How He Spent His Summer (2012 Edition)

Earlier this year, Harry Lloyd was performing at London’s Old Vic Theatre as Duke Ferdinand, the scoundrel-ly brother to Eve Best’s eponymous figure in The Duchess of Malfi.  As his stage engagement drew towards an end on June 9^th—and he took stock of his “slightly controversial beard,” as he called his unusual yet becoming facial hair at the time (Lloyd, in Berlinger)—he reflected on how he hoped to spend his upcoming (and now mostly-passed) summer. In late-May 2012, interviewer Max Berlinger reported that Lloyd “hopes to visit America over the summer, particularly the West Coast” (Berlinger).

With the latest news about The Fear, however, it may just be that Harry did not get his summer travels wish, and the U.S.A. was not graced with his presence.  Just as it was announced the other day that read-throughs of The Fear script had begun, it’s now been confirmed that principal photography (in Brighton) for the mini-series has definitely begun as well (Martin, “BCD…Begins”).  

Earlier today, Lloydalists came across the “new official synopsis” of The Fear, which was cited by Cult Box:

Pursuing his dream of rebuilding Brighton's derelict West Pier, Richie Beckett's hard-earned respectability is threatened by two new enemies: An invading Albanian mafia and an aggressive form of early onset dementia. Struggling to contain the invasion, sons Matty (Harry Lloyd) and Cal (Paul Nicholls) need a peacemaker, but Richie's erratic and extreme behavior only inflames the situation.

As his sons and wife Jo (Anastasia Hille) deal with the fall-out of his worsening condition, we see further and further into Richie's decaying mind. In desperation, Richie turns to old adversary Seb (Richard E. Grant)for answers. But with his short term memory fading, Richie's dark past bleeds into the present, revealing unresolved traumas that echo the chaos that now surrounds him.

What emerges is a spiraling battle to resist an implacable enemy, acted out on the streets of Brighton and inside the head of Richie Beckett. (Martin, “BCD…Begins”)

Indeed, the more tidbits unearthed about The Fear, the more eager we are to plunge ourselves into this “spiraling” world of criminal, social, familial, and psychic turmoil.

Instead of spending his summertime on the U.S.’s sunny West Coast, then, Harry will undoubtedly be preoccupying himself the rest of the summer and part of the fall researching for his role as a crime-boss’s son, preparing to face “ruthless new rivals” to the Beckett family’s legacy (Martin, “BCD…Coming”).  He’ll be playing peacemaker to Peter Mullan’s “erratic and increasingly extreme behaviour” and helping to answer the question Will Martin poises: “Can Richie and his family survive when his mind and world start imploding?” (Martin, “BCD…Coming”).

Even if much of Harry’s work has been slow to reach us lately, we seem poised for a flood of his work—and immersive work, too—in the coming months, if not year at least.  Certainly, it’s been a rather busy time for Harry, even if a lot of the “fuss” has been about waiting for pictures and shows he’s already filmed to be released.  His turn in The Hollow Crown: Henry IV, Part I (2012) came and went.  Although Great Expectations (2011) debuted abroad late last year, fans in America (and likely elsewhere) only got our greedy eyes on the BBC’s latest Charles Dickens adaptation this year.  We—and Harry—now wait for the completed Dreck (2012) and the post-production Closer to the Moon (2013) to come to theatres.

Works Cited

Berlinger, Max. “Hot List 2012: Harry Lloyd.” Out.com. 22 May 2012. Web. 26 July 2012. <http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/hot-list-2012/2012/05/22/harry-lloyd>.

Martin, Will. “Brighton Crime Drama ‘The Fear’ Begins Filming. Cult Box. Cultbox.co.uk. 26 July 2012. Web. <http://www.cultbox.co.uk/news/headlines/4301-brighton-crime-drama-the-fear-begins-filming>.

---------------. “Brighton Crime Drama ‘The Fear’ Coming to Channel 4.” Cult Box. Cultbox.co.uk. 14 May 2012. Web. 26 July 2012. <http://www.cultbox.co.uk/news/headlines/3737-brighton-crime-drama-the-fear-coming-to-channel-4>.

~ Researched, Reported, and Written by K & C ~

The Fear Update: Harry's "Matty Beckett" May Help Dad Handle a Triple-Threat

Yesterday, we reported that Harry Lloyd will take a turn in a contemporary mafia-crime-drama on the UK’s Channel 4 later this year. (See entry here).

We’ve just learned that not only will Peter Mullan’s family patriarch of Richie Beckett be dealing with the Albanian mafia, but he is also hoping to “revamp the city’s West Pier” while battling the crime wave and dealing with “early-onset dementia” (“Richard Nails”).  This intense triple-threat of crime-fighting, city-cleaning, and mental-grappling should make for a wholly-poignant, gripping dramatic miniseries and, no doubt, the presence of Beckett’s sons will become more pivotal, as he relies on them to assist him in these personal, professional, and social horrors.  In short, The Fear may prove an even more definitive, nuanced role for Harry Lloyd than previously imagined.

An online French article confirms for us Harry’s character’s name as “Matty Beckett”; Paul Nicholls, brother to Harry’s Matty, will play “Cal Beckett” (Wittman).  Translating Carine Wittman’s article (roughly) into English reveals that Wittman mentions that Richie Beckett will slowly lose his dominating position in the local crime-lord arena and begin to put his family in a very dangerous position, eventually taking advance from Richard E. Grant’s character “Seb,” even though the two are rivals (Wittman; translation C’s).  Another report from this morning mentions that Seb will be a plastic surgeon “whose seedy past gets him involved with the crime boss” (Eames).  Meanwhile, Richie’s sons will attempt to “attempt to prevent a terrible end to their mafia family” (Wittman; translation C’s).

Singling out Harry Lloyd towards the end of the article, Wittman makes a very promising suggestion. “The career of Harry Lloyd is definitely launched,” she stresses, adding that following his turn in Game of Thrones (2011) came a role in Great Expectations (2011) and recently, a part in 2012's The Hollow Crown, which “has met with some success on BBC Two” (Wittman; translation C’s).

I don’t know about you all, but I’m still eagerly awaiting the moment that The Fear slides into place on Harry’s The Internet Movie Database page. For some reason, a role doesn’t quite feel “real” until that magic moment of the inclusion on that page.

Works Cited

Eames, Tom. “Richard E. Grant Joins Channel 4 Drama ‘The Fear.’” Digital Spy. Digitalspy.co.uk. 26 July 2012. Web. <http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a395425/richard-e-grant-joins-channel-4-drama-the-fear.html?rss>.

“Richard Nails Role in New C4 Crime Drama.” The Sun. TheSun.co.uk. 26 July 2012. Web. <http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/4454076/Richard-E-Grant-has-nabbed-a-starring-role-in-new-Channel-4-drama-The-Fear.html>.

Wittman, Carine. “Channel 4 annonce la distribution de The Fear.” d'A-suivre.org. a-suivre.org. 26 July 2012. Web. <http://www.a-suivre.org/annuseries/filinfo/une_info_annuserie_index.php?id=3504>.

~Written & Posted by C ~

Fears Alleviated? Harry's New Role in Four-Part Miniseries The Fear (late-2012)

Pardon us if you were awoken by the sounds of ear-shatteringly excited squeals early this morning.  Before you groan in annoyance and reach for the earplugs, allow us to explain.

We are happy to announce news of an upcoming Harry Lloyd project, reports of which have been slowly turning-up through the vapors of the internet.  Although we do not know very much at the moment, it’s enough to make us quite thrilled to hear about Harry’s newest opportunity.  And while we wait for more specifics to trickle out into the open, we can tell you the following (and from where such things were gleaned):

Drama Publicity Manager at C4 Alex Wells tweeted on July 25, 2012 the following: “The Fear script read through. Peter Mullan IN. THE. ROOM!” (Wells). The post was followed by an Instagram photo of The Fear script.

Subsequently, Drama On 4 retweeted the post, as well as contributed its own stream of telltale news.  “Peter Mullan plays Brighton crime boss turned entrepreneur, Richie Beckett in brand new drama The Fear...also starring.....” the first, suspenseful tweet read (Drama On 4).  It was followed swiftly with the continuation: “.....Harry Lloyd (Game of Thrones) Paul Nichols [sic] (The Passion), Anastasia Hille (Snow White and the Huntsman) AND” “.....AND Richard E. Grant (The Crimson Petal and the White). Excited? We are” (Drama On 4).

They can count Lloydalists among the excited, too.

A bit later, Drama On 4 explained that The Fear would be a “new four part drama starring Peter Mullan, Harry Lloyd, Paul Nicholls and Richard E. Grant [that] comes to @DramaOn4 later this year” (Drama On 4). Channel 4 is a British television station with a variety of programming; The Fear would fit within its “drama” offerings.

Earlier today, Yahoo UK reported the following:

Richard E Grant is to star in a new Channel 4 drama about the criminal underworld set in Brighton.

The cast of The Fear will be headed by Peter Mullan - who won acclaim in the movie Tyrannosaur - playing a crime boss-turned-entrepreneur.

The four-part series also sees former EastEnders actor Paul Nicholls and Harry Lloyd - who appeared in the acclaimed BBC adaptation of Great Expectations - playing his sons.

Peter portrays Richie Beckett whose past in the crime world is masked by a new-found respectability as he tries to revamp the city's West Pier. But his world is thrown into turmoil due to the impact of the Albanian mafia and aggressive early-onset dementia.

Richard plays a plastic surgeon who himself has a dark past which is intertwined with Beckett and his wife Jo (Anastasia Hille).

The hour-long episodes were written by Richard Cottan, who worked on BBC crime drama Wallander, and will be filmed around Brighton. (Press Association)

A couple of weeks ago, it was announced that Mullan would star in The Fear (Laing) but only now has the rest of the cast been named. What is more, the vague reference to “later this year” tweeted by Channel 4 workers can be worked out to mean November/December 2012, as originally slated (Laing).

From what was said of the roles of the two Becket sons prior to the casting announcement, we may get to see Lloyd in a more physically-active role than ever before—should things really get ruthless.  Initial reports, after all, revealed that in The Fear, Mullan’s “character Richie Becket's family firm, now run by his two sons, has to deal with a ruthless new rival gang of Albanians. In volatile circumstances, the erratic, extreme behaviour of Becket threatens to inflame the situation” (Laing).

The Beckett Boys

(left) To deal with new rival gangs and maintain the family business, Harry may have to lose the black-tie look (and the facial hair, here reflecting his role in The Duchess of Malfi from earlier this year). Image: Lloyd at the Olivier Stage Awards, April 15, 2012. Source: Georgia. Harry Lloyd Source. 25 April 2012. Web. 25 July 2012. <http://harry-lloyd.com/harry-at-the-olivier-broadway-awards-2012 >.

(center) Actor Peter Mullan will head the cast of The Fear, as well as head the Beckett family.  Harry Lloyd and Paul Nicholls are slated to play his sons. (Mullan is shown here at the London Premiere of Tyrannosaur, at The BFI Southbank, in October 2011). Image Source: Dave Hogan/Getty Images Europe.

(right) Thirty-three year-old actor Paul Nicholls will play Mullan’s son and brother to Harry Lloyd. Image Source: © The Sun/News Group Newspapers Limited. <http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/showbiz/tv/907486/Paul-I-was-speechless.html?print=yes>.

In the end, if there were any fears that we would end 2012 without seeing much more of Harry Lloyd, it would seem that these qualms are alleviated.  Although The Internet Movie Database hasn’t confirmed the presence of The Fear on 2012’s radar, nor the cast of the miniseries, Peter Mullan’s Wikipedia page (“Peter Mullan”) and various UK news sources (see “Works Cited & Consulted,” below) seem to be circulating the story fast enough to ensure us that The Fear will be a reality.  This “drama about a criminal underworld” may be just the thing to help get Harry out of the more recent crop of costume and period roles, as well as give him something a bit more earthy, gritty, and street-savvy into which to sink his acting chops.  Playing one of two sons to Mullan may mean that Harry is relegated to the backdrop on occasion or even folded into a general presence (albeit perhaps of edginess, brutality, and tenacity?) along with his brother, but we can hope that the four hours’ worth of miniseries will have plenty for us Lloydalists to sink our teeth into.

We will continue to keep you updated on developments regarding The Fear and, of course, any other Harry Lloyd-related news, as it turns up!  And if you have any leads, stories, or ideas you’d like to share, please email us at Lloydalists@gmail.com.  Also, for more up-to-the-minute news and fun, find us on Twitter: @Lloydalists.

Some Tweets started it all…above, some of the Twitter-sphere’s news (from Drama On 4) about The Fear from July 25, 2012.

Works Cited & Consulted

“Channel 4 Info.” Channel4.com. Web. 25 July 2012. <http://www.channel4.com/info/>.

Drama On 4 (@dramaon4) Twitter Feed. Web. 25 July 2012. <https://twitter.com/DramaOn4>.

Laing, Greg. “Channel 4 Reveals 2012/13 Drama Lineup: John Simm, Gabriel Byrne, More.” Digital Spy. DigitalSpy.co.uk. 13 July 2012. Web. 25 July 2012. <http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a393317/channel-4-reveals-201213-drama-lineup-john-simm-gabriel-byrne-more.html?utm_source=twt&utm_medium=snets&utm_campaign=twitter>.

“Peter Mullan.” Wikipedia.com. Web. 25 July 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Mullen>.

Press Association. “Grant to Appear in C4 Crime Drama.” Yahoo UK. UK.News.Yahoo.com. Web. 25 July 2012. <http://uk.news.yahoo.com/grant-appear-c4-crime-drama-111458122.html>.

“Richard E. Grant Stars in New Channel 4 Brighton Crime Drama.” The Argus. TheArgus.co.uk. Web. 25 July 2012. <http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9836299.Richard_E_Grant_stars_in_new_Channel_4_Brighton_crime_drama/?ref=nt>.

Wells, Alex G. ‏(@AlexGWells) Twitter Feed. Web. 25 July 2012.  <https://twitter.com/AlexGWells>.

~Researched, Written, and Posted by K & C~