DT fans (Hamlet to be filmed for BBC)

Oh happy, happy day.

I was gutted when we didn't get to see him in London. Ed Bennett was good, but just didn't have the same stage presence. I'd been bigging up the whole production to my parents, so they were slightly underwhelmed.

Great news.

Flowery, the tickets sold so fast. Do you know some women even went to more than one performance under the pretext that they love the play itself and it had nothing to do with DT??

More than once? really?! Shakespeare is good, it's true, and perhaps seeing it twice, once in stratford, and once in london, to compare the staging of course, is understandable, but any more than that is just bordering on obsessive, surely?

Great news! I didn't manage to see him on stage due to having a young baby, and I was so jealous as all my friends and family went.

Obviously my interest is purely from a love of Shakespeare's work and an appreciation of fine acting talent... ?

<whistles>

OK so DT had something to do with it, but the whole play was utterly mesmerising and I will never forget the emotions I felt seeing it for the first time.

And I think I'm doing pretty well at seeing non-DT plays (16ish so far this year) to show that it is the theatre I love now, and not just DT.

(although I was VERY excited at the other DT news from yesterday- that he filmed the Christmas special QI last night)

Oh happy days, I can't wait to see it.

My friend Mark went to see John Barrowman in concert last week and in the next box as him was DT. He chatted to him in the break and even got a kiss from him!!!! Lucky boy! I was v jealous. I don't think he's come down from cloud nine yet!

How did i miss that piece of gossip?! ??

I nearly booked for this concert but decided not to in the end. Have you seen the clip of JB announcing DT in the audience on YouTube?

Speculation started from Stephen Fry's followers on Twitter, then Ben Cook (from Dr Who magazine) confirmed it along with tweets from someone else who worked on the show. I don't twitter so am relying on info from other people.

I tlooks like it could be 'the same but different' to the stage version as it is being filmed 'on location' according to the RSC press release.

RSC Press Release...

David Tennant reprises role in RSC Hamlet for BBC Two

The Royal Shakespeare Company's award-winning production of Hamlet, directed by RSC Chief Associate Director Gregory Doran, and with David Tennant in the title role, will premiere on BBC Two.

Produced by Illuminations, the screen version of Shakespeare's great tragedy will retain the quality and tone of the critically acclaimed stage production but filming will take place on location. All key original members of the cast, including Patrick Stewart as Claudius, are confirmed to star in this special 180 minute production, alongside the same creative team.

RSC Artistic Director Michael Boyd said; “We are very pleased that this RSC production will be seen by so many people when broadcast. As the show was sold out for its entire run, this is a really great opportunity for our work to be seen by so many who could not come to the theatre and see it on stage.”

Filming begins in June for broadcast later this year on BBC Two. Broadcasts in the US and Japan will follow in 2010. Illuminations previously worked with Doran and the RSC on the filmed version of Macbeth with Antony Sher and Harriet Walter. Chris Seager is in post as Director of Photography; Robert Jones, who designed the stage production, will also design the film and, as on stage, the music is composed by Paul Englishby, the movement director is Mike Ashcroft and the fight director is Terry King.

John Wyver is the producer for Illuminations and Bethan Jones is Executive Producer for BBC Wales. The project was commissioned by George Entwhistle and Ben Stephenson at the BBC.

A DVD of the film is planned and will be on sale after the broadcast date – further details to follow