Beowulf. Without the thousand-year-old epic poem, fantasy as we know it in the West doesn’t exist.
Lord of the Rings?
Game of Thrones? Those battered paperback novels with people waving swords on the covers that you find in the corners of op shops? They’re all inspired by the saga contained in the oldest known poem in Old English. Which is a little surprising, as historians largely agree that
Beowulf is as much an accurate record of its time as it is a story with a dragon in it.
Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands seems to make it very clear on what side of the line between fact and fantasy it lies with its opening scene, when a young Beowulf and his father flee on horseback from a pair of obviously not-human trolls. Other retellings of
Shortland Street special, silver-screen stars
Kura Forrester and
Chlöe Swarbrick and Aziz Al-Sa’afin will slay the Saturday night show.
A proud leader of Rainbow representation, Auckland’s own Chlöe Swarbrick is promising to be just as fierce on-stage as she is in the Beehive. With a strong history in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau’s performing arts scene, Chlöe has given everything from stand-up comedy to running for mayor a go, and her drag debut will be everything we’ve come to expect and love from the youngest MP in Aotearoa in more than 40 years. Joining her is the boundless feel-good energy of Aziz Al-Sa’afin, as the broadcaster and MC adds ‘drag queen’ to his impressive resume. No stranger to Auckland Pride, previously hosting the
How Shorty St star Helena McAlpine s daughter Shannon keeps her memory alive
28 Jan, 2021 06:00 PM
6 minutes to read
Shannon says her mum Helena s friends have become like surrogate mums to her. Photo / Tony Nyberg
Other
By: Leena Tailor
Just over five years on from Helena McAlpine s death, her daughter Shannon and bestie Shavaughn Ruakere still think about her and grieve for her daily, and though talking about the wacky, fun-loving TV and radio star may be painful, they both agree it s the best therapy. She was a ridiculous person, in the best sense, the former Shortland Street actress says of her BFF, who died in 2015, at just 37, after a six-year battle with breast cancer. Definitely my most embarrassing friend! I miss her zest for life.
Peter Vere-Jones.
Photo: RNZ/Supplied?
He had been a professional actor since the 1960s and his career included parts in several Peter Jackson films, such as Bad Taste and the second Hobbit film.
He also was a member of the
Shortland Street cast.
In the 2002 Queen s Birthday and golden jubilee honours, he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
In 1989, he made a television documentary about his own battle with bowel cancer, called
Crisis.