Recently on BBC Newsnight, Steven Moffat talked about two characters he’s spent a lot of time with over the past year, Sherlock and Doctor Who. Moffat called Sherlock Holmes, not the traveling Time Lord, the “single best fictional character ever created.” In describing the difference between the two characters, Moffat said: “They’re also sort of opposites. I […]
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After having just finished screening the first Sherlock installment from the great Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it seems only appropriate to, yet again, say that both writers are brilliant. With Moffat, you have a writer that had just a little bit else going on this past year. First, he took the helm of Doctor […]
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As we reported here earlier this summer, the world’s longest running situation comedy on television, Last of the Summer Wine, is coming to a close in the UK this coming Sunday, 1 August. Transmission is scheduled to begin on many U.S. public television stations as early as November 2010. How does one begin to bring to […]
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“This is not a remake but a completely new version, set in a different era with a whole new cast of characters.” That quote, in itself, from Piers Wenger, head of drama at BBC Wales, makes me really wish it was 2011 already when the new Upstairs Downstairs comes to PBS’ Masterpiece series to celebrate their […]
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Not since we all witnessed the end of the David Tennant era and beginning of the Matt Smith era on Doctor Who has there been as much viewer anticipation for a series premiering in the UK. Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Hawking, Small Island) and Martin Freeman (The Office, Hitchhikers Guide). It premiered this past Sunday on […]
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Toured the BBC Television Centre while in the UK last week. The BBC, which is considered the largest broadcasting organization in the world, houses its television operations at the Centre in White City and Shepherd’s Bush in West London housing most of the 5,000+ employees. First up, a little history of the Television Centre facility. […]
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Stephen Fry, who many have tagged as the 21st century Oscar Wilde, told the Radio Times in an interview that came out just as we were leaving the UK that the BBC needs to start giving the viewing public a little credit. Fry stated, “I think programmes only work if they matter to you, because […]
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There are times that BBC commissioning folks get it right and times they don’t. Mulberry is one of those “didn’t get it right” moments in British comedy history. After two wonderful seasons (13 episodes) with brilliant scripts by Bob Larbey and, then, writing partner, John Esmonde and a wonderful cast headed by Karl Howman in […]
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Another day, more British comedy greatness. Started the morning off with a drive to Kentish Town in North London to visit Roger Lloyd Pack, who stars as Owen in The Vicar of Dibley. What a gem of an individual and an unbelievable wealth of knowledge about comedy and acting. Roger did share some interesting observations on […]
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LONDON – July 13, 2010 – Writers of British comedy project, DAY TWO. Still recognizing the brilliant mind of John Howard Davies from our first day of interviews, we started today with Harold Snoad. Again, may not know the name, but you definitely know the work. Harold has had a lengthy career with the BBC, […]
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