Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston has this X-rated condition for going on Strictly Come Dancing.

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/strictly-come-dancing/news/a842034/doctor-who-christopher-eccleston-strictly-come-dancing-condition/

We'd love to see it happen.

Christopher Eccleston brought us a dancing Doctor in series 1 of the rebooted Doctor Who, but he still wouldn't be our first thought when it comes to potential Strictly Come Dancing contestants.

However, if that day were ever to come, the actor has told Digital Spy he would have one condition for taking to the dance floor.

He was speaking to us about series 2 of The A Word, a BBC drama about a young boy with autism who has a particular fondness for the music of The Undertones and The Buzzcocks.

Self-confessed music 'obsessive' Eccleston revealed his surprise that Strictly bosses used The Buzzcocks' track 'Ever Fallen in Love' for Gemma Atkinson and Aljaz Skorjanec's jive in the Halloween edition of the show.

"Wow!" he said, before joking: "So, Strictly didn't use the Buzzcocks track 'Orgasm Addict' then?!"

That song was banned by the BBC when it was released in 1977.

Eccleston – whose favourite line from the track is: "I'm an orgasm addict, and I'm always at it!" – added: "I'd like to see 'Orgasm Addict' on Strictly Come Dancing. It would bring a whole new meaning to the title Strictly Come Dancing wouldn't it?

"I'll do it if they let me use 'Orgasm Addict'!"

We can't see that happening anytime soon Chris, so maybe don't go out buying those dancing shoes quite yet.

Eccleston's co-star on The A Word, Lee Ingleby, has already told Digital Spy the second series will pick up two years later, with his autistic son Joe aged 7, and it will see the Hughes family facing new challenges.

The A Word series 2 starts on BBC One, Tuesday, November 7 at 9pm.

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Chris quote.

https://www.metro.news/on-this-day-november-1/804202/

Quote of the day

'We're dinosaurs. We're still as prehistoric as the Weinstein scandal has shown us' — Actor Christopher Eccleston (pictured) saying that more people with special needs should be represented on TV.

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Christopher Eccleston, Andrew Scott and more join Anthony Hopkins in BBC Two's King Lear.

Emma Thompson and Jim Broadbent also feature in the cast.

Christopher Eccleston and Andrew Scott are among the big stars who will be joining Anthony Hopkins in BBC Two's all-star King Lear adaptation.

Emma Thompson and Jim Broadbent will also feature in the drama, which begins shooting later this month.

Based on William Shakespeare's well-known tragedy and directed by Richard Eyre, King Lear follows the eponymous ruler (Hopkins) who presides over a totalitarian military dictatorship in a fictional present-day England.

Thompson, Emily Watson and Florence Pugh play Lear's three daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia.

In addition, the cast includes Tobias Menzies (Outlander), Anthony Calf (New Tricks), Jim Carter (Downton Abbey), John Macmillan (Hanna) and Karl Johnson (Rome).

The project is a co-production between the BBC and Amazon Studios. Amazon Prime Video has US and German rights, and will also air the drama in the UK after its first showing on BBC Two.

"It is a tribute to the great Richard Eyre that we have brought together such a remarkable cast," said executive producers Colin Callender and Sonia Friedman. "The film is a testament to the BBC's on-going commitment to the single drama, and we are very appreciative of their continued support.

"We are particularly excited to be working with Amazon and their support for the film reflects their emergence as a leading global brand of top-quality drama."

King Lear is slated to premiere in 2018.

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a839909/christopher-eccleston-andrew-scott-anthony-hopkins-bbc-two-king-lear/

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RSC unveil summer 2018 season - Christopher Eccleston to star as Macbeth.

https://coventryobserver.co.uk/lifestyle/rsc-unveil-summer-2018-season-christopher-eccleston-to-star-as-macbeth-2252/

CHRISTOPHER Eccleston will make his RSC debut in Stratford next year as Macbeth.

The former Dr Who will be joined by Niamh Cusack as Lady Macbeth in the Polly Findlay directed production announced among the summer 2018 season.

There will also be productions of Romeo and Juliet and The Merry Wives of Windsor; alongside John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, a revival of a 17th century play by little-known Mary Pix, The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich, and Miss Littlewood, a new musical by Sam Kenyon based on the life of theatre revolutionary, Joan Littlewood.

RSC artistic director Gregory Doran's 2016 production of King Lear will also join the Royal Shakespeare Theatre repertoire for a limited season after an international tour.

Mr Doran said "There is something for everyone here, for the young and the young at heart."

Visit www.rsc.org.uk for full details.

Macbeth (March 13 to September 22) – Shakespeare's dark tragedy of power and revenge is directed by Polly Findlay whose last RSC production was The Alchemist in 2016. Christopher Eccleston makes his RSC debut in the title role of the bloody king in this contemporary psychological thriller. His recent work includes the television series Safe House and The A Word, and Antigone at the National Theatre in 2012. He is joined by Niamh Cusack as Lady Macbeth. Niamh was last at the RSC in 1996 as Rosalind in As You Like It directed by Steven Pimlott. Niamh's recent theatre work includes The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time at the National Theatre/West End, and The Winter's Tale at Shakespeare's Globe.

Romeo and Juliet (April 21 to September 22) – Directed by RSC deputy artistic director, Erica Whyman, and set in a world very like our own, this Romeo and Juliet is about a generation of young people born into violence and ripped apart by the bitter divisions of their parents. The most famous story of love at first sight explodes with intense passion and an irresistible desire for change, but leads all too quickly to heart-breaking consequences. Young people from RSC Associate Schools around the country will share the role of the Chorus with the professional cast. The production is designed by Tom Piper and will tour in 2019.

The Merry Wives of Windsor (August 4 to September 20) – Down on his luck in the suburbs, John Falstaff plans to hustle his way to a comfortable retirement by seducing the wives of two wealthy men. Unknown to him, it's the women of Windsor who really pull the strings, orchestrating Falstaff's comeuppance amidst a theatrical smorgasbord of petty rivalries, jealousies and over-inflated egos. For a fat Englishman, a Welshman and a Frenchman, the only way is Windsor. Fiona Laird makes her directing debut for the RSC and David Troughton takes on the role of Falstaff after his acclaimed Titus Andronicus as part of the Rome season.

King Lear (May 23 to June 9) Antony Sher reprises his acclaimed title role of the acclaimed production which was first seen in the RST and at the Barbican in 2016. It returns to the RST after an international tour.

The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster (March 1 to August 4) – Written in 1612, this macabre tragedy by Webster is loosely based on events that occurred between about 1508 and 1513. In an attempt to prevent the fiercely independent Duchess from marrying the man she loves, her brutally corrupt brothers go on a disturbing quest to destroy her. Remarkable for its inventive and grotesque violence, yet full of dark humour, this violent revenge tragedy asks how anyone can survive in a world where masculinity has become toxic. Directed by Maria Aberg.

The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich (or The Beau Defeated) by Mary Pix (March 22 to June 16) – Mrs Rich, a wealthy widow, aspires to rub shoulders with the great and good and perhaps even gain a title. Unfortunately, she's not the only one after Sir John Roverhead. Pix's comedy of manners combines mischief-making and mind-bending plot twists with a sharp satirical and distinctly female wit. Her colourful cast of characters dupe and dissemble as the intrigue builds. Will Mrs Rich ever squeeze her way into high society? Directed by Jo Davies.

Miss Littlewood, book, music and lyrics by Sam Kenyon (June 22 to August 4) – Joan Littlewood was the anarchic revolutionary of 20th century theatre. Born into poverty, she raged her way to have lasting influence on British culture. Anti-establishment, communist, visionary, rude and glorious, Joan fired the imagination of a generation. Her unique Theatre Workshop was responsible for a raft of successes including Oh, What A Lovely War!, A Taste of Honey and The Hostage, and breathed new life into the then-derelict Theatre Royal Stratford East . This new musical of Joan's life story, told with her own uncompromising candour, reveals a mighty love story at its heart. Directed by Erica Whyman.

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New role for Chris.

This is from the Mirror newspaper today (Friday 1st Sept)

Astonishing BBC1 documentary Ambulance lifts lid on the work of Birmingham paramedics.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/showbiz-tv/astonishing-bbc1-documentary-ambulance-lifts-13519479

The extraordinary work of the West Midlands Ambulance Service is featured in a major BBC1 documentary series.

The first series of Ambulance was filmed in London but the second has moved to Birmingham and the Black Country, to film some of the 3,000 people who call 999 for paramedics every DAY in our region.

And these are some of the shocking things which happen in the first episode from just two 12-hour shifts.

• A man is brought back to life by paramedics, 26 minutes after a cardiac arrest 
• A woman who suffered a stillbirth delivers her next baby in the bath
• A man drives his mobility scooter into a lake to kill himself
• A man is attacked with a baseball bat in a row over a parking space

• The eight-part series, narrated by Christopher Eccleston, begins on Thursday, August 24.

  The cameras follow the cases, minute by minute, from the initial 999 call to how quickly the ambulance gets there and what happens afterwards.

  West Midlands Ambulance Service has to cover more than 5,000 square miles and 5.2 million people.

  The first episode begins on a Saturday night when calls pour into the control room. They deal with almost 1,500 patients, 20 per cent up on a week night.

  One of the incidents they are called to involves 10 people fighting in the street. One man is stabbed while another has been hit by a baseball bat in what he reveals is an argument over a parking space.

  Paramedics Natalie and Nat are sent to a 25-year-old woman who is in advanced labour with a suspected placenta abruption.

  It's her third baby, a boy, but her daughter was stillborn last year.

  She's in the bath and it's too hard to move her, though the paramedics are worried about the baby being in distress.

  It's a joyful moment when a healthy boy is safely delivered.

  But paramedics Darren and Mel are visibly upset when they attend a job at Rowheath Pavilion in Bournville.

  Initially they are told a man has fallen in while fishing after a suspected heart attack or epileptic fit.

  But it gradually emerges that he drove his mobility scooter into the lake deliberately.

  The paramedics revive him and get him to the Queen Elizabeth hospital, where he tells doctors: "I don't want to live any more, I hate life, let me die."

  He then dies in hospital of secondary drowning.

  Sarah Watson, 27, from Bournville, is one of the paramedics featured in Ambulance.

  She says: "The job can be really hard but also immensely satisfying when you manage to help people.

  "It's a really diverse job, you never know what you're going to get when you respond to a call.

  "It can be unnerving, especially as I'm in a double female crew with Katie Linford.

  "I have been in an ambulance where someone smashed the window, I've been verbally and sexually abused and it can be hard.

  "Some images never leave your mind. I remember turning up to a hit and run where a woman had been hit with such force that her face was unrecognisable.

  "We want to help so it's always difficult when the injuries are too severe.

  "I've delivered five babies which is one of the best jobs but also the scariest. It's such a beautiful moment but a big responsibility.

  "I'm pleased that Ambulance will show viewers what we do."

  Ambulance begins on BBC1 on Thursday at 9pm

  
  

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Christopher Eccleston reads Riot Act at Peterloo event

Shared from BBC News:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-manchester-40993524/christopher-eccleston-reads-riot-act-at-peterloo-event


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Christopher Eccleston hits out at lack of working class representation in the arts.

The former 'Doctor Who' star comes from a working class background

Former Doctor Who Christopher Eccleston has claimed that his working class roots put him at a disadvantage to the "boy's club" of public school-educated actors.

He made the comments on Sky News earlier today, following the release of a new Labour report which claims that the class-divide in the performing arts is putting lower class creatives at a disadvantage.

"If ever I go up against anybody who is from a middle class background, or has been public school educated – and particularly if they've been to Oxbridge – I'm at a disadvantage," he says. "They have a superior education to me, and also it's a 'boy's club'.

"I do have an advantage, because I'm white and I'm male," he admits, "but it was a lot easier for me than it is for the equivalent [today]. I could not have gone to drama school today – my parents could not have afforded to pay for me to go to drama school now. People like me are not gonna come through anymore.

MPU 1 (Desktop / Tablet)

"There is no way that film and television in this country reflects the multicultural society we live in. If you are working class, [or] if you are non-white, you are at a severe disadvantage."

Check out his comments in full below.

https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/895614762888843264

Christopher Eccleston's comments reflect a Labour report, published yesterday, criticising the lack of class diversity within the arts.

The Acting Up report states that the performing arts are "increasingly dominated by a narrow set of people from well-off backgrounds". Stage, film and TV are all under scrutiny.

"In an industry where perception and wealth are so important," the report continues, "recognising and understanding the role class plays is crucial. But at the moment there's a big C-shaped hole."

Tracy Brabin, a former actor and MP who led the inquiry says "the systematic eradication of arts education in schools, sky-high drama school audition fees, chronic low pay and a lack of diversity behind the scenes are all contributing to a diversity crisis on our stages and screens."

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Christopher Eccleston Interview Bullying Advice, The Leftovers & The A Word

http://dai.ly/x5w9qbx

Christopher Eccleston breaks his silence on new Doctor Jodie Whittaker

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-08-06/christopher-eccleston-breaks-his-silence-on-new-doctor-jodie-whittaker


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