The rags-to-riches story of last year’s Britain’s Got talent winner Paul Potts is being developed into a feature, Blame It On The Bangra is a culture clash comedy set in Bangra dancing competitions in Southall. Elsewhere Eloise In Paris is gearing up for a summer shoot, Sleeper tells the tale of an ex-SAS officer hired by the government to take on a terrorist attack and Lost For Words is a love story about a man who falls for a beautiful Chinese actress and her equally lovely translator. Other films worthy of note include, The Property, A Dog Called Grk, Giants Of Groll, Last Station and Whodunit, a cold war murder-mystery.

Comedy and Light entertainment include a second series of the web-dullard Lilly Allen And Friends even though hardly anybody watches it. The Old Guys is a new comedy about two pensioners who compete to win the affections of a glamorous neighbour, Clone set in a military research facility that produces a super-solder who defies expectation and not in a good way and Life Of Riley sees Caroline Quentin on familiar territory as a recently remarried woman trying to pull her new family together. Speak Up is a new twist on the reality talent show in which young people showcase their public speaking talent and Heston Blumenthl attempts to reverse the fortunes of the roadside restaurant chain in Big Chef – Little Chef.

Factual and documentary sees the return of the excellent time-shift series The Coal House. The new series will examine the struggles and pressures of a small mining community during the darkest days of the Second World War. British Style Genius attempts to discover the next crop of celebrity stylists, Grand Designs Live is a week-long event following the construction of someone’s dream home and Would Like To Meet Again returns to the singletons of the series at the start of the decade to see if they have found love.

Drama sees lots of returning shows. The Commander, Ashes To Ashes and Shameless are all back for more, as it Cranford which will return for a one-off edition next Christmas. Clash Of The Santas revisits the comedy-drama-franchise of Mark Benton and Robson Greene as the ever competitive brothers desperate to outdo each other. Strike Back is a new drama based on the book by Chris Ryan and Raw is a new drama set in a restaurant kitchen shooting in Ireland. Other dramas for April include Trinity, Mr. Eleven, Apparitions and Going Postal, the latest Terry Pratchett adaptation though without the benefit of David Jason leading the cast.

Finally an intriguing new series Man V’s Cartoon aims to recreate some of the stunts and escapades of some classic cartoon characters.

Martin Brand

If you have an event you would like listed in the Crimson Datebook, please email details to Alan@crimsonuk.com.

Joyette Jones