MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has announced that the definitive cast list for the BBC Two Shakespeare films encompassing Richard II, Henry IV (Parts I and II) and Henry V has been confirmed.

Featuring Shakespearean actors, all four films have been commissioned by BBC Two for their Shakespeare season in 2012 as part of the BBC?s contribution to the London 2012 Festival and the Cultural Olympiad. The films were commissioned by BBC Drama Commissioning controller Ben Stephenson and BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow.

The historical plays are set in the medieval period. As principal photography begins on Henry V, the previously announced Kings - Ben Whishaw, Jeremy Irons and Tom Hiddleston - will be joined by an ensemble cast.

Whishaw said, "Playing Richard II has been a hugely rewarding experience. Working on this beautiful play with Rupert Goold and an amazing cast has been one of the most magical and memorable experiences of my career."

Irons added, "I am most grateful to have this opportunity of returning to Shakespeare, to film under the experienced eye of Richard Eyre, alongside such exciting actors."

In the first film of the cycle, Ben Whishaw will play King Richard II with Rory Kinnear as his challenger, Bolingbroke. John of Gaunt will be played by Patrick Stewart (The RSC?s Merchant of Venice), with David Suchet (Poirot) as The Duke of York and David Morrissey (South Riding) as Northumberland. Tom Hughes will play Aumerle and Mowbray will be played by James Purefoy. Clemence Po?sy (Harry Potter) will play the role of Queen Isabella and Lindsay Duncan (Alice in Wonderland) will play The Duchess of York. Other confirmed cast members include Lucian Msamati and David Bradley.

Completing the confirmed cast of Richard II are Isabella Laughland, Daniel Boyd, Finbar Lynch, Richard Bremmer, Harry Hadden Paton, Ferdinand Kingsley, Samuel Roukin, Tom Goodman-Hill, Adrian Schiller, Peter De Jersey, Simon Trinder and Rhodri Miles.

The second and third films will see Jeremy Irons playing Henry IV, supported by Tom Hiddleston as Prince Hal. Simon Russell Beale (Spooks) will play Falstaff and Julie Walters (Mamma Mia, Mo) will play Mistress Quickly. Hotspur will be played by Joe Armstrong (Robin Hood) and Michelle Dockery is to play Lady Percy alongside Maxine Peake as Doll Tearsheet. Lady Northumberland will be played by Niamh Cusack with Alun Armstrong as Northumberland. Reece Shearsmith will play the role of Davy, Tom Georgeson will play Bardolph, Pistol will be played by Paul Ritter and Douglas Henshall (South Riding) will play Mowbray. Iain Glen will play Warwick and Geoffrey Palmer will play Lord Chief Justice.

Completing the confirmed cast of Henry IV are Henry Faber, James Laurenson, David Hayman, Robert Pugh, Alex Clatworthy, Stephen McCole, David Dawson, Ian Conningham and Nick Jones.

Tom Hiddleston will play Henry V in the final film. John Hurt will play The Chorus and Julie Walters will play Mistress Quickly

NBCUniversal International UK MD Gareth Neame said, "NBCUniversal International is delighted to partner with Neal Street, BBC and WNET to bring this definitive version of this cycle of the history plays to our screens. It demonstrates our commitment to finance and produce expressly British content and distribute it to audiences worldwide."

MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BBC has announced a bumper feast of new programmes and seasonal specials for Christmas.

Leading the line up of drama is an adaptation of Charles Dickens?s ?Great Expectations?, featuring Ray Winstone, Gillian Anderson, David Suchet and Douglas Booth.

In another adaptation, Mary Norton?s classic children?s books will be brought into the 21st century in ?The Borrowers?, starring Stephen Fry, Victoria Wood and Christopher Eccleston.

The story of children?s book ?The Gruffalo?s Child? is told through a magical animation and voiced by Shirley Henderson, Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Robbie Coltrane, James Corden, John Hurt and Tom Wilkinson.

There will also be a Doctor Who Christmas Special where the Doctor, played by Matt Smith, will be joined by a stellar cast including Claire Skinner, Bill Bailey, Arabella Weir and Alexander Armstrong.

In comedy two new episodes of ?Absolutely Fabulous? will see Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley reprise their roles as the champagne-swigging Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone. They will be joined by the original cast of Julia Sawalha as Saffy, June Whitfield as mother and Jane Horrocks as Bubble.

Sir David Jason is back in a comedy role on BBC One for the first time in 20 years leading the cast of The Royal Bodyguard, and Sue Johnston stars in a new Christmas comedy, ?Lapland?.

Leading the laughs on BBC Two this yuletide will be a new four-part comedy adventure series ?The Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff?. Kicking off the series there will be a one-hour Christmas special featuring an impressive cast of Robert Webb, Katherine Parkinson, Stephen Fry, David Mitchell, Celia Imrie, Pauline McLynn and Johnny Vegas.

There will be a Michael McIntyre Christmas Special to look forward to and Christmas editions of Mrs Brown?s Boys, Rev, Outnumbered, John Bishop?s Britain, Have I Got News For You and The Graham Norton Show.

The ?Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special? will bring some seasonal sparkle to the Christmas schedule with five new celebrities donning their sequins and dancing shoes to battle it out for the crown of Strictly Christmas champ.

Spreading a bit of Christmas cheer will be a one-off special edition of Jim?ll Fix It. Presented by Shane Richie the programme will see a whole new generation of children have their dreams fixed for them.

In this year?s ?Top Gear Special?, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May set out to boost the British economy by embarking on a trade mission to India. Equipped with three old British cars and a range of uniquely British products, they set off on an epic road trip across one of the world?s most fascinating and challenging countries.

Aled Jones introduces a very festive Songs of Praise, Big Sing from London?s Royal Albert Hall; meanwhile Carols from King?s tells the Christmas story, assisted by carols from the world-famous Chapel Choir of King?s College, Cambridge.

Heralding the 2012 bicentenary celebrations of Charles Dickens, Dickens on the BBC includes the documentary strand Arena on BBC Four, which opens the door on the vast Dickens onscreen archive that has been generated over a century across the globe. On BBC Two, Sue Perkins exposes the lesser-known reality of the Dickens family Christmas, looking at the marriage of Charles Dickens through the eyes of his wife, Catherine, in Mrs Dickens?s Family Christmas, and Armando Iannucci uses Dickens?s masterpiece David Copperfield to unpick the language and analyse the characters to explore the revolutionary development of Dickens as a storyteller.

BBC Vision director George Entwistle said, "At the heart of our 2011 Christmas offering, we have a number of programmes inspired by the work and life of one of Britain?s greatest writers, Charles Dickens. From a bold adaptation of Great Expectations to a brilliant new comedy The Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff, and high-quality documentaries from Armando Iannucci and Sue Perkins, we have something to keep every member of the family entertained over the festive period.

"With the return to our screens of Absolutely Fabulous and Sir David Jason, with the Royal Bodyguard, it will be truly unmissable television here on the BBC this Christmas.??

MUMBAI: BBC has announced that its channel BBC Three has commissioned a season of programmes that will explore the complexities of sex and sexuality through a range of different viewpoints, from the scientist and the historian to the virgin, the lap dancer and the comedian.

The three-part series, ‘How Sex Works‘, will combine real life stories, science and computer graphics to tell the story of the science behind sex. Inside the human body with CGI, the series will explore the physiological, neurological and psychological changes that happen before, during and after sex to investigate the science of lust and the mechanics of sex itself.

BBC Three controller Zai Bennett said, "Sex is on all young adults‘ minds and we hope this major new season will encourage our audience to look at it from a variety of viewpoints. We aim to expose our viewers to a range of perspectives, some of which might be at odds with each other, but most importantly we want our viewers to watch these programmes and form their own opinions." 

Other programmes in the season include a one-off documentary in which Cherry Healey explores why losing your virginity is such an important experience and is about so much more than sex; Web Sex ? Where‘s The Harm?, in which ex-Hollyoaks star Nathalie Emmanuel investigates how the Internet is changing the love lives of 16-24 year olds, revealing for the first time figures from an academic study which indicates what proportion of this age group are using the Internet for sexual purposes; and Jeff Leach ? Am I A Sex Addict?, a heartfelt and at times funny journey into Jeff‘s sexual history in which he meets some of the women who have known him best and asks whether he can change his ways.

Also included in the season are: ‘Coming Out Diaries‘. This is an observational documentary following the journeys of young people as they go through key moments of sexual discovery. ‘Undressed‘ is look at the lap-dancing industry through the stories of some of the young women who work in one of Britain‘s biggest chains of clubs. ‘The Sex Stories That Changed Britain‘ will offer a look back at the stories, scandals and events from the past 40 years that have changed the nation‘s behaviour and attitude to all things sex.

BBC Documentaries commissioning executive Samantha Anstiss said, "Sex is a complex and perennially interesting subject, and one worthy of intelligent and thought-provoking exploration. Many BBC Three viewers are well informed about sex, but I hope that programmes like ‘How Sex Works‘, ‘Coming Out Diaries‘ and ‘Am I A Sex Addict?‘ will provide a fresh and unexpected point of view that is relevant to their lives."