Truly enjoyable British romantic-comedies come along so rarely (Four Weddings and a Funeral was more than 20 years ago) that there's cause to celebrate this smart, likeable romp. Director Ben Palmer and writer Tess Morris never try to obscure the predictable plot, but they pack every scene with sharp characters, snappy dialogue and riotous set-pieces. As a result, we're laughing so much that we barely notice that we're also being reeled in emotionally. The story centres on Nancy (Lake Bell), who is feeling particularly alone while travelling to London and a 40th anniversary party for her parents (Ken Stott and Harriet Walter). Whinging to her sister (Sharon Horgan) on the phone, she is challenged to be more spontaneous. So when she arrives at Waterloo Station and meets Jack (Simon Pegg), who mistakes her for his blind date, she decides to go along with it, assuming the identity of 24-year-old triathlete Jessica (Ophelia Lovibond). As the afternoon and evening roll out, Nancy and Jack get along surprisingly well until they run into both his bitter ex (Olivia Williams) and one of her old school friends (Kinnear), who sees this as his chance to win her over.
While there are plenty of farcical moments on this drunken night out, the filmmakers never play up the slapstick, acknowledging every over-the-top moment with an eye-roll and a pithy comment. Pegg and Bell are simply perfect for these roles: smart, witty, likeable people with questionable social skills. Both characters are a bit beaten down, but they're also open to what life throws at them, so the rather messy journey they take is thoroughly engaging. They also leave much of the crazier comedy to expert supporting players like Williams and especially Kinnear, whose character very nearly steals the movie with his goofy stalker-like antics. By focussing on the people, the filmmakers help to make the plot's frequent coincidences much more bearable. And there's also a terrific sense of London nightlife, from a superb use of locations to an inventively hilarious set-piece involving transportation. But what makes this such a winning film is its depiction of everyday awkwardness and how life continually throws unexpected obstacles in our path. Palmer's direction is a bit frantic, but it skilfully combines physical comedy with verbal wit, sending believable characters on a recognisably unruly first date while never losing that hope that one day they might meet "the one". And the movie may even encourage viewers to put themselves out there a bit more to experience what life has to offer.
My Gran always said, if it aint broke dont fix it. Well she would be tearing strips off of the boys and girls at Bingley Music Live who, charged with producing Yorkshire finest festival have already set us up for an amazing line up at a cash-tastic £49 have only gone and improved it by announcing its final lineup of 2015 and it's a corker! Four main stage headliners in just 3 days, yep, you do the maths, with the incredible JAMES, LABRINTH, IDLEWILD & SUPER FURRY ANIMALS. The party continues even between acts this year as we not only have Propaganda DJs DJing the changeovers but BBC Radio One's SCOTT MILLS, CHRIS STARK and HUW STEPHENS too! No wonder they've earned the reputation of 'The North's Last Party of Summer'.
If it had a roof it would be blowing it off this year as Yorkshire heroes EMBRACE join ASH, CAST, PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT, THE BEAT, LIBERTINES frontman CARL BARAT and his JACKALS, THE BEAT, SCOTT MATTHEWS.
The very best of new music is covered too with artists such as ELLA EYRE, RAE MORRIS, NOTHING BUT THIEVES, VANT, PIXEL FIX, MODEL AEROPLANES, THE SHERLOCKS, KIMBERLEY ANNE, NOTHING BUT THIEVES and much much more.
At £49 +bf for the whole three days there is not a better priced ticket in the country. Just check out the full line up above if you don't believe us!
Firstly how are you, you had a nasty bout of bronchitis earlier in the year, are you now fully recovered? I hope so, I haven’t actually sung yet apart from a few vocal lessons, I feel well so… I had flu and bronchitis, then a fractured ankle, I was hobbling about with a sore foot, turns out it was a fractured ankle. I had the flu jab but as reported in the news that failed… I was trying to keep going as we were gigging Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday, with Monday to Wednesday to rest so kept thinking I will be ok but it just developed into bronchitis and my vocal chords completely swelled up. The tour got called off… Yeah we had tickets for ages for the Wakefield show and it just kept getting cancelled so we have been taking a keener interest that normal in your health! Oh very sorry, yeah Wakefield was a casualty, that was the day, I got in the tour bus that morning, thinking lots of herbal teas, lots of gargling and I will be ok but I just couldn’t sing a note. Doctors told me to stop but I am always the last one to call anything off. In a 30 odd year career only had to call off a handful of shows so that’s not bad going..
So with Pleasure and Pain (the new album) now having been out a few months, how do you view it, did it achieve what you wanted and expected. It achieved more…well it didn’t achieve what I wanted because selling records is so hard now and if you aren’t a front line artist it’s very hard. Artistically I am very proud of it and it achieved more than we expected, it was the most wished for on amazon and was very well received and reviewed. And although it didn’t get playlisted on national radio, we got some very good spot plays from Graham Norton, Terry Wogan and Ken Bruce, that was really helpful and this week it gets released in HMV in Canada.
On the one hand, it achieved more than we expected but it’s frustrating we can get it the attention it deserves sometimes. I see it as laziness on the part of DJs sometimes, they are quite happy to play China in Your Hand or Heart and Soul, but I think if you actually listen to the new album, the audience would also like something like Misbelieving (from Pleasure and Pain), I think One Lesson in Love would resonate with a younger audience Thank you because yes I agree with you, its easy to become marginalised as just an 80s act and yes we do all the 80s festivals and why wouldn’t I, they are great fun but its almost digging your own grave, that’s where you belong and you don’t have anything to say. I love the festival season, I usually have a nice place on the bill, there is not too much pressure, no stress of closing the show, the audiences are really appreciative, I can usually rock up with the kids, say hello to the bands backstage, have a glass of plonk, its all very nice. These were all our chart rivals back in the day, young, arrogant and ambitious but we are all in our 50s now, most of us have had births marriages divorces, we have experience life. I don’t mean to sound mushy but it really is convivial backstage with these bands, its warm and supportive. Yeah one of the photos we took at rewind the other year, was Peter from Go West making Nik Kershaw a cup of tea. Rock and Roll! Ha , that would never been in smash hits back in the day, unless he was spiking it! Phil from The Human League makes no secret that he doesn’t really seem themselves as retro, it’s a means to an end, doing these shows means he might be able to do a new album..
I don’t see it that way, I really enjoy it, I am not embarrassed by our hits or my past, it frustrates me if I only get to sing a couple of songs as sometimes happens but I do enjoy signing them, as I said I enjoy festivals like Lets Rock Leeds even if only on a social level. I dont know Phil very well, I do like them, always enjoy their set, I am glued to them when they play but maybe they just don’t get what I get out of it. They do roll up in the big bus thing and keep themselves to themselves whereas I enjoy hooking up with my pals but he is entitled to feel the way he does.
In terms of Lets Rock Leeds, the big interest there is Tom Bailey from the Thompson Twins OH YES! I loved the Thompson twins, I supported them a few timesin America in the 80s, I was in such awe. It will be great to hear those songs again, but Tom, again he was one that said he would never do those songs again so something changed. It’s just a festival, try not to do your head in ”oh I am just a blast from the past”, just go out and enjoy it. Sometimes it can be frustrating, sometimes I feel like Vera Lynn getting wheeled out to sing We’ll Meet Again or something…I know though you can say, 27 years after it was No1 people still want to hear it and I am very proud of that.
Listening then to how you view these festivals, that explains why when you perform you don’t tinker with those songs…
No its as they were generally, I do acoustic version sometimes (See Tpau perform China acoustically below) but no there wont be a hip hop version of China, that’s not really what I do..
So you are in Leeds this summer, what recollections do you have of playing the city. Lets Rock Leeds of course the big outdoor show this summer and I supported Bryan Adams back in 1988 and our 25th anniversary tour we were at the Varieties, a beautiful venue, breathtaking. When we were there we went down to where The Queens Hall had been. I tweeted from the Car Park where it used to stand saying this is where I played.. It was an awful venue..
It was a shit hole! Sticky floors but great atmosphere. Funny enough the best show on the Pleasure and Pain show was in Chester, I was so bad tempered. My dog has a nicer room than my dressing room. No toilets, and breeze blocks holding the table up, just basic human requirements is all I ask, I mean I am not Jlo, but I think I deserve a toilet! That said it was one of the best shows, we got great reviews and we tore the roof off.
So once festival season is out of the way. Whats next for Carol Decker and Tpau
We are doing a 30 date theatre tour with Nik Kershaw and Go West, I got asked to be special guest, I have known them both for 30 years and Nik, well I had the chance to open for him back in the day, he was one of the big hitters of his day and it was really important step up and I owe him a lot. I am really looking forward to that.
TFI Friday returns to Channel 4 Friday 12th June and we were ver pleased to get to talk to both Chris Evans and Wiiiiiiiiiiiiilllll Macdonald about how it came about..
First up, Chris.. What made you want to bring TFI back? Why is this the right time? I never got to say goodbye to it as I left when there were still ten shows to go. Let's call it closure. This just feels like the right time, many of us who were involved with "the scene" at that time are back doing what we love and people seem to like it. TFI viewers had a very special relationship with the programme. What elements can they expect to see again? Lots of the old favourites will be back - Freak or Unique, It's Your Letters and Show Us Your Face Then - plus lots of new stuff that we already don't have time for. What will be different about the show?
Tune in and find out. What can you say to younger viewers about what to expect from TFI? Ask their parents, aunties and uncles, grandmas and granddads. The show was always famous for attracting the biggest names in music. Any hints as to who we might see on this time around? Definitely Blur, Blur and Blur. Oh, and have I mentioned Blur. Who were the best guests you ever had on the show? And who were the most troublesome? Best guests, Jarvis Cocker two days after he was arrested at The Brits for mooning Michael Jackson. Peter O'Toole - the coolest mad of all time, U2 Live In Dublin, Jenson Button the week before he drove in his first ever Formula 1 race. The cast of American Pie the week the movie opened in Great Britain - they had no idea how big it was going to be. Courtney Cox was pretty high maintenance; she arrived with a hundred page contract for me to sign concerning what I could and couldn't ask her during the interview. I told her people where to shove it. She came on anyway and couldn't have been nicer. Showbusiness??? What was your favourite segment on TFI? My favourite segment was The Naked Parade - pre varicose veins. Yes, we really were completely naked. What was the best thing about being involved with TFI? Being at the centre of music and movies in the nineties. Which were our sixties. Do you think TV has become less anarchic since TFI? Some TV is equally, if not more anarchic. We weren't that outrageous, just original. The two are often confused. Why is that? Time is like a fun house hall of mirrors. Memories get bent and stretched out of shape so they fit how we'd like to think they were. Even if they weren't.
and then Will came on the phone so we had a little chat too... How did the TFI reunion come about? I’d call it a clerical error. Someone at Channel 4 said, “Oh look, it’s 20 years since TFI started, we should do something.” They asked Chris if he’d be interested and he said yes, so he called me up about it. I went “Hang on a second”, did some maths and quickly realised it was actually 19 years. But by that point, everybody had gathered together such enthusiasm that we couldn’t stop. We’d gone too far to turn back. It was an unstoppable accidental train. In a way, though, it’s quite TFI to celebrate the 19th anniversary. The 19th anniversary is an underrated milestone. Maths aside, did you think the time’s right? Yes. Once we all started to talk to each other again, we got rather excited by the prospect. It went off-air 15 years ago but in all that time, there’s never been anything quite like TFI. And there’s still warmth towards it. Or as Chris calls it, “residual heat”. What are your fondest memories of first time around? Memory’s quite strange when it comes to TFI Friday. Right now, there are lots of people around the office watching old tapes and there’s a whole bunch of stuff I can’t recall at all. Apparently I laid in a bath of hot water for an entire episode but have no recollection of it whatsoever. We were in such a bubble, it all came thick and fast and was fuelled by alcohol, so there’s a startling amount I can’t remember. It’s a bit like childbirth - you look back and have fond memories but conveniently forget the pain involved. How has the show aged, looking back? Not too badly, surprisingly. Better than I feared. There’s some unfunny or dated bits obviously but there’s still a real energy and attitude to it. The way we shot the bands differently, did daft things and put the whole show together, there’s not a lot like that on TV at the moment. Which bits make you cringe? Anything that involves me being forced to dress up. I was put in a Geisha costume and full make-up, then sent down Fulham Palace Road. I was made to march around Piccadilly Circus in Geri Halliwell’s Spice Girls dress, smoking a pipe and holding a placard saying “I’m Will Macdonald and I’m nuts about the Spice Girls”. They’re the bits I watch through my fingers. It was basically workplace bullying, wasn’t it? I couldn’t agree more. Institutional bullying. The problem was, I was used to it. That’s what an all-boys public school does to you. Was TFI influential? Did it change the face of TV? Well, people try to copy it all the time. From the moment we went off-air, I’ve heard endless people in TV industry saying, “We want the next TFI Friday” or “Make it more like TFI.” Latterly, James Corden is an example of someone who grew up watching TFI. He’s talked about that being the sort of show he wants to make in America. And when Jimmy Fallon took over from Jay Leno, the production team watched clips from TFI as an example of how to loosen up The Tonight Show. But I don’t really see TFI as a format; it’s more of a mood. Is it daunting to revive something so iconic? Not really, everyone’s just giving it a go and seeing what happens. If you say with trepidation “Yes, we’re doing a big 90-minute anniversary special”, it immediately sounds much more bombastic than we are. It’s not about saying “Weren’t we great?” The show was always slightly more self-effacing than that. And we were helped first time around by the stars aligning. We happened to coincide with Britpop, Brit Art, New Labour, Cool Britannia, Euro 96… It was all going on, there were interesting people around and it was all good for the show. Does TFI being so quintessentially 90s make a 2015 revival harder? No, I’d argue that attitude and energy is pretty ageless. The reason people describe TFI as being very 90s is because of the guests and bands we had on. We had the big names of the time and they were, by definition, very 90s. If we were going to start a new series today, you’d have people who are around now. If you say, “Here’s Benedict Cumberbatch and Ed Sheeran”, suddenly it feels like 2015 and not the 90s. That’s why, for me, it’s not bound by its decade. Is the old team back together? Pretty much. It’s the same team of producers putting it together: myself, Suzi Aplin, Clare Barton and, of course, Danny Baker and Chris. Most of the crew are back. The way we’re writing and producing the show is the same now as it was back then. It feels like picking up where we left off. Are the meetings a bit calmer now, because you’re all older and wiser? I feel older and tireder. That’s maybe because I’ve now got three teenage daughters. But yes, everybody is calmer and wise. We’ve all spent the intervening years doing other TV shows and I think now we realise how special it was, what we had back then. It’s fun doing it again and we’re very grateful for the opportunity. Can we expect familiar features to be making a return? To be honest, ask me the week of transmission! But it would be churlish not to nod to the old favourites, especially as it’s an anniversary special. It’d be like a band coming on-stage and playing their latest album but none of their greatest hits. Hopefully we’ll end up with a healthy balance of fresh 2015 stuff and fun stuff that people remember. Can you reveal any star guests yet? Not at the moment. But there’ll be some good ones. Have you spent the last 20 years with people saying “Wiiiiiiiillll” at you? Yep, I still get pointed at in the street, which is strange. Although the people doing it now are slightly older with a paunch. These days, it’s mostly fat, bald painters and decorators. But mainly I walk past people in the street and they give me a look that says, “I know you from somewhere.” But they can’t quite place me and carry on walking past.
This spring, the third series of the critically acclaimed, hugely popular drama The Syndicate, from the pen of BAFTA award winning writer Kay Mellor OBE, creator of Band of Gold, Fat Friends, A Passionate Woman and In The Club will screen on BBC One. We chat with Kay and also Lenny Henry, one of the shows stars. It's 2015 and the once impressive Hazelwood Manor, which overlooks all of Scarborough and is the family home of the Hazelwoods, has now fallen into disrepair. Lord Hazelwood (Anthony Andrews, The King's Speech, Birdsong, Brideshead Revisited) is fading fast, but Lady Hazelwood (Alice Krige, Thor: The Dark World, Spooks), his second wife, seems more concerned with maintaining the lifestyle she's become accustomed to whilst his stepson Spencer (Sam Phillips, In the Flesh, Pete Versus Life) seems intent on spending his inheritance as quickly as possible. What is left of the estate is rapidly disappearing on fast cars, fancy yachts and living the high life despite rising debts... all behind the back of the ailing Lord Hazelwood. Meanwhile 'downstairs' they have had to seriously reduce their staff; once there were 30, now there are only five left: housekeeper Sarah (Cara Theobold, Downton Abbey, Scrotal Recall, Call The Midwife), cleaner Dawn (Elizabeth Berrington, Stella, Trying Again, Crimson Petal and the White), cook Julie (Melanie Hill, Cilla, Brassed Off, Auf Wiedersehen Pet), groomsman cum odd-job man Sean (Richard Rankin, The Crimson Field, Silent Witness, Black Watch) and gardener Godfrey (Lenny Henry, The Magicians, Harry & Paul, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). Godfrey formed the lottery syndicate with his colleagues years ago as he was convinced he could work out how to win it mathematically. He is a person with high functioning Asperger's syndrome and as the series opens he is certain he's finally cracked the system. He gives cleaner Dawn a list of this week's 'winning lottery numbers' according to his statistics. A series of mishaps ensues and all seems lost - but then it hits them: seemingly against all the odds, they have won £14 million! Everyone is ecstatic. Dawn, pregnant with an unplanned third child, can't wait to tell her husband Andy (Kieran O'Brien, The Look of Love, The Last Enemy), son Noah (newcomer Bradley Johnson) and beautiful daughter Amy (Daisy Head, Fallen, When The Heart Calls, Endeavour) who is reluctantly helping her out at Hazelwood Manor but has ambitions to become the next Cara Delevingne. And then, on the night of the win, Amy suddenly goes missing... As we relish the joy of our syndicate's journey from downstairs to upstairs, the search for Amy becomes increasingly urgent. The police investigation uncovers clues and raises suspicions. Secrets and backstories are revealed as we try to find out who has taken the young girl... and just how well do our syndicate really know each other? This week we chatted with one of the stars, Lenny Henry but first, the writer Kay Mellor
After the success of the first two series how does it feel to be back with THE SYNDICATE? It’s great actually. I love The Syndicate because it’s not a continuation of a series, it's literally a brand new series, a fresh concept. The only thing that’s the same is that people win the lottery. It’s great to create and get to know new characters. What drew you to the stately home setting? I love the grandeur of the house and the direct opposition between above and below stairs; it’s actually below stairs that win the lottery, so I could think of how they struggled downstairs for money and upstairs, how normally they are quite wealthy. But in this situation, upstairs are struggling for money – so there’s a complete role reversal. It's delicious for me really – a great premise for a drama. How would you bat away any comparison with other dramas set in stately homes? The Syndicate has no comparison really with series like Upstairs Downstairs or Downtown Abbey because they’re period pieces. This is very contemporary and looks at the aristocracy struggling to live in the modern world with this great big stately home that is damp, cold and difficult to live in. It’s not easy to run a place like that. I did some research with Lord Harewood who owns Harewood House which is local to where I live and he was very frank and open with me. He said that without a moral obligation he’d sell his stately home to the Americans for a golf course in a second. However because he has a duty to keep it in his family and part of the English Heritage, he can’t do it. In many ways it's like a ball and chain around his neck financially and morally. I began to understand he may own a lovely house, but might not be able to afford their bills and the staff to run it. What other research did you do? The best thing to do when you’re approaching any new series is to do as much research as you can beforehand, so that you can keep in the flow when you’re actually writing. I had to seek legal advice from a specialist lawyer to understand Heritage and inheritance and I spoke with Lord Harewood and other Lords and visited their houses to see how they operate. What made me choose Bramham as our stately house was the fact that it's a family home, not a great big business - it’s the real McCoy. Bramham is very similar to Hazelwood, which is why I settled on it as our location. Can you talk more about Lord Hazelwood’s dilemma as the guardian of the estate for future generations? Lord Harewood explained that he feels like the keeper of the estate who will pass it on to another family member, but that comes with all sorts of responsibilities. For example if you sold some silverware you’d have to pay a massive amount of tax on that, something like 80%. I thought, 'Wow, that’s a hell of a lot of money, but then again, who does the estate belong to? Does it belong to the Lord of the Manor? Or does it belong to us?' and that’s something I explore in the series. Can we talk about the cast? Did you have any of them in mind when you started writing? I didn’t really have anyone in particular in mind cast-wise when I started writing, except for the role of Spencer. I had met Sam Phillips before for a different show andI remember thinking he’d make a fabulous son of a Lord… or stepson. I told the casting director David Shaw that I wanted to keep him for something else. So I had him in mind all the time I was writing. Then I began to wonder who would fit the bill for the other parts. Lenny Henry is best known as a comedian - how did you come to cast him in THE SYNDICATE? I suppose Lenny was the most unusual piece of casting for me. But when I saw him playing Othello he was absolutely brilliant. I read an article in which he said that he wanted to get into more drama, theatre and television, and I sat there thinking… why not? Why don’t we try him out, see if he’s interested? When I first met him I wasn’t absolutely sure but within forty minutes he’d nailed it… he’d got Godfrey! And I was really excited. How about the rest of the cast? I think we've got an amazingly talented cast. Richard Rankin is an extraordinary actor, absolutely brilliant. Sean was always going to be Irish, but once I heard Richard I thought 'Well, he could be Scottish,' and I changed the script for him because I really wanted him. I auditioned Cara Theobold who worked really well with Richard. There’s an emotional truthfulness to her work, and a gentility to her nature which is great. All we had to do was work on the balder side of her. Daisy Head is fabulous, very special. I think she’s going to be an enormous star, because she’s so versatile. It was great for me; I could go on a huge journey with her character, knowing she could deliver. And of course I’d worked with Melanie Hill before on Playing the Field so I knew what a great actress she is... Elizabeth Berrington is a fabulous actress. She came in to audition and was utterly brilliant; what triggers me going with an actor is when they are emotionally truthful, absolutely in the moment, not concerned about what they look like, which is their best camera angle etc. It’s about the truth of the character, and I love that. I think her body of work is amazing. She’s probably one of the most underused great actresses of our time. And Alice Krige? Someone suggested Alice to me. I didn’t really know her work because the majority has been in the States. But when she came to audition, there was something about her that was absolutely fascinating; she’s quite small but has massive power and absolutely nailed the audition. On the first day of the shoot she was a little nervous and I wanted to remind her how fantastic she was in the audition but it wasn’t really appropriate. To be honest Bramham is massive and those rooms are daunting and she is a very demure, small woman. But by theend of the first week, she needed no guidance. And when she stopped worrying about the character being nice - a lot of actors suffer from that - she absolutely gobbled up the part and relished it. I loved watching her grow into the role. What about Anthony Andrews? Anthony is just magical. I think what makes the part of Lord Hazelwood different for Anthony is the fact that his character is broke. We have all seen him in Brideshead Revisited and he often plays the Lord and Master, but he’s never played the vulnerable, emotional side of somebody who has no money. Not only is he very eloquent and his performance faultless, but he is a great emotional actor. He beats himself up if he doesn’t get it right; he’s his own worst critic. He’ll say ‘Can we go again darling, that was dreadful,’ and I’ll say 'No it wasn’t Anthony, that was fabulous,' but then I watch what he does the next time and it’s even better. So I’ve learnt if he wants to go again, then let him. He was also really helpful to me. Sometimes he’d say something like: ‘Darling, you know, we don’t actually call them paintings, we call them pictures’. Now, I wouldn’t know that, coming from a modest background, so it was very useful. I asked him all sorts of bits and pieces along the way, and he became my advisor. Sometimes he might just change the vernacular around a bit and I was always happy to let him do that. He was like the keeper and guardian of his character. We learn that Lord Hazelwood had a child by his first wife but they both died, which means he is childless. Can you tell us what it is about heritage that fascinates you? I think it must be quite a responsibility for the aristocracy to be childless because of what happens to the estate. It's quite archaic, but fascinating. You look at the contemporary life of all those people downstairs who are really struggling… people like Dawn and Andy who can't even afford a battery for their clapped out car; and then you have Lord Hazelwood worried about his Bentley being sold. It's a delicious situation for a dramatist, comparing the lives of the haves and have nots. Our theme tune is All or Nothing which is quite apt because some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth whilst others find it difficult to get to the end of the week. It’s a great twist; the people who had nothing now have something and the people who had everything now have nothing. What sort of research did you do into Asperger’s? Once Lenny was cast as Godfrey we knew we had to get this right because It can’t be a comedian doing his version of what Asperger’s might be like. We obviously looked at other people who had played similar characters in the past like Sean Penn in I am Sam and Dustin Hoffman in Rainman. Then we visited a centre for people who suffer from Asperger’s and Autism. It was absolutely fascinating because the whole spectrum was there for us to see so we could literally choose where to pitch Godfrey. One of the people there was called Michael, a really lovely young man, who was very helpful. He was the role model for Godfrey. We had a lot of contact with him; he came on set, visited the studio during rehearsals and his key worker was with him all the time as well. He became invaluable and helped Lenny to absolutely nail the part, because he felt much more comfortable and so did I. Godfrey is high functioning but he’s not got the social awareness that he needs to have which is absolutely one of the key aspects of the condition. I understand that you were also inspired by a man whose house you used in Series 2 who had Aspergers and got himself into trouble by being open and honest. Can you tell us about that? Part of the inspiration for the character of Godfrey was someone I’ll call Chris. I used to live next door to him. He was the first person in our street to have a satellite dish, and when I say a satellite dish, I’m talking about something that was 14 foot wide in his tiny back garden. He was a very unusual character. He had Citizen's Band Radio before anyone had even heard of it. He was just extraordinary. When we were filming a scene in series 2 of The Syndicate in his house, he came up to me and said: ‘Kay, Kay, I must tell you something, I’ve nearly cracked the lottery - I’ve worked the numbers out’. And I could see that he absolutely believed it. He had a book about two inches thick full of equations. I remember thinking 'Wouldn’t that be fascinating to have a character that actually believed that they could win the lottery, that they could work out the system'. So that set me on the road to creating Godfrey. Also, during the Ripper period in Yorkshire there was a report on television saying that they thought that the Yorkshire Ripper was travelling in a grey Sudan car and that it was out on the road in the early hours of the morning when a woman had sadly been attacked by him. Christopher, bless his heart, used to go out and wander round at 3 o’clock in the morning because he was an insomniac. He spotted a grey Sudan car so, good citizen that he was, he went to the police station and told them. The Police of course found him slightly strange so kept him in for 48 hours in the Police Station interrogating him. That inspired me to think of somebody who might say something that was a bit incriminating just in that innocent way in which people that have got Asperger’s or Autism do sometimes. So that was all funnelled into the character of Godfrey and series 3. Can you mention some of the other guest appearances? We were really fortunate to have the likes of Simon Williams playing a guest role which wasn’t a big part but it really added a lot of authenticity to have him play William Forcett, because he is good looking with great stature and he’s one of our great actors as well. And lovely for Lorraine Bruce to come back, who's linked Series 1, 2 and 3 together and it’s interesting to watch how she’s evolved. By now she’s much more polished and refined, she’s got a job, she’s much more confident than she was. If you go back and look at her in series 1 with her frizzy hair, slightly yellowing teeth and her big, thick glasses – she’s gone on a whole big journey. What was it like working with your other daughter Gaynor as Script Advisor? Gaynor tells it like it is as my script editor. I think I’m quite difficult because I have been writing for a long time and I’m strong-minded about the scripts. That comes from years ago when the script editor / consultant Gwenda Bagshaw told me: "You are the keeper of the script Kay, never, ever forget that." I need somebody who can stand up to me. Sometimes I’ve watched Gaynor take a great big breath before she delivers a script note to me. It's not an easy job. I’ve been there. After our script editing sessions we put it to one side and we're mother and daughter again. We have a lot in common and we all love our jobs and we are very fortunate. Round the family dinner table sometimes it’s difficult to remember that there are other family members who are not involved in our work. Tell us about your love for Leeds and the photogenic locations you have chosen? I love Leeds and choose to live here. It's where I was born and bred and raised my family. I have seen it decline and now I’ve watched the resurgence of the city and I'm very proud when I walk around and see the magnificent buildings, modern and old, sitting so well together. I’m passionate about Yorkshire as well. It pleased me no end when we chose to film at Bramham even though we pretend it's in Scarborough - which is also in Yorkshire. In this series we also go to London and Edinburgh and it's lovely to be able to see those different vistas. So we’ve got working class Scarborough, lots shot in Leeds, the beautiful landscape of Edinburgh and then the cityscape of London. It’s a very attractive series. Have you ever played the lottery? I had to play the lottery to understand what was involved. And then we, the crew, all did the lottery. Kirsten, our Focus Puller, organised it and we all got terribly excited and felt sure that somebody would win because she put forty something lines on, and of course we didn’t and we were all mortified, but I suppose that’s how it is… all or nothing, you know! What would you do if you won a large amount of money? I would probably give a lot of it away to charity. I’ve got everything I want in life really, I’m in a very fortunate position. I might pay off a few mortgages, family and friends. That’s it... Will there be another series? You know there’s something neat about a trilogy, and so a little bit of me thinks ‘Have I done it?’ But then another little bit of me goes ‘Well, there could be five hairdressers in Hull!' It’s endless really - it could go on and on. As long as I have different stories to tell and it doesn’t compromise anything else that I want to do… and have a life as well, then I might come up with another idea for The Syndicate. You have said that you will feel bereft when THE SYNDICATE finishes filming. I think what’s hard about this series is you know you’re never going to see those people again, you’re letting the characters go. So there’s an onus on me as writer to make sure that their stories have been told by Episode 6. It’s sad because you think I could generate more stories for them. But then again I want to move on. Sometimes I think it would be interesting to visit them six months later. But with this syndicate, with sadness, I’ll have to say goodbye.
LENNY HENRY plays Godfrey Watson Have you seen the previous series of The Syndicate? I was sent an episode by Kay before I went to read for her. I thought it had energy and was vibrant, funny and moving, all the good stuff. I liked the challenge of playing somebody like Godfrey who has borderline Aspergers and behaves in a way that’s perfectly reasonable, then all of a sudden he’ll do things that are seen as a bit strange: talking too loud, interrupting people, getting slightly obsessed with numbers, and then flashes of violent behaviour. He’s highly functioning but it's something the people at Hazelwood have to deal with continually. I saw these as good challenges because to play someone like this and to show him fitting in, in a family environment clearly means a lot to people sitting at home with Aspergers or borderline autism, thinking 'yeah actually I could do that too.' He’s a great character. It’s a lovely meaty, dramatic role for you: why do you think Kay cast you? I think Kay wanted to give me a role that wasn’t man in a suit being high status and pointing his finger at things. It’s quite good having played a head teacher and a top chef in a restaurant to be playing a character that is part of an ensemble. Godfrey is very pivotal, but he's quite a visceral character too, so when you’re watching him you’re thinking does he even know how to tie his shoe laces? You’re moved by him all the time and he's also providing moments of comic relief which are undercut by some kind of moving shard of his condition. But it’s lovely because he tends to break tension whenever he appears with an incredibly straightforward usually funny request for a crane or something… How do the others deal with Godfrey? Kay and I went to the Autism Centre in Leeds and it was extraordinary to have a cup of tea and interact with some of the inhabitants. Godfrey is high functioning and because he's part of a family environment that doesn’t change from day to day, he feels quite safe. It's only when he's overloaded with stimuli from strangers that he tends to react. It was very enlightening to see people with different levels of autism and how they cope with the outside world. The Hazelwood Manor lottery group allow him to be a part of their family survival system, part of Hazelwood’s DNA, they don’t isolate him. Godfrey will say: 'I’ve got to go and water the delphiniums,' and what he means is he’s slightly over excited or over angry about something and he needs to take himself out of the environment. He could only have learnt that by taking advice on how to calm down from various members of the syndicate. Godfrey sets up the syndicate, tell us about that? Godfrey has a crazy numerical forest in his house, plastered on every single wall. He’s been looking at the lottery for the last five years and working out all the number systems that have been at play with all the winners. He’s been doing Fibonacci numbers, odds and evens, working out clusters of numbers, using string theory. He’s obsessed with numbers and determined that his system is going to be the one that wins. It’s extraordinary, like a Narnia for numbers at Godfrey’s house; he really does know his stuff. It’s just unfortunate that it’s not what he thought it was going to be and that makes him very cross. Could you tell us about Godfrey’s other obsessions? Godfrey has lots of pet projects. He's obsessed with tractors, knows all the numbers, the PC10s, the extended arm cranes, the filters, the hitch holders. He also knows everything about plants because he’s a gardener, so he’s got tonnes of books. He’s not so bothered about clothes, he doesn’t really have good taste. He has a suit that was bought for him for £19.99 when he was in his twenties by his mum. He hasn't bought another suit since; as long as it keeps him warm, and he can get it on easily and there’s not too many buttons and zips, he’s very happy. But he’s interested in birdsong and tractors and flowers and he makes nettle wine which I’m reliably informed tastes like wee. Everybody makes a show of drinking it but they pour it into the nearest plant. As the series goes on you’ll see it dying episode by episode. But he’s a good egg Godfrey; his obsessions make him. Tell us about Godfrey’s relationship with Amy? Amy is determined to be a model or a pop singer or some kind of celebrity. Godfrey has been roped into helping by taking some pictures of her. He’s so lovely and innocent and Amy is so pushy and bossy; she wants to look like Cara Delevingne, but Godfrey’s got this very basic camera that clicks and unclicks for the longest time and Amy doesn’t understand that. Godfrey has probably got several types of camera, from the box one that goes woosh, through to the old school ones. They’re probably antiques and he develops the pictures himself. But he’s saving up for a digital camera because he wants to take very good pictures of Amy to help her in her quest to become the new Cindy Crawford. He just wishes she was a bit more patient because these things take time. You've got to remember that Godfrey’s a gardener so he's used to things taking a season to grow, whilst Amy’s wants it all now. So how does he feel when she goes missing? Godfrey is incredibly sad when Amy goes missing especially because he yells at her when she comes to try and comfort him. If you were a viewer watching that, you’d think Godfrey’s so volatile and unpredictable, did he have anything to do with Amy’s disappearance? One of the clever things Kay does is juggle our suspicions throughout the series; it is possible that Godfrey might have something to do with her disappearance, because why wouldn’t he? He’s big, he’s strong, he’s powerful, he’s taken pictures of Amy, he yells at her. He’s kind of scary when he’s losing his temper... What does Godfrey plan to do with his lottery win? He wants to buy a tractor and a new camera. The tractor is to help Hazelwood Manor and to mow the lawn better, because the guy who currently does it cuts the heads off important flowers and it really gets on Godfrey’s nerves because he keeps doing it and he doesn’t seem to care. And he wants a new camera because he wants to make Amy happy. He’s also brilliant with numbers and he’d love a new computer to help Hazelwood Manor. Everything he does is with an altruistic frame of mind. There’s no subtext to Godfrey. That’s a clue. Have you played the lottery yourself? I won 250 quid on the lottery once. I felt really guilty and gave it to charity straight away. But I think that it’s a bit of hope for people isn’t it? People can dream when they watch this series. Interestingly people who win the lottery are for the most part, altruistic; they want to do things for their family, to buy a house for their gran, to help their uncle with their business or their daughters with their education. There aren't many who just want to waste it all. Tell us about working with Kay and filming here in the North? The last time I was here in Leeds, I was doing Othello at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, which was a life changing experience for me. I’ve always been a comedian and made my own work, so to suddenly be acting in Shakespeare was a massive surprise. Every day I woke up like David Byrne: 'How did I get here? This is not my beautiful house.' So it's great to be back in Leeds filming with Kay who I’ve always admired. I loved Band of Gold and Fat Friends. Strangely, I was here in Leeds and she did a workshop of a play that she was working on in 2009, and Barry Rutter and I went to see it and I was very moved by that play. I said to her at the time 'I’d love to do something with you.' So here I am and I’m really chuffed. Kay’s top notch, she writes from the heart about real people, real families and real concerns.
BBC Wales brings sell-out Manics concert to viewers with exclusive interviews
On the night when seminal Welsh band Manic Street Preachers play to a sell-out audience of 10,000 in Cardiff Castle, BBC Wales will be beaming the big concert to viewers across Wales – along with exclusive band interviews. In a special programme on BBC Two Wales and BBC iPlayer, Huw Stephens will present Manics Live from Cardiff Castle on 5 June at 9.30pm.
credit: Alex Lake
The concert is being broadcast on the inaugural BBC Music Day - a nationwide celebration of music which aims to bring people together across generations and communities through their love of music. This unique day will feature BBC programming, live music events, concerts and performances across the UK. Huw Stephens says: “Manic Street Preachers in Cardiff Castle is going to be a very special night. Those viewing it on BBC Two Wales will get to witness their brilliance on stage close up, playing The Holy Bible and more, celebrating 20 years since they released that incredible album that still sounds so vital. The Manics will no doubt fill Cardiff Castle with their poetic, visceral, beautiful music like only they can. It will be one of those nights where those there and viewers alike can say, ‘I Saw It!’”. The band, from Blackwood, Caerphilly county, will play Cardiff Castle for the first time marking the 20th anniversary of their landmark album The Holy Bible and playing it in its entirety.
Credit: Alex Lake
This remarkably intense and powerful album has long been a favourite with fans and critics alike and was largely written by, and featured, guitarist and lyricist Richey Edwards, before his disappearance in February 1995. The programme will include highlights of the live performance, together with interview and documentary content about The Holy Bible. The show will also be available on Red Button across the UK, 11pm-12.30am. Extended highlights will also be recorded for BBC Radio Wales and will feature on the Bethan Elfyn show on Saturday, June 20, between 7-10pm
For nearly three decades fans of the Thompson Twins have been waiting for more live performances from one of the most iconic bands of the eighties. Now The Thompson Twins' Tom Bailey, with a new band, will be touring and performing at Lets Rock Leeds so here is your chance to see and hear most of the big Thompson Twins hits in 2015. Halifax born Bailey has been receiving rave reviews from his handful of UK shows to date and recent US dates with Howard Jones. Lets Rock Leeds presents the nearest thing to a a home town show for Tom Bailey, and when we spoke it was clear he was expecting to feel the love. How would you describe your sound in five words?
Foot-tapping electronic pop songs
What are you most looking forward to when playing at Let’s Rock Leeds! this year?
I always enjoy playing, especially for an audience who share memories of the first time round.
What do you have planned?
We're doing a kind of "greatest hits" set, but contemporised for today.
What do you like about performing at festivals?
"The bigger, the better."
Tell us about your favourite gig?
Touring in India with the Holiwater Band, we played in a remote village in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. No electricity, no running water, but so much fun.
What is your favourite song to perform live and why?
I like to play "If You Were Here" because I've updated it to address the 25 year delay since the last time.
What’s your rider when you’re on tour?
Vegan food.
What bands are you listening to at the moment?
SJD from New Zealand
What is your advice for bands starting out?
Not everybody can be successful, so do it for the creative challenge and the fun - not the celebrity. But remember that exposure alone can't sustain a project.
Are you planning more albums and new songs?
I'm writing songs at the moment. I don't know yet where it will lead. After 7 years of 80s fun at our sell out Ultimate 80s Festivals around the country, Let’s Rock Leeds! returns to Temple Newsam on Saturday 21st June 2015. With a fabulous line-up of artists to bring you the very best of the 80s, and an action packed day of general 80s madness, there is plenty to do for everyone at this Family Friendly Festival! As the largest one-day 80s music festival in the North of England, Let’s Rock Leeds! offers something for the whole family, with entertainment for everyone. Children can enjoy our new “Let’s Rock! Playpen”, which includes tons of free stuff to keep the little ones occupied, including circus workshops with the Bigtopmania Circus, face painting, crafts, tricycles and the “Disco Shack”! With a super funfair including water rides as well as children’s entertainers from BBC/ITV, Let’s Rock Leeds! offers the perfect day out for all the family. Multiple bars and a wide range of quality food outlets, selling food from around the world. 2015 will see our new, funky 80s themed VIP enclosure, where you can pay a visit to our 80s stylists for the ultimate 80s makeover or sit back and relax in the comfy chill out zone or enjoy the outdoor seating area. The VIP enclosure includes a premium food outlet, coffee shop and full bar serving quality brands and 80s cocktails, plus of course the all important VIP luxury loos – essential at any festival! There will be plenty of action going on during those dull band changeovers, including Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, Pat Sharp and Dave Benson Phillips, alongside our Lets Rock! Megamix Karaoke – to keep the party going for the whole day! Let’s Rock! has been leading the way for quality, family-friendly 80s music festivals since 2009. Don’t miss out on this chance for a retro blast with the very best of the 80s
Five Star have sold over 10 million albums around the world without ever having toured outside the UK on Tent Records, distributed by RCA and then later Epic Records. Luxury Of Life reached the UK top 5 and sold over one million copies, and went gold in the USA on the strength of the top 20 British smash,the Grammy Nominated single All Fall Down/First Avenue. Five Star have been performing together for 30 years, with 32 top 100 hits on the Tent Records label. The group was launched under the direction and guidance of their late father/manager Buster Pearson,a renowned Pop/R&B musician who played with Wilson Pickett,Muddy Waters,Desmond Decker and Jimmy Cliff. Five Star will be performing at Lets Rock Leeds next month alongside the Thompson Twins, Heaven 17, Rick Astley and a host of 80's legends and we caught up with lead singer Denise Pearson to find out what she and the band are up to.. How would you describe your sound in five words? Musically melodic, musicians works of art, outstanding, master pieces, unforgettable
What are you most looking forward to at Let’s Rock Leeds! this year? Always looking forward to meeting all the 80's artist in person. Being teenagers when we started out, we were heavily guarded. Ushered to and from gigs so we never had the time to stop and chat. Also experiencing the unforgettable audiences at Let's Rock. Truly an awesome experience. What do you have planned? A lot of 80's festivals this year and maybe a new album followed by a tour the coming year. What do you like about performing at festivals? It's always great to perform with a live band. That is one thing that can't be beat. Live entertainment with great musicians and awesome tunes! Tell us about your favourite gig? I think my favourite gig personally was performing on The Jacksons Unity Tour. That was the pinnacle for me. What is your favourite song to perform live and why? 'Stay out of my Life' is my favourite Five Star song to perform. I guess it's because it has that a Rock kind of feel. I love the intensity of the mid 8 into the key change. It totally Rocks What’s your rider when you’re on tour? Rider consists of Pink clouds in an old glass lucosade bottle (with orange plastic wrapper) 4 bottles of champagne with diamond encrusted rolex 2 his 2 hers in the bottom of each bottle and a pepperoni stuffed crust pizza to share, Oh, and chocolate x What are you listening to at the moment? Abba, I work out to 'The Nations 70's number one's consisting of The village People YMCA, Ring my Bell, Gloria Gaynor 'I will Survive yah baby. What is your advice for bands starting out? Write your own material, Never give up! Always follow your dream and enjoy the ride! After 7 years of 80s fun at our sell out Ultimate 80s Festivals around the country, Let’s Rock Leeds! returns to Temple Newsam on Saturday 21st June 2015. With a fabulous line-up of artists to bring you the very best of the 80s, and an action packed day of general 80s madness, there is plenty to do for everyone at this Family Friendly Festival! As the largest one-day 80s music festival in the North of England, Let’s Rock Leeds! offers something for the whole family, with entertainment for everyone. Children can enjoy our new “Let’s Rock! Playpen”, which includes tons of free stuff to keep the little ones occupied, including circus workshops with the Bigtopmania Circus, face painting, crafts, tricycles and the “Disco Shack”! With a super funfair including water rides as well as children’s entertainers from BBC/ITV, Let’s Rock Leeds! offers the perfect day out for all the family. Multiple bars and a wide range of quality food outlets, selling food from around the world.
2015 will see our new, funky 80s themed VIP enclosure, where you can pay a visit to our 80s stylists for the ultimate 80s makeover or sit back and relax in the comfy chill out zone or enjoy the outdoor seating area. The VIP enclosure includes a premium food outlet, coffee shop and full bar serving quality brands and 80s cocktails, plus of course the all important VIP luxury loos – essential at any festival! There will be plenty of action going on during those dull band changeovers, including Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, Pat Sharp and Dave Benson Phillips, alongside our Lets Rock! Megamix Karaoke – to keep the party going for the whole day!
Let’s Rock! has been leading the way for quality, family-friendly 80s music festivals since 2009. Don’t miss out on this chance for a retro blast with the very best of the 80s Lets Rock Leeds tickets available here
Truly enjoyable British romantic-comedies come along so rarely (Four Weddings and a Funeral was more than 20 years ago) that there's cause to celebrate this smart, likeable romp. Director Ben Palmer and writer Tess Morris never try to obscure the predictable plot, but they pack every scene with sharp characters, snappy dialogue and riotous set-pieces. As a result, we're laughing so much that we barely notice that we're also being reeled in emotionally.
By focussing on the people, the filmmakers help to make the plot's frequent coincidences much more bearable. And there's also a terrific sense of London nightlife, from a superb use of locations to an inventively hilarious set-piece involving transportation. But what makes this such a winning film is its depiction of everyday awkwardness and how life continually throws unexpected obstacles in our path. Palmer's direction is a bit frantic, but it skilfully combines physical comedy with verbal wit, sending believable characters on a recognisably unruly first date while never losing that hope that one day they might meet "the one". 
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