Much as been printed over the years with respect to the fact that Donald Sinclair, owner of the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, was the model for the most infamous hotelier, Basil Fawlty, in the classic British comedy, Fawlty Towers. As the story goes, the Pythons were staying at the hotel during a May 1970 location […]
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In another of our “what are they doing now” features, we had to look no further than the classic Theatre Royal in Bath. Peter Bowles (Richard DeVere) and Penelope Keith (Audrey fforbes-Hamilton) have been reunited once again, this time in the stage production of Sheridan’s The Rivals at the Theatre Royal in Bath. You might […]
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Okay, this is just plain cool. From our friends over at the BBC Comedy blog comes this behind the scenes 360 degree view of the making of the long-running Britcom, Ideal. Not only is it a 360 degree view, it’s time-lapsed also. You can click and drag on the video and spin the camera in […]
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Sort of combined Happy birthday, Happy anniversary message to an individual who, in all his years on the small screen, barely uttered a word. Mr. Bean, brilliantly played by the genius that is Rowan Atkinson, is celebrating 20 years this year, having premiered on ITV in 1990. Much like the fact that there are only […]
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One of the greats of British comedy, both stage and small screen, Richard Briers sat down (or, as you can see, maybe a lie down) with the Telegraph recently and gave us a little insight to a personal life beyond the professional life that we all know of in the characters of Tom Good (The […]
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Polly, what have you done to my hotel? Almost 20 years ago (March 1991), fire engulfed the Woodburn Grange Country Club, the site for the exterior shots filmed for, perhaps, the greatest British comedy of all-time, Fawlty Towers. Sadly, this led to the ultimate demolition of the property, making way for eight houses despite an approved […]
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For some reason, we tend to remember the proverbial ‘hotel from hell’ more than we do the 5-star accommodation during holiday. As with anything, not just with hotels, individuals tend to hang on to bad experiences more so that good ones. Because of this, it would seem more important than ever to find the right […]
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For a British comedy series that ran for just five seasons from 1990-1995, Keeping Up Appearances has a continuous stretch of worldwide syndication along with a newly created stage performance to thank for its longevity. If you’re in the neighborhood, the Comedy Theatre Company has taken one of Britain’s most popular comedies of all-time and moves it […]
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To most, if not all, British comedy fans, there is but one Fawlty Towers. Without question, when one speaks the name, visions of an extraordinarily short-fused hotelier by the name of Basil Fawlty come to mind. While Basil is desperate to join the ranks of the “upper class”, he’s forever at odds with guests and […]
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This is too coincidental. Remember just a short time back (yesterday, for that matter), we wondered if in TV, art imitates life or life imitates art. Well, we now have positive proof that both are true in the village of Turville, Buckinghamshire, UK, the setting for the Vicar of Dibley, judging by this story as […]
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