Tag: Andrew Gower

A.D. Ep 7 The Visit

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A.D. – The Bible Continues Ep. 7 “The Visit”

Biblical drama A.D. – The Bible Continues is a sequel to the NBC hit TV show The Bible by producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. It picks up immediately after the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and shows the impact his death had on his disciples as well as the religious and political leaders of the time.

Jewish persecutor Saul (Emmett J. Scanlan) is targeting Peter (Adam Levy), a former fisherman from Bethsaida and one of the followers of the recently executed Jesus. Fearing for his life, Philip (Joe Dixon) has fled Jerusalem. After watching “Simon the Sorcerer” (Stephen Walters) perform a “miracle” in a market, he decides to show the people of Samaria the true power of God.

The imminent visit of Roman Emperor Tiberius (Kenneth Cranham) threatens Pilate’s (Vincent Regan) position as Governor of Jerusalem. Tiberius is accompanied by his “debauched and dangerous” nephew Caligula (Andrew Gower), who on a nightly stroll through the city reveals his quick temper and violent nature.

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Rosewater: Theatrical Release UK

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On Friday, 8 May 2015, Rosewater had its theatrical release in the UK, which means we’re getting a few more reviews from British TV critics.

  • 7 May 2015: Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian

Stewart has made a very credible feature-film debut, as writer/director of this shrewd and heartfelt movie about the ordeal of Tehran-born BBC journalist Maziar Bahari, who was detained without trial, tortured and interrogated as an alleged US spy for 118 days. The case was prominently taken up on The Daily Show. Stewart has created a humane black tragicomedy […]

(Source: The Guardian)

  • 10 May 2015: Mark Kermode for The Guardian

Explaining that “the original impetus for the film came from my own feelings of guilt and atonement over what happened to him in Iran”, Stewart offers a powerfully vindicating account of Bahari’s Kafkaesque ordeal. […] Directorially, it’s nuts-and-bolts fare, the imagined apparition of Bahari’s father (Haluk Bilginer) being one of its few stylistic flourishes. But the story is engrossing and enraging, and Stewart takes care to remind us that the real victims of oppressive regimes are those who live with them on a daily basis.

(Source: The Guardian)

  • 13 May 2015: Rupert Hawksley for The Telegraph

Based on Bahari’s bestselling memoir, this is a dignified and vital first film from American satirist Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and a vociferous campaigner for the journalist’s release. […]

For all the earnestness, however, this is not po-faced cinema. It is cinema that matters. Some of the encounters between Bahari (Gael Garcia Bernal) and his ignorant torturer, known only as Rosewater (Kim Bodnia), are deliberately comic, which allows Stewart to show us that humanity flickers within even the darkest souls. […] This remarkable film is a tribute to the bravery of foreign correspondents and a love letter to democracy.

(Source: The Telegraph)

Andrew plays Caligula

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The official website for the NBC mini series A.D. – The Bible Continues released a series of pictures introducing us to the main characters of the sequel to the 2013 mini-series The Bible.

Among them is Andrew Gower who will play the future Roman Emperor Caligula.

“The youth who will one day be the Emperor of Rome, Caligula is wild and sadistic with a taste for debauchery and destruction that knows no limits.“

After doing some research, we think it is safe to say that Caligula will be one h*** of a character to play! Read our findings about the “real” Caligula.

A.D. will premier on Easter Sunday, 5 April 2015 and continue weekly with 12 one hour long episodes.

The Village 2×06

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The Village 2×06

John Middleton (John Simm) has woken from his coma but is unable to speak. His wife Grace (Maxine Peake) is worried about what he will say and how much he might remember from the accident. Martha (Charlie Murphy) moves back in with her father Reverend Lane (Scott Handy) and is surprised to find Nurse Joy Dangerfield (Juliet Aubrey) living there.

Lady Allingham’s (Juliet Stevenson) world is falling apart: with one of her sons being gay, the other one about to be divorced, she fears she’ll never have an heir. Her daughter Caro (Emily Beecham) reminds her that she already has one: the illegitimate boy Caro had after a brief encounter with Bert Middleton’s older brother Joe (Nico Mirallegro) and who had been given up for adoption without her consent.

Bill Gibby (Derek Riddell), who is now the leader of the city council of Sheffield, is back in the village with plans for a reservoir which could supply Sheffield with clean water but would involve flooding the village. When Grace hears about the plan, she vows to stop it in a passionate speech with the other villagers, including Gilbert (Andrew Gower) and Agnes Hankin (Chloe Harris) applauding her.

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The Village 2×05

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The Village 2×05

As John Middleton (John Simm) lies in a coma with severe head trauma, rumours are spreading about the true nature of the relationship between his wife Grace (Maxine Peake) and Labour politician Bill Gibby (Derek Riddell). Two hectoring policemen arrive in the village and start investigating the mass trespass. Their main suspects are Bert Middleton (Tom Varey), Gerrard Eyre (Matt Stokoe) and Gilbert Hankin (Andrew Gower).

George Allingham (Augustus Prew), a principled journalist, is pressured by his family to alter the report of events in their favour. His world is further unsettled when his wife Martha (Charlie Murphy) tells him that she wants to leave him for Gerrard Eyre. A divorce is out of the question for the Allingham family who fear possible damage to Edmund’s (Rupert Evans) political career.

Gerrard and Bert are arrested and put on trial for rioting while Gilbert, whose father is also the village’s magistrate, is no longer a suspect. Key witness of the prosecution is George Allingham, a war hero, on whose words the verdict will be rendered. It is up to him to decide whether to support his family’s interest or follow his conscience.

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The Village 2×02

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The Village 2×02

Arnold Hankin (Anthony Flanagan) surprises his wife Norma (Ainsley Howard) with his latest idea: he wants to open a dance hall. He leaves the business of the boot factory to his son Gilbert (Andrew Gower), who is secretly in love with the factory worker Agnes (Chloe Harris). When he tries to do Agnes a favour, things take a turn for the worse, and he is forced to fire Agnes but vows to make her life better.

Nurse Joy Dangerfield (Juliet Aubrey) comes to the village to teach the family planning methods of Marie Stopes. Her first patient is Agnes, who is pregnant by her abusive lover Bairstow (Joe Armstrong). Norma also consults Nurse Dangerfield in hopes that her advice will help spike things up in the Hankins’ marital bed and result in a baby of her own.

While John Middleton (John Simm) struggles to keep his dairy business going without a barn, his wife Grace (Maxine Peake) is drawn to Labour candidate Bill Gibby (Derek Riddell) and goes on a bicycle ride with him. Even though he knows about the affair, a shy Gilbert asks Agnes to go to the dance hall opening with him, and a determined Phoebe (Phoebe Dynevor) invites Bert Middleton (Tom Varey).

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The Village 2×01

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The Village 2×01

It’s the year 1923 in the village and the Middletons are barely making ends meet with their dairy farm while the Allinghams are hosting a house party for the arrogant and eccentric Lord Kilmartin (Julian Sand), who they hope will assist Edmund Allingham’s (Rupert Evans) political progress. Part of the entertainment is the traditional “Hare & Hound Race” with Bert Middleton (Tom Varey) volunteering as the runner.

With the help of his former teacher Gerrard Eyre (Matt Stokoe) and villager Margaret Boden (Annabelle Apsion), he manages to avoid capture and celebrates the victory with his friend Gilbert Hankin (Andrew Gower) and the rest of the village in the pub where they reminisce about the past. However, Lord Kilmartin accuses Bert of cheating and refuses to pay the prize money.

At a boxing competition, Edmund’s opening words are upstaged by the passionate speech of Labour candidate Bill Gibby (Derek Riddell). Determined to win enough money to leave the village and start a new life elsewhere, Bert enters the ring with black boxer Ghana Jones (Daniel Ezra) but loses. Bert’s mother Grace (Maxine Peake) finally decides to make a stand for her son and shames Edmund into paying Bert his money.

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New photos by Phil Sharp

Photographer Phil Sharp has added some wonderful new portrait shots of Andrew to his website.

You can find also find the pictures in our Gallery.

All pictures © Phil Sharp / http://www.philsharp-photo.com

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No second season for The White Queen

Lord Strange

The BBC has confirmed that there will be no second season of The White Queen, stating “it was never actually conceived as a returnable series” (source).

This will come as a blow to Andrew Gower’s fans who had hoped to see more of Lord Strange in a potential second season, following his short but sweet scenes as Lord Stanley’s (Rupert Graves) son in episodes 9 and 10.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think the BBC would have had a hit on its hands if it had adapted the book ‘The White Princess‘, about Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York? Or did the historical inaccuracies mean the series was always doomed?

The White Queen Ep 10 The Final Battle

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The White Queen ep 10 The Final Battle

Historical reference: The Battle of Bosworth Field (Wikipedia)

After the disappearance of her sons, the former queen Elizabeth (Rebecca Ferguson) has returned to court with her two daughters, Lizzie (Freya Mavor) and Cecily (Elinor Crawley). Soon rumours emerge that King Richard (Aneurin Barnard) himself has taken an interest in his niece Lizzie, which causes friction between the King and his wife Queen Anne (Faye Marsay). When the young Prince of Wales suddenly dies, Queen Anne’s health deteriotes and she passes away soon after.

Stricken with grief and guilt, King Richard sends Lizzie away to live at the household of Lord Stanley (Rupert Graves) and Margaret Beaufort (Amanda Hale). Despite the rumours of her affair, Lizzie is still betrothed to Margeret’s son Henry Tudor (Michael Marcus), the Lancastrian heir to the throne. Henry and his uncle Jasper Tudor (Tom McKay) have come to England to claim Richard’s throne and the two armies prepare for battle near Bosworth Field.

Things are not looking good for the outnumbered Tudor army while Lord Stanley’s forces could decide the battle. However, King Richard has taken Lord Strange (Andrew Gower) hostage and threatens to kill him if Lord Stanley doesn’t declare his allegiance for the King. The last defining battle in the Wars of the Roses has begun.

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