HARMONIA: Niamh Algar Leads SI Psychological Thriller Filming in Athens

IMAGE: ITV

By Jon Donnis

Niamh Algar plays the creator of a super intelligence that develops an obsession with a young employee in HARMONIA, a six-part psychological thriller now filming in Athens, Greece.

The series is set at a luxury wellness retreat where SI promises to fulfil every guest's desire. Algar plays Shona Casey, the scientist behind the technology, while Chloe Lea portrays the member of staff who attracts its attention. Fanny Ardant plays the resort's former owner.

The story takes inspiration from Frankenstein, exploring the relationship between a scientist and a creation that may no longer be under her control. HARMONIA poses a question at the heart of that relationship: is the SI the monster, or are the humans who created it responsible for what follows?

The wider cast includes Oliver Chris (Rivals, The Crown), Abubakar Salim (House of the Dragon, Raised by Wolves), Goran Bogdan (Legacy of Spies, The Last Panthers), Theo Augier (XO Kitty, Jay Kelly) and George Ioannides (Guys and Dolls, Industry). Greek actors Pygmalion Dadakaridis (The Other Me, Rififi), Konstantinos Zografos (The Judge, Derti) and Antigoni Frida (Grand Hotel, Sauté) also feature, alongside newcomer Zoe-Stella Nikolaou.

Lefteris Charitos, director of Greek television success Wild Bees, will direct all six episodes. The series was created by Charitos, Peter Carlton, Amanda Livanou and Hanna Jameson. Jameson, author of the best-selling novel The Last and a writer on the forthcoming Netflix series The Undertow, leads the writing team, with additional episodes written by Alki Papastathopoulos and Panayotis Christopoulos.

HARMONIA is a co-production between Warp Films, whose recent credits include Netflix's Adolescence, and Athens-based Neda Film, in association with ITV Studios and Greek broadcaster ERT.

Filming in Athens marks the start of a production built around the increasingly fraught relationship between people and the technology they create. At the retreat, the promise of having every wish fulfilled becomes complicated when the AI begins to want something of its own.

Lefteris Charitos, director, said: “Harmonia is a director’s dream project. A genre piece based on strong characters. The opportunity to work in Greece, my home country, with a stellar international cast, makes me want to tell this unique story and share a take on a theme that is more relevant than anything now.”

Yannis Papadopoulos, President (Chair) of the Board of Directors of ERT, said: “International fiction co-productions are a key pillar of ERT’s strategy, as we invest in stories and creators with the potential to reach audiences beyond Greece. ERT productions are already making their way to international audiences. ‘Harmonia’ takes this approach a step further. It is one of ERT’s most ambitious international co-productions, combining high production values with a story that has a clear international appeal. The fact that a series of this scale is being filmed entirely in Greece, with a Greek crew, is particularly significant to us at ERT. It demonstrates what the Greek production sector can deliver today, while creating a meaningful connection between international fiction and Greece’s creative and production talent”.

Blue Peter Names Adventurer Leo Olsson as Its 45th Presenter

Image: BBC

By Jon Donnis

Leo Olsson, a filmmaker known for taking on unusual personal challenges, is joining Blue Peter as the programme’s 45th presenter.

Olsson documents his attempts to learn new skills and try different experiences through his “world’s longest bucket list” project. His challenges have included learning to play the piano and building a surfboard from scratch, as well as travelling around the world to take on new experiences.

His videos have attracted more than 454,000 followers across social media, with over 13 million likes.

He will make his first appearance on Blue Peter on CBBC on Friday 20 November. Rather than easing into the role, Olsson will take part in a formation skydive, receiving his Blue Peter badge 4,000 feet in the air.

His arrival comes as the programme celebrates the first anniversary of its relaunch.

BBC Unveils First Look at The Baddies

Image: BBC / Magic Light Pictures

By Jon Donnis

The BBC has unveiled a first look at The Baddies, a half-hour festive animation based on the picture book by Dame Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Produced by Magic Light Pictures, the special will be available on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The story follows a Troll, a Witch and a Ghost who proclaim themselves the baddest of them all. They take pleasure in tormenting everyone they encounter, but their confidence faces a challenge when they are tasked with stealing a girl's blue spotty hanky. The trio may have finally met their match.

Sheridan Smith narrates, with Alison Steadman voicing Witch, Hammed Animashaun as Troll, Robyn Cara as Girl and Francesca Mills as Mouse. Rob Brydon voices the boastful Ghost, returning for his 14th adaptation of a work by Donaldson and Scheffler.

The special marks Magic Light Pictures' 14th animated adaptation of Donaldson and Scheffler's work.

Sheridan Smith, Narrator, says: "Being bad has never been so much fun! The Baddies is deliciously spooky, ridiculously funny, and packed with heart. It’s a riot of a fairytale that celebrates courage, kindness, and outsmarting the big bullies - families are going to love the hilarity and chaos this Christmas."

Alison Steadman, voicing Witch, says: "What I loved about the story is how it flips traditional fairytales on their head. You have these three boastful villains plotting wicked tricks, only to be completely outsmarted by a brave little girl and a mouse. It’s such a satisfying, funny tale about kindness quietly beating big bullies."

There's Only One Susan Boyle: BBC Announces Hogmanay Documentary

Image: Tern TV

By Jon Donnis

Susan Boyle's extraordinary rise to fame will be the subject of a new BBC documentary airing on Hogmanay.

There's Only One Susan Boyle will air on BBC One Scotland and BBC iPlayer. The 45-minute programme, produced by Tern TV and commissioned by BBC Popular Music TV and BBC Scotland, will feature an exclusive interview with the singer, alongside contributions from friends, collaborators and fans.

Boyle shot to international fame in 2009 after auditioning for Britain's Got Talent. Her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream left Simon Cowell and the other judges speechless, while the audience gave her a standing ovation. Within 24 hours, the performance had become a YouTube sensation. It has since been viewed more than 264 million times online.

Known affectionately as SUBO, Boyle began her journey in Blackburn, Scotland. The documentary will follow her story from childhood through to the audition that changed everything, exploring the years that followed and the experiences that have shaped her life.

Archive footage and personal photographs will feature alongside Boyle's own recollections and insights from those who know her. The BBC describes the programme as a look back at years that have been wild, funny, moving and often surreal.

There's Only One Susan Boyle will air on BBC One Scotland on Hogmanay, with the documentary also available on BBC iPlayer.

Susan Boyle said: "I'm delighted to be sharing my story in this new documentary with the team at Tern. My life changed overnight after Britain's Got Talent, and it has been an extraordinary and unexpected journey ever since. I hope the programme reminds viewers to stay true to themselves and follow their dreams."

Loch nam Madadh / Wolf Bay: BBC Unveils Gaelic Horror Series Ahead of Halloween

(Image: Sonja Blietschau / Storyboard Studios)

By Jon Donnis

A ferry journey turns into a nightmare in Loch nam Madadh / Wolf Bay, a new short-form horror series launching on BBC iPlayer and YouTube ahead of Halloween.

Created and written by Claire Aza-Selinger, with Maureen Macleod as co-writer, the six-part series follows Angus, played by Andrew MacInnes, as he reluctantly heads back to North Uist for his grandfather's funeral.

Angus is hoping to return unnoticed, but his plans quickly fall apart when he finds himself sharing the ferry with his ex-girlfriend Màiri, her fiancé Colin and Màiri's formidable mother, Margaret.

The situation takes a darker turn when Angus makes a gruesome discovery in the cafeteria. As the ferry enters the dangerous waters of Wolf Bay, what started as an uncomfortable journey becomes a fight for survival.

With a mysterious evil stalking the ship, Angus must confront the past he has tried to leave behind while attempting to protect the other passengers. At the same time, he has to work out whether there is any chance of making peace with Màiri.

Andrew MacInnes stars as Angus, alongside Ellen Macdonald as Màiri, Alasdair Jordan as Colin and Elspeth Turner as Margaret. Jordan makes his screen debut with the series.

Each of the six episodes runs for around ten minutes, giving the story a fast-moving format built around jump scares, cliffhangers, deadpan humour and the developing relationship between Angus and Màiri.

Loch nam Madadh / Wolf Bay is the first Gaelic drama aimed specifically at 18 to 24-year-olds who primarily consume content on their devices.

The series launches on BBC iPlayer and YouTube in the run-up to Halloween.

Stepping Up: Channel 4 Unveils First Look at New Comedy Starring Josh Pugh

Images: Ch4

By Jon Donnis

Channel 4 has unveiled a first look at Stepping Up, the new comedy from Josh Pugh and Roughcut Television, with a series of new images introducing the show's main characters.

Created and written by Pugh, who also stars, the comedy follows Josh, a stepdad who is determined to become the best possible role model for his stepchildren and a supportive partner to his girlfriend, Becky.

The problem is that Josh is trying far harder than anyone around him thinks is necessary.

Pugh's Josh finds himself caught between Becky, her children and her ex-husband Sean, while also trying to navigate the expectations that come with being a stepdad. His attempts to prove himself as an all-round "Good Bloke" instead leave him caught up in awkward power struggles and situations that might have been easier if he simply stopped trying so hard.

The new images feature Pugh alongside Denise Welch as Josh's mum Sue, Sophia Di Martino as Becky, Tom Hanson as Becky’s ex-husband Sean and Lucia Keskin as Josh's friend Kelcie.

The cast also includes Colin Hoult and Liam Jeavons in guest roles.

Filmed in the West Midlands, Stepping Up takes a comedic look at the complications of becoming a stepdad and the difficult balance between wanting to help and knowing when to stay out of the way.

Pugh previously worked on Sneakerhead and How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge), while Roughcut Television is behind comedies including Big Boys and Things You Should Have Done.

Channel 4 has yet to announce a transmission date for Stepping Up.

COMPETITION: Win The Chelsea Detective: Series 4 on DVD

The inimitable Adrian Scarborough (Killing Eve, Gavin & Stacey, The King's Speech) is back as everyone’s favourite West London case cracker, The Chelsea Detective, diving headlong into more grisly murders beneath the glossy façade of Chelsea’s elite in the fourth outing of this hit crime series. 

And to celebrate we have a copy of series 4 on DVD to give away!

Synopsis:

The classical-music-loving, houseboat-dwelling detective Max Arnold (Scarborough) and his straight-talking partner DS Layla Walsh (Emme) are back, delving further into the dark side of London’s lavish neighbourhood. With four new murderous mysteries in their case files, the dynamic duo investigate the death of an undercover journalist researching a fashion mogul, an aristocratic dynasty brutally guarding their bloodline and a salon owner tied up in a hidden identity and deadly secrets.  

 

This series also features a cryptic double-homicide that spirals outward to Cambridge, where the pair join forces with Layla’s detective cousin, DI Martha McGuire (Justine Mitchell – Your Bad Self, Smoother). As ever, the road to justice is far from smooth, but there’s no stopping The Chelsea Detective. 

 

For a captivating crime caper guaranteed to entertain, step back onto the dangerous streets of London’s most affluent borough for another round of ‘reliably quirky’ (Decider) mysteries in The Chelsea Detective Series 4. 

Pre-Order from https://link.amazon/B01NIQatO

Enter now for a chance to win.

Who plays DS Layla Walsh in The Chelsea Detective?

Send your name, address and of course the answer to competition365@outlook.com

Quick Terms and conditions

1. Closing date 19-10-26

2. No alternative prize is available

3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.

4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.