Telly Visions Special: Michelle Ryan

This is an extra post for fans of Michelle Ryan mainly to let you know she will be appearing on BBC Two this Sunday morning, at 10am, as a guest on “Something for the Weekend”. Not quite sure what she’s there to promote but I’ve heard she may be returning to “EastEnders”. You’ll probably have to put up with Tim Lovejoy’s endless waffle on football but you can always leave the programme on in the background until the lovely Michelle’s appearance!

You’ve probably realised by now - my new blog-header kinda gives it away - that I enjoyed last year’s “Doctor Who” Easter Special, “Planet of the Dead”. I expected to enjoy November’s “The Waters of Mars” more, being horror based and directed by Graeme Harper, but preferred the rapport between the two leads on the red bus to the comedy robot on the red planet! Due to the prominence of said bus, “Planet of the Dead” reminded me of the Sylvester McCoy adventure “Delta and the Bannermen”, for which I’ve always held a soft spot. Both stories are great fun. However, I suspect Michelle’s episode was probably more influenced by “The Mummy Returns”. I thought David Tennant and Michelle Ryan worked extraordinarily well together and, like the relationship between Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor and Nicola Bryant’s Peri in “The Caves of Androzani”, they left me wanting more…

Michelle is building quite a reputation for herself in the fantasy genre altogether. What with a returning role, playing a villainess, in the first series of “Merlin”, an aborted attempt, after eight episodes, to revive the “Bionic Woman”, and as one of the protagonists in Steven Moffat’s “Jekyll” it would be good to see her continue in this vein rather than return to soap land. It may be a question of needs must but that would be a shame for this fine actress. Her turn in corset drama “Mansfield Park”, alongside Billie Piper, is also worth a mention. Support Miss Ryan on Sunday!

Irish Rumour Scotched?

Ulster star Jimmy Nesbitt has dismissed rumours that he could be the next Time Lord.

Gossip columns were rife with rumours that the Coleraine man would receive the TARDIS key this summer.

However, speaking to the Belfast Telegraph on Friday night, the father of two dashed sci-fi fans’ hopes that he would become the first “Doctor Who” with a Northern Ireland accent.

The 42-year-old “Cold Feet” star said he had heard the rumours, but added: “There is no truth in it at all. David (Tennant) and Chris (Eccleston) were so good I don’t think I could follow them. I think I would be found out!” he joked.

When asked if he would consider the role if approached by the creators of “Doctor Who”, he said: “I think not.”

It was alleged that Jimmy would take over from the current Time Lord David Tennant - who is rumoured to be quitting at the end of the next series, along with executive producer Russell T. Davies - to become the eleventh incarnation of the famous time travelling Doctor.

Nesbitt enjoyed success in the six-part series “Jekyll” and is well-known for his role in police drama “Murphy’s Law”.

And the actor said he hoped he could continue making “Murphy’s Law”.

“I hope I can, it has been a great experience, a great challenge,” he said.

Interview by Victoria O’Hara © Belfast Telegraph

Hyde Who?

So, if Steven Moffat replaces Russell T Davies as Executive Producer of “Doctor Who”, after season four next year, it looks as though “Jekyll” and “Cold Feet” actor James Nesbitt will succeed David Tennant in the title role of the long-running science fiction series and become the eleventh actor to play the Doctor! I’m not really sure what I think about this. The idea doesn’t repulse me in the same way that the prospect of Catherine Tate nagging for thirteen episodes does! I gradually warmed to the actor’s performance in Moffat’s take on Stevenson’s horror classic and have previously enjoyed him getting to grips with a certain Billie Piper in “The Miller’s Tale” episode of “The Canterbury Tales”!! The possible casting of Mr Nesbitt does still seem a far cry, though, from the way I perceive “Doctor Who”. Sadly, the show isn’t meant for thoughtful and analytical types, anymore, but for those who prefer their entertainment wacky and zany in a manner far-removed from Tom Baker’s supposed eccentricities. New “Doctor Who” is for those who favour munching on a Big Mac to savouring a well-cooked meal. I wonder if Tate, and the returning Noel Clarke, will be gone by the time of Jimmy’s arrival and, if so, will he be “Coupling” with “Blackeyes” in the TARDIS or pulling (a pint with) the “Bionic Woman” in the old Queen Vic?!!