Doctor Who: David, Say it isn't so!

FYI, it’s 2059, for those playing along at home. The Earth has its first off-world colony. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the planet is also inhabited by aliens that use a water compound to infect victims. The really bad news is that this marks the beginning of the end of David […]

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Live By Request detour for Tellyspotting

Tellyspotting had a minor 48-hour detour from “all things British” to participate in television ‘this side of the pond’ over the weekend in Los Angeles and the broadcast of Live By Request: John Fogerty seen across the country on PBS (and KERA) Saturday night. In a nutshell, an incredible concept put together by a stellar […]

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Doh! Weren't you in….

That’s the question that viewers often ask when watching British comedy on public television. It’s not unusual to see your favorite British comedy actor or actress step out of the roles that we have become friends with over the years and stretch themselves using their formal training in period drama, contemporary drama, hit movies, American “sitcoms” […]

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Doctor Who….meet Dr. House

David Tennant, the current host of the Masterpiece Contemporary series on PBS  and KERA, will make his U.S. television debut in an NBC pilot, Rex Is Not Your Lawyer. With his tenure on the long-running Doctor Who series coming to an end where he was, without question, THE best doctor ever, Tennant will star as a top Chicago […]

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Pirate Radio – They rocked a generation…and a few MP's along the way

Richard Curtis, creator/writer of Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Blackadder, Mr. Bean and Vicar of Dibley, turns his attention to a band of renegade DJ’s who’s love affair with rock & roll changed the world forever in Pirate Radio. They defined a generation. They drove the British government crazy. Giveaway! Free […]

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Horror descends on Dibley

In a sleepy little British village on the outskirts of London, peace and tranquility are shattered by the horror of a town that turns on the new vicar. It’s almost more than this reporter can take, but I will endure in the interest of bringing it to you on this day.

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Ladies of Letters – Civilized cattiness at it's finest

Aptly described in the British press as “Talking Heads meets Keeping Up Appearances“, the highly successful BBC Radio 4 series, Ladies of Letters, recently made the always dangerous leap to television. Thanks, in large part, to the wonderful acting talents of Maureen Lipman (Irene Spencer) and Anne Reid (Vera Small) , Letters takes the long-running […]

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Happy 70th, Mr. Cleese

What better way to celebrate John Cleese’s 70th birthday than with a look back at, perhaps, the two most classic clips from the greatest British comedy of all time. I will admit, however, that I’m feeling the same way about hearing John Cleese turned 70 on October 27 as I did when seeing the 25th […]

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The Kitty Monologues – Hyacinth B4 Hyacinth

Taking a somewhat 180 degree turn on the “where are they now” concept, I thought fans of Patricia Routledge and Hyacinth Bucket would enjoy a “what did they do before” moment with this pre-Keeping Up Appearances character from the Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV series that aired on the BBC in the mid-80’s. Recorded […]

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Funny Ladies of British Comedy II – Behind the Lens

Several years ago, PBS paid tribute to The Funny Ladies of British Comedy. Hosted by one of the grand dames of British comedy, Penelope Keith, the special featured classic clips from perennial favorites such as As Time Goes By, Keeping Up Appearances, Are You Being Served and Fawlty Towers along with insights from the likes of Dawn […]

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