Bill Young | Tellyspotting

Posted September 24, 2020 - No Comment

Masterpiece heads down ‘Ridley Road’ for PBS mini-series

Based on the critically acclaimed 2014 novel by Jo Bloom and starring Rory Kinnear (No Time to Die, Count Arthur Strong, Penny Dreadful, The Imitation Game), Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan, Little Dorrit), Tom Varey (Game of Thrones) and Aggi O’Casey in her first television role, Ridley Road is headed to PBS as part of Masterpiece. The 4-part mini-series also stars Tracy-Ann Oberman (Friday Night Dinner), Samantha Spiro (Sex Education), and Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders, Red Cap, The Fixer, New Tricks).

Posted September 23, 2020 - No Comment

With cancellation rumors greatly exaggerated, ‘Still Open All Hours’ hopes to return for S7!

Taking a page out of the Mark Twain playback when describing the reports of his death as being greatly exaggerated, the BBC has denied reports that long-running sitcom Still Open All Hours has been cancelled. A high-level BBC insider told the British Comedy Guide on Sunday that the cancellation story is “100% not true” but […]

Posted September 21, 2020 - No Comment

With #sunnysbackpack in tow, ‘Unforgotten’ S4 resumes filming…

Unforgotten, starring the brilliant Nicola Walker (MI5, Last Tango in Halifax, Scott & Bailey) and the equally as brilliant Sanjeev Bhaskar (Goodness Gracious Me, Kumars at No. 42, Yesterday) in the lead roles as DCI Cassie Stuart and DS Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan, has become one of the mainstays of the PBS Masterpiece series line-up since its premiere […]

Posted September 20, 2020 - No Comment

Happy belated 45th, ‘Fawlty Towers’!

On Saturday, as Planet Earth quietly celebrated the 45th anniversary of Fawlty Towers, series co-creator/co-writer John Cleese posed a question on Twitter to which the ability to come up with an answer is next to impossible, if not impossible. Easily the funniest comedy of all-time, the 12 episodes (yes, there were only 12) are wall-to-wall […]

Posted September 18, 2020 - No Comment

Friday Funny — ‘Yes Minister’ on the proper function of Government

For today’s Friday Funny, we step into Mr. Peabody’s WABAC machine and set the dial for 1980. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 40 years since co-creators, Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn wrote the unbelievably brilliant British comedy, Yes Minister, and that it is more relevant today than when it first originated. Long praised […]

Posted September 16, 2020 - No Comment

John Cleese is Santa in ‘Father Christmas is Back’

Sadly, we’ll have to wait until Christmas for this one as, personally, in the words of the song made famous in the Jerry Herman Broadway musical, Auntie Name, “We Need a Little Christmas” right now at this point in 2020. John Cleese (Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Hold the Sunset) leads an all-star cast in taking on the role of Santa in new festive comedy film Father Christmas Is Back.

Posted September 15, 2020 - 1 Comment

Sanditon Sisterhood turns it up to 11 with epic Brean Beach sand art effort!

While Sanditon might not have a life after series 1 just yet, ‘when’ it does, we can all collectively take a step back and thank the Sanditon Sisterhood, whose efforts on behalf of the series based on the unfinished Jane Austen novel of the same name continue be a clinic on creativity.

Posted September 14, 2020 - No Comment

Keeley Hawes feels a ‘huge responsibility’ in newest effort, ‘Honour’

In my book, Keeley Hawes is quickly entering the Nicola Walker/Suranne Jones/Bill Nighy arena. I could watch and listen to each of them simply read the phone book and it would be stellar telly. In addition to her efforts in Spooks, Ashes to Ashes, Bodyguard, The Durrells in Corfu and Summer of Rockets, her intense portrayal of DI Lindsay Denton in Jed Mercurio’s Line of Duty could be considered a masterclass performance.

Posted September 12, 2020 - No Comment

Q&A with Lucy Worsley before she reveals a few ‘Royal Palace Secrets’, Tonight on PBS

As Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, Lucy Worsley, takes us behind closed doors to explore the Tower of London, Hampton Court and Kensington Palace in Lucy Worsley’s Royal Palace Secrets, tonight at 7:30pET/6:30pCT on PBS. While millions flock to visit these extraordinary royal palaces every year, 2020 is in the middle of a global […]

Posted September 11, 2020 - No Comment

Friday Funny — ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ deduces why Sherlock is so popular

Goodness Gracious Me, the British sitcom with a central theme focusing on British Asian culture, ran for 3 series and 23 episodes from 1998-2001. Starring the foursome of Sanjeev Bhaskar (Kumars at No. 42, The Indian Doctor, Unforgotten), Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Syal (Kumars at No. 42) and Nina Wadia (Eastenders, Still Open All Hours), Goodness Gracious Me sketches poked fun at […]