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Eccleston will play Number Six
The Village revisited slated for 2007
Tech Digest He may have vanished from your Dr Who screensaver, but Christopher Eccleston isn't done with being a geek hero just yet: Doctor Nine will regenerate as Number Six in Granada's £10m remake of the 60s classic The Prisoner, confirming the El Reg story yesterday linking the in-demand thesp with the role.
The six-part remake is slated to air on Sky One in "January 2007" or "spring 2007", depending on whom you believe; our guess is that Sky will bust its arse, and the arses of anyone involved, to get it on screen at exactly the same time as Tennant's second series of Who.
What's almost as certain is that "Sky One's biggest drama commission ever" will have more in common with glossy conspiracy fare like 24, which incidentally goes HD in two weeks time, and Lost than with the surreal Patrick McGoohan original, famously set in the Butlins-meets-Alcatraz Welsh village of Portmeirion. Purists may take to the streets over the relocation of The Prisoner to "a more exotic setting", but at least the Portmeirion locals won't have to suffer a brand new glut of telly-tourists gawping through their front windows while they’re trying to have a brew in front of Deal or no Deal
Mystery man Eccleston, the Daniel Day Lewis of the small screen, is unlikely to turn up for Monday's Bafta TV Awards. Everyone else in the world of the box will be there, and most of them will be wondering how chat-show atrocity Davina McCall landed the presenter’s gig. Maybe she's there to make all the attendees feel better about themselves, which is a lovely thought.
Set the digi box for ITV1 at 9pm on Monday to see Doctor Who and Ricky Gervais sweep the Bafta board. That's not a spoiler - nothing's been awarded yet - it's just a no-brainer. And look out for a tough battle for the FX gong, with Walking With Monsters going up against Hiroshima, Rome and the brilliant SuperVolcano, which was filmed in HD, even though none of us could view it in HD. Chances of the Beeb re-showing SuperVolcano this coming Christmas, once the eager beavers among us are fully kitted out with HD tellies and HD services. Eleven out of 10.
Five to watch this week:
Friday: My Name Is Earl, C4, 10.05pm
In tonight’s episode of the best sitcom on the box, Earl takes aim at number 24: “Stole a red Take-A-Number machine”.
Saturday: This is Spinal Tap, ITV4, 10pm
If you’ve never seen it, then please do so immediately. If you’ve seen it 600 times, there’s always room for more of that 18-inch Stonehenge.
Sunday: I Trust You To Kill Me, Sky One, 10pm
Rockumentary following Jack Bauer, here using the alias “Kiefer Sutherland”, as he road-manages indie artist Rocco DeLuca on his first international tour. Not like Spinal Tap at all. No siree.
Monday: Inside King Cobra, Sky One, 9pm
It’s the world’s most lethal snake, killing hundreds of people each year. But in one Thai village, the locals like to dance with them. Crazy guys.
Tuesday: Lost, C4, 10pm
The season opener was a humdinger, but things now settle into the familiar routine of red herrings and flashbacks. The next episode, Everybody Hates Hugo, is better: catch it on E4 at 11pm.
Other stories
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Sky's first week of HD programming
That incredibly hilarious Boris Johnson football tackle - priceless
Biting the hand that feeds IT
