Monday, July 25, 2011

Nickelodeon Orders Second Season Of 'House of Anubis'

From Entertainment Weekly, via The official House Of Anubis Twitter page (@HouseOfAnubis):

Nick orders second season of 'House of Anubis'

Think tweens aren’t into telenovelas? Think again: Nickelodeon’s wildly popular live-action drama House of Anubis has been picked up for a second season after posting impressive numbers in its first year.

The live-action show, already an established hit for Nick in Europe, averaged 1.2 million kids ages 6-11 and 1.0 million tweens ages 9-14 when it aired five nights a week during its January and February run. Talk about a hit with the Clearasil set: The show beat Glee, Pretty Little Liars, and Gossip Girl among all kids and tweens.

House of Anubis follows a group of students who uncover and solve hidden mysteries at an English boarding school, while dealing with the highs and lows of their teenage years. In season 2, the teens undertake a series of challenges to find a powerful and long-forgotten treasure.

Production on the next 45 half-hour episodes will begin July 21 in Liverpool, England — where the show was taped last season. New episodes will premiere in 2012.

According to Toys 'n' Playthings, Nickelodeon will introduce several new characters in season two of House of Anubis, including Eddie (played by Burkely Duffield), a self-styled punk bad boy from America.

It is currently unknown whether there will be a new series of the Nickelodeon UK show Anubis Unlocked, which goes behind the scenes of The House of Anubis, and is presented by Nickelodeon UK presenters Jamie Rickers and Anna Williamson.

Also, from First News, the award-winning newspaper for kids:
First News interviews Brad Kavanagh from House of Anubis

In issue 270 of First News we ran a competition to win a walk on part in series two of Nickelodeon’s House of Anubis. You've still got until 2 September to enter, so Brad Kavanagh, who plays Fabian in the show, has some words of advice!

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to be an actor or for a reader who wins the walk on part on House of Anubis?

Oh wow, that’s amazing! I think the best advice for anyone wanting to be an actor on any TV show, or any kind of acting is just to be yourself and be willing to work hard. That’s the most important thing really to work and work and work and never give up. If you really, really want to do something then you just need to be dedicated.

What things should they know about being on a set? Is it as glamorous as it seems?

It is really glamorous and fun. I love my job so much but people should also know that it is really, really hard work. Some days you film all day long and are in every scene and then you have to go home and learn all your lines for the next day. Sometimes there are 10–15 pages of lines to learn per night. So it is hard work, but it is definitely worth it.

Do you have any advice for learning lines?

Sometimes you will have two or three lines and sometimes you’ll be in every scene and have loads of lines. I really like learning my lines and I pick them up quite quickly. I’d say the best thing would be to go home, get comfortable and put your comfy socks on, or whatever it is that makes you feel relaxed, and focus. Turn off the TV and radio and just go over them. Although sometimes I think a bit of Mozart is good for learning lines!

You've just started filming series two of House of Anubis. What’s it like being back on set?

It’s so nice, it’s really great to have everyone back together again. It doesn't feel like there's been six months off in between. I know everyone always says it but we really are such good friends and we’re spread all over the world, so it's nice to get back together to film.

The second season won’t be on TV until 2012. Can you tell us a bit about what’s in store?

I don't know too much as we've just started reading the scripts, but I think there’s going to be a lot more mystery and suspense. The eight characters are still at House of Anubis and there are lots of exciting things that are coming up. I will give you a bit of a sneak peek though and tell you we have some new characters coming in, which is really exciting! We all really wanted to make sure any new people coming into the show fitted in and felt at home and I think they do. It’s like they've always been here now!

At the end of season one Fabian shared a kiss with Nina – will there be romance in season two?

I hope so. I think a lot of the fans would like to see the romance go forward, they keep telling me on Twitter. I hope they both overcome their shyness to give it a go. I won’t spoil anything but I think they’re in for some trials in their relationship!

Watch House of Anubis series 1, weekdays at 12pm and 8pm on Nickelodeon. See nick.co.uk/anubis

To enter our competition to win a walk on part in series two go to www.firstnews.co.uk/competitions