Goodbye New Orleans and remembering Graham Crowden

As we leave New Orleans (insert sniff here) and this year’s BBC Syndication Showcase, we learned of some sad news from the world of British comedy that Graham Crowden, known to many as Tom Ballard in Waiting for God, had passed away yesterday at the age of 87. Remembering Graham Crowden We were extremely fortunate […]

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Downton Abbey – January 2011 on PBS

All I need to do is mention Downton Abbey upfront and fans of British television on both sides of the pond will know of what I speak. Written and created by Julian Fellowes, Oscar-winning writer of Gosford Park and star of Monarch of the Glen, and starring the likes of Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and […]

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Branagh returns as Kurt Wallander – tonight on PBS

Wallander returns to PBS tonight Another stellar season of Masterpiece premieres tonight on PBS when Kenneth Branagh again brings Swedish policeman, Kurt Wallander, to life in the second season of Wallander 9p ET/8p CT. Branagh created the character, which is based on the highly successful and griping international bestsellers by Henning Mankell. Tonight’s episode, “Faceless Killers”, […]

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Atkinson a spy and Fry is Sherlock Holmes' smarter brother

Two brilliant British comedy stars will be making their way to the big screen in 2011 according to various reports that have been circulating around in the Internet cloud the last several days. One just announced and one in the middle of filming as we speak. James Bond, he’s not Rowan Atkinson returns as the […]

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Doc Martin makes North Texas house call

While I’ve never heard this “officially” anywhere and I’m guessing there’s a reason for this, I can’t help but watch Doc Martin and not think of Dr. Gregory House, the unconventional and extremely grumpy genius doctor on “another network”. The program has aired for some time on a number of public television stations around the […]

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MI5 – Do we really need an American version?

Spoiler Alert: For those of you that find yourself shying away from really fast rides at carnivals and fairs these days because of a weak stomach, please be advised you shouldn’t read any further. On the heels of the news of an upcoming Top Gear USA and possible American versions of both Doctor Who and Torchwood […]

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High praise for The Rev

Getting press and any accompanying critical acclaim is not always the recipe for a successful British comedy series, but in the case of one of the newest in the BBC Two line-up, The Rev, it certainly doesn’t hurt when you can also count on the someone “higher up” amongst your fan base. Dr. Rowan Williams, […]

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Roy Clarke discusses the last of Last of the Summer Wine

As we reported here earlier this summer, the world’s longest running situation comedy on television, Last of the Summer Wine, is coming to a close in the UK this coming Sunday, 1 August. Transmission is scheduled to begin on many U.S. public television stations as early as November 2010. How does one begin to bring to […]

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Role of clergy in British comedy about to change — Meet The Rev

From Keeping Up Appearances to Father Ted to The Vicar of Dibley, the clergy have had a rough go of it over the years with respect to their portrayal in British comedy. Gerard Gilbert writes in The Guardian that vicars and/or priests are categorized as either crazed or clowns whether it’s the comedic vicar in Dad’s […]

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Last of the Summer Wine meets The Player

Now that reality has set in from last week’s announcement of the longest running sitcom in history, Last of the SummerWine, calling it quits, the Den of Geek offers up some of their best pitches to Last of the Summer Wine writer, Roy Clarke. In a scene reminiscent of Robert Altman’s The Player where the pitch […]

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