Happy 40th, Sanford and Son A quiet milestone anniversary passed on Saturday involving one of the greats in American sitcom history with roots in British situation comedy. Sanford and Son, which starred Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson, premiered on NBC on January 14, 1972. Based on the brilliant British situation comedy, Steptoe and Son, the […]
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Ever wonder how that giant foot came down at the beginning of the classic opening to Monty Python’s Flying Circus or how any of the other buffer elements between show segments were created? Normally, this would be the time for the please, everyone, these are professionals, do not try this at home PSA. Not this […]
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Now that UK audiences are 2/3rd through series 2 of Sherlock and the long Downton Abbey series 2 wait is over for U.S. audiences time to peruse the Internets for some stories that may have been missed while both sides of the pond had stayed away from any potential spoiler alerts this week…. Voldemort the […]
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As Time Goes By, Keeping Up Appearances, Are You Being Served, Good Neighbors, Last of the Summer Wine. All a part of our lives for a number of years and a number of seasons. The one thing, however, that most of these British comedy classics had in common is that they all ended on their […]
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While wishing everyone a Happy New Year and prosperous 2012, I wanted to remember some ‘friends’ the world of comedy lost in 2011. Over the past several years, those of us involved in the production of a number of British comedy retrospective specials for PBS have had the incredible good fortune to spend quality time […]
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Downton Abbey may very well be the darling of the 2011 television season on both sides of the pond, but the critically-acclaimed, viewer mega-hit from ITV couldn’t quite muster the audience on Christmas Day, finishing in fourth place against the perennial Christmas ratings winners, Eastenders (BBC), Coronation Street (ITV) and Doctor Who (BBC). Some immediately […]
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It was 2007 when one, John Cleese, set his Pythonesque sights on the traditional reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. In John’s own words from the podcast of thoughts, observations and musings, this is his attempt to alleviate the planet from holiday stress “…that finds everyone assembled around a blazing fire, where families eat […]
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If you adhere to the QI principle that everything in the Universe is interesting if looked at closely enough, for long enough, or from the right angle, you’ll go far in the world. The QI empire, with the BBC television series as its centerpiece, was created by former BBC writer and producer, John Lloyd and […]
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With Sunday, 25 December, marking the return of the British situation comedy, Absolutely Fabulous, on BBC One, Patsy Stone and Edina Monsoon have finally broken their 20-year silence and agreed to speak out on the Kardashians. If I’m not mistaken, this now completes the cycle to where everyone on the planet has uttered their names […]
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Sunday, 11 March, 2012 is the day to celebrate the man who gave us life, the universe and everything. The Apollo Hammersmith in London (Planet Earth) is the place to be for the birthday party of all birthday parties. Greats from the world of science, comedy and music will come together for an evening of entertainment […]
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