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13th December 2002:

Well, it's Christmas time again and there's plenty of Colin-related stuff to celebrate in the coming weeks. There's lots of reruns of some classic programmes as well as a new offering on Boxing Day. Read on.....

Granada Plus are about to show Catherine Cookson's The Girl, first shown on ITV in early 1996. I said last time that it was due to start on Saturday 7th December, but apparently my sources were wrong. The revised info is as follows:

  • episode 1 - on Saturday 14th December at 07.00
  • episode 2 - on Saturday 21st December at 07.00

Granada Plus are also continuing to show the entire first series of Pie In The Sky:

  • episode 2 : The Truth Will Out - on Saturday 14th December at 19.00, repeated a little later in the early hours of Sunday 15th December at 03.00
  • episode 3 : An Innocent Man - on Saturday 21st December at 19.00, repeated a little later in the early hours of Sunday 22nd December at 03.00
  • episode 4 : Once A Copper - on Saturday 28th December at 14.00, repeated a little later the same night at 23.00
  • episode 5 : A Shot In The Dark - on Sunday 29th December at 17.00
  • episode 6 : Undesirable Elements - on Monday 30th December at 19.30
  • episode 7 : Passion Fruit Fool - on Tuesday 31st December at 19.30
  • episode 8 : A Matter Of Taste - on Wednesday 1st January 2003 at 19.30
  • episode 9 : Who Only Stand And Wait - on Thursday 2nd January at 19.30
  • episode 10 : Endangered Species - on Friday 3rd January at 19.30

Channel 4 will be showing the Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson comedy film Guest House Paradiso on Thursday 26th December at 23.10

Sky Movies Max 1 premieres the gritty thriller Essex Boys on Thursday 30th January 2003

Sky Movies Premier 4 will be showing the film Money Kings (aka Vig) in the early hours of Friday 31st January at 02.05

The Dark Room makes another appearance this month on UK Drama as follows:

  • episode 1 - on Christmas Eve (Tuesday 24th December!) at 22.30, repeated a little later in the early hours of Christmas morning (Wednesday 25th December!) at 01.05
  • episode 2 - on Christmas Day evening at 22.25, repeated a little later in the early hours of Boxing Day morning (Thursday 26th December!) at 01.05

The 2-part blacky humourous chiller The Sleeper, first shown on BBC1 in December 2000, makes an appearance on BBC Prime this Christmas as follows:

  • episode 1 - on Christmas Day evening at 20.30, repeated again on Sunday 29th December at 21.10
  • episode 2 - on Boxing Day evening at 20.30, repeated again on Sunday 29th December at 22.10

UK Drama will also be rerunning the 4-part psychological thriller The Sculptress as follows:

  • episode 1 - on Thursday 19th December at 21.00, repeated again in the early hours of Friday 20th December at 01.00. It will also be shown on Sunday 22nd December at 22.25, repeated a little later in the early hours of Monday 23rd December at 02.20
  • episode 2 - on Friday 20th December at 21.00, repeated again in the early hours of Saturday 21st December at 01.00. It will also be shown on Monday 23rd December at 22.30, repeated a little later in the early hours of Tuesday 24th December at 01.25

Details of episodes 3 and 4 will be posted here as soon as I get 'em.......

Both BBC and CBeebies will broadcasting a few of the wonderful The World Of Peter Rabbit And Friends by Beatrix Potter, as follows:

  • The Tale Of The Flopsy Bunnies And Mrs Tittlemouse - on Satursday 21st December at 06.30, repeated again at 10.30 and 14.30. BBC1 will be showing this episode on Monday 30th December at 06.00
  • The Tale Of Mr Tod - on Monday 23rd December at 06.30, repeated again at 10.30 and 14.30. BBC1 will be showing this episode on Wednesday 1st January 2003 at 06.00
  • The Tale Of Two Bad Mice And Johnny Town-Mouse - on Friday 27th December at 06.30, repeated again at 10.30 and 14.30. BBC1 will be showing this episode on Friday 3rd January at 06.00

ITV1 will be re-showing the drama Hot Money again on Sunday 29th December at 21.00, first shown on ITV1 last December

And now for something completely new! Yes, this Christmas ITV1 will be transmitting Goodbye Mr Chips, the remake of the classic film starring Martin Clunes. The feature-length drama chronicles the life and times of a much-loved schoolteacher in an English public school and will be broadcast on Thursday 26th December (Boxing Day to you and me!) at 20.30

Well, I think that's enough to be getting on with! As this is my last post before the New Year, I'd to wish you all a peaceful Christmas and a happy New year. Take care.........

5th December 2002:

UK Drama will be re-running the powerful 2-part psychological thriller The Dark Room; originally broadcast on BBC1 in April 1999

  • episode 1 - on Thursday 5th December at 21.00, repeated a little later in the early hours of Friday 6th December at 01.00
  • episode 2 - on Friday 6th December at 21.00, repeated a little later in the early hours of Saturday 7th December at 01.00

Granada Plus look like they're set to show the first series of Pie In The Sky. So far, I've only got details of the first episode (The Best Of Both Worlds), which will be shown on Saturday 7th December at 19.00, repeated a little later in the early hours Sunday 8th December at 03.00. I'm sure other episodes will follow.........

Granada Plus are also re-running Catherine Cookson's The Girl, first shown on ITV in early 1996. Set your VCR methinks, it starts its run on Saturday 7th December at 07.00. Yes, that's 7 in the morning!

As I've been neglecting the site over the last few months I've now taken the opportunity to make a few minor tweaks / updates to the following:

  • Ella And The Mothers credits have now been added to the Mini-series section
  • Added the synopsis to Cadfael - One Corpse Too Many in the Films section
  • Added the synopsis to both episodes of Waking The Dead in the Mini-series section
  • Added all the missing synopsis to Angelina Ballerina in the Animations section
  • Added the synopsis to Sex And Chocolate in the Films section
  • Added the synopsis to both episodes of Deceit in the Mini-series section
  • Updated the Projects - Year By Year section

See ya........

22nd November 2002:

Just a brief word to tell you that Colin will appear in a BBC Radio 3 show on Saturday 23rd November at 12 noon. Called Private Passions, it's a long running show and has featured many wonderful and varied artists over the years. The show is an hour long, and will be repeated again on Radio 3 on Sunday 24th November at 15.00

See ya........

19th November 2002:

TV wise, there's still not a great deal to report on, although I've got a bit of other news which may be of interest.......

Granada Plus will be showing the first episode of the 5-part drama series Chiller (The Man Who Didn't Believe In Ghosts) on Saturday 23rd November at 15.30

As it happens, Granada Plus will also be broadcasting the 3-part drama An Unsuitable Job For A Woman (A Last Embrace), as follows:

  • Episode 1: on Thursday 21st November at 21.00
  • Episode 2: on Thursday 28th November at 21.00
Presumably episode 3 will be shown on Thursday 5th December at 21.00, but as yet, I don't have the info to hand.........

Now then, Colin has recently been to Bratislava to record the music to Goodbye Mr Chips, a remake of the classic film, this time starring Martin Clunes. No transmission date has been set as yet. He has also just finished work on Sons And Lovers, a 2-part period drama starring Sarah Lancashire. Again, no transmission date has been set. Details here as soon as I get 'em.........

Colin has also been periodically working on a version of Orpheus In The Underworld, comissioned by the Birmingham Royal Ballet. It will be for jazz big band and symphony orchestra, and is due to premiere in 2003/04

Finally, Colin has just delivered the music for the Angelina Ballerina Christmas 2002 special, titled The Show Must Go On. It'll be a 40 minute PBS Special for the US market ONLY. Sadly, there are no plans to show this in the UK at the present time. Strange, but true!

'Til the next time.......

9th October 2002:

There's very little by way of TV programmes over the next two weeks. The only thing of note is UK Drama's re-run of Our Friends In The North, as follows:

  • episode 6: 1979 - Wednesday 9th October at 23.10, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 10th October at 03.45
  • episode 7: 1984 - Wednesday 16th October at 23.15, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 17th October at 03.40
As always, info on episodes 8 and 9 will be posted here once I have it.......

As predicted last time, Artsworld did infact show a 1 hour programme of the Colin Towns' Mask Orchestra which was recorded at the Braithwaite Hall, Croydon Clocktower, England as part of Colin's 6-date UK tour in 1995. The tracks played were:

  • Is The Sky Early?
  • Not Waving But Drowning
  • Tears For A Traveller
  • The Magnificent Whittlin' Stomp
  • Short Stories
  • Bolt From The Blue
  • It Don't Mean A Thing

I'm led to believe that one or two other Mask Orchestra concerts have been recorded and broadcast in Europe over the years. If anyone has any info on such programmes or knows of one scheduled to be broadcast please let me know!

'Til the next time.......

20th September 2002:

BBC Prime is set to show the last 2 installments of The Sculptress, as follows:

  • episode 3: on Thursday 26th September at 23.00
  • episode 4: on Thursday 3rd October at 23.00

BBC Prime will also begin showing the two-part thriller Deceit, beginning with part 1 on Monday 30th September at 20.00. Details on part 2 soon..........

UK Gold will broadcast McCready And Daughter, a detective series first shown on BBC1 in June/July 2001, in the early hours of Monday 30th September at 01.25

More Cadfael! Info as follows:

  • A Morbid Taste For Bones - Saturday 21st September at 13.00
  • The Raven In The Foregate - Saturday 21st September at 14.30
  • The Holy Thief - Sunday 22nd September at 13.00
  • The Potter's Field - Sunday 22nd September at 14.30

Our Friends In The North continues on UK Drama, as follows:

  • episode 4: 1970 - Wednesday 25th September at 23.10, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 26th September at 03.40
  • episode 5: 1974 - Wednesday 2nd October at 23.15, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 3rd October at 03.45
Info on later episodes will be posted here once I get it..........

BBC Prime will broadcast Sex And Chocolate on Friday 27th September at 20.00, repeated on Wednesday 2nd October at 22.30. The drama, starring Dawn French, was first shown on BBC1 in October 1997

Finally, the satellite (and cable??) channel Artsworld will be showing the Colin Towns' Mask Orchestra on Thursday 26th September at 21.00, repeated the following day (Friday 27th September) at 16.00. I don't know any more about this programme, but I think it may be a gig recorded at Croydon way back in 1995. A clip of the gig (Bolt From The Blue) was included on Colin's last album Another Think Coming

See you soon.........

7th September 2002:

BBC Prime is set to air the 4 part psychological thriller The Sculptress, first shown on BBC1 in 1996. So far, I've got info on the first two episodes only:

  • episode 1: on Thursday 12th September at 23.00
  • episode 2: on Thursday 19th September at 23.00
Further details here soon.......

Our favourite medieval sleuth Cadfael hits our screens again over the next few weekends as the Hallmark Channel brings us more monastic mysteries and mayhem:

  • One Corpse Too Many - Saturday 7th September at 13.00
  • The Sanctuary Sparrow - Saturday 7th September at 14.30
  • The Leper Of St. Giles - Sunday 8th September at 13.00
  • Monk's Hood - Sunday 8th September at 14.30
  • The Devil's Novice - Saturday 14th September at 13.00
  • St. Peter's Fair - Saturday 14th September at 14.30
  • The Virgin In The Ice - Sunday 15th September at 13.00
  • The Rose Rent - Sunday 15th September at 14.30

Our Friends In The North continues on UK Drama, as follows:

  • episode 2: 1966 - Wednesday 11th September at 23.05, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 12th Spetember at 03.25
  • episode 3: 1967 - Wednesday 18th September at 23.10, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 19th September at 03.35
Details on later episodes here any day now.......!

The final part of Crow Road (Rory) can be seen on UK Drama on Friday 13th September at 22.00

Bye for now..........

23rd August 2002:

Angelina Ballerina will next be dancing across our screens on ITV1 on Friday 30th August at 15.40

The Dark Room, a two part psychological thriller first shown on BBC1 in April 1999, gets an airing on BBC Prime next week. Part 1 will be shown on Tuesday 27th August at 20.00. Details on part 2 to follow.......

The mammoth nine parter Our Friends In The North kicks off again, starting with episode 1 (1964) on UK Drama in the early hours of Thursday 5th September at 03.40. Further details here when I get 'em...

And the four parter Crow Road also makes a welcome return to UK Drama, as follows:

  • episode 1: Prentice - Friday 23rd August at 22.15
  • episode 2: Kenneth - Friday 30th August at 22.10
  • episode 3: Fergus - Friday 6th September at 22.00
Details on episode 4 will be here soon.....

The film City Boy will be shown on BBC2 on Friday 6th September at 10.55

Finally, for those of you able to receive the south-of-England-only ITV1 station Meridian, don't forget to tune in next Friday 30th August. As far as I'm aware, the programme to watch is The Frame (an arts-type thing) which will be broadcast between 23.00 - 23.30. Let's know your views via the chat room

Cheers......

8th August 2002:

Yep, more Angelina Ballerina on ITV1:

  • episode 6: The Ballet Tickets - on Monday 12th August at 15.40
  • episode 7: Treasure Tandems - on Friday 16th August at 15.40

In case you've forgotten, BBC1 will be showing an episode of Dalziel And Pascoe (Home Truths) this evening (Thursday 8th August) at 20.30

Guest House Paradiso can be seen on MovieMax1 in the early hours of Thursday 15th August at 01.15

For those of you waiting to hear more 'new' Colin music, the wait is over! BBC1 will be showing a new 2-part drama on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th August, beginning at 21.00. Called Ella and the Mothers it stars the ever-lovely Michelle Collins, and deals with the tug-of-love war that ensues between two women after an IVF mix-up. Check it out!

Colin is busy at the moment and is currently working on:

  • Goodbye Mr Chips, a remake of the classic film, starring Martin Clunes. By all accounts, Colin has a small role in this production! I don't know what it will be or for how long he will be on screen, but it will be nice to see him crop up on the telly, won't it?
  • Sons and Lovers, a 2-part costume drama, starring Sarah Lancaster
  • A commission for the Birmingham Royal (no, not the hospital!). It will be a ballet, based on the story of Orpheus In The Underworld for jazz Big Band and Symphony Orchestra, and is set to premiere 2003/04
  • The TV company Meridian and the satellite channel Artsworld are currently finalising a documentary about Colin Towns and his career as a musician, composer, record label (Provocateur) and his new piece of work (commissioned by the Arts Council) called This Is Not A Magritte. This programme is scheduled to be broadcast by Meridian on 30th August (a south-of-England ITV network). There are plans to have it broadcast on other networks, but as yet there are no other details available. When I know, you'll know............

See you soon......

27th July 2002:

BBC1 are set to air Maybe Baby tonight at 21.05. The film is by Ben Elton and is a comedy about a married couple's efforts to have a baby

ITV1 continue to show a re-run of the first series of Angelina Ballerina as follows:

  • episode 2: Angelina At The Fair - on Monday 29th July at 15.35
  • episode 3: Angelina In The Wings - on Friday 2nd August at 15.30
  • episode 4: The Lucky Penny - on Monday 5th August at 15.40
  • episode 5: Arthur The Butterfly - on Friday 9th August at 15.40

BBC1 will be showing an episode of Dalziel And Pascoe (Home Truths) on Thursday 8th August at 20.30. This was first shown on BBC1 last November

Finally, Guest House Paradiso can be seen on MovieMax5 on Wednesday 31st July at 22.05 and again on MovieMax1 on Tuesday 6th August at 21.45

Cheers.......

19th July 2002:

Carlton Cinema will be showing Daughter Of Darkness on Wednesday 24th July at 17.25, repeated later in the early hours of Thursday 25th July at 05.30

ITV1 are set to broadcast the final 2 episodes of the latest series of Angelina Ballerina, as follows:

  • episode 12: The Royal Banquet - on Friday 19th July at 15.35
  • episode 13: Angelina's Baby Sister - on Monday 22nd July at 15.35

Then, the first episode of the first series will be repeated again (The Rose Fairy Princess) on Friday 26th July at 15.30. I'm not sure at this stage if ITV1 are going to re-run the full first series, but as always I'll let you know as soon as I know

BBC1 will be showing Body Language in the early hours of Saturday 20th July at 01.25. Get those VCRs set!

Finally, MovieMax5 are set to show Guest House Paradiso again on Monday 22nd July at 22.30

See you soon.......

28th June 2002:

The remaining episodes of Our Friends In The North can be seen on UK Drama as follows:

  • episode 7: 1984 - in the early hours of Saturday 29th June at 02.05
  • episode 8: 1987 - on Monday 1st July at 21.00, repeated later in the early hours of Tuesday 2nd July at 00.35; and on Friday 5th July at 22.45, repeated later in the early hours of Saturday 6th July at 02.00
  • episode 9: 1995 - on Monday 8th July at 21.00, repeated later in the early hours of Tuesday 9th July at 01.25; and on Friday 12th July at 22.50
The second series of Angelina Ballerina continues on ITV as follows:
  • episode 7: The Legend Of Big Paw - on Monday 1st July at 15.35
  • episode 8: Angelina And Grandma - Friday 5th July at 15.35
  • episode 9: No Match For Angelina - on Monday 8th July at 15.35
  • episode 10: The Ballerina Rag Doll - Friday 12th July at 15.35

Finally, Guest House Paradiso can be seen on MovieMax2 on Tuesday 2nd July at 22.00 and again on MovieMax4 on Saturday 6th July at 21.00

Regards.......

16th June 2002:

Our Friends In The North continues on UK Drama as follows:

  • episode 6: 1979 - on Monday 17th June at 21.00, repeated a little later on Tuesday 18th June at 01.35; and on Friday 21st June at 22.45, repeated a little later in the early hours of Saturday 22nd June at 02.00
  • episode 7: 1984 - on Monday 24th June at 21.00, repeated a little later on Tuesday 25th June at 001.15; and on Friday 28th June at 22.50
Details of episodes 8 and 9 will be here soon........

UK Drama continues to show the 4-parter The Crow Road. This time episode 3 (Fergus) can be seen on Wednesday 19th June at 23.15, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 20th June at 03.10; while episode 4 (Rory) can be seen on Wednesday 26th June at 23.15, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 27th June at 03.10

Cute and loveable Angelina Ballerina can still be found dancing her way across our screens on ITV over the next couple of weeks as follows:

  • episode 3: The Cheese Ball Cup - on Monday 17th June at 15.35
  • episode 4: Angelina's Valentine - Friday 21st June at 15.30
  • episode 5: Angelina and Anya - on Monday 24th June at 15.35
  • episode 6: The Gift - Friday 28th June at 15.30

Finally, Guest House Paradiso can be seen on MovieMax4 on Tuesday 18th June at 22.30 and again on MovieMax1 on Saturday 29th June at midnight

See you soon.......

6th June 2002:

Yep, UK Drama continues to show Our Friends In The North, as follows:

  • episode 4: 1970 - in the early hours of Saturday 8th June at 01.55
  • episode 5: 1974 - on Monday 10th June at 21.00, repeated a little later on Tuesday 11th June at 00.20; and on Friday 14th June at 22.50
Details of the remaining episodes will be here soon

BBC Prime are set to show the fourth and final episode of The Sculptress on Thursday 6th June at 21.00

UK Drama continues to show The Crow Road, this time episode 2 (Kenneth) can be seen on Wednesday 12th June at 23.10, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 13th June at 03.15

Ahhhhh, Angelina Ballerina makes a welcome return to the ITV network, in her second series. She can be seen as follows:

  • episode 1: Angelina The Mouse Detective - on Monday 10th June at 15.35
  • episode 2: Alice's Present - Friday 14th June at 15.30

Finally, Colin and the Mask Orchestra are in Dortmund, Germany this week (Friday 7th June) for a jazz festival. If anyone knows of this being broadcast on TV or radio please let know!

See you soon.......

25th May 2002:

The next episode of Chiller (Number Six) will be shown on Granada Plus on Friday 31st May at 21.00

UK Drama continues to show Our Friends In The North as follows:

  • episode 3: 1967 - on Monday 27th May at 21.00, repeated a little later on Tuesday 28th May at 00.15, and again at 03.25. It will also be shown on Friday 31st May at 22.50 and in the early hours of Saturday 1st June at 01.55
  • episode 4: 1970 - on Monday 3rd June at 21.00, repeated a little later on Tuesday 4th June at 02.15, and again on Friday 7th June at 22.45
Details of the remaining 5 episodes will be posted here soon

BBC Prime are set to show the third episode of The Sculptress on Thursday 30th May and the fourth and final episode on Thursday 6th June at 21.00

UK Drama will be re-running The Crow Road soon, beginning with episode 1 (Prentice) on Wednesday 5th June at 22.55, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 6th June at 02.45. More details to follow

Guest House Paradiso will be shown on MovieMax3 on Thursday 6th June at 22.45

BBC Prime are about to show the documentary A British Legend - The Search For Bluebird in the early hours of Friday 31st May at 01.00. This was originally shown on BBC1 in June last year

Finally, it would appear that Colin himself will be the focus of a documentary later this year. He's currently working with saxophonist/composer Andy Sheppard writing new music to 5 paintings by surrealist Rene Magritte. At this stage no broadcast dates have been set, although the channel in question is the ITV company Meridian. It looks as though the programme will only be broadcast in that region (South East England) and will not be networked in other areas. More details when I get them

Regards.........

11th May 2002:

STOP-PRESS: I've now added a guestbook / discussion area to the site. Please feel free to use it as much as you want about anything you want. It can be accessed from the main menu on the left

8th May 2002:

Chiller continues on Granada Plus. Here's what's planned for the next week or two........

  • Toby - on Friday 10th May at 21.00
  • Here Comes The Mirror Man - on Friday 17th May at 21.00

UK Drama will be showing the highly acclaimed Our Friends In The North again, as follows:

  • episode 1: 1964 - on Monday 13th May at 21.00, repeated a little later on Wednesday 14th May at 00.35, and again on Friday 17th May at 22.40
Details on the other episodes will be posted here when I get 'em..........

UK Drama will also be showing a repeat of The Mystery Of Men on Wednesday 15th May at 21.00, repeated a little later on the morning of Thursday 16th May at 01.15

BBC Prime are about to show The Sculptress, beginning with the first episode on Thursday 16th May at 21.00. More details to follow........

BBC Prime will also be showing The Beggar Bride soon. Episode 1 will be broadcast on Friday 10th May at 21.00, repeated on Wednesday 15th May at 22.30, while episode 2 will be shown on Friday 17th May at 21.00

Finally, fancy chatting to other CT fans or asking a question that's been bugging you for ages? Why not pop over to the Provocateur Records site where they have recently added a 'forum' (within the 'community' menu at the top). It seems the kinda place where you could meet like minded souls - even me! Check it out here

Cheers.........

21st April 2002:

Chiller returns to Granada Plus on Friday 3rd May at 21.00. The first episode will be Prophecy

BBC Prime continues with its re-run of Buccaneers as follows:

  • episode 4: Capture - on Tuesday 23rd April at 16.45, repeated on Wednesday 24th April at 13.30
  • episode 5: Plunder - on Tuesday 30th April at 16.45, repeated on Wednesday 1st May at 13.30

Our favourite medieval sleuth Cadfael returns to the Hallmark Channel for a weekend of mystery and suspense. There will be 3 episodes per night as follows:
On Saturday 27th April:

  • The Rose Rent - at 17.00
  • A Morbid Taste For Bones - at 18.30
  • The Raven In The Foregate - at 20.00
On Sunday 28th April:
  • The Holy Thief - at 17.00
  • The Potter's Field - at 18.30
  • Pilgrim Of Hate - at 20.00

According to their own official radio station site, listeners to the German radio station NDR4 can hear a new composition by Colin called Brothers Under The Sun, played by the NDR Big Band. It will be broadcast on Friday 31st May, between 20.05 and 21.00 (German time). Those outside Germany can pick it up via the internet - simply get logged on to the NDR4 radio station (here) and look for the link NDR INFO live im Internet hören - RealAudio Stream near the bottom of the page (on the left side)

Finally, I've added a new link - a great site for all things Deep Purple and related. It's run by those terribly knowledgeable people at the Deep Purple Appreciation Society (DPAS). Check it out...........

7th April 2002:

Guest House Paradiso will be shown on MovieMax5 on Thursday 18th April at 22.15

BBC Prime continues its re-run of Buccaneers as follows:

  • episode 2: Conquest - on Tuesday 9th April at 16.45, repeated on Wednesday 10th April at 13.30
  • episode 3: Ambush - on Tuesday 16th April at 16.45, repeated on Wednesday 17th April at 13.30

Info on parts 4 and 5 when I get 'em...........

As does The Crow Road on UK Drama. Episodes 3 (Fergus) and 4 (Rory) will be shown back-to-back on Friday 12th April at 21.00 and 22.15 respectively, repeated in the early hours of Saturday 13th April at 01.40 and 02.45 respectively

The last 2 episodes of Rockface (that is, 5 and 6) will be shown on BBC1 on Wednesday 10th April at 19.30 and Wednesday 17th April at 20.00

Well, that's it 'til the next time............

27th March 2002:

Guest House Paradiso will be shown on MovieMax 2 on Saturday 30th March at 00.05, and again on MovieMax 2 on 1st April at 22.30

BBC Prime is about to re-run the 5-parter Buccaneers. Episode 1 (Invasion) will be shown on Tuesday 2nd April at 16.45, repeated on Wednesday 3rd April at 13.30. More details when I get 'em......

The Crow Road also gets a fresh airing, this time on UK Drama. Episodes 1 (Prentice) and 2 (Kenneth) will be shown back-to-back on Friday 5th April at 21.00 and 22.15 respectively

Episode 4 of Rockface, the BBC's new drama series, continues on BBC1 on Wednesday 3rd April at 19.30

The BBC have now got their own official site for Rockface. It's here!

Meanwhile, the credits to Rockface have now been added to the Mini-series section of the site, and the album Jazzpaña II has been added to the Guest Appearances section.

That's all for now...........

20th March 2002:

Carlton Cinema will be showing Getting It Right on Sunday 24th March at 22.45

Rockface, the BBC's new drama series (in 6 parts) continues on BBC1 with episode 3 on Wednesday 27th March at 20.35

The BBC will be re-running some of the Beatrix Potter animations over the next week as follows:

  • The Tale Of Peter Rabbit And Benjamin Bunny - on BBC1 on Saturday 23rd March at 07.00
  • The Tale Of Mrs Tiggywinkle And Mr Jeremy Fisher - on BBC2 on Monday 25th March at 10.00
  • The Tale Of Pigling Bland - on BBC2 on Tuesday 26th March at 10.00
  • The Tailor Of Gloucester - on BBC2 on Wednesday 27th March at 10.00
  • The Tale Of Samuel Whiskers - on BBC2 on Thursday 28th March at 10.00
  • The Tale Of Tom Kitten And Jemima Puddleduck - on BBC2 on Friday 29th March at 10.00

The long-awaited broadcast of Colin Towns And The NDR Big Band live in London is over! It was recorded at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 10th November 2001 as part of last year's London Jazz Festival. Colin's spot lasted about an hour and the following tracks were played:

  • Heated Think Tank (from Another Think Coming)
  • I Am The Walrus (from Another Think Coming)
  • Prayer (from Another Think Coming)
  • Lost In The Stars (from The Theatre Of Kurt Weill)
  • My Ship (from The Theatre Of Kurt Weill)
  • Mack The Knife (from The Theatre Of Kurt Weill)
  • Roaring At The Savoy (from Another Think Coming)
To hear it, tune into BBC Radio 3 on Saturday 23rd March at 16.00. The programme name is Jazz Line-up and lasts for just 60 minutes! Let's hope the BBC manage to squeeze in the whole gig

Colin has recently taken on Ella And The Mothers, a new 2-part BBC drama, starring Michelle Collins and directed by Gavin Millar. He has also done an arrangement of Nature Boy, a track on Guy Barker's soon-to-be-released album Soundtrack on Provocateur Records (PVC1030). If that's not enough, Colin's also working on Maria Pia De Vito's new album for Provocateur Records called Nel Respiro, to be released in late Spring 2002. As for The Mask Orchestra, they will be playing a festival in Dortmund, Germany on 7th June 2002

Well, that's about it for another week. Bye............

10th March 2002:

Guest House Paradiso will be shown again on Sky, this time on MovieMax1 on Sunday 10th March at 21.30 and on MovieMax5 on Saturday 16th March at 22.05

Catherine Cookson's 3-parter The Girl continues on Granada Plus as follows:

  • episode 2 - Sunday 10th March at 13.00, repeated later the same day at 19.00
  • episode 3 - Sunday 17th March at 13.00, repeated later the same day at 19.00

The latest 'new' music from CT comes to us in the form of Rockface, the BBC's soon-to-be-shown drama series. The series revolves around the lives of those who work for Scotland's Mountain Rescue Service, and of course, Colin has written the score. The programmes, starring Brendan Coyle and Clive Russell, will be shown on BBC1 as follows:

  • episode 1 - Wednesday 13th March at 19.30
  • episode 2 - Wednesday 20th March at 19.30
As yet I don't know how many episodes there are in the series - more details when I get 'em

Finally, if anyone knows where they can get a copy of the Capital City soundtrack and is willing to part with it, can you please email Derek with the relevant details?

See ya soon.............

24th February 2002:

Guest House Paradiso will be shown on MovieMax4 on Tuesday 5th March at 23.00

The Crow Road returns to UK Drama as follows:

  • episode 3: Fergus - Sunday 24th February at 22.50, repeated later in the early hours of Monday 25th February at 03.10
  • episode 4: Rory - early hours of Monday 25th February at 00.05, repeated later that same morning at 05.35

Finally, Catherine Cookson's 3-parter The Girl makes its debut on Granada Plus on Sunday 3rd March at 13.00, repeated later that same day at 19.00. Presumably the other 2 episodes will be broadcast over the following 2 Sundays. More details when I get them

Bye for now...........

4th February 2002:

News is a bit thin on the ground at the moment, but as soon as I get anything I'll put it up here. But you knew that already!

Guest House Paradiso will be shown again on MovieMax4 on Friday 8th February at 22.35, and again on MovieMax2 on Thursday 14th February at 21.00

The Mystery Of Men turns up again on UK Drama as follows:

  • Wednesday 6th February at 21.00
  • early hours of Thursday 7th February at 01.05

Finally, the credits to Hot Money have now been added to the Films section of the site

Hopefully see you next time with a bit more info...........

21st January 2002:

Things have been a bit hectic here recently so apologies if the info below is not as up-to-date as it should be - I'll try harder next time!

As previously reported, I wasn't sure that Colin had written the music to both the recently shown Hamilton Mattress and the Christmas edition of The Story Store. Well, I've checked with Towns Towers and have been told categorically that Colin DID NOT write the music. So now you know!

Guest House Paradiso will be shown again on MovieMax2 on Tuesday 22nd January at 21.00, and again on MovieMax5 on Wednesday 30th January at 22.30

The Buccaneers return to our screens, but unfortunately I was only able to post this update after the first and second episodes had aired! The remaining three episodes will be shown on BBC Knowledge as follows:

  • episode 3: Ambush - on Tuesday 22nd January at 17.00
  • episode 4: Capture - on Wednesday 23rd January at 17.00
  • episode 5: Plunder - on Thursday 24th January at 17.00

Well, that's it folks! See you soon

6th January 2002:

Hi folks and welcome to the first news piece of 2002. Apologies for not updating the site since the end of November last year but my ISP decided it was time to upgrade their services - great I thought! Unfortunately, this meant I was unable to access my website to update any of the pages in all that time. Thankfully, it looks as though things are gradually getting back to normal.......

I trust you've had a great Xmas and look forward to another year of CT music and info

Since last time, you have missed very little in the way of new music (in fact, I don't think you have missed any at all - see later). There has been the occasional re-run of Guest House Paradiso and Space Truckers, as well as the complete The Dwelling Place, Deceit and The Crow Road; 2 episodes of Chiller ('Here Comes The Mirror Man' and 'Prophecy'); 7 (of 9) Beatrix Potter's The World Of Peter Rabbit And Friends animations; a new 30-minute Christmas animation called Hamilton Mattress (Colin was penciled in to write the score but it now seems someone else did it in the end!); a 30-minute Christmas edition of The Story Store (I don't think he did this one. Why? Well, as the programme ended, the credits were 'shrunk' so that you could see and hear the kids' presenters linking to the next programme. As a result the writing was so small and fuzzy it was impossible to see who wrote the music. I haven't listened to it again since Xmas Day, but I seem to remember thinking at the time it didn't much sound like Colin. However, he did write the music to the original animation series in 1995, so who knows?!? I'll have to check this one with Towns Towers)

Never mind, eh? There's other stuff coming up you might be interested in. Granada Plus are set to show another episode of Chiller ('Number Six') on Sunday 6th January at 21.00, repeated a little later in the early hours of Monday 7th January at 01.00

Guest House Paradiso will be shown again on MovieMax3 on Monday 14th January at 22.00

UK Gold are set to show Waking The Dead on Wednesday 9th January at 21.00, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 10th January at 01.55. I think this is both pilot episodes back-to-back but I'm not sure! I'm still suffering the effects of pigging out at Xmas, you must understand!

The Beggar Bride also returns, this time to UK Drama. Both episodes will be shown back-to-back on Wednesday 16th January starting at 21.00, repeated a little later in the early hours of Thursday 17th January at 01.15

Colin has written the music to the stage production of The Little Foxes which recently ran from 4th October to 24th November 2001 at the Donmar Theatre, London. It was set in America's Deep South in 1900, was written by Lillian Hellman in 1939 and starred David Calder, Christian Dixon, Peter Guinness, Edward Hughes, Matthew Marsh, Anna Maxwell-Martin, Alibe Parsons and Penelope Wilton

Colin has now finished the music to the film Rocket Post and is now working on a new 6-parter for BBC1 called Rock Face, a mountain rescue drama. It's scheduled to be shown on BBC1 between now and Easter. More details when I get 'em

Finally, I've had a few of people contact me recently wanting to know where they can pick up a copy of the Beatrix Potter Music Collection CD. Unfortunately, I'm not able to help. However, if anyone out there knows where they can get hold of one please let me know and I'll get in touch with the those who want it. Thanks

All the best......


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