'A Gift From the Culture' Set for the Big Screen?

October 28th, 2009 in Global, TV, Radio & Film

Last week's big Banks buzz (which broke while I was away on holiday, hence the late posting here - apologies for that to everyone who came looking for a timely update and didn't find one...) is about the prospect of a film adaptation of the short story 'A Gift From the Culture', which was first published in issue #20 of Interzone, the UK's longest-running science fiction magazine, and is more readily available in the Iain M collection The State of the Art.

Various websites carry versions of the news: www.slashfilm.com, screendaily.com and hollywoodreporter.com included. At the moment there really isn't anything to add to those announcements. I'll certainly try to post fresh updates as and when they become available (hopefully with a little more alacrity...) and in the meantime, do feel free to join in the discussion of the project over at the Iain Banks Fan Forum (you'll need to be a forum member in order to post replies to the thread).

Newsflash: Iain Banks on Simon Mayo, BBC R5 Live, today

September 14th, 2009 in Global, TV, Radio & Film

Iain Banks will be a guest on the Simon Mayo show on BBC Radio 5 Live, today, Monday 14th September, at 13.00 hours.

That is all.

Thanks yet again to Dave H of the Banksoniain for the heads-up!

Iain Banks talking to Cerys Matthews, Tuesday Sept 15th

September 10th, 2009 in Global, TV, Radio & Film

Iain Banks will be a guest on BBC Radio 6's Cerys on 6, next Tuesday, September 15th, from 13.00. He'll be talking to presenter Cerys Matthews about his new novel Transition.

More info at the BBC Radio 6 website.

Thanks to Dave H of The Banksoniain for the heads-up!

The Crow Road showing again on BBC4

September 9th, 2009 in TV, Radio & Film, UK-Specific

The BBC adaptation of The Crow Road will be broadcast again over the next few weeks.

Episode I will be shown tonight, Wednesday, 9th September 2009, at 22:00 and will be repeated on Sunday 13th at 23:50.

More details on the series website at www.bbc.co.uk.

Update: Sorry folks, doesn't look like the series will be available via the BBC iPlayer.

Iain Banks guesting on STV's The Hour, Tues 8th Sept

September 4th, 2009 in TV, Radio & Film, UK-Specific

Iain Banks will be a guest on ITV1 Scotland's 'The Hour' programme at 17.00 on Tuesday September 8th.

Not entirely sure if the programme will be available to viewers outside Scotland at the time of broadcast, but you should be able to view the show online via STV's catch-up player once the show has gone out.

Thanks to DaveH of The Banksoniain for the heads-up!

Update 09.09 STV's Andrew Coyle has been in touch to let us know that the footage of Ian's appearance on the Hour has been posted at entertainment.stv.tv. Cheers Andrew!

Iain Banks talks to Muriel Gray

September 4th, 2009 in TV, Radio & Film, UK-Specific

Iain Banks was a guest on Muriel Gray's Open Book programme on BBC Radio 4 recently where they discussed Iain's cross-genre tendencies and the conspicuous lack of a Booker nomination during Iain's long and illustrious career.

The show is currently available to listen to via the the BBC website / iPlayer console.

Check out the end of the segment for a quick mention of Iain's plans for his next book...

Iain Banks on BBC Radio Scotland, 13th August

August 7th, 2009 in TV, Radio & Film, UK-Specific

BBC Radio Scotland's Radio Cafe programme provides coverage of the Edinburgh Festivals, including conversation with guests and performers. They recently announced via their Twitter feed (@TheFestivalCafe) that Iain Banks will be on the show next Thursday, August 13th.

You can find out more about the programme at www.bbc.co.uk and can book free tickets for the recording via www.venue150.com.

[Thanks to Dave H of The Banksoniain for the heads-up]

Iain Banks on BBC Radio Scotland – Listen Again until August 1st

July 27th, 2009 in TV, Radio & Film, UK-Specific

Iain Banks was the special guest on Shereen Nanjiani's current events talk show on BBC Radio Scotland yesterday evening.

If you missed the show, you can listen again via the BBC website until Saturday August 1st.

Iain Banks taking part in 'Ursula Le Guin at 80' radio tribute

March 11th, 2009 in Global, TV, Radio & Film

Iain Banks will be contributing to a BBC Radio 4 tribute to veteran science fiction and fantasy author Ursula K. LeGuin, which will be broadcast on Tuesday, March 17th at 11.30 a.m.

Here's the info from the BBC Radio4 website:

Writer China Miéville talks to American science fiction writer Ursula Le Guin.

Le Guin was a trailblazer - writing in the 1960s, her series of books about the adventures of a boy wizard, Ged, included characters of every race and colour. Her fiction has been acutely concerned with politics, portraying worlds destroyed by environmental catastrophe that prefigured modern concerns about global warming, and societies without gender just as modern-day feminism began to take off.

Featuring contributions and tributes from Iain Banks and Margaret Atwood.

[Thanks to The Banksoniain's David H for the heads-up]

State of the Art radio adaptation news

October 7th, 2008 in Global, TV, Radio & Film

Via DaveH we've learned that Ian Whates, one of the organisers of this month's Newcon4 convention - at which Iain will be a Guest of Honour - has posted the following news about Paul Cornell's radio adaptation of Ian's short story 'The State of the Art', at the SFF Chronicles forum.

"Paul Cornell's radio adaptation of Iain Banks' novel The State of the Art will be aired on the 6th March 2009 on Radio 4...

"Of course, anyone impatient for a preview would have to come along to NewCon 4. We've obtained permission to play exclusive clips from the show, 6 months ahead of its broadcast; said clips to then be discussed by the author and adaptor ('adaptor' as in Paul, rather than any electronic gizmo!)."

And there's more information on State of the Art's place in the forthcoming BBC Radio science fiction season, over at blogs.thestage.co.uk.

Iain Banks on Radio 4 next week

July 10th, 2008 in Global, TV, Radio & Film

Via Dave H of The Banksoniain fanzine, we hear that Iain is listed as a contributor to the programme 'The Disappearing Art of the Mix Tape', which will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 11:30 next Thursday, July 17th.

The blurb says: "Broadcaster and journalist David Quantick celebrates the home-produced compilation cassette, a disappearing art form in an age when music can be readily downloaded. Contributors include novelist Iain Banks and poet Simon Armitage."

More information from www.bbc.co.uk.

One from the Archives: Iain [M] Banks' Write Place

July 7th, 2008 in Global, TV, Radio & Film

Originally posted to YouTube (and presumably broadcast) back in March 2008, in this clip from Sky Arts' 'The Book Show', Iain Banks introduces us to his inner sanctum: the eclectic study wherein all that writerly magic takes place...

[Many thanks to Gary W for the heads-up]

'State of the Art' radio-play – casting news

June 26th, 2008 in Global, TV, Radio & Film

Last week on his blog, Paul Cornell reported that no less a British stage luminary than Anthony Sher KBE will be playing the voice of the GCU Arbitrary in the forthcoming BBC4 radio adaptation of 'State of the Art', which Paul has scripted and Iain Banks is reportedly very pleased with indeed.

More news as Paul reveals it...

[Thanks to Dave H of 'The Banksoniain' for the heads-up]

Paul Cornell to adapt 'State of the Art' for BBC Radio 4

February 25th, 2008 in Global, TV, Radio & Film

Over on his LiveJournal, science fiction writer Paul Cornell has announced that he has been commissioned to adapt the Iain Banks novella 'State of the Art' into a play for broadcast on BBC Radio 4 later this year.

Paul, who is best known for his work as a writer for Doctor Who and also writes novels and comics, said of the project:

"My producer is the wonderful Nadia Molinari, and we're looking to keep all the SF goodness of the original. I'm enjoying how serious and thoughtful the brief is. The story is about Banks' spaceborne utopian civilisation, the Culture, encountering Earth. Some interesting casting of a Ship voice ahead, I should think, and who should be Diziet Sma? I'm anticipating the process hugely."

Further details as they become apparent...