If you’re a fan of British comedy at any level, you are keenly aware that the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas Carol that’s set for Christmas day broadcast in both the UK and the US is not the first adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale that has a British comedy twist. Perhaps the best, and maybe […]
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Who would have thought that what started in 1957 with the role of Ophelia as part of the Old Vic company in Liverpool would culminate days after her 76th birthday with Dame Judi Dench being named “the greatest stage actress of all-time“. Might have had something to do with her seven Laurence Olivier awards along […]
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The brilliance of The Office ranks right up there with the genius of Fawlty Towers in the fact there were only 12 episodes (plus, two 45-minutes specials) ever produced. Since quitting the Wernham Hogg Paper Company and leaving the world of David Brent and his life in Slough, Berkshire behind, Ricky Gervais has been a busy, […]
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Hard to believe that one half of the brilliant British comedy duo almost hung it up before he got started. Ronnie Corbett says he thought long and hard about abandoning show business before he met his long-time professional partner, Ronnie Barker. As the story goes, Corbett thought about giving up a career in show business […]
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Will they or won’t they. Sell the hallowed grounds of the BBC Television Centre, that is. With the Centre celebrating it’s 50th anniversary this year, it was 2007 whereby plans started to sell off the historic building thus, moving thousands of employees to either their studios in Salford or to Broadcasting House in central London. […]
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British situation comedy. Whether it’s Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, The Office, or the classics of Keeping Up Appearances or Are You Being Served, these are programs that we’ve all watched for years but probably never gave a second thought as to why we laugh. Aside from the brilliant writing, no one really has simplified the mechanical structure […]
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As we reported here several months back, BBC4 has commissioned a pilot for a sitcom based on the late Douglas Adams’ great post-Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy book, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. To quickly refresh your minds about all-things Dirk, the series is based on the original BBC 4 Radio adaptation of Adams’ first book […]
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Keeping Up Appearances icons, Patricia Routledge and Clive Swift recently (ok, it was almost 20 years ago) sat down with BBC Radio broadcaster, Judi Spiers, for a really fun behind the scenes conversation about the iconic British comedy, Keeping Up Appearances, where they allude to their upcoming (at the time) journey aboard the QE2 as […]
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As much as I have always liked the American version of The Office, I have to take exception with the Telegraph’s Ceri Radford and her planting of the flag for the American version versus the British original. Admittedly, the American version of The Office comes as close to being as good as the original British […]
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In case you have suddenly realized that Christmas Day is a mere 17 days from today, in the immortal words of Douglas Adams, Don’t Panic. We are here for you if you need that last minute extra-special something for the ultimate Doctor Who fan in your life. How about a real-life sonic screwdriver? Seems as though […]
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