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´óÏó´«Ã½
TWO's summer of events
Press
pack available below
´óÏó´«Ã½
TWO sends out a call to action to viewers to help save their local
and national heritage in a new initiative that will live beyond
the TV programme.
Restoration
forms the backbone of ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO's £97 million spring/summer
2003 season of events and big Arts pieces.
Presented
by keen conservationist Griff Rhys Jones, the programme will give
viewers the chance to learn about - and actively visit - Britain's
social and architectural history through some of its landmark buildings.
´óÏó´«Ã½
TWO has teamed up with the UK's heritage bodies to give viewers
a chance to save one of 30 historic landmarks from across the country
which are on the brink of extinction.
From cottages
to castles, factories to chapels, celebrities - including Richard
E. Grant, Robert Hardy and Fiona Bruce - will campaign to save the
building of their choice in ten hour-long programmes devoted to
a different geographical area of the UK.
Each
episode will focus on three properties in the region, vividly bringing
their history to life.
The
series culminates in a magnificent live event and a grand open weekend
in September, which gives viewers the opportunity to visit over
3,000 buildings - some not usually open to the public.
Viewers
are invited to cast their vote to try and save the building of their
choice for this, and for future, generations.
Says
Jane Root, Controller of ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO: "With the shocking statistic
that one historical monument has been lost in the UK every day since
the end of World War Two, Restoration will throw a timely spotlight
on the thousands more still at risk and offer the audience a chance
to save one of these buildings and make their mark on history."
Saturday
nights
Big
impactful arts documentaries and dramas sitting in the heart of
the Saturday night schedule will offer a real alternative to the
more traditional line-up of entertainment programmes offered by
other channels.
On
5 April, ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO launches the biggest ever search for Britain's
best-loved book, in an exciting initiative aimed at getting the
nation reading. The Big Read is a grass roots campaign
that takes television off the screen and into communities on a scale
that has never been seen before, turning a private experience into
a shared public experience.
Using
drama to really get under the skin of key arts figures, Larkin:
Love Again examines the last 30 years in the complex life
of poet Philip Larkin, played by Hugh Bonneville.
Using
privileged access to unpublished letters and recordings of Larkin's
work, and with support from the Larkin Society, Larkin: Love Again
is an authentic portrait of one of the foremost figures in 20th
century poetry.
On
the centenary of his birth, a dramatised biography brings one of
the most celebrated authors of the 20th century to life. George
Orwell - A Life In Pictures stars Chris Langham as the
writer of the iconic 1984 and witness of many extraordinary events
in the first half of the century, re-told in this programme.
On the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg, Peter In Paradise
tells the story of the acclaimed visionary, moderniser, town planner
and military strategist - and alleged hooligan, torturer and tyrant
- Peter The Great. This drama documentary examines the 6ft 8in giant's
faults and flaws, while revealing the extraordinary legacy he created
in the city of St Petersburg.
To
complete a full night of celebratory programming on ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO, with
complementary programmes on ´óÏó´«Ã½ FOUR and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3, a gala concert
will be broadcast from the Mariinsky Theatre, conducted by Valery
Gergiev with star-studded soloists including Renee Fleming and Placido
Domingo.
Celebrating
the work of a more modern musical hero, Arena: Imagine Imagine
examines the extraordinary popularity of John Lennon's Imagine.
It tells the story of the creation of the song, analyses its impact
on the lives of fans across the world and includes a rare interview
with Yoko Ono.
From
music to theatre, Michael Wood goes In Search Of Shakespeare
in a major four-part documentary series for Saturday nights. In
this historical detective story, Michael Wood explores Shakespeare's
mysterious life, set against the dangerous and exciting times in
which he lived.
Other
season highlights
´óÏó´«Ã½
TWO has a season of events across the spring and summer, including
the largest ever broadcast about our wildlife, a season celebrating
the diversity and richness of Asian culture in the UK today and
a landmark drama series about the most notorious British spies.
Wild
In Your Garden presented by Bill Oddie is a week long event
revealing the secret lives of the animal neighbours that live in
gardens, towns and cities.
With
complementary programming on children's TV, radio and ´óÏó´«Ã½i, the
main coverage centres on one neighbourhood, observed in a massive
round-the-clock surveillance. If it moves, you'll see it - from
birds and badgers, foxes and frogs to hedgehogs and squirrels.
Big
Dreams on ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO looks at the impact that the Asian community
has had on Britain, examining the crossover between the two cultures
and highlighting issues that are as relevant to being British as
they are to being Asian.
The
Big Dreams season includes: Secrets Of Asian Success,
a documentary series exploring the secret of Asian success in British
society; Mecca Cola, which looks at how a new brand
of cola is preparing to take on the American brand in the Islamic
world; The Village, a drama written by Dennis Potter
Screenwriting Award-winner, Avie Luthra, which tells the story of
an English teacher who loses his passport on a visit to England
and is arrested at customs as an illegal immigrant; and You're
Breaking Up, a new comedy that tells a young man's life
story through mobile phone conversations.
Cambridge
Spies stars Tom Hollander, Rupert Penry-Jones, Toby Stephens
and Samuel West as Burgess, Maclean, Philby and Blunt, in a fascinating
four-part drama series.
Recreating
a notorious episode in history, it tells the story of four young
university students courted by Soviet agents and recruited into
a world of covert intelligence and espionage.
Other
highlights of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO spring/summer season include:
•
The Day Britain Stopped, a feature-length drama
documentary offering an insight into what could happen if the country's
transport system ground to a halt - with devastating consequences.
•
I'll Show Them Who's Boss featuring ruthless business
mogul Gerry Robinson, who turns his attentions from the Granada
Media empire to small businesses in dire need of some help.
•
What The World Really Thinks, a unique broadcasting
event bringing together 10 national broadcasters and a range of
diverse voices to discover what the world really thinks of America.
•
Alice & Camilla, which tells the fascinating
story of Camilla Parker-Bowles and Alice Keppel, two women from
the same family who won the hearts of two future Kings.
•
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, a new talk show presented
by Anne Robinson in which a celebrity guest conjures up their fantasy
dinner party - and the outspoken hostess offers her opinions.
•
Early Doors, a new comedy series from Craig Cash
and Phil Mealey, set in a Manchester Pub.
•
Dead Ringers returns for more topical impersonations
of public figures with Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Phil Cornwell and
Kevin Connelly.
Says
Jane Root: "This season we've created some big events that
go beyond the television screen and into communities. Along with
some really good reasons to stay in, particularly on Saturday nights,
I think we've created as many good reasons to get out and about
this summer to enjoy a total ´óÏó´«Ã½ experience."
The
´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO Spring / Summer press pack is available
here, in , as a complete pack or by genres. You may require Adobe
Acrobat Software to read PDF files which can be obtained .
Full
´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO Spring / Summer press pack (1.07 MB)
Factual
(426 KB)
Drama
(201 KB)
Entertainment
(142 KB)
Sport
(192 KB)
Notes
to Editors
•
Samuel Pepys, featured in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO spring/summer press pack,
has now moved to Autumn 2003.
•
Big Dreams is the new name for Asian Season (as listed in the ´óÏó´«Ã½
Two press pack). Secrets Of Asian Success, part of the Big Dreams
season, was formerly called Asian Nation.
Restoration
- saving Britain's heritage (19.03.03)
An
inventive new season as ´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE springs into summer (18.03.03)
All the
´óÏó´«Ã½'s digital services are now available on ,
the new free-to-view digital terrestrial television service, as well
as on satellite and cable.
Freeview
offers the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s eight television channels, interactive services
from ´óÏó´«Ã½i, as well as 11 ´óÏó´«Ã½ radio networks.
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