Former Big Breakfast beauty, Kelly Brook, will star in the new series of ITV’s Moving Wallpaper.

The Sun reports that Kelly will make a guest appearance on the second series of the show due to air later this year.

So this is it, judgement day, the network executives have spoken, Echo Beach is no more. What will Jonathan Pope, the programme’s irrepressible producer and his team do next?

ITV1 have today announced the brand new series of Moving Wallpaper, from the makers of Life On Mars, Spooks and Hustle.

Ben Miller (Armstrong And Miller, Primeval, The Worst Week) reprises his role as hapless producer Jonathan Pope and is joined once again by Raquel Cassidy (Party Animals, Lead Balloon), James Lance (Teachers, Sensitive Skin), Sarah Hadland (Learners, Peep Show), Elizabeth Berrington (The Dinner Party, The Office), Lucy Liemann (The IT Crowd), Dave Lamb (The Smoking Room) and Sinead Keenan (Trouble With Sex). Read more & comment »

ITV may have cancelled Echo Beach, but Jason Donovan who played Dan Marrack in the soap is said to be returning to make a guest appearance on its sister show, Moving Wallpaper, which did land a second series.

Ben Miller who stars in the show revealed: “Apparently, we hope, Jason Donovan is going to come and play himself in a little bit and just do a scene at the beginning of the series. Basically swear a bit for five minutes,” he said.

ITV1 comedy, Moving Wallpaper is to return for a second series, but without its soap counterpart, Echo Beach.

The shows were launched together early this year but received mixed reviews and falling ratings. Moving Wallpaper was the show set around the making of the soap, Echo Beach, which starred Jason Donovan and Martine McCutcheon.

“We think it will work better in a new format,” said an ITV spokeswoman.

Dan waits anxiously for the results of the paternity test which will prove whether Jimmy is his son. Mark is smug when the phone call comes confirming that Jimmy is his son after all.

Jimmy visits Abi to explain his outburst. Dan tells him that he will not get in the way of his and Abi’s relationship but she doesn’t know anything about the paternity test and that is the way he wants to keep it. Abi is still upset with Jimmy and asks him to leave but doesn’t have the courage to tell him that she slept with Charlie. Shortly after, Grace reveals to Abi that she saw everything.

Jackie is angry with Ian when he suggests they move to live on a Scottish island. Narinder’s brother arrives at the Wrecker’s Arms and reveals to Ivy the true reason why his sister is in Polnarren. Read more & comment »

ITV have revealed that it intends to commission a second series of Moving Wallpaper, it’s Friday night behind-the-scenes sitcom.

But it’s not such good news for Echo Beach, the actual soap affiliated with the comedy. A Source told The Sun:

“Moving Wallpaper is returning. We made the call to Kudos Productions on Saturday after reading TV Biz. But we’re not sure what will happen to Echo Beach. It will either have a few episodes or run on the internet.”

I have watched most episodes of most shows, and like many others I much preferred Moving Wallpaper. I loved Jonathan Pope’s cutting wit, coupled with his absolute stupidity. Echo Beach should have been brilliant. It had a cast containing some very seasoned and talented actors, the involvement of Jason Donovan, Martine McCutcheon and Johnny Briggs should have guaranteed it more success than it acheived. Read more & comment »

This week on Moving Wallpaper it’s too hot in the office and sex is in the air. Jonathan catches Sam fondling an Echo Beach actor on the set. Jonathan can’t see who it is so makes it his mission to hunt down the culprit with his one piece of evidence: a flip flop. And snooping through actors trailers doesn’t go down well with the ‘turns’, especially as they discover that Hugo Speer has embarrassingly tiny feet.

The team realise that Sam’s got soap fever after they watch some shocking rushes, including Daniel Marrack wasting Jimmy with a machine gun. Nancy tells Jonathan that Sam needs to be isolated otherwise her madness could spread. Read more & comment »

The pressure mounts when Sam takes over as producer after Jonathan quits – Nancy won’t pay for them to have a table at the TV Quick Awards and Jonathan isn’t happy. Sam now has to hold the fort for an episode of Echo Beach, which aims to win the Spectacular Scene of the Year Award at the British Soap Awards and beat off the competition from a double episode of EastEnders. Read more & comment »

On tonights Moving Wallpaper installment, Nancy is demanding meetings about why the show is massively over budget and that Narinder’s back story hasn’t been worked out properly, so Jonathan turns to a team he feels he is finally bonding with.

But he feels out of the loop, and moves into the production office to be closer to everyone. His noisy habits soon irritate the writers and his tactless comments upset Gillian, who has just been mugged. His clumsy attempt to apologise by taking her for a spin in Echo Beach’s latest prop – a beach buggy – backfires when he almost knocks over Narinda herself, Chandeep Upall. Read more & comment »

Former Eastenders actress, Martine McCutcheon has revealed that she had serious doubts about accepting her role in new ITV soap, Echo Beach when it was first offered to her.

Martine plays an unhappily married, repressed, millionaire housewife in Echo Beach.

“I didn’t understand the concept of the show very well,” Martine told the Daily Record. “I also wondered why they wanted me to play this repressed, woman in her mid 40s – 10 years older than me.”

However, Martine quickly changed her mind when she discovered that Tony Marchant, who created her EastEnders character Tiffany, had written the scripts for both Echo Beach and its sister show, Moving Wallpaper. Read more & comment »

Jason Donovan has revealed that he is very happy with his role in new ITV soap opera, Echo Beach, as it is ‘very him.’

Speaking to the Daily Record Jason said:

“It’s the beach, it’s me, it’s surfing, it’s blonde hair and blue eyes. It’s very me.

“I’m nearly 40. I look back with fond memories. There’s not a day when I can escape those references to Neighbours or Kylie but why would I want to? I’m proud of all that. Life’s short, f****** enjoy it. I think you should never start taking yourself too seriously.”

Echo Beach will run alongside behind the scenes comedy, Moving Wallpaper.

He said: “I read Echo Beach and thought, ‘yeah’ and then I read Moving Wallpaper and thought, ‘this is for me’. They work very well together but can stand up on their own. It’s a potent mix. Read more & comment »

This is an interview with actor Ben Miller on his new ITV show, Moving Wallpaper.

“Jonathan Pope is the puppeteer of Echo Beach. If you see Moving Wallpaper first, you see Echo Beach in a completely different light. Suddenly, little things that seem completely insignificant become significant – for example, Susie Amy from Moving Wallpaper is desperate to get a line in Echo Beach. Eventually, she tracks down Jonathan Pope, and says, “If you give me a line in Echo Beach, I’ll give you …” and you never know quite what that something is but you see a big smile on his face in the next scene. Then you watch Echo Beach and suddenly Susie comes into the bar and asks for a drink. Read more & comment »

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are about to change the face of British television forever… welcome to Echo Beach,’’ Jonathan Pope, Producer

Jonathan Pope is a man on a mission. That mission is to make the most talked about post-watershed soap opera in Britain. But when your boss hates you, the writers despair of you and the entire cast and crew think you’re a prat, that mission is bound to be a fraught one.

ITV is proud to announce two interlinking shows from the makers of Life On Mars, Spooks and Hustle. Jason Donovan and Martine McCutcheon return to their soap roots to play the parts of ex-lovers in Echo Beach. Ben Miller plays the hapless producer desperate to make the soap a success in a behind-the-scenes comedy Moving Wallpaper.

Both 12 part series, from the award-winning Kudos, will run together on ITV1.

In Echo Beach, Hugo Speer (Bleak House, The Full Monty) plays Mark Penwarden, who will stop at nothing to run his wife Susan’s (McCutcheon) ex-lover Daniel Marrack (Donovan) out of Polnarren, with Johnny Briggs (Coronation Street) as long term resident Fin Morgan. Read more & comment »