Tag: england

March 6, 2019

Neil Gaiman Wants You to Watch New ‘Good Omens’ Trailer

Well, this was a pleasant surprise! In a tweet this morning, Neil Gaiman posted a link to the latest trailer for the upcoming adaptation of one of his most famous novels: Good Omens, co-written with the late, great novelist Terry Pratchett. Gaiman took to Twitter to ask fans: ‘So you’ve all seen this now, yes?’

Yes, Neil, yes we have, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Image Via RadioTimes

The novel was the result of a creative collaboration between the brilliant Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, a witty adventure that follows the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley as they both attempt to sabotage the coming of the proverbial end times, having grown used to living comfortably in England. A madcap comedy, the book features brilliant satire of common religious fixtures such as the biblical book of Revelations, the Four Horsepeople of the Apocalypse, Satanic nuns, and the unlikely pairing between the two protagonists. The Amazon Prime series looks to be embracing all this fun.

Starring David Tennant as Crowley and Michael Sheen as Aziraphale, the trailer seems to embrace the full imaginative and satirical bent of the novel. Just some of the things audiences get to see include krakens, aliens, demonic motorbikers, as well as glimpses of Jon Hamm and Nick Offerman. But the pairing of Crowley and Aziraphale looks to be just perfect, with Tennant and Sheen embodying their roles spectacularly. And it’s all set to a soundtrack by Queen for the icing on the cake.

Good Omens will be let loose on Amazon Prime on May 31st. It’s going to be one hell of a ride.

Featured Image Via Deadline

July 11, 2018

Jane Austen’s Unfinished Novel ‘Sanditon’ Being Adapted for Television

A hotter, sexier adaptation of the novel that Jane Austen was working on when she died is being developed by Andrew Davies, reports The Guardian. Davies previously wrote the screenplays for the BBC’s War and Peace and Pride and Prejudice.

With only eleven chapters completed upon Austen’s death in 1817, Sanditon focuses on Charlotte Haywood as she bears witness to the business minded Mr. Parker’s efforts to transform the titular seaside town from a quaint fishing village into a luxury resort.

The sex appeal comes into play with the main selling point of the show reportedly being “quite a bit of nude bathing” along with the Austen staples of feisty female protagonists and eligible bachelors abound.

This latest effort will join a host of other adaptations of Sanditon which fancied themselves continuations of the original. With only eleven chapters from the original manuscript to work with, many have tried to complete the work, based upon Austen’s fragment. Here’s to hoping Davies’ production enthralls lovers of epic period pieces.

Featured Image Via The Telegraph

July 11, 2018

Doctor Who Villains Getting Their Own Stories In New Book Series

A short story collection set in the Doctor Who universe titled Twelve Angels Weeping will feature classic villains of the cherished British television series, reports Radio Times.

Dastardly foes of the regenerating Time Lord to be featured in the story collection include the robotic Cybermen, telepathic Ood, and the genocidal Daleks. No word on the Weeping Angels, but seeing as how one is featured on the cover, it would be a good bet that those time eating horrors are lurking around.

^{Image Via Rebloggy}

Written by Dave Rudden, each story will revolve around one of the aforementioned monsters as they encounter some Christmas themed shenanigans and Yuletide adventure.

Twelve Angels Weeping is scheduled to be published this October, just in time for the holiday season. Remember to keep a sonic screwdriver in your stocking.

Feature Image Via BBC America

July 10, 2018

Hogwarts Voted #1 Among Top 10 Castles Children Want to Visit

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was chosen as the number one castle children most want to visit even though it doesn’t technically exist at all.

English Heritage, a non-profit organization who manages, and helps celebrate, historic buildings in England recently did a survey where they asked 1,000 children between the ages of six and sixteen to name their top ten castles they most wished to visit (if they could).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, over half of the answeres listed fictional castles, some of which include iconic Disney princess castles such as Cinderella’s castle. In a surprise twist, however, Hogwarts bypassed Cinderella’s castle as well as historical sites like the Windsor Castle and was voted number one.

Kate Mavor, chief execute of English Heritage, said that the reason why Hogwarts likes topped the list instead of the very-real castles children can actually visit is because of their exposure to castles on screen rather than in person.

“We are in danger of creating an ‘iCastle Generation’ of kids who have only ever seen a castle on a screen,” Mavor said. “Today’s children are increasingly likely to catch their first glimpse via TV or film rather than in real life.”

The survey seemed to backup Mavor’s comments, as it found that 60 percent of children’s earliest memories of castles were through their exposure to television, film, and books including Harry Potter, Cinderella, and Frozen. Though the children who voted for Hogwarts unfortunately can’t visit the real deal, they can see a very realistic Hogwarts at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios.

In the meantime, check out which castles – fictional and real – made the list!

Top ten castles children want to visit:

1. Hogwarts | Harry Potter

2. Cinderella’s Castle | Cinderella

3. Elsa’s Ice Palace | Frozen

4. Beast’s Castle | Beauty and the Beast

5. Edinburgh Castle | Edinburgh, Scotland

6. Castle Doom | Marvel Comic Books

7. Far Far Away Castle | Shrek

8. Windsor Castle | Berkshire, England

9. Dover Castle | Kent, England

10. Sleeping Beauty’s Castle | Sleeping Beauty

Featured Image Via Playbuzz

February 28, 2018

The Most Recent Archaeological Discovery? A Mesolithic Crayon!

Archaeologists excavating land in North Yorkshire, England have discovered what they believe to be a prehistoric crayon along with a pebble that was scraped in order to make red pigment.

^{Image Via Atlas Obscura}

Andy Needham, an archaeologist at the University of York, has said, “One of the latest objects we have found looks exactly like a crayon; the tip is faceted and has gone from a rounded end to a really sharpened end, suggesting it has been used.”

^{Image Via Atlas Obscura}

The crayon and pebble were found on opposing sides of a peat bog adjacent to the Mesolithic site where archaeologists previously uncovered over thirty headdresses made from antlers. Needham says:

I think color was probably always important to humans, and it perhaps might even have been important to yet earlier species. And red ochre is common in very early humans sites in Africa, perhaps suggesting it has always been an important material in producing color, amongst other uses, for humans… We see it used for such a long period of time—the use of red ochre at Pinnacle Point in South Africa dates to around 160,000 years ago—and during the Mesolithic period it is commonly found sprinkled into burials across Europe, perhaps suggesting red had some symbolic significance in this act.

Red ochre had many uses: it was employed as a medicine, a natural sunscreen, and an insect repellent as well as for a variety of artistic purposes. Needham added, “For me [the crayon] is a very significant object and helps us build a bigger picture of what life was like in the area. It suggests it would have been a very colorful place.”

Featured Image Via Atlas Obscura.