Fall reading by some British comedy favorites

A few additions to your Fall reading list have just hit the shelves the last couple of weeks from two long-time favorite British comedy stars. Dawn French Following the release of her memorable autobiography titled Dear Fatty, Dawn French talked of a very difficult, painful life that led her to a life of comedy. Now, […]

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Mark Gatiss' The First Men in the Moon

Definitely doesn’t have the name recognition that both War of the Worlds and The Time Machine have, but H.G. Wells’ The First Men in the Moon is still, well, H.G. Wells. With only a single screen adaptation in 1964 to is credit, The First Men in the Moon is getting a great dust off by way of self-proclaimed […]

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Peter Jackson's Hobbit a go! C'mon 2012.

We’re talking 2012 and 2013, so who knows what movie distribution will look like, but this will be a movie-going event not to be missed. 3D in the theatres, Netflix download, Apple TV download, who knows. Whatever the outlet, put it on your calendars as of this moment. Fraught with delays in such minor details […]

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Goodbye New Orleans and remembering Graham Crowden

As we leave New Orleans (insert sniff here) and this year’s BBC Syndication Showcase, we learned of some sad news from the world of British comedy that Graham Crowden, known to many as Tom Ballard in Waiting for God, had passed away yesterday at the age of 87. Remembering Graham Crowden We were extremely fortunate […]

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Dateline New Orleans: 2010 BBC Showcase

Working extremely hard on your behalf, it’s Thursday and we find ourselves in New Orleans attending the third annual BBC Syndication Showcase meeting. New Orleans?  BBC? Fair questions. Well, this is THE meeting where public television programmers from around country sit in a room for several days screening BBC programming for possible acquisition and broadcast. As […]

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Whites – the making of a British "situation" comedy

Every week we sit at home watching our favorite British comedy probably not thinking of the thousands of hours of preparation and effort that goes in to making the “situation” part of the comedy real. In the case of the current British comedy series, Whites, the British comedy series set in the kitchen of an […]

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Downton Abbey – January 2011 on PBS

All I need to do is mention Downton Abbey upfront and fans of British television on both sides of the pond will know of what I speak. Written and created by Julian Fellowes, Oscar-winning writer of Gosford Park and star of Monarch of the Glen, and starring the likes of Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and […]

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Connie Booth checks out of Fawlty Towers – for good

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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British comedy duo French and Saunders "getting the band back together"…

“Chuffed to blooming heck…” is how Dawn French described her feelings regarding the news of her and long-time British comedy partner, Jennifer Saunders, reuniting to host three, 2-hour, programs for BBC Radio 2 this holiday season. The French and Saunders programs can be heard on Boxing Day (26 December), New Year’s Day (1 January) and 3 January with […]

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BBC reveals what we've all known for some time…

In a not-so-earth-shattering, earth-shattering, announcement, the BBC, yesterday, revealed what we’ve all known for a long, long time. Doctor Who is immortal. The reasoning behind the timing of the announcement points directly from the edict of the Time Lords, which has long stated that Time Lords can only regenerate only 12 times before they die. […]

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