John on stage?

[fry_addict]

Last week John said on "The Paul O'Grady" show that he's trying to fit an engagement for the West End's "La Cage Aux Folles" into his schedule. Big hooray!
And today there's an article about John (worth a read, and with a really HOT photograph) in the Independent reporting the same thing

Comments

[blackbird_song]

The third series is already filmed and is being advertised - albeit in a 'side promo' - on BBCA. That is a done deal, and has been bought by television stations in Australia and South Africa, as well as the US and UK.

The fourth series is, indeed, in question, and won't be commissioned until and unless the third series produces good ratings.

Catherine

[annaonthemoon]

I *think* the BBC is calling it series three, though.

[fry_addict]

As am I. Ok, it's not 13 episodes and the way in which it's shown is rather unusual, but for me it is series 3 nonetheless *shrugs*

[annaonthemoon]

Although I find it interesting that the short Doctor Who series isn't considered 5.

[blackbird_song]

I think that's because it's a series of specials being run on special days peppered through the year, rather than on a contiguous basis. Given that New Who has run for four series that worked in the more traditional way and that Who fans have seen lots of specials, I think that the BBC probably made the right decision not to call this group of specials S5.

[blackbird_song]

Since all of the actors count it as a series, as does the BBC, that's what I'm doing. At this point, it's in the common parlance, and it creates less trouble to capitulate, rather than trying to get the planet to spin the other way round. ;)

That said, I hate the way the word 'series' gets bandied about. CoE is a five-episode story, which I would prefer to describe as a serial. (Series implies separate episodes, to me.) The DW specials comprise a series of one-offs, so I can't agree that CoE is like the Doctor Who specials. As to the length of a given series, my preconceptions are limited to dictionary definitions and accepted license (q.v. the above mention of how the production people talk about it). Length does not appear to figure into either case.

Catherine