Ties and other trivia

Filming is currently under way on the new series, so we won't have long to wait to see how the franchise is shaping up in new hands. I'm glad they've ditched the overcoat - too many similarities with Captain Jack in Torchwood. The five-day Russell T Davies effort was a huge disappointment to me, with the finale simply laughable.

I had the same reaction this week to the latest clunking chunk in the Harry Potter franchise. It's become a total fan thing - interesting to devotees to see the books acted out, perhaps, but if you don't know the details of the world of Hogwarts, forget it.

The whole enterprise turns out to be a rather cynical scene-setter for the last book. That we're told, is now going to be split into two films. Why do it in one when you stand a chance of getting another bite at the franchise cherry.

At least the last Star Trek, while catering unashamedly for the fans with all sorts of in-jokes and references, had enough action and sheer energy (not to mention SFX) to keep even non-believers happy. The Potter people should take note of how that was done.

I thought the three young Potter principals were woefully wooden, and all the teenage hormones and angst just held up the plot. With my cross-referencing mind, I couldn't help but think that Alan Rickman was merely phoning in the Snape role as a pale shadow of his brilliant breakthrough performance as Obadiah Slope in TV's Barchester Towers.

That said, it must be admitted he's the only thing that lights up the film and there is still an underlying depth and ambivalence to the character.

There's no chance to glam up Emma Watson in her Hermione role, as has happened before, giving proceedings a bit of a lift, and the normally excellent value Jim Broadbent seems to be filling in the blank space on every cast list which could be headed 'Leading UK character actor'.

They've had Imelda Staunton, Emma Thompson, Ken Brannagh et all in the same slot. The Potter franchise, in that respect, is beginning to resemble Last of the
Summer Wine, crammed with former soap and variety stars. I'm sure Nigel Planer or Rowan Atkinson will turn up somewhere in Potter before it all ends, and I wouldn't rule out Eddie Izzard or Dawn French.

Talking of English character actors, do a bit of delving into the cast list of The Wire, the only thing on TV worth watching at the moment, and you'll come up with some gobsmackers.

We all know about old Etonian Dominic West as Irish cop Jimmy McNulty, but I didn't realise that drug overlord turned businessman Stringer Bell was played by an English actor, Idris Elba, and the detective who spends time between wiretaps making dolls house furniture is the New York-born London-based Clarke Peters, who numbers among his extraordinary list of previous jobs, a gig as a backing singer for Joan Armatrading.

Rupert Grint and co need a bit of stuff like that on their CV to give their work (and lives) a bit of depth. I don't think I'll bother with the next one.

And the 64 million galleon question still remains - will Rowling ever write anything else?