Michael Palin - P 2013
Jo Hal/Getty ImagesLONDON – Monty Python’s Michael Palin will star in a three-part BBC supernatural thriller in his first lead role in a TV drama in more than 20 years.
Remember Me will see him play a “mysterious” resident of a nursing home who becomes the only witness to a violent death. Palin will star opposite Game of Thrones and The Full Monty actor Mark Addy, who will portray a detective.
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Palin, mostly known for his comedic work, last had a lead role in a TV drama in 1991 when he played a principal in GBH on Britain’s Channel 4.
“It’s also a return to Yorkshire [where the mini-series is shooting now], where I was born, brought up and learned my acting in amateur dramatics,” Palin told the Guardian. “I was attracted to Remember Me not only by the Northern setting, but also by a good, strong, challenging role, something I could really get what remains of my teeth into.”
The show will air on BBC One, the U.K. public broadcaster’s flagship channel. Said BBC One controller Charlotte Moore: “It’s a real coup for us that Michael Palin has chosen to make his return to a leading role for the first time in over 20 years on BBC One.”
Palin will reunite with the other surviving members of comedy troupe Monty Python for a series of sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena in July.
E-mail: Georg.Szalai@THR.com
Twitter: @georgszalai
