British comedy in the pipeline

No one can quite understand the process of commissioning a comedy at the BBC, ITV or Sky. For that matter, no one can understand the de-commissioning of a series either. Can I just selfishly insert here a mention of Whites that starred Alan Davies as an example of a series that should have been renewed […]

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Brighton…Craggy Island. Tedfest V…Brighton. What to do?

Let’s see. It’s February with a forecast of cold, wind and rain. It’s not Boston. Took too long to get there. Must be Brighton. Must be time again for BBC Showcase, the annual gathering in Brighton, UK where we get a chance to screen the entire BBC catalog both past and present to make potential […]

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The return of the sitcom, old-school style….finally

Before you begin reading, please understand that this isn’t even close to being a knock on the greatness of The Office, Outnumbered or The Thick of It. I also don’t want this to seem like a planting of the flag for the good ‘ole days syndrome. Merely a celebration, as The Independent‘s Tim Walker brilliantly […]

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Hugh Dennis' MI-5 job interview

Imagine your the son of a Bishop, a member of the Cambridge Footlights, did stand-up improv at places like the London Comedy Store and, later, your an impressionist doing voices for the Spitting Images series. Then, imagine you’re approached by a plain-clothed individual, while at University, who asks, “….interested in a job in intelligence“? You’re […]

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North Texas = BBC West on Saturdays

Ok, the BBC and Channel 4 may not have “officially” established a western division of the best of their broadcast line-up, but North Texas viewers will become a bit more anglophile beginning tonight (Saturday) on KERA with an all-new line up of the best of the best from the UK. We begin the night with […]

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The greatness of Outnumbered comes to the U.S.

With lots of new British series coming to the U.S. via public television in early 2011, I decided to mention one that I’ve tracked for awhile and really can’t wait for. Partly because it’s a brilliant series, but mainly because of a far-fetched article that surfaced yesterday about the BBC hit series, Outnumbered, alluding to […]

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