Latest news with #Brookside
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Anna Friel steals every scene in Jimmy McGovern's Unforgivable
Liverpool-born TV luminary Jimmy McGovern first rose to prominence – after a stint on soaps like Brookside and Corrie – with Cracker, a detective series starring Robbie Coltrane as a misanthropic criminal psychologist. Since then, he has become the great chronicler of Britain's ills. From the Hillsborough disaster to the Iraq war, via inquisitions on joint enterprise, unemployment, and disability cuts, he has run the gamut of social failings. And a recurring theme, running from 1994's Priest to 2017's Broken, is the legacy of child abuse, a subject he explores in profound detail, again, in BBC Two's Unforgivable. Joe Mitchell (Bobby Schofield) is in prison, having been found guilty of sexually assaulting his 12-year-old nephew, Tom (Austin Haynes). Tom's mother, Anna (Anna Friel), struggles with Tom's increasingly erratic behaviour, while grieving for her and Joe's mother, who has just died. When Joe is released from prison, he is offered a second chance by a group of Christians, led by Katherine (Anna Maxwell Martin), who believe in rehabilitation and offer Joe a chance to, if not start again, resume some sort of quotidian existence. 'Isn't forgiveness selfish?' she asks Joe, as they explore how he can rejoin society. But Joe isn't really looking for absolution; he's looking for answers. And here, the long, multi-generational shadow of abuse casts its shade. 'No one's perfect,' family friend Paul (Mark Womack) consoles Anna's widower father Brian (David Threlfall), who, in addition to losing his wife, is estranged from his paedophile son and watching his daughter's family life disintegrate. In a way, he's right. All of McGovern's characters are dealing with the fractured messiness of life (even Maxwell Martin's God-botherer has breast cancer, 'the nun's disease'). This panoply of personal disasters gives rise to some brilliant acting from the assembled ensemble of McGovern regulars. Schofield is transformed from his roles in This City Is Ours and SAS: Rogue Heroes, imbuing Joe with a magnetic, itching discomfort. Friel, meanwhile, steals every scene she's in as a desperate, but still poised, mother. The material is red meat to fine actors, and they eat it up. Whether it's so nourishing to audiences is debatable. There is no challenging McGovern's willingness to gaze into the abyss – he has been doing it for more than 30 years now – but is the abyss gazing back? As it progresses, Unforgivable tries to engage with the cyclical nature of abuse ('Some men who abuse have themselves been abused,' Katherine informs Joe) but ends up feeling simplified and rushed. A complex, nuanced narrative that might've stretched over the course of a multi-episode mini-series is, here, condensed into 105 minutes. Joe's dual role – as both victim and abuser – is one that oscillates, the very instability of its nature forming the crux of how these crimes are perpetrated and then covered up. But the constraints of the plot dumb this down somewhat, and the narrative becomes increasingly procedural. 'I could cope with the lying,' Joe laments, as he picks at old wounds. 'But all this truth? It's too much for me.' McGovern has worked with non-fiction in the past (Sunday, for example, is about Bloody Sunday), but more often he builds, like Ken Loach, stories as composites of abstracted case studies. At its best, this approach adds an intimacy that true life portraits can struggle with, where the interiority is limited by the strictures of fact. But, at other times, it can feel like these characters are only being imagined into life in order to put them through intense suffering. Unforgivable is undoubtedly a sympathetic piece – even Joe is afforded a reluctant dignity – but it is also a concatenation of personal miseries. Sunlight, it seems, doesn't often fall on Merseyside. For some, it will be enough simply to give these tough issues an airing. 'Important' is an easy adjective to apply to a McGovern drama. But for viewers to endure a couple of hours of fairly unrelenting gloom, there needs to be a spark beyond great performances and plausible writing. Unforgivable feels like an endurance test, whose message – that empathy must prevail – could've been expressed with more dynamic light and shade.
Elle
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Chappell Roan's Pop-Up Show Registration Is Already Starting—Here's How to Secure Tickets
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Chappell Roan is hitting the road again—but only in a select few locations. This fall, the Grammy-winning artist will launch her Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things pop-up shows across three cities in the U.S.: New York, New York; Kansas City, Missouri; and Pasadena, California. She'll begin with a four-night stint at Forest Hills Stadium in New York, from September 20 through 24. Then she'll hit Kansas City for two nights, on October 3 and 4. And finally, the shows will wrap with two nights in Pasadena on October 10 and 11. 'I am sooooo excited to announce my Pop-Up Shows in New York, Kansas City, and Los Angeles this fall :D,' Roan shared an her Instagram post. 'I love these three cities so much + wanted the chance to do something special before going away to write the next album.' Here's everything you need to know about where to get tickets before they sell out. Good luck, babe! Ticket registration opened today, Thursday, July 24th at 12:00pm EST through Fair AXS. In order to purchase tickets, you'll need to register by this Sunday, July 27th at 11:59 P.M. EST. Then, fans will be selected at random between Tuesday, August 5 and Thursday, August 7. 'Because we're only coming to three cities, I wanted to make sure 1. we're keeping ticket prices as affordable as possible and 2. we're trying to keep them away from scalpers,' Roan shared. After registration, 'AXS will take the next week to try and remove bot or scalper emails and randomly select only real people who will be given access to purchase tickets,' Roan explained. 'If you've been selected, AXS will send you an email between Tuesday, August 5th and Thursday, August 7th with a link to purchase — so watch your inbox AND CHECK YOUR SPAM! If you're not selected to be able to purchase tickets, you'll receive an email with details on the waitlist starting August 7th.' She'll also be donating $1 per ticket to organizations that support trans youth in each pop-up city. Saturday, September 20 at Forest Hills Stadium Register Now on AXS Sunday, September 21 at Forest Hills Stadium Tuesday, September 23 at Forest Hills Stadium Wednesday, September 24 at Forest Hills Stadium Friday, October 3 at Museum and Memorial Park Saturday, October 4 at Museum and Memorial Park Friday, October 10 at Brookside at the Rose Bowl Saturday, October 11 at Brookside at the Rose Bowl
USA Today
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Chappell Roan announces US pop-up shows. Here's how to get tickets.
Chappell Roan is following her breakout year of pop-culture dominance with a handful of U.S. shows this fall. Roan will perform Sept. 20-24 at Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, New York; Oct. 3-4 in her Midwest roots at Museum and Memorial Park in Kansas City, Missouri; and Oct. 10-11 at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Roan, who scored her first Grammy Award this year for best new artist, previously announced a run of August shows in Europe for this "Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things" run of pop-up shows. In announcing the concerts, Roan said the three cities were chosen because she loves them and 'wanted the chance to do something special for them this year.' Fans can access Fair AXS Registration now through 11:59 p.m. ET July 27 at for a chance to purchase tickets. Invited Fair AXS registered users will be selected randomly and notified between Aug. 5 and Aug. 7. Roan, 27, is also donating $1 from every ticket sold to organizations that provide resources and support for transgender youth. 'It is so important that I give back to the Trans community as they have given me so much throughout my entire career,' she said. Following the breakout success of her debut album, 'The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,' and her smash singles 'Pink Pony Club' and 'Good Luck, Babe!,' Roan released the country-tinged queer anthem, 'The Giver.' Earlier this week she teased her next project with a snippet of the single, "The Subway." More: Lady Gaga thrills at theatrical Mayhem Ball tour kickoff: Review Chappell Roan 2025 concert dates Sept. 20: Forest Hills Stadium, Forest Hills, New York Sept. 21: Forest Hills Stadium, Forest Hills, New York Sept. 23: Forest Hills Stadium, Forest Hills, New York Sept. 24: Forest Hills Stadium, Forest Hills, New York Oct. 3: Museum and Memorial Park, Kansas City, Missouri Oct. 4: Museum and Memorial Park, Kansas City, Missouri Oct. 10: Brookside at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Metro
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Line of Duty star's drama that will 'seize your soul' launches on BBC
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Today marks the day that Jimmy McGovern's highly anticipated latest TV project lands on BBC iPlayer. The new one-part drama, Unforgivable, stars Anna Maxwell Martin as Katherine, an ex-nun and therapist who works at an institution called St Maura's. Anna was introduced as DCS Patricia Carmichael in BBC One's crime drama Line of Duty back in 2019, a character known for her passive aggressive and unpleasant demeanour. In Unforgivable, Katherine works alongside lead character Joe (Bobby Schofield) as he finishes his two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a family member. Brookside star Anna Friel plays Joe's sister, Anna, who is tackling the aftermath of her family's trauma whilst protecting her two sons. Anna's contact with her inmate brother infuriates her father Brian (David Threlfall), who can't stand the fact that she is in contact with her brother, Joe. The Liverpool-set series also features Adolescence child actor Austin Haynes alongside Phina Oruche, Mark Womack and Fin McPartland in his TV debut. As well as being a best-selling author, screenwriter Jimmy has worked on many shows over the years that tackle social issues and injustice. Over the years, he's worked on Channel 4's Brookside, the docudrama Hillsborough and most recently the Bafta award-winning series Time, starring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham. Speaking to the BBC about his previous work on screen, McGovern said: 'It's got to seize my soul and if it doesn't do that then I won't be able to sit at the computer to write.' A description of Unforgivable reads: 'The Mitchell family deal with the devastating aftermath of an act of sexual abuse committed by a member of their own family who, after two years, is about to leave prison.' When the cast for the series was first confirmed, Jimmy told Radio Times: 'I can't believe the cast and crew that have been assembled for this production. It's a challenging film, yes, but I can't wait for it to be shown.' The release of Unforgivable comes shortly after Netflix added all four episodes of a 'gripping' spy thriller starring another Line of Duty star. Set in 1886, the drama The Secret Agent follows a man called Verloc (Toby Jones), who owns a sex shop in Victorian-era Soho. More Trending On the side, he's an informer for the Russian embassy tasked with spying on revolutionary groups, with Line of Duty icon Vicky McClurer playing his wife, Winnie. To round out the top of the call sheet, Stephen Graham joins them as the police Chief Inspector Heat. Unforgivable is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and airs tonight at 9pm on BBC Two. View More » An earlier version of this article was published on July 13, 2025. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Chloe Ayling: 'I can't believe I'm still talking about being kidnapped eight years later' MORE: BBC fans can now stream this 60s classic hailed 'filmmaking at its finest' MORE: BBC denies editing Irish verse out of CMAT song after backlash
Daily Mirror
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Anna Friel pays tribute to 'amazing' Unforgivable co-star she's now 'a big fan' of
Emmy Award winner Anna Friel is about to showcase her acting talents in BBC's newest drama Unforgivable, alongside a hugely stellar cast Anna Friel is once again returning to screens and Liverpool - a city that she has always held dear after her acting career took off massively following a stint on the hugely popular British soap opera Brookside, in 1993. She played the role of Beth Jordache, portraying the first openly lesbian character in a soap, including the famous kissing scene with Nicola Stephenson, who depicted Margaret Clemence. Since then, she has gone on to achieve huge fame in shows such as Deep Water, Pushing Daisies and also won an International Emmy Award for Best Actress for her part in ITV's Marcella. Now, the critically acclaimed actress, will form part of the incredible cast in BBC's powerful drama Unforgivable. The new 90-minute series penned by the brilliant Cracker screenwriter Jimmy McGovern, sees her take on the role of Anna Mitchell. The story is Liverpool-based and centres around the lives of the Mitchell family who have been dealing with the devastating consequences of grooming and sexual abuse. Anna's brother Joe, played by Bobby Schofield, is the person who has committed the awful crimes and has been released from prison after serving a two year jail term. Alongside Anna and Bobby, Line of Duty actress Anna Maxwell Martin, takes on the role of Katherine, a former nun, who is helping Joe to rehabilitate through therapy. Adolescence star Austin Hayes, stars as Anna's eldest son and David Threlfall, plays the role of Anna's father, who becomes angry after realising she'd reached out to her abuser brother Joe. Each character has a unique role to play with showcasing how sexual abuse can completely ripple through a family as they all attempt to regain a sense of normality after facing the aftermath of such a devastating crime. The drama has landed on BBC's streaming platform this morning at 6am and will air tonight, from 9pm on BBC2, with the compelling story already proving to be a drama not to be missed. Away from the launch of the much talked about feature, Anna Friel has paid tribute to her Unforgivable co-stars and explained what life was really like behind-the-scenes. Speaking about her relationship with the star-studded cast, she had nothing but praise to air for her on-screen peers. In a conversation with BBC, she said: "I loved my scenes with David Threlfall, he became a new friend in my life." The former soap star added: "I hadn't met Anna Maxwell Martin before, but I've always thought she's an amazing actress and it was wonderful to find she's an amazing person. "We didn't have any scenes together apart from in the courtroom, but I'm a big fan. Bobby provides such a complex performance." Unforgivable will air on BBC Two at 9pm this Thursday and will be available on BBC iPlayer from the same day.
