Hero or Villain? Keeley Hawes You have to admire her. This time last year Keeley Hawes was being called “woefully wooden”, “clunking” and “a screeching toff” in her role as DI Alex Drake in the first series Ashes to Ashes. Did she mind? A bit. But it didn’t stop her from getting straight back on…Continue reading*The Independent on Sunday: The accidental actress who takes on the big boys
Tag: Ashes to Ashes
Critics panned his co-star’s performances but DCI Hunt’s not having it FOR the most part, Phil Glenister is as polite and mild-mannered as his famous TV character is rude and aggressive. But as a new series of Ashes To Ashes reaches our screens and Phil’s alter-ego, DCI Gene Hunt, once again fires up the Quattro…Continue reading**The Daily Record: Don’t bash Ashes (Philip Glenister)
Keeley Hawes Mutual Friends 9pm Tuesday BBC1 Mutual Friends is billed as a comedy, but in its opening scenes the new six-part series starring Keeley Hawes, Marc Warren and Alexander Armstrong, isn’t exactly a laugh a minute. We see Carl, a middle-aged father of three, saying goodbye to his wife and children, picking up his…Continue readingThe Independent on Sunday: Mutual Friends interview
At the Ashes to Ashes story conference we talk about 1982, the Falklands and the IRA bomb in Hyde Park. How will Gene Hunt survive in a post-Scarman London? Off to South Africa for a week’s holiday, escaping the chill of Somerset for some beating heat. A four-hour journey from Cape Town, across vast agricultural…Continue readingNew Statesman: Ra-ra skirts and Glenn Hoddle’s mullet (by Ashley Pharoah)
Drake’s a sight for sore eyes She’s had a kicking from the critics, with some suggesting it was an inside job for Keeley Hawes and she even didn’t audition for Ashes to Ashes. But I can reveal that not only did she try out for the part of DI Alex Drake, she also had to…Continue reading*The Mirror: TV LAND: Drake’s a sight for sore eyes
Tough TV cop: Society’s too soft now As DS Ray Carling in Ashes to Ashes, he’s sexist, stroppy and stubborn. But Dean Andrews, who plays the 1980s permed copper, says today’s world has gone over the top with political correctness. Here the 44-year-old actor also reveals the secrets behind sex scenes as Brenda Blethyn’s toyboy,…Continue readingThe People: Ashes to Thrashes (Dean Andrews interview)
Take One Keeley Hawes tells us what it’s like to step back in time as DI Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes You’re going back to the ’80s for your role in Ashes to Ashes. It’s an interesting concept, isn’t it? I think it’s something people probably think about a lot, whether they could stop…Continue reading*The Western Mail: Don’t Mind Your P’s and Q’s (and Philip Glenister interviewed)
As we prepare for the long-awaited premiere of Ashes to Ashes tomorrow night, TV Today caught up with its two principal stars, Philip Glenister (returning as DCI Gene Hunt) and Keeley Hawes, who plays newcomer Alex Drake. (Don’t forget our interview yesterday with supporting actors Marshall Lancaster and Montserrat Lombard as well.) As with yesterday’s…Continue readingThe Stage: Keeley Hawes and Philip Glenister interviewed
Throwback cop rises up from the ashes Life on Mars is one of the most talked about television shows in recent memory. Managing to satisfy both TV critics and millions of viewers, it achieved what few other programmes ever do. It ended after only two series leaving fans begging for more, but John Simm, who…Continue readingExpress and Echo: Throwback cop rises up from the ashes (Philip Glenister interview)
Sexist, bigoted DCI Gene Hunt of time-travelling cop show ‘Life on Mars’ is back — and his new sidekick is a woman. Has he met his match? Gerard Gilbert thinks so. The Sopranos was not the only concluding TV drama that left its devotees baffled last year. Also departing on an enigmatic note was BBC1’s…Continue reading*The Independent: Bang to Rights (Philip Glenister interview)