David Kelly. He was Grandpa Joe Bucket in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, rode a motorbike naked in Waking Ned Devine, starred alongside Peter O’Toole and Peter Ustinov in the Irish mini-series, Strumpet City, and played a vicar in The Italian Job. The Dublin-born actor possessed a “wicked sense of humor”, according to […]
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It’s an old story, but one worth re-telling. You’re an actor/actress targeted for life for a role done a lifetime ago. A legion of fans worldwide don’t want to let go. It’s something that every actor worries about. In the world of British comedy alone, just ask Patricia Routledge (Hyacinth Bucket), John Cleese (Basil Fawlty) […]
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To most, if not all, British comedy fans, there is but one Fawlty Towers. Without question, when one speaks the name, visions of an extraordinarily short-fused hotelier by the name of Basil Fawlty come to mind. While Basil is desperate to join the ranks of the “upper class”, he’s forever at odds with guests and […]
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Since the beginning of time, the entire planet has been searching for that elusive answer to the concept of what makes something funny. Whether you’re a comedian, actor or writer trying to make a living at making people laugh or you’re with the rest of us that laugh at something and then sit back and […]
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To continue our focus and conversation about the writers, our friends over at the British Comedy Guide in a recent programming alert about an upcoming special on Channel 4 in London, remind us that buried in the brilliant writing of our favorite British comedy shows are some priceless and timeless catchphrases. As they point out, […]
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What travel chaos? According to the Telegraph, all you need is a willing Norwegian taxicab and a spare 3,300 pounds($5,053) and you can easily get from Oslo, Norway to Brussels. After that, it’s just an easy Eurostar hop to London. A little volcanic ash wasn’t going to stop the dreaded and feared Basil Fawlty. Citing […]
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In an eerily similar occurrence to the original during rehearsals of Fawlty Towers at the King’s Theatre in Gloucester, seems as though after all these years, Basil Fawlty still hasn’t gotten the hang of hitting Manuel on the head with a frying pan without inflicting real pain. According to the particulars during rehearsal at the […]
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Ask 1000 people worldwide what they like about British comedy and I guarantee you’ll find yourself in the company of 1000 people that say it’s all in the writing. Smart, witty, intelligent — words that are repeatedly used to describe British comedy writing. Good writing + good casting = success Ask any actor or actress […]
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March Madness Time! Time to stock up for some British comedy series power-watching over the next several weeks. Besides the ever-present classics that are worth watching over and over such as Yes Minister, Reginald Perrin and Vicar of Dibley, there are a couple of other series you may or may not be aware of that […]
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We continue our search for everyone’s favorite British comedy couple of all-time. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, including the ones that push the boundaries of “comedy”. We’ll definitely find a way to get them all on the ballot for voting on February 13. Up next… Couple #4 – Fawlty Towers In my book, favorite […]
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