The Great American Re-make Debate

Ok, I’ve spent enough time and effort recently ranting about the sad state of American re-makes of classic British comedy over the years that, to be fair, I should highlight the two series in modern history that have been considerably better than their British counterparts in my opinion. Admittedly, we’re talking 40+ years ago so […]

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Definitely not your father's Mrs. Brown

What do you get when you put an innocent clip on YouTube that has generated over 1 million hits and then increases by over 100K at day? A BBC/RTE pilot, obviously. Dublin comedian Brendan O’Carroll created the short piece based on his Mrs. Brown character for the BBC as a “test”. While the pilot was […]

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QI – what say you? Polls are open!

QI, the BBC television panel show which humbly stands for Quite Interesting, has renewed its quest to cross the pond. A petition of signatures, including Stephen Fry’s, has made the rounds for some time, but seems to be picking up steam for a possible American outlet with the great John Hodgman leading the way. The […]

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IT Crowd headed for 4th season plus more for 2010…

As a follow-up to a recent post on the in’s and out’s of getting a comedy series commissioned from the BBC, I thought it would be of interest to everyone to see just what’s on the slate for the coming year from an output standpoint. Thanks to our good friends over the The British Comedy […]

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Not the Messiah, just a very naughty boy

What do you get when you put crazy Cambridge and Oxford graduates in Royal Albert Hall? Don’t know? How about if you add in the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus AND three sheep? Still no clue?  Well you get comic genius from the minds of Eric Idle and John du Prez, the masterminds behind Spamalot. […]

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Tennant – Piper tagged for urban thriller

Ok, I’m getting over the ‘no David Tennant or Billie Piper on Doctor Who’, but the news that they will reunite has made the separation anxiety a bit more tolerable. As reported in both the Daily Mail and on Ireland Online, not everything isn’t set in stone but, Love on the Murder Mile will also feature […]

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The ultimate Doctor Who collectable?

If you’re looking for that hard-to-find, one-of-a-kind collectable for that ultimate Doctor Who fan in your life, tellyspotting has the answer. As reported in the South Wales Echo, the church used in the filming of the 2005 “Father’s Day” episode of Doctor Who starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper has been put up for sale. […]

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MI5, Hustle, Life on Mars – what's next?

Post, post BBC Showcase random thoughts…. Kudos Film & Television, the producers of MI5 (Spooks), Hustle, Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, have just been commissioned by BBC One to make a futuristic drama, Outcasts. Set in 2040 and created by Ben Richards, the eight-part series that follows a group of people setting up […]

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BBC Showcase – a postscript

Well, screenings are over (again, we were the last people to leave the Brighton Centre before they kicked us out), but the wind, rain and cold have a new friend, snow, in the forecast. Lots of great finds, as always, during our five days in Brighton. I say this every year, but this has to […]

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The return of Upstairs/Downstairs and more…

The return to 165 Eaton Place If Monday’s news of Sherlock coming to PBS wasn’t enough, there was the announcement yesterday that WGBH and the BBC have signed a major co-production deal to return to 165 Eaton Place with a new Upstairs/Downstairs. Jean Marsh, who won the Emmy for Best Actress in the original series will return […]

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