While Fawlty Towers will forever remain the great British comedy of all-time, perhaps the greatest television series of all-time (sorry, folks, it’s not Downton Abbey) turns 54 later this month. The Prisoner is made up of 17 hours of pure telly greatness running on ITV in the UK from 29 September 1967 through 1 February 1968. It […]
Read more
Sheila Bromberg passed away on August 24, 2021 at the young age of 92. While it’s a name you may not immediately recognize, if you are of the age that ‘Meet the Beatles’ was possibly the first album you ever bought with your own money, you will definitely know her work.
Read more
Aside from the obvious of taking a moment during International Dog Day 2021 to give an extra long hug to Tellyspotting’s own feline friend, MiniBoots, my thoughts drifted back to all the great pets that we have had to pleasure to cross paths with over the years on various British dramas and mysteries. From Downton Abbey to Poldark to Victoria, these […]
Read more
On the outside chance that acquiring The Blackadder Pub for a cool £450,000 is a bit out of your price range, how about a pub with prices straight out of the eighties. Fortunately, one is about to land in London — but there’s a catch as, according to the Londonist, The Nags Head is only going to […]
Read more
With his trademark scarf in tow, Bob now permanently presides over Islington Green providing, perhaps, the best photo op this side of the statue of Mr. Bean in Leicester Square. The stray ginger tomcat, who sadly crossed the Rainbow Bridge in June 2020, became a global celebrity after the emergence of his heartwarming friendship with busker […]
Read more
Most fans of any television series are satisfied enough to just buy the entire series on DVD. Some may visit the town where a favorite series was filmed such as Port Isaac (Doc Martin), Holmfirth (Last of the Summer Wine) or, on my personal bucket list travel destination, Portmeirion (The Prisoner). For some lucky buyer, Edmund Ramsdale took his love of a certain British comedy series to not just the next level but far beyond that.
Read more
Known within the BBC as Test Card F, the iconic image was used on television in the United Kingdom and in countries elsewhere in the world for more than four decades. Like other test cards, it was usually shown while no programs were being broadcast. While I never experienced ‘Test Card F’ in real-time, I first became aware of the ‘test card girl’ during the British police procedural, Life on Mars, as the card was in use during the time in 1973 that Sam Tyler ‘woke up’ following a near-fatal car accident.
Read more
Station identification. What is generally perceived to primarily be an FCC requirement to retain your license, has taken on a much higher level of importance the last 7+ decades when looking back at BBC1, Thames Television and London Weekend Television. BBC1 While the BBC can trace its’ roots back to 1936, the BBC logo has […]
Read more
Earlier this month, H2G2 fans marked the 20th anniversary since the all-too-early passing of creator/writer, Douglas Adams. Festivities continue around the world throughout the month of May which will also mark also the 20th anniversary of the first Towel Day which took place just two weeks after Adams passed away from a heart attack on May 11, 2001. So you won’t have to have your Pangalactic gargle blaster all by yourself this year, there are numerous online virtual events that you can participate in across the globe.
Read more
When May 4 rolls around each year, it’s traditionally that cringe-worthy moment when those non-Star Wars fans grin and bear it when someone says goodbye by saying ‘may the fourth be with you‘. Cringe-worthy or not, it is a day born out of the Hallmark playbook warranting some sort of greeting card. On this May […]
Read more