Archive for May, 2010
Memorial Day – A Blackadder tribute
What would a British comedy salute to Memorial Day be without the likes of Captain Blackadder, Private Baldrick, Lieutenant George and General Melchett. We step back and pay tribute, British comedy style, with a salute to World War I, courtesy of Blackadder. The fourth and final series of the classic British comedy is set in [...]
War as seen through the eyes of British comedy
Though not a central focus of many British comedies over the years, World War II was as much a part of some of the classic comedies of the 60′s and 70′s as it was a very real part of life for many people in Great Britain. In many cases, the BBC tread very lightly as [...]
Keeping Up Appearances takes to the stage
Sweeping it’s way across the UK faster than Hyacinth can chase down the postman to make sure they stop the mail while they holiday on the QE2, Keeping Up Appearances, Roy Clarke’s classic British comedy, takes to the stage across the UK beginning this summer. Speaking of, David Janson, the postman from the original KUA [...]
Forget Lost & 24 – Think Ashes to Ashes
With all the talk centered around the final episode of Lost, Simon’s not on American Idol anymore, 24 is done after 9 seasons, you’d think television, as we know it, will cease to exist with the beginning of the 2010-2011 season. A couple of years ago, it was the end of The Sopranos and we [...]
British comedy scattershooting….
Lots of bits & bobs or odds & sods coming our way over the last couple of weeks concerning our favorite pastime, British television. Thought I’d go through a quick bit of scattershooting to give everyone updates on current series, answer some mailbag questions that have come in and impart some basic little known or [...]
Hyacinth to attend RHS Chelsea Flower Show
From the department of you may or may not know, London’s Chelsea Flower Show began Tuesday and will run through Saturday, 29 May. Dating back to anywhere between the mid-1800′s to early 1900′s depending on what is considered the “official” beginning, this is considered the hot ticket in the UK and around the world with over [...]
No more Father Ted, with or without Dermot Morgan
Echoing sentiments that he expressed to us several years ago during our interview for PBS’ Funny Blokes of British Comedy, Ardal O’Hanlon (Father Dougal) told a BBC Radio interview audience recently that writers, Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan, had already determined there would be no more Father Ted programs even before the sudden untimely death of [...]
Former Python, John Cleese, embarks on Alimony Tour
At 71, former Monty Python star, John Cleese, is showing no signs of slowing down. Frankly, he can’t afford to. His upcoming, appropriately titled, Alimony Tour kicks off in 2011 throughout the UK. Admitting that he would rather be reading books, writing or drinking, Cleese, with three exes as of this writing, might find it difficult to [...]
The score at the half is Doctor Who – 11, Miss Marple – 8, James Bond – 6
For those keeping score at home, this is the current total for each iconic series and their respective re-incarnated selves. While Doctor Who is firmly in the lead, Miss Marple closes the gap this Sunday when Julia McKenzie returns for the new season of Masterpiece Mystery! Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple on PBS stations nationwide, including KERA [...]
British comedy going downhill according to some
According to John Sullivan, creator and writer of the most popular British comedy of all-time, Only Fools and Horses, feels that today’s Britcoms rely on bad language for cheap laughs instead of quality writing. In this interview with the Telegraph, Sullivan says today’s comedies couldn’t hold a candle to the classics of yesteryear such as [...]
