Probably a bit of an overkill statement, but even with its ups and downs, British situation comedy is still king of comedy on telly….bar none. A big part of which I attribute to the writers. The concept of good writing has never been more important…and needed…than it is today competing in an over-saturated world of […]
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For many, Friday the 13th may be the one day where your actions (or inactions) range from staying inside, avoiding black cats, walk way out of your way to prevent you from walking under ladders, or even attempting to avoid buildings that have a 13th floor. Unfortunately, for Basil Fawlty, every day is Friday the […]
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This is a long one folks so bear with me…. After almost three years of tellyspotting, I continue to have a thought regarding a genre that I’m particularly fond of….British situation comedy. Having grown up on the likes of such classics as Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Good Neighbors, To the Manor Born, Keeping Up Appearances, […]
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British situation comedy series come in all shapes and sizes. There are those that litter the airwave alleys which should have been commissioned for another season but weren’t for some unexplained reason (insert Whites, Dirk Gently and Grass here), there are those that have hung around too long (insert Two Pints of Lager and a […]
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Sometimes you just find things that you can’t help but share like this from The Huffington Post… Fawlty Towers Motel Becomes Naked Resort To Bolster Bottom Line When times get tough, the tough get naked. At least that’s what a Florida motel owner hopes, as he turns his 32-room property into a potential magnet for […]
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Back in 2005, several of us had the good fortune of producing a special for PBS to celebrate the 30th anniversary of, perhaps, the greatest British comedy of all-time, Fawlty Towers. Hosted by Andrew Sachs, who brilliantly played Manuel, Fawlty Towers Revisited was both an unbelievable joy and a daunting challenge to produce. The daunting […]
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David Kelly. He was Grandpa Joe Bucket in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, rode a motorbike naked in Waking Ned Devine, starred alongside Peter O’Toole and Peter Ustinov in the Irish mini-series, Strumpet City, and played a vicar in The Italian Job. The Dublin-born actor possessed a “wicked sense of humor”, according to […]
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Hopefully, by now, you have been able to select your favorite Sherlock Holmes of all-time. We all know who you selected so, to be clear, you’re in good company if you selected Benedict Cumberbatch. However, it’s been pointed out by several readers that Dr. Watson wants a little equal time. As with the Sherlock rankings, […]
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While wishing everyone a Happy New Year and prosperous 2012, I wanted to remember some ‘friends’ the world of comedy lost in 2011. Over the past several years, those of us involved in the production of a number of British comedy retrospective specials for PBS have had the incredible good fortune to spend quality time […]
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This gem comes from Shaun Usher over at Letters of Note, a Manchester site dedicated to the seeking out fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos. To the British comedy world, there is none more ‘fascinating’ that this accompanying 1974 memo graphic supplied by Sam Ward. While we knew of this story through several interviews […]
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