Downton Abbey | Tellyspotting

Posted April 19, 2021 - No Comment

‘Downton Abbey 2’ tops everyone’s Christmas Gift Guide for 2021

I’m betting you’ll get no argument from anyone, anywhere, that 2020 hasn’t been the most challenging year in our collective lifetimes. Much like the recent broadcast of All Creatures Great and Small or the timeless annual telecasts of A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life, the world is definitely in need of a another ‘no place like home for the holidays’ this holiday season. What better way to usher in the holiday season that with a trip to Downton Abbey and another visit with the Crawley family this Christmas!

Posted April 9, 2021 - No Comment

Such fun! Mrs. Pumphrey to live on as Patricia Hodge is cast in ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ S2

When All Creatures Great and Small returns to Channel 5 in the UK and PBS in America for a second series, there will be a few new faces among the regulars that will inhabit 1930s Yorkshire. Nicholas Ralph will reprise his role as young country vet James Herriot with Samuel West (Mr. Selfridge, On Chesil Beach) returning as James’ […]

Posted March 27, 2021 - No Comment

Failed British remakes of successful American sitcoms demand equal time!

If you been with Tellyspotting as a P1 since Day 1, or if you have joined the conversation at any point over the course of the last ten years, you are probably acutely aware of my lack of tolerance for poorly done American television remakes of British television output. This holds true mostly in the […]

Posted February 20, 2021 - No Comment

Remembering Midsomer Murders’ Sykes and other 4-legged screen pets on National Love Your Pet Day 2021!

No self-respecting animal lover will ever forget Isis and Pharoah, the two 4-legged companions that were forever by Lord Grantham’s side in Downton Abbey or the majestic visual of Seamus riding up and down the Cornish coast in Poldark with Captain Ross Poldark at the helm or Queen Victoria’s beloved Dash, always at the young Queen’s side in Victoria. To celebrate National Love Your Pet Day, my thoughts immediately turned to the fictional English county of Midsomer and one of its most recognized residents, Sykes. It was a sad day back in September 2016 when one of the most beloved TV dogs since Lassie announced his retirement from Midsomer Murders. Sykes, John Barnaby’s beloved pet dog, hung up his lead following series 15 and retired after five years with the show.

Posted January 30, 2021 - No Comment

Remembering Michael Gwynn, a.k.a. Lord Melbury in ‘Fawlty Towers’

With a TOH to John Cleese, we remember Michael Gwynn who momentarily fulfilled Basil’s wishes of improving the class of guest that stayed at Fawlty Towers. Gwynn was one of a long line of talented actors who paid a visit to Fawlty Towers over the course of the 12 episodes (yes, there were only 12). Gwynn passed away on 29 January 1976 at the age of 59.

Posted October 7, 2020 - No Comment

Could ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ become the next ‘Downton Abbey’?

Ok, that may be just a bit over the top but given the response to last night series 1 finale of the All Creatures Great and Small reboot, it has all the makings of equaling the brilliant six series run of Downton Abbey. Since the new ACGS has yet to premiere on PBS’ Masterpiece series with American audiences having to wait […]

Posted August 27, 2020 - No Comment

Settle in for Drama Sundays this Fall on PBS as ‘Masterpiece’ gets ready to turn 50!

Starting out as Masterpiece Theatre on PBS in 1971, the series celebrates its 50th year in January 2021 by continuing the early days tradition of presenting quality dramas such as Upstairs Downstairs, I Claudius, Duchess of Duke Street, Danger UXB, and House of Cards, to name just a few. A tradition that has continued for 50 years with brilliant series such as Prime […]

Posted August 23, 2020 - No Comment

‘Rebecca’ gets a 2020 makeover with Lily James heading an all-star cast as Mrs. de Winter #2!

Dangerously close to rivaling Pride and Prejudice for how many times a novel can be adapted for the big or small screen, English author Dame Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is getting a 2020 reboot this Fall. It would be hard to mount an argument that there is a need to remake the most well-known adaptation, the 1940 Hitchcock masterpiece which […]

Posted June 22, 2020 - No Comment

Alan Bennett’s revamped ‘Talking Heads’ monologue series is Must.See.TV!

This week is lockdown telly at its must-see finest. On Tuesday, BBC1 premieres the revival of a late 80s masterpiece, Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads monologue series with a line-up of stars that reads like a who’s who of the British acting world. The rebirth of the masterful series of to-camera monologues features the likes of Sarah Lancashire […]

Posted June 19, 2020 - No Comment

RIP — ‘Bob’, a.k.a. A Streetcat Named Bob, passes away at 14. Light a #CandleforBob this Saturday.

Full disclosure. I’m a cat person. Not that dogs aren’t great, it’s just that cats are, simply put, cooler than the law allows. So, it will come as no surprise that the recent news of the passing of a stray ginger tabby street cat named Bob is nothing short of gut-wrenching. You see, ‘Bob’ befriended […]