40 years ago this coming Saturday, the first episode of, arguably, the best comedy series ever to be shown on telly premiered on BBC2. Fawlty Towers has long been said to have been based on the experiences of the Monty Python comedy team staying at the Gleneagles Hotel in the seaside town of Torquay. The idea came from […]
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Unfortunately, we’ve all heard the endless rumors countless times before. One early idea was to have the next iteration of Blackadder set in the swingin’ 60’s featuring a Dave Clark Five-type band with a drummer by the name of Bald Rick. The most recent addition to the rumor mill that made its way around the Internets a year or so ago […]
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There are far more reasons than the law allows for the fact that I continue to believe that British telly is by far superior to its distant cousin from America. Let us, for a moment, forget about the perennial examples of Spooks vs. 24, Fawlty Towers vs. ‘insert any American comedy series here‘ or Doctor Who vs. ‘every science fiction […]
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With the mysterious script chronicled in the book, Fawlty Towers – A Worshiper’s Companion, a lost, never-before-broadcast 13th episode of the classic British comedy, Fawlty Towers, has been discovered. Swedish author, Lars Holger Holm, admits that he viewed the mysterious 13th episode in 1999 in the London flat of an individual from the Editorial Department who worked […]
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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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In 1975, Robin Ellis captivated audiences on both sides of the pond with his brilliant portrayal of the dashing British officer, Captain Ross Poldark in Poldark. Now, 40 years later, the BBC and PBS are giving the series a bit of a steamier 21st century reboot with a new television adaptation based on the novels of […]
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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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Aside from John Cleese and Ricky Gervais, you can probably count on one hand when the star of a British sitcom knows when enough is enough and gets to be the one that actually pulls the plug on their own show. Unfortunately, for show creators, writers and stars, in most cases, they usually find out […]
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More sad news from the world of comedy. Rik Mayall (pictured at left below), the co-creator/writer and star of The Young Ones has passed away at the age of 56. Not long after I was introduced to the likes of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers on public television, along came this somewhat […]
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Longtime BBC and PBS viewers will no doubt remember Robin Ellis in the title role as British officer Captain Ross Poldark, who returns to his native Cornwall after the American Revolutionary War in the late 18th century. Based on the novels written by Winston Graham, Poldark aired on BBC1 and PBS in the mid-70’s. Considered […]
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