+ Screen News
* The BBC is searching for the greatest person of the 20th Century, inviting audiences to get involved by voting for their favourite icon. This ambitious TV series offers a short-list of influential figures according to the following categories: Leaders, Explorers, Scientists, Entertainers, Activists, Sports Stars and Artists & Writers. Each of the categories will have four shortlisted icons (selected by a panel of experts) and each will have its own advocate. Trevor McDonald kicked off the series this week with four Leaders ( Winston Churchill, Franklin D Roosevelt, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela), while Kathleen Turner will introduce four Entertainers (Charlie Chaplin, Billie Holiday, Marilyn Monroe, David Bowie). The public will ultimately decide the finalist from each category who will then go head-to-head in a grand finale to be broadcast on BBC Two on Tuesday, February 5. Incidentally, there is just one Irish-born icon among the short-listed 28; Kildare’s Ernest Shackleton (above) who will contend with the likes of Neil Armstrong in the Explorers category. * Irish cinematographer Cathal Watters has been nominated for an award by the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers for his work on Peaky Blinders (above). The Irish DP has worked on such TV productions as An Klondike, Finding Joy and Taken Down; plus big screen features such as Viva and Rosie. Also nominated in the Non Commercial Television category are Gonzalo Amat ( The Man in the High Castle); Adriano Goldman ( The Crown), David Klein ( Homeland), plus Colin Watkinson and Zoe White for The Handmaid’s Tale. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Hollywood on February 9. Irish DP, Robbie Ryan, is also up for an award that night for his work on The Favourite.
* HBO head honcho Richard Plepler is among the first people in the world to have seen a rough cut of all six episodes of the final season of Game of Thrones (right). His verdict? ‘”I’ve watched them twice without any CGI and I’m in awe,” he gushes. “Everybody’s in for an extraordinary treat of storytelling and of magical, magical production.” Fans will have to wait until April to have their own say on the eighth and final season of the most popular TV series in the world.