Robin Hood vs. Robin Hood

Ok, yes, one was directed by Ridley Scott, stars Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and William Hurt and probably had a budget well beyond 10 times the other one. The other, the BBC series from Tiger Aspect, stars Richard Armitage (MI5, Vicar of Dibley) as Sir Guy of Gisborne and Irish-born Jonas Armstrong as Robin of […]

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England pulls out all stops in host bid for 2018 World Cup

Ok, it’s only :40 but, still, it’s new Wallace & Gromit, which is always a good thing. Seems as though England is pulling out all the stops in trying to secure the country as host for the 2018 World Cup. It’s classic already for the simple reason it comes from the folks at Aardman Animations, […]

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100+ Years of "The High Street"

Not busy for the next, say, six months or so? Ever wonder how they select all those folks for a reality show? Not a problem. The High Street is now casting for BBC One. This upcoming reality show will take participants back over 100 years to the “High Street” of the 1870’s. The days of […]

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Rock & Chips rocks on

Following up on a recent Tellyspotting report and review of the one-off “prequel” of Only Fools and Horses called Rock & Chips, you may recall that the program was set in 1960 on Orchard Street and starred Nicholas Lyndhurst as Freddie Robdal, the man long thought to be Rodney’s Dad. James Buckley will again star as […]

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The 70's + Music + BBC = Heaven

Whether it was Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test, Later with Jools Holland, From the Basement or something called Guitar Heroes at the BBC, the channel was home to some unbelievable musical performances in the 70’s. The Whistle Test ran from 1971 to 1987 and was, quite simply, about nothing else but the […]

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A British comedy Mother's Day salute

One constant throughout the years in British comedy is the strong connection between a son and/or daughter and their mother. Unfortunately, the connection may have not always been a good thing, but it’s still a connection nevertheless. Here’s a quick look at a few that would make my top-5 mothers of all-time. Anyone else have […]

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Grantleigh Manor gets a 300K pound facelift

The historic gardens featured in the classic British comedy, To the Manor Born, was recently the beneficiary of a 300,000 pound restoration. The Cricket House country mansion in Cricket St Thomas, the instantly recognizable setting from the British comedy that starred Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles and, only recently, turned into a hotel, now has […]

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US v. UK – a view from the 'other side of the pond'

Debra Craine with the TimesOnline opens the debate as to “Who Owns the Small Screen Now?” by asserting that, quite possibly, the Americans are winning the battle. One quick note, she’s talking solely about British vs. American drama here, not comedy. While I can agree with some of what she says when citing the likes […]

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Can't complain if you don't vote

London. 6 May. Election Day in the UK. Who’ll it be? Labour, Lib Dem or Tory party? However it may end up, elections have played an important role in British comedy over the years. Here are a few examples as compiled by the British Comedy Guide. First up – classic clip from Blackadder III. Baldrick […]

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British comedy pipeline – Going Postal

May not be immediately top of mind, but many long-time British comedy fans have e-mailed asking about Richard Coyle (Jeff,Coupling). Having left the successful Steven Moffat series after the third season, Coyle starred in the one and only season of Strange, where he played an ex-priest who dedicated his life to hunting down demons. Coyle […]

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