Photographer Daniel Kennedy has taken a picture of Richard Armitage and Orla Brady on behalf of Sky magazine for the forthcoming Strike Back production, but the two actors were 5000 miles apart. In his blog he shows the individual photographs and the combined result, which you can also see below.
The May 2010 edition of Sky magazine has this photo on the cover and an article about Strike Back which you can read here.
Richard has been interviewed by Naxos Audiobooks regarding his recording of Venetia by Georgette Heyer. The 11 minute audio clip consists of an interview followed by an excerpt from the audio book.
You can listen and download the mp3 audio interview on the Naxos Venetia page.
The interview reveals many interesting things including… (perhaps you would like to listen first before I reveal too much):
Brilliant news I’m sure you’ll agree.
Richard is to play Robert Lovelace in the Radio 4 dramatisation of Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa, serialised in four parts and starting on Sunday 14 March 3.00 – 4.00pm.
There is more information on the BBC Press Office webpage.
This drama is part of Radio 4′s ‘Classic Serial’ programmes, defined as ‘Adaptations of works which have achieved classic status’. More information is here on the Classic Serial webpage. Further details for this adaptation of Clarissa will appear on this page nearer to its air date.
The Classic Serials are broadcast first from 3:00-4:00pm on Sunday, then repeated on 9:00-10:00pm the following Saturday.
Update 27th Feb:
More information from the production company on their website here: Catherine Bailey Limited. This site also confirms that it will be retransmitted on Saturday evenings.
Radio broadcasts are available to listen to outside of the UK, unlike BBC television programmes. The BBC’s ‘Listen Live’ service will be available on the Classic Serial webpage during the broadcast of each episode of Clarissa, or you can listen again with BBC iplayer after each episode is broadcast.
Update 2nd March:
There is now a Clarissa career page on our website, where full information about the programme will be listed.
Richard will be providing the voiceover for The Natural World programme ‘Forest Elephants: Rumble in the Jungle’ shown on BBC2 and BBC HD. This programme will air on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 from 8:00pm to 9:00pm
The Locate TV website gives further details here.
Here’s a description of the programme:
Over the last 20 years, Andrea Turkalo has been studying the complex social lives and unique vocalisations of the Central Africa’s Forest Elephants, getting to know over 4,000 intimately. As new acoustic research sheds light on the many mysteries that still surround forest elephant society, will these endangered elephants finally speak out and tell Andrea what it is they need to survive?
There is more information about Andrea Turkalo’s elephant research on therevealed.wildlifedirect.org website.
Update 25 Feb:
Programme details can be found on the BBC2 Natural World webpage and further clips are available to view, but unfortunately only for those who live in the UK.
Richard attended the Varekai Gala performance at the Royal Albert Hall on Tues 5 Jan and some video was taken of people arriving at the event.
You can see Richard at approx. 4:32 on this video – click here
Varekai is the latest production from the Cirque du Soleil. You can read more about the production HERE.
Pictures of Richard on the red carpet can also be seen on various photo agency websites. Thanks to Emerald for finding these.
News will be archived from our main news page each month.
30th November
Moving On will be shown on South African TV in December. Read More
29th November
Spooks Episode 4 caps download in zip file. Apologies for lateness. My excuse is that – I forgot. Sorry.
28th November
Film Review Online has pictures from episode six of Spooks. There’s only one of Lucas North, which is now in our Spooks 8 Promo gallery. The text is taken from the BBC Press office and contains spoilers.
27th November
Ian Wylie has interviewed Hermione Norris about episode five which is due to be shown on BBC3 tonight at 9pm. There are some mild spoilers about the episode and a brief quote from Richard.
26th November
1. Ian Wylie’s preview of Episode 5 with some bizarre references to cake and spoilers.
2. Den of Geek review of Episode 4
3. Vicky Frost’s amusing take on Episode 4
4. We’ve gone a bit mad with the caps. There are 420 from Episode 4 of Spooks. I blame Alicat.
5. Two previews of episode five in TV choice and What’s on TV magazines in Spooks Reviews. Thanks Jen for the scans.
24th November
1. More pictures added to our screencap gallery:
2. Scan from this week’s Radio Times with a new pic of Ros and Lucas added to Spooks Reviews
3. Film Review online has more promo pics, which have been put into the Spooks 8 Promo gallery The text is taken from the recent BBC Press Release (spoilers).
4. Lots of new signature and avatar sets added today from Kiteflier and Bccmee, for Lucas, John Thornton, Guy and Richard. All signature sets can be viewed here Thanks ladies!
23rd November
Details of Spooks episode eight at the BBC Press Office
2. Previews of Spooks episode four (to be shown on Wednesday BBC1) from the Saturday magazines of the Daily Mail and Daily Express have been added to Spooks Reviews Thanks to Jen for these.
21st November
1. A short interview with Richard discussing Lucas’s relationship with Sarah in the Sun magazine has been added to here
2. Episode three caps can be downloaded in a zip file here
19th November
Three articles added to Spooks Reviews today:
- Another entertaining review by Vicky Frost of the Guardian (spoiler warning)
- An interesting blog entitled ‘Spying on Spooks’ with clips from fans who have caught moments of the crew filming Spooks in London
- Ian Wylie’s blog on episode 4: ‘this is Richard Armitage’s episode’. Shown first on BBC3 9pm tomorrow.
17th November
1. Radio Times has picked Spooks episode four as its TV choice for Weds 25 November. Short article and pic of RA in Spooks Reviews
2. New picture of Lucas from Spooks episode four here.
4. More articles from the press added to Spooks Reviews here. No mention of Lucas but there are spoilers.
13th November
1. We’ve added to our high quality Gisborne image gallery, lots more added. When viewing each image, click on ‘original image’ for larger size.
2. Added some promotional pics to The Golden Hour gallery.
12th November
1. A short article about the filming location for Strike Back has been posted in Strike Back Reviews and Articles
2. Episode two viewing figures released here. Figures are down but it was first shown on BBC3 last Friday of course.
3. New high quality pics added to the Spooks Promo gallery for episode two images. Click icon in bottom right corner for original larger size.
4. Screencaps for Episode 2 can be found here
5. You can download the screen caps in a 10Mb zip file here
6. It’s the swimming pool fight this Friday on BBC3 – a preview of episode three in Ian Wylie’s blog here.
11th November
1. Press office information about Spooks episode six is here. Spoiler warning.
2. Vicky Frost from the Guardian has released another amusing review of Spooks, this time episode two. Listed in Spooks Reviews. Spoiler warning if you haven’t seen it yet.
Richard Arnold of GMTV visited the Spooks set a few months ago (we were given a teaser of this on 15 July 2009 in this article in Woman’s Own) and we have provided a download in our Spooks series 8 Interview Downloads page.
There are brief interviews with Richard Armitage, Peter Firth, Hermione Norris and Nicola Walker and a quick look around the new revamped set.
More pictures here
Miranda Raison was interviewed later in the programme by Lorraine Kelly and there are some brief clips of Richard during the interview. This is also available for download in our Spooks series 8 Interview Downloads page.
If viewing in Quicktime you may find the audio is slightly out of sync with the picture. Try using a different media player instead. VLC is excellent and is free to download.
We have been alerted by a couple of people this afternoon that Richard has read an abridged version of Georgette Heyer’s Venetia. According to Amazon UK, this will be available from 1 April 2010.
See Amazon UK page here for details and to pre-order your copy.
Amazon US also have the title available for pre-order and it is released on 6 April 2010.
If you order from Amazon via RAOnline, you will earn commission for charity.
There’s a new interview in Time Out magazine with Richard Armitage and this time the questions are very different. Some insights into his most memorable audition, the piece of work he’s least proud of, his most extravagant purchase and many more.
Click to enlarge.
There is also a snippet describing episode 1 of Spooks in Time Out. A few spoilers here.
Many thanks to Annette for sharing these scans with us.
Ian Wylie has given us two long interviews with Richard Armitage today. The first is here in which there’s information about fighting in swimming pools, the return of Ruth and the pitfalls of tattoos that rub off onto sheets.
“This series does keep you on your toes. It doesn’t help if you’re a bit of a control freak, like I am, because I like to know everything I’m doing, when I’m doing it.”
And now, Ian has given us an extra feature with Richard, which you can read here. There’s more detailed information about the series, about most of the main characters, the new CIA officer and Richard’s reaction to the storylines. Enjoy!
The Daily Record has an interview with Richard Armitage this morning in which we get an interesting insight of what life was like before he landed more significant roles in television. This experience affects his current work ethic: “But I always feel somehow it’s going to be taken away from me so I work when I can. When you struggled with work as I did when I left drama school you make hay when the sun shines.”
He also talks about the ever-changing scripts that are part of working life on the set of Spooks: “When I first came on board, Peter Firth said to me this is what happens and you have to learn to run with it. You’ve got to be able to learn lines and some very dense political jargon very quickly – it’s quite a workout for the brain.”
The online article is here.
Bernie from C19 has very kindly given us permission to post the scan from the printed edition of the Daily Record. Click on the images below to enlarge.
A complete list of all Spooks articles and interviews can be found on our site here.
There’s a brief interview with Richard Armitage in this week’s Woman magazine. He says…”Last year Lucas was finding himself again after an eight-year incarceration, now he’s one of the team. He prefers to play the maverick, all guns blazing…”
Read more below – click to enlarge
Once again, the image of Richard is reversed and we cannot resist turning it the right way round 
There’s a new interview with Richard Armitage in the October issue of Closer magazine, in which he gives some insight into what we can expect from Lucas North in Spooks series 8.
Many thanks to LadyJ for the scan.
Click on image to enlarge.
Allison Pearson has interviewed Richard Armitage on the set of Spooks. She states;
“Some rakish TV turns have earnt Spooks star Richard Armitage an army of female fans. ALLISON PEARSON went to see what all the fuss is about - and found him squirming with embarrassment.”
How many women can you take to a Richard Armitage interview? Earlier this year, when I paid homage to the actor in my Daily Mail column, so many readers volunteered to come along and ‘hold the microphone’ that if I ever met Richard I would have had to rent the Royal Albert Hall to squeeze us all in.”
There’s a new picture accompanying the article as well (click to enlarge):
You can read the full interview here
Here’s an article scan of the two page interview in the Weekend magazine that is published with the Daily Mail today, you get a larger picture with the printed version but the text is the same. Click each image to enlarge.
A small mention of Richard Armitage in the Mail Online today by Allison Pearson.
As for the casting of badboy Jonny Lee Miller as the wise, older Mr Knightley, where is the divinely brooding and grown-up Richard Armitage when you need him? Answer me that.
It’s already clear (and perhaps a little obvious) that North and South is the most re-watched show that Richard Armitage has appeared in, so we have modified the poll a little and now ask you to please vote again.
N&S has been removed from the list, so of the remaining shows, which one do you reach for the most often when in need of a ‘Richard’ fix?
Previous results showed that Spooks series 7 (15.4%) was the 2nd most popular, followed by Robin Hood series 3 (13%), but if N&S is no longer an option we’re wondering if this will affect the results.
Return to the homepage and see the poll options on the left-hand side.
Thanks for voting!
Ian Wylie of the Manchester Evening News has posted some tantalising news of Spooks series 8, particularly episode 1 as he received the DVD of this episode yesterday.
Read his blog here. Caution: minor spoilers.
Highlights include:
The actor formerly known as Richard Armitage has been totally taken over by Lucas North.
It’s such a convincing portrayal that they surely must be one and the same person?
and
And a disturbing image in the teaser trailer for episode two.
I’m not ashamed to say that I had a little tear in my eye at the end.
Not long to go now…I hope!
The WATCH UK television channel are re-showing series 7 of Spooks starting 21 October 2009. The first episode will be shown at 9pm, repeated three hours later at midnight.
There is still no confirmation of when BBC1 will be showing series 8, although the BBC Press Office have not included it in their programme schedule 10-16 October, so perhaps it will start week commencing 17 October to coincide with the re-showing of series 7 on WATCH? We hope so.
The last shot of Lucas at the end of series 7.
Today we’re asking which of Richard Armitage’s programmes you have watched the most, to try and find out which is the most popular production. To vote, return to the homepage and scroll down the main menu on the left-hand side to see the poll choices.
The last poll found that 51% of you are looking forward to seeing Spooks series 8 and the next most looked forward to production is Strike Back (23.4%).
Thanks for voting!
If you like to make a suggestion for future polls please mail Ali and Hedgey at admin@richardarmitagenet.com
Now magazine are offering the chance for 6 people to win copies of the Spooks series 7 DVD, but I’m afraid this is only open to UK residents.
The competition closes on Tuesday 27 October 2009.
To enter click here.
The wonderful people at vulpes libris have an interview with director and writer Jan Prowse about her work and favourite books. She directed Richard Armitage in Between the Sheets and mentions the show and Richard in some detail.
You can read the whole interview by clicking here
On 4 August 2009, Jason Arnopp revealed on Twitter that he had attended a round table interview with Richard Armitage and today, thanks to Debs, we have received a copy of that interview which has been published in a new magazine called ‘Film Star’, October edition.
The interview reveals many exciting details about Lucas’s role in series 8 of Spooks, including the fact that Lucas will revisit his traumatic past in the Russian prison and that he will begin a love affair with an attractive CIA liaison officer.
Here’s a scan of the interview. Click to enlarge.
(Ali has since bought the magazine and re-scanned for a clearer image. Press F5 if you can’t see the newer version straight away).
The South African site GFC has an article about Sky filming in a district of Johannesburg
“Skye TV, a British channel, is currently shooting a television series, some scenes of which are being filmed in Yeoville. Strike Back is a six part television serious centred on the current conflict in Iraq. San Remo, a distinctive but run down art deco block of flats on Kenmere Street, is the location for down town Baghdad.The building was chosen for its age and texture. It’s a once glorious building that with time and neglect now perfectly represents the dank, gritty feeling of a building in a war zone. Interiors and exteriors are being shot with a lot of the action taking place on the roof. The scenes in San Remo involve the rescue of a hostage by British SAS soldiers.”
You can read the full article here
Writer John Crook (St. Paul Pioneer Press) has published an interview with Richard Armitage about Guy of Gisborne that appears to contain new quotes about the character. We are not sure when this interview was undertaken, but some of Richard’s remarks do seem to be new to us.
Richard discusses his reaction to learning that Guy would kill Marian at the end of series 2, Gisborne’s road to self-destruction at the start of series 3 and his changing relationship with Robin as the series develops. He’s also pleased that Gisborne appears to develop a sense of humour:
“It’s interesting toward the end of this series, as he takes this unexpected journey to becoming someone new, you really do start to see this dry humor coming out of Gisborne. It’s in connection with Robin and the understanding between them. Gisborne starts to open up in terms of his humor with Robin, which is something I never expected, that he would have this sense of humor.”
Read the full interview here.
11 September: ‘TV and Film Guy’ has published a detailed article here, reviewing the opening episode of season 3 of Robin Hood which will be shown on BBC America on Saturday 12 September at 9pm.
Regarding Richard Armitage’s performance, he says ‘Armitage plays the part beautifully, not only looking like an empty shell of a man in the season premiere, but also conveying a sense of mourning from within as well.’
~~~~~~
11 September: There is another review on SciFiAndTvTalk’s Blog here, with some nice screen captures of the episode.
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12 September: TV Review: BBC America’s ‘Robin Hood’ Returns Darker, More Mature, on HollywoodChicago.com.
All of these articles contain spoilers.
For a full list of Robin Hood reviews and articles, click here.
The TV Quick and TV Choice Awards will be held this evening at the Dorchester Hotel in London.
Richard is nominated for Best Actor for his role as Lucas North in Spooks, Moving On is nominated in Best New Drama, Spooks in Best Drama Series and Robin Hood is nominated in the Best Family Drama category.
Update 8 September:
Winners
There has been no official confirmation of when Sky is planning to show Strike Back, although one of the Strike Back IMDB pages has now been updated to say that it will be shown in April 2010.
Richard Armitage has been nominated for Best Drama Performance in the National Television Awards.
You can vote here before the end of September and it is possible to vote up to 6 times using the same email address or phone number.
The Terms and Conditions state the following:
Voting restrictions:
You may vote up to 6 times by PRTS phone, post or via the website using the same phone number or email address, but you may only vote for one nominee per category. If you exceed this limit using PRTS you will hear a message informing you that you have reached the limit. Your telephone provider should not charge you for this call. If you exceed the limit when voting via the websites or via post, your votes will not be counted but you may still be charged where applicable.
This is the long list of nominees so hopefully Richard will make the short list, which will be announced later this year.
The NTAs will take place at the O2 Arena on 20 January 2010 and will be shown on ITV1.
Spooks and Robin Hood have been nominated for Best Drama. Please vote now!
Further details added 9th September:
According to the Radio Times, the shortlist will consist of just four nominees per category. The second round of voting for the nominees on the shortlist will commence 5th January 2010.
Fantastic promo for season 3 of Robin Hood has been aired on BBC America and captured here on youtube.
Thanks BF for uploading this.
We have changed the poll this morning to see which of Richard’s projects you are most looking forward to.
The previous poll, to determine which is your favourite character, ended on a dead heat between Sir Guy and John Thornton, which seemed approrpriate since the lead frequently changed hands between those two characters.
Thanks for voting.
An online review of the forthcoming screening of Robin Hood season 3 on BBCA can be found on the RH reviews page. ‘Robin Hood’ returns, with a few surprises.
Tiny little crumb of news from the TV Times about Richard’s involvement in Strike Back.
Scan courtesy of Janice. Nice BAFTA picture!
BBC America will be showing the entire first season of Robin Hood on 10 & 11 September.
You can see a collection of the Robin Hood promos currently being shown on BBC America on youtube, thanks to BF.
A new wallpaper challenge has been announced on RA Arts Challenges on livejournal.
The theme is Strike Back, which Richard is currently filming in South Africa.
New Strike Back page added to the career menu. We’ll update this as more info is made available.
Richard’s United Agents page has updated to confirm his new role as John Porter in Strike Back.