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The Halcyon- ITV (January)


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Old 18-12-2016, 08:20
max_garfield
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I think this looks really good, seen a few trailers for it.

Set in a hotel during WWII, has music and other shenanigans that looks pretty fun
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Old 18-12-2016, 09:16
gilesb
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I wonder if it will be a bit like "The Grand" from the 1990s? I really enjoyed that show.
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Old 20-12-2016, 16:06
max_garfield
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Not seen that but seems interesting
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Old 20-12-2016, 16:47
H of De Vil
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gThhAxO3ZFs Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vVWy3qYtVg First look
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Old 20-12-2016, 17:03
A.D.P
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There was a clip of it on BBC Breakfast yesterday. The actress Charity Wakefield who stars in the Christmas Day Doctor Who, is also a star in this drama. She looks completely different in both.
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Old 20-12-2016, 20:30
max_garfield
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I really like Kara Tointon, she's a great actress and has managed to do really well for herself outside of Eastenders, I thought she was good in the sound of music live.
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Old 23-12-2016, 08:24
max_garfield
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Was scrolling through the 'hot new releases' on the Amazon album chart and The Halcyon (soundtrack CD) is #3 on pre-orders! That's pretty good as I presume all people have heard is the little clips in the trailer.
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Old 23-12-2016, 09:02
Servalan
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I wonder if it will be a bit like "The Grand" from the 1990s? I really enjoyed that show.
I think that ITV must be relying on people like you and I being in a tiny minority and most of the audience having no recollection of The Grand … it all looks just a little too familiar. Especially the references to the war (The Grand was set just after WW1 - the Halcyon is set during WW2) …

I'm sure it will perform well in a prime spot on Monday nights (even though it looks like it should play on Sundays) … but it's a shame ITV can't think of anything new and have to resort to recycling old series ideas. I wonder what Russell T Davies thinks …
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Old 23-12-2016, 13:19
Baz_James
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I'm sure it will perform well in a prime spot on Monday nights (even though it looks like it should play on Sundays) … but it's a shame ITV can't think of anything new and have to resort to recycling old series ideas. I wonder what Russell T Davies thinks …
I'm sure that he thinks this is the completely separate story which has nothing in common with his series apart from the fact that it happens to be set in a hotel. Your history is clearly a bit shaky if you imagine that life and along with it the hotel industry had not utterly transformed in Britain between 1920 and 1940. Seeing this a recycling of the Grand is like saying the Grand was a recycling of the Duchess of Duke Street.
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Old 27-12-2016, 14:57
Servalan
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I'm sure that he thinks this is the completely separate story which has nothing in common with his series apart from the fact that it happens to be set in a hotel. Your history is clearly a bit shaky if you imagine that life and along with it the hotel industry had not utterly transformed in Britain between 1920 and 1940. Seeing this a recycling of the Grand is like saying the Grand was a recycling of the Duchess of Duke Street.
Your knowledge of TDODS is clearly 'a bit shaky' if you think it was some kind of forerunner of The Grand - that series centred on the rise of one character who rose from being a member of staff to proprietor of a hotel. The Grand was very much an ensemble show.

The Halcyon has more obvious echoes of The Grand - a wealthy family, a world war … and I'm afraid my knowledge of the British hotel history is indeed shaky - but I would say that I'd have plenty in common with the vast majority of the viewing public on that one.

I see that The Halcyon is playing against Silent Witness. Could be some interesting overnights. Why is ITV keeping it away from Sundays when it's got 'Sunday 9pm' written all over it?
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Old 27-12-2016, 15:05
H of De Vil
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Your knowledge of TDODS is clearly 'a bit shaky' if you think it was some kind of forerunner of The Grand - that series centred on the rise of one character who rose from being a member of staff to proprietor of a hotel. The Grand was very much an ensemble show.

The Halcyon has more obvious echoes of The Grand - a wealthy family, a world war … and I'm afraid my knowledge of the British hotel history is indeed shaky - but I would say that I'd have plenty in common with the vast majority of the viewing public on that one.

I see that The Halcyon is playing against Silent Witness. Could be some interesting overnights. Why is ITV keeping it away from Sundays when it's got 'Sunday 9pm' written all over it?
Probably because it'll otherwise launch against Sherlock and get dented in the process, and ITV dramas Endevour & Vera did so well in the Sunday 8pm-10pm slot last year, they are repeating it this year. Vera held over 5m against CTM with 8m.

Silent Witness & The Halycon I imagine ITV are hoping will surivive together ok, given they are different drama genres.
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Old 27-12-2016, 15:23
Baz_James
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Your knowledge of TDODS is clearly 'a bit shaky' if you think it was some kind of forerunner of The Grand - that series centred on the rise of one character who rose from being a member of staff to proprietor of a hotel. The Grand was very much an ensemble show.

The Halcyon has more obvious echoes of The Grand - a wealthy family, a world war … and I'm afraid my knowledge of the British hotel history is indeed shaky - but I would say that I'd have plenty in common with the vast majority of the viewing public on that one.

I see that The Halcyon is playing against Silent Witness. Could be some interesting overnights. Why is ITV keeping it away from Sundays when it's got 'Sunday 9pm' written all over it?
I rather think my point was that the Duchess wasn't a forerunner in the same way that the Grand is not a forerunner of the Halcyon and that the comparisons were equally baseless! But never mind.

Has there been any suggestion that the Halcyon is run by a respectable wealthy family? I'd hardly conclude that from the trailers. The Grand was of course post-war and a war that had little obvious effect at home, whereas the Halcyon is set in the middle of the Blitz. It was about restoring a rundown establishment to former glories where the Halcyon is about keeping going in the face of blackouts and rationing. It really is adding 2 and 2 to make 5 to go from it's set in a hotel to it's recycling the Grand.

Sundays are reserved for the big crime series Endeavour and Vera and will for a while be competing against Sherlock.
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Old 28-12-2016, 08:26
Ellie1967
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They may have got it wrong, but in this article in The Telegraph it says only the first episode is airing on Monday and after that it will be on Sunday

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/lif...o-differently/
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Old 28-12-2016, 09:12
ravensborough
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If it airs on Sunday, won't it be against the massive ratings juggernaut that is Call the Midwife? While Victoria managed to beat Poldark, I'm not sure that The Halcyon would achieve the same feat.

I am looking forward to this, but I hope that ITV don't pull a Home Fires or Brief Encounters and axe it prematurely.
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Old 28-12-2016, 09:50
Ellie1967
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Looking at the ITV Press Centre they've got episode two confirmed for Monday 9th, so the Telegraph must have got it wrong.
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Old 28-12-2016, 10:22
Servalan
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I rather think my point was that the Duchess wasn't a forerunner in the same way that the Grand is not a forerunner of the Halcyon and that the comparisons were equally baseless! But never mind.

Has there been any suggestion that the Halcyon is run by a respectable wealthy family? I'd hardly conclude that from the trailers. The Grand was of course post-war and a war that had little obvious effect at home, whereas the Halcyon is set in the middle of the Blitz. It was about restoring a rundown establishment to former glories where the Halcyon is about keeping going in the face of blackouts and rationing. It really is adding 2 and 2 to make 5 to go from it's set in a hotel to it's recycling the Grand.

Sundays are reserved for the big crime series Endeavour and Vera and will for a while be competing against Sherlock.
BIB1 - you should perhaps read the preview in the new Radio Times, which makes it very clear that the hotel in The Halcyon is indeed run by a respectable, wealthy family.

BIB2 - I take the distinctions you are making but they are detail in the grand scheme of things. Could ITV really not have come up with something more original? We live in an increasingly competitive market for viewers and ITV does not seem to have grasped that yet, either rehashing its own ideas or trying to ape successful brands on other channels.

BIB3 - Sherlock is only on for three weeks. I could be wrong, but I don't think BBC One has quite the same run of strong dramas it had at the start of last year (War And Peace, The Night Manager) … so I'd've thought ITV could easily have waited until Sherlock finished. Endeavour and Vera are average raters for the channel, so could be shifted to later in the year (or even broken up - see the new series of Midsomer Murders). Plus Silent Witness is an extremely resilient - it pretty much matched Broadchurch when they went head-to-head … so The Halcyon has its work cut out.

Curiously, after the hype about the series being created by Charlotte Jones, the Radio Times credits the first episode as being co-written with Jack Lothian - whose list of credits completely dwarfs Jones'. On his agent's website, Lothian is also credited as an executive producer for The Halcyon - which is very unusual, given that it wasn't his idea in the first place. I wonder what went on behind the scenes …
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Old 28-12-2016, 10:35
derek500
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Press pack here.

Not a wealthy family, more a wealthy widow.

http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-packs/halcyon#
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Old 28-12-2016, 10:36
H of De Vil
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Looking at the ITV Press Centre they've got episode two confirmed for Monday 9th, so the Telegraph must have got it wrong.
Yes they have. Otherwise it'll still be on against Sherlock if it moves to Sunday.

Its on Monday for its 8 week run.
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Old 28-12-2016, 16:25
Baz_James
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Curiously, after the hype about the series being created by Charlotte Jones, the Radio Times credits the first episode as being co-written with Jack Lothian - whose list of credits completely dwarfs Jones'. On his agent's website, Lothian is also credited as an executive producer for The Halcyon - which is very unusual, given that it wasn't his idea in the first place. I wonder what went on behind the scenes …
According to Left Bank Pictures, who ought to know as they're producing it ...

Written by: Charlotte Jones

Producer: Chris Croucher

Executive Producer: Sharon Hughff, Andy Harries

There is no mention of the show in Jack Lothian's credits on IMDb. But there's nothing at all unusual about executive producers being other than the creators of series anyway, especially when the creator is not yet an established figure in the industry. Even Sally Wainwright is only ever co-exec while Miranda Hart only ever got as high as associate producer on her eponymous show.
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Old 01-01-2017, 09:03
max_garfield
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Well American Horror Story was set in a hotel, with people coming and going...mostly coming and never going actually lol.
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Old 01-01-2017, 09:22
Score
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BIB3 - Sherlock is only on for three weeks. I could be wrong, but I don't think BBC One has quite the same run of strong dramas it had at the start of last year (War And Peace, The Night Manager) … so I'd've thought ITV could easily have waited until Sherlock finished. Endeavour and Vera are average raters for the channel, so could be shifted to later in the year (or even broken up - see the new series of Midsomer Murders). Plus Silent Witness is an extremely resilient - it pretty much matched Broadchurch when they went head-to-head … so The Halcyon has its work cut out.
I think it's just that The Halcyon is only a 1 hour show, so if they put it on Sundays at 9pm they'd have to find something to pair with it to put at 8pm, and that something would have to go head to head with Call The Midwife, which would most likely crush it. Whereas Vera/Endeavour have held up well against a Midwife before and cover the full 2 hours, hence why they've got the Sunday slot again. There isn't much room for them elsewhere in the year on Sundays anyway, unless they were to run 9pm-11pm or over the Summer.
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Old 02-01-2017, 09:07
Aaron_2015
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Really looking forward to this, it looks great.
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Old 02-01-2017, 09:32
H of De Vil
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The first episode has had good reviews so far.
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Old 02-01-2017, 20:38
H of De Vil
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Bump for tonight. Looking forward to this.
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Old 02-01-2017, 20:40
Baz_James
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So what time can we expect the first ..

"disappointing",
"not what I expected",
and "it's crap"

comments tonight then? Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen.
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