• The Great American Re-make Debate

    The Great American Re-make Debate

    Ok, I’ve spent enough time and effort recently ranting about the sad state of American re-makes of classic British comedy over the years that, to be fair, I should highlight the two series in modern history that have been considerably better than their British counterparts in my opinion. Admittedly, we’re talking 40+ years ago so […]

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  • Craggy Island anyone?

    Craggy Island anyone?

    You can wear green all you want, have a pint of Guinness, maybe some Irish Stew or go to a parade, but no St. Patrick’s Day salute would be complete without a trip to Craggy Island and a look back at one of the Irish comedy greats, Father Ted. Ok, I know it was done […]

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  • Definitely not your father's Mrs. Brown

    Definitely not your father's Mrs. Brown

    What do you get when you put an innocent clip on YouTube that has generated over 1 million hits and then increases by over 100K at day? A BBC/RTE pilot, obviously. Dublin comedian Brendan O’Carroll created the short piece based on his Mrs. Brown character for the BBC as a “test”. While the pilot was […]

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  • QI – what say you? Polls are open!

    QI – what say you? Polls are open!

    QI, the BBC television panel show which humbly stands for Quite Interesting, has renewed its quest to cross the pond. A petition of signatures, including Stephen Fry’s, has made the rounds for some time, but seems to be picking up steam for a possible American outlet with the great John Hodgman leading the way. The […]

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  • From the genius vault — Spaced

    From the genius vault — Spaced

    Originally pitched as a cross between The Simpsons, The X-Files and Northern Exposure, Spaced only ran for a couple of seasons on Channel 4 in the UK, but this has to be one of the most clever British comedies series of all time. Writers and co-creators Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and Jessica […]

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  • IT Crowd headed for 4th season plus more for 2010…

    IT Crowd headed for 4th season plus more for 2010…

    As a follow-up to a recent post on the in’s and out’s of getting a comedy series commissioned from the BBC, I thought it would be of interest to everyone to see just what’s on the slate for the coming year from an output standpoint. Thanks to our good friends over the The British Comedy […]

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  • Memo to John Inman: Thanks for the years of laughter

    Memo to John Inman: Thanks for the years of laughter

    When John Inman (Mr. Humphries, Are You Being Served?) passed away on March 8, 2007, all the years past, present and future of smiles and laughter did not end. John was, and will continue to be, a very good friend to public television viewers nationwide through his comedic talents on screen. Many of us will […]

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  • Not the Messiah, just a very naughty boy

    Not the Messiah, just a very naughty boy

    What do you get when you put crazy Cambridge and Oxford graduates in Royal Albert Hall? Don’t know? How about if you add in the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus AND three sheep? Still no clue?  Well you get comic genius from the minds of Eric Idle and John du Prez, the masterminds behind Spamalot. […]

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  • More Funny Ladies….of British comedy, of course

    More Funny Ladies….of British comedy, of course

    Let’s hear it for the ladies…the Funny Ladies, that is, of British comedy.  Coming your way on PBS stations nationwide beginning this weekend is More Funny Ladies of British Comedy. Airing tonight on KERA Channel 13 in the North Texas area at 10:30pm (following the new season of Red Dwarf: Back to Earth, which airs […]

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  • British comedy scattershooting….

    British comedy scattershooting….

    We’ve Got Mail… Since lots of questions have come across the desk in the last several months asking for updates on favorite British comedies or dramas, what favorite Britcom actors and actresses are doing, etc, we’re going to try and to do this once a month on the first Friday of the month. If you […]

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