 You may not know his name yet, but Joseph Millson is having a busy 2007. Not only did he kickstart the year with the debut of "Alan Jackson" in The Sarah Jane Adventures, but he also basked in the continuing glow of the theatrical release of Casino Royale.
Now at midyear, as he's returned to Cardiff to complete the 11-week shoot on SJA, another of his television projects is just finishing its run in the UK. In the ITV program, Talk To Me, Millson plays one of the three main leads.
His character, "Woody", finds himself in a love triangle with his best friend, and the friend's wife, who work with him at a radio station. Ironically, the three produce a show for the lovelorn. The four-episode serial has been airing on Sundays in June just after the watershed at 9pm. The programme will definitely see a Region 2 DVD release in the next few months; a Region 1 or 4 release is a little less certain.
What is clear is the centrality of the show to ITV's new look. Talk To Me was the first show commissioned by the new ITV Head of Drama, and is seen as something of a test of her vision. The show has seen a rise in viewership from its initially modest 4.2 million; later episodes have been more like the numbers for Life on Mars. The timing of Millson's ITV success couldn't be better for Sarah Jane Adventures. Its target audience seemingly secure based on "Invasion of the Bane", SJA certainly couldn't be hurt by the intriguing possibilities of Millson's higher profile on British TV. With this meaty romantic role fresh in their minds prior to the SJA launch, will mothers now be watching SJA for Millson just as dads will tag along for Sladen?
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