Q&A/TV PREVIEW: Mark Gatiss & Ben Mansfield on The Room In The Tower at the BFI

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN? Sunday 14 December 2025, to air at 10pm on BBC2 on Christmas Eve RUNTIME: 30 minutes

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without the now annual Mark Gatiss ghost story airing late on Christmas Eve on BBC2.

  • Read on for reasons including how this Christmas tradition is just a part of festivities as It’s A Wonderful Life
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FILM REVIEW: Plainclothes with intro by its star Russell Tovey

By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK? *****

WHERE? BFI Southbank, film released in the UK Friday 10 October 2025

‘Shame is such a wonderful thing to play as an actor,’ says Tovey as he reflects on how his part in Angels In America next door at the National Theatre saw him cast here.

  • Read on for reasons including how we can see why Tovey referred to this as a film he would have loved to have seen when he was younger
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Q&A/PREVIEW: Nolly at the BFI with Russell T Davies, Helena Bonham Carter & Mark Gatiss

By Neil Durham

WHEN?: Thursday 26 January 2023, Nolly drops 2 February 2023 on ITVX

We’ve just seen the 1st 2 of 3 episodes of new Russell T Davies (It’s A Sin, Channel 4) show Nolly and he tells us in the Q&A afterwards: ‘When we 1st met ITV and said we wanted to make a drama about Noele Gordon, they said: ‘Who’s he?’

  • Read on for reasons including Helena Bonham Carter’s thoughts on the show and Gatiss on Larry Grayson
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INVESTIGATION: Should you join your favourite theatre as a member? (2020 update, part one)

The Old Vic was the second winner of our Best Theatre Venue monsta last year and in part two are details of what you can expect from patron membership which for us meant sharing a rehearsal room with actors including Fleabag‘s Andrew Scott (pictured above).

  • Read on to find out what membership of the Almeida, ATG, Bridge Theatre, British Film Institute, Delfont Mackintosh, Donmar Warehouse and Globe Theatre gets you

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Q&A and TV PREVIEW: His Dark Materials featuring Ruth Wilson, Dafne Keen & Sir Philip Pullman at the BFI

WHERE? BFI IMAX RUNTIME: 60 minutes (episode 1 to air on BBC1 3/11 and HBO 4/11/19)

WHEN? 15/10

Piers Wenger is BBC’s controller of drama and describes this eight-part first season of Sir Philip Pullman’s renowned literature trilogy as ‘the most ambitious drama the BBC has ever made’.

  • Read on for reasons including what to expect from episode 1 which airs on BBC1 Sunday 3 November 2019

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Q&A: Derry Girls at the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival

WHERE? BFI IMAX, BFI & Radio Times Television Festival, London

WHEN? 14/4/19

Derry Girls writer and creator Lisa McGee had never really seen anything on television that represented her growing up in the 90s in Northern Ireland and so set about writing it.

  • Read on for reasons including the similarities between Derry Girls and Channel 4’s Father Ted

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Q&A: Josh O’Connor at the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival

WHERE? BFI & Radio Times Television Festival

WHEN? 13/4/19 The Durrells airs on ITV at 8pm on Sundays, finishing 12/5/19

Josh O’Connor plays Prince Charles in the next series of Netflix’s The Crown and if he met the royal he would want to compare ear stories.

  • Read on for reasons including what happened when O’Connor auditioned for the film version of Les Miserables

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Q&A: Line Of Duty featuring Jed Mercurio at the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival

WHERE? BFI IMAX

WHEN? 13/4/19, series 5 concludes on BBC1 5/5/19

monstagigz guarantee: There are no spoilers in the Q&A that follows if you’re up to date with the show

‘Do I know who ‘H’ is? Oh yes,’ says Line Of Duty creator and writer Jed Mercurio who is speaking at the 2nd annual BFI & Radio Times Television Festival at the BFI IMAX in London.

  • Read on for reasons including which character suggested her own demise in series 5

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PREVIEW: 9 reasons why we can’t wait for April 2019

  1. Dame Maggie Smith’s 1st theatrical performance in 12 years

When we raved about film There’s Nothing Like A Dame we never thought we’d see Dame Maggie tread the boards again but she returns to London for the 1st time in 12 years in a new one-woman play called A German Life based on the actual testimony of Brunhilde Pomsel, who once worked for Joseph Goebbels. Runs 6/4 to 11/5/19. Tickets The Downton Abbey film is expected to be released in September.

  • Read on for reasons including Sally Field, Bananarama tour, Jessie Buckley film & Game Of Thrones returns

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INVESTIGATION: Should you join your favourite theatre as a member?

Should theatre go Netflix? Would subscribing as a member of your favourite theatre make it easier for you to get the most in-demand tickets? We became a member of 11 of our favourite venues and bought two group memberships to see what the value for money is.

  • Read on to find out what membership of the Almeida, ATG, Bridge Theatre, British Film Institute, Delfont Mackintosh, Donmar Warehouse, Globe Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, National Theatre, Old Vic, Other Palace, Royal Court and Young Vic gets you

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