News Archive 2001

31 December 2001

Not the greatest surprise that Anna's official site relaunch is now over 2 weeks overdue!

07 December 2001

It must be well over a year since Anna's dad, Des, was telling me about his efforts to extract the annafriel.com domain name from what appeared to be a 'cyber squatter'.

It is now pointing to Anna's official site, which seems about to get a major update from the 15th of the month that looks to be well worthwhile (at last!).  Go see!

25 November 2001

Despite some favourable reviews and a nationwide(?!) release this week, a cinema showing Me Without You  is proving pretty hard to locate.  Try a search at either filmfour.com or via the Virgin.net portal, which also carries a review of the movie.  The official Web site can be found here.

24 November 2001

So, Anna's finally done an FHM photo set!  The January 2002(!) issue is now on sale, and the scans are online.

22 November 2001

Anna's latest and apparently best movie to date, Me Without You, is released nationwide tomorrow.

16 November 2001

There is a decent interview with Anna published in today's edition of The Guardian, available online here.

01 November 2001

Anna is on the cover of, and interviewed in, the December edition of Company  magazine.  Scans are now online.

30 October 2001

Not strictly 'Anna' news as such, but the site is now back online after a 36-hour absence, having been removed by my ISP following excess use of the bandwidth available on my account.

I know that the site used to serve between 100 and 120Mb of data on an average day, sometimes twice that.  I don't know what caused the extra volume of downloads yesterday, but close to 500Mb had been shifted by lunch time when the action was taken to suspend access.

To get the site back up and running again as quickly as possible I have had to ensure that the bandwidth issue does not reoccur by removing most of the online pictures of Anna.  Only the very latest scans — those newly-arrived in the current month — are now online.

About the only other option available was to convert to a business account with a 500Mb bandwidth allocation at almost four times the current monthly charge.  I don't see this happening to pay for a service that I provide as a hobby, especially considering that even 500Mb can still easily be breached in these days of DSL and cable modem connections.

I've left the site design and layout pretty much as it was, so while the Galleries sections remain they serve only as preview images for the now offline 200Mb collection of full-size scans, vidcaps and movies.

24 October 2001

Anna appears in the latest issue of In Style  magazine.  Scans are online in the afsc  series.

She will also be attending this year's British Independent Film Awards in London — see here for the official web site, and thanks to 'Romeo' and Ananova for the news.

04 September 2001

Anna attended a showing of her new movie Me Without You  at the Venice film festival yesterday.  And she's definitely growing those locks again!  See http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010904/en/film-venicefriel_1.html

02 September 2001

Thanks to David Campbell I'm aware in time to alert you of another repeat you might want to catch.

Cable TV viewers and those of you with SKY digital can catch a repeat of Alan Bleasdale's comedy-drama GBH  starting tomorrow (Monday 3rd) and all this week at 10:00pm on UK Drama.  It's a chance to see a very young Anna from ten years ago, though the part is minor as one of Michael Palin's daughters.  For a political satire it may now seem a bit dated, but I recall it as being more than amusing so it's well worth giving it a chance.

I also gather that the repeats of Brookside on UK Living are about to reach the point when Anna first exploded into the nation's attention — yes, it's Beth's kiss with Margaret.  Thanks to Malcolm Preen for pointing this out.

01 September 2001

You know how it is with digital television.  By the time you've looked through the terrestrial TV listings and the sport and movie channels for the day, there's just no room to take any more in.  The eyes glaze over and you barely skim through the specialist documentary, nature, biography, sci-fi, oldies and so on and on and on.

So anyway, that's my excuse for missing out on alerting you that the rarely-heard-of movie The Stringer  (starring, of course, our Anna) was aired on BBC Knowledge (!) last night.  BBC Knowledge??  I mean, what's that all about?  I only know it was on now because Dolphine over at the Reference Site spotted the listing and mailed me.  Not the most impressive way to mark the site's fifth birthday, I must admit.

If you missed it don't be too disappointed.  I imagine there's a good chance, now that it's finally had an airing, that it will be on again at some point.  It was made not long after Anna left Brookside, but has been buried over the intervening years in "post production".

If however you caught it, you'll know why it's taken so long to arrive in so obscure a manner.  No fault of Anna's but it didn't really come off, and it's a long way from being the most entertaining hour and a half you'll spend this week.

24 August 2001

Romeo has sent a link to the following news item from Ananova:—

Anna Friel will return to television screens next year in new BBC thriller Fields of Gold.

Friel will play a journalist caught up in a scandal over genetically-modified food.  The thriller was penned by Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger and will co-star Quadrophenia actor Phil Davis.  It is set to be broadcast in spring 2002.

16 August 2001

Thanks to Greg Camp for sending me the following info. on the US TV premier of Sunset Strip:—

12 July 2001

Happy 25th birthday Anna!  Here's a story from Ananova to celebrate . . .

Anna Friel and Sophie Marceau are being tipped to play Russian fighter aces in the Second World War epic Night Witches.  The film focuses on the female pilots who fought the Luftwaffe during the siege of Leningrad in 1941.

The £3 million adventure is based on real-life accounts of their brave night raids against enemy forces.

Alexander Siddig, better known to his fans as Dr Bashir from TV's Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, makes his directorial debut with the Anglo-Russian co-production.  The movie will go into production in the autumn in Moscow.

5 July 2001

As you'll be aware, Anna is presently reprising the Lulu  role in the US.  Here's a link to a review of the production from the Washington Post.

26 June 2001

Just a reminder that the first showing of Mad Cows  is tonight at 10:00pm on SKY Premier.

18 June 2001

For those of you able to receive it the digital channel BBC Prime are showing The Tribe  on Thursday 28 June at 11:00pm.

The big downer about this is that BBC Prime is not available in the UK.  So, we need someone out there with the right equipment and access to a lovely clean widescreen digital feed to come up with the first high-quality mpegs.  And if you need any more incentive there's a free site cd to the first contributor!

Thanks to 'Neddie Seagoon' who first spotted it and pointed me at the digiguide listings, and also to John Watson who mailed me to say that Optus Cable in Australia is screening The Tribe in late July, and has been screening The Land Girls and Rogue Trader this month.

26 May 2001

News today that Mad Cows  will be shown on SKY's subscription movie channels from next month.  The first airing is on Sky Premier at 10:00pm on Tuesday 26 June.

Thanks to Dave Campbell who spotted this, and sent the info. through.  Also see the story below as reported by Ananova — and thanks to 'Romeo' for the alert . . .

Anna Friel and Jonny Lee Miller are being tipped to star in the romantic comedy Northern Soul.  The story is set at the turn of the millennium, and centres on a group of youngsters partying their way into trouble in Blackpool.

The movie is being made by Glasgow-based Ideal World Films.  An insider told Ananova that the feature is due to go into production in spring next year.

He says: "Anna and Jonny would be perfect together but they are heavily committed in other areas at the moment.  We are keeping our options open."

14 May 2001

After a short break Anna is taking Lulu  across the pond to the Eisenhower Theater of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.  The show runs from 16 June to 15 July, and tickets are priced from $20 to $68.

Here's a web link for schedules, bookings, info. etc., or you can contact

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20566
Tickets and Information: 800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600
Administrative Offices: 202-416-8000

12 May 2001

The Lulu  run at The Almeida finishes today.  Here are links to reviews by some of the broadsheets:—

Perfect 'Lulu' for Our Time -- The Financial Times
Playing for Laughs Amid the Sex, Death and Degradation -- Independent
Sultry Revival is a Real Lulu -- The Times
Friel Thrills with Femme Fatale -- Evening Standard

02 May 2001

Many thanks to Gregory Camp for sending through the following details of several airings of — wait for it — The Tribe!!!  Great news (at last!) for all US-based fans of Anna.

28 April 2001

We are indebted once again to Romeo for passing on this item about another cancellation of Lulu.

22 April 2001

David Campbell, one of the Homage Page's regular visitors and contributors, has sent through his review of Lulu.  It is also posted at Dolphine's Anna Friel Reference Site, so go there to read it in full.

 17 April 2001

Some performances of Lulu  were again scrapped on medical advice last weekend, this time as a result of Anna's throat infection.  Thanks to Vickie, who missed out on Saturday's performance, for letting us know.

Commiserations if you were among the disappointed ones — especially if you were really unfortunate, and had re-booked following the cancellations earlier this month.

Early reports indicated that Anna might be absent for a couple of days, so all should be back to normal by the time you read this.  It may be worth checking with the venue that the show is definitely on however, especially if you're traveling some distance to see it.

05 April 2001

This report confirms the piece from The Guardian that I saw 2 or 3 weeks back that Anna is set to feature as Anne Boleyn in a new TV dramatisation of the life of Henry VIII.  Filming starts in June.

Thanks to 'Romeo' for sending through the link.

02 April 2001

Performances of Lulu  last night and tonight have apparently been cancelled following a back injury sustained by Anna.

27 March 2001

Just a reminder that Anna can be seen in the movie A Midsummer Night's Dream  on SKY Premier tonight at 8:00pm.

20 March 2001

A number of the national newspapers have reviewed Lulu  following yesterday's 'press night'.  They can only be described as something of a mixed bag.  Here's what the broadsheets had to say . . . 

DAILY TELEGRAPH: "This is a show that dismally fails to deliver the advertised goods.  Friel is a terrible disappointment.  She looks terrific, never more so than in the opening scene when she appears in a translucent Pierrot costume that leaves remarkably little - though just enough - to the imagination.  Unfortunately, though Friel impressed me on Broadway in Patrick Marber's Closer, she comes over here as a second-rate actress.  Her accent is all over the place and her strained little voice is inexpressive."

THE TIMES: "The first challenge facing the actress playing Lulu is to exude - no, ooze - an effortless sexuality.  Friel passes that test easily," writes Benedict Nightingale.  "The voice is a bit thin and shrill; but the woman herself is a creamy sensualist whose every pore palpitates and whose long legs are built for winding round male waists."

THE INDEPENDENT: "Throughout the first half, in which she links, struts and throws her legs wide apart at the drop of a trouser, she manages to be not only highly sexy, but also childishly surprised and even amused by her own power to enthrall the male of the species.  Anyone foolish enough to have left at the interval would have gathered entirely the wrong impression of her performance, though.  As Lulu grows sadder and more vulnerable, so her performance gains in nuance and depth, and the sensual prowling gives way to a girlish hesitancy and neediness.  It is admirably done."

Seems like the best advice is to go see it for yourself.

While rummaging around on their Web sites I also came across this snippet of information reported in The Guardian last week.  It may be something to look forward to next year, though as yet the casting is clearly not finalised.

The violence, sex and corruption of the Tudor court is to be played out on TV screens in a dramatisation of the Henry VIII story.  Granada Television has commissioned screenwriter Alan Bleasdale to paint a warts-and-all picture of the period, omitting none of the seamier elements of Henry's reign.  Ray Winstone, best known for his East End gangster roles, has been cast to play the king; and leading TV actors such as Anna Friel and Kathy Burke are being mentioned as possible candidates to play his wives.  The production is intended to be one of ITV's highlights next year. 

19 March 2001

Dolphine over at the Anna Friel Reference Site saw the play yesterday, and was last heard threatening to purchase a season ticket.  His review is here.

Have a look here too (from Jan's Alan Howard page).

10 March 2001

I've not heard or seen any reviews of the new play yet, and understand that the expected review (see item below) on Radio 3 the other night failed to materialise.  There are however items promised on both Radio 3 and Radio 4 in the next couple of weeks — see the extracts below from their schedules:—

Night Waves, 21:30 to 22:15 on Monday 19th March on BBC Radio Three
Paul Allen and guests discuss Wedekind's tale of sex and destruction as Anna Friel plays the title role in a new production of 'Lulu'. 

Saturday Review, 19:00 to 19:45 on Saturday 24th March on BBC Radio Four
Tom Sutcliffe and guests review the week's cultural events, including Anna Friel as Lulu in a new production of Wedekind's shocking tale.

03 March 2001

Anna has been hitting the publicity treadmill pretty hard over the past couple of months, and appearing in all parts of the media as a result.  So much so in fact that, whatever your preferred source of news reporting, you can hardly fail to have noticed that she is about to embark on her UK stage début.

While Lulu  features prominently in all of them, some are more interesting than others.  Thanks to 'UKRomeo' for sending through a link to this example, which apart from anything else tells us that Anna's middle name is Lulu!  I had previously seen it reported as Louise, so it's maybe more likely that some members of the family called her Lou-Lou?  Anyway, he also spotted and alerts us to the following (from the BBC Radio 3 schedule for 8 March):—

9:30 pm Night Waves Sarah Dunant presents the arts and culture magazine, including first-night news of the Almeida Theatre's new production of Wedekind's sexually charged drama `Lulu', starring Anna Friel.

If you can't be at a radio you can listen over the Web at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/

Dolphine over at the Anna Friel Reference Site has also been busy, spotting that A Midsummer Night's Dream  is on SKY's subscription movie channels from 27 March.

17 February 2001

The opening night of Lulu  has been postponed following the news that Anna has sustained a hairline fracture and torn ligament.  The play will now open on Thursday 8 March.

09 February 2001

Anna is on the cover of, and is interviewed in, the March issue of Elle magazine.  Scans are online.

05 February 2001

Anna's official site has had an update with all the details of her forthcoming London stage appearance.

28 January 2001

Those of you with access to the digital TV channel BBC Choice should ensure you're tuned in on Tuesday 6 February at 7:45 in order to catch Anna Friel presents 'The Fear'.  This is part of a series of "chilling tales read by actors", and Anna brings us 'Horror : A True Tale' by John Harwood.  It's repeated a few times the same week.

Also worth noting is that the Living Channel's repeats of Brookside have now finally caught up with the arrival in the Close of the Jordache family, so you can live (or re-live) Anna's role as Beth.

05 January 2001

Just a reminder, as reported on 24 December, that Rogue Trader has now finished its stint on SKY's pay-to-view service and can now be seen on their regular movie subscription channels.

The first airing is tomorrow night (Saturday 6th) at 22:00 on SKY Premier 1.  If you manage to miss that it will of course be reshown loads of times over the coming months.  The schedule so far is Sunday 7 January at 01:40 and Tuesday 16th at 20:00 on Premier 1; Wednesday 10th at 21:00 on Premier 2; and Friday 19th at 22:00 on Premier 3.

02 January 2001

Tickets, priced from £27.50 down to just £6.00, are now on sale for Anna's London theatre début in Lulu.  See the entry from 4 December in the 2000 News Archive for more details about the play.

Lulu  runs from 1 March to 12 May at the Almeida Theatre's Kings Cross Venue in Omega Place, off Caledonian Road.  Click here for a map and aerial photo showing the location of this temporary venue.

Performances are Monday - Friday at 7:30pm, with a Saturday matinée at 3:00pm.  Rehearsals start next week.  Go!

"The Anna Friel Homage Page dwarfs any other online offering"
Zoo magazine 02 June 2005

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