Loch nam Madadh / Wolf Bay: BBC Unveils Gaelic Horror Series Ahead of Halloween

(Image: Sonja Blietschau / Storyboard Studios)

By Jon Donnis

A ferry journey turns into a nightmare in Loch nam Madadh / Wolf Bay, a new short-form horror series launching on BBC iPlayer and YouTube ahead of Halloween.

Created and written by Claire Aza-Selinger, with Maureen Macleod as co-writer, the six-part series follows Angus, played by Andrew MacInnes, as he reluctantly heads back to North Uist for his grandfather's funeral.

Angus is hoping to return unnoticed, but his plans quickly fall apart when he finds himself sharing the ferry with his ex-girlfriend Màiri, her fiancé Colin and Màiri's formidable mother, Margaret.

The situation takes a darker turn when Angus makes a gruesome discovery in the cafeteria. As the ferry enters the dangerous waters of Wolf Bay, what started as an uncomfortable journey becomes a fight for survival.

With a mysterious evil stalking the ship, Angus must confront the past he has tried to leave behind while attempting to protect the other passengers. At the same time, he has to work out whether there is any chance of making peace with Màiri.

Andrew MacInnes stars as Angus, alongside Ellen Macdonald as Màiri, Alasdair Jordan as Colin and Elspeth Turner as Margaret. Jordan makes his screen debut with the series.

Each of the six episodes runs for around ten minutes, giving the story a fast-moving format built around jump scares, cliffhangers, deadpan humour and the developing relationship between Angus and Màiri.

Loch nam Madadh / Wolf Bay is the first Gaelic drama aimed specifically at 18 to 24-year-olds who primarily consume content on their devices.

The series launches on BBC iPlayer and YouTube in the run-up to Halloween.

Stepping Up: Channel 4 Unveils First Look at New Comedy Starring Josh Pugh

Images: Ch4

By Jon Donnis

Channel 4 has unveiled a first look at Stepping Up, the new comedy from Josh Pugh and Roughcut Television, with a series of new images introducing the show's main characters.

Created and written by Pugh, who also stars, the comedy follows Josh, a stepdad who is determined to become the best possible role model for his stepchildren and a supportive partner to his girlfriend, Becky.

The problem is that Josh is trying far harder than anyone around him thinks is necessary.

Pugh's Josh finds himself caught between Becky, her children and her ex-husband Sean, while also trying to navigate the expectations that come with being a stepdad. His attempts to prove himself as an all-round "Good Bloke" instead leave him caught up in awkward power struggles and situations that might have been easier if he simply stopped trying so hard.

The new images feature Pugh alongside Denise Welch as Josh's mum Sue, Sophia Di Martino as Becky, Tom Hanson as Becky’s ex-husband Sean and Lucia Keskin as Josh's friend Kelcie.

The cast also includes Colin Hoult and Liam Jeavons in guest roles.

Filmed in the West Midlands, Stepping Up takes a comedic look at the complications of becoming a stepdad and the difficult balance between wanting to help and knowing when to stay out of the way.

Pugh previously worked on Sneakerhead and How Are You? It's Alan (Partridge), while Roughcut Television is behind comedies including Big Boys and Things You Should Have Done.

Channel 4 has yet to announce a transmission date for Stepping Up.

COMPETITION: Win The Chelsea Detective: Series 4 on DVD

The inimitable Adrian Scarborough (Killing Eve, Gavin & Stacey, The King's Speech) is back as everyone’s favourite West London case cracker, The Chelsea Detective, diving headlong into more grisly murders beneath the glossy façade of Chelsea’s elite in the fourth outing of this hit crime series. 

And to celebrate we have a copy of series 4 on DVD to give away!

Synopsis:

The classical-music-loving, houseboat-dwelling detective Max Arnold (Scarborough) and his straight-talking partner DS Layla Walsh (Emme) are back, delving further into the dark side of London’s lavish neighbourhood. With four new murderous mysteries in their case files, the dynamic duo investigate the death of an undercover journalist researching a fashion mogul, an aristocratic dynasty brutally guarding their bloodline and a salon owner tied up in a hidden identity and deadly secrets.  

 

This series also features a cryptic double-homicide that spirals outward to Cambridge, where the pair join forces with Layla’s detective cousin, DI Martha McGuire (Justine Mitchell – Your Bad Self, Smoother). As ever, the road to justice is far from smooth, but there’s no stopping The Chelsea Detective. 

 

For a captivating crime caper guaranteed to entertain, step back onto the dangerous streets of London’s most affluent borough for another round of ‘reliably quirky’ (Decider) mysteries in The Chelsea Detective Series 4. 

Pre-Order from https://link.amazon/B01NIQatO

Enter now for a chance to win.

Who plays DS Layla Walsh in The Chelsea Detective?

Send your name, address and of course the answer to competition365@outlook.com

Quick Terms and conditions

1. Closing date 19-10-26

2. No alternative prize is available

3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.

4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

WandaVision Episodes Released For Free Ahead Of VisionQuest

 

Marvel has made the first three episodes of WandaVision available to watch for free, giving fans an easy opportunity to revisit the series before the arrival of VisionQuest. The timing is no coincidence, with VisionQuest set to continue the story that began with WandaVision and later continued in Agatha All Along. Making some of the original series available at no cost also gives anyone who missed WandaVision when it premiered in 2021 a chance to see where Vision's story began without needing a Disney+ subscription.

VisionQuest arrives on Disney+ on 14 October and will bring Paul Bettany back as Vision, while James Spader returns as Ultron. The series follows the rebuilt Vision as he searches for meaning and attempts to understand his identity, with Ultron among the artificial intelligence personalities connected to his programming. His quiet existence is disrupted when a bounty is placed on him, forcing him to go on the run alongside Thomas Shepherd, a mysterious boy who may have a connection to Vision's past. As the final part of the trilogy that began with WandaVision, the new series looks set to bring several long-running threads involving Vision to a conclusion.

Episodes available

S01E01 - Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience

S01E02 - Don't Touch That Dial

S01E03 - Now in Color

VisionQuest Trailer:

Beat The Internet - Full Episode S01E09 - John Robins Claps Back At Interrupting Guest

 

John Robins is left baffled by one guest’s unexpected interruption as he attempts to kick off the show. Things only get stranger when John takes a look at one contestant’s search history and begins to question whether some of their searches are entirely appropriate for an adult.

Comedy quiz show where contestants try to finish sentences based on some of the internet's most popular search terms, with the host ably assisted by fact-master Sunil Patel.

Crystal Lake: Friday the 13th Prequel Finally Arrives on Sky and NOW This October

Image: Sky TV

By Jon Donnis

As a lifelong fan of the Friday the 13th films, the prospect of returning to Crystal Lake is difficult to ignore. The franchise has been away from screens for far too long, and now Crystal Lake is set to explore the mythology from an entirely different perspective.

The eight-part series, produced by A24 and created, written and executive produced by Brad Caleb Kane, arrives exclusively on Sky and NOW in the UK and Ireland on 19 October, with every episode available to watch from launch.

Rather than simply bringing Jason Voorhees back for another round of familiar slasher mayhem, Crystal Lake travels back to the beginning of the story. The series serves as a prequel to the Friday the 13th films, focusing on Jason's mother, Pam Voorhees, before the events that turned her into one of horror's most memorable characters.

Pam is played by Emmy-winner Linda Cardellini, and the setup immediately gives the series plenty of potential. Jason drowned in Crystal Lake almost a year earlier, and Pam remains consumed by grief following the death of her young, sickly son. When two strangers arrive at her home and begin investigating her past, that grief is about to collide with some very uncomfortable questions.

From there, a disturbing chain of events begins to unfold, with the people of Crystal Lake left wondering exactly who Pam Voorhees really is.

For fans of Friday the 13th, that central mystery is particularly intriguing. We already know where Pam's story ultimately leads, but Crystal Lake has the opportunity to explore the woman behind the legend and the events that helped shape the infamous history of the lake.

That also gives the series a chance to expand the mythology without simply attempting to recreate the formula of the original films. Psychological suspense, mystery and emotional storytelling are all being promised alongside the horror, suggesting that Crystal Lake intends to spend considerably more time developing its characters and its setting.

Kane brings plenty of genre television experience to the project, having worked on It: Welcome to Derry, Tokyo Vice and Warrior. He is joined by A24, original Friday the 13th writer Victor Miller and Horror, Inc. in bringing the Jason Universe story to television.

Linda Cardellini leads a cast that also includes William Catlett, Devin Kessler, Cameron Scoggins and Gwendolyn Sundstrom. Behind the scenes, executive producers include Marc Toberoff, Victor Miller, Robert M. Barsamian, Robert P. Barsamian, Stuart Manashil, Tyson Bidner, Michael Lennox and Roy Lee.

There is inevitably going to be a huge amount of curiosity surrounding Crystal Lake. Friday the 13th has one of the most recognisable horror mythologies ever created, and returning to its origins gives the series plenty of room to surprise even fans who already know the story of Jason and his mother.

For me, the biggest appeal is simply getting back to Crystal Lake. The franchise has produced some of horror's most enduring characters and imagery, and seeing the story explored through Pam Voorhees and the community surrounding the lake offers a genuinely different way into that world.

Whether Crystal Lake can live up to the enormous expectations surrounding the Friday the 13th name remains to be seen, but with the series finally approaching its UK debut, anticipation is certainly building.

Crystal Lake arrives exclusively on Sky and NOW in the UK and Ireland on Monday 19 October, with all eight episodes available from launch.

Legacy of Spies Gets First Look as Filming Wraps

Images: The Ink Factory/Des Willie/Csaba Aknay

By Jon Donnis

The BBC and MGM+ have released a first look at Legacy of Spies as filming wraps on the eight-part espionage thriller.

Based on John le Carré's bestselling The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, with additional material from his 2017 novel A Legacy of Spies, the series marks the return of George Smiley to television. Two-time Emmy and BAFTA award winner Matthew Macfadyen takes on the iconic role, with Charlie Hunnam starring as experienced Circus agent Alec Leamas.

Set during the Cold War, the story begins when Leamas recruits Doris Quinz, played by Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu, to smuggle valuable Stasi documents into the West. The operation draws the attention of Stasi operatives Josef Fiedler and Hans-Dieter Mundt, played by Daniel Brühl and Felix Kammerer, whose determination to stop the leak is matched by their fierce rivalry.

Agnes O'Casey plays Liz Gold, an idealistic young woman whose involvement with Leamas brings another personal dimension to an increasingly dangerous operation. Meanwhile, Smiley works behind the scenes while the elusive Soviet mastermind Karla remains a threat.

The cast also includes Dan Stevens as Bill Haydon, Jake Dunn as Peter Guillam, Anjana Vasan as Connie Sachs, Charlotte Ritchie as Ann Smiley, Joe Alwyn as Jim Prideaux and Hugh Laurie as Control.

Filmed principally in the Czech Republic, with additional filming in the UK and Germany, Legacy of Spies will launch exclusively on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK. MGM+ will release the series in the United States, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Brazil and Spanish-speaking Latin America.