Archive for November, 2011
Call the Midwife – Sunday night drama in 2012
Thankfully, Mad Men is set in the 60′s putting an end to inconceivable bandwagon-jumping comparisons between the hit AMC series and the upcoming BBC series, Call the Midwife. The series, which will focus on the joys and hardships of a group of midwives working in London’s East End in the 50′s is definitely not your typical [...]
Sir Kenneth Branagh – more Mankell & more Wallander in 2012
Following their most recent on-screen efforts together in My Week with Marilyn, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Kenneth Branagh will, again, join forces in an adaptation of Henning Mankell’s Italian Shoes. Branagh is no stranger to the work of the Swedish author as he is currently filming the third season of Mankell’s Wallander series for [...]
Happy 50th, Martin Clunes
The man known, in recent years, for his portrayal of the ornery, cantankerous, cranky (pick one) Doctor Martin Ellingham in the hit British comedy/drama, Doc Martin, turns the big 5-0 today. Thankfully, Martin Clunes has what his television alter ego seems to be without….a heart, as evidenced by the simple fact that you’d actually feel [...]
BBC's 2012 Shakespeare Olympiad
A long-time tradition of BBC programming will be ramped up a notch in 2012 as part of the BBC’s contribution to the Cultural Olympiad and Festival. Television adaptations of the works of William Shakespeare have been announced that include both documentaries and plays. BBC viewers will be treated to the likes of Richard II, Henry [...]
Dear Santa: One Dalek please, maybe two
Move over, Tickle-me Elmo, there could, someday, be a new Christmas-time, have-to-have, toy sheriff in town. Leave it to BBC R&D to come up with something that takes television to an active level that we’ve never seen before, further connecting television broadcast programming with the home environment. No other word for it. This is just [...]
PBS' Masterpiece brings Great Expectations in 2012
While BBC One viewers will get an early Christmas present to unwrap, fear not, PBS faithful, the upcoming BBC production of the Charles Dickens classic, Great Expectations, is scheduled to premiere as part of PBS’ Masterpiece series in Spring 2012. The classic novel will be the centerpiece of both the Beeb’s and PBS’ bicentenary celebration [...]
Giving thanks for British television brilliance
No matter where you are this Thanksgiving holiday, it’s a traditional time to take a moment and think about family and friends and the things you are thankful for. When it comes to the best that television has to offer, one can’t help but think of a few genuine gems from across the pond that [...]
A bit of Frankenstein history at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards
Evening Standard Theatre Awards Frankenstein stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller were named joint winners of the best actor award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards this past Sunday. Cumberbatch and Miller alternated in the roles of Frankenstein and the Creature in Danny Boyle’s National Theatre production of the Mary Shelley classic. Having seen [...]
Spamducken, anyone?
As we tumble headlong into Thanksgiving Thursday and the traditional day-long feast of turkey and all the trimmings, let us not forget the one food that helped put British comedy on the map a mere 42 years ago. Monty Python’s Flying Circus immortalized SPAM, the quintessential ‘mystery meat’ that now boasts its own museum in [...]
