Comedy
The Rutles: A Look Back at Dirk, Nasty, Stig and Barry
The early 60′s were not especially kind to The Rutles. Languishing in the Rutland Cavern for years, it wasn’t until 1975 when this relatively unknown British pop group fronted by Neil Innes appeared on Rutland Weekend Television singing “I Must Be In Love” from their 1965 album, A Hard Days Rut, that The Rutles began [...]
ITV gives early Christmas gift to ‘Vicious’ fans
Over the course of the normal commissioning of series in the UK, it’s common practice for a new series to be given the go-ahead for a certain number of episodes, somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-8 episodes. In the case of series that have been on for several years, the addition of a Christmas episode [...]
Ben Miller votes himself off the island for new season of Death in Paradise
Even paradise can be hell For two series of BBC One’s Death in Paradise, Ben Miller (Worst Week of My Life, Primeval) was in heaven. Unfortunately, DI Richard Poole, the character that Miller portrays, is in hell. ‘Heaven’ for Miller because the series is filmed on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. “Hell’ for DI Poole [...]
Equal time: Failed British re-makes of American telly
If you been with Tellyspotting as a P1 since day one or if you have joined the conversation at any point over the course of the last three years you are probably acutely aware of my lack of tolerance for poorly done American television remakes of British television output. This holds true mostly in the [...]
BBC, former Python Terry Jones, discover flying penguins
BBC presenter, Terry Jones, discovers a colony of penguins which are unlike any other penguins in the world. Back in 2008, the BBC announced that camera crews filming near the Antarctic for its natural history Miracles of Evolution series had captured footage of Adélie penguins taking to the air. Film maker, writer, former Python turned [...]
BBC’s Panorama reports on bumper Spaghetti Harvest in Switzerland!
Sadly, before you read on, know that there’s not a happy end to this story as the annual Swiss spaghetti harvest has never seen the likes of what it was as reported on by the BBC’s Panorama series back in 1957. It was April 1, 1957 when the British television program, Panorama, broadcast a relatively [...]
A tearful goodbye to BBC Television Centre…
As of today, the infamous BBC Television Centre is no more. It has ceased to be. It has gone on to meet its maker. Bereft of life, the Centre rests in peace! It is…an ex-Television Centre. On Monday, 18 March, a host of BBC stars bid farewell to the famous Wood Lane building for a [...]
Alan Partridge is…Alpha Papa!
It’s been far too long since the end of Alan Partridge’s Mid Morning Matters on North Norfolk Digital radio. Some of you might remember Alan’s brilliant stint as a disc jockey on North Norfolk Digital, following the failure of his television career which, many think, peaked in the 90′s with his chat show, Knowing Me [...]
Post ‘House’, a re-planting of the Union Jack on U.S. telly…and film, too
Ever since Hugh Laurie gave up his designation as the most popular Brit on American telly when House ended its eight-year run on Fox this past year, a number of British actors have tried with limited success to crack the American television world. While it has been quite painful over the years to watch repeated [...]
The Archbishop, Call the Midwife, The Office and Vicar of Dibley! It’s Red Nose Day 2013 – A look back!
Red Nose Day 2013 has come and gone. On the positive side, the broadcast on 15 March raised more money that ever before in its’ 25 year history. On the downside, the BBC received more complaints that ever before, mostly due to a very funny sketch with Rowan Atkinson as The Archbishop of Canterbury. Unfortunately, [...]
