David Mitchell has signed on to star as William Shakespeare in a BBC sitcom pilot by Ben Elton (Blackadder, The Thin Blue Line). Focusing on the playwright’s life before he became famous, the storyline for Upstart Crow, according to the BBC, revolves around a purloined play, a wise wife, a stroppy teen and the underhand […]
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Forty years ago this month, in a scene reminiscent of the Beatles’ first trip to America, four members of the Monty Python comedy troupe landed at Dallas’ Love Field and were mobbed by adoring fans. The troupe had just flown in from LA where Monty Python and the Holy Grail had just been screened for the first time to […]
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As Tellyspotting landed in the UK Friday morning, there was a bit of ‘Joy in Mudville’ news already waiting for us to report on as ITV announced that Rowan Atkinson, the former star of Blackadder and Mr Bean, is making a return to television to play Belgian author Georges Simenon’s pipe-smoking policeman, Jules Maigret, in […]
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According to the British Comedy Guide, the long-running British ‘panel/quiz’ show, QI (which stands for Quite Interesting), is finally headed to America for broadcast. Hosted by Stephen Fry and co-starring resident panelist Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek), the series has had its challenges in years past crossing the Atlantic, largely due to rights issues with the images […]
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Fresh on the heels of last weeks brilliant news that Dawn French would participate in a forthcoming Vicar of Dibley sketch for the Red Nose Day portion of Comic Relief 2015, which is set to air on BBC One on Friday, 13 March 2015, comes the icing on the proverbial British comedy cake for fans […]
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With the long-awaited series 2 of The Wrong Mans returning last night and concluding tonight on BBC Two in the UK and then tomorrow night (Christmas Eve) on Hulu in America, Tellyspotting recently sat down with series co-creator/writer/star, Mathew Baynton, to talk about what’s in store for Sam and Phil in S2 and, basically, all-things comedy. Before we find […]
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Given the timing this week whereby telly viewers in the UK will soon be, sadly, preparing themselves to say goodbye on Christmas Day (and New Years Day) to the Miranda Miranda Hart but, happily, saying hello to the Call the Midwife Miranda Hart in Poplar, she and fellow Sport Relief BFF, David Walliams, took time out from their busy schedules […]
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The UK Christmas Day to New Year’s Day tradition of great telly just gets better and better with every passing year. Besides the usual obligatory specials from Eastenders, Coronation Street and Doctor Who to look forward to, in recent years those lucky ones to receive the BBC and ITV signal have been treated to specials from Call the Midwife, […]
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Finally, there is scientific evidence that supports what we have all known for some time. Downton Abbey is TV perfection. Radio Times reports on a recent study carried out at Bournemouth University which found that the Crawleys’ aristocratic dramas are the closest we can get to televised perfection. Researchers assessed the most popular TV episodes […]
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With the 100th anniversary of World War I just around the corner on 28 July, news comes out of the UK that there actually was a real-life Captain Blackadder and Private Baldrick. According to military genealogy company, Forces War Records, not only that but just by doing a bit of Sherlockian research they quickly discovered a […]
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