Sam Wanamaker Playhouse on BBC World Service, 5 September

4 September 2014 17:59

Tomorrow morning the BBC World Service will broadcast a feature, to which Zoë has been invited to contribute, about Shakespeare's Globe's Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

The radio feature, part of the World Update current affairs programme, will be broadcast internationally at 9:20am GMT (for example, that is 10:20am for those of us in the UK, as we are still on British Summer Time).

It will be made available on the BBC's website too, which also has details of how you can access the BBC World Service.

With thanks to Nigel for the broadcast details.

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Zoë is 'a brilliant actress', says Mr Selfridge co-star

25 August 2014 18:17

Actor Leon Ockenden, who plays the son of Zoë's character, Marie Wiasemsky, in the forthcoming third series of ITV's Mr Selfridge, has spoken about how much he enjoys working with Zoe.

Interviewed by the Cornish Guardian, Ockenden commented: 'We have a real laugh but she's a brilliant actress. It's great working with her; the relationship between our two characters is so real.'

Filming is underway for Mr Selfridge, the period drama inspired by the founder of Selfridges department store in London. Broadcast dates for series three have not yet been announced.

With thanks to Janet for the link.

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Zoë's website named Celebrity Site of the Day

24 August 2014 18:45

Earlier this month, on 17 August, this website was chosen as Celebrity Site of the Day and given the award button below.

I'm very happy that the site has been recognised in this way, especially as the news comes so soon after its twelfth anniversary.

Thank you to all of Zoe's fans who visit here.

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Zoë praises The Globe's Hamlet world tour: 'Politics and religion may divide us, but culture unites'

23 August 2014 21:37

Zoë has praised Shakespeare's Globe's hugely ambitious Globe to Globe Hamlet tour, which aims to perform arguably the greatest, most famous play ever written in every country in the world.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Zoë emphasised that her father, Sam Wanamaker, who founded The Globe, would certainly have approved of the two-year project. She commented that the arts are a powerful means of bringing people together through shared experiences: 'Politics and religion may divide us, but culture unites'.

The Hamlet world tour began in April and has already visited dozens of countries. The company of twelve actors performs more than twenty characters; the role of Hamlet is shared by Ladi Emeruwa and Naeem Hayat. You can find out more about this fascinating tour on its official website and blog.

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'From the Archive' part two: Zoë's first ever TV role – a troubled teen called Sally

20 August 2014 22:13

This is the second article in 'From the Archive', a series launched last month to celebrate this website's twelfth anniversary. The series explores Zoë's earliest roles, rare interviews, memorabilia and more.

Zoë's television work encompasses many hugely popular programmes, which have brought her international acclaim. She is well known for starring in series such as Love Hurts, My Family and Agatha Christie's Poirot, to name just a few; but have you ever wondered when Zoe's TV career began?

New Year is traditionally a time of new beginnings, and this was certainly true for Zoë in 1971. She made her TV debut on 3 January, when ITV broadcast a 25-minute drama, 'Sally for Keeps', in which she plays the title character. It must have felt wonderful to secure a TV role so soon after drama school – Zoe had completed her studies at London's Central School of Speech & Drama just the previous year.

Shortly before 'Sally for Keeps' was shown, the TV Times introduced the young actress to its readers as the 'daughter of American actor-director Sam [Wanamaker]'. Although in her early twenties at the time, Zoë was cast as a teenage girl in the programme, which was scripted by well-known writer Ken Taylor.

Zoë's character, Sally, is a kind but troubled teenager, who has been living for some time in a children's home. When her kindly English teacher and his wife (played by James Grout and Barbara Leigh-Hunt) invite Sally to spend Christmas at their home, they are faced with an important question: should they invite her to stay 'for keeps'?

'Sally for Keeps' is part of the series Turn of the Year, which examines emotive subjects such as fostering and family life. In particular, the series looks at how the spirit of change associated with the Christmas and New Year period can bring such subjects to the fore.

I would love to be able to show you a clip of Zoe's performance as Sally. Unfortunately, 'Sally for Keeps', like many other programmes of its era, is missing from the TV archives. The black-and-white photo above, showing Sally, her English teacher and his wife, is the only image I have been able to find from the programme.

In 2012 Zoë discussed her TV debut when she was interviewed for BBC arts series Mark Lawson Talks To... 'There was a religious slot [in which 'Sally for Keeps' was broadcast], and I worked with Barbara Leigh-Hunt,' Zoe commented. 'And I was very "Method" at that time – in a way I still am, but [then] I was really Method,' she added, referring to the set of techniques that actors can use to draw on their emotions and memories when performing.

'Lost' TV shows do turn up from time to time (the discoveries of early Doctor Who episodes spring to mind), and so let's keep our fingers crossed that one day we find that a copy of 'Sally for Keeps' was kept by a TV company or 1970s viewer... Meanwhile, if you remember watching Zoe's TV debut, it would be great to hear from you.

There are more details about 'Sally for Keeps' in the guide to the programme in the TV section.

More articles in the 'From the Archive' series will be published here from time to time. If there is a topic that you would like to write about – for example, perhaps you saw Zoe on stage in the 1970s or have a rare or unusual item connected to her career that you would like to discuss – please feel free to contact me about writing a guest article.

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