Thinking back some 12 years ago, I was fortunate enough to meet and interview Judi Dench for an earlier production, The Best of British Comedy for American Public Television. I was even more fortunate to be able to interview her a second time for the upcoming program on British comedy writers for PBS as I’m […]
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Stephen Fry, who many have tagged as the 21st century Oscar Wilde, told the Radio Times in an interview that came out just as we were leaving the UK that the BBC needs to start giving the viewing public a little credit. Fry stated, “I think programmes only work if they matter to you, because […]
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Seems fitting as we landed on this side of the pond fresh from two weeks of interviews for the March 2011 PBS special on British comedy writers that we learned Red Dwarf co-creator and co-writer, Rob Grant will present a two-day comedy writing course at The Comedy School in early October in Camden, London. Grant also […]
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There are times that BBC commissioning folks get it right and times they don’t. Mulberry is one of those “didn’t get it right” moments in British comedy history. After two wonderful seasons (13 episodes) with brilliant scripts by Bob Larbey and, then, writing partner, John Esmonde and a wonderful cast headed by Karl Howman in […]
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LONDON – July 19, 210: It’s Sunday night. You know the drill. Whether you admit it or not, you can’t wait to settle in and cap off the weekend with your favorite British comedy programs wherever you are across the U.S. or abroad. Just so you know, I kept the tradition alive last night 5000 […]
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LONDON – July 18, 2010: It just keeps getting better and better as we continue our interviews for the doc on the British comedy writers for PBS. Yesterday, it was another day, another highlight as we talked with Dawn French, writer, actor, comedy genius. Dawn talked at great length about her good friend, Richard Curtis, […]
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Just a little diversion today to get our strength up tomorrow for what will be a lengthy production day starting at 5:30am with Roger Lloyd Pack (Owen, Vicar of Dibley and Tom, The Old Guys) followed at 3:00p with Penelope Keith (Margo, Good Neighbors and Audrey, To the Manor Born) and then, possibly, Karl Howman (Mulberry, Mulberry). […]
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LONDON – July 13, 2010 – Writers of British comedy project, DAY TWO. Still recognizing the brilliant mind of John Howard Davies from our first day of interviews, we started today with Harold Snoad. Again, may not know the name, but you definitely know the work. Harold has had a lengthy career with the BBC, […]
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Without question, when a British comedy fan is asked what it is they like about British comedy, the first answer is “…the writing“. Ask any actor or actress what it is that sets British comedy apart from the rest of television as we know it, the answer is always “…the writing“. It’s intelligent television that […]
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Blistering? Maybe. Accurate? Definitely. For a brief moment in time, the brilliant Stephen Fry abandoned Twitter during the Annual TV Lecture at the BAFTA’s and set his sights on the British television industry. Targeting the BBC, but with a message that could be applicable to all of broadcast television, Fry fired off the belief that “Infantilism […]
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