Jeremy Irons Reads TS Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’ BBC Radio 4

Complete audio of The Waste Land, read by Jeremy Irons and Eileen Atkins…

Click on the audio player below:

Friday 30 March 2012

2:15 – 3:00 p.m. (GMT) on BBC Radio 4

Radio Times review by: Laurence Joyce

Thank heavens for Ezra Pound! Without his artistic intervention TS Eliot’s modernist poetic masterpiece would have been called He Do the Police in Different Voices instead of The Waste Land. This we learn in the introductory contributions from the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Jackie Kay, Matthew Hollis and Sean O’Brien that set Eliot’s complex and multi-layered work in its literary and historical context.

But it is the reading of the text itself by Jeremy Irons and Eileen Atkins that is most enlightening for anyone who has ever struggled to catch Eliot’s drift. Their measured delivery, never overdone, captures the poem’s bleak emotional landscape, breathing life into its panoramic sweep and mundane detail, with Atkins chillingly perfect in Death by Water.

About this programme

Eileen Atkins and Jeremy Irons read the poem by TS Eliot, featuring an introduction by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Jackie Kay, Matthew Hollis and Sean O’Brien. The author’s seminal work is arguably one of the most influential of the 20th century, and is split into five parts – The Burial of the Dead, A Game of Chess, The Fire Sermon, Death by Water and What the Thunder Said.

Cast and crew

Cast

Reader: Eileen Atkins
Reader: Jeremy Irons
Contributor: Rowan Williams
Contributor: Jackie Kay
Contributor: Matthew Hollis
Contributor: Sean O’Brien

Crew

Producer: Susan Roberts
Writer: TS Eliot

March 28, 2012
Categories: Latest News and Posts, Voice . Tags: Archbishop of Canterbury, BBC, Eileen Atkins, Ezra Pound, Jeremy Irons, Radio 4, Rowan Williams, The Waste Land, TS Eliot . Author: jeremyironsno1fan . Comments: 1 Comment

Jeremy Irons in St. Moritz

Jeremy Irons was in St. Moritz recently to ski and to attend the Gunter Sachs Memorial Service, St.Moritz, Switzerland – 24 Feb 2012 – at the Dracula Club in the Hotel Waldhaus Am See.

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SOURCE

Old friends Jeremy Irons and Maryam Sachs strolls around St Moritz arm-in-arm on skiing trip

By Daily Mail Reporter

They had the ease of a couple who have been friends for years as they strolled around St Moritz arm-in-arm.

Actor Jeremy Irons and writer Maryam Sachs were seen taking in the scenery in the Swiss ski resort last week, looking thrilled to be in each others’ company.

The pair walked along in the resort, looking in the shop windows, as they headed back after a long day of skiing.

Old friends: Jeremy Irons was seen strolling around the Swiss ski resort of St Moritz with Maryam Sachs last week

Jeremy, 63, looked typically eccentric in his cord trousers, red jumper, leather gilet and grey hat, teamed with a red scarf and black boots.

Meanwhile, Iran-born Maryam wore a fur-trimmed hat, fringed jacket and leggings, accessorised with a pair of knee-high boots.

Jeremy, who is happily married to Irish actress Sinead Cusack, has been out of the spotlight in recent months, but will be returning to his acting roots in the two television movies Henry IV, Part I and Part II later this year.

It's been a long day: Jeremy carried his skiis and ski poles as he headed back after a full day of skiing

It’s been a long day: Jeremy carried his skis and ski poles as he headed back after a full day of skiing.

Deep in conversation: Writer Maryam and actor Jeremy appeared deep in conversation at points during their walk together

The British actor takes the title role of the monarch in the movies, which will also star Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery and War Horse star Tom Hiddleston.

Confirming the cast earlier this year, Pippa Harris, Executive Producer, Neal Street Productions, said: We are delighted to confirm Jeremy Irons and Tom Hiddleston as our remaining Kings who, along with Ben Whishaw as Richard II, are leading a phenomenally talented ensemble of cast and crew.

‘With the support of NBC Universal and the BBC, we have been able to bring a new scale to the films never before attempted for television.’

The television films will be aired as part of BBC Two’s Shakespeare season later this year.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2108243/Jeremy-Irons-Maryam-Sachs-strolls-St-Moritz-arm-arm-skiing-trip.html#ixzz1nnkBol5N

February 29, 2012
Categories: Latest News and Posts . Tags: BBC, Ben Whishaw, Daily Mail, Downton Abbey, Henry IV, Iran, Jeremy Irons, Maryam Sachs, Michelle Dockery, NBC, Neal Street Productions, Pippa Harris, Richard II, Shakespeare, Sinead Cusack, skiing, St. Moritz, Switzerland, Tom Hiddleston, Universal, War Horse . Author: jeremyironsno1fan . Comments: Leave a comment

Oscar Dailies: Jeremy Irons Video Interview

Jeremy Irons was interviewed by Shira Lazar for Oscar Dailies, from one of the filming locations for Henry IV. He spoke about winning his Oscar and his thoughts on what he values in a director.

SOURCE No copyright infringement intended.

Click here for a version of this video viewable in all countries.
Vodpod videos no longer available.

Click here for a version of this video viewable in all countries.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

February 6, 2012
Categories: Latest News and Posts . Tags: ABC, BBC, Gloucester Cathedral, Henry IV, Jeremy Irons, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Oscar Dailies, Reversal of Fortune, The Borgias . Author: jeremyironsno1fan . Comments: Leave a comment

Filming Underway on Henry IV

Filming is underway on Henry IV

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Production on Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 has begun. A cast read-through took place the first week of January. Filming began on the 9th and will last nine weeks for both films. Locations include Caerphilly Castle in Wales, which is apparently being used as the site of Hotspur’s meeting with Owen Glendower. Filming also took place at Ashridge.

Filming will take place at Gloucester Cathedral from 25 January, for about two weeks.

In February, filming moves to Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire.

From the official BBC Press Release:

Continuing with the incredibly high standard set by Richard II, Jeremy Irons plays the role of King Henry IV in this production adapted and directed by Richard Eyre. Tom Hiddleston joins the cast as Prince Hal, Simon Russell Beale plays Falstaff and Alun Armstrong plays the Earl of Northumberland. Lady Northumberland is played by Niamh Cusack with Hotspur played by Joe Armstrong.

As with Richard II and Henry V, these bold adaptations are set in the medieval period and are being shot at some of the UK’s most stunning locations. The films will bring a new scale to Shakespeare in one of the most ambitious television projects of recent years.

Henry IV, Part 1 is expected to air on BBC2 in the summer of 2012 along with the other three films in the series: Richard II, Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V. The four films will also be shown in the U.S. on Great Performances on PBS.

January 27, 2012
Categories: Film, Latest News and Posts . Tags: #jeremyirons, #lokiwatch, @shorbex, @thelifeof_rose, Alun Armstrong, Avengers, BBC, Caerphilly Castle, Cathedral, England, Falstaff, Gloucester, Great Performances, Henry IV, Hotspur, Jeremy Irons, Joe Armstrong, Loki, Niamh Cusack, Owen Glendower, PBS, Prince Hal, Richard Eyre, Richard II, Scotland, Shakespeare, Simon Russell Beale, Tom Hiddleston, twitter, Wales . Author: jeremyironsno1fan . Comments: Leave a comment

Jeremy Irons on the Andrew Marr Show

Jeremy Irons was a guest on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC One on Sunday 22 January 2012. He spoke about Margin Call and about the economy.

More video clips can be seen HERE and HERE.

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January 22, 2012
Categories: Latest News and Posts . Tags: Andrew Marr, banking, BBC, bonuses, economy, government, Jeremy Irons, Margin Call, Nick Clegg, Wall Street . Author: jeremyironsno1fan . Comments: Leave a comment

‘Henry IV’ Starring Jeremy Irons – Definitive Cast List

From the BBC Media Centre:

The definitive cast list for the BBC Two Shakespeare films including Henry IV (Parts I and II) has been confirmed.

Featuring some of the greatest Shakespearean actors and directors of our time, four films have been commissioned by BBC Two for their Shakespeare season in 2012 as part of the BBC’s contribution to the London 2012 Festival and the Cultural Olympiad. The films were commissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning and Janice Hadlow, Controller BBC Two.

Set in the medieval period, these bold adaptations of four of Shakespeare’s most acclaimed history plays will produce some of the most ambitious television of recent years. As principal photography begins on Henry V, the previously announced Kings – Ben Whishaw, Jeremy Irons and Tom Hiddleston – will be joined by a phenomenal ensemble cast.

Ben Whishaw said: “Playing Richard II has been a hugely rewarding experience. Working on this beautiful play with Rupert Goold and an amazing cast has been one of the most magical and memorable experiences of my career.”

Jeremy Irons said: “I am most grateful to have this opportunity of returning to Shakespeare, to film under the experienced eye of Richard Eyre, alongside such exciting actors.”

Tom Hiddleston said: “I am incredibly proud and privileged to be playing Prince Hal and Henry V in these new adaptations. He was one of England’s great kings and one of Shakespeare’s great men, and it is an extraordinary honour to have been asked to play him. I will be steeped in mud, blood, and warrior poetry for the next four months, led by two of the greatest directors working today, alongside a group of actors I have admired and respected all my life. I can’t wait.”

Henry IV (Parts I and II)

The second and third films will see Jeremy Irons (The Borgias) playing Henry IV, supported by Tom Hiddleston (Thor) as Prince Hal. Simon Russell Beale (Spooks) will play Falstaff and Julie Walters (Mamma Mia, Mo) will play Mistress Quickly. Hotspur will be played by Joe Armstrong (Robin Hood) and Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) is to play Lady Percy alongside Maxine Peake (Criminal Justice) as Doll Tearsheet. Lady Northumberland will be played by Niamh Cusack (A Touch of Frost) with Alun Armstrong (New Tricks) as Northumberland. Reece Shearsmith (The League Of Gentlemen) will play the role of Davy, Tom Georgeson (Notes on a Scandal) will play Bardolph, Pistol will be played by Paul Ritter (Friday Night Dinner) and Douglas Henshall (South Riding) will play Mowbray. Iain Glen (Downton Abbey) will play Warwick and Geoffrey Palmer (As Time Goes By) will play Lord Chief Justice.

Completing the confirmed cast of Henry IV are Henry Faber, James Laurenson, David Hayman, Robert Pugh, Alex Clatworthy, Stephen McCole, David Dawson, Ian Conningham and Nick Jones.

Henry IV Production Designer is Donal Woods (Downton Abbey, Cranford). Director of Photography is Ben Smithard (Cranford) with Annie Symons (Gideon’s Daughter, The Crimson Petal and the White) as Costume Designer.

Henry IV is directed and adapted for the screen by Richard Eyre (Notes on a Scandal, Iris). Filming on Henry IV will begin in January 2012.

November 26, 2011
Categories: Film, Latest News and Posts . Tags: 2012, Alun Armstrong, As Time Goes By, BBC, Ben Whishaw, Downton Abbey, Falstaff, Geoffrey Palmer, Henry IV, Henry V, Hotspur, Iain Glen, Jeremy Irons, Joe Armstrong, Julie Walters, King, Mamma Mia, Maxine Peake, Michelle Dockery, Niamh Cusack, Olympics, Paul Ritter, Reece Shearsmith, Richard Eyre, Richard II, Robin Hood, Rupert Goold, Shakespeare, Simon Russell Beale, The Borgias, Thor, Tom Georgeson, Tom Hiddleston . Author: jeremyironsno1fan . Comments: Leave a comment

Jeremy Irons to do Henry IV for BBC

Jeremy Irons takes lead in BBC2’s new Henry IV adaptation – from Guardian.co.uk

Jeremy Irons is set to film Shakespeare’s Henry IV, parts 1 and 2, as part of the BBC’s 2012 Shakespeare Season, directed by Richard Eyre.

Irons will feature alongside Tom Hiddleston as Prince Hal and Simon Russell Beale as Falstaff in Henry IV. Hiddleston will then take the lead role in Henry V, which along with Richard II forms part of the BBC cycle of Shakespeare’s history plays to be broadcast in 2012.

Henry IV will be directed by Sir Richard Eyre, the former director of the National Theatre, with Thea Sharrock taking directing duties on Henry V, which goes into production later this year. Henry IV is due to begin filming in January.

Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes has also signed up to helm four new versions of Shakespeare’s history plays for the BBC, it has been announced.

Mendes will be executive producer of Richard II, Henry IV parts I and II, and Henry V as part of a special season devoted to the Bard planned for 2012. They will be shown on BBC2.

The BBC’s 2012 Shakespeare season will be produced by Neal Street Productions with American partners NBC Universal and WNET.

Involving some of the most pre-eminent Shakespearian actors and directors of our time, the films will consist of bold adaptations of Richard II, Henry IV Parts I and II and Henry V, set in the Medieval period and filmed on locations around the UK and Europe. These four films will be linked to the Cultural Olympiad of 2012.

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More details from the Daily Mail:

Producers will be Rupert Ryle Hodges and executive producers Gareth Neame, Pippa Harris and Sam Mendes.

Julie Walters is in discussions to pull a pint or two as landlady of the infamous Boar’s Head Tavern.

Richard Eyre and Thea Sharrock would like the actress to play Mistress Quickly in Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 and Henry V, all of which are being filmed for BBC2 to be screened as part of next year’s cultural Olympiad.

The award-winning Ms Walters has agreed to do the project, but it’s a question of making the filming dates work.

Michelle Dockery, who has found much-deserved fame as Lady Mary in Downton Abbey, is being approached about playing Lady Percy, Hotspur’s wife, in the Henry IV films.

Joe Armstrong is in negotiations to play Hotspur, and there’s a plan afoot to try to get his father Alun Armstrong to play the Duke of Northumberland — Hotspur’s father. As I told you a while back, Tom Hiddleston is playing Prince Hal, in the two Henry IV dramas, and Henry V.

Richard Eyre will direct the Henry IV films (more than four hours of drama in total).

August 31, 2011
Categories: Film, Latest News and Posts . Tags: BBC, Boar's Head Tavern, Cultural Olympiad, Duke of Northumberland, Europe, Falstaff, Gareth Neame, Henry V, Hotspur, January, Jeremy Irons, Joe Armstrong, Julie Walters, Lady Percy, Medieval, Michelle Dockery, Mistress Quickly, National Theatre, NBC, Neal Street Productions, Olympics, Pippa Harris, Richard Eyre, Richard II, Rupert Ryle Hodges, Sam Mendes, Shakespeare, Simon Russell Beale, Thea Sharrock, Tom Hiddleston, UK, WNET . Author: jeremyironsno1fan . Comments: Leave a comment

‘The Borgias’ UK Premiere – Press Articles

The Borgias premiered in the UK on Sky Atlantic on Saturday 13 August 2011. Here are a few articles from the UK press regarding the series:

The Guardian “Irons is fabulous….It’s a mesmerising performance”

The Telegraph – [Borgias review]

The Telegraph – Jeremy Irons: Why I said yes to a fornicating pope.

The Daily Mail

Digital Spy UK – ‘The Borgias’ David Oakes interview: ‘Playing a hedonist is fantastic’

BBC – Newsbeat

August 14, 2011
Categories: Latest News and Posts . Tags: BBC, David Oakes, Digital Spy UK, Holliday Grainger, Jeremy Irons, Juan Borgia, Lucrezia Borgia, Newsbeat, Pope Alexander VI, Rodrigo Borgia, Sky One, The Borgias, The Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Telegraph . Author: jeremyironsno1fan . Comments: Leave a comment

Jeremy Irons on ‘Desert Island Discs’

Jeremy’s second appearance on BBC Radio 4’s “Desert Island Discs” from Sunday 5 February 2006 is now available on iTunes for FREE!

Click on the image below to download on iTunes:

[The iTunes version just plays clips of the songs Jeremy has chosen, due to licensing issues. That is the reason that the iTunes broadcast is slightly shorter than the version on the BBC website. The interview portion with Jeremy is unedited.]

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Introduction from the BBC website:

Sue Lawley’s castaway this week is the actor Jeremy Irons.

He made his name playing Charles Ryder in Brideshead Revisited in 1981 and became known for his quintessentially English roles. It was an image he later sought to discard and he certainly did so in the film Lolita, where his portrayal of Humbert Humbert reopened the controversy about the desires of a middle-aged man for a 14-year old girl. In the film The Mission he played a gentle Jesuit missionary and went on to act as his own stuntman, climbing a perilous waterfall. It was his performance in Reversal of Fortune that won him an Oscar for Best Actor as the real-life character Claus Von Bulow, accused and acquitted of the attempted murder of his wife. Later this month, he returns to the West End stage after almost 20 years to star in the play Embers, a story of friendship and betrayal.

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The full, unedited version of Jeremy’s “Desert Island Discs” episode is also available to listen to or to download to keep from the BBC 4 Website. There you can also read the details of his first appearance on “Desert Island Discs” on Sunday 2 November 1986, but it is not available to listen to.

Jeremy’s song choices:

Favourite track: “One step at a Time” by Clifton Chenier
Book: Ashley Books of Knots by Clifford Ashley

Luxury: Rizla liquorice papers

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Sinead Cusack’s appearance from Sunday 15 December 2002 on “Desert Island Discs” is also available through iTunes and the BBC website. Her first appearance, from Saturday 28 May 1983 is also detailed on the BBC website, but is not available to listen to.

June 8, 2011
Categories: Latest News and Posts, Voice . Tags: Ashley Book of Knots, Barb Jungr, BBC, Bob Dylan, Brideshead Revisited, Clifton Chenier, Desert Island Discs, Dolores Keane, Embers, Eric Clapton, Jeremy Irons, John Martyn, Leonard Cohen, Madeleine Peyroux, Radio 4, Rizla, Sinead Cusack, Sue Lawley . Author: jeremyironsno1fan . Comments: Leave a comment

Jeremy Irons and Blenheim Films

Jeremy Irons is currently working with Blenheim Films on a documentary about the world’s trash and pollution. He has worked with Blenheim Films previously.

Blenheim films is an independent production company based in Oxfordshire, England, created in 1998 by Candida Brady and Titus Ogilvy.

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Jeremy Irons was in Iceland in April 2011 with a crew from Blenheim Films.

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Jeremy Irons is to be in San Francisco Thursday and Friday, April 14 & 15, 2011, with a British film crew making a worldwide documentary about recycling, for the BBC. San Francisco was chosen, said Robert Reed of Recology, because it has become known internationally for recycling, and, in particular, a compost program that collects food scraps at restaurants and compostables from all properties, then creates compost for 200 vineyards.

Since this program began, it has created enough benefit to offset all emissions from traffic crossing the Bay Bridge for more than two years. “We make the really premier compost in America,” Reed said. “The vineyards can’t get enough of it.”

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April 5, 2011
Categories: Latest News and Posts, Voice . Tags: AIDS, Bay Bridge, BBC, Blenheim, Candida Brady, environment, Films, green, HIV, Iceland, Jeremy Irons, Medicine Man, Oxfordshire, pollution, Recology, Robert Reed, rubbish, San Francisco, Titus Ogilvy, trash, vinyards . Author: jeremyironsno1fan . Comments: Leave a comment