After spending the last week in the UK, I had the great good fortune to be reminded on a nightly basis of the extent to which British comedy is far superior to American comedy. That point was driven home by having the opportunity to watch endless latenight broadcasts of panel shows on Dave (the home of witty-banter […]
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Let’s get ready to rumble…. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s newest web series about nothing seems to be causing quite a stir in the UK. Seems even web series aren’t safe any longer from a bit of format copying these days. According to The Daily Beast, this has been a lifelong ambition of Seinfeld’s….to make a show […]
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Reminiscent of one of the all-time great movies, The Player, there are times that you’d like to be a fly on the wall in a pitch meeting trying to convince studio heads that your idea is the next Seinfeld, ER or Desperate Housewives. Imagine your pitch to the BBC commissioners for a series called Mongrels. […]
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It can be both a blessing and a curse to be linked to a previous hit program or series. Calling a comedy “…the next Seinfeld” or a drama “…the next Sopranos” can be great for a few fleeting moments, but then you have to deliver. Tonight’s U.S. premiere of The Hour (after a July premiere […]
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Granted, Steve Coogan is a household name in the UK. He’s a comic genius that has given the world, perhaps, the greatest of all talk-show hosts in Alan Partridge. In America, however, Coogan remains a virtual unknown to everyone with the exception of those that have seen Night at the Museum. A role that Coogan […]
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With the 4+” of ice that blanketed North Texas overnight, crippling daily activity as we know it, comes news from our friends over at the British Comedy Guide that the British Comedy Award-nominated Simon Amstell comedy, Grandma’s House, is rumored to be commissioned for a second set of six episodes. Hopefully, the BBC will confirm this in […]
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This is just plain cool. No big revelation about your favorite British comedy series or your favorite British star, just someone doing something they love and wanting to share with others. Charles Brogdon’s flickr page tells the story of On the Set: Mini Studio Sets. In Charles’ own words, he explains where his passion for […]
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I’ve ranted enough in recent months about how American comedy simply cannot re-create British comedy. Looks like the British have figured it out by imitating a comedic style and not trying to duplicate a specific program. In somewhat of a role reversal, the UK comedy world is now copying a style of comedy that American […]
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Hard to grasp the concept that one of The Beatles turned 70 on Wednesday. Right up with there with the realization that in 2010, both Back to the Future and The Breakfast Club are 25 years old, Seinfeld has been off the air for 12 years, The Simpsons are entering their 22nd year on television […]
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Combining their unique ability to create “best-of” lists for just about anything with their definite love for the small screen, the British have done it again. This time, it’s Britain’s favorite television shopkeeper. According to a recent poll conducted by consumer watchdog, Which, and reported on in WalesOnline, Ronnie Barker’s portrayal of Arkwright in Open […]
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