Heading to The Big Easy and 270 London Tube stations in 3:15…or 17 hours

As many of you know if you’ve been either a regular or even a casual follower of Tellyspotting over the past 4+ years, October is the annual BBC Syndication Showcase. Each year, public television programming representatives descend upon New Orleans to sit in a hotel conference room for two days screening non-stop the best of […]

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Marks & Spencer to bring a bit of Crawley class to UK loos this Fall

As if your favorite British period drama wasn’t already taking over every waking moment in your life wondering what creator Julian Fellowes has in store for us in series 4, it’s time to maximize the retail and merchandising potential, which is somewhat uncommon for a British drama series. Recently, Wines That Rock, announced distribution of […]

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'Downton Abbey's' Michelle Dockery to cameo on Fox's 'Family Guy'

Normally, if I heard that an actor or actress was attempting to follow in the footsteps of Benedict Cumberbatch, I would say just move on and get in another profession. In this case, however, I think Downton Abbey‘s Michelle Dockery will be ok, even though when the star of the BBC’s Sherlock (and just about […]

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Happy Christmas from Tellyspotting!

A Very Carson Christmas It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the latenight commercials for the Ronco Inside the Shell Electric Egg Scrambler, Ron Popeil’s Pocket Fisherman or the Ginsu knives that could cut a metal can in half and still be sharp enough to slice a tomato to perfection. We’ve all seen the […]

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On the set with Downton Abbey II

For those still suffering from post-Downton Abbey separation anxiety, you can rest easier tonight knowing that production filming has begun on the second set of the ITV mega-hit series, which is, again, scripted by series creator, Julian Fellowes. Don’t just take my word for it. This comes from the Earl of Grantham, himself, portrayed brilliantly […]

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Downton Abbey opens its doors tonight on PBS

Finally, it’s zero hour in the US. Downton Abbey premieres tonight as part of the new season of Masterpiece on PBS. Both critically acclaimed and a huge audience hit when broadcast this past Fall on ITV, this is definitely television worth watching. According to Simon Heffer of the Telegraph, the authenticity and visual detail makes […]

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Downton Abbey v. Upstairs Downstairs – UFC, UK style

It’s been a long time since there has been a good television war of words. Far too long. One has to go all the way back to the 1980’s to remember the Dallas vs. Dynasty smackdown,  but that’s all I can think of. Enter 2011 and we have Downton Abbey vs. Upstairs Downstairs. In one corner, […]

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Being Human, season 3 – behind the scenes

While it’s not ‘officially’ 2011 as of yet, doesn’t mean we can’t set our sights on several series that premiere during the first part of the new year. You already know about Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs, which as a reminder, transmits tonight (Boxing Day) in the UK. A placeholder note to the U.S. that Downton […]

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Upstairs Downstairs….165 Eaton Place gets a facelift

Scheduled for Boxing Day (26 December) on BBC One, with parts two and three to follow the next two days, UK viewers don’t have long to wait before we return to 165 Eaton Place (U.S. premiere is set for April 10, 2011 on Masterpiece Classic). On the surface, the challenge of bringing back perhaps the […]

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Upstairs Downstairs – it was 40 years ago today…almost

As the UK moves closer to the Boxing Day premiere of a 21st century remake of Upstairs Downstairs and with American audiences not far behind with an April 2011 premiere as part of PBS’ Masterpiece series, it’s time to look back to a day almost 40 years ago when the original London Weekend Television series premiered […]

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