Scorsese to team up with Law

Jude Law and Sir Christopher Lee are among the British actors confirmed in the cast of Martin Scorsese’s latest movie, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Sir Ben Kingsley and Richard Griffiths will also appear in the film, which has started production in London.

The movie, which is the Oscar-winning film maker’s first move into 3D, is due for release in December 2011.

It is about boy who secretly lives in the walls of a Paris train station.

Hugo becomes caught up in a mysterious adventure involving an eccentric girl, his late father and a robot.

Best seller

Frances de la Tour will also join the cast which already includes 13-year-old US actress Chloe Moretz, who starred in Kick-Ass.

Asa Butterfield, who recently starred in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, has already been confirmed in the role of 12-year-old orphan Hugo.

The film is based on a 2007 book by Brian Selznick which topped the New York Times best seller list.

It has been adapted for the screen by John Logan, screenwriter of Scorsese’s 2004 film The Aviator.

Scorsese won his first best director Oscar in 2007 for The Departed following six unsuccessful nominations.

The Views of … Stephen Fry

Broadcaster Stephen Fry has criticised British TV saying it is “shocking” how “infantilised” adult programmes have become.

“I’m not saying TV should be pompous and academic, but it should surprise and astonish,” he said.

The QI host said BBC shows Merlin and Doctor Who, were “wonderfully written” but “not for adults”.

The comedian and writer was speaking at the annual Bafta Television Lecture in London.

Fry said: “The only drama the BBC will boast about are Merlin and Doctor Who, which are fine but they’re children’s programmes. They’re not for adults.

“And they’re very good children’s programmes, don’t get me wrong, they’re wonderfully written… but they are not for adults.

“They are like a chicken nugget. Every now and again we all like it. Every now and again.”

He added: “If you are an adult you want something surprising, savoury, sharp, unusual, cosmopolitan, alien, challenging, complex, ambiguous, possibly even slightly disturbing and wrong,” he said.

“You want to try those things, because that’s what being adult means.

“It’s children’s television, it’s entirely infantilised. It’s not grown up.”

Fry praised US TV, which he said provided “surprise and shock and adulthood”.

He also said BBC’s comedy shows such as Gavin and Stacey and Little Britain were “very successful”, also “unbelievably Balkanised”.

“They are set into a particular demographic. This is what I mean by television not being the nation’s fireplace. It’s just all parcelled and I don’t know that there’s a solution to it,” he added.