Disney have announced plans to combine content from its Disney+ and Hulu streaming services in the US. The move comes after Disney+ lost four million subscribers in the first three months of the year andit is claimed, the firm's management shat in its own pants. Disney is under intens pressure to make its streaming business profitable. The home of Mickey Mouse, Star Wars and the Marvel movies intends to link Hulu and Disney+ into a 'one-app experience.' Plans for the app have, reportedly, met with a mixed reaction from current subscribers. Some voiced fears on social media that it would 'lead to higher subscription fees' when the new service goes live at the end of the year. However, the company said that Disney+ and Hulu, as well as its ESPN+ platform, would also continue to be available as standalone services. Disney chief executive Bob Iger told investors on Wednesday that he has held 'cordial' talks with NBC's parent company, Comcast, about taking 'full control' when the current ownership agreement expires next year. 'I can't really say where they end up, only to say that there seems to be real value in having general entertainment combined with Disney+,' Iger said. 'If ultimately Hulu is that solution, we're bullish about that.' Since returning to Disney last year, Iger has been focused on improving the firm's financial performance - especially at Disney+. Losses at the streaming business were six hundred and fifty nine million dollars in the first three months of the year, down from over one billion bucks in in the previous quarter. But the fall in subscribers was bigger than expected, sending shares in the company down about five per cent in after-hours trading in New York. Most of the losses came from its Hotstar service in Asia, which lost the streaming rights to Indian Premier League cricket matches last year. Disney+ also lost around three hundred thousand customers in the US and Canada after raising subscription prices.
That there Ncuti Gatwa was spotted filming Doctor Who in Cardiff this very week, less than twenty four hours after he had performed at the Coronation Concert (see below). Ncuti and Millie Gibson were wearing their sixties-themed attire (and wig) recently unveiled, to great fanfare, by the BBC, as they shot scenes for the Beeb's popular long-running family SF drama's fourteenth series. Which will, of course, be broadcast next year (you knew that, right?) Images have suggested that Cardiff was, on this occasion, standing in for St John's Wood in North London and that The Doctor and Ruby were in the process of visiting Abbey Road. Well, it was either there or Penny Lane. But, apparently, the latter is full of bankers.
Of course this, inevitably, led to much twisted-knicker fan speculation that the episode in question may even feature a representation of The Be-Atles their very selves (a famous popular beat combo of the 1960s, you might've heard of them). Particularly this piece on the Cultbox website. And this piece on the ScreenRant website. Both of which, it is important to note, appear to be based on little more than some fan wish-listing on Twitter and a few on-location images.
I dunno, dear blog reader, you can't even include a Beetle in a Doctor Who episode these days without everyone (potentially) grabbing the (potentially) wrong end of the (potential) stick and start beating about the bush with it. Potentially.
Let it be noted, however, that Ncuti and Millie do look really fave-rave, fab, gear and together, baby. Though, this blogger is depressed to report that he is still seeing odd variations on the 'what do you call a black Doctor in a suit?', The accused' type bigoted garbage mentioned in the last From The North bloggerisationism update floating around some of the darker corners of the Interweb. And again, dear blog reader, we are forced to remember that there are some good people in the world, some bad people in the world, many people in-between those two extremes. And, there are some people who are just simply, scum.
Meanwhile, award winning star of stage and screen, Jonathan Groff, will be appearing in the new series of Doctor Who in what has been described as 'a key role.' Jonathan first found fame when he appears as Jesse in the hit musical comedy drama Glee. He has since been internationally celebrated for his work on-screen, from starring as Eric in the box office hit Knock At The Cabin, to playing Holden Ford in the critically acclaimed series Mindhunter. As well as having a leading role as the new Agent Smith in The Matrix Resurrections, Jonathan has also renowned for his major voice acting roles in the Frozen movies. Jonathan has also made his mark on Broadway, dazzling audiences with his performance as King George III in Hamilton, where he was nominated for not only a TONY Award, but also a Primetime EMMY for the live stage recording which was broadcast on Disney+. On joining Doctor Who, Jonathan said: 'I am so thrilled to jump into the extraordinary mind of Russell T Davies and watch the incredible Ncuti Gatwa soar in this iconic role!' Big Rusty added: 'This is an incredible coup and a great honour, to get such a huge star striding onto our set. So strap on your space boots, this is going to be a blast!'
If there is but one thing that Doctor Who fans love the mostest, it's a puzzle, so you can imagine their delight when eagle-eyed fans spotted the BBC broadcasting a sneaky cryptic trailer for the Doctor Who sixtieth anniversary specials on Saturday 29 April. As, again, mentioned in the most recent From The North bloggerisationisms update. It may have only been a mere but ten seconds long, but the production packed in an absolute feast of information and mysterious clues and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Twitter lost its collective shit over the issue. The following article from the Den Of Geek website includes everything that fandom's collective hive-mind appears to have 'worked out' and what all of this may mean for November's three sixtieth anniversary episodes.
Then, a fortnight later, another teaser - featuring a juggling and dancing Neil Patrick Harris - arrived, with fans spotting an apparent confirmation that more footage would debut during the Eurovision Song Contest this weekend. The new clip was broadcast abruptly during a BBC continuity break, offering a glimpse of Harris's as-yet-unnamed villain (though just about everyone and their dog appears to believe he's The Celestial Toymaker) as well as The Doctor and Donna looking all befuddled. Among the 'network error' codes, fans also spotted a line which read: 'Tracing route to: Eurovision 13/05/23.'
And now, dear blog reader, this week's 'utterly shameless non-story' relating to Doctor Who. Radio Times - which used to be written by adults - is reporting that Doctor Who series fourteen has not been impacted by the writers strike which is currently taking place in the United States. Which, considering that Doctor Who is a British series made by a British production company for a British broadcaster with exclusively British writers, only the thickest thicky-thick-thick dense-fekker in the entire universe thought there was even the remotest of possibilities that Doctor Who would be affected. So, obviously that descriptors takes in most of the writing staff of the Radio Times, admittedly. The strike action has been organised by the Writers Guild of America over a number of issues, including streaming royalties and the potential future uses of artificial intelligence. 'At present, some are saying that the strike could continue for months, which poses serious challenges for some films and television shows that are currently shooting with work-in-progress scripts,' notes the Radio Times' Wavy-Davey Craig without bothering to clarify exactly whom these 'some' are or what insight they might have into the matter. Congratulations, Davey, on a job not even slightly well done, there. 'Fans were understandably concerned about what this could mean for Doctor Who season fourteen, now in production, but they can be assured the series is currently "unaffected" by the walkout,' continues Wavy-Davey without, again, bothering to tell us who these 'concerned' fans were or why they were concerned about a British TV series being affected by a strike of American writers. Or unaffected, as the case maybe. A spokesperson for Doctor Who told Radio Times: 'Doctor Who is unaffected by the WGA strikes.' Which, anyone with half-a-bloody-brain in their skull would have known without needing to be told it. So to sum up, then, this piece of unsurpassed journalistic brilliance is nothing but an example of prime clickbait without even the semblance of a story requiring its existence in the first place. By Christ, Wavy-Davey, you get yer money for nowt.
Viewers of King Charles' Coronation Concert were 'delighted' with Ncuti Gatwa's performance as Romeo at Windsor Castle on Sunday according to the Daily Scum Mail. Which proves that even a vile organ of hateful puss and phlegm such as they can be accurate occasionally. After all, even a broken clock is correct twice a day.
BBC Four is reportedly to broadcast David Bowie's acclaimed and immensely marvellous performance in Baal, directed for Alan Clarke, for the first time since its premiere in 1982. The date of repeat is yet to be announced, but it will be sometime during the summer.
The release date for the second series of From The North favourite Good Omens, has been announced this week, dear blog reader. It's 28 July.
This blogger has been on the look-out for the complete Wire In The Blood DVD set, Wor Geet Canny Robson Green's finest six-series-and-a-special-which-never-gets-shown-on-ITV3 for years, dear blog reader. God bless, therefore, eBay's current 'cheap-as-cheap-chips-because-nobody-except-weirdos-buys-physical-media-any-more' sale of the Competely Wired set. Tasty.
Wire In The Blood was, of course, another outstanding From The North favourite. A superbly produced psychological drama, with genuinely great source material, a fine cast and, just as an added bonus, almost all of it was filmed within a ten mile radius of The Stately Telly Topping Manor Plague House. So it's also great for a game of location-spotting.
Moving on quickly, now, to Magnificently Daft Lines From Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Number Forty Three: Go Fish.
Magnificently Daft Lines From Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Number Forty Four: Earshot.
Magnificently Daft Lines From Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Number Forty Five: Something Blue.
Magnificently Daft Lines From Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Number Forty Six: Triangle.
Magnificently Daft Lines From Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Number Forty Seven: Once More, With Feeling.
Magnificently Daft Lines From Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Number Forty Eight: Touched.
Magnificently Daft Lines From Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Number Forty Nine: Some Assembly Required.
Magnificently Daft Lines From Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Number Fifty: The Wish.
Apparently, someone recently had the bright idea of remaking The Coronation, dear blog reader. Why? The 1953 original was a twenty four carat classic. The only rationale this blogger can see for this remake is the same as Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot remake of Psycho twenty years ago, because 'young people' won't watch something made in black and white. They'll be remaking The First World War next, mark this blogger's words. From The North will leave it to others to have a right good whinge about the remake featuring a gender change for the leading character, obviously.
Although, admittedly, the casting of that lass from Splash! as the Royal-Kebab-Skewer-Carrier-In-Chief was somewhat inspired.
Which brings us with the full and frank inevitability of the frankly inevitable to that part of From The North dedicated to this blogger's on-going medical malarkey. Or, strictly speaking, malarkeys as there are several of them. For those dear blog readers who haven't been following this on-going fiasco which appears to have been on-going longer than the building of the Great Wall of China, it goes like this: Keith Telly Topping spent some weeks around Christmas 2021 into New Year 2022 feeling rotten; experienced five days in hospital; was discharged; received B12 injections; then more injections; somewhat recovered his missing appetite; got an initial diagnosis; had a consultant's meeting; continued to suffer fatigue and insomnia; endured a second endoscopy; had another consultation; got (unrelated) toothache; had an extraction; which took ages to heal; had another consultation; spent a week where nothing remotely health-related occurred; was given further B-12 injections; had an echocardiogram; received more blood extractions; made another hospital visit; saw the insomnia and torpor continue; received yet more blood tests; had a rearranged appointment for his sick note; suffered his worst period yet with the fatigue. Until the following week. And, then the week after that. Oh, the fatigue, dear blog reader. The depressing, ceaseless fatigue. He had a go on the Blood-Letting Machine; got another sickie; had an assessment; was given his fourth COVID jab; got some surprising news about his assessment; had the results of his annual diabetes check-up; had another really bad week with the fatigue; followed by one with the sciatica; then one with the chronic insomnia; and, one with a plethora of general cold-related grottiness. Which continued over the Christmas period and into New Year. There was that 'slipping in The Stately Telly Topping Manor Plague House bath and putting his knee through the side' thing; the night-time leg cramps; getting some new spectacles and this blogger's return to the East End pool after over a year of constant inactivity. Only to discover that he remains as weak of a kitten in water. Or, indeed, out of it. And, feeling - for at least one day - at death's door.
Since the last From The North bloggerisationisms update, this blogger's been, sad to report, somewhat more bound to the four walls of The Stately Telly Topping Manor Plague House than usual. He has excuses, of course. Several of them. Well three, to be precise. There's the usual anaemia-related fatigue, lethargy and insomnia - that goes without saying; there was also a really nasty bout of food poisoning (or, possibly gastroenteritis) suffered by this blogger last week. And, finally, a general state of this blogger 'feeling bleugh'. Which wasn't very nice as this blogger is sure you can all appreciate. Norman service has been resumed over the last few days once this blogger started to feel somewhat less 'bleugh'.
Though, this blgger has got his tri-monthly B-12 jab due soon so, if previous plunges of the needle gun into Keith Telly Topping's manly rippling bicpes are anything to go by, he'll be back to feeling right rotten almost immediately.
The behaviour of children as young as eight is being affected by them viewing pornography, the children's commissioner for England has claimed. Eight? This blogger was twelve before he even knew what the word meant (and thirteen before he ever actually saw any). 'Children are seeing pornography too young - most of them by the age of thirteen but [some are] seeing it at eight or nine,' Dame Rachel De Souza alleged. To which this bloger feels it necessary to quote from the pilot episode of From The North favourite The West Wing: 'Show the average American teenage male a condom and his mind will turn to thoughts of lust.' 'Show the average American teenage male a lug wrench and his mind will turn to thoughts of lust!'
From The North favourite Terrence Hardiman, who terrified a generation of children (and more than a few adults) in the titular role of the CBBC series The Demon Headmaster in the 1990s, has died aged eighty six. His death was announced 'with great sadness' by his agents Scott Marshall Partners, which said he was a 'beloved client and much-loved stage and screen actor.' Terrence's chilling performance in The Demon Headmaster was based on the books by Gillian Cross. She led tributes to Ierrence, tweeting: 'He was a wonderful actor on television, stage and screen and a great Demon Headmaster. Sending deepest sympathy to his family and friends.' The drama was first broadcast between 1996 and 1998. Hardiman's imposing figure hid his piercing green eyes behind dark glasses – only removing them to hypnotise his victims. He reprised his role for a cameo when the series was rebooted by CBBC in 2019. The stage and screen star also appeared in TV series such as The Crown, Wallander, Doctor Who (2010's The Beast Below), Angels, A Family At War, Enemy At The Door, Urban Gothic, Softly Softly: TaskForce and Prime Suspect. He also appeared in Jonathan Creek, Cadfael, Justice, Dead Of Night,The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Ladykillers, Colditz, Poirot, Inspectr Morse, Hannay, Bergerac, Agatha Raisin, Secret Army, Juliet Bravo, Bergerac, Diary Of A Nobody, Second Verdict, When The Boat Comes In, Edward The Seventh and Minder. And in the movies Gandhi, Loophole, Sahara and Running Scared. Terrence is survived by his wife, Rowena and their two children.
And, finally dear blog reader, according to a letter in the Jersey Evening Post, 'A pot of meat with a puff-pastry lid and without sides is not a pie.' Beg to differ with ya, Mister Houghton, but it sure looks like a pie to this blogger.
