The British T.V. Thread

[Deleted]

Someone turned me on to "Jam" earlier today and, wow. If you dug the dark-comic cynicism of Nighty Night and Snuff Box, Jam is, like, 700 miles closer to hell. Seriously trippy with a perfect musical score, it's the polar opposite of safe fun. Acid horse comedy, this.

So, by way of example, there's one sketch about a man with a little girl who have another man held hostage in a flat, filmed in a very Lynchian, "Inland Empire" fashion with gentle, ambient piano music. Except it's the little girl who's the ringleader, and she speaks in the filthiest and most threatening fashion, ordering her adult companion to dismember their still-alive hostage, who she shoots in the head when he tries to escape. While she orders the man to saw up the body, the police come to the door and the little girl totally rats the guy out, telling the cop he shot the victim.

I swear, I don't know what shocked me more: what I watched, that it got on telly or that I laughed so hard. Almost as much as at the sketch with terrified parents at a press conference who plead for the return of their kidnapped child. In song.

[Deleted]

AbFab is filming a Christmas special!

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2011 5:56:21 GMT -4 @littleediebeale said:

AbFab is filming a Christmas special!

My wishes for that special: it doesn't lean on the greatest-hits catchphrases from the past serieses. And that I watch it before any new catchphrases become overrepeated on Facebook and, well, everywhere.

After seeing "Jam", above, I decided to dig into the other work of Chris Morris, who also played the first nutbar boss on "The IT Crowd". My first foray was "Brass Eye", a parody of every kind of investigative- journalism show ever made. It's quite brilliant.

A followup special, "Paedogeddon", viciously satirizes the media frenzy over child molestation, and was one of the network's most-objectionable broadcasts ever, despite the participation of everything from sports stars to politicians to Phil Collins. It's brutal. And brutally funny, as long as you remember that the target is the craven and manipulative way the media deals with the subject.

Ironically, the tabloids managed to position their outraged stories about the show on the same page as their drooling features on how 15 year old Charlotte Church's boobs had grown. Another paper published theirs on the same page as a photo of Beatrice and Eugenie, 13 & 11, in bikinis.

[kostgard]

I'm way behind the curve and I just found Sherlock streaming on Netflix. What a fun show!

I was skeptical about a Sherlock Holmes update, but I thought this worked well and was really entertaining - and what a sad note on the state of things that in the books when Holmes first meets Watson he deduces that he's been in Afghanistan, and the 2010 Holmes can say the same thing about 2010 Watson and it works.

I was bummed that it was only three episodes, but at least it's three 90 minute episodes, so it's like three mini-movies. But still bummed that the second series is still only three episodes.

I understand the second series is airing in the UK in early 2012 - does anyone know when we'll get it here in the US?

[Deleted]

It's still filming, the second season delayed so that Benedict Cumberbatch (best.name.ever) could finish his stage run in Danny Boyle's "Frankenstein". Apparently Sookie's dead fairy godmother plays Holmes' emotional interest.

I was under the impression that the first series appeared on BBC America but on visiting the site, I can't find it. Weird. Steven Moffat, the guy behind the Sherlock reboot, is also the current show runner for the Doctor Who these days.

Wasn't Moriarty NUTS?!?

[kostgard]

I hope we get it here soon, or I can at least find a way to, *ahem*, acquire it soon.


I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about Moriarty in his final scene. I may need to go back and watch or I think I need to see more of him to see where the actor is taking him (so I hope he doesn't die in the cliffhanger the way book Moriarty bites the dust pretty quickly). But I did like that I absolutely did not guess that "Jim from IT" was Moriarty. I was completely duped into thinking it was another scene where poor Molly from the morgue gets the short end of the stick while trying to impress Sherlock.

[Deleted]

I think what I like about New Moriarty is that he's clearly insane but in a fashion that wobbles between the usual brooding self-satisfied genius and a cartoonish Judge Doom from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". It's a risky gamble but on repeated viewings it pays off for me.

Regarding availability, I'm pretty sure that the first season was available on iTunes shortly after airing. That might be another route to investigate. Or, yeah, that one you mentioned. Speaking of which, I think today's Doctor Who has finished. Bye!

PS: I've found that thebox.bz is invaluable for instant access to Brit TV shows.

[Witchie]

The new Moriarty actually scares me a bit. He seems much more sinister because he is a total and complete psychopath. The last episode (damnit, why were there only 3!) had me on the edge of my seat. I was worried for Sherlock. I thought he would cross the line and become a killer. He still might. I have no idea how they are going to get out of their predicament without killing Moriarty. And I want Moriarty around. He is the ultimate villain.

[kostgard]

Thanks for the resources.

Yes - it was a bit of a risk to play Moriarty so nutso. And maybe an interesting reflection on Holmes, since Moriarty is supposed to basically be the dark version of him (consulting criminal versus the consulting detective), maybe indicating that Sherlock would be ready for the butterfly net himself if it weren't for a few tiny saving graces in his character (and as witchie pointed out, what happens if Sherlock loses/ignores those parts of his character - would he become a killer?). But I still feel like I need to watch it again or see more of Moriarty to determine how well the risk paid off.

I found this promo for BBC One shows that has a few Sherlock snippets.. Looks like we're getting a "Hound of the Baskervilles" type story.

[chiquita]

Sherlock aired as part of Masterpiece Mystery on PBS. I don't remember if they've announced the dates officially, but the new Sherlock episodes are scheduled to air in the spring, so you don't have to break the law to see them.