Aptly described in the British press as “Talking Heads meets Keeping Up Appearances“, the highly successful BBC Radio 4 series, Ladies of Letters, recently made the always dangerous leap to television. Thanks, in large part, to the wonderful acting talents of Maureen Lipman (Irene Spencer) and Anne Reid (Vera Small) , Letters takes the long-running […]
Read more
Only in recent years, has the British culinary scene risen like the sun over the English Channel. The Fat Duck in Bray, county of Berkshire, was named the best restaurant in the UK and the second best restaurant in the world in 2008. (FYI, their 2009 food issues have been resolved and they’ve returned to […]
Read more
What better way to celebrate John Cleese’s 70th birthday than with a look back at, perhaps, the two most classic clips from the greatest British comedy of all time. I will admit, however, that I’m feeling the same way about hearing John Cleese turned 70 on October 27 as I did when seeing the 25th […]
Read more
Taking a somewhat 180 degree turn on the “where are they now” concept, I thought fans of Patricia Routledge and Hyacinth Bucket would enjoy a “what did they do before” moment with this pre-Keeping Up Appearances character from the Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV series that aired on the BBC in the mid-80’s. Recorded […]
Read more
Next time you travel to the UK, take a break from the pubs and think about a comedy tour of England, which boasts not only numerous birthplaces of your favorite Britcom stars, but you can quickly check out places like Yorkshire, home to the longest-running sitcom on television, Last of the Summer Wine. You can […]
Read more
When I think of British television, I immediately think of classic comedy, drama, mystery and nature programming. But, you have to think of music also. Without question, the Brits have also had a history of creating some of the most influential music television for over 40 years with series like The Old Grey Whistle Test […]
Read more
From the producers of MI-5, comes Life on Mars, one of the most innovative programs in years and, yet, another brilliant British series that recently failed as an American re-make. Ok, sure we all hear voices from time to time, but DI Sam Tyler hears voices of the 21st century calling him back from solving […]
Read more
Spamalot creator and original Monty Python member, Eric Idle, has once again put pen to paper for a one-night only ‘humorous oratorio’ based on The Life of Brian that will see its European premiere (and close) Friday, October 23 at Royal Albert Hall in London. Billed as being “like Handel only funnier”, Not the Messiah […]
Read more
Several years ago, PBS paid tribute to The Funny Ladies of British Comedy. Hosted by one of the grand dames of British comedy, Penelope Keith, the special featured classic clips from perennial favorites such as As Time Goes By, Keeping Up Appearances, Are You Being Served and Fawlty Towers along with insights from the likes of Dawn […]
Read more
On the heels of the much-anticipated arrival in America of Red Dwarf: Back to Earth comes a recent cryptic ‘tweet’ from actor Robert Llewellyn (Kryten). In less that 140 characters, Llewellyn reports that scripts for the 10th season of the series, to be written by Doug Naylor, have been commissioned and should begin filming sometime […]
Read more