Watch: First Footage From 'Parade's End' With Benedict Cumberbatch; 'The Girl' With Sienna Miller & Jane Campion's 'Top Of The Lake'

Television

by Kevin Jagernauth
July 25, 2012 5:43 PM
13 Comments

It's easy to get lost in the bombast of the blockbuster season and the allure of festivals just around the corner. But BBC2 is here to remind you they've got some tremendously promising, high caliber wares coming to a small screen near you, which might be enticing enough to skip heading the multiplex altogether. The station has dropped a trailer for their new season of original programming, and there are some highlights and first footage worth paying attention to.

First up, there's "Parade's End" starring Benedict Cumberbatch and our fave, Rebecca Hall. Based on the book by Ford Madox Ford, the story is set against the backdrop of WWI and follows Christopher Tietjens (Cumberbatch), a top civil servant from a background of wealth and privilege, whose marriage to Sylvia (Hall) declines, just as it begins. On top of this, Chris is dealing with shell shock and partial memory loss that he endures during the war. Susanna White, who helmed the acclaimed "Generation Kill," is behind the camera and Tom Stoppard wrote the script, and this thing looks pretty great already, so sign us up.

Next up, there's "The Girl" starring Sienna Miller and a heavily made up Toby Jones, with the actors playing Tippi Hedren and Alfred Hitchcock respectively. Directed by Julian Jarrold ("Becoming Jane," "Red Riding: 1974") and penned by Gwyneth Hughes ("Miss Austen Regrets," "Five Days"), the 90-minute drama for the BBC focuses on the director's obsessive relationship with the actress who starred in "The Birds" and "Marnie." Do they pull it off? You tell us.

Finally, there's Jane Campion's mini-series "Top Of The Lake" featuring "Mad Men" star Elisabeth Moss. The project reunites Campion with Gerard Lee, the writer of her 1989 film “Sweetie,” for the tale of a detective investigating the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant daughter of a local drug lord. "The Piano" star and Oscar winner Holly Hunter, Peter Mullan ("Tyrannosaur," "War Horse"), David Wenham (Faramir in a couple of "The Lord Of The Rings") and Lucy Lawless all feature. And it looks like a great gear change for both Campion and Moss already, with some really moody atmosphere and chills coming through.

Check it all out below with footage from season two of "The Hour" and the new 1930s jazz world drama "Dancing On The Edge" with Chiwetel Ejiofor in there as well. Hopefully much more from all of these coming soon. [Bleeding Cool]

Television

More: Parade's End, The Girl, Top Of The Lake, Television, TV News

13 Comments

| Reply
mary | July 31, 2012 6:12 PMReply

finally, an amazing actor in a plum role, should be the best opportunity yet to see Cumberbatch!
kevin | July 26, 2012 1:20 PMReply

It would be awesome if all those clips were from the same movie.
Harry Potter | July 26, 2012 5:51 AMReply

Is Cumberbatch possessed by Snape or something? He really sounds like him. It's troubling me.
ole | July 26, 2012 5:11 AMReply

Parade's End will be incredible. If youve read the books you'll know that Cumberbatch will have some fantastic scenes to play out. I;d be very surprised if he doesnt sweep all the awards for this role.
Stop the Madness | July 26, 2012 2:31 AMReply

Playlist , I don't understand your profound love for Rebecca Hall ( talented ,but not astonishing) , and why consider Rosemarie Dewitt as " great" ( she has very little acting credits to be considered great on film or tv). If Rebecca is so wonderful, how come she didn't win the Fantine role in "Les Miserables", after she auditioned for Tom Hooper ?
J | July 26, 2012 5:57 AM

Come on! She's great! For me, she's like the female equivalent of Cumberbatch (they can actually pass up as siblings!). They're both ridiculously talented and yet quite underrated. But Hollywood seems to take notice of late which is great. This is why Parade's End is very promising not to mention the awesomeness of the book, Stoppard, White, the supporting cast and the BBC/HBO co-production itself.
Alan | July 26, 2012 3:25 AM

Showbiz is competitive, and the number of solid female roles are exponentially smaller than their male equivalents. There are lots of reasons why an actress will lose a role - not appropriate for the part, another actress has more hype around her, sex appeal - which may not relate to talent and more to do with the star system. Angelina Jolie gets offered more roles than Vera Farmiga, but does that make her the better actress?
eowyn | July 26, 2012 12:37 AMReply

PARADE'S END... Emmy, BAFTA, Golden Globes bait. That is all.
Alan | July 26, 2012 12:07 AMReply

I am saddened and disappointed that the headline wasn't "You Just got Cumberbatched, bitches!" Come on Playlist, where is your zest for lame puns?
Alan | July 26, 2012 12:12 AM

Oh, and how the hell did 'The Hour' get another series? The first series was ridiculous, with the decent actors unable to elevate the overheated plots or the one-dimensional characters. Looking forward to 'Parade's End', though.
Fry | July 25, 2012 9:26 PMReply

Toby Jones in that makeup looks more like the dwarf from 'Don't Look Now' than Hitchcock. Bad casting choice.
guest | July 25, 2012 5:57 PMReply

Cumberbatch is an incredible actor. So different in every role.
swell | July 25, 2012 5:56 PMReply

Any word of release dates for any of these? The Jane Campion series looks especially promising. I'm still uncertain as to how The Hours second series isnt going to feel like a trifle when compared to last season.