In a move that traditionally tends to defy any conceivable valid explanation, the BBC has cancelled the Ben Elton comedy Upstart Crow after three critically acclaimed and highly successful series. David Mitchell was brilliant as a young William Shakespeare which spanned three series, several specials and an incredible limited run at both the Gielgud and Apollo Theatres in […]
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After spending the last week in the UK, I had the great good fortune to be reminded on a nightly basis of the extent to which British comedy is far superior to American comedy. That point was driven home by having the opportunity to watch endless latenight broadcasts of panel shows on Dave (the home of witty-banter […]
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It appears as though Frasier Crane has finally re-entered the building he left almost two decades ago as news that the long-awaited Paramount+ sequel to Kelsey Grammer’s Frasier series has been given an premiere date of 12 October for the 10-part series. This time, however, the building is in Boston where the character had originated in Cheers but with “new […]
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The Royle Family, the brilliant late 90s British situation comedy, is set to return for a one-off special to celebrate the much-loved show’s 25th anniversary next month. In celebration of it being 25 years since the show launched on BBC, UK Gold will show an updated version of the 2010 documentary The Royle Family: Down The […]
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It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 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 for being accurate as well as funny, Lynn and Jay created brilliance out of a simple […]
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Mollie Sugden would have been 101 this past Friday. We, at Tellyspotting, wish her the best heavenly birthday, albeit a bit belated. For almost thirty years, Mollie Sugden brought smiles and outright laughter to not only the North Texas area, but to the world, as Mrs. Slocombe on Are You Being Served. One can’t help […]
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Over the last couple of decades, the British culinary scene risen like the sun over the English Channel. The Fat Duck in Bray, county of Berkshire, was named the best restaurant in the UK and the second best restaurant in the world in 2008. (FYI, their 2009 food issues have been resolved and they’ve returned […]
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Known for his brilliant command of the English language, who better to address America on this Fourth of July holiday and the question “What if the British won?” than Stephen Merchant, the man whom Ricky Gervais so eloquently likened to both a ‘stick insect with glasses’ and an ‘upright lizard being given electro-shock treatment’.
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To mark the 40th anniversary of one of the most iconic of British comedy series, a painting was placed in Audley End House in Essex recently. Orchestrated by UK TV’s Gold, the carefully commissioned portrait achieved its purpose as visitors who stumbled across the oil painting hanging in the Great Hall of the historic Jacobean […]
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Last of the Summer Wine, the long-running British situation comedy written by Roy Clarke (Open All Hours, Keeping Up Appearances, Still Open All Hours, Young Hyacinth) lasted for a mere 31 seasons encompassing 295 episodes (1973-2010) and featured the trials and tribulations of three pensioners (Bill Owen as Compo, Peter Sallis as Norman Clegg and Michael Bates […]
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