctor in 3D.
 

 
P1 Doctor Who fans will remember that during the Doctor Who 30th anniversary in 1993, “Dimensions In Time” was shown in 3D – using the anaglyph glasses. This time around, however, given advances in technology, you might be able to leave those glasses at home.
 

Confirmed at the PBS Annual Meeting this past week in Miami Beach is the return to Foyle’s War to the PBS schedule this Fall as part of the Masterpiece Mystery! series. Beginning Sunday, September 15, Michael Kitchen will return in his new role as Senior Intelligence Officer for a new series of Foyle’s War which will be comprised of 3, two-hour programs set during the early period following World War II. Foyle will now focus his attention on the world of espionage as he transitions from World War to Cold War. It’s a rather big adjustment for Foyle as he is now faced with a British establishment that is rife with communist sympathizers and traitors.

As Foyle now spends his time gathering secret intelligence in support of Britain’s security, defense and the Government’s foreign and economic policies, the first of three mysteries, “The Eternity Ring”, begins in New Mexico in 1945 before switching to London a year later.
 

 
Originally part of PBS’ Mystery series in 2004 and running on ITV in the UK since 2002, it’s been three years since we last crossed paths with Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle. According to novelist and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz, who wrote episodes 1 and 3, the new Foyle’s War will begin in a post-war era Britain. Besides Kitchen returning as Foyle, Honeysuckle Weeks returns as Samantha Stewart, Foyle’s driver who provided valuable assistance over the years. You may remember that Sam’s love interest, former Bletchley Park codebreaker and local MP Adam Wainwright, proposed to her in the final episode of the last series. Well, Sam is now happily married and finding her feet as a wife with a daunting role in local politics. Reunited with Foyle, however, also offers a surprising new working role.

While it has seemed like an eternity since we last spent time with Christoper Foyle (3 years to be exact), remember that Foyle ‘retired’ at the end of series 7 (series 6 in the U.S.). Retirement is short-lived, however, as someone is stealing documents from the Soviet Embassy. Folks over at MI-5 (not Harry Pearce) want him to investigate the suspected Russian who defected with the documents and the possible passing of secrets to the Commies. Doing her best to convince Foyle to join the ranks of MI-5 is Ellie Haddington (The Cafe, Spies of Warsaw).

Why Foyle, you’re asking at this point? Because his former driver, Samantha, has been photographed with a suspected Russian agent.

“He seems to be everything a women would want in a man, including how horribly messed up he is,” says Isaacs.”He’s one of those guys who women think they should be able to save. They don’t really want him – if they actually came across someone like Jackson it would be a nightmare. He’s a fantasy figure.”

It’s been just this side of two years since series one transmitted in the UK. At that time, Brodie finally had seemed to be coming to terms with the childhood death of his sister. He was resigned to the fact his young daughter and estranged wife were moving to the other side of the world. Romance was blossoming with DC Louise Munroe, played by Amanda Abbington. Or so it seemed.

While very little is known about the storylines for series 2 other than Victoria Wood will join the cast for the first story, which is adapted from Atkinson’s novel ‘Started Early, Took My Dog’, let’s hope that producers keep the hauntingly great soundtrack as an integral part of Isaac’s life. No word yet as to a possible broadcast premiere on PBS in the States, but as soon as we know something, you’ll be the first to read it here…

To start with, it has an unbeatable cast including John Simm (Life on Mars, Doctor Who), Philip Glenister (Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes), Marc Warren (Hustle, and Max Beesley (Hotel Babylon). I’m mean, c’mon, it’s DCI Gene Hunt, the Master in Doctor Who, Danny Blue and Charlie Edwards all together. Mad Dogs starts out as an innocent long weekend for Rick, Baxter, Woody and Quinn with their mate Alvo at his villa in Majorca. Seems as though Alvo has paid for the whole trip, to celebrate with his closest friends the selling his business. That’s about the sanest split second in the entire first three series so far…

If you’re wondering what you are in for before you commit to a marathon catch-up, consider that the series begins with Alvo being murdered by a very small man wearing a Tony Blair mask, catapulting the ‘luxury weekend’ into a ‘holiday in hell’…and that’s being way too kind. The rest is impossible to explain without giving too much away. Actually, it’s just impossible to explain.
 

 
With series 3 set to being on Sky in the UK on Tuesday, 4 June at 9:00pm, anyone wanting to play catch up with a series 1 & 2 guilty pleasure telly marathon before June, you won’t regret it. And, if you are worrying that once you plow through series 1 & 2 and then watch series 3 that there will be no more, you can feel safe with the knowledge that a fourth and final series has been commissioned by Sky for transmission in 2014.

For UK readers or anyone else that has seen Mad Dogs, I’d be curious as to whether or not I’m alone in this Mad Dogs as a guilty pleasure thing….

In the movie, ex-boxer Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), Iron Man’s former bodyguard, is hospitalized after a big blast at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood leaves him in a coma. So what does Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) request as entertainment for his unconscious friend? Downton, naturally! Stark claims: “It’s his favorite show.”

Executive producer Gareth Neame had yet to see the film when he chatted with Entertainment Weekly prior to its release this past weekend, but did explain that it came together rather simply. ”They just approached us,” he said. “The Iron Man producers just said, ‘We think the character should be watching Downton in the hospital bed.’ And we looked at the context and thought ‘That’s good. We’ll do it’”.

The scene was of particular interest to both Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan, Iron Man 3) and Alan Leech, who plays Tom Branson in Downton Abbey, as they recently tweeted…

Alan Leech tweet…
 

Jon Favreau tweet…
 

For those few that may not remember the Downton Abbey reference from 30 Rock here is the greatness of (Avery Jessup) Elizabeth Banks and Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) scheduling a play date to watch their favorite telly….
 

 

Clear this Saturday on your calendar….Now!

Titled “Nightmare in Silver”, Neil Gaiman’s contribution to the current set of Doctor Who and next to last episode before the 50th anniversary celebration kicks off in November will include guest stars Warwick Davis (Willow, Harry Potter, Life’s too Short), Tamzin Outhwaite and Being Human’s, Jason Watkins.
 

Adding to the excitement this week will be the transmission of a special mini episode of Doctor Who, a prequel to the series seven finale, which will be available to watch via the BBC’s interactive Red Button service (p.s. not sure what this is, but I’m guessing UK Tellyspotting readers will understand). Shot in a dreamlike style and set in a dusty old museum, “He Said, She Said” will see the Doctor and companion Clara talking directly to camera as they reflect on how little they really know about one another.

“The Name of the Doctor”, the series 7 finale, promises to resolve the ongoing mystery surrounding Clara, the girl the Time Lord has encountered in different forms throughout the series, while showrunner Steven Moffat has also claimed that the episode will “…change the course of Who forever” and “…it’s full of surprises and questions that have never been answered in the history of Who, including the Doctor’s greatest secret“.
 

For those watching this Saturday on BBC One, you should be able to access the three-minute prequel between 7:40pm and 12 midnight by ‘pressing the red button on your remote control and selecting Doctor Who‘. At this point, not sure if the finale prequel will be viewable in the States so if any enterprising Who fan feels like posting a link to a clip, we’d be happy to post for everyone to see (including me!).

Life of Crime spans three decades in the life and career of risk-taking policewoman Denise Woods. Through each decade, Denise progresses through the Metropolitan Police Force showing how choices that she makes as a rookie officer have long lasting repercussions on both her professional and personal life.

The series begins when Denise, played by Golden Globe nominee Hayley Atwell (The Duchess, Any Human Heart, Pillars of the Earth, Captain America) starts her career as an idealistic WPC, fighting sexism and ignoring her mother’s clear disappointment at her career choice.

She’s seconded to work with handsome young plain clothes Detective Sergeant Ray Deans, played by Richard Coyle (Coupling, Strange, Covert Affairs). One September morning she accompanies him to a crime scene in a narrow lane behind a Brixton nightclub where the battered and strangled body of teenager Amy has been discovered.

Having just had a previous encounter with the teenager, Denise is determined to bring Amy’s killer to justice. She works against the clear instruction and advice of her senior officers and follows her own lines of enquiry. As the investigation progresses Denise’s fervor for the case leads her to fall foul of her senior officer, DCI Ferguson (Con O’Neill). But Denise stays single-minded in her pursuit of the killer and at that point makes her fateful decision.

In what is probably a nightmare for the series’ Continuity Department, becomes the cool factor for the audience. Life of Crime is set against the backdrop of iconic moments in British history, with the drama unfolding over the three decades. Viewers will first meet Denise against the backdrop of the Brixton riots in 1985, and then in 1997 as she rises through the ranks and again in 2013 when she is a senior officer with everything to lose.

The three-part Life of Crime will transmit on ITV1 beginning 10 May at 9:00pm. With the recent success of the likes of DCI Banks, Scott & Bailey and The Bletchley Circle, let’s hope for a U.S. broadcast on PBS in the not too distant future….