Birdsong – Another BBC/PBS 'Masterpiece' for 2012

With the States in the final days until the premiere of the second series of Downton Abbey on PBS’ Masterpiece and the UK only days removed from the Christmas Day conclusion of series 2 on ITV, it seems only fitting that the BBC has begun to fight back against those in the post-Downton Abbey era […]

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The Queen’s Christmas message: 1957-2011

The Queen’s Christmas message – 2011 Thankfully, this “new medium” of television, as The Queen put it some 54 years ago, took hold thus allowing for The Queen’s Happy Christmas message to be seen and not just heard each year on Christmas Day. Following the tradition that was started in 1932 by King George V, […]

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Do you live in the funniest part of the UK?

Leave it to Foster’s lager to continue their assault on the world of British comedy with a recent survey that attempts to determine what region of the UK believes they are they funniest in the land. You may remember that it was Foster’s who resurrected the career of Alan Partridge in 2010 for a series […]

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Christmas comes early with discovery of missing Doctor Who episodes

An early Christmas gift for Doctor Who fans worldwide surfaced this past week as two previously ‘missing’ episodes were returned to the BBC archive having been in the unknowing possession of a film collector, Terry Burnett, who purchased the missing episodes near Southampton in the early 80’s. Found were episode 3 of the William Hartnell […]

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Strictly Come Downton Abbey

Full credit to Ian Wylie, London-based freelance journalist with a particular interest and acute knowledge of all-things television, for the brilliant headline, photos and accompanying story. As we recently learned, one of the Downton traditions on Christmas Day is that the staff is traditionally given the day off and Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) takes charge […]

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To: Julian Fellowes; From: Judi Dench; Re: Downton Abbey 3

While the second series of Downton Abbey is coming to a cliff-hanging close on Christmas Day in the UK and with all eyes in the United States on Sunday, January 8, 2012 when the second series premieres as part of PBS’ Masterpiece, series 3 is just around the corner. As most everyone, except maybe the […]

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BBC1 vs. ITV1 in Christmas Smackdown 2011

Will 2011 be the year that ITV unseats the 600 pound giant in the room, BBC One, for Christmas Day ratings dominance? Cue Michael Buffer….Let’s get ready to rumble! The infamous long-awaited Christmas Day schedules for both BBC One and ITV1 have been set, sort of, (as of today, anyway) and war has officially been […]

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BBC's 2012 Shakespeare Olympiad

A long-time tradition of BBC programming will be ramped up a notch in 2012 as part of the BBC’s contribution to the Cultural Olympiad and Festival. Television adaptations of the works of William Shakespeare have been announced that include both documentaries and plays. BBC viewers will be treated to the likes of Richard II, Henry […]

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Dear Santa: One Dalek please, maybe two

Move over, Tickle-me Elmo, there could, someday, be a new Christmas-time, have-to-have, toy sheriff in town. Leave it to BBC R&D to come up with something that takes television to an active level that we’ve never seen before, further connecting television broadcast programming with the home environment. No other word for it. This is just […]

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Spamducken, anyone?

As we tumble headlong into Thanksgiving Thursday and the traditional day-long feast of turkey and all the trimmings, let us not forget the one food that helped put British comedy on the map a mere 42 years ago. Monty Python’s Flying Circus immortalized SPAM, the quintessential ‘mystery meat’ that now boasts its own museum in […]

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