PBS | Tellyspotting

Posted July 31, 2020 - No Comment

Leaving the world with a lifetime of laughter to enjoy forever, legendary comedy producer/director, Sydney Lotterby, dies at 93

While we never had the good fortune to speak with Sydney for our any of our PBS specials that featured not only the stars of some of the all-time great British comedy series but also focused on the writers and creators of some of the classics of British comedy, it was through the words of John Cleese, Dame Judi Dench, Geoffrey Palmer, Jenny Funnell, Moira Brooker, Philip Bretherton, Richard Briers, Michael Crawford, Roy Clarke, David Jason, Karl Howman, Bob Larbey and Frank Thornton that we were immediately schooled on the greatness that was Sydney Lotterby.

Posted July 30, 2020 - No Comment

‘Elizabeth is Missing’ to kick off PBS Masterpiece’s 50th anniversary season in January 2021

Elizabeth is Missing, a BAFTA-nominated mystery starring two-time Academy Award® winner, two-time Emmy Award winner Glenda Jackson in her triumphant return to PBS and Masterpiece. Glenda Jackson stars as 80-year-old Maud, a funny, loyal and endearing woman determined to find her missing best friend, Elizabeth. After having had the opportunity to screen the full 90-minute film, […]

Posted June 8, 2020 - No Comment

Fondly looking back at a pre-coronavirus trip to London when travel was easy….

As Planet Earth begins to slowly emerge from almost 3 months of ‘sheltering at home’ and, if you’re like me, you find yourself wanting to travel more than ever and living in the ‘you can’t travel so all you want to do is travel’ nightmare. As airlines and hotels attempt to get back to where […]

Posted May 10, 2020 - No Comment

‘Beecham House’ next up for PBS’ Masterpiece beginning June 14

Next up in the long line of British period dramas headed your way will be Beecham House, coming to PBS beginning June 14. Created by Gurinder Chadha — the director of films including Bend It Like Beckham and Blinded by the Light — the 6-part series depicts the fortunes of the residents of Beecham House, an imposing Downton Abbey-esque mansion surrounded by acres of […]

Posted May 5, 2020 - No Comment

At 85, Dame Judi Dench becomes British Vogue’s oldest cover star in history!

At 85 years old, Dame Judi Dench is the oldest woman ever to be featured on the cover of British Vogue in its 104-year history. Previously, Jane Fonda held the title for her cover shoot in 2019 at 81 years of age. The actress appears on the cover of the June issue of the fashion magazine for […]

Posted April 23, 2020 - No Comment

‘Van der Valk’ set to make the streets of Amsterdam safe this Summer on PBS

Street-smart, cynical and unapologetic detective Simon Van der Valk is an everyman of sorts, investigating high profile cases and gritty murders that immerse him and his team in contemporary Amsterdam’s fast-paced worlds of art, politics, addiction, mysticism, and fashion. If you’re a fan of Luther, Van der Valk is fasten your drama seat belt at its finest.

Posted April 21, 2020 - No Comment

BBC’s ‘Bitesize Daily’ provides kids the opportunity to learn from Sir David Attenborough and others

With much of the world ‘sheltering at home’ and a majority of schools closed for the remainder of the year, public broadcasters around the world have been stepping up to the plate to use the airwaves and online abilities to help educate the next generation of leaders and offer some relief to parents struggling with homeschooling […]

Posted April 3, 2020 - No Comment

PBS’ Drama Sunday tells the story of ‘The Windermere Children’

Full disclosure, I had never heard the story of the Windermere children before now. This little-told true story of the young people rescued from concentration camps and sent to Britain is not only poignant and powerful, it’s hopeful. By the end of the film, I hope everyone has a box or two (or three) of tissues […]

Posted March 17, 2020 - No Comment

Raising a ‘virtual jar’ to Frank McCourt this St. Patrick’s Day

Regular readers of Tellyspotting may recognize this post from St. Patrick’s Day in years past. Well, it’s been several years since I re-posted it so I thought it was worth repeating given most of us will be spending tonight at home. So bear with me today as this day just isn’t the same without Frank. […]

Posted February 26, 2020 - No Comment

‘Inside Man’ next up from the mind palace of ‘Sherlock/Dracula’ co-creator, Steven Moffat

The mind palace of former Sherlock and Dracula co-creator Steven Moffat is about to get busy again. We had the good fortune to cross paths earlier this month with the former Doctor Who showrunner in the hotel lobby during the 2020 BBC Showcase in Liverpool along with his wife and Hartswood Films Executive Producer, Sue Vertue. They took a […]