RUSSELL TOVEY - A STAR IN THE MAKING

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1323

2012-02-17T22:35:00.000-08:00

jodieharsh: Room Service was mental last night. Mert and Marcus, Russell Tovey, Brian Singer and my gang of hot boys got DOWN! I still feel the pain!

russelltovey: T-shirt and fleece...Ingrowing hair on neck and fluffy hair. My Saturday rolls this way... If I

could ask for anything it would be a slight tan all year round please... I amsuch a pasty mofo x

miss_tori86: @russelltovey ifyour dad was black babe........ x

russelltovey: @miss_tori86 innittho x

imjustanerd: @russelltovey also howare you not hungover? Isn't this usually your hungover day?

Brendan_Surrey: @russelltovey No nono Russell. You'd look all wrong with a tan. Like Joan Collins in a tracksuit

Norminaus: @ErasureFace @russelltoveybeen there, suffered that. :-(

New work from ‘Spin’ for Christie’s Magazine - RUSSELL TOVEY TALKS ABOUT GENERATION 'Y' COLLECTING ART

☠THE PIRATES☠

Peter Lord of AardmanStudios has kindly been allowing me to blog the progress of the 'Pirates' moviefor almost a year. The movie isalmost completed and ready for screening. It is Aardman’s most ambitious movie to date. Belowis a fabulous new feature video where Peter and some of the cast talk abouttheir labour of love. Russell Tovey will play the voice of the Albino Pirate. Director, Peter Lord also kindly drew the wonderful "Hello Tovey Bloggers" picture above.

The Making of Aardman’s

‘The Pirates! Band Of Misfits’

A brilliant new featurette for AardmanAnimations’ family adventure The Pirates! Band Of Misfits has beenreleased this week, including commentary from writer Gideon Defoe, Britishactors Hugh Grant and David Tennant, and producer JulieLockhart about how the film was created and just how long it took to makethis beautifully crafted 3D stop-motion animation.

Based on the first two of Defoe’s ThePirates! novels, The Pirates! in an Adventure With Scientists and ThePirates! in an Adventure With Whaling, The Pirates! Band Of Misfits isproduced by Aardman Animations (Wallace and Gromit) who have teamed up withSony Pictures Animation (Arthur Christmas).

Directed by Peter Lord withco-director Jeff Newitt, the film follows The Pirate Captain (voiced byHughGrant) who is on an adventure to beat his rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven –TV’sEntourage) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek – Puss in Boots) in thePirate of the Year Award, where along the way he must battle Queen Victoria (ImeldaStaunton – Arthur Christmas) and meet a young Charles Darwin (DavidTennant – The Decoy Bride).

The featurette, which can be seenbelow, discusses the size of the project with writer Defoe, producer Lockhart,animation supervisor Loyd Price, and senior lighting cameraman DavidAlex Riddett. The biggest surprise comes from the fact that whilst the teamwere working on 40 scenes per day, this only produced 1 to 4 seconds worth offootage per camera a week, and overall the film took a year and a half to film.

The clip also gives commentary fromBritish actors Grant and Tennant as they discuss what attracted them to theirroles. Grant comments that it’s, “Classically funny, original and strange”,whilst Tenant believes that the stars of this movie are in fact the producers,not the actors, because of the amazing things that they can do. And it reallyis magnificent how they do it.

Also starring Brian Blessed, BrendanGleeson (The Guard), Martin Freeman (TV’s Sherlock),AshleyJensen (Gnomeo & Juliet), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (TheThing), and Russell Tovey (TV’s UK Being Human), ThePirates! Band Of Misfits is set to be released in the US on 27th April2012.

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1322

2012-02-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

chrisbhoyl: brilliant show tonightmate, you and all the cast were top notch! Something to tell my mates back homeabout #SexWithAStranger - spent an hour or so in maybe the world's smallesttheatre with @russelltovey it was rather electric

paulsquirrell: Just seen@russelltovey in #sexwithastranger was awesome. Very clever writers andbrilliant actors.

historyboysfan: @russelltovey Sawsex with a stranger for second time Thanks for the picture Russell!! Good tosee @Solemani as well

historyboysfan: @naomisheldon1 Came to see Sex with aStranger again!! Thank you so much for the picture Naomi !! You are amazing!

Tovey thrown out of top Soho club

http://uk.omg.yahoo.com

Actor Russell Tovey was left redfaced on Thursday night after he was thrown out of London hotspot The Box. The Being Human star was partying with a pal at the Soho venue, which is described as "a theatre of varieties in the heart of the red light district" and has attracted a host of famous faces including Kate Moss, Will Young and Zac Efron. But Tovey's celebrity status failed to ensure him a good night, and he was snapped seemingly arguing with a bouncer outside the club as his pal tried to steer him away. The 30 year old skulked off, and he opened up about his shame on his Twitter.com page on Friday morning. In a post, he writes, "Got thrown out of a club last night. Proper chav style. It felt kinda hardcore."

THROWN OUT

Russell Tovey's night out at TheBox's one year anniversary bash took a turn for the worse when he wasreportedly thrown out by bouncers. A friend of the former Being Human starwas on-hand - February 17, 2012.

russelltovey: Got thrown out of aclub last night. Proper chav style. It felt kinda hardcore x

THEKERRYHOWARD: happy friday everyone!!!

russelltovey: @THEKERRYHOWARD happyFriday Kerry Howard x

THEKERRYHOWARD: @russelltovey ahcheers Russell, have a gert lush performance tonight, I'm talking about youplay not your sex life. x

johnnywizz182: @russelltovey watchingseason one #beinghuman brilliant stuff mate

russelltovey: @johnnywizz182 :-)x

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1321

2012-02-15T22:22:00.000-08:00

KuchingGirl: @russelltovey Topman ! Thanks so much for your time. Love the little face you drew in my book.Matinee was superb ! X

COOL

EmmaGalt: I've just seen@russelltovey on the tube, living in London is so cool

russelltovey: @EmmaGalt I've justbeen on the tube with @EmmaGalt living in London is so cool ;-) x

JoeStephenson: There I was saying howgreat yesterday was with Russell Tovey, when he's on twitter. It was good filming ya yesterday. Somenice 'no you didn't' actions.

russelltovey: @JoeStephenson The divafinger was out in force... Oscar would be proud x thanks for getting meinvolved :-)

alunsaunders: Ah well, day trip toLondon to see friends & Trafalgar Studios to have Sex With a Stranger. Imean SEE it. With @russelltovey #marvellous. Great play, crackin performances& pretty cool to meet @russelltovey after. What a nice guy. You weresuperb!

russelltovey: @alunsaunders cheersAlun :-) x

alunsaunders: @russelltovey and havea great one again tonight! #twoshowday

russelltovey: Salt beef and coleslawfrom Gabi's Deli.. A dream wrapped in tin foil x

TMarkstahler: @russelltovey I once had a dream where I was wrapped in tin foil... but that's a different story... and shouldn't be told on Twitter! ;-)

johnwwalton: Had no idea the sun, sexand suspicious parents was narrated by Russell Tovey!

russelltovey: RT @gaydio: If you canget hold of a ticket to see @gaydio favourite @russelltovey in "Sex with aStranger" we'll fight you for it - it/he rocks.

leeisfun: @russelltovey I tweetyou loads you never tweet back! I am going to bum you if you don't tweet back!;)

russelltovey: @leeisfun helloLee! Bum away c

russelltovey: @leeisfun X not c

Tower Block: Berlin Film Review

In James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson's directorial debut, a psycho sniper targets tenants of a condemned London high-rise.

The Bottom Line

The tenants check out for good inthis taut U.K. horror-thriller.

Cast

Sheridan Smith, Jack O’Connell, RalphBrown, Russell Tovey, Jamie Thomas King, Julie Graham

Directors

James Nunn, Ronnie Thompson

Screenwriter

James Moran

The price of rent has never seemed sosteep as in Tower Block, a tightly wound U.K. horror-thriller in which thetenants of a condemned high-rise get gruesomely picked off by a psycho sniper.Making up for its high concept/low brainpower scenario with some nifty actionsequences and energetic performances, this rather promising directorial debutfrom duo James Nunn and Ronnie Thompson should foreclose atgenre fests and ancillary outings worldwide.

In what would provide a decent doublebilling with last year’s cult and critical darling Attack the Block, thescript by genre junky James Moran (Severance) keeps events confinedto a rundown London apartment building, whose handful of residents are thefinal holdouts before the wrecking ball hits.

Among them is a strong-willed singleblond, Becky (Sheridan Smith, Hysteria), who in the film’s opening scenewitnesses a brutal beating outside her door, only to chicken out when the copscome around asking questions. Cut to three months later where, after apromising one-night stand, she shares a quiet morning coffee with her new beauuntil – blam! – his brains are blown out across the table cloth.

Several reels of bloody chaos ensueas Becky and her neighbors try to avoid permanent eviction by an unknown,incredibly gifted marksman armed with a state of the art one-man arsenal. Theseearly scenes are among the film’s most hair-raising, and cinematographer BenMoulden captures them with gripping widescreen imagery that showcases thedingy, working-class decors of production designer Kajsa Soderlund.

As the lodgers check out one by one,Becky and the other survivors, including hot-headed drug pusher, Kurtis (JackO’Connell, Eden Lake), hope to escape while solving the mystery behind themurder spree. If the ultimate answer is the sort of cop-out that may leavecertain viewers feeling cheated, the characters are just enough above stockstatus, and the MacGuffin just enough above schlock status, to keep thingsmoving swiftly along until the final shootout.

Nunn and Thompson show a knack herefor quick and dirty violence, tossing out a few surprises and making the mostof a single set and several buckets of corn syrup, although things never turnnauseatingly gory.

Performances are all workable, withO’Connell the standout as a snide gangsta who eventually rallies us to hisside.

Venue: Berlin Film Festival (Market)
Production companies: Tea Shop & Film Company, in association with CreativityMedia
Cast: Sheridan Smith, Jack O’Connell, Ralph Brown, Russell Tovey, Jamie ThomasKing, Julie Graham
Directors: James Nunn, RonnieThompson
Screenwriter: James Moran
Producers: James Harris, Mark Lane,Ronnie Thompson
Director of photography: Ben Moulden
Production designer: Kajsa Soderlund
Music: Owen Morris
Costume designer: Matthew Price
Editor: Kate Coggins

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1320

2012-02-14T22:21:00.000-08:00

I AM GOING TO SHOOT RUSSELL TOVEY

Catriona247: Spent the afternoon on ashoot for Sky Arts filming the lovely Russell Tovey - what a thoroughly nicebloke :)

russelltovey: Just about to eat apost gym chicken salad.. X

russelltovey: RT @JosefValentino:@russelltovey FINAL Gagosian THIS Saturday in London - Davies Street @ 1:30pm.Hope to see you there!! #averagejoe :) http://t.co/rzg7rGN1

russelltovey: RT @H_Woolfenden: Pressnight for http://t.co/MC9BPMBL and my masks..great exhibition really worthchecking out, talented designers..really well put together.

RUSSELLTOVEY
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

Russell Tovey, SimonCallow and Celia Imrie to feature in Sky Arts season celebrating Dickens, Wildeand Coward

Published Wednesday 15 February 2012 by MatthewHemley

In Love With…Dickens, to be broadcaston February 21, will see Callow, Miriam Margolyes, Douglas Booth, Steve Evets,Thomas Brodie-Sangster bring their favourite Dickens characters to life througha series of monologues.

Meanwhile, In Love With…Coward willsee Hodge read passages from the playwright’s Hands Across the Sea, while KarenGillan will perform the closing voice-over from Brief Encounter. Hancock willrecite Coward’s song, If Love Were All. This programme will air on March 12.

The final programme, In LoveWith…Wilde, to be broadcast on March 19, features Fry reading from The HappyPrince and Paterson Joseph performing from An Ideal Husband. Russell Tovey will also read from TheImportance of Being Earnest and Caroline Quentin will perform from LadyWindermere’s Fan as part of this programme.

Sky Arts channel director James Huntsaid: “I couldn’t imagine a better cast to celebrate the colourful work ofDickens, Coward and Wilde.”

sarapascoe: @russelltovey YO! amcoming to your matinee on Saturday, super excited, maybe come find you for acuddle afterwards? X

russelltovey: @sarapascoe yesdo! X

JoeStephenson: (I'm filming RussellTovey today, if he's anything but charming I will be fuming)

riceypop: Me and @russelltovey inSitges 2011!

russelltovey: RT @elliottfranks: @russelltovey in #SexWithAStranger atTrafalgar Studios @martinshippen iPaper today twitpic.com/8k6rga

russelltovey: RT @mikeyjc1990: Aforementioned #Heinz advertwith @russelltovey #AdorableLittleBastard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GCgSDTNLrg

'Sex With A Stranger' review

'Spit-filled silences'

Here's a shocker – a new play, thatisn't trying to shock! Even better still, Stefan Golaszewski's 'Sex with aStranger' is about a trio of twentysomethings, who – for once - aren't royallyscrewed up. They're not even on drugs! And, in a final shock revelation, thisslow-building comedy features two TV actors, Jaime Winstone and Russell Tovey,who seem completely at home in the theatre.

Like the play itself, Winston andTovey are understated and all the more powerful for it. Tovey plays Adam - aman stuck in a depressingly dull relationship, who hooks up with Grace (JaimeWinstone) on a rare night out. Their's is not exactly a meeting of minds. Theychat about Homebase. A lot. It's not even a meeting of lips; when they kiss,it's as if Tovey is trying to suck a massive bottle of milk, just out of reach.It isn't exactly sexy but, in its slobbery fervour, it is realistic.

These absurdly amusing kisses set thethe tone for a play that might explore romance but is resolutely unromantic.Director Philip Breen does a great job of keeping the 'romantic' encountersmessy and gloss-free. Throughout much of their fumbling flirtations, Tovey andWinstone's characters look like they long to be elsewhere. Tovey's eyes dartabout anxiously, constantly searching for something or someone else. Winstone'sscreeching laughter is far from a thing of a joy. Even when the two kiss, itfeels like they're grappling about for a connection they cannot find.

These spit drenched and awkwardencounters are not all that different from the scenes between Adam and hisgirlfriend, Ruth. The only difference is that the conversations between Adamand Ruth do not tingle with the promise of sex. They barely even offer the hopeof a hug. Naomi Sheldon, as grey and goggle-eyed girlfriend Ruth, looks likeBambi caught in the headlights. One wishes someone would put her out of hermisery. The same goes for Adam, who visibly pales in the company of hissensible but spark-free girlfriend.

It all sounds a bit depressing butGolaszewski, whose TV work has obviously taught him a lot about tightstructuring, handles the heavy stuff lightly. The doubt and depression buildslowly, in the gaps between the clever punchlines. In fact, the sadder momentsare often trapped inside the jokes themselves. During an early date, Ruthbreathlessly declares her excitement at their similar tastes; 'You like olives,that's good!' It's a slight line but it still captures the gulf between thesetwo people, as Ruth quietly plans for a future we now know has been obliteratedfor good.

Sexwith a Stranger

AT TRAFALGAR STUDIOS, 1ST - 25THFEBRUARY 2012

BY TOM WICKER

As the BAC revisits Homer’s Odyssey careof Paper Cinema, Trafalgar Studios’ latest production also tells the story ofan epic journey. But instead of gods and monsters, Adam (Russell Tovey) andGrace (Jaime Winstone) must contend with sub-zero temperatures, night buses,taxis and their utter mismatch on the seemingly endless trek from the nightclubwhere they have hooked up to Grace’s bedroom. Meanwhile, an oblivious Ruth(Naomi Sheldon) waits like a Sainsbury-shopping Penelope for her strayingboyfriend to come home.

Writer Stefan Golaszewskidemonstrates the same painfully acute grasp of the nonsense we spout on ahabitual basis as he did in recent sitcom Him & Her. Adam’s andGrace’s conversation is pockmarked with misunderstandings and banalities asthey try in vain to impress each other and make something more of their initialdance-floor meeting and imminent fumble. The pair talks in clichés that arehilariously and depressingly spot-on in their absurdity. References to Homebaseand the vagaries of ghds are the patina of a language flattened of meaning,existing purely to fill up the silence in a world where there is nothing newleft to say.

Director Phillip Breen plays up thissense of disconnect by regularly plunging Tovey, Winstone and Sheldon intodarkness – sometimes mid-sentence – and then repositioning them around thestage, to indicate the passing of time when the lights go up. These staccatoand distinctly filmic jump-cuts, which reflect the sitcom set-up hardwired intothe show’s DNA, aren’t entirely successful on stage. When it works, the effectcan be as funny as someone caught mid-expression in a photo they weren’texpecting. But more often than not, the dim outline of the cast hurryingbetween their marks just takes us out of the story.

Nevertheless, Tovey and Winstone areachingly funny, brilliantly conveying their characters’ complete lack of sexualchemistry as they slobber over each other in a cringing and increasinglydesperate imitation of attraction. Loveable bafflement is something Tovey doeswell, and here is no exception; his voice breaking into a frustrated squeak ashe tries to salvage something from an ill-fated situation. Meanwhile, amini-skirted Winstone’s enjoyable mix of alcohol-fortified coquettishness,defensiveness and occasional blank incomprehension means we miss her when thespotlight turns to Adam and Ruth.

Via a fragmentary sequence offlashbacks we learn that what has landed Adam on a night bus to somewhere nearHomebase is, in part, his inability to cope with moving in with his violinistgirlfriend, who he has been with since university. As the cheekily long sceneof Ruth ironing Adam’s shirt in silence makes clear, their relationship hasbeen subsumed by monotony and routine; dominated by strained conversationsabout shelving, what should go in a salad and whether Adam’s best friend,Robert, is a nice guy or not. They may as well be strangers for the distancethat has grown between them.

A wide-eyed and plaintive Sheldon isaffecting as Ruth; her character speaking tentatively to Adam as if afraid thateverything will shatter if she says what’s on her mind. But in spite ofSheldon’s best efforts, the part feels underwritten, more like a collection ofmiddle-class tics than a fully-rounded person. And as we are encouraged tolaugh at her foibles and roll our eyes as she nags Adam about shaving, it’shard to escape the feeling that the play is actively pushing you to sympathisewith Adam, ultimately the least likeable and most manipulative character. EvenGrace, fun as she is, rarely ventures out of a certain kind of ‘everywoman’territory and into a three-dimensional landscape.

This is a story ostensibly told fromseveral perspectives, but which doesn’t always feel like it. And a single, nastilyfoul-mouthed outburst from Adam when Ruth accuses him of looking at anotherwoman isn’t enough to even the equation – particularly when the productioncontrives to keep the well-toned Tovey shirtless or in boxers for more scenesthan just the obvious. In the end, this witty, well-paced show has a keen earfor the everyday and a fine cast; just don’t be surprised if, occasionally,your laughter leaves a bitter aftertaste.

Above: Russell Tovey & GrahamNorton from the radio interview conducted 28 Jan 2012. If you would like to hear this interview and see a slideshow please select it from the videos found on the right side of this web page.

☠THE PIRATES☠

'MAKES OTHER FILMSSEEM LIKE COMPLETE PANTS'

Latest trailers for 'Pirates' starring Hugh Grant, Russell Tovey and Imelda Staunton among many othernotables. The movie is due for release at the end of April 2012.

RichTaylorNeil: My friend @Faye3011is in a pub & @russelltovey is in a cafe opposite. She is to scared to go& say hello!

Faye3011: @RichTaylorNeil@russelltovey actually I was in the same cafe, after having been in thepub..Think I see him there every few days GR8 Café

RichTaylorNeil: @Faye3011@russelltovey I'm guessing you could be a stalker! lol xx

Faye3011: @russelltovey was what ever you ate for lunch in the boxlovely? my steak and cheese wrap from same cafe was delicious!

BoyVirginiaMade: I'm featured here: BEGINNINGS @ RUSSELL TOVEY - A STAR IN THE MAKING http://t.co/6yR7hp5B

mrjackderges: @BoyVirginiaMade areyou a massive Russell tovey fan?? I don't get it!!

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1319

2012-02-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

A slur on Russell Tovey’s professionalism

smithalistair: Review in which criticTim Walker tries to sound clever while mocking three people for beingoverweight. telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatr… HT @scottm

scottm: @smithalistair Youforgot "and slurs @russelltovey's professionalism, as if fat peopleon front row would affect his onstage performance"

JoCaird: @smithalistair @scottm Mocksthree colleauges in fact. People who he presumably chats to at interval, havingscrawled mean things about them

smithalistair: @JoCaird @scottm Idon't think anyone talks to Tim Walker in the interval.

davidharrisonbn: Whatever you do,please ignore this miserable, depth-plumbing review of a really well-written,finely acted play. telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatr…

smithalistair: @davidharrisonbn Ifind it incomprehensible that he gets paid to write this rubbish.

Hugh Muir

guardian.co.uk, Monday 13February 2012

Does one detect stirrings ofcompassion among our theatre critics? Poor old Russell Tovey, writes the SundayTelegraph's Tim Walker. The actor has to get it on with Jaime Winstone in SexWith a Stranger at the Trafalgar Studios. And on the night in question, Toveyhad to perform, as it were, with three distracting figures seated just a fewfeet away in the front row. "It occurred to me that if this grizzly triodidn't prove a passion killer for Tovey, nothing would," wrote Walker."Rubenesque", was how he described them. Genuine concern, or justanother swipe at fellow critics Ian Shuttleworth of the Financial Times andPaul Taylor of the Independent, both of whom were indeed close up, monitoringthe action? From our vantage point at the back of the stalls, it's hard toknow.

Sexwith a Stranger, at Trafalgar Studios, Seven magazine review

Tim Walker 10 Feb 2012

Russell Tovey and Jaime Winstone do their best, but Sex witha Stranger is far from satisfying

At the first night of Sex With aStranger, three of the capital’s more Rubenesque theatre critics were sprawledin the front row, barely three feet away from Russell Tovey as he tried to havehis wicked way with Jaime Winstone.

It occurred to me that if thisgrizzly trio didn’t prove a passion killer for Tovey, nothing would.

Still, even with the cold weather,the young actor managed to grope Ray Winstone’s girl with a commendable degreeof professionalism. The youthful pair play Adam and Grace, who meet at anightclub and decide to get physical. The only problem is that Adam has a girlfriendnamed Ruth (Naomi Sheldon), of whom he has recently been tiring.

There is nothing about the staging ofStefan Golaszewski’s play to prove remotely distracting to the dirty mackbrigade, and, with stories about love triangles scarcely a novelty, it’s ratherhard to see the point of it all.

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1318

2012-02-13T22:18:00.000-08:00

THE AMERICAN S.4 'BEING HUMAN' TRAILER

NEW BEGINNINGS

BoyVirginiaMade: En route to Heathrowairport. This is really it. #GoingHomeToAmericaAfterThreeYearsInLondon

BoyVirginiaMade: I have the bestmates in the world. The B-BOYS!!!

RussTov_FanSite: @BoyVirginiaMade andthe best imaginary mates too - bear hugs from Pa in Oz

BoyVirginiaMade: @russelltovey Here'sthat pic we took. It's deffo hotter in b&w. Happy Val day to u. Take urselfto Nandos! ;-)

BoyVirginiaMade: #ff the ones who support me withouthaving seen my work!! @MarkMMerrett @WhoGuru @Tom_In_Oz_

RussTov_FanSite: @BoyVirginiaMade andwhen you move back to America are you gonna stay on Twitter?

BoyVirginiaMade: @RussTov_FanSite oh, I don't think I could give up Twitter. lol

MarkMMerrett: @BoyVirginiaMade do youthink you will be back to visit London soon?

BoyVirginiaMade: @MarkMMerrett I don't think I will be visiting often but I do hope to return someday!

VALENTINE DAY 2012

Above: Gratuitous Rumpage

russelltovey: Happy Val day superbpeople... Show some love x

MrStevieWebb: So... Sex With AStranger was bloody BRILLIANT!! Stunning performances. Hilarious.Uncomfortable. And @russelltovey was at his best.

russelltovey: @MrStevieWebb tababes x

‘Sex With a Stranger’

From Variety Magazine

An Invisible Dot presentation of aplay in one act by Stefan Golaszewski. Directed by Phillip Breen.

Adam - Russell Tovey
Grace - Jaime Winstone
Ruth - Naomi Sheldon

What a difference actors make. Eerilyuninflected performances of Stefan Golaszewski's deliberately mundane dialoguekeeps the first 20 minutes of "Sex With a Stranger" afloat, if notexactly flowing. But thanks to seriously over-indulgent direction, patiencewears thin and it becomes clear that even this cast cannot lend the hyper-naturalisticscript the profundity it thinks is has.

Less of a play than a series ofobservations surrounding the implications of a one-night stand, "Sex Witha Stranger" initially focuses on Adam (Russell Tovey) and Grace (JaimeWinstone) who meet while out clubbing. He ends up at her place, but it's notlong before we realize that other people are involved. Grace is engaged, Adamlives with musician Ruth (Naomi Sheldon).

Plot, however, is not a major concernfor TV scribe Golaszewski. He's more interested in the sub-Mike Leigh-styleminutiae of his characters' behavior, not least their understanding -- or lackthereof -- of the pain they cause. Like Pinter in "Betrayal," he'salso playing with time, cutting occasionally forward but mostly backwards toscenes of domestic boredom and frustration leading up to the sex.

All of this would be entirely validwere it handled with greater insight or attack. As it is, Golaszewski's highlyself-conscious approach presents scenes in dozens of tiny snapshots thatunderline the writer's intentions more than creating genuine engagement withthe characters' plights.

Many of the jump-cuts only inchscenes forward. The seemingly random timing of the edit points for these tinyscenes may be intentional -- it delineates the shapelessness of these lives --but there's no reason for monotonous lives to be presented with such dramaticmonotony.

Other scenes are directed to drag oninterminably, repeatedly making the same point that these characters cannotarticulate their helplessness. The rhythm of the evening feels like a student'sfirst feature film in which all the close-up reaction shots are twice thelength they need be.

Winstone gives Grace an artless,brash disposition that adds spark to the proceedings. Naomi Sheldon doesplaintive very well and keeps her throughline going even when suffering frompainfully over-extended directorial pacing. The evening belongs, however, toTovey ("Being Human"), whose quiet strength brings consistency to acharacter whose behavior as written doesn't properly hang together.Collectively, it's abundantly clear that the actors don't patronize thecharacters. But, unintentionally or not, there's a distinct impression that thewriter does.

Sets and costumes, Holly Pigott;lighting, Emma Chapman; sound, Andrea J. Cox; production stage manager, EmmaNairne. Opened, Feb. 6, 2012. Reviewed Feb. 8. Running time: 1 HOUR, 20 MIN.

Contact David Benedict at benedictdavid@mac.com

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1317

2012-02-12T21:44:00.000-08:00

GaydarRadio: Check out our #review of #SexWithaStranger, on now at #TrafalgarStudios & starring a #topless @russelltovey!

russelltovey: @GaydarRadio thanks @GaydarRadio :-) x

Theatre:Sex With A Stranger by Gaydar Radio

Best known for his lo-fi sitcom, Him& Her, writer Stefan Golaszewski has reunited with the Him inquestion, Russell Tovey, for Sex With a Stranger, an understated andunconventional look at the most conventional of things: a relationshipstaggering towards its death.

The relationship in question belongsto a straight couple in their 20s, with gay pin-up Tovey playing Adam and NaomiSheldon as his bookish girlfriend, Ruth. (Anyone searching for gay charactersin this show will be disappointed, but be reassured that a topless Tovey shouldbe enough to turn you topsy-turvy).

The action begins at the end, withAdam heading home after a night’s clubbing. The trouble is that he’s left Ruthat home for the night and has picked up the altogether less intellectual, butmuch sexier, Grace (Jaime Winstone). After succumbing to a tidal wave of lustin the club, we join the pair waiting for the N73 bus, suddenly confronted withan awkward journey home and rumbling stomachs.

Golaszewski’s scenes are short andsharp, and his dialogue is beautifully observed in its everyday tedium. Butbeneath the hilarious discussions about kebab meat and taxis making you feelfamous, his characters wrestle with insecurity. In particular the show’s laterscenes, which depict a pre-infidelity Adam preparing to go out, with evensimple enquiries, like Ruth’s "Who are you texting?", loaded withangst masquerading as casual interest.

The whole evening brims withimpeccably performed naturalistic touches like this, whether it’s aconversation that’s suddenly halted thanks to a police siren or Grace’spanicked rummaging through her handbag for her Oyster Card. But it’s the show’s silences that aremost powerful. Adam’s blank-faced boredom as he listens to Ruth playing in aclassical concert, or the cavernous silence that follows Ruth’sattention-seeking moan, "I could do with shedding a few poundsmyself" manage to be capture all the loneliness of being in a relationshipthat’s lost its sparkle.

The show’s barely there set testseach actors’ skill and all three excel. Tovey plays the slobbering sex-starvedstraight man to perfection, while Winstone is both spunky and vulnerable as thenervous party girl. But Naomi Sheldon provides thenight’s finest performance as Ruth – a woman who has fallen in love with a manwho shares none of her passions and barely hides a merciless contempt for herinsecurities. With impressive naturalism, she is simultaneously needy,frightened, loving and depressingly naive, not least when she says to Adam,"Bet you wish you could stay in and watch Mad Men." Despitetheir relationship, Ruth and Adam could easily be strangers the title speaksof. For many, the thought of a comedydrama about 20-somethings shagging each other might sound as original as themissionary position, but this talented cast perform Golaszewski’s razor-sharpdialogue to perfection, making Sex With a Stranger is a one night standyou won’t regret.

Sex With a Stranger, by StefanGolaszewski
Trafalgar Studios 2
14 Whitehall
London SW1A 2DY

IdeasTap: Fans of @bbccomedy'shit show Him & Her should take a shufty at our @IdeasMag Q & A interviewwith the actor @RussellTovey:

Q&A: Russell Tovey

Russell Tovey began acting aged 11and has worked continually ever since. His big break came as Rudge in TheHistory Boys (on stage and screen) and roles in Doctor Who, Sherlock, BeingHuman and Him & Her followed. He talks agents, drama school and going forthe right roles…

You didn’t go to dramaschool. For young actors do you think training is important?

I feel like I’ve missed out on thefact that I haven’t got loads of mates from drama school in the business, butit was all kind of kicking off for me around that time. If I hadn’t been inwork I would have absolutely done drama school. I feel like it’s the route todoing it properly and so I’m absolutely all for it.

The History Boys washuge for you. How did you use that hype to push forward your career?

My agent wasn’t about quickfame or quick bucks, it was about maintaining a good trajectory upwards anddoing good work. I think quite a few agents are kind of “Go for the lead, gofor the lead! And if you don’t get it we’re not really interested and we’regoing to go quiet on you”. I’m 30 now, I’ve been with [my agent] since I was 19and I couldn’t be happier. I have such great friendships/professionalrelationships with the whole team. I think it’s really important – you can’t doit without an agent.

You work regularly onTV. Does your process change for the small screen?

Doing plays, you’re rehearsing forthree or four weeks; you’re messing around so you can try it a thousanddifferent ways and really explore it. With TV you may have a tiny bitof rehearsal but your instinct is what has to go out there and then it’s thedirector’s job to kind of hone you down. You also have to understand thetechnical side of what you’re doing. With TV it’s harder to lose yourself inthe moment than it is on stage. On stage there’s a whole flowing story, soyou’re going through the moments as your character does. Whereas TV is sobroken up and bitty, technically keeping hold of that kind of thing is a lottougher.

You are now in aposition to be able to choose work, but initially, do you think performersshould be so discerning?

I’ve been quite privileged, so itlooked like I made decisions and chose the right things but a few of them werea fluke! I mean, I had every faith in them but I also just wanted to act andplay good parts. When I went up for Him & Her, I absolutely wanted it somuch and there are a lot of people who just didn’t understand what it was. Iheard that people didn’t want to go up for it because the girls didn’t want tobe seen having a poo on camera! For me, that’s the most gratified I’ve everfelt with any show that I’ve done, because now people are really respondingwell to it. You’ve just got to trust yourself, keep working, being good andgetting out there. You can never just rest on your laurels.

If you were an emergingartist, what would you spend £30k on?

I’d spend the money on the yearpost-grad at LAMDA because courses are expensive, so I would use it to furthermy education and knowledge. Or maybe just blow it all and go and find yourselfon a massive tour of the world and come back skint but with more lifeexperience! You’d want them to use the money to make themselves better artistsin whatever way they can.

Russell is currentlyappearing in Sex with a Stranger at Trafalgar Studios 2, London, until 25February 2012.

russelltovey: RT @amyloutweets: @russelltovey CanI get a RT please? Spare front row centre ticket for Sex with a Stranger onSaturday evening, in need of a good home.

HConquer: @russelltovey Do youtweet people? I want to know if me tweeting you is pointless or not :)

russelltovey: @HConquer pointless;-) x

exposureFASHION: Lovely to meet the very dapper @russelltovey today ..enjoy your gifts and hope to see you again soon !

russelltovey: @exposureFASHION you are a dream team x thank you!

Above & below: Russell Tovey as Henry Knight in Sherlock

A BIT OF A MISS TORI

russelltovey: RT @WhatTheFFacts: Theway you sneeze is genetic, which means it passes on from generation togeneration.

tmxghost: @bbcbeinghuman a quick pic from last week's ep...@russelltovey

TimRC1: @russelltovey Hi matey. I know you are bombarded with messages butmake my gloomy Sunday night a little less gloomy and say howdy.

russelltovey: @TimRC1 howdy x

russelltovey: This hangover isshockingly bad...Watching a friend's play (which they are great in) but oninterval and want to curl up in a ball and cry x

miss_tori86: @russelltovey ilove u and ur hang over.. u little beaut.. didn't even get to flash u.. missedseeing ur face.. but THANK U. Soon? Please? x

russelltovey: @miss_tori86 Youare brilliant!!!! Congratulations!!! Sorry run off I am so rough.. Your voicecured me for a couple of hours tho x

Jessiekavanaghx: still can’t believei met and even served @russelltovey food at my work last summer!!! XX

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1316

2012-02-11T22:36:00.000-08:00

Sex With A Stranger is a little play about infidelitythat packs a big punch. Structured as a series of staccato vignettes of mundanescenes from its characters’ domestic lives and their pursuit of an affair, itis elevated from the mundane by the youthful freshness with which its sparkytrio of actors (Russell Tovey, Jaime Winstone and Naomi Sheldon) bring it tolife.

An Eerie Invite

Dorina335: @russelltovey SexWith A Stranger complete sell out....reviews are all great. Well done u, fellowactors and production team!

russelltovey: @Dorina335 thanksDorina :-) x

russelltovey: Drugs.Fuck.Lives

russelltovey: Proper hung over todaywittys.. It's been a while x

Huwco: @russelltovey Booze.Fucks.Ears

russelltovey: @Huwco true :-) x

DanielJohnLynch: Last night at War,East Bloc, was insane! @KrisDiAngelis is my hero. Also, sorry @russelltovey formy drunken behaviour. Won't happen again.

SirCumference: @russelltovey howdo you pronounce your surname? Is it Tovey or Tovey?

russelltovey: @SirCumference Toveyx

russelltovey: Can't move won't move x

miss_tori86: Oi @ @russelltovey -you absolutely will move. I'm reserving an eye flash for you and everything!UP! X

russelltovey: @miss_tori86 Hahahahaha!Can't wait x

ConorJMcNally: @russelltovey HiI was just tweeting to tell you what an inspiration you are to me, as an actor,a writer and as young gay man, All the best

russelltovey: @ConorJMcNally thanksbuddy x

russelltovey: Omelettes curehangovers right? X

russelltovey: I've overbrushed myteeth... X

katieeary: @russelltovey - keeptues 21st free if you can! AW12 shooow, :D xxx

russelltovey: @katieeary daytime?Amazing yes!! Yes!!! Put me down on that list x

katieeary: @russelltovey 5pm, imsending invites tomorrow, email me your address again :) YAY

STORIES BEFORE BEDTIME

byrontobuffy: Me with Russell Tovey at Stories Before Bedtime.

Russell Tovey, Tom Hiddleston, Sarah Solemani & Niamh Cusack at Criterion Theatre

Russell Tovey at Criterion Theatre - Stories Before Bedtime

THERE BACK!

alicia_emily: @russelltovey I'm gonnaorder some almond m&m's! Will give you my verdict soon :) xxx

russelltovey: @alicia_emily they will change your life x

THE GENDER BENDING AUSSIES ARE AT IT AGAIN!!!

THESE GIRLS DELIVER

StevenWilson00: @RussTov_FanSite @russelltovey Thisis my favourite ad…

SEX WITH A STRANGER

IS SOLD OUT

TimRC1: @russelltovey Gutted ticketsfor SWAS are sold out. Well done on the big hit. Enjoy your day off. Oh by theway nice Beiber pic lol

ashbags1: Was thoroughly entertainedby #sexwithastranger tonight. Thanks @russelltovey ,Jaime Winstone & NaomiSheldon-great performances folks

Sargy240196: @russelltovey sex with astranger , so good , thanks for a great night :D

JakeFerriroli: @russelltovey amazingperformance tonight at #sexwithastranger wish it could have gone on longer! :)

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1315

2012-02-10T23:11:00.000-08:00

Aardman has changed the opening date for ‘Pirates’ it's been put back about a month.

☠ PIRATES☠

In theatres: April27th, 2012

“Stories Before Bedtime”

schatzipag: “Stories Before Bedtime”was AMAZING. I got Sarah Solemani’s and Russell Tovey’s autographs and picswith them too. They were extremely nice, but obviously very tired and had torush off somewhere.

WALK THIS WAY

megsib13: I think I accidentally just touched Russell Tovey's bum. Booyah.

megsib13: @russelltovey waslovely to meet you last night! Even though you were in a rush, thanks forstopping for a photo :) x

megsib13: Had a fab first day in London :) met the lovely Russell Tovey! Off to the Embankment tomorrow, then to see Noises Off ...And Jamie Glover ;)

BodsworthJason: @russelltovey Iam happy went to show on 1st night looks like the show is SOLD OUT for the restof the days well done to everyone.

russelltovey: @BodsworthJason :-)x

russelltovey: Just did a major legworkout at the gym... Now going to perform today's #sexwithastranger matinee looking like I've shit myself.., x

iluvalan: Met @russelltovey afterStories Before Bedtime last night. He is gorgeous and lovely x

russelltovey: @iluvalan I looklike Justin beiber x

Dnew212: @russelltovey Lovelyperformance again! Very sweet meeting u! Hope you enjoy the little magazine!Would love to hear from you xx Domingo

russelltovey: @Dnew212 thanksfor the magazine, glad you enjoyed again and nice to meet you too :-) x

alicia_emily: @russelltovey I'min the area- so popping along before the show :)

russelltovey: @alicia_emily perfect!See you then x

russelltovey: No water this morning,plumber just shoved a blow torch on my pipe, now water is free flowing... It'slike a miracle x

iNeildSharp: Would the @russelltoveywish the lovely @realjonnymorris happy 40th for him and the Brighton 'weekendparty' ? #revenge=hungover

russelltovey: @realjonnymorris Happy40th! X

realjonnymorris: @russelltovey Thankyou, made my day. X x

alicia_emily: @russelltovey It'sAlicia :) Was so nice meeting you even if it was brief! no worries about thephoto-i may be geeky and come again tonight

russelltovey: @alicia_emily hello!Yes come again, I felt really guilty not having a photo with you but I wasproperly late.. See you soon hopefully x

alicia_emily: @russelltovey p.s. theshow was incredible :) ... i randomly craved a ham salad afterwards! haha

russelltovey: @alicia_emily :-) x

Above & below: Russell Tovey promo shots for “BedtimeStories” held 10 Feb 2012.

Above & below: Russell Tovey signing autographs and meeting fans after “Bedtime Stories” held 10 Feb 2012.

arnie409: @russelltovey when youdo v/o for sun sex and suspicious parents do you watch it or do it blind? x

russelltovey: @arnie409 watch itx

Above: Russell Tovey narrates 'Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents.'

SUN, SEX AND SUSPICIOUS PARENTS

EPISODES FROM SEASON TWO

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1314

2012-02-10T00:26:00.001-08:00

Above: Russell Tovey's last transformation into a werewolf season four episode one of Being Human.

blackbirdwords: Write-up:

About Stories Before Bedtime

So tonight may have been one of thebest nights I’ve ever had, it was just such an incredible series ofserendipitous events coupled with a lovely live performance and TomHiddleston and Russell Tovey and meeting some incredible newpeople and making new friends. So many amazing things happened tonight; Athena andI just got back to our place and our smiles are ear to ear and unfading - I thinkthe effect will take quite a few days to wear off.

We got there in the nick of time,just a couple of minutes before the lights were dimmed. Russell Tovey and SarahSolemani served as narrators of sorts, with a playful Ovid poem about how tosearch for, pursue, and hold onto a lover. They really made the rhyme work withtheir timing, and even when they messed up occasionally it was downrightadorable and hilarious. Solemani’s exclamations and improvised comments in betweenTovey’s rhymes in particular were a total hoot and had the theatre in stitches.

We got home, put the signed magazinein the centre of our mantelpiece and the signed DVD in prominent display on theshelf in the living room, and revelled in this incredible night we’ve had, herein the city to end all cities, where magic happens every day.

Because it really feels like tonightwas magic: a fantastic, intimate performance, a run-in with two incrediblytalented actors, seeing Tom’s face up close (oh, the pictures don’t even do himjustice), and making new super cool geeky friends, all in one night; if that isn’tmagic, I don’t know what is.

STORIES AFTER SEX AND BEFORE BEDTIME

Naomi_101: Lovely evening watching@russelltovey & @twhiddleston at Stories Before Bedtime at the Criterion.Utterly brilliant one and all.

NicolaBitton: The best theatretickets come with a free gin & tonic Kudos to @CriTheatre @russelltoveyet al for a brilliant evening #storiesbeforebedtime

blackbirdwords: @russelltoveyAwesome performance tonight at @CriTheatre! Playful and mischievous! And thanksa million for signing my Sherlock DVD! :)

plastine: Amazing evening ofculture and laughs (some awkward) watching @russelltovey twice. He and@Solemani made Ovid a modern comedy classic

moviemarsh11: @russelltoveygreat play tonight thanks for saying hi at the stage door

AmeliaHockey: @russelltovey@Solemani being utterly hilarious and clearly having the most fun! Wonderfuleven with the odd line fluff!

Like_Whoa: Oh, hey. I just met@russelltovey. I had to stop myself from howling. :) What a lovely chap, Iadore him so much. ♥♥ #StoriesBeforeBedtime

russelltovey: Apologies to Alicia at stage door just now ifyou see this, I was late n couldn't have a photo but if you come Round postshow I'm yours x

Mitzi_Macintosh: @russelltovey I'mgonna throw on a dress and say, “I'm Alicia, Russell said he's all mine!"But I bet they say, "You're 46 and a man go away!"

Princess_SEA: The fab @russelltovey was amaze in sex with a stranger & even nicer in real life, thanx for the pic x

Bcgkelly: @AWOLTom would love to get to London to see@russelltovey in Sex with a Stranger for my birthday which is coming this Sunday.

russelltovey: Today was a very busybut a very very good day! Bed is screaming to take me under it's quiltedeulogie... Night wittys x

edwardclarke: @Tom_In_Oz_ Greatinterview, Russell talks about first love and having a 'Michael Fassbender'moment...

The London Evening Standardhave run a feature where celebrities talk about romantic affairs involvinglandmarks: Russell Tovey’s is a bench seat on the Southbank 10-2-2012.

Got the love: the mostromantic London landmarks

RussellTovey, 30,

TheSouthbank

Seven years ago I had a secret, madaffair on this bench. I was 23 and we were doing a play at the NationalTheatre. No one knew about it at the time but we used to meet up at the benchfirst thing in the morning before rehearsals to catch up. He'd leave first andI'd get up ten minutes later so that we arrived separately. Before you jump toconclusions, no, I didn't have an affair with James Corden, it wasn't even oneof The History Boys. Whenever I walk past now I smile to myself and rememberthe romance and excitement of it all. It was the first time I'd had suchoverpowering feelings for anyone.

I'm a pretty good date these days. Ilike the basics like a good meal somewhere and a chat. On Valentine's Day I'llbe performing in Sex with a Stranger and then I'll probably go outafterwards and prowl the streets for love. I don't mind being single onValentine's Day because I send my mum a card and she sends me one. I'llprobably check Twitter on the day and hopefully people will be saying nicethings about me. I'm not one of those lonely and desperate singletons.

Sex with a Stranger is about howaverage people act in relationships. It shows something on stage thateverybody's experienced. That situation when you're out having fun and youthink, 'Oh, I really want to go home with this person and shag them,' but whenit actually comes down to it and you're waiting for a taxi home, you suddenlyfreeze and don't want to go through with it.

My bum comes up a lot inconversation. Nudity clauses have gone out of the window for me because I getmy bits out so often, especially in the BBC's Being Human. People tend to bequite nice about it so I don't mind so much. I've never showed my knob onscreen; I'm saving my 'Michael Fassbender moment' for Hollywood and I haven't seen Shame yetbut I've heard it's sensational (or so says George Clooney).

Sex with a Stranger, written byStefan Golaszewski and directed by Phillip Breen, is
at Trafalgar Studios until 25 February

Above: Copy of my autographed ticket from Russell Tovey for his play "Sex With A Stranger." Pictured on left with Russell is his former drama coach Patricia Ledwith and on right is artist Mark M. Merrett.

Above: Russell appeared on the Southbank Show but his poem was not exactly a bedtime story!

Below: Art imitates life on the Southbank!

KAZWOLF

Above: Preliminary drawing of Karen “Kaz”@WhoGuru from the USA as drawn by Mark M. Merrett of Croydon London. This willbe finished in CGI at a later stage. This picture was commissioned by Kaz whowanted to see herself in the image of a werewolf.

GEORGE, NINA AND EVE

russelltovey: RT @anniekevans: Thanksto Russell Tovey for the mention in his interview with Spoonfed http://t.co/UlGpG9Gd

MLPasterisk: @Tom_In_Oz_ Saw #sexwithastranger matinee today. Totally blown away by theplay and the cast were all superb ! A must see for any Tovey fan !

Theatre Review: Sex With A Stranger @Trafalgar Studios

If you’re currently feeling gloomy, staring down at a date-free Valentine’s Day, we reckon there are worse options than booking to see Sex With A Stranger at the Trafalgar Studios this month.

Despite its somewhat crass title (“The theatre? Nice. What are you going to see?”… “Err…”), Sex With A Stranger holds an incredibly sharp mirror up to the relationships of twenty-somethings. While it’s certainly not the first play to dwell on these themes, SWAS captures something unique in its unsettling quality, and in the quiet pathos of its female victim. See this, and you might feel pleased you’re single.

Stefan Golaszewski’s non-linear story opens at a bus stop; Adam’s got lucky, persuading Grace to leave a club with him, and the pair are headed bedwards, via the kebab shop. Best-known for BBC3′s Him & Her, Golaszewski’s dialogue is a delight. Almost every line has been freshly picked from the box marked “mundane”, dusted with a sprinkling of fatuous, and, in the mouths of Russell Tovey and Jaime Winstone, made to sound even more inane. Initially, it’s hilarious. But you can’t help thinking: if this is “getting lucky”, it kinda sucks.

Running at just 90 minutes, SWAS zips along: some scenes are over in less than 30 seconds, creating snapshots of a hazily remembered night out perfectly.

So we rewind jerkily through the rest of Adam’s day. After the repetitive mirthless giggling and the strained dialogue of the one night stand, it’s almost a relief to watch a wordless scene: a second girl, simply ironing a shirt. But the tension in the Trafalgar Studios’ tiny second space builds with each silent, resentful(?) movement — it’s clearly the shirt Adam’s wearing later that evening. And so the life Adam’s left to go clubbing with his mates unfolds. And it’s one of the most phenomenally stale relationships we’ve ever seen played out on stage.

Naomi Sheldon’s Ruth is an excruciating portrayal of an unhappy girlfriend. Despite occasional sly references to weddings and marriage, she’s clearly stopped trusting (and maybe even liking) her idiot boyfriend. Sheldon’s vulnerability and unease are breathtaking. And still Golaszewski’s script is unrelentingly funny: a moment of quiet supermarket rage (“It clearly says six items. Six! Items!”) expressing all the anger Ruth feels about her day/bloke/life in one static, hushed outburst.

All three of the cast are superb, enriching what might sound like a flimsy plot and sparse dialogue with oodles of tell-tale glances, and pin-point accurate mannerisms. And while SWAS is frequently laugh-out-loud funny, the overwhelming sadness underpinning the final betrayal is incredibly intense. Spilling out onto the street afterwards, we had to admit: Sex With A Stranger is incredibly cathartic. (No sniggering at the back – Ed.) Single, dating, attached, married; at least our lives aren’t that bad.

Sex With A Stranger plays at Trafalgar Studios 2 until 25 February 2012.

Being Human

thoughts

I’ve had some time to reflect on last night’s episode and to be honest I feel really quite hollow and empty about it. It isn’t the writers fault that Sinead Keenan chose to leave the show without filming an exit storyline but the disappointment of Nina and Nina/George’s story just coming to an abrupt full stop with a tossed off explanation about events off screen is kind of heartbreaking and it’ll take time to get over that and into what’s actually going on in the show.

Also, Lee Ingleby’s Wyndham set up as the new Big Bad in the final scene of S3 was apparently killed off screen too? What is it with this show and not being able to hold onto cast members in the last year? I am intrigued.

I mean the show was originally designed to be about a rageaholic HIV sufferer, a recovering drug addict and a shut-in with social anxiety disorder and that heady ~disability metaphor brew is what I loved most. It seems to have become more of a typical good vs. evil supernatural/genre show…I found the stuff set in the future especially quite clichéd and like the scenes with Hal and his own wolf/ghost crew a touch too earnest.

Ah, well tempted to say Lenora Crichlow ‘s face is enough to keep me watching, but really that’s enough to justify the licence fee alone! Hope I start “feeling it” again soon.

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1313

2012-02-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

LADIES WITH AN ATTITUDE

russelltovey: Love Attitude Mag andit's A List... X

THEKERRYHOWARD: gonna see @russelltovey tonightin sex with a stranger cannae wait!!!! x

russelltovey: @THEKERRYHOWARD eeeeeeeeeeeee

A BIT OF A BOO BOO

Sheridansmith1: Costume fittings, bikramyoga then a trip to the theatre to see my friend in Absent Friends. Hope youall have a lovely Thursday xxx

jonesyinc1: @Sheridansmith1 I'mnot jealous, I'm not, not one bit, no siree bob, not a jot, not even a smidgen,nah, nada, neit, nope Ok, I am!

Sheridansmith1: @jonesyinc1 haha:)

jonesyinc1: @Sheridansmith1 s'true!!Add a cuppa here and there and it's my perfect day! Oh, and a semi naked oilyHunk? ;-) cx

Sheridansmith1: @jonesyinc1 hopefullythere'll be one of those at yoga ;)

jonesyinc1: @Sheridansmith1 oh,sweaty yogis? Lush! If Boo Boo arrives, tweet me! That's a Yogi Bear referencefor the young 'un's!

Sheridansmith1: @jonesyinc1 really?Learn something new everyday :) I will keep my eye out for boo boo x

jonesyinc1: @Sheridansmith1 yay!!Have a great day honey, cx

First Impression: Being Human season 4

So the first episode ofseason 4 of Being Human aired and my first impression was… really poorstory-telling…

Many thought it would be a hard sell, after all Aiden Turner, who playedvampire Mitchell, left the series at the end of Season 3 and RussellTovey, who played werewolf George, made it clear that he wasn’t doing season 4– no spoiler then to say he dies at the end of the first episode. The loss of the actors could be overcome – after all two of the main actorschanged between The Pilot and Season 1 - and, quite frankly, thepilot is still probably the best incarnation of the show.

The loss of thecharacter dynamic might have been more difficult. The trouble is, however,rubbish storytelling and this is not a new issue. It plagued season 3 andcertainly troubled Season 2. Poor shortcuts in the drama and plot problemsare, I’m afraid, the order of the day. Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t dead set against season 4 from the get go, as some fans seemed to be. I wanted(and still want) it to succeed, unlike the US version, which I wasgenuinely worried about and ended up thoroughly enjoying… we’ll come back tothat. So we start off in 2037, Vampires have taken over the world it seems, humanshave formed a resistance and New York has just fallen and there is a woman(Gina Bramhill) in charge… I’ll come back to Being Sci-fi at the end of this…

Modern day and werewolf Tom (MichaelSocha) is working in a café. A young council estate vampire comes in and,recognising him for what he is, Tom closes the cafe after he leavesand chases after the car he was in. A bin across an alley mouth is enough to stopthe car and, as the young vampire moves the obstruction, Tom lands on the roofand pulls the vampires – who look like low rent version of the twins from thematrix films – out and kills them. But what strength, to lift a man, from yourposition on a car roof, out of the door, into the air and stake him through theheart. Suddenly non-transformed werewolves are super-strong… evidencesuggests later that it was the night before a full moon but even so… and what arubbish pair of vampires. Anyway Tom questions the young vampire to discoverwhere vampire leader Griffin (Alex Jennings) is, as he killed his friend Nina…yes another main character is dead.

So George is living paranoid with hisunnamed baby, sat unsleeping in a room with the crib, crosses everywhere as hetries to protect her. Rewind a second, crosses everywhere… but George isJewish, he would have put up Stars of David and we know they are just aseffective with faith. Annie (Lenora Crichlow) tries to let him take thebaby outside… the first sign of trouble and she’ll be pfft out of there…does she mean she’ll ‘rent-a-ghost’ away… remember that, we’ll come back to it.

Over at Stoker Exports (no comment)the vampires are massing. The young vampire is there to tell them what he hastold Tom, meanwhile Griffin wants a present for the old ones (the ancientvampires), namely the baby and George. Why? Well the baby is easy, it isthe first baby born to werewolves. Why George? Well first he killed Mitchell(ok first was beheading Herrick but we’ll give them that) and then he killed Wyndham…who? Wyndham, a representative of the old ones and so powerful that he didn’tneed an invite to enter a home… How did George… Oh, that’s right, we don’t knowhow or even why. Because George killed Wyndham, Griffin hasalready killed Nina (and I can forgive them killing her off screen as theactress had left and she was a major character) but to have this powerfulvampire killed by (frankly, rather wimpy) George off screen for no adequatelyexplored reason, other than plot expedience, is bad storytelling pure andsimple. It’s not as though, had they used a different actor for Wyndham, mostviewers would have cared - he was only in the show for (literally) 5 minutes.

Also, the old ones have a plan to goinwards from the coast, killing and recruiting their way to dominance. At leastone of the vampires thinks this is stupid (and, in a nice dialogue moment, thesuggestion of a resistance army called up through Twitter sounded like asly social comment on last year’s riots). It is stupid; silent recruitment (asHerrick was doing) is the order of the day, vampire cells in every major cityin the world… not just England… but I digress. The vampire's counterplan is to reveal werewolves and make humans fear them – by recording atransformation on a mobile phone… give me a break… flaws in that plan areobvious as well – for a start off no one would believe the footage was real.

George and Tom go to get Griffin, anobvious trap written with dialogue which is amateurish, leaving Annie withthe baby. She explained before they left that she couldn’t rent-a-ghost awayholding the baby (and so clearly mustn’t have meant it earlier), so that goeswrong. George explains that the vampires who killed Nina wore helmets with visorsas werewolf blood is toxic to vampires… which begs the question why no vampirethat has previously attacked George, or Tom for that matter, has taken suchprecautions… it also brings the wisdom of the dogfights into question(basically a lot of vampires stood around a cage with fightingwerewolf/werewolves). Incidentally, could someone tell me how Griffin (whowears a high ranking police uniform) does press conferences? (Vampires, ofcourse, not being able to be filmed)

In a good Being Human moment we meetanother household of ghost (Pearl played by Tamla Kari), vampire (Hal played byDamien Maloney) and Werewolf (Leo played by Louis Mahoney). Unfortunately,given Leo’s age he might not survive the next transformation and the scenesfeaturing these three are touching and they are what the series is best at… butwait… aren’t such triumvirate relationships an aberration, and yet now wehave three… Mitchell, Annie and George; Hal, Pearl and Leo and Becoming Human’sAdam, Christa and Matt. My God they are as common as an I-don’t-know-what!Also. How come Mitchell knew nothing of Hal et al? Don’t ask, you’re justcausing trouble now.

The baby (who is named Eve by a dyingGeorge) is the war-child and saviour of humanity and human (the lycanthropy ofthe two parents cancelled itself out!) We hear this through Vampire RecorderRegus (Mark Williams), who for some reason wants to save her as she willdestroy all vampires (for a moment ask yourself why a vampire would want that).Unfortunately he is one parchment short of a full prophecy (literally). In thefuture the woman – who gets the missing piece of vampire prophecy on human skinparchment – has herself killed. Could she be Eve? The credits list her aswoman, so the answer is probably. She dies so she can go back in time and killthe baby – does she mean Eve, or perhaps another baby? Is this just anectoplasmic rip-off of Terminator? And how come ghosts can go back in time,and, if they can, why doesn’t Annie? By the way, have I ever mentioned how badTV shows normally are at pulling off temporal anomaly storylines?

You see, the storytelling was poor and it caused these questions to emerge(many during the actual watch) and the questions thus pulled me out of anysuspension of disbelief with regards the show. I hope it tightens things up nowwe’ve got over the hump, as much was included to change the direction of theshow. I really do. I will also keep watching, a sense of loyalty, to thefranchise and the genre and a real desire to see the good bits that will be inthe episodes, no matter how west the storytelling goes in respect of the mainarc. That said, right now Being Human US: Season 2 looks like thebest hope for the franchise.

THIS IS POST 1313
[MOCKINGBIRD LANE]

stuism: Well @russelltovey haswished me happy birthday two years running... I hope he doesn't forget today...;-)

russelltovey: @stuism happy b day x

stuism: @russelltovey YAY thanks!Knew I could rely on you ;-)

russelltovey: Chocolate Shreddiesbefore bed... Feel like a little boy... Also got Nelly the cat staying over...She is gonna get majorly spooned! X

MatthewCainC4: Coming home to a house without Nelly is horrendous! I hope you're looking after her @russelltovey !!

russelltovey: Also not a plug forfree Shreddies... Well... No not a plug x

paulmicsmi: @russelltovey I bet youget sent a plug now either 12amp or bath !!!

russelltovey: @paulmicsmi hahaha x

Philippa_Perry: @MatthewCainC4@russelltovey never heard of Nelly. Please fill us in on a few details.

MatthewCainC4: @Philippa_Perry@russelltovey She's our beautiful Russian Blue princess. Usually lives with mebut staying with Russell while I move house!

MatthewCainC4: @Philippa_Perry@russelltovey Here's a photo of her still in my flat...

MatthewCainC4: @Philippa_Perry@russelltovey I miss her so much! Am off to bed to see if I can get to sleepwithout her....

mrchrissullivan: @russelltovey just watched episode 1 - was in tears GB x

MatthewCainC4: @Philippa_Perry@russelltovey Just woken up without Nelly - very sad. But she'll be happy whenI've moved into bigger flat. I love Baddie!!

Philippa_Perry: @MatthewCainC4@russelltovey when is Nelly coming home?

MatthewCainC4: @Philippa_Perry @russelltoveySaturday morning - once I've settled into our new home.... Can't wait!Expecting removal men any minute...

Philippa_Perry: @MatthewCainC4 hopeall goes well.

play actor: russelltovey

Bridging the gap between stage, BBC 3werewolves/bedsitting and prime time BBC 1 dramas, Russell Tovey is one of theUK’s best young actors. About to appear at The Criterion in Stories BeforeBedtime, Josh Jones hung around the stage door to get a very quickinterview with him.

Do you prefer stage orscreen?
Streen

As you spend a lot oftime in them, do you get pants from the costume department for Him & Her ordo they cut costs and make you bring in your own?
I have my own, theysupply me with pairs but I prefer my own basic grey Uniqlo pieces, I feel athome in them. And so does little Russ.

Do you know how onearth Sherlock Holmes survived?
Is it something todo with a Tardis?

Can you tell us a bitabout what you’re doing for Stories Before Bedtime?
I am reading a lovepoem with my amazing co-star from Him & Her, Sarah Solemani. We haverehearsals Thursday, I think I will find out then exactly what I have gotmyself in for

Do people ever come upto you in the pub and start talking at you because they think they know you,then realise that you’re off the telly?
Yes. I tell them I’mon Crimewatch.

Do you find it weirdthat in pretty much every interview you get the prefix of ‘openly gay’ RussellTovey?
What’s weird aboutbeing gay?

That’s what I wasthinking. Where’s the best time in this city to be had?
Every minute in thiscity is the bollocks!

russelltovey: RT @stephenfry crackingstories read aloud by @twhiddleston, @russelltovey, @Solemani &Niamh Cusack Friday @CriTheatre

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1312

2012-02-08T00:21:00.000-08:00

SWEET CHARITY

KhanNaima: I am going to interview Russell Tovey today what should I ask him?

Tom_In_Oz_: @KhanNaima What is his favourite charity? He's never been asked that before and I have blogged him for over 2 years.

KhanNaima: @tom_in_oz_ Kudos. I'll take your word for it then.

Tom_In_Oz_: @KhanNaima Looking forward to hearing his response.

KhanNaima: @tom_in_oz_ He said the Albert Kennedy Trust

Tom_In_Oz_: @KhanNaima Thanks x

Stories Before Bedtime - Twisted Love: An interview with RussellTovey

Russell Tovey talksabout reading Ovid and giving it some chav in Stories Before Bedtime: TwistedLove at Criterion Theatre

This Friday, Russell Tovey, SarahSolemani, Tom Hiddleston, and Niamh Cusack will perform a series of late-nightreadings from some of literature's most unlikely love stories in StoriesBefore Bedtime. Having only read his chosen extract from Ovid once, RussellTovey talks about the stories most familiar to him.
Who read to you as a kid?
When I was a kid I read Where the Wild Things are and Tin Tin and my dadused to make up stories about a rabbit called Flopsy who had adventures. Hetotally improvised it but we recorded it. No idea where those tapes are nowthough.
What are you reading at the moment?
I love second-hand bookshops; if I find Ian McEwan in a second hand bookshop I buy it. I've read Saturday and Amsterdam. I haven't read EnduringLovebut I've bought the more obscure ones. One I got recently is called TheComfort of Strangers and it was, like, dark.
I love autobiographies too. The last one I read was by Ann-Margaret, the filmstar by an artist called Annie Kevans and I love that painting, I bought it andit made me want to know about her. I got curious about this person starringdown at me. Oh and I've still got Boy George's one, Take It Like AMan, sat there to read.
I also want to read the book of the film Brad Pitt's just finished filming, WorldWar Z by Max Brooks
What will you and Sarah Solemani bereading at Stories Before Bedtime?
Extracts from Ovid. I won't be too formal with it. There's an inclinationwhen you're reading these word pieces to put on a theatrical RSC voice but Ithink I'm gonna give it a bit of chav. I'm doing it with Sarah, so it'll be alaugh. Now that the press night for Sex With A Stranger is over, Ican give the text some more attention, it's beautiful. Stories BeforeBedtime is going to be charming and funny. My co-stars from the show,Jaime [Winstone] and Naomi [Sheldon] will be there too (to watch).
Alongside Russell and Sarah, Tom Hiddleston will be reading from TennesseeWilliam's the Kingdom of Earth and Niamh Cusack will read Angela Carter’s TheCourtship of Mr Lyon.

Stories Before Bedtime: Twisted Love
Criteron Theatre
Friday 10th February 2012
10.30pm.
£12.50 (£10 concessions)

rosiedoes:@pitythebackseat Oh God. I feel weird about listening to Russell Tovey readporn.

KOREAN FANS

russelltovey: Having a fugly day x

88tickets: @russelltovey day???

russelltovey: RT @ReverieMagazine:@russelltovey You're like a character in an Enid Blyton book! Your tweets crackme up. Caramel Snack a Jacks and long johns. Love it.

russelltovey: @ReverieMagazine :-) x

fany6333: @russelltovey tovey!!!!!!!!do you know you have korean fans?

russelltovey: @fany6333 yes! You!!Thank you x

russelltovey: The power of twitter..Look what just turned up at my agents office!! Heaven x

NaomiSheldon1: @russelltovey I hopewe'll be seeing those in the dressing room later. Yum Yum. X

mrmatcham: @russelltovey hey russellthanks for stopping at traf studios at weekend. Great to c u. Have a good runin the west end. Aaron xxx

russelltovey: RT @CriTheatre: Mr@russelltovey coming in shortly for @lecool_London photoshoot. He'll bedispensing Ovid's advice this Friday night. http://t.co/liAiDrtt

russelltovey: New 'Pirates' poster..I'm the little Albino guy with a tankard of mead far right.. It's gonna be sooocool x

I am ANGRY

Tom_In_Oz_: I left a message on the BBC Being Human blog No. 235 - see below for post or visit bbc.co.uk/blogs/beinghum…

MarkMMerrett: @Tom_In_Oz_ *claps* well said Tommy, your absolutely right and the show makes little sense now

SaranethBell: @Tom_In_Oz_ readyour review. Can't say I totally disagree...but will give it another chancejust because it was so good...can't all be lost

drunkkath: @Tom_In_Oz_ Just readyour blog, well done mate :-) x

joooos1: @Tom_In_Oz_ hi Tom. Ienjoyed reading your blog post. I enjoyed most of the ep (but, since when has werewolf blood been toxic to vamps??) & am glad you made a point aboutSinead leaving. It still upsets me about the way she was treated & I wishmore people realised xx

angloirishgal: @joooos1 hello!Not seen @Tom_in_Oz_ 's blog, not been on pc all day..headache. Howwas ur day?x

joooos1: @angloirishgal It'sworth reading...lots of posts are, actually. Lots of opinions, which is good!Day OK thanks @tom_in_oz_

RealMitchell1: @Tom_In_Oz_ hey,Mr! Read your blog and agree wholeheartedly x Well said.

TOM IN OZ POST 235 – BBC 'BEING HUMAN' FORUM

7th Feb 2012

I am ANGRY and upset at the shamblesthe show has become!

I have no real reason to keep watching and it’s not really to do with RussellTovey leaving. OK I may be going out on a limb but it's my chance to voice MYhumble opinion. "Eve of the War" was patchy at best and doesn't ratewell in the story arch created by the first 3 seasons. By the end of the showit was a shambles – like drawn threads tied neatly that were supposed to beclever - but left me emotionally disconnected and I don't think there was anylight to balance the dark. The Mr Weasly soothsayer guy just didn’t work on anylevel for me...and neither did the whimpy vampire who got the campervan as amystery prize and left!

If you watch the last episode of season three with first episode of season fourthe average person would be slashing their wrists….like I said at start I amANGRY…this could have been better…the so called trap for George & Tom justdidn’t make sense…basically if George sat in his room and wallowed in moregrief by the end of the episode they would be alive …the dialogue just wasn’tconvincing for George to trust Tom to go to the warehouse…

Basically if the character Annie had done her job none of this mess would havehappened… when you think about it…she is responsible for all the others dying!And what was odd, was that when Annie told George his daughter was gone, Georgedidn't even get slightly mad at her...the script writing was fraying at theseams compared to other season!

Russell's acting was pretty much the only good thing about the episode andthough it was meant to be heart wrenching I didn't shed one tear!

There were so many plot points that didn't make sense...even the lack of Jewishstuff around Eve's crib surely George didn't become a Christian just for oneep!...

Did you notice there we no George moments where he had flashbacks to Nina - nota one! So it's pretty obvious why Sinead left the production...and there is nofarewell Sinead vid or mention of one being made but Turner and Tovey got one!I suppose 3 years of having been in the cast and virtually ignored by BBC musthave gotten Sinead Keenan down at times!

My ramblings here are cobbled too…like the threads that didn’t make sense inthe show…but at least it might make some of you think more deeply about some ofthe behind the scenes goings-on in the show…

Tom in Oz (on a limb)

russelltovey: Long Johns in bed x

MarkMMerrett: @russelltovey u cantake me to bed I would keep you warm ;-)

thejonboyce: @russelltovey Beenin long johns all day, ah the freedom now they are off! That's essential wearwhen working outside in -7 degrees x

edwardclarke: @russelltovey willbe a chilly night!

russelltovey: RT @H_Woolfenden: ROARshort film I worked on starring the talented @russelltovey see it on russell-tovey.blogspot.com

SexWith a Stranger – review

Plays about casual sex amongtoday's twentysomethings are not that uncommon. But two things give thiscryptic, 80-minute three-hander by Stefan Golaszewski (writer of BBC3's Himand Her) an edge over its rivals: its air of quiet melancholy and itsunusual empathy with the play's insecure female victim.

The structure is also unorthodox.First we see Adam and Grace, after a night's clubbing, gradually weaving theirway via the bus stop and a kebab shop towards her bed. But these snapshotsof a brief, sexual encounter are interspersed with glimpses of Adam's partner,Ruth, and in the second half the play focuses on the couple's frayedrelationship and the uneasy prelude to Adam's big night out. And, while theplay may offer no great revelations, the dialogue is fresh and sharp, and thesadness palpable. Two images in Philip Breen's atmospheric production standout: one is of Ruth, like a latter-day Alison from Look Back in Anger,meticulously ironing her partner's shirt, and the other is of Adam lugubriouslylistening to the musical Ruth performing a violin solo.

Two hot young actors give the piecea bit of glam. Russell Tovey as the guiltily treacherous Adam and JaimeWinstone as the giggling, nervous Grace are both very good. But it isNaomi Sheldon as Ruth who really captures the attention: she conveysall the anxiety, fear and loneliness of a woman who instinctivelyknows, from Adam's feeble stories about going out drinking with thelads, that she is about to be betrayed. All one can say is thatGolaszewski, for a male dramatist, shows a rare understanding of femaledistress.

First Night Feature:Sex With A Stranger

First published: 07 Feb 2012

Valentine’s Day is just around thecorner but, at last night’s opening of Stefan Golaszewski’s Sex With AStranger, romance certainly wasn’t in the air. In fact, for Russell Tovey’scharacter Adam, the mere act of buying his girlfriend a packet of pre-choppedlettuce to save her time when preparing his lunch was as romantic as it got.

Sex With A Stranger focuses on Adamand his far from passionate relationships with two girls: his girlfriend Ruth(Naomi Sheldon) and his newly acquired one night stand Grace (Jaime Winstone)who he meets on a night out. The play opens as Adam and Grace wait for a nightbus to take them back to her house. While Adam swigs from his bottle ofLucozade, their conversation is littered with awkward silences and half-heartedcompliments with neither party really interested in what the other has to say.

It isn’t until the two clubbers areback at the house that we are introduced to Adam’s real girlfriend Ruth, whohas been pushed to the back of his mind for the night. After an uncomfortablediscussion about condoms, there is a shift back in time to earlier in theevening when Ruth is loyally ironing the crumpled shirt which is soon to beripped off her boyfriend’s back in his debauched drunken encounter. In severalminutes of gloomy silence, she continues to iron, the rapidly emanating steamreflecting the lack of steaminess in her own bedroom. Shirt ironed, boyfrienddressed, she comments on his uncharacteristic facial hair, agreeing that “it’sgood to have a change”. Little does she know how her boyfriend is going tomanifest his own need for a change later in the evening.

In the play’s shifting time sequence,hilarious moments of drunken tomfoolery are interspersed with periods of glummonotony, as Ruth irons, vacuums and cooks her way through the play. A flashforward to the future sees Grace on her wedding day describing herself as “warmwith the glow of ever-lasting love”, a stark contrast to the fumbled anddetached affair of her night with the unfaithful Adam.

This frank three-hander is staged ina venue so intimate that each member of the small audience feels, somewhatawkwardly, like part of the production - although the graphic kissing is soloud it could probably be heard by the whole city - yet the play itself is voidof intimacy entirely.

Void of intimacy it may be but voidof hilarity it is not. Tovey provokes constant laughter with his “cool”response to every question and Winstone adds humour to everyday occurrencessuch as gargling mouthwash and rifling through her handbag in search of herOyster card. Even the unfortunate Ruth is a comic character, with her obsessionfor household chores and irate behaviour in a supermarket queue.

It may not be your typical choice ofentertainment around Valentine’s Day but Sex With A Stranger, with its comedy,frankness and numerous plates of food, is definitely worth trying.

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1311

2012-02-07T03:03:00.000-08:00

THEATRE REVIEW: SEX WITH A STRANGER

In Stefan Golaszewski’s Sex withA Stranger we’re dropped right into the post-club conversation betweenGrace (Jaime Winstone) and Adam (Russell Tovey) as they both awkwardly try tosummon interesting things to say whilst waiting for the bus that’ll deliverthem to Grace’s bedroom.”That club was really good, wasn’t it?”; “I actuallylike buses”; “I wouldn’t want to be too famous” – these are thenuggets you will variously laugh and cringe at as the pair make their journeyvia bus, taxi and foot. Meanwhile the chronology is shuffled to give us a betterpicture of who these people are – and particularly in Adam’s case – where theycome from.

The dialogue given by the centralpair comes off hilariously vacuous yet somehow you don’t judge them too harshlyfor it. These two have nothing in common but the desire to shag, yet must spendan hour or more together en route – what else do they have to talk about butHomebase? It must be said that the attention to detail in this regard isbrilliant – all conversations throughout are invaded by tedious observationsabout brands from Coca-Cola to Sainsbury’s between characters that sadly – andquite comically – share no spark.

There are a lot of quick editsonstage, perhaps inspired by film, that while admittedly interestingly do workmuch better and less awkwardly in film. Further there are threescenes that focus on one character onstage for a notably elongated period,which, with the exception of the last, labour the point and add little.

Having dominated for much of thefirst half of the production it is a pity that Winstone is so absent in thesecond, apart from one difficult-to-place wedding scene and a spot of pre-goingout hair-teasing. Not only is she missed for the laughs she provided earlierbut this imbalance doesn’t allow Grace’s character to develop in quite the sameway Adam’s does.

The remainder of the play goes toAdam and his partner, Ruth (Naomi Sheldon), who is shown at home earlier thatday making Adam’s lunch and preparing the shirt that will see him later pullGrace. Initially an irritatingly one-dimensional character, Ruth blossoms asthe play continues to a fully-realised, very convincing type of person, worriedby and withering in a relationship that is no good for her. Without entirelydiminishing the feelings of pity you might have for Adam – he’s not happyeither – you leave feeling pretty strongly that he’s been too cruel to Ruth.

But in the end the play diverts toomuch attention from Grace at its own cost.

GrabbersMovie: @RawBeard And@russelltovey is brilliant in it.

mrchrissullivan: 4 out 5 stars GB @russelltovey x

russelltovey: RT @FuelPublishing: NewRussian Criminal Tattoo exhibition announced.

http://t.co/J9E5xOTH

russelltovey: RT @TeleTheatre: Sexwith a Stranger, Trafalgar Studios, review http://t.co/syHX9mn5 #Stefan_Golaszewski

Bayonnaise: Just passed Russell Toveyon Goodge Street. Ears smaller than they look on TV.

NOT THE BEING HUMAN IREMEMBER

Tom_In_Oz_: @Abslom_Deek sadlyyou have lost me but it ain't because of Tovey leaving - it's the shockingscript and poor plotting of characters. I left a comment at BBC Being Human Blog No.325

Abslom_Deek: @Tom_In_Oz_ Verydisappointed to hear that, though Ep1 was trying to do many things. Give themore settled Ep2 a go before you write it off.

Tom_In_Oz_: @Abslom_Deek the new pplare now on a diff journey to the original cast it doesn't link with anythingyou can relate to and I can't understand 'Tom' at times with his accent! BTWthe baby was amazing in last week's ep! But got no credit!

Abslom_Deek: @Tom_In_Oz_ Babieswere great! But technically supporting artistes so no credit! Give the new guystime to settle - their journey’s not begun!

Lip-curling Eve stealsscene in drama that has lost its bite

Leicester Mercury

It takes true talent to steal a scenewhen you're sharing the screen with a ghost, a dying werewolf and a vampiredressed like a wise man in a nativity play. But Eve managed it on Being Human(9pm, BBC3). As Russell Tovey jerked and spasmed his way through the hammiestdeath scene on TV in yonks, still finding the breath for a schmaltzy few wordsof farewell, Eve curled her lip in disdain.

It was a mute gesture, but she spokefor us all. I don't know Eve's real name, by the way. She didn't get a creditat the end. Perhaps that's because she'd spoiled the big finale. Or perhaps itwas because she's a baby.

Being Human, for those of you whohave never seen it, is the story of a ghost, a werewolf and a vampire, allsharing a house and trying to blend in unnoticed with the normal world around.

And if you have never seen it, it'sprobably not worth starting now.

The first part of series four wasmessier than a teenage pig's sty: hard enough to follow if you've watched fromthe beginning; nigh-on impossible if you're new.

Having already killed off originalvampire Mitchell at the end of the last series, and mislaid werewolf Ninasomewhere before the start of this one, Being Human has now lost Tovey'shappy-go-lucky George too.

Which only leaves Annie the ghostfrom the original cast.

"I don't know what we arenow," she sighed, halfway through episode one.

Happy to help, Annie: You're theSugababes of TV. Same name, completely different line-up.

In itself, that isn't enough to sinkthe show. But on this evidence at least, BBC3's flagship drama has lost itsway, and much of its appeal to boot.

Like Misfits on E4, the pleasure ofBeing Human came in its very British take on a very American genre.

Writer Toby Whithouse was almost asconcerned with the domestic drudge of a bunch of twentysomethings sharing ahouse as he was with all that full moon and neck-biting business.

But this episode, which was riddledwith standard-issue supernatural guff about the Old Ones returning, plus somesub-Terminator nonsense about the future, the resistance and suchlike, had noneof the humour and fizz of before.

It was tosh, and flatter than lastweek's Tizer.

"So this is how it starts,"said Annie, after George had finally finished his flamboyant death throes. Forme, I think that's where it ends.

Joe_Stone_: Heard a rumour thatRussell Tovey likes to sunbathe naked by the men’s pond at Hampstead Heath.That’s summer sorted then.

russelltovey: http://t.co/G3jtPMuQ Happy :-) x

kentonallen: @russelltovey You shouldbe. Loved it! x

H_Woolfenden: Can't wait to see thelovely @russelltovey in Sex With A Stranger! Hope you had a fabopening night Russell. x londontheatre.co.uk

russelltovey: @H_Woolfenden :-)x

russelltovey: RT @theinvisibledot: ID114: SEX WITH A STRANGER. Four stars in the Evening Standardhttp://t.co/ytCBZTTm @russelltovey @NaomiSheldon1 #sexwithastranger

SuiteTV: @russelltovey following metweeting you the other day I got plenty of retweets and new followers! Yourlike the Suite TV Jesus! x

russelltovey: @SuiteTV :-) x

AlistairNichols: @russelltovey congratson the great review. X

russelltovey: @AlistairNichols :-)x

Sexwith a Stranger, review

Sex with a Stranger at TrafalgarStudios, starring Russell Tovey and Jaime Winstone, is a perceptive study of afailing relationship.

One of the great consolations ofmiddle age is that you don’t have to go to discos, or “clubbing” as this vileactivity is now more glamorously called. I count the nights I spent atCinderella Rockerfellas in my distant youth, trying in vain to persuade girlsto dance with me, as among the loneliest and most humiliating of my life. Andall the horror came flooding back watching Stefan Golaszewski’s Sex with aStranger - though his hero, initially at any rate, seems to have got lucky.

Golaszewski is best known for hisBBC3 sitcom Him and Her but he is also a fine writer for theatre and hismonologues about first love and love in old age which he delivered himself atthe Bush Theatre a couple of years ago struck me as wonderfully frank, true andtender.

In this new piece, featuring RussellTovey, one of Alan Bennett’s original History Boys and the male star of Him andHer, as well as the fast-rising film actress Jaime Winstone (daughter of Ray),he focuses on a trio of characters in their twenties, and memorably capturesthe humiliations of lust and the painful inequality of love.

In the early scenes we watch as Adamcops off with Grace after a night of dancing. There’s a lot of snogging andawkward conversation as they make their slow way back to her place on the nightbus, but the encounter proves far from blissful, and the emptiness of theirlives is painfully caught.

But in later scenes we discover thatAdam has been playing away. He has a live-in girlfriend, Ruth, who we seelovingly ironing his shirt in preparation for the night out with his mateswhich ends with his infidelity.

It’s a moment that is clearly ahomage to Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, but also extraordinarily touching inits own right. Golaszewski’s movingly captures the moment when shared affectiondecays into suspicion, frustration, dishonesty and grief.

Tovey powerfully captures theduplicity and unease of the philandering Adam, Jaime Winstone poignantlysuggests the vulnerability and anxiety that underlie Grace’s brassy Essex Girlpersona, and Naomi Sheldon pierces the heart as the woman left alone at homewho comes to learn that her love is unreturned.

The play is artistically subtle, withits clever, non-linear time scheme, and the director Philip Breen and hisoutstanding cast skilfully lay bare the deeper feelings that underlie theapparently banal surface of the dialogue. There is a sense of ice at thisplay’s heart, and one leaves it with a shiver.

Sex With a Stranger, Trafalgar Studios -review

Russell Tovey has wonan army of fans as the werewolf George in Being Human and Jaime Winstone is asparky performer who's made a strong impression in the TV zombie drama Dead Setand films such as Kidulthood. In this new play from Stefan Golaszewski,best-known for his BBC3 sitcom Him & Her (which stars Tovey), they combinearrestingly.

Tovey and Winstone are Adam andGrace, who meet in a club. Adam invites her outside, cheesily saying he's gotsomething he wants to show her, and they make their way back to Grace's forwhat threatens to be an awkward one-night stand.

Adam trots out relentlessly banalconversation. Grace laughs too much and rummages through her handbag. We seethem snogging in the street and plotting a fumble in the back of a cab. Thereis a painful familiarity in their meandering chat and moments of ineptitude.Even when they cut loose, helped along by tequila shots, there's a mix ofexcitement and toe-curling ungainliness.

Adam kisses Grace as if he's tryingto eat an apple off the branch. Grace struggles with her outfit, and later,because she doesn't like being seen in her underwear, insists on making outwith the lights off.

All of this is amusing, but thingstake a nastier turn as we learn the context for Adam's night with Grace. He isstuck in a dull relationship with neurotic musician Ruth.

She's the sort of woman who enjoysdiscussing bookshelves and explodes when someone joins the wrong queue at thesupermarket. A night away from her, partying with friends, is an escape routefor Adam.

Tovey does a nice job of conveyingboth Adam's geniality and the frustration that makes him stray.

He's especially powerful in a scenewhere he berates Ruth for being paranoid about his eyeing up other women. AsGrace, Winstone is adept at suggesting the nuances of embarrassment; her timingis spot-on. And Naomi Sheldon perfectly evokes Ruth's vulnerability.

There's a risk that a piece soconcerned with the ordinary could lapse into flatness. But Golaszewki's writinghas teeth; although the material is slight, it's eerily well observed andshrewdly woven together.

Phillip Breen's intimate productionis absorbing and the committed performances make this a satisfying, unsettlingexperience.

Until February 25, 2012

Sex With a Stranger - review

Not exactly what it says on the tin, StefanGolaszewski’s skilfully constructed, painful-to-watch but very funnythree-hander in the smaller of the Trafalgar Studios is a story of double-talk,a boys’ night out and a marriage turning slightly stale.

Working backwards from a night on thetiles where, after some serious clubbing, Russell Tovey’s married Adam isheading for instant sex in the park, and her flat, with Jaime Winstone’samazing Grace (well, she lives five minutes from Homebase), the play unpicksthe story behind Adam’s newly ironed shirt.

Meanwhile, Grace is “doing” her faceand hair to hit the scene. The spare, minimal writing makes Harold Pinter looklike Ronald Firbank. Some scenes are ten seconds long. Tentative chat-up iscontrasted, like bright pins, with the wary notes of deceit as Adam wangles hisnight out from Naomi Sheldon’s doe-eyed, devoted Ruth. Ruth plays violinin an orchestra (one scene shows Adam slumped at the concert, the night afterhis outing). Even more surprisingly, we suddenly see Grace making a thank-youspeech at her own wedding: is she married, too, and to the unseen “friend” sheflat-shares with?

We are somewhere in Essex, neardarkest Leytonstone. Adam is in sales, with ambitions in social media, Grace inrecruitment. Adam was at college with Ruth, and there’s a sense in which he’sreturning to his atavistic roots with Grace.

Tovey conveys, with the slightest oflooks and gestures, an admiration for Grace’s unaffected bone-headedness, mixedwith raw sex appeal, a refreshing change, perhaps, from Ruth’s eager nicenesson a date in Pizza Express, and around the house, which she keeps very tidy.

Golaszewski, who writes BBC3’s Him& Her, made waves two or three years ago with his white-suited soloperformances at the Traverse and the Bush. He’s a talent on the move, and hisdirector Philip Breen has served up this play with real flair anddeftness.

The acting of all three performers isunbeatable, perfectly pitched and nuanced in the tiny space, and while Toveyand Winstone are brilliant at falling guiltily and nervously into their tryst,Sheldon’s projection of misplaced trust and innate goodness becomes almostheart-breaking as she settles down on the sofa, betrayed and bookish.

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1310

2012-02-06T23:50:00.001-08:00

You can’t have 'The George Sands Show' without George Sands

Above translation: A movie ofthe passion. The sonnet of the moonlight!

Being Human’s ‘horrendous’ death

Actress Lenora Crichlowhas said filming the death scenes of co-star Russell Tovey in the new series ofBeing Human was ‘horrendous’.

The BBC’s series about the lives ofthree supernatural twenty-somethings has been a big hit on both BBC3 and onlinesince launching in 2008. Now in its fourth series, the show is hot online todayafter one of the show’s original characters, werewolf George played by RussellTovey, was killed off in the first episode of the fourth series. Co-star LenoraCrichlow, who plays a ghost called Annie, has made the news after describingfilming the scenes as ‘horrendous’ and ‘fully charged, heartbreaking stuff’.

militaryandscifi1138: When I wasworking at the BBC (in 2009) I met Russell Tovey. He’s a pretty cool guy.

mmm_gash: Me and Russell Toveyafter Sex With A Stranger, Trafalgar Studios, Saturday 4th February 2012.

russelltovey: Follow @RalfLittlehe is a nob and I just jazzed on his face... X

RalfLittle: @russelltovey Wow. What ashining reference. Jazzed? Was there a band present? (Good reviews today son.No surprise there.) x

russelltovey: @RalfLittle ta big R x

russelltovey: RT @bendylady: KentishTown is home to UK's oldest City Farm & it needs saving.@russelltovey@gilescoren you're locals innit? Pls RT http://t.co/WUZDw3XE

russelltovey: RT @martinshippen: RT@danwooller: sex with a stranger - after party - monday, feb 06, 2012: phillipbreen directs @russelltovey... http://t.co/wy5gIxu5

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1309

2012-02-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

Above: Russell Tovey in a Sherlock “Houndsof Baskerville” promo shot. The picture was issued in continental Europe but notused in the UK.

GOODEBYE GEORGE SANDS

mabelalexa: Goodbye, George Sands! But I´m sure @russelltovey is moving on to greater things and more diverse roles. Always wishing you the best. Your performance was outstanding on “Eve of the War”. hugs xx

OPENING NIGHT

Yvonnebarnard: @russelltovey During last night's show, I actually sat up v straight at one point and said to my husband, 'I fucking LOVE this show' xxx

russelltovey: @Yvonnebarnard That's fucking cool :-) x

russelltovey: "Opening night.... Opening night..." x

TMarkstahler: @russelltovey Break anear! ;-)

russelltovey: There is literally no caramel snack-a-jacks in the whole of West London x

russelltovey: I'm freaking out!!! X

russelltovey: Found some! I've panicbought twelve packets x

sammyisawombat: @russelltovey heyplease could you wish my friend @MattRWhiting a happy birthday? It would makehis day :)

russelltovey: @MattRWhiting happy bday x

MattRWhiting: @russelltovey Thanyyou!! :)

mrchrissullivan: Can't wait to see @russelltovey have sex with a stranger tonight with @HollieN26 - not gonnaeat, wouldn't be able to keep my food down;0) x

Tom_In_Oz_: @mrchrissullivan @russelltovey @HollieN26 Chrisdid you know you are missing the best Oz summer evah - temps got to 25 Celsius today!

mrchrissullivan: @Tom_In_Oz_ hateyou right now 😞

mrchrissullivan: Spotted @russelltovey intonight's evening standard

The Fall of George

russelltovey: Half hour till B time!X

NB. From the moment Russell tweeted the line above about Being Human season four starting, until the end of the episode, he received over 3000 tweets. He went on to trend all over the UK and was still trending in Africa, Europe, America for more than 12 hours - see world trend map at end of this post.

Below: Click play to see the end ofan era. Yes, Russell Tovey has left Being Human but his optionsare open…he has not been totally "killed off" and could possibly return for cameos, if the story line needed. Of course in my not-so-rational thoughts I am hoping the ghosts of Nina and George are there looking over their daughter Eve.

its_lrh: @russelltovey Excellent start to season 4! U had my mum in tears lol!

russelltovey: @its_lrh :-) x

russelltovey: Sound slightly arrogant at the end.. apologies.. :-) x

farperoo: @russelltovey notarrogant, I'd say sincere.

LifeTimeUs: @russelltovey BH: Really sad ending! Misses cried. George/Nina were needed to balance the dark story line. Writers screwed it.

Goodbye Russell: Being Human - Series 4 - BBC Three

NB. YouTube links courtesy of my friend @KnaveoG

Behind the Scenes: The Fall of George - Series 4 - BBC Three

russelltovey: Sat here crying myself... That's My exit guys... Sad is not the word x :-(

Below: Click map to enlarge. Russell's final scenes in Being Human have him trending the world over.

ABOVE: RUSSELL TOVEY ON THE GRAHAM NORTON RADIO SHOW 2012

The star of 'Being Human' and 'TheHistory Boys' talked about his latest stage role 'Sex With A Stranger' - If you would like to hear this radio interview please look for the corresponding video on the right hand side of this web page. The interview has been set to a slide show and placed on YouTube.

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1308

2012-02-04T22:08:00.000-08:00

Above: Russell G. Tovey with Mark M.Merrett 4-12-2012

BEING HUMAN SUNDAY

russelltovey: Tonight's the night...9pm BBC3... The new series of Being Human... Intense x

TMarkstahler: @russelltovey According to@demelza2 @MarkMMerrett @rudehamster you were AMAZING in SEX WITH A STRANGER!!!Thank you for the autograph!!! X

VMPostman: @KirstySMac @russelltovey can’twait..phone’s off, tea and biscuits or wine? :-)

russelltovey:@VMPostman wine andbiscuits x

HollieN26: cant wait to see sex witha stranger tomorrow night with @mrchrissullivan very proud of ourbeautiful @russelltovey

russelltovey: @HollieN26 :-) x x x x x

mrchrissullivan: @russelltovey @hollien26 whysmy love GB?

russelltovey: @mrchrissullivan huh?GB forever x

mrchrissullivan: @russelltovey blatantly!Missed you yesterday- staying in cooking and cleaning today mmmm- #happygay

russelltovey: @mrchrissullivan womangot the strength, woman got the power x

KleenexPandaTS: Spent my weekendwatching Series 3 of #BeingHuman in the lead up to tonight. Time wellspent I think! @RussellTovey

russelltovey: @KleenexPandaTS timevery well spent... X :-)

russelltovey: Huge post gym feast forone @Nandos_Official.... Olives, corn, butterfly chicken, mixed leaf salad,bean burger and chicken livers.. :-) x

russelltovey: Do you know what Ilove, which is so simple but rarely done well.. A good tomato salad... X

Pantohorse: @russelltovey Whattype of tomatoes would work well in that, in your opinion?

russelltovey: @Pantohorse beef x

THEKERRYHOWARD: Can't believe I saidI was trying to look handsome @russelltovey. What must he think! #kerryhasgenderissues

russelltovey: @THEKERRYHOWARD handsome! So funny x x x

russelltovey: RT @speckulation: Hey @MBruce83 @Julie_Atherton @russelltovey @JonLee321 @Sheridansmith1 @Spiceboy81 @TomParsonsMusic 200,000 plus views! ow.ly/8SMTO

russelltovey: RT @ShortFilmSunday: Ourdebut recommendation "In Passing" from @ChrisCreature chriscroucher.com/films/in-passi… ,featuring Russell Tovey & Lesley Sharp. Hope you enjoy #SFS

Russell Tovey on not Being Human any more

Russell Tovey is bowing out as awerewolf, but the West End and Hollywood are beckoning Russell Tovey is anenthrallingly naturalistic actor, fast becoming as prominent on our screens ashis ears are on his head. We are propping up the bar in an East End pub wherewe are meant to be discussing season four of Being Human, in which he will playwerewolf George Sands for the last time. But we’ve got distracted by tawdrytales of his past. Still, as with so many things in life we can, perhaps thankfully,blame Russell Brand.

The last time I interviewed the star of The History Boys, who recently shone inthe Sherlock episode The Hounds of Baskerville, was in 2010. He was promotingthe first series of Him & Her, BBC3’s cohabiting-couple six-parter. “Whenit started, I think people were expecting it to be like Two Pints of Lager anda Packet of Crisps, with canned laughter or a live audience,” he says now ofthe studio-shot series, which was recently recommissioned for a third outing.“But it’s found its groove now, and people have got it. And the second seriesjust did so well because of that.”
During that previous encounter, the Billericay-born actor had discussed hisdebut acting gig, in children’s TV drama Mud. He was 11 at the time, and theexperience coincided with his first inkling that he might be gay.
“I was really screwed up,” Tovey recalled. “I was so young, but I’d fallen foran older actor in the show. I was 11, so he must have been about 19.”

Also starring in Mud: Dagenham lad Russell Brand. So, when I meet Toveythis time, I ask: all those years ago, did Essex boy Russell T fall for Essexboy Russell B?
“No, it wasn’t him,” Tovey replies with a smile and a sip of his blackcurrantand lemonade (he’s allergic to lager but partial to a vodka). “But Russell wasgreat – and he offered me a porno mag when I was a kid. I think I declined.”And then we’re off, talking about below-the-belt stuff. Maybe we can blame theenvironment: a Friday night in a busy pub run by Sandra Esquilant, thecharacterful landlady-cum-arts patron who is one of Tracey Emin’s best friends(Tovey’s also a discerning collector of modern art).

Or perhaps it’s fatigue: he’s justput in a long day’s rehearsal on his first London play since The History Boys.Or maybe it’s the subject of that play – written by Him & Her’s StefanGolaszewski, it’s called Sex with a Stranger, and it’s about dyingrelationships and one-night stands. Whatever the reason, soon Tovey isdescribing his teenage “mucky book” years. “A kid at school used to cutpictures out of his dad’s magazines and I’d buy ’em off him,” he laughs...which leads to a discussion of “manscaping”.

Readers of a sensitive dispositionmay wish to look away now, but Tovey admits that for reasons of cleanliness andappearance, and seemingly like many a male of his generation, he’s not averseto shaving “downstairs”. Really? “Absolutely. I trim every morning, in theshower.”

Speaking of losing hair, the fourth season of Being Human is Tovey’s swansong.For not much longer will viewers thrill to the sight of the monthlytransformation of the increasingly buff Tovey (he’s an ardent gym bunny) into ahirsute and terrifyingly toothsome loup-garou.
In the cult supernatural flatshare drama, he’s following the example of AidanTurner (vampire Mitchell), who departed at the end of the last series, havingbeen killed by Tovey’s character. Fangs for the memory and all that, and theshow’s rabid following will be agape when they learn of the manner of George’sdeparture, but why is Tovey leaving too? Did Turner’s exit change things for him? “Yeah, I just felt that I’d been with it since the pilot, and I’d donethree series – and for some reason I’ve got it in my head that three’s themagic number. It’s like when you come to the end of a relationship or you needto move house – you suddenly go, ‘I’ve got such happy memories here, andeverything’s been lovely. But I just know that I’m ready for the next stepnow.’”

Those next steps are already in motion. Tovey is one of our most versatileactors. Him & Her has shown his comic chops, and an appearance in Doctor Who– as Midshipman Frame in the Christmas 2007 Voyage of the Damned episode – wonhim the kiddy vote. Sherlock was, of course, a huge hit. “With those two andBeing Human, I feel I’ve done the holy trinity of cult shows,” he beams.
Now he’s parlaying those small-screen triumphs into big-screen ambition. He hasthree films coming this year, four if we include his voice-acting gig in thenext Aardman adventure, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. He wasrecently in Venice shooting Effie (made by Him & Her director RichardLaxton), in which he plays the butler of 19th-century arts patron John Ruskin(played by Greg Wise). Grabbers, a comedy-horror filmed in Ireland on a smallbudget of €3m, was selected for this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Finally there’sTower Block, a London-set thriller about a sniper shooting up a council block,which gave him the opportunity to work with Sheridan Smith, for whom heprofesses his adoration.
More immediately, he has his London play, in which he’s starring alongsideJaime Winstone, daughter of Ray. Then, after a fact-finding trip to the citylast year, he wants to return to Los Angeles to pursue an American dream.
“The goal is to go over there, book a pilot for a new show, shoot it, come backhere, do the third Him & Her, then go out there and do the series.”

But he doesn’t want to do comedy. He wants a Six Feet Under-type show, orsomething like Nurse Jackie or Breaking Bad – dramas with a twist. “I don’thave kids, I don’t have ties, I’m absolutely up for the challenge. I’m readynow.”

And what have the Hollywood agents said of his sexuality? He’s previouslyqueried their readiness to accept a gay man in straight roles. Nope, he smiles,not been an issue.
“I came out in one meeting!” he laughs. “They weren’t aware. One of them gotvery excited, and the other one said, ‘Oh, we can go shopping together!’ But,”he shrugs, “I’m out [as a gay man] – if it doesn’t work because of that, itdoesn’t work. I’ve got an amazing career here, things are great, and people don’treally seem to care – people are allowing me to be who I wanna be.
“I’m never going to be Orlando Bloom,” he adds. “Certain people find meattractive but I’m never going to be billed as the romantic lead. I’ll alwaysbe the anti-romantic lead, the guilty secret crush. But for me that’s the mostinteresting thing. Being gay sits absolutely fine with that. I’m not trying tobe someone I’m not.”

Mikethe Knight just got his own billboard in Times Square, NYC!

Friday 3rd February 2012

Russell Tovey plays Squirt the younger of the two dragons in this animated series. The toy company Mattel have signed US$680 million to distribute the characters and products.

Click newspaper article to enlarge and read more about Russell Tovey.

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1307

2012-02-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

ADVENTURES OF THE FAMOUS FIVE

MINUS TWO

On Saturday 4^th Feb inLondon, Pat @demelza2, flanked with@MarkMMerrett and Andrew @rudehanster went to see the play Sex With A Strangerstarring Russell Tovey - leaving @Tom_in_Oz_ and @TMarkstahler to sit out the excitement back in our respective home countries of Australia and Germany!. They attended the Saturday afternoon matinee performance.

The Famous Three were booked for row ‘A’ so they were up very close andpersonal. After the play (which they all LOVED), they went for a "meet and greet." Pat is Russell Tovey’s former drama coach from back when Russell was just a nipperstarting out in Essex. Russ and Pat are below in the first photo.

MarkMMerrett: @edwardclarke @Tom_In_Oz_ Iloved it, I got a hug, hand shake and an autograph!

demelza2: @markmmerrett @tom_in_oz_ sending photo of Russ with Mark at right and Hammy in middle.

demelza2: @markmmerrett @tom_in_oz_ Markhas a nice one of him and Russ x

MarkMMerrett: @tom_in_oz_ yes, slightly blurred but can't upload it until tomorrow as I didn't have thecable lol

MarkMMerrett: @demelza2 @tom_in_oz_ thank you pat :-) you are the best

MarkMMerrett: @demelza2 @tom_in_oz_ Hammy says thank you :-) for everything today Pat my love

demelza2: @MarkMMerrett @tom_in_oz_ sopleased you enjoyed it x was worth going xxx

Tom_In_Oz_: @MarkMMerrett @demelza2 soI wake up to tweets working at a slow pace because of all the flooding in Oz - but atleast the sky here is blue - and you got your pics of Toves - YAY!

demelza2: @Tom_In_Oz_ @markmmerrett sent you an email of pics - Hammy's has been changed x eyes were weird x

Tom_In_Oz_: @demelza2 @markmmerrett OKthanks Pat....weird eyes eh....from meeting Tovey...weak knees too, I bet!

demelza2: @Tom_In_Oz_ @markmmerrett theywere like a couple of schoolboys esp Mark xxx Russell was lovely as usual x

MarkMMerrett: @Tom_In_Oz_ @demelza2 Tommy, can't tweet yet but will email u with the juicy details later, tweetsoon and btw I GOT UR AUTOGRAAPH!!!

MarkMMerrett: @Tom_In_Oz_ @demelza2 will tweetlater my friend, snows getting heavy too :-O

Tom_In_Oz_: @MarkMMerrett @demelza2 wellthen I shall sit patiently and wait....ya know I am good at beingpatient....and BIG THANKS BUBS x

LisaFranklin10: @russelltovey nice to see you again! Much love x x

russelltovey: @LisaFranklin10 you too :-) x

stsastrawidjaja: Tour de forceperformance tonight by @russelltovey, completely believable as straightlad #sexwithastranger

MatthewCainC4: Justseen new play Sex With a Stranger at Trafalgar Studios. I must say I'm biasedas my twin @russelltovey plays lead - but I loved it! It's alwayshard to watch close friends act + believe them as other characters but @russelltovey wasso brilliant I believed him from start!

demelza2: @MatthewCainC4 @russelltovey heis great and so are the girls x

NaomiSheldon1: RT @JennyPrus: Gosee @russelltovey, @NaomiSheldon1 & Jaime Winstone in #sexwithastrangerit’s realistically awkward, agonising, humorous, clever and sad!

EPIC DAY

MarkMMerrett: Had a lovely day withfriends, I saw the play "Sex With A Stranger" and met Russell Tovey (Iso wanna scream in excitement)!!! Thank you so much @russelltovey for thewonderful play, the hug and the autographs. You are such a lovely and friendlyguy and I love u lots

TMarkstahler: @Tom_In_Oz_ @demelza2@rudehamster Tommy, I just want you to know, now that I have talked onthe phone to @markmmerrett in person, I can guarantee you that he is stilla lovely guy and so down to earth. He even took the time to speak to me. And heis the man who's best mates with Boris Johnson and the future hubby of Mr. RT!Mark's still a man of the people!

Tom_In_Oz_: @TMarkstahler @demelza2 @markmmerrett @rudehamster the fame will eventually get to him - it happens to the bestof them ya know - they go all Hollyweird!

TMarkstahler: @Tom_In_Oz_ @demelza2 @markmmerrett@rudehamster Nah... Not our Mark!!! He's one of us. He's just having abetter life then we do.

Tom_In_Oz_: @TMarkstahler @demelza2 @markmmerrett @rudehamsterbeen slowly blogging bits of our conversation hehe

TMarkstahler: @Tom_In_Oz_ @demelza2 @markmmerrett @rudehamsterCheeky blogger!!! ;-)

MarkMMerrett: @Tom_In_Oz_ @TMarksthaler I got Russell to autograph our tickets for you both. He was very obliging.

Tom_In_Oz_: @russelltovey the Ozguy and the German guy both say thanks for our signed #SWAS tickets

russelltovey: The White blanket ofhappiness... To be continued.... X

edwardclarke: @russelltovey keepwarm!

MarkMMerrett: @russelltovey what aday. Lunch with friends, “sex with a stranger,” photo and autograph, meeting youand now snow! Love you Russel for what you did, thank you

TMarkstahler: @MarkMMerrett Youmean @russelltovey can make it snow??? WOW, you're right. He is anamazing man!!!

Tom_In_Oz_: @MarkMMerrett @TMarkstahler @russelltovey you'rejust saying that on the off chance he'll still say "yes" to yourproposal, right?

Dead_Chickens: Met Russell Toveyafter the show, what a top man! Had a chat with everyone, asked what wethought, posed for photos & signed autographs.

jwpl: Really enjoyed 'Sex with aStranger' at the Trafalgar Studios. Really hope @NaomiSheldon1 isnt thatannoying in really life!? @russelltovey?

nicolellama: Stood outside the stagedoor in the snow to see @russelltovey to find out we missed him *sad face*

Roderick_Bear: @russelltovey Wewaited and waited for you at the stage door.

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1306

2012-02-03T23:25:00.000-08:00

RUSSELL TOVEY NARRATES

SUN, SEX AND SUSPCIOUS PARENTS

S.2.EP.2

TODAY MISS PAT IS TAKING HAMMY AND BUBS TO SEE TOVES

MEANWHILE TWINS TOM Oz AND TOM M. SITAT HOME!

demelza2: @Tom_In_Oz_ @tmarkstahler @markmmerrett coooeeeehow are you all xx

Tom_In_Oz_: @demelza2 @tmarkstahler @markmmerrett areyou ready for the BIG EVENT?

demelza2: @Tom_In_Oz_ @tmarkstahler @markmmerrett yesxxx woo hooo x

russelltovey: Nippy ears x

TMarkstahler: @demelza2 @markmmerrett @rudehamster HAVEGREAT FUN, YOU THREE!!! BIG HUGS!!! :-)x

Tom_In_Oz_: @TMarkstahler @demelza2 @markmmerrett@rudehamster have BIG FUN and remember TM and I live vicariously throughyou three x

TMarkstahler: @Tom_In_Oz_ @demelza2 @markmmerrett @rudehamsterThat is so true! Unfort Tommy and I don't have lives of our own. We rely onyour adventures

Tom_In_Oz_: @TMarkstahler we spent 6 months making the @MarkMMerrett faster, stronger, independent and now we get the misery of watching him have a better life than us? WHY OH LORD, WHY? btw hope the pics are fab!

TMarkstahler: @Tom_In_Oz_ TheDouble-Toms have to stay at home while the wicked step-brothers meet pricecharming w fairy godmother. That's CINDERFELLA!!!

WHEN BOYD POPPED INTHE FANS PAID THE PRICE

NatashaBowey: Is that really @russelltovey onMike the Knight?! Or are my ears deceiving me? X

russelltovey: @NatashaBowey yesx

lolliepoppster: @russelltovey minehave split due to burning them on coffee last week, may I suggest ElizabethArden 8hr cream? Bloody Marvellous

russelltovey: @lolliepoppster earsor lips? X

_borntodie: it'd make my day if @russelltovey tweetedme

russelltovey: @_borntodie :-) x

russeltovey: RT @theianjarvis: Me and @izzboll justsaw 'Sex With a Stranger'. Now asking some pretty searching questions. Ifanything we're stronger

angel0712: @russelltovey I'm notgoing to bed until I get a tweet from you. x

russelltovey: @angel0712 sleepwell Chi x

lovethetheatre: Can't believe Iwaited nearly 45 mins 4 @russelltovey to come out stage door after theshow last night to b told he had left via the front.

russelltovey: @lovethetheatre apologies!!I had mates in x

Being Human: will fresh blood bring new bite to HonoluluHeights?

It's all change at Barry Island'sHonolulu Heights as Being Human returns for its fourth series onSunday. Aidan Turner's Mitchell is slain, we know Russell Tovey won't be aroundfor long, and Sinead Keenan has not even filmed an exit….

Don't forget BBC Being Human season four continues Sunday 5th Feb UK and 25th Feb USA

Below: Press play to see George andTom launch a surprise attack

Above: Russell's new Being Human crib - yep his ultra-guarded crib for his daughter! He seems to have a lot of Christian props around not too many Jewish ones!

AND NOW AN ALMOST TRUE TALE

Russell Tovey is currently in the play Sex With A Stranger...

Which was written by the same man who wrote Him and Her...

Russ has revealed this is the last season where he will play George the werewolf in Being Human. Russell has always said 'In Passing'...

It's time the world watched me 'Roar'...

In 2011, I began to want to explore other roles. I was tormented by dark shadows and thoughts that people would only ever see me as a werewolf...

I had a good look at my past repertoire and my 'wall of fame' and made a plan of where I'd like to go professionally...

So, after quietly deciding to leave Being Human I went to Hollywood to see if I could break into the movie market...

Disney seemed impressed with my potential!!!

Sex with a Stranger

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 04,2012

Reviewcontributed by @edwardclarke

c/o http://clapham-omnibus.blogspot.com

Stefan Golaszewski’s new play Sexwith a Stranger running at the Trafalgar Studios this February is cutfrom unpromising cloth: a plot so slight it is barely there - a mundane tale ofsqualid infidelity - and a cast of three (as in “there are three in thismarriage”). Out of these elements he manages to weave a totally engrossing andthrilling evening of theatre, hugely aided by stunning performances fromRussell Tovey, Jaime Winstone and, making her West End debut, Naomi Sheldon.

The theatre is tiny, with the audience on the same level as the actors - theyare literally close enough to touch; the audience exits treading over Ruth’s(Naomi Sheldon’s) shoes and mobile phone. This intimacy allows a naturalisticand detailed mode of acting: every tiny flicker of an expression registers; theactors are almost in close-up - yet Golaszewski undercuts this by presentingthe story in broken fragments of scenes, jump-cutting backwards and forwards inthe story, making the audience piece it all together.

The technique is cinematic but perversely, as Golaszewski pushes it to extremeseven television wouldn’t pursue, it becomes highly theatrical. Theanti-chronological development scrambles the emotional flow for the actors asthey have to present widely varying emotions and interactions within splitsecond changes. This clearly also presents challenges for the technical team,which they rise to with aplomb (as do the actors - there are lots of clothingchanges: Mr Tovey is memorably down to his pants in one scene. I think“theatrical viagra” is the term I’m searching for).

As the play progresses we begin to understand this is about a relationship incrisis but in denial - what is unsaid becomes more important than what is said.The play delivers some magnificent pregnant pauses - Ruth’s silent entrancewith an iron and ironing board is a stunner (as is the ending of the play).Golaszewski’s trademark off-kilter humour shines throughout.

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1305

2012-02-03T00:55:00.000-08:00

EDDIE IS SEEING

'SEX WITH A STRANGER'

AND SO IS BOYD

edwardclarke: Ok have to get ready because @russelltovey is waiting for me!

edwardclarke: Made it JUST in time:-) break a leg, @russelltovey

Tom_In_Oz_: @edwardclarke youhave just been blogged too hope you enjoy @russelltovey

edwardclarke: @Tom_In_Oz_ thanks!Was fab , hugely impressive :-)

Tom_In_Oz_: @edwardclarke andwhen Tovey put his clothes on was it still impressive and huge???

edwardclarke: @Tom_In_Oz_ Mr@russelltovey is definitely packing some impressive muscles these days! :-)

edwardclarke: @Tom_In_Oz_ Tom I have the same mug @russelltovey uses in Sex With A Stranager!

edwardclarke: @Tom_In_Oz_@russelltovey I think it's a basic Sainsbury's or Asda job!

Tom_In_Oz_: @edwardclarke @russelltovey isthis the one that has tea in it? Ppl have commented on the amount of teaRussell has!

edwardclarke: @Tom_In_Oz_ lotsof eating and drinking in this play!

Tom_In_Oz_: @edwardclarke MrTovey shud be OK he works out...must be bloody cold though trying to get out tosee it at present

edwardclarke: @Tom_In_Oz_ actuallyfeels a bit warmer to me to be honest, although snow forecast. They've grittedthe roads in SW4

boydhilton: Couldn't be moreimpressed with @russelltovey and Jaime Winstone and Naomi Sheldon inthe superb Sex With A Stranger at Trafalgar Studios

russelltovey: @boydhilton I loveBoyd x

boydhilton: I've honestly never beento a play at the theatre where every single moment rings true. Until #sexwithastranger

boydhilton: And writer StefanGolaszewski is some kind of genius... #sexwithastranger

Tom_In_Oz_: @MarkMMerrett @TMarkstahler @demelza2 @rudehamster Bubs Mr @edwardclarke went to see Tovestonight and Boyd Hilton was there...Tovey and Boyd are tweeting as we tweet…

MarkMMerrett: @Tom_In_Oz_ @TMarkstahler @demelza2 @rudehamster @edwardclarke wonderful, i saw on theblog he liked it, cant wait till tomorrow

edwardclarke: @MarkMMerrett @Tom_In_Oz_ @TMarkstahler @demelza2 @rudehamster It's fabulous, you'll love it!

MarkMMerrett: @edwardclarke @Tom_In_Oz_ @TMarkstahler @demelza2 @rudehamster cool, did you get tomeet Mr Tovey after?

edwardclarke: @MarkMMerrett Nah:)

edwardclarke: @MarkMMerrett veryintimate theatre, you'll be right on top of him! Are your tickets in row A?

MarkMMerrett: @edwardclarke YES!

russelltovey: Anyone else's lipsterribly dry in the current climate? X

russelltovey: Found some eight hour cream in the bathroom cabinet... How the hell did that get in there? I now look like Pete burns x
…Over 312 people told Russell all about his lipsand what he could do with them but I said…

Tom_In_Oz_: @russelltovey herein soggy Oz we are not having that prob it's the least of our probs in fact -blog updates are interesting tonight btw

MarkMMerrett: @Tom_In_Oz_ @edwardclarke howare you sepending the rest of your day?

Tom_In_Oz_: @MarkMMerrett @edwardclarke afteryou guys go to bed I will be grocery shopping and getting a new watch band theleather one I have died!

edwardclarke: @Tom_In_Oz_ There'sa grocery shopping scene in Sex with a Stranger too! enjoy your new strap! x

Tom_In_Oz_: @edwardclarke mmmmstrap!!!

edwardclarke: @Tom_In_Oz_ downboy!

MarkMMerrett: @Tom_In_Oz_ @edwardclarke wellhope u get a nice one send a pics please :-)

edwardclarke: @MarkMMerrett @Tom_In_Oz_ Ithink inadvisable to take pics of the actors but I did take one of the theatre

Tom_In_Oz_: @MarkMMerrett @edwardclarke Iwill try for a cheap one leather seems to be expensive again here...and it wasonly a $5 watch for school

edwardclarke: @Tom_In_Oz_ @MarkMMerrett TrafgarStudios

MarkMMerrett: @edwardclarke @Tom_In_Oz_ notpics of people, of Tom’s watch when he gets it.

edwardclarke: @MarkMMerrett @Tom_In_Oz_ LOL Aah, I see! :-) BTW @russelltovey You were totally fab tonight!Loved the play – loved you and the girls! xx

tamarafaggot: itd make my weekendamazing if @russelltovey tweeted me aw

russelltovey: @tamarafaggot heyTamara x

waggers1245: @russelltovey thoughtyou were fantastic tonight in #SexWithAStranger I wish you all the luck with the rest of therun. Take care

russelltovey: @waggers1245 thanksSophie x

PETE LORD ROCK’N’ROLL

PIRATE NEWS

PeteLordAardman: I'm about to goto dinner with old school buddy and Mondo Rock guitarist Eric McCusker.Extraordinary!

Tom_In_Oz_: @PeteLordAardman beento see him live a couple of times...he's terrific acoustically x Also saw LongWay To The Top show with #DADDYCOOL and Countdown Spectacular #MONDOROCK

PeteLordAardman: @Tom_In_Oz_ Iwondered if you'd know him! Schoolfriend from Woolahra.

Tom_In_Oz_: @PeteLordAardman Isaw Eric in 1982 at a live performance that was my first outdoor concert - been a fanever since! BTW tell him years ago Mic Conway played a free gig at my thenschool in the Hunter Valley NSW - he shud know Mic (I hope fondly) - talk about 6degrees of separation!

Tom_In_Oz_: @PeteLordAardman Petehere is proof that I have met Mic who worked with Eric in Matchbox Band

PeteLordAardman: @Tom_In_Oz_ I'm convinced! I believe you. And yes we talked about the Matchbox Band among many other topics.

Tom_In_Oz_: @PeteLordAardman LOL - I am a very lucky man blessed with the best imaginary Twitter friends evah!!! Myfave song by #CapMatchWhoopBand is Wangaratta Wahine...just pure nonsenselove it still!

SOUP FOR THE SOUL

russelltovey: RT @elliottfranks:@russelltovey in #SexWithAStranger at Trafalgar Studios @martinshippen morepics to follow later on! http://t.co/dVUXmUMR

russelltovey: RT @tomedmunds: Firstday of grading done. You are looking good @russelltovey @Livvyloooo &@jarredchristmas X #IsThisAJoke

russelltovey: RT @SuiteTV: Doesn't@russelltovey look lovely on the front of TV Guide! Come home soon! X

russelltovey: Just discovered asuperb new restaurant... @mishkins.. Chicken soup and greens... Jewishgrandmother stuff... Heaven x

demelza2: @russelltovey @mishkins ofcourse !!!!!

hanahdawson: @russelltovey Please mayI find out what your favourite book is for my classes reading board in school.It would be great if you replied.

russelltovey: @hanahdawson presentlyOne Day by David Nicholls x

VODKA

mrchrissullivan: Today's hangover is brought to you courtesy of @steveleng @russelltovey and in association with @jodieharsh Room service and vodka. #dying

MARK 'BUBS' MERRETT

IS OFF TO SEE

SEX WITH A STRANGER

MarkMMerrett: @Tom_In_Oz_ @tmarkstahler @rudehamster any new visions?

Tom_In_Oz_: @MarkMMerrett @tmarkstahler yep one for you was weird saw cola in a mug - looking down from above - thort it was black coffee but no steam coming out of it so it had to be cola

MarkMMerrett: @Tom_In_Oz_ @tmarkstahler had some Pepsi Max in a mug I got for Xmas.

Tom_In_Oz_: @MarkMMerrett @tmarkstahler a pretty boring and ordinary vision tho…

MarkMMerrett: @Tom_In_Oz_ @tmarkstahler @rudehamster a vision is a vision you have a gift that others don’t…

Tom_In_Oz_: @TMarkstahler @rudehamster @MarkMMerrett it will be a 'merrettorious' weekend...our little stalker is off to meet his victim Russell Tovey in person!!!

TMarkstahler: @Tom_In_Oz_ @rudehamster @markmmerrett Oh the fun they gonna have!!! Not Russell Tovey, but the famous three will defo have fun. I know all that... ...because I am a bit psychic, ya know!!!

Tom_In_Oz_: @TMarkstahler @rudehamster @MarkMMerrett I feel sorry for Pat...she's gonna have 2 wild beasts to keep at heel all day...champing at the bit rabid to meet Toves!

demelza2: @MarkMMerrett @Tom_In_Oz_ @tmarkstahler I mentioned that two Tovey lovers would be with me, and autograph time!!! so he knows !!!!

TMarkstahler: @markmmerrett @Tom_In_Oz_ @rudehamster Hey, little brother!!! Have you packed everything? Camera, batteries, clothes, condoms, rohypnol??? ;-)

'SEX WITH A STRANGER'

PICTURE RECAP

David Beckham's H and M Party 2012

Below: Press play to see RussellTovey and friend at the David Beckham H and M party.

Reality Bites Russell:

Being Human season 4

premieres Sunday

From

http://tool8.wordpress.com/

Oh ye of little faith! Remember way back, in those dark days of yore, when nobody had even heard of BBC3, never mind watched it? One TV show’s creator does: “When they announced one of the pilots was about a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost sharing a house, people said: ‘That sounds shit, I’m not watching that’. Then they did and they loved it…” Oh yes we did, and oh yes we most certainly did! This Sunday sees the return of BBC3′s supernatural drama series “Being Human” – minus Mitchell (Aidan Turner) and Nina (Sinead Keenan) but with two new full time characters. Working class werewolf Tom McNair (Michael Socha) is now a card-carrying member of the “family” along with series newcomer Damien Molony as the charismatic vampire, Hal. Russell Tovey (George) is also moving on – and I have to say that I’m quite pleased by that as I felt he was the weakest actor in the whole ensemble. Much like The Walking Dead‘s resident one-trick-pony Sarah Wayne Callies, Tovey has only two abilities: wimpy cry-baby and high-pitched screamer. His recent appearance in BBC’s new Sherlock series was dreadful and hammy and made me realise how much better this season will be with Socha taking over his shoes.

SPOILERS FOR EPISODE ONE SEASON FOUR

1. Expect a very dark episode, but with a refreshing strain of humour throughout.

2. “There’s nothing nice in this house anymore…”

3. Nina’s fate is revealed within the first five minutes. But the "fuzzy love child" of George and Nina (Russell Tovey and Sinead Keenan) survives...as shown above!

4. We also learn what happened to powerful ‘Old One’ vampire Wyndham (Lee Ingleby).

5. There are references to both Superman and Batman.

6. “With you like this, they’ve already won.”

7. Annie invents a brilliant new word.

8. “They put up quite a fight, but we slit their throats and stamped on their bones all the same.”

9. We find out what happens to old werewolves.

10. If you’re not in tears by the final scenes, you have a heart of stone!

The Guardian said recently:
Such massive cast changes have only added to the feeling that Being Human has been transforming into a quite different show: with George’s sacrifice of Mitchell and the arrival of a new vampire villain last series, it seemed as though the show was teeing itself up to move from cosy/horrific flatshare to Twilightesque epic supernatural battle. So it is a relief to find that series four will see the show return to its original USP: a vampire, a werewolf and ghost sharing a house. And on first glance, the new lineup also looks to have gone back to source: Annie plus a brooding vampire and a boyishly handsome werewolf. So what is going on? Can fans expect the Being Humanthey love, an entirely new incarnation, or an imitation of the original?

Series creator Toby Whithouse has the answer:

Losing Russell and Sinead so suddenly was very difficult. But it never occurred to us for a moment to stop making the show. Not because we need the cash, but because we knew there were a 1,000 stories left to tell and 10,000 characters left to create. Hand on heart, I think series four is our best ever. Damien Moloney and Michael Socha are utterly breathtaking. And Lenora takes centre stage with stunning confidence. Season 4 premieres in the UK at 9pm on Sunday 5th February, broadcast on BBC3 and BBC HD simultaneously. Viewers in the USA will see the premiere on BBC America’s Supernatural Saturday line-up, commencing 25 February.

russelltovey: Being Human promo shot.. Starts this Sunday BBC3 9pm... http://t.co/7LMUVCsZ

russelltovey: RT @ WhatTheFFacts: Blowjobs are illegal in Malaysia and punishable with imprisonment of 20 years maximum and whipping.

RUSSELL TOVEY - No.1304

2012-02-02T11:56:00.001-08:00

EVERYONE’S A CRITIC

Laura_Showgirl: Am now a little bitin love with @russelltovey after seeing #sexwithastranger this evening. Such a cutieand he even takes his shirt off!

JPSimmo1981: Just seen Sex With AStranger with @russelltovey in his pants. Amazing... and the play was prettygood too #sexwithastranger

EliotSandiford: @russelltoveyexcellent in the new play tonight. congrats and praps less tea in the mug nexttime!

TimWolverine: @russelltovey came tosee the play tonight! Absolutely brilliant. Three exceptional performances in amoving funny and entertaining play :-)

davidmattallen: Just been to see SexWith A Stranger starring Russell Tovey. Amazing. Go see! To say you werebrilliant is a massive understatement.

fitness39: @russelltovey hi Russell,Iv had a great night! fantastic play love it !! X

issyvb: @RussellTovey hope secondpreview went well, have a few friends coming tomorrow, so make it a good one!(ps. have sofa issues been sorted?)

harrietbishop: Seeing Russell Toveyin Nandos and being really subtle about it. Really subtle.

H_Woolfenden: @russelltovey Heylovely! Looking forward to seeing your show. My first day on twitter xx

russelltovey: @H_Woolfenden followingx

elliottfranks: @James_D_Lever @russelltovey @Paveyt wephotographed Mr T this afternoon - I hope that he managed to find an iron fromsomewhere ;-0) !

russelltovey: @elliottfranks ;-)

westy3508: @russelltovey just watchedsun sex and suspicious parents some good narrating there

RADIO TIMES ARTICLE Feb 2012

Please click article pages toenlarge.

Article courtesy of @MargMolly

David Beckham's H and M Party 2012

russelltovey: Just met David Beckham... No biggie x

Russell Tovey at the H&M party on Millbank on February 2, 2012 in London, England.