Upstairs Downstairs opens its' doors tonight on PBS

It’s been almost a lifetime since a young head parlor maid, Rose Buck (Jean Marsh), put her hand on the bannister at an empty 165 Eaton Place for what, she thought, would be the last time. Little did she know that some 40 years later, she would return full of memories and put her hand […]

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Steven Moffat: Creating comedy, start to finish

Counting down the days until Doctor Who-mania kicks in with the combined U.S./UK premiere of series 6 on 23 April, I’m reminded of the comedy genius side of the Steven Moffat brain in the pre-Doctor Who, pre-Sherlock days of Coupling. Going back over some of our original interviews for PBS’ Behind the Britcom: From Script […]

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PBS style Final Four with Masterpiece Madness

Step aside Virginia Commonwealth. Forget about Butler, Kentucky and Connecticut. Bringing together PBS Masterpiece‘ 40th anniversary season with the 10 April premiere of Upstairs Downstairs, this years true Final Four bracket, PBS-style, pit powerhouses from the East Region (Sleuths, Cops and Justice Seekers), the Midwest Region (Women of Inferior Birth, Lesser Means and the Working […]

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Upstairs Downstairs – the beginning

Belgravia, 10 April: Thankfully, 165 Eaton Place recently took down the “To Let” signage and opened it’s doors once again after some 40 years of being on the market. The BBC signed a long-term lease on the newest incarnation of a television classic with the commissioning of a second series for a late Fall 2011 […]

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Bring Back Whites campaign gathering steam

Full disclosure upfront. I have only seen two episodes from the first (and only) season of the BBC situation comedy, Whites, starring Alan Davies as an executive chef at a country house hotel that has “past his sell-by date”. That said, I feel qualified to comment on the current Bring Back Whites campaign as this […]

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Waking the Dead calls it a day

After ten brilliant seasons, the British forensic crime drama is taking it’s toys and going home. Waking the Dead producer, Colin Wratten writes in this edition of the BBC TV blog about the last days of the series (there might be a few spoilers here for those that don’t want to get a hint as […]

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The Norman Conquests – finally!

Normally, when you put forth the time and effort to revisit the 70’s and watch what you remember as being brilliant television, chances are, you come away a bit disappointed. Such is not the case with the just released on DVD version of the 70’s classic, The Norman Conquests, from the PBS Great Performances series. […]

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On the set with Downton Abbey II

For those still suffering from post-Downton Abbey separation anxiety, you can rest easier tonight knowing that production filming has begun on the second set of the ITV mega-hit series, which is, again, scripted by series creator, Julian Fellowes. Don’t just take my word for it. This comes from the Earl of Grantham, himself, portrayed brilliantly […]

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Behind the Britcom premieres on PBS

Zero hour is here…the PBS premiere of Behind the Britcom: From Script to Screen. I know we’ve been talking about this for awhile, tempting you with some of the early interview footage from the production shoots over the past couple of years. As KERA airs the 2-hour program tonight at 9:00pm, many PBS stations around […]

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Bye, Bye, Brighton….Hello, Behind the Britcoms on PBS

With 100’s of hours of screening of the best of the best on television anywhere, bar none, we say farewell to Brighton and the 2011 BBC Showcase with pages and pages of notes on what, hopefully, will be coming your way in the United States in the not too distant future. As you may remember […]

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