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Who should the BBC cast in its “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell” mini-series?

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:42:00 +0000

Earlier this week, the BBC and BBC America announced an addition to its sci-fi and fantasy line-up: a mini-series television adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s magical novel, “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell." The seven one-hour episides will air in 2014.

From the New York Times:

The BBC said its “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell” mini-series would be presented in seven hour-long installments, adapted by Peter Harness (a screenwriter and playwright whose credits include “Wallander” and “Is Anybody There?”) and directed by Toby Haynes (“Doctor Who,” “Sherlock”). BBC America said it would show the mini-series during its Supernatural Saturday programming block, which includes science-fiction and fantasy-themed shows like “Doctor Who” and “Orphan Black.”

Casting decisions have not yet been announced, so the role of magicians Gilbert Norrell and his student, Jonathan Strange, are still up for grabs. Salon reached out to some of our What To Read book critics for casting suggestions via email:

“The Hour”: The British “Mad Men”

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:18:00 +0000

For a fleeting moment in “The Hour,” the BBC’s handsome, delectable drama set behind the scenes of a late 1950s newsmagazine program also called "The Hour," which begins its second season tomorrow night on BBC America, the slight whippersnapper Freddie (Ben Whishaw, most recently of “Skyfall”) can be seen lounging in bed reading Allen Ginsberg to his paramour, his raven hair flopping in his eyes, his feet kept warm in thick socks, his legs clad in … long underwear.

I cannot explain why my heart thrilled to the sight of such nerdishly accessorized highbrow wooing without resorting to a theory of relativity: Television suffers from such a surfeit of heroes who would think to kick game using a combination of “Howl,” dingy long johns and implacable intellectual fervor that the sight of one appealing young gentleman working all these moves at once is like spotting a David among antihero Goliaths. “The Hour’s” charms are many, but chief among them is its celebration of intelligence and diligence as cardinal, animating virtues.