What was supposed to be a sneak peak at Downton Abbey 2, well….

As with any “teaser” clip, no matter the length, it’s always been a fine line between maddening and anticipation. An all-too-short clip that I screened early Thursday, was to give millions of extraordinarily patient fans a first glimpse at what’s next for both the residents and servants of Downton Abbey. At only :12 seconds, it […]

Read more

London Twenty Twelve…365 days and counting

Today marks, officially, 365 days and counting until the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics where the eyes of the world will be on London for the Games of the XXXth Olympiad. I know, where does the time go. While everything looks like smooth sailing on the outside, it does so for a reason. There are […]

Read more

A Hobbit video diary from Middle-earth (ok, New Zealand)

And so it begins, “In a hole, in the ground, there lived a Hobbit…“ Somehow, the seemingly interminable wait for the second series of Sherlock, Downton Abbey or Upstairs Downstairs doesn’t seem all that bad. Even the wait for the fourth series of the greatness of Being Human is ok when you stop and think […]

Read more

Still have Spooks (MI5) separation anxiety?

Attention, Downton Abbey fans. We all know you’re in the midst of a seriously long bout of separation anxiety. You are not alone. Think of you’re fellow television brethren that know quality television when they see it….the Spooks (MI5) fan. It’s been almost a year since Lucas and Harry were on the rooftop (not a spoiler for […]

Read more

And the Emmy goes to….

With the 53rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards having just been announced in Los Angeles, it’s nice to see so many programs that both you and I have talked about over the past year get the recognition they really deserve. Just a reminder, series 2 of Downton Abbey is set for a January 2012 premiere on […]

Read more

British bits and bobs from Downton Abbey 2

Downton Abbey a ‘downstairs’ hit Seems as though Dan Stevens, who played Matthew Crawley, the heir to the opulent estate, in ITV’s Downton Abbey has discovered there are downstairs DA fans everywhere. Stevens recently commented that he met a butler at a dinner at a house in Belgravia and revealed,  “He took me aside on […]

Read more

Weekend scattershooting – Torchwood, Downton Abbey 2, etc…

Torchwood: Miracle Day UK premiere set Russell T. Davies’ follow-up to his Torchwood: Children of Earth mini-series is quite aptly named. Mainly because it’s a world where nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging – they get hurt and sick, but […]

Read more

BBC, PBS' Masterpiece have Great Expectations

With 2012 marking the bicentenary of Charles Dickens’ birth (be easier if someone would just say 200th  anniversary), the BBC and PBS’ Masterpiece series have teamed up and commissioned a new adaptation of Dickens’ classic, Great Expectations. According to the BBC, filming will begin in July in London with Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) starring as […]

Read more

Happy Birthday, Arthur Conan Doyle, it's a BAFTA for Sherlock!

How appropriate. It was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s birthday. At a mere 152, he certainly would have enjoyed Sherlock’s BAFTA award for Best Drama series last night besting Downton Abbey, Misfits and the brilliance of Being Human. Along with the series win, Martin Freeman won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Doctor Watson in […]

Read more

Is Julian Fellowes’ ‘Titanic’ a ‘Downton Abbey’ at sea?

You’ve just written one of the most successful drama series in the history of ITV in the critically-acclaimed, award-winning, Downton Abbey. You’ve had a second season commissioned almost instantly with shooting completed and a Fall 2011 target date sent for UK transmission (January 8, 2012 premiere set in the U.S. on PBS stations nationwide in […]

Read more