• Doh! Weren't you in….

    Doh! Weren't you in….

    That’s the question that viewers often ask when watching British comedy on public television. It’s not unusual to see your favorite British comedy actor or actress step out of the roles that we have become friends with over the years and stretch themselves using their formal training in period drama, contemporary drama, hit movies, American “sitcoms” […]

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  • Doctor Who….meet Dr. House

    Doctor Who….meet Dr. House

    David Tennant, the current host of the Masterpiece Contemporary series on PBS  and KERA, will make his U.S. television debut in an NBC pilot, Rex Is Not Your Lawyer. With his tenure on the long-running Doctor Who series coming to an end where he was, without question, THE best doctor ever, Tennant will star as a top Chicago […]

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  • Dame Judi "returns" to Cranford; PBS/BBC team up for "classics" in 2010

    Dame Judi "returns" to Cranford; PBS/BBC team up for "classics" in 2010

    Return to Cranford, comes to KERA and PBS stations nationwide on Masterpiece Classic beginning Sunday, January 10, 2010. The star-studded cast of Dame Judi Dench, who reprises her role of Miss Matty Jenkyns, Francesca Annis and Eileen Atkins welcome new town members Jonathan Pryce and Tim Curry in the sequel to the BAFTA-winning Emmy-nominated drama, […]

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  • Ladies of Letters – Civilized cattiness at it's finest

    Ladies of Letters – Civilized cattiness at it's finest

    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 […]

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  • Happy 70th, Mr. Cleese

    Happy 70th, Mr. Cleese

    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 […]

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  • The Kitty Monologues – Hyacinth B4 Hyacinth

    The Kitty Monologues – Hyacinth B4 Hyacinth

    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 […]

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  • PBS stations discover Life on Mars in 2010!

    PBS stations discover Life on Mars in 2010!

    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 […]

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  • Not the Messiah…Python style

    Not the Messiah…Python style

    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 […]

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  • Pythons reunite for BAFTA award

    Pythons reunite for BAFTA award

    As we continue to pay tribute to the true beginning of television comedy as we know it (or think we know it), the Pythons will reunite in New York on October 15 to receive a BAFTA award. Let’s hope that Graham Chapman gets a little bit better treatment this time than he did during the […]

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  • Basil Fawlty earns an "A" in the Science of Great Comedy

    Basil Fawlty earns an "A" in the Science of Great Comedy

    Fawlty Towers has to be the greatest 12 episodes of comedy ever. The UK version of The Office is a close second (much better, I think, than the American version, but that’s a debate for another day). This is a re-write of an article I did several years ago, but bears repeating as we begin […]

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