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Last Updated December 23 2008 
Earlier:2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 Later: 2009 December Demons press: "Crook will explore his dark side in new TV drama" From KentNews.Co.Uk Actor Mackenzie Crook is set to star as vampire Gladiolus Thrip in ITV1's new six-part drama series Demons - a contemporary take on Bram Stoker�s Dracula set in modern-day London The show starts on January 3 and will run for a couple of months, Yourmaidstone reports. Crook, 37, who was born in Maidstone and grew up in Dartford, admitted the part of twisted vampire Thrip is not the sort of role he is often offered. He said: "I have played some interesting and quirky characters before but nothing evil and I've wanted to play someone really bad for a long time. �In my early career I got parts as drug dealers or addicts; always something to do with the narcotics industry. �Then after The Office it was always nerdy characters. So you do have to sift through the parts to find the roles that are going to stretch you. Thrip was a great opportunity to play a different type of character. "He really looks after his appearance, wearing extravagant Teddy boy clothes and arranging his hair in a strange quiff � even though as a vampire he has no reflection so how he manages I don't know. �And he has this weird scrimshaw nose stuck on, although you never discover what happened to his real nose � you just see the scarring. "In a strange way Thrip is full of life even though he only has half a one. There are elements of comedy in the way I play him but he does have to be scary. �It doesn't take much for him to completely lose it and you see the vicious side of him come out. He can kill people with his fingernail; it's spiteful, horrible stuff and there is nothing honourable about him." Crook said he is a great fan of the sci-fi genre. He said: "I am a true geek at heart. I've always been a fan of Star Wars. Never Doctor Who or Star Trek but always Star Wars. I could tell you anything about the most obscure characters. I do get quite obsessive about these shows." "Romantic Demons" From JournalLive.Co.Uk ...Demons is a different kettle of fish entirely. Where Echo Beach was a vehicle to reignite Jason Donovan and Martine McCutcheon's TV careers, Demons co-stars hot acting property Philip Glenister and film star Mackenzie Crook. "The whole cast is really talented," Christian [Cooke] agrees. "Mackenzie was such a nice guy, he is such a humble character and a really committed actor as well. It was great to speak to him, he's internationally recognised now so it's great to have names like that attached because it brings kudos to the show and encourages people to watch."... Cue the entrance of Mackenzie Crook - complete with a crooked beak attached to his face as the villainous vampire Gladiolus Thrip - who leads a rabble of unsavoury characters... "Vampires return in new TV series" From BBC News Beginning on 3 January, the series stars Mackenzie Crook from The Office and Philip Glenister from Life On Mars... Among the demons that Luke Van Helsing and his pals have to slay is the ultimate baddie Gladiolus Thrip, played by Mackenzie Crook. "[He's] a camp, 50s, throwback vampire. He's very flamboyant but vicious and spiteful," Crook explained. "My costume is teddy boy and I have a very high-powdered quiff and an ivory nose. "But it's very windy today and my quiff is in danger of being blown over so I've got a blue hair net over it just to add to my humiliation." Thrip has a number of deadly weapons, including a high-pitched killer shriek, but, as it's a family show, don't expect too much gore. "A lot of it is suggested," he explained. "He is an evil character and has long fingernails - one in particular is about four inches long which I use to stab people in the eye with. Not that you ever actually see any of that; it's not a bloodfest, it's more clever than that." "Broadway's Hit Seagull Folds its Wings December 21st" From Playbill News The Broadway run of director Ian Rickson's acclaimed Royal Court Theatre production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull ends its limited run on schedule Dec. 21. ... The production, topped by Kristin Scott Thomas as diva Arkadina, is now appearing on critics' Top Ten lists for the 2008 year in theatre, and is expected to be remembered at Tony Awards time in spring 2009. By close, the staging will have played 18 previews and 93 performances in New York. It's the Mac attack" From The Sun Click on the above link to see the photo. HERE�S an evil Crook! The Office star Mackenzie is transformed into a VAMPIRE for a new ITV1 series. He plays Dr Gladiolus Hadilus Tradius Thrip in Demons, the modern-day version of Bram Stoker�s Dracula. But Rupert Galvin � Life On Mars� Philip Glenister � trains godson Luke (Christian Cooke), the last descendent of vampire killer Van Helsing, to get rid of the creatures terrorising London. It starts on January 3. Chekhov Is a Hit: Broadway's The Seagull Recoups Investment From Playbill.com The Royal Court Theatre's critically acclaimed production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull has fully recouped its capitalization costs for the current Broadway production, the producers announced Dec. 8... Tony Eligibility Last week the Tony Awards Adminstration Committee met to discuss the awards eligibility of nine Broadway productions including The Seagull. At this meeting it was decided that Mackenzie would be considered in the category of Featured Actor in a Play. You can read more about this meeting at Broadway.com. The awards take place next June in New York's Radio City Music Hall. November Rainn Wilson attends The Seagull On Tuesday, November 18th, actor Rainn Wilson attended a performance of The Seagull after which he met up with Mackenzie backstage. Wilson plays Dwight Shrute--the character based on Gareth Keenan--on the American version of "The Office".Broadway.com has photos from this meeting. Cover of The Secret Diary of Ragetti  Amazon.com has posted the cover of The Secret Diary of Ragetti, which Mackenzie wrote and illustrated, with the new release date of October '09. October Financial Times Reviews The Seagull Full review here. It is Mackenzie Crook, however, whom I wished most devoutly could have done double duty as both the novelist [Trigorin] and, his actual assignment, Konstantin � the writerly son of the novelist�s lover, Arkadina. Almost laughably true to his surname, Crook walks away with his every scene, not in the grand manner of his diva-ish mother but through sheer despairing intensity... Rickson�s many inspired directorial touches include the seemingly endless time Crook takes ripping up his manuscript pages at evening�s end. In the actor�s face we see a whole life passing � and for once this process isn�t a cliche. "Mackenzie Crook on his own piece of woodland" From The Times The actor watches the seasons change in Essex It's nearly the end of my first year of owning eight acres of ancient woodland in Essex. I have visited often but still make new discoveries every time I go. The last time I found a piece of litter: a crumpled Castlemaine XXXX can in the brambles. Initially I was livid, but on closer inspection the sell-by date revealed that it had been lying there for more than 20 years. It had �watched� more than 80 seasons come and go, with nature unable to break it down and dispose of it. This will be the 37th time I have seen the summer turn to autumn, but until the beginning of this year I don't think I had ever really noticed the seasons changing. Since January, when I bought the wood, I've watched as the sap crept up into the barren winter trees and, over a matter of days, the trees burst into life. Over the next months, wave after wave of new life flooded the area, emerging from where it had been sleeping or finding its way, sometimes from thousands of miles away. By mid-summer every space was populated; the air was thick with insects, seeds, spores and gossamer. A hundred potential allergies in every gulp. Everyone came away scratching their ankles or rubbing their eyes, which only goes to confirm that, although in the human world I technically own the land, in the real world I am not invited and everything within the woods would rather I stayed away. Now, after the summer, the place is so saturated with life that it cannot be sustained. So it is starting to collapse and decay. Like a plastic bag being slowly filled with water it will eventually capsize and spill out. No, scrap that clumsy analogy. There is no place for plastic bags in my woodland, even analogical ones. Let's call it a paper bag. In summer it was the kingdom of the insects. Now fungus rules. Moulds, mushrooms and toadstools are moving in to clear up what they can. Autumn is a big season in the English countryside, a lot of work to be done. There's the stocking up, the dying back and rotting down: preparing for the winter. I hope it's cold. We're about due for a cold one. City of Ember Opens Today October 10th - City of Ember is now on release in the UK and the US, you can go to the film's official site to look up showtimes in your area. The Washington Post reviews The Seagull Whole review here "...The competition between the vain Arkadina -- who needs more reassurance than a teetering toddler -- and Carey Mulligan's superb Nina, the younger would-be actress who threatens to supplant her, has rarely been evoked with such authenticity. The production allows you to see how much Arkadina's son, the afflicted Konstantin (an excellent Mackenzie Crook), attempts -- through his abject devotion to Nina -- to compensate for the affection his mother seems unable to confer." New York Observer's Review of The Seagull Yet another rave review is in for the play--you can read the full review here. In typical Chekhovian fashion, Konstantin is someone who tries to commit suicide twice�the first time as farce, the second as tragedy. Mackenzie Crook...is a revelation in the role. The Byronic Mr. Crook, resisting the temptation to play his damaged Konstantin as a hysterical neurotic on the verge of a nervous breakdown, makes his contemptuous fury and resentment all the more powerful for seeming insistently rational behind blazing, hurt eyes. "The Geography of Regret" (The New Yorker reviews The Seagull-- Full article here) "In the thrilling restaging of Ian Rickson�s 2007 Royal Court production (at the Walter Kerr), Chekhov�s eponymous bird is bagged on a whim by the morose twenty-five-year-old would-be playwright Konstantin Treplev (Mackenzie Crook) and laid at the feet of his young girlfriend, Nina (Carey Mulligan), a would-be actress, whose sparkling eyes are caught by the famous writer Trigorin (Peter Sarsgaard), who wanders the Treplev family estate in thrall to the sultry charms of Arkadina (Kristin Scott Thomas), Konstantin�s equally famous actress mother. �I�m going to kill myself soon, the same method,� Konstantin tells the bewildered Nina. The glow of his mother�s celebrity has cast its corrosive shadow over him, and he longs for fame of his own as an antidote to his state of perpetual adolescent humiliation. �I�ll be round at her place sometimes in a room jam full of celebrities, actors, and writers, and I�ll be the only one of the lot of them who�s a nobody and the only reason they put up with me is that I�m her son,� Konstantin says to his uncle Sorin. �Who am I? What am I?� In Christopher Hampton�s elegant and astute adaptation of the play, Konstantin is the victim of his own envy, whose murderousness he projects onto the seagull. The dead bird becomes a symbol of the unconscious aggression acted out by all the characters... Mackenzie Crook�s gaunt, cadaverous look gives Konstantin a splendid ghostly quality; he moves around his mother almost unseen. �Mother, change my bandage for me. You�re so good at it,� he says after a suicide attempt. He adds, kissing her hand, �You have magic fingers.� Those fingers can scratch as easily as soothe. Even in the final act, when Konstantin is again on the brink of killing himself, Arkadina�s fluting voice can be heard, over a game of lotto, saying, �I�ve still never read a word he�s written. I can never find the time.� Konstantin�s sense of loss is compounded, in this production, by the luminous sweetness of Carey Mulligan�s Nina... Playbill Covers the opening night of The Seagull Full article here. "Mackenzie Crook who plays Arkadina's tortured, suicidal son, Konstantin, is actually the same age as Sarsgaard who plays her lover (37) � and looks a little older. "It's the most profound experience of my life, doing this show," he declared. "It's the first time I've been entrusted with a role of this nature. Up until now, I get the quirky character, the goofy comedy guy � and this is just so far removed from those parts that I normally get." **The Seagull Opens to Amazing Reviews** October 2nd- The Seagull officially opened this evening on Broadway at New York's Walter Kerr Theatre to much critical praise. Here's what's being said of Mackenzie's performance as Konstantin: NY1's glowing video review "[T]he whole cast...turns loneliness and restlessness into a stuttering pyrotechnic display that provides the color against Hildegard Bechtler�s artfully stark set. These characters may be losers, but they�re not limp. Mr. Crook�s palpably intelligent, fiery-eyed Konstantin doesn�t collapse into fatal sadness; he self-combusts from stymied passion." -Ben Brantley,The New York Times "The Londoners reprising their roles couldn't be better. Mackenzie Crook is the most soulful, touching Konstantin I've ever seen." -Elyse Sommer, CurtainUp.com "Mackenzie Crook seems to draw from a deep well of sadness as Konstantin, the experimental playwright hopelessly in love with [Nina]." -Joe Dziemianowicz, NY Daily News "Trigorin's popular success infuriates the humorless Konstantin, portrayed by a gaunt Mackenzie Crook with haunting intensity." -Michael Kuchwara, Newsday/Associated Press "Konstantin's steady self-destruction is given wrenching life by Crook. Gaunt and tormented, he bristles with nervous frustration whenever his mother is near, and simmers with resentment -- both personal and professional -- toward her lover, successful writer Trigorin (Peter Sarsgaard)." -David Rooney, Variety "The supporting cast is equally sublime. Mackenzie Crook...is movingly pathetic as the doomed Konstantin, who is unable to overcome his despair over his unrequited love for the beautiful Nina, sensitively played by Carey Mulligan." -Frank Scheck, Reuters UK "Crook gives an intense but shaded performance in which Konstantin is not � as he's often played � a meagerly talented, petulant young man whose quest for new forms of theater is a joke. His Konstantin is onto something artistically, even if his skill is not fully formed. That makes his inability to break through much more affecting, while deepening the impact of his rejections by Nina and his vain, clueless mother." -Robert Feldberg, North Jersey Record "Mackenzie Crook manfully manages the difficult role of Konstantin, Arkadina's sorrowful son. He expresses the torment of a young man failing to express himself in either love or art without being whiny � a trap many actors fall into." -David Sheward, Backstage.com "Mackenzie: I Want More Serious Roles" Full article at ThisIsBristol.co.uk He's known for playing goofy roles like The Office's nerdy Gareth, but Mackenzie Crook is looking to expand his CV. "I'd love to play a more serious role in a movie, really," he said. "If someone was to trust me with a more serious role in a movie, I would love that. That would be great." The 37-year-old proved he can earn his chops by starring in the Broadway production of The Seagull alongside Kristin Scott Thomas and Peter Sarsgaard. "It was so different from things I've done before," said Mackenzie, who plays tortured soul Konstantin... "Kristin Scott Thomas Wows New York" Full article at ThisIsBristol.co.uk Kristin Scott Thomas has wowed Broadway as the West End production of The Seagull opened to American audiences. Kristin, who picked up an Olivier best actress award for her performance as Arkadina in the Anton Chekhov play, along with Mackenzie Crook, Peter Sarsgaard and Art Malik received a standing ovation at the Walter Kerr Theatre... Mackenzie, who also made his Broadway debut, revealed: "It's an actor's dream to come to Broadway so it was quite an emotional thing today with the curtain call. I was just thinking, 'My God, this is incredible to be here, and in such a beautiful play, and playing such a role in such a beautiful place. It's a dream come true." September *Happy Birthday!* Mackenzie turned 37 on Monday the 29th The Seagull Begins Previews September 16th - Tonight The Seagull has its first preview at New York's Walter Kerr Theatre. The previews will run until the play's opening night on October 2nd with a closing date of December 21st. "Green Living: my very own wood" Mackenzie wrote the following article for The Times Online: I've spent as much time as possible in my eight acres of Essex woodland since I bought it in January, but I'd not managed to stay the night - until last week. It's just that nobody's been around and I didn't really want to go on my own. Not that I was scared. I love the woods. The thing is, it's filled with birds and deer when you first get there but, before long, they get wise to your presence and make themselves scarce. It's too strong to say that it's creepy, but the sense that I am not really invited is all around (I've always avoided scuba diving for the same reasons) and I've always imagined that this feeling can only intensify at night. But as part of my project to catalogue the flora and fauna in the woods, I've treated myself to the Actinic Skinner Moth Trap 12v (simple, stylish). The 12v power a lamp to attract the moths, not to electrocute them. They then fall into a chamber where they spend a comfortable night before being photographed and released. But you need darkness if you're planning on a bout of moth trapping. So I persuaded Jude, my five-year-old son, to accompany me for the night. Not that I was scared, you understand. The first thing we came across was a decomposing crow carcass. Thankfully I don't believe in omens because this would have been a really bad one. Possibly one of the worst. But we put the dead bird out of our minds and spent a jolly hour pitching the tent, collecting firewood and setting the trap. As darkness fell and we tucked into our baked potatoes, the true owners of the woodland showed up. Swarms of aggressive, rain-forest mosquitoes who couldn't believe their luck swarmed around our faces and wrists. The ground seemed alive with a carpet of wood-ants, shiny black beetles and strange leggy spiders. Jude decided that he was tired and was soon tucked up asleep in the tent. That's when it got really quiet. And dark. It wasn't long before I decided to hit the sack too. It was a restless night for me. Jude slept soundly. In the morning we discovered a bees' nest the size of a basketball hanging from a branch directly over the tent, just like you see in the cartoons. Just as well we didn't see it earlier. And the moth trap? It was a raving success yielding lots of species and a few spectacular specimens (if you like that sort of thing.) All in all it was an exciting first night in the woods. I think Jude was a bit scared, but I wasn't. The Seagull's opening night has been pushed back a day: Broadway.com is reporting that due to a switch in the Broadway's opening schedule, The Seagull will now officially open on Thursday October 2nd, rather than October 1st. Three & Out on DVD DVD Active has posted details on the Three & Out DVD which will be released in the UK on September 15th. August "Tickets for 'The Seagull' at Walter Kerr Theatre Go on Sale 8/25" From BroadwayWorld.com: The complete company of the Royal Court Theatre's critically acclaimed production of Anton Chekhov's THE SEAGULL, in a new version by Christopher Hampton, will begin rehearsals on Monday, August 25 in London, under the direction of Ian Rickson. The production, which stars Kristin Scott Thomas in her Olivier Award winning role of Madame Arkadina and Peter Sarsgaard as Trigorin, will begin previews on Tuesday, September 16 at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street). Opening night is Wednesday, October 1. The production plays a strictly 14-week limited engagement through December 21. The Walter Kerr Theatre box office for THE SEAGULL will also open on Monday, August 25 at 10:00 AM. Tickets are also available at Telecharge at 212-239-6200 and online at www.telecharge.com 'Modern Toss' Picked Up By US Network From "British Comedy Heads Across the Pond" at 4rtv.co.uk: Rose D'Or winner 'Modern Toss', which combines live action sketches with animation and cartoons, has also been snapped up by The Independent Film Channel. Based on the comics of the same name, 'Modern Toss' has a voice cast that includes Mackenzie Crook, Doon Mackichan and Paul Kaye. "Mackenzie Joins 'Skins'" From Sky TV: The talented Brit actor has landed the role of a gangster in Channel 4 drama Skins. He's set to play gangster boss John White in the third series of the hit teen drama series, due to air early next year. According to the Mirror, the actor said: "The role is different to anything I've played before and to work alongside the future of British acting talent is a humbling experience." July Tickets on sale for The Seagull The Broadway transition of the Royal Court Production of The Seagull will run from September 16th through December 21st with Mackenzie reprising his critically acclaimed turn as Konstantin Treplev. Tickets are now available to buy via Telecharge.com or in person at the box office of the Walter Kerr Theatre. "Buying Your Own Wood" By Mackenzie Crook, from The Times Online Don't get me started on my woodland. Since the beginning of the year, when I realised a dream and purchased five acres of ancient woodland in Essex, I have begun coercing people into conversation on conservation. I expected a universal reaction of �How fantastic!� followed by a lively discussion on biodiversity and badgers. But reactions are mixed. Many people ask me why I bought it. This has me stumped. To me the reasons are obvious, but hard to put into words. �What will you do with it?� �Well, just...be in it. Enjoy it.� �Can you build on it?� �No.� �But you could build a hut or log cabin to stay in?� �No.� �Can you cycle in it?� �I suppose, but I don't have a bike.� �You should get a bike.� I don't want to cycle in it. I want to study it, to watch it and see how it works, to learn the names of the flora and fauna and understand how they coexist. The idea to buy some woodland has been with me for years, after I read about protected areas that farmers, unable to use them for crops or livestock, sold off relatively cheaply. I have had a passionate interest in the natural world since childhood when my father inspired me on long walks and cycle rides around the Kent countryside. But at this stage in my life I couldn't and wouldn't want to live anywhere but London. So �the woods� are an ideal weekend bolthole where I can get my nature �fix�. I now have expanded my empire to eight acres, which is as much as I can cope with at present. It is a very powerful place, with maps showing that there has been woodland on the site for at least the past four centuries. The plants and animals have found their own way and, as such, are a perfectly harmonious mix. It is made up of mainly hornbeam(an anonymous tree once invaluable for making cartwheel spokes), with oak standards, sweet chestnut, hawthorn and birch. The floor is carpeted in spring by bluebells, lesser celandine and primroses; later by yellow archangel. There are several wood ant colonies and a badger sett with half a dozen entrances. I have spotted three species of woodpecker, tree creepers, sparrow hawks and a flock of 30 chaffinches. But enough lists. Lists are for nerds. For the first year I intend to do as little as possible, just observe, but then there will be things I can do to encourage more wildlife.In the past the hornbeam would have been coppiced for timber, but in my wood it has grown up to form a dense canopy. Selective felling will open up areas and let in light. In turn this will bring many more species of plants, attract more insects and, subsequently, the birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles that feed on them. Many new species of wildflower might appear instantly; their seeds lie dormant for decades waiting for ideal growing conditions. The small stream that meanders through the land could be diverted into a pond. But that is for the future. For now I'm happy to have a place to escape to on my own or to take my children camping. Jude, my five-year-old son, spends hours playing �Return of the Jedi� in his very own Endor and, early on, pronounced himself �King of the Woods�. Scout, my daughter, is not yet a year old and generally stares in astonishment when she is there. As far as I'm concerned my woodland is perfect. Apart from the grey squirrels. Don't get me started on the squirrels... "Why Broadway But Not West End for Court Seagull???" Why didn�t it happen? Quite simply, the actors didn�t want to do it. �They wanted to go to New York,� current artistic director Dominic Cooke told Whatsonstage.com... The Seagull Ticket Information Telecharge has updated its page for The Seagull -- Tickets are currently on sale to American Express cardmembers only through July 25th. Beginning on July 26th, tickets will be on sale to the general public with the following pricing: Orchestra: $110.00 Orchestra Aisle: $135.00 (May only be purchased in pairs.) Mezzanine (Rows A - F): $110.00 Mezzanine (Rows G-J): $77.00 Balcony: $41.00 Premium Seat Price: $252.00 Telecharge also has a link to the show's official site at SeagullThePlay.com More Seagull Cast News The full New York cast for the Broadway translation of The Seagull has been covered on the following theater sites: Broadway.com's "Kristin Scott Thomas and Peter Saarsgard to Headline The Seagull Broadway" TheaterMania's "Kazan, Sarsgaard, Thomas, et al. Set for Broadway's The Seagull Variety's "Peter Sarsgaard flies with 'Seagull'" Broadway World's "Kristin Scott Thomas to Make Broadway Debut in THE SEAGULL" Playbill's "Seagull, with Kristin Scott Thomas and Peter Sarsgaard, to Play the Kerr" Peter Sarsgaard will be taking over the role of Trigorin (Chiwetel Ejifor's role in the London production). Previews begin on September 16th at the Walter Kerr Theater while opening night is October 1st. Ticket information should be available soon. June New Cobra Beer Pubcast A new Pubcast is available for download on the official Cobra Beer website, here. "Royal Court's Seagull will Land on Broadway Fall 2008" From Playbill.com Ian Rickson's acclaimed production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, which played a January-March 2007 run at London's Royal Court, will arrive on Broadway in the fall, according to a casting notice. Rehearsals for the production will begin Aug. 25 with a Broadway opening date to be announced. The limited engagement will play through Dec. 22. (Dates on a casting notice do not necessarily reflect exact production dates.)... "Cobra Poised for 'Pubcast' Campaign" From Brand Republic LONDON - Cobra Beer is to launch a series of pub-based podcasts hosted by Xfm radio DJ Danny Wallace and comedian Dom Joly as it looks to position the beer brand beyond its Indian restaurant heartland... Fans will be able to download the recording through Cobra's website and iTunes. Actor Mackenzie Crook will feature in the first episode followed by TV presenter Iain Lee. **The podcast is now available to download here** May "On the Move: Mackenzie Crook" Thanks to nerdy Gareth in The Office, Mackenzie Crook made the leap from struggling stand-up comedian to paid-up Hollywood film star. Such a rapid rise to fame and fortune would once have been accompanied by the obligatory trading-in of the clapped-out runabout for the monster four-wheeled status symbol. Today, of course, you�re nobody until you own a Toyota Prius... From The Times Online "40-plus movies set for London Film Focus" From The Hollywood Reporter CANNES -- Just over 40 movies have been handpicked to showcase at this year's London U.K. Film Focus (LUFF), set to run June 30 through July 3. David Rocksavage's "Shadows in the Sun," produced by Nick O'Hagan and starring Jean Simmons and James Wilby is among the titles selected. Many of the titles are being sold here during the Marche du Film. Other titles include MovieHouse Entertainment's thriller "Abrahams Point," directed by Wyndham Price and starring Mackenzie Crook and Harriet Walter and a brace of Jinga Films titles: Tom Tyrwhitt"s thriller "Hush Your Mouth" and Danny Hiller's crime drama "Love Me Still." LUFF is supported by Film London, the U.K. Film Council, Film Export U.K., the London Development Agency and U.K. Trade & Investment. "Little Dorrit Cast Announced" Full press release from the BBC here BBC Drama Production today announces the key cast for Little Dorrit, Andrew Davies' major adaptation of Dickens' novel to be broadcast on BBC One this autumn... Andy Serkis (Lord Of The Rings, King Kong) plays the dastardly French villain Rigaud; Ruth Jones (Gavin And Stacey) is the overwhelming Flora Casby, who dreams of a reunion with childhood sweetheart Arthur Clennam; Robert Hardy (Harry Potter films) is the bureaucratic Tite Barnacle, Principal of the byzantine Circumlocution Office, with Mackenzie Crook (Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Office) as office raconteur Harris, who constantly entertains with his shaggy dog stories... "Love Soup" From The Sun Mackenzie will appear in the May 10th episode of "Love Soup" EASTENDERS actress Charlie Brooks will be appearing in BBC sitcom Love Soup next week. Charlie, who returns to Albert Square as Janine this autumn after four years away, appears in the romantic comedy series' penultimate episode on May 10. She will play Denise, the wife of Mackenzie Crook's character Marty. TV boss Maxine Newman (Helen Lederer) wants to cast Marty in Douglas' (Mark Heap) new comedy, but Douglas is wary of the wayward actor, who he describes as "a mad person - every time you read about him he's either being arrested or stretchered out of a night club somewhere". When Marty and Denise invite Douglas and Alice (Tamsin Greig) round for dinner, the evening takes a bizarre and life-changing turn ... Mackenzie Crook: Tube Tales From Angel Magazine All actors crave success, but it can sometimes come at a price. For Mackenzie Crook, still beloved by fans for his career making role as Gareth Keenan in The Office, this has been an identification with the character that brought him to national attention. �I don�t know if will ever escape Gareth,� he notes without a hint of frustration or rancour. �I don�t necessarily want to shake him off, as long as people understand I can play other things as well then that�s good enough for me.�... April 'Craig and Crook are great kissers' From Times of India Bond girl Gemma Arterton says co-star Daniel Craig was a passionate kisser while British comedian Mackenzie Crook, who she has also worked with, is �tender."... Gareth's Going Underground From Independent.ie It's quite unnerving to be sitting opposite Gareth Keenan from The Office. Or, to be more precise, it's a slightly strange feeling to be facing Mackenzie Crook, the actor who played David Brent's right-hand man in the already legendary television series... Film Weekly: Russell Brand and Mackenzie Crook From Guardian.co.uk Follow the link to listen to a podcast from the Guardian's Film Weekly Three And Out - Mackenzie Crook interview From indieLondon MACKENZIE Crook talks about appearing in new British comedy-drama Three & Out, some of the controversy surrounding its themes [especially in light of London Transport�s criticisms] and why his love scene with new Bond girl Gemma Arterton was something he deaded. He also talks about his passion for London, future projects that are in development [such as The Last Van Helsing and a film about Dick Turpin] and the way he sees his career shaping up� Three times a crook From icCheshire Online I don't even notice Mackenzie Crook until he tries to slide past my chair, he is so unassuming. The actor who made his name as Gareth in The Office apologises needlessly and takes his seat with a tentative smile.... Three is a Magic Number for Mackenzie FromTottenham Journal ACTOR Mackenzie Crook may be used to walking red carpets and filming Hollywood blockbusters - but Muswell Hill is still where he spends his quality time... Three and Out Premiere Coverage "Three and Out Premiere Video Report" from Empire Online "Stars & Protesters Turn out for Three and Out Premiere" from Kent Online "Crook Defends Film on Red Carpet" from BBC News "In Photos: World Premiere of Three and Out" from Monsters and Critics "Mackenzie Crook�s tour of identities and the poignant Three and Out" Where does a career go after the massive success of The Office and Pirates of the Caribbean . Down the Tube, replies a cheerfully enthusiastic Mackenzie Crook Mackenzie Crook beams. �I can�t wait to go back! I just can�t wait,� he says, more excited and animated than at any time during the previous 60 minutes of our conversation. The 36-year-old star of The Office and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy is talking not of Hollywood, though, but of Zimbabwe. �I haven�t been there in about eight years and, obviously, the family farm was taken a few years back,� he says. His aunt�s property � part cattle and crop farm, part vast African bushland � was seized under the �land reforms� of Robert Mugabe�s regime. As a child, Crook spent his summer holidays there... From Times Online "The amazing Mr Mackenzie Crook: From The Office to Hollywood" Tortoises, coppicing and tube train suicides: Definitely not a routine interview with Mackenzie Crook... "When I was a kid I inherited Joshua and Josephine. They're a breeding pair, an old married couple. We reckon they're at least 80 or 85, but they're still at it, every spring. They love it. "Every year Josephine lays a clutch of eggs on the lawn. "But it's no way warm enough for them to live. So I see it as my duty to pick them up and hatch them in an incubator. "I don't give them names. I don't want them to get too attached. One was chewed by a fox last year and one ended up dying about a week later. I was gutted. Continue reading at The Daily Mail February Official Film Sites Launched Both sites for Mackenzie's upcoming films, 3 and Out and Abraham's Point have been relaunched with new content including images and behind the scenes info, check them out: 3 and Out, Abraham's Point "Mackenzie's Bloodsucking Role" Mackenzie Crook is to star as a vampire in a modern twist on the Dracula story. The Pirates Of The Caribbean actor will play blood-sucking Gladiolus Thrip in a new ITV drama which has begun filming in London...From This is Nottingham* *This article says the show has yet to be named, but it's called "The Last Van Helsing". Additional Articles on this show: "Dracula Brings Glenister back to ITV", "Glenister and Crook to star in ITV Vampire Drama", "ITV Bites Back with New Drama" January Big Brother According to the show's official website, Mackenzie will be the 'celebrity hijacker' today, January 21st. *Update* here's 2 videos from said-hijacking. Solomon Kane Mackenzie has been cast in the Michael J. Bassett film Solomon Kane. He joins Rachel Hurd-Wood, Alice Krige, Max Von Sydow, Pete Postlethwaite and James Purefoy (who is playing the titular character). Variety describes the film as the first in a trilogy, "Solomon Kane" is an epic tale of a 16th century soldier tormented by his past evil deeds, seeking redemption by battling a sinister power threatening the kingdom. The film is based upon pulp novels by Robert E. Howard (Conan the Barbarian) from the 1920s and '30s. Update: According to Empire Online Mackenzie's been cast as a character called Father Michael. Additionally, here is a video of director Michael J. Bassett speaking about the film: Happy 2008! December 2007: Congratulations!! The Daily Mail reports Mackenzie and Lindsay are celebrating the birth of a daughter (on Christmas Eve!) named Scout Elizabeth. Her older brother, Jude, is 4. Congrats! Fairy Story Mackenzie's first book is to be put out by Faber & Faber next fall. The following is details from the publisher's announcement: Mackenzie Crook, of Pirates of the Caribbean fame brings us this beautifully illustrated book about Asa Brown and his fight to save the illusive and harmless community of Fairies from extinction. Having discovered a dead fairy in his back garden Asa decides to investigate. Nothing could have prepared him for what was in store... from the ancient farmhouse of the eccentric and VERY old local alchemist Ptolemy Coot and his fascination with eternal life to the secret inner world of the fairies; from the grotesque to the magical... Crook�s first book for children is a funny, captivating, surreal and gothic adventure combining the elements of all the best fairy stories with a brilliant new voice in modern children�s fiction. Publication Date: October 2008 Rights: World All Languages Extent: 150 Pages Recommended Age: 8-12 Faber and Faber - Childrens Mackenzie Crook is one of British comedy�s best known faces. His most famous roles have been Gareth Keenan in the BBC hit �The Office�, and Rag[e]tti in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogyHe has also shared the screen Al Pacino, Heath Ledger, and Johnny Depp In 2004 he appeared opposite Christian Slater in the West End stage producion of One Flew Over The Cuckoo�s Nest, and he is also scriptwriting for his own future project. He lives in North London. |