Lara Pulver in Radio Times

Lara Pulver and some other Sherlock actresses are interviewed in the new Radio Times.

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-01-10/sherlock-lara-pulver-and-the-shows-female-stars-confess-all

Daily Mail Lara Pulver Sherlock Nudity Hypocrisy Shock!

You just gotta love the Dail Mail and it's ongoing obsession of looking for something to be annoyed or offended by the BBC. Today's paper included the shocking news that Lara Pulver was NUDE before the WATERSHED on Sunday night in the BBC's Sherlock.

And just to underline the SHOCKING NUDITY SHOCK what do they do?

They print two photos of Lara Pulver NAKED. Solely in the interests of journalistic integrity, you understand.

If readers want to be shocked then they can choose to follow the link below. Please note that the shocking nudity referenced above does not actually contain any NAUGHTY BITS.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2081486/Lara-Pulver-naked-Sherlock-Holmes-BBC-raunchy-pre-watershed-scenes.html

But why did they not run the story in Monday's edition? They must have been too shocked, perhaps.

It's a wonder they are not calling it Adlergate or something.

Shocking.

Sherlock 2.1 review

The long awaited Sherlock series 2 has finally arrived. I do feel like just saying, 'yes it's very good , watch it'. But I shall attempt a little more detail.

The episode picks up with the cliffhanger ending from the last series. You know, Jim Morarity and the swimming pool? Well I had forgotten it ended like that. I don't think the show really needs a cliffhanger ending.

The new episode mainly concerns itself with introducing Lara Pulver's rather naughty version of 'the Woman', Irene Adler. She is in possession of a camera phone that contains lots of secrets that various intelligence agencies and terrorists would be willing to kill over. Sherlock takes on the job of getting his hands on the phone, supposedly to protect the reputation of the royal family.

However for once it looks like Sherlock has met his match. Irene Adler turns out to be a resourceful adversary who gets the upper (whip) hand, at one point  drugging Sherlock to get her phone back.

The show continues to employ some wonderful visual flourishes to illustrate Sherlock's observations, wether it be someone coming into contact with 'three small dogs' or Watson having a 'new girlfriend'. However with Adler he is confused to find he can't read her at all, and we are presented with '??????'.

There's an excellent sequence that has Sherlock and Adler at the scene of another crime he was investigating, while in her living room, as the drugged Sherlock falls into bed. Yes, you really had to see it.

There's also a running gag about a personalised ring tone that Adler puts on Sherlock's phone that causes some amusement but also alerts us to his presence at unexpected moments.

Overall it's a very enjoyable opener to the new series.

Another Lara Pulver Sherlock Promo Photo

Found another Sherlock promo pic of Lara Pulver as Irene Adler in Sherlock Series 2.

http://adf.ly/4QbS7##CLICK##

Lara Pulver photo from Sherlock

Nice high quality photo of her Pulverness that I found floating around the interweb.

http://hatimoon.tumblr.com/post/14460239440/lindcherry-lara-pulver-in-sherlock-a-scandal-in

Lara Pulver photos from Sherlock

The BBC has released a couple of photos of Lara Pulver as Irene Adler from the forthcoming second series of Sherlock.

The new episodes are due in the new year, but just to confuse things the new Sherlock Holmes movie is also imminent.

Lara Pulver S Magazine 25 September 2011

Lara Pulver appeared in the Sunday Express "S Magazine" back on 25 September 2011. I've only got around to doing the scans now. Here they are!

Spooks vs Downton Abbey

Both Spooks and Downton Abbey went head to head on Sunday nights so I had a decision to make: which one to watch "live"?

At first Downton won that battle. But as the episodes went on I was unsettled to discover that it was actually, whisper it, a little bit rubbish. Meanwhile I was enjoying the non-live episodes of Spooks a lot more than I thought I would.

After week 4 I did the "switch". Now Spooks would be watched live and I would get around to Downton later. Probably.

Episode 5 of Spooks was a pretty good one. The gang kidnapped a CIA guy because they reckoned he was up to no good. This called for some action with Lara Pulver hanging out of a car firing a gun. Her cheekbones were looking particularly lovely in that episode.

After the cliff-hanger ending (Harry captured by bad Americans!) I turned over to ITV1+1 (I think) to watch the later broadcast of Downton.

I lasted about 10 minutes before I turned the TV off in disgust. That was just after Mary dropped her cup of tea juxtaposed with Matthew going over the top.

I mean, really...

I came to the sudden conclusion that I didn't care about any of the characters (with the possible exception of the middle daughter Edith who I am finding strangely more attractive as time goes on). I don't care about Bates and his on-off wedding with the maid lady. I don't care about the Irish chauffeur and his working man speeches. I certainly don't care about Matthew and Mary

So I skipped the rest of episode 5.

The final Spooks was on last night and rather than run about through the streets of London trying to defuse a nuclear bomb it was actually a low-key finale set mainly in an abandoned military bunker. In fact it looks like it was filmed in an actual abandoned military bunker. If not the production designers did a great job dressing the set up wherever it was. It was a fitting cold war setting for the revelations that followed.

The episode did veer into melodrama at the end when the Russian guy killed his wife and then the Russian son went after Harry with a broken piece of glass in revenge. "There goes Ruth," I thought, and sure enough there was another name on the MI5 memorial wall by the end of the episode.

Oddly there was a "surprise" cameo with the guy who played Mr  Darcey in the Keira Knightley movie returning to say about two lines of dialog.

Final Spooks over I gave Downton a try for 15 minutes. To be honest I found it a much more interesting experience watching the thing without having seen the previous episode. It appears that the footman (I can't remember his name) who fancied Daisy died, but not until he got married to her on his deathbed. There was a new maid to replace Amy Nuttall who now has a baby. She was doing The Acting at one point. Matthew was sulking in a wheelchair going on about being only half a man. I really wanted someone to slap him with a wet fish.

The most interesting bit involved the middle daughter Edith (who by now I am finding very attractive indeed) befriending some Canadian guy with a burned and bandaged head, who claimed to be the long-lost heir of Downton Abbey after getting amnesia on the Titanic disaster.

I mean you can't make this stuff up.

Oh wait, you can...

Lara Pulver in Daily Mail and elsewhere

There's a few new articles about Lara Pulver appearing in Spooks.

First of all there's a nice big article in the center pages of today's Daily Mail newspaper.

You can read the article at www.dailymail.co.uk

There's a little piece at www.whatsontv.co.uk

From the Evening Standard...

Spooks star Lara Pulver has told of the "crazy adrenaline buzz" she got from holding a gun.

The actress was armed with a Walther PPK semi-automatic, the same gun used by James Bond, for a scene in the 10th and final series of Spooks, which starts on Sunday.

She described the weapon as "the girlie version, all silver and sexy but just as deadly as 007's".

Pulver, who plays Erin Watts in the BBC1 show, added: "It felt empowering in a very rude way."

www.thisislondon.co.uk

Finally there's an interview with Lara in the current issue of Reveal magazine. Which is a magazine I had never heard of up to a few minutes ago.

Lara Pulver Spooks interview

I've just discovered this interview with Lara on a site called cultbox so I thought I would post it here.

Lara Pulver ('Spooks': Series 10) interview

Update, I found another interview: http://www.tvchoicemagazine.co.uk/interviewextra/lara-pulver-spooks

PS I've just realised that this is my 300th post to this blog thing.

Lara Pulver Spooks article in Total TV Guide

Today is "new TV listings mag day" and I was hoping that the Radio Times would have a nice Lara Pulver article for me ahead of Spooks returning on Saturday.

However while the Radio Times and most other mags do have some Spooks content there is very little Lara-specific stuff going on.

Fortunately Total TV Guide (somewhere between the TV Times and Whats On TV in terms of quality) does provide us with a nice full-page photo of Lara looking very lovely indeed...

It would appear that she spends the episode in an evening dress running around with a gun. I can only assume there is yet another embassy siege with her colleagues being held hostage. Sounds good to me.

It is worth noting that all the TV guides are presently having a collective swoon of excitement with the return of Downton Abbey. The TV Times has even produced alternate Downton Abbey covers to collect and be passed on to future generations. The Radio Times has a foldy-out cover to fit in bigger picture of the stars, no doubt worth framing and hanging in the living room.

All well and good, but Spooks and Downton are on at the same time on Sunday. And my DVD Recorder has packed in. I may resort to recording on on good old VHS. Remember that?

Lara Pulver in Spooks info from BBC

The BBC press office has released some info on the upcoming final series of Spooks. Here's the little bit about Lara Pulver's character plus a tiny photo.

In the last ever series of acclaimed spy drama Spooks, the team has been left reeling by Lucas North's betrayal, and with Harry Pearce on gardening leave, Section D has a new leader. Erin Watts is acting head and she has brought Calum Reed with her, a brilliant officer and technical genius.

You can read the complete press release at www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2011/wk38/images/206_spooks.jpg.

Hopefully the BBC will release a larger photo soon.

Lara Pulver in Sherlock

I'm happy to read that, as well as appearing in the upcoming series of Spooks, Lara Pulver will be appearing in the new series of the BBC's modern take on Sherlock Holmes.

She will be playing Irene Adler, a character that originally appeared in Conan Doyle's story A Scandal in Bohemia. If I recall correctly she has the distinction of managing to best Holmes. The first line of the story reads,

To Sherlock Holmes she is always THE woman.

I look forward to seeing how she is used in the new version.

Source: http://www.denofgeek.com/television/1002838/sherlock_series_2_casting_news.html

Lara Pulver joins Spooks cast

This unexpected news just landed in my inbox.

Lara Pulver is to join the cast of the BBC's spy drama Spooks when it returns for it's tenth series later this year. She will apparently replace the Sophia Myles character who only joined the cast last year.

Her character is described as “ambitious, hungry and determined to make her mark”.

I'm quite a Lara fan after her appearance in Robin Hood in 2009 so I'm looking forward to seeing her in the new series.

Source: www.expressandstar.com

Lara Pulver in Legacy Black Ops

This evening I was checking out some new DVD releases and one caught my eye as I glanced at the cast list. The Idris Elba staring Legacy Black Ops includes among the cast an "introducing Lara Pulver" credit.

If you were reading this blog a couple of years ago you will have seen lots of Lara Pulver content as she was appearing in the the third series of the BBC's Robin Hood as Isabella. The last I knew she was in America appearing in musicals, so this DVD is a welcome surprise.

Here's the blurb from http://www.legacythemovie.co.uk/

Taking refuge in a shabby Brooklyn motel after narrowly surviving a failed mission in Eastern Europe, Black Ops soldier Malcolm Gray (Idris Elba) is torn between retribution and personal salvation as he broods over the legacy of his actions.

Haunted by his demons while holed up in his room, Malcolm ponders the ascent of his brother (Eamonn Walker), an ambitious senator with designs on the presidency in this dark and tense action thriller packed with stellar performances.

I checked out the trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkhJdjYKJxY) and I caught a glimpse of Lara near the start.

The movie seems to be a bit low budget and set all indoors but it might be good. I have a feeling I'll end up buying the DVD during the week. If so expect a review in due course.

Lara Pulver in True Blood

A number of sites including digitalspy.co.uk are reporting the news that Lara Pulver will play the recurring role of Sookie’s fairy godmother Claudine in the third series of True Blood.

This is of interest to me as I became a big fan of Lara when she turned up in the third series of the BBC's Robin Hood this time last year playing Gisborne's sister Isabella.

I've not seen much of True Blood beyond the first couple of episodes, but I guess I'll be making an effort!

Lara Pulver photo finds

Just found some nice photos of Lara Pulver at some events.

first of all here are some photos captioned "Actress Lara Pulver attends The Paley Center presents Inside Parade: The True Story That Inspired The Tony-Winning Musicalat The Paley Center for Media on September 21, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California."







And here are some from last year captioned "Lara Pulver arrives for the Laurence Olivier Awards 2008 at Grosvenor House on March 9, 2008 in London, England."

A Lara Pulver fix

I just spotted a nice photo of Lara Pulver at the press night for A Streetcar Named Desire at David Thompson's photostream on Flickr.

It seems to be copyrighted so I won't include it here.

(Although I realise that didn't stop me from doing screen-grabs of Robin Hood...)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/david_thompson/3766966470/

Lara Pulver and Ruth Wilson plays

My two worlds collide. This whatsonstage story about Lara Pulver mentioned Ruth Wilson as well.

Congratulations and good luck to Lara Pulver. The British actress has been invited across the pond to reprise her role as Lucille Frank, the dedicated wife of convicted murderer Leo Frank, in the Los Angeles production of Jason Robert Brown’s musical Parade. Robert Brown’s Tony Award-winning 1998 musical received its UK premiere two years ago at the Donmar Warehouse, with American choreographer Rob Ashford making his directorial debut, helming a cast led by Pulver and Bertie Carvel as Leo Frank.

Ashford is now reviving the Donmar production with Pulver leading a new American cast, including TR Knight (from TV’s Grey’s Anatomy) as Leo in a limited season at the Mark Taper Forum in downtown LA from 21 September to 15 November 2009. Pulver was Olivier and Whatsonstage.com Award nominated for her performance as Lucille. Speaking to us about the new US engagement, she said: “I am so pleased this production has a life, after such an amazing experience at the Donmar, and it’s a huge compliment that they've invited me to come over to re-create the role.”

Based on a true story, Parade is set in 1913 Atlanta, where a Jewish man from Brooklyn stands accused of the murder of a young factory worker. It has a book by Alfredy Urhy, music and lyrics by Brown and was co-conceived by Harold Prince, who directed its premiere at New York’s Lincoln Center in 1998.

Ashford is back at the Donmar this month, about to make his play directing debut with a revival of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Rachel Weisz, Elliot Cowan and Ruth Wilson. And Pulver has just been seen in the recession plays Everything Must Go!, which finished at Soho Theatre this past weekend.

Source: http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8831246882907&title=Lara+Pulver+Conquers+LA+in+Donmar+Parade%3F%3F%3F

Lara Pulver in Robin Hood 3.13

Potential spoilers below.

So, the big finale. I had done my best to avoid spoilers although I had read that both Jonas and Armitage would be leaving the show.

What we have is an episode that on one hand finishes the story and on the other hand it starts a new chapter. (I'm assuming the show will return, but what do I know.)

In short Robin, Guy and the Sheriff don't look like they will be returning. And I would assume that Isabella was also standing a little too close to the Byzantine fire, but fingers crossed that she survived.

In the end Isabella did turn into a boo-hiss type villain. I had been hoping that she would show a little bit of subtle horror at the path she was taking, a little bit of remorse after stabbing Guy or scratching Robin with the poison blade. Lara is clearly a good enough actress to show that.

Right now I don't feel like doing the whole screen grab type image thing so here's a photo of Isabella in episode 3.13. Note the poison bottle around her left wrist!



Ah, Lara looks nice with her hair down...