A 1961 BBC production of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, starring a pre-James Bond, Sean Connery has been unearthed deep within the BBC archives almost 50 years after its premiere. The title role was played by Claire Bloom, a top British actress of at that time. Sadly, it wasn’t unusual during the 60’s, to not keep programs […]
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As we move closer to our 20th day in a row of temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, the word on the street is that we might top out at 97 degrees next Wednesday. So, with December just on the horizon, it seemed like a great time to explore a long-running tradition in the UK […]
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If you’ve been with the series from the beginning, you’ve seen 295 episodes. In case you hadn’t realized it, you’ve been watching for 37 years or, you have had some pretty significant marathon DVD viewing events over the last “X” number of years. Either way, Sunday, 29 August, will officially be the last of Last […]
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Before Summer ends (I know it hasn’t ended as we’re getting reading to hit our 15th day in a row of temperatures in excess of 100 degrees), I thought I’d add to your summer reading club list with a few titles over the next couple of Sundays that will be of particular interest once you […]
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Looks like some U.S. producer’s need to mess with near perfection has entered into the picture again with the release of the “official” promo trailer for the American version of the mega-worldwide hit, Top Gear. I know it’s only 2:00+ minutes, but it’s pretty easy to see this will not last. For starters, no Jeremy […]
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Max Headroom was created some 20+ years ago and is more relevant today than it was in the 80’s. Similarly, it’s hard to believe that it’s been over 30 years since co-creators, Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn wrote the unbelievably brilliant British comedy, Yes Minister, that is also more relevant today than when it originated. […]
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If you’ve just finished a Sunday night marathon of British comedy viewing wherever you reside, I feel certain that you are well aware of all that goes into the production leading up to broadcast and what you see as the final product that fits neatly into that 26:46 time frame. Maybe not everything from the […]
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Just a quick follow-up to yesterday’s post concerning the series, Home Movie Roadshow that’s currently running on BBC Two. Who’d of thought, but It seems as though the Reliance Mercedes dealership in Chingford was quite the hotbed of activity on one fateful day in 1975. Former Doctor Who, Jon Pertwee, and the Who-mobile came to […]
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Getting press and any accompanying critical acclaim is not always the recipe for a successful British comedy series, but in the case of one of the newest in the BBC Two line-up, The Rev, it certainly doesn’t hurt when you can also count on the someone “higher up” amongst your fan base. Dr. Rowan Williams, […]
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One can only imagine, if even only for a brief moment, what our available British comedy viewing choices would be today had the BBC acted on their early feelings regarding Monty Python’s Flying Circus. According to this article in theTelegraph, documents obtained last year under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that BBC management found […]
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