How will the cast of Downton Abbey pass the time between Sunday’s series 3 finale and the premiere of series 4 later this year? Besides filming series 4, some of the cast will turn to music. While Michelle Dockery (Mary Crawley) is an accomplished jazz singer who occasionally sings with Sadie and the Hotheads, a […]
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At long last (just shy of 50 years to be exact), Saturday was Delia Derbyshire Day in Manchester. Considered the godmother of British electronic music, Derbyshire helped to create one of the most recognizable TV theme tunes of all time, the theme to Doctor Who. Written by Rob Grainer, the Doctor Who theme was then […]
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It seems almost blasphemous that we should be talking about something other than Downton Abbey or Mr. Selfridge as both premiered last night. While America was engulfed in Downton-mania, the UK had a telly drama moment of its own as Mr. Selfridge also premiered Sunday evening on ITV1. At this point, however, I’ll leave to […]
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Benedict Cumberbatch, the star of the BBC/PBS Sherlock has done the best male imitation of Annie Carnes in Oklahoma. He just can’t say no. I only say selfishly because the more Benedict’s star keeps rising and the more he says yes to projects such as The Hobbit, Star Trek, War Horse, Parades End and Tinker Tailor, the longer we have to […]
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I know it’s Saturday but…. Would love your thoughts about a new Tellyspotting feature on Fridays where we dig into the vault and highlight a classic Brit television series of any genre. The idea being to re-discover together a classic series or program that would be perfect for a power-watching session over the coming weekend. […]
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With the thought that imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery, the second-to-none English rock bank, Pink Floyd, must be one of a handful of bands that have felt the most flattered over the years. We all know of the internationally successful Aussie Pink Floyd, followed by Brit Pink Floyd which, in reality, wouldn’t […]
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For a split second, you have every right to wonder just how a simple two-day brush with Rod Stewart greatness led me from being at the Getty Mansion in Los Angeles several weeks ago on the set of Stewart’s upcoming PBS program, Rod Stewart: Merry Christmas Baby, to suggesting you dig deep into the British […]
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I can see the Dowager Countess at dinner saying What is ‘folk-rock’ music? Hey, it could happen. Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern’s band Sadie & the Hotheads will release their second album, “How Not to Lose Things”, at the end of October. McGovern, who plays Lady Grantham in, perhaps, the greatest thing to hit both […]
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In the UK and looking for something to do in a couple of weeks? Gotcha covered. The Prisoner, the series about a spy who resigns his top secret government position only to wake up in a mysterious village from which there is no escape, has intrigued viewers the world over and has managed to turn […]
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As Ivan Hewett writes in the Telegraph, under the beneficent eye of Sir Henry Wood, the Proms has always been at the cutting edge of new music. So it’s only natural the BBC Proms should approach that well-known figure Wallace with a request for a new piece. My Concerto in Ee, Lad will be unveiled […]
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