'Now That You've Died'

2013 Aug 9

Play by Patrick Ness

Directors: Hector Harkness & Kate Hargreaves

Role: Narrator

Venue: The Roundhouse, London

Support RNIB and make more books available to the blind and partially sighted

 

Audio:

Listen to the audio of the show (save link as to download) - more info - please support RNIB by way of thanks.

Also part of The Guardian's podcast (including discussion with Patrick Ness).

 

Video:

Interview with Christopher Eccleston

Behind the scenes

Extras:

Insight Radio podcast

"Every year RNIB hammers home the message that more books need to be made accessible to blind people. The campaign is called Read For RNIB. This year the charity pulled out all the stops to raise awareness – as Insight Radio's Leeanne Coyle found out."

Includes extracts and the after the show message. 

Here's the video script of the latter, kindly provided by RNIB.

Congratulations, you made it.

I'm Chris Eccleston. I am sure all you want to do now is sit down, relax and have a nice cup of tea. And don't worry; you will have that opportunity in just a few minutes time.

But first I need you to listen for just a while longer to understand why you've been invited here today by Royal National Institute of Blind People.

You've just experienced something quite unique, a book without words, a story without reading, a play performed in total darkness. The point is that a story is about much more than just the words on a page. Today you have experienced reading in a whole new way.

In the UK there are almost two million people who are blind or partially sighted, and the sad fact is, their choice of books is significantly more limited than it is for sighted people. Just seven per cent of all books are fully accessible for them.

I find it hard to imagine what my life would be like without being able to access books and scripts or enjoy a bedtime story with my little boy. For many blind and partially sighted people, reading is even more important, it can be a lifeline. It's the key to helping them live independently as part of an inclusive society.

You probably aren't aware but RNIB's National Library Service sends out millions of books every year in braille, giant print and in talking book audio format.

But it's not just about Talking Books – RNIB provides so much more. It has a team which transcribes everything from newspapers and magazines such as OK! Magazine and National Geographic. It even provides sheet music and instructions for game boards.

RNIB works with the publishing industry to increase the number of books that are accessible, and with the eBook industry to make sure that new technology isn’t limited to people who can see.

And that's what Read for RNIB Day is all about. Raising money and awareness to help RNIB continue this important work and to provide guidance to the 100 people who today will have embarked on their own sight loss journey.

Now is your opportunity to take action and support Read for RNIB Day on Friday October 11. We need you to use your influence today to help us spread the word; tweet about this experience, share with your friends, colleagues and audiences, blog to your hearts content, encourage everyone across Britain to visit the website and get involved.

RNIB can currently only reach one in three people who need it most – help us change that story and open up a world of reading for blind and partially sighted people.

Thank you.

Help Us Change The Story. Read For RNIB Day. 11th October.

 

Articles:

From Read for RNIB site:
• Hollywood support for Read for RNIB Day
• Read for RNIB Day with Patrick Ness and Christopher Eccleston [recap]

• Article on tickets

• Working with Patrick Ness and Christopher Eccleston

• The Bolton News - Dr Who star Christopher Eccleston: 'Reading books should be for everyone'

• The Independent - Patrick Ness interview: Night of the living dead 

• Review by Frances Hardinge [blog]

'The John Lennon Letters'

9-2012 'The John Lennon Letters', a new book celebrating John Lennon's life is coming out October 9. Christopher Eccleston will be reading the audio version. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Orion Publishing Group:

Containing over 250 postcards, letters and illustrations (many never seen before) this offers a singular insight into the world of John Lennon and is fully endorsed by Yoko Ono (who has just recorded the introduction to the audio edition), and edited by Beatles biographer Hunter Davies.

The book will be available as hardback, paperback, ebook, audio cd, digital audio download.

NEW • Free lite version available for iPad - video (youtube)

• Now also an app. 

• Listen to RTÉ interview with Hunter Davies (iTunes; scroll down to 8 10 12).

• Audio version available from:  
amazon.com:  audio CD, digital audiobook - more on the publisher Hachette's site
amazon.co.uk: audio CD, digital audiobook - bookdepository.co.uk - hive.co.uk

Official presentation: 

First ever collection of the letters of John Lennon, an international publishing event.

John Lennon was a writer as well as a musician. It was entirely natural for him to put pen to paper whenever he had an idea, a thought, a reaction or a desire to communicate.

He lived - and died - in an age before emails and texts. Pen and ink was what he turned to. John wrote letters and postcards all of his life; to his friends, family, strangers, newspapers, organisations, lawyers and the laundry - most of which were funny, informative, campaigning, wise, mad, poetic, anguished and sometimes heartbreaking. For the first time, John's widow, Yoko Ono, has given permission to publish a collection of his letters. The Editor is the Beatles' official biographer, Hunter Davies, who knew John well. 

John's letters are in a way something of a mystery - where are they all? Over the years many have come up at auction, then sold to dealers and collectors. Or they have been kept by the recipients, locked up safely. It has been a wonderful piece of detective work tracing many of these 250 letters, postcards and notes, which are arranged in chronological order, so that a narrative builds up, reflecting John's life. It will be visual - in a sense that many of the letters are reproduced as they were, in his handwriting or typing, plus the odd cartoon or doodle. THE JOHN LENNON LETTERS is fundamentally a book to read and study, providing a unique insight into the mind of one of the great figures of our times.

John's letters are read by Christopher Eccleston. Christopher Eccleston is an English actor who has had a hugely successful career in film, TV and on stage. His regular appearance on the TV series, Cracker, in 1993 brought him recognition and he went on to star along side such actresses as Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett. He won the 2011 International Emmy Award for his performance in Jimmy McGovern's Accused. He played John Lennon in the 2010 TV movie in and has twice been nominated in the Best Actor category of the BAFTA TV Awards.

Hunter's editorial materials are read by Allan Corduner. Allan Corduner trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and has appeared on stage in Passion at the Donmar Warehouse, Serious Money in the West End and Titanic on Broadway, and on screen in Yentl and Topsy-Turvy, amonst many other roles. He is a highly experience voice actor and memorably narrated the voice of Death when reading The Book Thief. He has read Elspeth Coopers' Wild Hunt novels for Orion.

Includes a foreword read by Yoko Ono.

The book will be presented at The British Library, Oct 11 (Orion's page) and Victoria & Albert Museum, Dec 3 (Orion's page).

'Give an Hour' Campaign

2011-10-21 BBC has launched the 'Give an Hour' campaign (press release) that "encourages everyone to give just one hour to help someone you know get online." Find more information, guides and inspiration on the campaign's site where you can also pledge your hour.

Celebrities tell who they will be getting online and what they hope to show them:

More from Christopher Eccleston on who he'd give his hour to and what Internet means for him:

Download via iTunes off BBC England's Audioboo.

Radio 4 Appeal for Chance UK

Christopher Eccleston to present an appeal on behalf of Chance UK - Sun 4 Sep, 07:55 & 21:26, Thu 8 Sep 15:27.
Programme info | iPlayer

Oct 25 Further update - £11,360 has been raised.
Sep 23 Update on the outcome:

"Chance UK would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated following our recent BBC Radio 4 appeal, which has now raised £9,193.10. We are delighted to be still receiving donations and we're hoping to reach £10,000 from the appeal to invest in our early intervention mentoring programme. [ETA: Sep 28 The goal has been reached.]

We believe that the success of this appeal was mainly due to the fantastic case study presented by Christopher Eccleston. There have already been 213 individual donations made, with each one gratefully received.

Our appeal was broadcast to a combined audience to over 1.9 million listeners and as well as donations, has also secured numerous volunteer enquiries and media articles.

So thank you to the BBC Radio 4 listeners for your generosity and interest.

You can still listen to Chance UK's BBC Radio 4 appeal by clicking here or go to our donations page here."

"Chance UK is an early intervention organisation that prevents crime and anti social behaviour by providing mentors to children with behavioural difficulties. Our mentors meet with a child for 2-4 hours, once a week, for a year.
They do activities together such as sports, visiting museums, exploring new interests, art projects, anything that will enthuse and engage the child. The mentor will use solution focused techniques to build the child's self esteem, so that their confidence, education and family life all change for the better.
Not only does this change the child's life and their prospects, but their parent / carer, teacher, siblings and classmates also benefit from the positive changes the child makes."

Reg Charity: 1046947
To Give:
- Freephone 0800 404 8144
- Freepost BBC Radio 4 Appeal, mark the back of the envelope Chance UK
- Give Online www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/appeal.

Chance UK:

Chance UK has been awarded a BBC Radio 4 Appeal, which is scheduled to be broadcast this weekend - Sunday 4th September at 7.55am & 9.26pm.

Last month our CEO, Gracia McGrath OBE, had the opportunity to meet popular TV and film actor Christopher Eccleston at BBC Broadcasting House for the recording of our appeal in the BBC studios.

The internationally renowned actor recorded the appeal to help raise funds for our vital work in providing early intervention to prevent crime and anti social behaviour developing in children, a subject very much in the media and under much discussion after the recent riots across the country.

Christopher was delighted to lend his support: "All Chance UK's mentors are volunteers, but their careful selection, training and support throughout the year are vital. Anything you give will help Chance UK train more mentors and change the lives of more children."

Chance UK is an early intervention organisation that prevents crime and anti-social behaviour by providing mentors to children with behavioural difficulties. The mentors deliver an intensive and individually tailored programme for each child, which builds their confidence and self esteem. The vital funds we raise can change the lives of children, so remember to tune in and support our appeal!

Tune in to the Chance UK appeal on BBC Radio 4 (92-95 FM) on Sunday 4th September at 7.55am and 9.26pm, and also repeated on Thursday 8th September at 3.27pm.

Can you help us spread the word? Share this article with your friends, or visit us on Facebook and Twitter and share our updates with your followers. Your support could change the life of a young person, so remember to tune in and listen and donate to our appeal!

Also earlier news article.

'The Shadow Line' - Radio Inters Plus

• May 8 - Neil Sackley, BBC Radio Solent - on 'The Shadow Line' and running
programme info

• May 5
= MacAulay and Co, BBC Radio Scotland - on 'The Shadow Line', 'Cracker', 'The Fuse', 'The Plot'
programme info
= Bernie Keith, BBC Radio Northampton - on The Smiths and Morrissey, 'Lennon Naked', 'The Shadow Line', TV drama, football, British/American industries, 'The Plot' and 'The Fuse'
programme info
= David White, BBC Radio Cornwall - on 'The Shadow Line', British drama, Cornwall, 'Doctor Who', 'Doctor Who' in Cornwall [actually Hartnell's 'The Smugglers']
programme info
= Andrew Easton, BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester - on 'The Shadow Line', Isle of Man, 'Doctor Who', Manchester United
programme info
= Andy Potter, BBC Radio Derby - on 'The Shadow Line', drama on BBC, career, whether he'd like to write/direct/produce, regrets, work ethics, 'The Fuse'
programme info
= Bob Walmsley, BBC Radio Leeds - on 'The Shadow Line', British and American industries, career, 'Doctor Who'
programme info
= Judi Spiers Show, BBC Radio Devon - on 'The Shadow Line', 'Heroes', 'Hearts and Minds', 'Doctor Who', 'The Plot', Peter Vaughan
programme info
= Alan Simpson, BBC Radio Ulster - on 'The Shadow Line' and Manchester United
programme info

• Apr 30 - Graham Norton, BBC Radio 2 - on 'The Shadow Line' and life & career
programme info / pic

• Apr 27 - Front Row, BBC Radio 4 - Mark Lawson interviews H. Blick and C. Eccleston - includes audio clip from the series (feat. CE)
iPlayer / programme info

2010 Jul 15 - 3FM (Isle of Man) - on 'The Shadow Line', the island and filming there, career, 'dream roles' and future, 'Doctor Who', his 'legacy'
original post

Eccleston Reads 'The Book Thief' - Audio

Christopher Eccleston reads Markus Zusak's 'The Book Thief' specially abridged for Big Toe Books on BBC Radio 7 (Radio 4 Extra). The story is presented by Chris Pizzey.

"It's just a small story really, about, amongst other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter and quite a lot of thievery."

Part 1 Dec 30 2010 (60 min; programme info)
Mar 26 2011 (programme info)
iPlayer

Part 2 Dec 31 2010 (60 min; programme info)
Mar 27 2011 (programme info)
iPlayer


More:
'The Book Thief' site at Books at Transworld
Markus Zusak's site at Random House

Chris Eccleston on Marc Riley's Show

2010-08-18 Eccleston is set to appear on Marc Riley radio programme (BBC 6 Music) this coming Tuesday, August the 24th. The show starts at 19:00 (UK) and is available to listen worldwide via the iPlayer.


From Marc Riley's gallery:

Tracklist:
Faces — Stay With Me [CE]
The Walkmen — Angela Surf City [MR]
Curtis Mayfield — People Get Ready [CE]
Smoke Fairies — Strange Moon Rising [MR]
Live - The Burns Unit — Trouble
The Smiths — How Soon Is Now [CE]
The Specials — Blank Expression [CE]
Live - The Burns Unit — Since We've Fallen Out
Paul Robeson — My Curly Headed Baby [CE]
Sparks — This Town Isn't Big Enough For Both of Us [CE]
I Am Kloot — Favourite Sky [CE]
Toots & The Maytals — 54-46 Was My Number [CE]
Live - The Burns Unit — All of This In Writing
June Tabor — Now I'm Easy [CE]
Bob Marley & The Wailers — Stir It Up [CE]
Aretha Franklin — Soul Serenade [CE]
Sweet — Blockbuster [CE]
Linton Kwesi Johnson — It Dread Inna Inglan [CE]
Euros Childs — Spin That Girl Around [MR]

From programme's page:

24/08/2010 Tuesday, 19:00 on BBC 6 Music:
An actor extraordinaire joins us this evening - Christopher Eccleston, plus live a live band are in the studio to provide musical magic - The Burns Unit ... a Scottish super group!!

Christopher Eccleston will be in the studio with Marc helping him choose the music for the show ... so if you're wondering what the ex Dr Who is into, musically, now's your chance to find out!!! There's bound to be some I Am Kloot and more than likely some Richard Hawley.

Christopher Eccleston is a Salford born lad and fab actor. He has appeared in hit TV shows Cracker, Our Friends In The North and Heroes. His film repertoire includes Shallow Grave, Elizabeth & The Others.

Interestingly he's only recently passed his driving test and can only drive an automatic car - so there.

BBC 6 Music publicity:

Christopher Eccleston joins Marc Riley this evening to co-present the show, which includes live musical magic from guest band The Burns Unit.

Christopher Eccleston pays a visit to Marc in the BBC 6 Music Manchester studios to co-present, sharing his musical choices and anecdotes.

Christopher is an award-winning actor whose career is as eclectic as they come – ranging from movies including Shallow Grave, to being the ninth incarnation of Doctor Who and a recent starring role in BBC Four's Lennon Naked, a drama which charted Lennon's transition from "Beatle John" to enduring and enigmatic icon. He has also starred in two videos for Mercury Prize-nominated band – and friends of Marc's show – I Am Kloot.

Marc and Chris's live band for the evening are Scottish "supergroup" The Burns Unit. [...]

Thanks to Jen for additional pics.

3FM Interview w/ Christopher Eccleston

2010-07-15 Whilst filming in the Isle of Man, Eccleston spoke to the local radio 3FM about 'The Shadow Line', the island and filming there, his career, 'dream roles' and future, 'Doctor Who', his 'legacy'.

Listen here.

3FM:

Christopher Eccleston has established himself as one of the UK's biggest acting exports with major roles in TV and Film on both sides of the pond.

Perhaps his biggest role to date was when he took on the Dr Who reboot in 2005, bringing a tired character back to life and along with writer and director Russell T Davies turning it into one of the most popular shows in the Western World.

He's currently filming a gritty 6 part drama for BBC2 on the Island, The Shadow Line.

He kindly took time out of his hectic schedule to talk to 3FM, we asked him about this new project, how he's finding the Isle of Man and of course Dr Who.

3FM also posted an excerpt here.

Have A Radio

Please don't link directly to any items

Radio

Steve Wright programme (2014)

2014
• Steve Wright in the Afternoon, BBC Radio 2: on 'The Leftovers', 'Fortitude', life (Sep 23)
Info & audio

2012
The Arts Show, BBC Radio 2: Claudia Winkleman and Michael Billington review 'Antigone' (Jun 15)
Info

Extract from 'Antigone', as presented on BBC Radio (May 31)
[More on the play here]

2011
↑ Jools Holland, BBC Radio 2: on childhood, acting, music (Nov 14)
Incl. tracks: Paul Robeson - My Curly Headed Baby; John Barry - The James Bond Theme; Prince Buster - Al Capone; The Impressions - It's Alright; John Martyn - Spencer The Rover; Aretha Franklin - Soul Serenade
Info / Transcript

'Accused' materials, incl.: 
↑ The Paul Franks Show, BBC Radio WM: on career, event TV, actors he admires (Nov 15)
Info
↑ Vicki Archer, BBC Radio Shropshire: on life & career (Nov 15)
Info
• Saturday Review, BBC Radio 4: two first episodes reviewed plus extract from 'Willy's Story' (Nov 13)
Info & audio
• Alex Belfield, BBC Radio Leeds: also on career, acting, 'Hamlet', 'Doctor Who', Banda Aceh trip (Nov 12)
Info / listen here or 'save link as' to download (source)

↑ Jo Whiley, BBC Radio 2: Mix-tape, 3 CE's favourite reggae tracks (Aug 9)
Incl. tracks: Desmond Dekker - 007 (Shanty Town); Lee 'Scratch' Perry - I Am The Upsetter; U-Roy - Natty Rebel
Info

↑ Jo Whiley, BBC Radio 2: on music, USA, future (Jun 1)
Incl. tracks: Fleet Foxes - Blue Spotted Tail; The Slickers - Johnny Too Bad; Louis Armstrong - (What Did I Do To Be So) Black And Blue; Gillian Welch - I Made A Lovers Prayer; T. Rex - Life's A Gas
Info
• Front Row - 'Depictions of Christ from Dorothy L Sayers to James Frey' - comments by Russell T Davies and CE on 'The Second Coming' (Apr 22)
Info / iPlayer

↑ 'The Shadow Line' materials - interviews (Jul 15 2010, Apr 27 - May 8 2011)

2010
↑ 'The Book Thief' - a story by Markus Zusak (Dec 30-31)

↑ Becky Want, BBC Radio Manchester - on 'Accused' + all things life & career (Nov 15)
Info

↑ Marc Riley programme (Aug 24)

↑ Tom Dunne, Newstalk, Ireland (info; live on the phone); John Barnes, BBC Radio Lancashire (info; pre-recorded) - on 'Lennon Naked' (Jun 22)

• 'Lennon Naked' radio reviews (Jun 12-28)

• 'Lennon Naked' q&a at BAFTA (May 4)
Info and audio

↑ 'Intimate Letters' (Mar 21)
Info

Jo Whiley (2005)

2009
• Saturday Review, BBC Radio 4: Extract from 'A Doll's House' (Nora and Thomas) plus the discussion of the play hosted by Tom Sutcliffe (May 23)
Info & audio

• Project TH2058 short stories - 6 visions of the future (Jun)
Download

2007
↑ The Devil's Christmas - 4 spooky tales
The four story feuilleton aired on BBC Radio 2 in December 2007 and 2008.
The Signalman 1/4. By Charles Dickens. The ghostly tale of a haunted railway tunnel.
The Necklace 2/4. By Guy de Maupassant. A young wife yearns like Cinderella to go to the Twelfth Night ball.
Thurlow's Christmas 3/4. John Kendrick Bangs' tale about a demon, a mysterious stranger and a magical manuscript.
The She-Wolf 4/4. By Saki. At a winter house party, one unbearable guest has pretensions to be a master of the dark arts.
Info

Orbital's 'You Lot' and Modeselektor's 'The Rapanthem' are techno tracks with samples from, respectively, 'The Second Coming' and '24 Hour Party People'

More info on radio plays and other programmes in Narrations section.

"Do you like music? Have a radio."

'Lennon Naked' - Radio Reviews - Audio

• Jun 12 BBC Radio 4 - Saturday Review - Tom Sutcliffe and his guests Paul Morley, Maria Delgado and Dominic Sandbrook review the week's cultural highlights. Incl. an excerpt from the film (John Lennon (CE) and his father Freddie)
Info & audio

• Jun 21 BBC 6 Music - Lauren Laverne and Grace Dent review "week's best TV"
Info

= BBC Radio 4 - Front Row - Review by Kirsten Lang and Andrew Collins. Incl. an excerpt from the film (Eccleston, Mori)
Info & audio

• Jun 28 BBC Radio 2 - The Radcliffe & Maconie Show - "Noddy [Holder] joins Mark and Stuart in the studio to discuss 'Lennon Naked' - BBC Four's new one-off drama charting John Lennon's life from 1967 to 1971." Incl. two scenes from the film
Info

'Lennon Naked'

12 Jun 2010
TV film 
Dir. Edmund Coulthard 

Wr. Robert Jones
Role: John Lennon.

Note on versions:
British TV - The Beatles & Lennon music soundtrack
Region 2 DVD - John Lennon music soundtrack
USA version - censored + Lennon music soundtrack

TX
USA: Nov 21, PBS
Jul 6 Roma FictionFest
UK: Jun 23, 9.30 pm, BBC Four, BBC HD
Japan: Jun 12, 8 pm, NHK BShi
Jun 2 Screening at BFI 
May 4 Screening at BAFTA + report + q&a audio

Gallery --- Sites at: 2 | Entertain --- PBS --- BBC --- IMDb --- Blast! Films

DVD release info - review 

Video:
Trailers: at BBC site (UK) - on the blog
Excerpts: Magical Mystery Tour [Alt from Blast! Films] - 'You Are Here' Exhibition
Materials and - in the US - whole film available online for a month after TX at PBS

Audio: 
Radio reviews w/ excerpts from the film - Brief excerpts from the junket (via I. Wylie) - Naoko Mori LA inter


Pre-TX reviews:
USA
Lesley Smith (PopMatters Nov 21), Tom Jicha (Sun Sentinel Nov 21), Mark Dawidziak (Cleveland Nov 20), Neal Justin (Star Tribune Nov 19), David Wiegand (San Francisco Chronicle Nov 19), Dean Robbins (Isthmus Nov 18), Michael Toland (KLRU Nov 18), Matt Roush (TV Guide Nov 18), Dave Shiflett (Bloomberg Nov 18), Ellen Gray (Phily Nov 18), Brian Lowry (Variety Nov 17)
UK
Damien Love (Herald Scotland Jun 21), Andrea Mullaney (The Scotsman Jun 21), Neil McCormick (Telegraph Jun 19), David Smyth (Evening Standard Jun 18), Ali Hughes (Jun 6 - post-BFI), Penders (May 11 - post-BAFTA)

Alex (in-house)

Articles: 
Jun 21 Orig. inter. Laura Kelly - Christopher Eccleston - The Big Issue
Jun 21 Orig. inter. Keith Watson - Former Dr Who star Christopher Eccleston gets Naked - Metro
Jun 19 Orig. inter. Amy Raphael - Imagine John Lennon played by Doctor Who [...] - The Guardian
Jun 18 Junket plus Andy Welch - Christopher Eccleston reveals all about Lennon Naked - AOL
Jun 18 Junket plus Ian Wylie - Lennon Naked: Christopher Eccleston - Manchester Evening News
Jun 18 BAFTA rehash Lisa Sewards - Imagine... Doctor Who's playing Lennon - Mail Online + review by David Wigg
Jun 16 Junket Laura Davis - Christopher Eccleston on playing John Lennon [...] - Liverpool Daily Post
Junket Adrian Lobb - Mind games - TV Times
Junket Richard McClure - All you need is love - TV & Satellite Week
Orig. inter. Martyn Palmer - 'TV is my way into my country, my culture' - Radio Times
Jun 14 Off Radio Times Eccleston quit Doctor Who to be his 'own man' - Wales Online
Jun 14 Junket Lennon star Eccleston bares all - Wales Online
Jun 12 Orig. inter. Paul English - I couldn't believe producer wanted me to play Yoko Ono [...] - Daily Record [Naoko Mori on the film and the role]
Orig. inter. Look at him - Mojo [CE on the film and the role]
May 7 From BAFTA Ian Wylie - Naked Lennon? I can stomach that, says Chris - Manchester Evening News

News quick navigation:

• Jun 15 BBC Press Pack
• Mar 25 BBC Four Spring/Summer season
• Feb 24 BBC News article on biopics
• Jan 13 BBC Winter/Spring season
• Dec 30 Variety article
• Nov 27 BBC Four Press Release
• Nov 15 Set Report Also: Images off-site at Capital Pictures

News (most recent first):

• TX - November 21 is the American transmission date for the film (on PBS, check with your provider/local station). The DVD will be released Nov 23 (details tba). Also, the DVD (vanilla) is out in Netherlands Sep 23.
• Audience: 792,900 (4%) watched the film on BBC Four (peaking with 882,800 (4.3%)).
• Jun 15 BBC released the press pack for the film. Introduction with writer and director. CE on the role:
  

  Award-winning actor Christopher Eccleston reveals why taking on the role of one of Britain's enduring and enigmatic icons was difficult to refuse.
  
  "I'd been watching and reading about John Lennon avidly for over 20 years or more. I'm absolutely fascinated by him – he seems to have been kind, brutal, funny, arrogant, insecure, passionate and brilliant, in short – human.
  "I wanted to play Lennon because of Robert Jones's script. He captured Lennon's character and the world in which he lived with imagination and great originality. I had three weeks from accepting the role to prepare, so I read, watched and listened to everything I could get my hands on," says the 46-year-old actor, who starred in the relaunch of Doctor Who in 2005.
  
  "I re-read the Philip Norman biography and watched many documentaries and videos, but the chief source was the interview John gave to Jann Wenner, for Rolling Stone magazine," explains the star of critically-acclaimed dramas The Second Coming, Flesh And Blood and Hillsborough.
  "I think Lennon was intensely human and his flaws were amplified by fame. He had to wrestle with his qualities and his demons in a very public forum. Lennon had a very contradictory nature. I was hugely sympathetic to what happened to him when he was a young boy of only five years old – his mother and father told him to choose between them. It was insightful because I felt that incident drove him on in both good and bad ways.
  "The breadth and originality of his and the Beatles music is astounding, for example the leap from Love Me Do to Tomorrow Never Knows. I've got most of The Beatles music and music by John. There is a real confessional quality to his work. My personal favourite of John's, and I think a key to his life and this film, is Julia."
  
  The Salford-born actor, who trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, also sought help with perfecting Lennon's accent.
  
  "I had a brilliant dialect coach in Jill McCullough. John had a very distinctive voice, accent and physicality, the challenge was to capture his spirit without just resorting to impersonation. The costume and make-up departments were really brilliant and took great care in to perfecting the shapes and the look of Lennon, on a tiny budget."
  
  The 90-min film which includes the famous bed protest also features the iconic Two Virgins cover in which an unabashed John and Yoko bare all for the cameras. But for Chris and his co-star Naoko Mori this was more of a challenge.
  
  "Nudity – that's the hard stuff to do, but you just have to get on with it," says Chris. "I'd worked with Naoko before but we weren't naked in Doctor Who!" laughs Chris. "We had a good rapport on set... with nudity, actors always watch each other's backs, literally, instead of looking anywhere else."
  
  So what's next?
  
  "I have just finished filming the first episode of The Accused, by Jimmy McGovern. I've worked with Jimmy a lot. I'm excited. It's a really good script."

  Naoko Mori:

  "I'd worked with Chris before in an episode of Doctor Who and felt we'd worked really well together. I have always admired his work and had a lot of respect for him. He really is a tremendous actor – and a wonderful man."


• Guardian:

  There are a few new shows this year though, starting with one-off Lennon Naked, in which Christopher Eccleston plays the Beatle during the "bed-in" years. Another solid Eccleston performance, and some great lines: "I was on acid, she was on the wane." Lennon says of meeting Brigitte Bardot.

• TX - UK, June 24 23 (press release).
• TX - Japan, June 12 (film's page at broadcaster's site); USA, autumn (tba, PBS Masterpiece).
• BFI screening to take place June 2nd with Q&A. More.
• May 6 Blast! Films page for the film - more here on the blog.

• May 4 The advance screening was held at BAFTA together with Q&A. Report here on the blog.
• BBFC have issued the film with "15" certificate (for strong language and one scene of hard drug use). Run time is 82 min 14 s.
• The film will have its international première at Roma FictionFest (July 5-10). UPDATE: To be screened out of competition. -- Article - in Italian; calls it one of the three major premières and mentions that CE won Best Actor at the festival in 2007 for 'Perfect Parents' -- Variety report -- THR report
• Advance screening and Q&A at BAFTA May 4.
• Now part of Fatherhood Season on BBC Four:

  John Lennon’s role as a father, and the impact of the brief and unhappy reappearance of his own absent father into his life, is the focal point of this drama, in which Christopher Eccleston stars.


• Mar 25 TRAIL - here on the blog or UK only at BBC Four Spring/Summer press release (link on the right).

  Christopher Eccleston plays John Lennon in a single film charting his transition from Beatle John to enduring and enigmatic icon.
  Spanning a period of wildly fluctuating fortunes for Lennon between 1967 and 1971, writer Robert Jones articulates the burden of genius, as well as issues of fatherhood and fame.
  
  The unexpected death of Beatles' manager Brian Epstein in 1967 marked a turning point in Lennon's life. This film focuses on the turbulent and intense period of change that followed, and how John was haunted by his troubled childhood.
  
  Made in high definition, Lennon Naked also reveals the impact of re-establishing contact with his long lost father, and the events that led John to shed everything both personally and creatively, including calling time on The Beatles.
  Meeting Yoko Ono was the catalyst for this new era and the film explores the development of their extraordinary relationship, their growing disillusionment with Britain and what caused Lennon to abandon the UK to start a new life in America, a process which ultimately inspired him to record arguably the most powerful solo work of his career.

• DVD for pre-order at HMV. Or at BBC Shop.
• Trailer had been screened during BBC Showcase 2010 in Brighton (21-24 Feb).
• TX: According to BBC News article, release now set for 'summer' (Naoko Mori had mentioned late spring/June; listen to her talk about the film and CE here).

  Lennon Naked will be the second film of the past 12 months to tackle the subject of one of British music's most enduring and enigmatic icons - John Lennon.
  
  Nowhere Boy, the debut feature by artist Sam Taylor-Wood, portrayed the precocious teenage Lennon before the Beatles and his complex relationship with his domineering aunt and free-spirited mother.
  The new BBC film, which stars former Doctor Who actor Christopher Eccleston, shows Lennon at the opposite end of his career from 1967 to 1971, fame-weary and disillusioned with the very band that made his name.
  
  The impact on Lennon of the death of the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein comes under the microscope as does his break-up with wife Cynthia and his meeting with Yoko Ono and the subsequent period of his life which resulted in his defining song, Imagine.
  Lennon Naked has been based, in part, on an historic "jaw-droppingly open" interview that Lennon gave to Rolling Stone editor Jan Wenner in 1970. During the course of the interview, Lennon spoke at length about the break-up of his band and his fractious relationship with Paul McCartney.
  
  "It's an extraordinarily revealing interview about Lennon's character," says Lennon Naked director Ed Coulthard.
  "He's very bitchy about The Beatles, he slags people off and it's very bitter. He also says he knew he was a genius at the age of 12.
  "It was that last comment that captured me, really. It got me thinking about him and that late destructive period of his life."
  
  [listen to the J. Lennon interview in full off-site here - ATBN]
  
  Fan fears
  The film is set to be one of the highlights of the BBC's summer schedule and has Beatles fans salivating, if not also feeling a little apprehensive.
  
  "Fans have an image of John and the biggest fear that any Beatles fan has, is that it doesn't capture what he was feeling at the time," says Ernie Sutton from the British Beatles Fan Club.
  "If it gives the impression that John wasn't bothered about his divorce from Cynthia or the break-up of the band and loss of Brian, that would be a real let down.
  "John had a caring side and was really quite thoughtful. If he comes across as just an angry person then it won't give an accurate portrayal."
  
  But Lennon Naked, at least according to the director, is not in the classic rock biopic mould.
  Rather than cramming Lennon's 40 years into a neat hour and a half, the film centres on a specific period in his life.
  But does this mean the film will avoid any number of dreaded rock biopic cliches?
  
  "I think that you've got to avoid the moments that we know about already which will just seem really corny. That's why Nowhere Boy really worked because it's his early years," says Radio 1 film reviewer James King.
  
  Lennon Naked shows Lennon telling the assembled Beatles the band is finished, surely a potential stumbling point. But Coulthard insists he should have avoided any.
  
  "I think the two pitfalls are that you make a hagiography, that is just a cardboard cut-out version of an artist's popular image or you choose to tell a negative story," he says.
  "The best films of this kind, and what I aspire to, is something in between that has light and shade. It is three-dimensional and has some complexity to it and gets you to a deeper sense of who this person was."


• Jan 13 BBC announced Winter/Spring line up - see image and watch the clip w/ short extracts.
  The Sun provides an original photo of Lennon. Further explanation.
• Dec 30 Variety:

  John Lennon is the next famous Brit to get the BBC4 biopic treatment. "Lennon Naked," set in the late 1960s as the Fab Four begin to fall apart, stars former "Doctor Who" thesp Christopher Eccleston as Liverpool's most famous son. [...]
  
  "Lennon Naked," a co-production between U.K. shingle Blast! Films and the BBC, may gain much-deserved international traction for these films, which deserve a wider audience than can be achieved on a niche net such as BBC4.
  
  "Potentially the Lennon film has the ability to reach a bigger audience because it is a more contemporary story than some of the previous films we've done," says BBC4 controller Richard Klein.
  
  "A lot of the things that Lennon is seen dealing with in our story -- coming from a broken family, drugs, divorce, the art world, celebrity -- are very modern subjects that will resonate strongly with today's audience."
  
  What all these films share are strong scripts ("Enid" was written by Lindsay Shapero while the Lennon biopic was penned by Robert Jones) and the opportunity for actors to engage at a deep level with the main character's personality.
  Lavish sets, crowd scenes and special effects are conspicuous by their absence.
  
  "They are all low-cost films that extract a huge creative dividend," says Ben Stephenson, the BBC's head of drama commissioning.
  "The focus is on a single, central performance and the script, which makes them incredibly attractive from an actor's perspective. The main actor or actress is on screen for pretty much every scene." [...]
  
  Coming so soon after Sam Taylor-Wood's portrayal of Lennon's teenage years in the feature "Nowhere Boy," isn't there a danger of over-dosing on Beatles nostalgia with "Lennon Naked?"
  
  "I don't think so," counters Klein. "Our story covers the years from 1967 to 1971 so it shows a completely different period in Lennon's life.
  "It covers areas that everyone wants to know about, including why did Lennon break up the Beatles and why did he leave London to go and live in New York."
  
  It also promises an intense performance from Eccleston, who may end up rivalling Bonham Carter's interpretation of Blyton.

• Following the sighting of Christopher Eccleston on set for a new film about John Lennon on Nov 14, official information has been made available Nov 27.
  
  BBC4 Press Release:
  

  Christopher Eccleston is to star in Lennon Naked, a major one-off drama from Blast! Films for BBC Four.
  Lennon Naked charts his transition from "Beatle John" to enduring and enigmatic icon. It covers a period of wildly fluctuating fortunes from 1967-71; a time of worldwide adulation at one extreme, a combination of frustration and despair at the other.
  Writer Robert Jones articulates the burden of genius, as well as issues of fatherhood and fame in this 90-minute film.
  Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning says: "Securing Christopher Eccleston to play John Lennon is further testament to the calibre of drama on BBC Four." [...]
  
  When The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein died unexpectedly in 1967, it was a turning point in John Lennon's life. The film focuses on the turbulent and intense period of change that followed, and how John was haunted by his troubled childhood.
  The film reveals the impact of re-establishing contact with his long lost father Freddie and the events that led John to shed everything both personally and creatively – from divorcing his long-suffering wife Cynthia, to changing his name and ultimately calling time on The Beatles.
  
  Meeting Yoko Ono was the catalyst for this new era and the film explores the development of their extraordinary relationship. Together they experimented with both the musical and artistic avant garde but in doing so become outsiders.
  It looks at their growing disillusionment with Britain and what caused John to abandon the UK to start a new life in America. A process that included John harnessing the power of radical Primal Scream psychotherapy to lay the ghosts of his past and go on to record arguably the most powerful solo work of his career.
  
  Key cast also include Christopher Fairbank as Freddie Lennon, Naoko Mori as Yoko Ono, Claudie Blakley as Cynthia Lennon, Rory Kinnear as Brian Epstein, Allan Corduner at Art Janov, Michael Colgan as Derek Taylor and Andrew Scott as Paul McCartney.
  
  Lennon Naked is currently filming in London; the 90-minute drama is written by Robert Jones (The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Party Animals) and will air in 2010. The director and co-producer is Edmund Coulthard (Tales From Pleasure Beach, Soundproof); co-producer is Katherine Lannon (The Secret Life Of Mrs Beeton, The History Of Mr Polly) for Blast! Films, and BBC executive producer is Kate Evans.

  Naoko Mori, as Doctor Sato in the TV series 'Doctor Who' (ep. 4 'Aliens of London', 2005), and Rory Kinnear, as Father Dillane in 'The Second Coming' (2003), had previously appeared alongside CE. Also, Michael Colgan was Gerard Donaghey in 'Sunday' (2002).
  
  Naoko Mori and CE in 'Doctor Who' (2005)


• BBC News:

  Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston is to play John Lennon in a BBC drama marking 30 years since the singer's murder in 1980.
  Lennon Naked will tackle the death of Beatles manager Brian Epstein, Lennon's developing relationship with Yoko Ono and his departure from the fab four.
  The 90-minute drama ends in 1971 - the year Lennon released his album Imagine and he and Ono moved to New York.

  Other secondary articles: Guardian, The Stage, c21media.net, Ireland On-Line.

• Nov 15 'Set report' that broke the news first, at Daily Express:

  The former Dr Who star started his first day of filming as the Beatle yesterday for a BBC drama called John Lennon – Naked.
  The dramatic scenes being shot in London depicted the day Lennon and his then girlfriend Yoko Ono were arrested.
  The reconstruction is believed to be of when the real couple were taken into custody on October 18, 1968, following a drugs raid at the flat in London where they were staying.
  
  In the real event, police read a warrant through a bedroom window to Lennon and Ono, who days earlier had revealed she was pregnant, despite the fact they were both still married to other people.
  Police who broke down the front door found 200 grams of marijuana and half a gram of morphine inside the basement flat in London's Montagu Square. [filmed in Gordon Square, North London - ATBN]
  
  The property, near the famous Abbey Road studios where The Beatles recorded their greatest hits, belonged to Lennon's band-mate, Ringo Starr.
  Days after the raid, Yoko had a miscarriage.
  Lennon later pleaded guilty to possessing the drugs because he was worried that his lover would be deported. He was fined £150.

Audio:
Naoko Mori guested on LA Talk Radio (Feb 7). Be advised it's a novelty show - site and source (there you can hear the whole programme, or if you want just the Mori interview, start at the minute 65).


Notes:
Daniel Tatarsky's tweet had the first mention of the project: "Just heard: Christopher Eccleston (Aged 45) to play John Lennon from the 24 to 31. I guess Sheila Hancock will be Cynthia. 4:54 AM Oct 16th from web"