Zoë's new TV projects: The Cleaner and Criminal Record

5 October 2022 21:42

Zoë is filming not one but two fantastic TV shows. They both share a theme - grisly crimes - but spin off in radically different directions from that starting point.

The Cleaner on BBC One

The Cleaner sees Zoë making a welcome return to comedy - black comedy, to be precise. She's the guest star in an episode from the BBC One show's second series, which is currently in production. The Cleaner revolves around Paul "Wicky" Wickstead, played by Greg Davies, who also co-writes the episodes.

Wicky has an unenviable job cleaning up crime scenes. His work brings him into contact with the people affected by murder and other grim events. In the best British tradition, the characters he meets are wonderfully eccentric; and somehow the straight-talking cleaner always manages to wind them up!

Each episode finds Wicky tasked with cleaning up a different crime scene and encountering a different guest star. The Daily Mail has photos of Zoë's episode being filmed in Buckinghamshire. Her character looks rather posh in a quilted jacket and kilt. And Zoë looks even more petite than usual standing beside Davies, who towers over most people at 6ft 8in tall.

The release date for The Cleaner series two hasn't been announced yet, but hopefully it won't be long before the show comes to our screens.

While we wait, why not catch up with another weird and wonderful comedy series starring Zoë? Originally broadcast in 1993, The Older Woman is currently being repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra and available on BBC Sounds. Zoë plays a forthright English teacher, Miss Callaghan, who catches the eye of local journalist Roy Hitchcock (Martin Clunes). He's prone to flights of fancy - and just so happens to be one of her ex-pupils...

Criminal Record on Apple TV+

We can also look forward to watching Zoë work her acting magic in Criminal Record, a new eight-part drama series being produced for Apple TV+. The streaming service calls the show, which is written by Paul Rutman, a "powerful new London crime thriller". It adds that Criminal Record will tackle weighty subjects, including "issues of race, institutional failure, and the quest to find common ground in a polarised Britain". Filming for the show began in the city this summer.

Zoë's character, Maureen, is the mother of an up-and-coming detective, June Lenker (played by Cush Jumbo). Maureen is described in the Criminal Record press material as "anxious, loving and a constant voice in her daughter's ear" - so a kind-hearted character, perhaps with the potential to be a little interfering or clingy.

The show sees Maureen's daughter at loggerheads with a veteran detective, Daniel Hegarty, over an old murder case that led to a man named Errol Mathis being convicted of killing his partner. Mathis has since retracted his confession. Was the original investigation flawed?

I'm delighted to say there's a Constellations reunion on the cards here. Hegarty is played by Peter Capaldi, who acted opposite Zoë in Nick Payne's heart-warming, heart-breaking multiverse play seen in the West End last year. TV and film guide Looper says, "Wanamaker, in particular, is a fascinating name [in the cast], because she and Capaldi have acting history together."

No production photos or broadcast dates have been revealed yet, but the IMDB says Criminal Record is due for release in 2023.

Thanks to Janet and Sabrina for their help.

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20 years of zoewanamaker.com

29 July 2022 20:47

Can't quite believe I'm writing this, but on 30 July 2022 zoewanamaker.com, the official website for Zoë Wanamaker fans, turns 20. TWENTY! On the eve of that mind-bending milestone anniversary, I've come to sit in the same room where it all began all those years ago and do what I've been doing for more than half my life: update the site.

For a previous anniversary, I wrote about the history of this website; how it grew from a small project on Geocities (remember them?!) to a weightier endeavour with its very own domain name. Looking back, I'm surprised how much I found to say about the site's history - more than most people will have the patience to read, I'm sure! But feel free to dip in and out of the article if you're curious.

20 years of fans and friendships

My original plan for celebrating zoewanamaker.com's 20th anniversary was fairly light-hearted. I envisaged asking 20 fans what they most enjoyed about Zoë's work or what single word best summed it up. Sadly, I discovered that one of the fans whose opinions I was most keen to include here, and who wasn't much older than me (I'm in my 30s), had passed away in the spring. Suddenly, the idea of approaching 20 people didn't appeal anymore. I miss her - a kind, astonishingly talented soul - very much. I can feel the tears as I type.

Reflecting on her loss - the unfairness and sadness of it all - and the great impression she made on me, I realised what the website truly means. It's not simply a handy addition to my CV or a talking point in social situations. More than anything, it represents connection and friendship.

You see, the website was originally the product of not only my own work but also contributions here and there from several fans I knew in the early 2000s. Managing the site has brought me into contact with numerous other fans, some of which have become friends. I'm thinking of Janet, Karoline, Rachel, Harry, Bethan, Sally and Adam in particular (and apologies to anyone I've accidentally missed out). I'm also thinking, of course, of the friend I've lost.

Incredibly grateful to Zoë and her PA

The website is also the reason I've been fortunate enough to get to know Zoë's lovely PA, Vanessa, who has a really strong work ethic and is full of good sense. She is a fantastic friend and undoubtedly one of the best people to ask for advice about absolutely anything from the workings of the acting industry to how to stay positive in lockdown.

It's also thanks to the website that I've got to know Zoë and her husband, Gawn Grainger, a little. I won't claim to be their friend; I'm just a fan. But I think they're both witty, wonderful and wise - wise about the human soul and heart in a way that I believe only actors (who, of course, spend much of their time learning what makes people - and characters - tick) can be.

Huge thanks also to my mum, dad and brother for their support.

Keep on keeping on...

As the website embarks on its 20s, I find there's still so much I'd like to do with it (and so much that needs re-doing too!). So I'd better stop talking and get on with it!

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The Man Who Fell to Earth, Girlfriends, LFCC and more

29 July 2022 17:30

The Man Who Fell to Earth arrives in UK

Several weeks after The Man Who Fell to Earth premiered on Showtime in the US, it's been released in the UK. The incredible - and incredibly ambitious - sci-fi series, in which Zoë plays the enigmatic, quick-witted Watt, is available to stream on the new Paramount Plus service.

Revisit Love Hurts and Girlfriends

Talking of streaming, all three series of Love Hurts, the 90s BBC comedy-drama that made Zoë a household name, are now available on BritBox UK. All those photos on the streaming service's website bring back so many memories! She and co-star Adam Faith acted wonderfully together.

If you're a night owl, you can also revisit another fan favourite, ITV drama Girlfriends by the much-missed scriptwriter Kay Mellor, in which Zoe plays kind-hearted but put-upon Gail. It's being repeated in the wee small hours on Tuesdays (3 am, ITV1). If you're not up that late, you can catch up on the ITV Hub.

Pictured out and about in London

Zoë and her husband, Gawn Grainger, have been photographed enjoying some of the best entertainment London has to offer. They watched the tennis at Wimbledon on 28 June, then on 13 July were pictured arriving for the press night for musical Anything Goes, starring Kerry Ellis, Denis Lawson and Simon Callow, at the Barbican. The next day, Zoë was among the special guests at the press night for Jack Absolute Flies Again, a comedy starring Caroline Quentin at the National Theatre.

Meeting fans at LFCC

Countless more photos were taken of Zoë at the London Film and Comic Con on 9 July. Huge numbers of fans travelled to the vast Olympia events space, and I've been told the queues to meet her were particularly long.

You can see Zoë signing a Harry Potter poster on Instagram. My favourite autograph and photo of the day belong to Jenny Fassenfelt, an artist, photographer and Doctor Who fan who went to the trouble of drawing a portrait of Zoe as last human Lady Cassandra.

Thanks to Karoline for her help.

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Video: Zoë as Watt in The Man Who Fell to Earth

30 May 2022 17:48

Zoë Wanamaker fans in the US can now watch her make her debut as the mysterious, quick-witted Watt in episode five of sci-fi series The Man Who Fell to Earth. 'Moonage Daydream' was released yesterday and is available to stream anytime on Showtime.

Although The Man Who Fell to Earth isn't available elsewhere yet, fans outside the US can get a taste of the episode thanks to this short clip from the Showtime YouTube channel, in which Watt helps (in a roundabout way) Faraday, an alien on a mission to save his planet, with his vital research. Looks excellent - intriguing and well paced with sharp dialogue.

Enjoy!

Thanks to Karoline for the link to the video.

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Zoë in Showtime's The Man Who Fell to Earth

25 May 2022 16:59

After performing the multiverse play Constellations in London's West End last summer, Zoë worked on another show that takes life, the universe and everything as its ambitious subject matter: The Man Who Fell to Earth. Watt, her character in this new TV sci-fi series, debuts in episode five, 'Moonage Daydream'.

The episode will be available to stream in the US on Showtime on 29 May. For now, enjoy this fast-paced trailer featuring Watt. It's refreshing to see a sci-fi show in which the characters' hair, make-up and costumes are uncomplicated - Zoë looks like Zoë here!

Sequel to the classic David Bowie film

As you've probably guessed, The Man Who Fell to Earth has a David Bowie connection. It's a continuation of the classic 1976 film of the same name; Newton, the alien portrayed by Bowie in that film, is played by Bill Nighy on TV. (There's another link too: Zoë and David Bowie memorably acted together in a 1982 BBC production of Baal, the unsettling Brecht play.)

The central character in Showtime's series is Faraday (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), an alien who's journeyed to Earth from the same troubled planet as Newton, Anthea. Like Newton before him, Faraday is on a mission to save Anthea and believes the solution could be found here.

In episode five, Faraday is struggling to decipher Newton's blueprint for a vital machine. Judging by the trailer, Watt seems to know more than she's letting on, doesn't she? (My perceptive friend and fellow fan, Karoline, thinks there may be a hidden connection between Faraday, Newton and Watt, as they share their names with three of history's most influential scientists.)

Coming to the UK this summer

Right now, it's not possible for viewers here in the UK to watch The Man Who Fell to Earth, so I can't tell you a great deal more about it yet. However, the Paramount+ streaming service is due launch in the UK on 22 June with the series as part of its line-up. Hooray!

Thanks to Karoline for her help. Photo source: Seat42F

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