Royal Mail’s cunning plan to celebrate Blackadder’s 40th!

Marking the 40th anniversary of one of the greats of British comedy, Royal Mail has released a collection of 12 special stamps celebrating the brilliance of Blackadder. Eight of the stamps will feature some of the series’ most classic moments with four being reserved to track the evolution of Edmund Blackadder from series 1 through Blackadder Goes […]

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Happy belated 68th, Rowan Atkinson!

Rowan Atkinson turned 68 on Friday. From this end, all we can do is wish him a very Happy Belated Birthday. All he’s done is give the world the gift of laughter over the years beginning with Not the Nine O’Clock News, then Blackadder, Mr. Bean and, finally, The Thin Blue Line. Stops along the […]

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Happy 65th, Rowan Atkinson!

Rowan Atkinson, English actor, comedian, and screenwriter turns 65 today. While best known to audiences worldwide for his work on the sitcoms Blackadder and Mr. Bean and, more recently, for his stellar performance in Maigret, I first stumbled upon Atkinson’s brilliant talent in the BBC2 sketch comedy series, Not the Nine O’Clock News.

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Eric Idle discusses the ‘Entire Universe’, Monty Python, PBS and more….

So, who’s up for a bit o’ science, Monty Python-style this Christmas? If you are, then Eric Idle’s Entire Universe will be the perfect PBS Christmas gift to unwrap this holiday season. International Man of Science, Professor Brian Cox, and the comedic greatness of Eric Idle will join forces in what appears to be, on the surface, a scientific […]

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Morcambe and Wise – comedy duo brilliance

As comedy duos in the world of British comedy go, historically, most U.S. viewers are only familiar with the more recent juggernauts of Fry and Laurie or French and Saunders. As is particularly the case in the UK, comedy duos are not unfamiliar to U.S. audiences given the success of Martin & Lewis, Laurel & […]

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British comedy films that time, and Oscar, forgot

It may be Oscar time, but if you’re really interested in a few classic British comedy films, head over to the local video store (Premiere Video on Mockingbird Lane in Dallas immediately comes to mind as being the place to get these) and spend some quality screen time before Oscar Sunday. Bedazzled (1979) with Dudley […]

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The genius of Peter Cook & Dudley Moore

Yesterday’s post re: the lost garage tapes of Morecambe and Wise got me thinking about another group that played a big role in the early days of British comedy more than setting the stage for today’s stars. The comedy duo of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, along with the likes of Alan Bennett and Jonathan […]

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