We are very pleased to be able to confirm at last that Robert Lindsay will return as SIR EDWARD PELLEW. We are also delighted that Julia Sawalha (AB FAB) will be playing the role of MARIA. I know many of you thought she would be perfect— and we thought so too.

The discussion board members voted her as playing the part of Maria.

I don't know if you are familiar C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower books or the films, but A&E has been filming the books and they are up to the third: "Horatio Hornblower and the Hotspur." Hornblower has become very popular in the US. The part of Maria that Julia will play, is Horatio's wife. She is a clingy, needy, annoying character that HH feels sorry for so he marries her. It should be very interesting to see what Julia can do with this...and she gets to kiss the very handsome Ioan Gruffudd, and rub elbows with Paul McGann, Tony Haygarth, Paul Copely...how can you go wrong with that? They are filming now. Next year it should air on A&E.