Two new British comedy series are set to premiere on public television in the coming months. KERA Dallas will begin tonight (Sunday) with Ladies of Letters at 11:00pm and After You’ve Gone at 11:30pm. A quick synopsis and preview of both. Would love to know what you think of them, wherever you are.

Ladies of Letters

Once described as “The Talking Heads meet Keeping Up Appearances” and based on the highly-successful BBC Radio 4  series of the same name, Ladies of Letters stars Maureen Lipman and Anne Reid as Irene Spencer and Vera Small, two women who forge not only a friendship through letters, but have some interesting adventures over time. Both in their 70’s, Irene is fun-loving but very swift to be judgmental while Vera is the consummate flirt. The original Radio 4 series starred Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales. While I would have loved to have seen both of these British comedy legends in the television series, Maureen Lipman and Anne Reid are brilliant in bringing Irene and Vera to life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM6QWfssw3U&feature=player_embedded

After You’ve Gone

Pretty simple here. Recently divorced Nicholas Lyndhurst gets his mother-in-law in the settlement while his ex-wife gets the house and kids. Once you get to know the mom-in-law, played brilliantly by Celia Imrie, you’ll wonder what Jimmy did in a previous life to not get the house and the kids in the deal instead. This one is another from the Fred Barron school of comedy with a team of writers and, like My Family, is much more “American” in feel than the traditional British situation comedy. First and foremost, it’s good to see Lyndhurst back on the small screen. While I always thought he was great in the perennial British favorite, Only Fools and Horses, one of my personal favorites of his was Goodnight Sweetheart, a series with a very risky storyline, but great writing and great casting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAVolvKtNbk&feature=player_embedded

In: Actors/Actresses,Comedy