The British T.V. Thread

[Deleted]

Borders had a filmed version of Beyond The Fringe, too, which I did not think existed. I'll have to get that next month (Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett, Jonathan Miller). Woo hoo!

Watching Beyond the Fringe for the first time was surreal in and of itself. I have been listening to the sketches for years so seeing them for the first time was strange to say the least. Jonathan Miller hams it up in a distracting way (flailing about and making faces that put Dudley Moore to shame!) but it is excellent to see how sketches like The Aftermyth of War worked on stage. The quality of the recording is a little fuzzy at times but suprisingly good for a live performance filmed so long ago (plus, I presume the film wasn't being properly taken care of while it languished who knows where for decades).

[raqs]

chiqui said:

I have a secret love for The Teletubbies and Boo-bah.. Simultaneously soothing and psychedelic.

You have got to be joking. Teletubbies....... maybe one can restrain oneself from shuddering for 1/2 hour, but BooBah? That show is seriously disturbing.

[Maddiemoo]

I love, love, love Ant and Dec. Can't help it, they're so cute!

I love them, too! I've only seen them when they were hosting that World Idol thing a few years ago, but they're just like...little adorable Hobbits. Except taller. I wish they would host every Idol so we wouldn't have to deal with Seacrest. Le sigh.

[Deleted]

Bodies? Anyone? Because I'm seriously starting to wonder if I am the only person on the planet who watches this show every week.

[Deleted]

Why should I watch it now as part of my cable package when I can pay out the butt for DVDs later? [/dumbass]
I only have time to watch TV after the kids are in bed but Bodies does look interesting, darn it.

[heavenleigh2001]

I just saw an eposide of Bodies for the first time last night . And lets just say I won't be consdering to have children for a very long time to come.

[kafka]

heavenleigh2001 said:

I just saw an eposide of Bodies for the first time last night . And lets just say I won't be consdering to have children for a very long time to come.

What is this show about? I must live under a rock because I haven't heard anything about it. And after your comments, and the prior posts, I'm quite intrigued now.


Miss Marple, per your suggestion, I got the first Peter Whimsey film -- the Nine Taylors -- with Ian Carmichael. Unlike many of the online critics, I loved the whole back story about his pre-WWI experience but I'm thought the program dragged a bit as a whole. While I think Carmichael is a great actor, he didn't quite fit my mental image of Peter Whimsey. But that's always a touch-and-go thing, so I'm still reserving judgment. Truth be told, "The Nine Taylors" was my least favorite Sayers' tale, so maybe that was part of it.

Pepper67, I'm glad I'm not the only "Upstairs Downstairs" fan. That's one of the few shows that I miss, and always compare others to.

Unlike you, I wasn't always a big fan of Lady Marjorie but she was a damned sight better than the awful, horrible Elizabeth. I read a recent interview with the actress who played "Elizabeth" and she was even more bitchy, arrogant, superior, condescending and hoighty-toighty than the character she'd played. It's no wonder she got kicked off the show (although that's not how she presented it at all). I hated how the show dealt with James, and his end, because he was such a tragic figure throughout. The whole story line with Hazel was so sad, not to mention frustrating.

Who were some of your favorite characters and why?

[Deleted]

Ok, so Bodies:
It's about a maternity ward in a British hospital, but it's not a very good one. They have this surgeon, called Hurley, who's quite an intelligent guy, but he's not so brilliant at deliveries and surgeries. He screws up a lot, and the series is about how the staff, or his assistent surgeon (I think that's the term) deal with the malpractice and the screw ups. I think that explains it in a nutshell. It's a very compelling show, very gritty, and it's aired in Britain on BBC2 on Saturdays. I think they are running s1 in the states now.

To stay on topic:

I love watching the Inspector Lynley Mysteries, and for those who are able to remember this show, Secret Army.

[Aspasia]

The House of Elliott, Duchess of Duke Street, Victoria and Albert and The Forsyte Saga are great period series. The Monarch of the Glen series up till this year was very entertaining. I have seen some of the new season and I found it extremely disappointing.

[pepper67]

Unlike you, I wasn't always a big fan of Lady Marjorie but she was a damned sight better than the awful, horrible Elizabeth. I read a recent interview with the actress who played "Elizabeth" and she was even more bitchy, arrogant, superior, condescending and hoighty-toighty than the character she'd played. It's no wonder she got kicked off the show (although that's not how she presented it at all). I hated how the show dealt with James, and his end, because he was such a tragic figure throughout. The whole story line with Hazel was so sad, not to mention frustrating.

Kafka, I wasn't a fan of Lady M in particular - it just Roberts' return after her death (poor Roberts, wailing that she couldn't leave 'her lady') that got to me. I never liked Roberts much either, but I sobbed over that bit.

As for Elizabeth, I never heard that Nicola Pagett was kicked off the show! Then again, I was a kid in the 70s so I wouldn't have heard about it anyway. What happened? I always thought it was weird (when I rewatched the series) how she suddenly disappeared off to America and was never seen again. The best Elizabeth bit, so far as I remember, is when she's learning to drive, and Thomas (the chauffeur) is in the passenger seat, looking like he's about to faint as she is NOT a safe driver at all. And she absolutely has no idea, and is all pleased with herself!

I hated how they ended the show, with James committing suicide. OMG! If he's going to be that unhappy, they should have let him stay with Sarah. But I really did dislike how his marriage to Hazel turned out - poor Hazel. She would have been far better off not marrying James, and waiting until she met that officer she fell for.

Who were some of your favorite characters and why?

I think I'd say that my favourite character is Rose - although it was really the whole series that appealed to me (the differences and similarities between upstairs and downstairs). I hated that they killed off the Australian farmer she'd fallen in love with, and I wish she'd married him instead of listening to Mr. Hudson. I liked Hudson too, but I really wish he'd kept his trap shut over that one - and considering how he fell for Lily and had no clue that he was practically harrassing the poor kid, he had no room to talk!

I liked Edward and Daisy as well (loved that they got together), and Mr. Bellamy too - I much preferred him to Lady M's stuck up family. I hated how they tried to manipulate him and his politics after Lady M's death. I think his second wife was much better for him, and a much nicer character.

One thing that puzzled me was...do you remember Georgina, Lady M's niece? During WWI she was old enough to go and be a nurse and yet, when she married the marquis (Antony Andrews - looking ever so lovely in those late 1920s clothes!), I got the distinct impression that Georgina was supposed to be a blushing debutante - and yet she had to be at least 29 and therefore practically on the shelf (for 1929 standards, anyway)!

So what about you? Who did you hate (Elizabeth aside!) and love?

Oh, and I absolutely loathed Thomas. John Alderton played him really well, but I really disliked that character. He was so two-faced!

Btw, I liked the pre-war scenes in The Nine Tailors as well - it was nice to see so much of Lord Peter's backstory. I hope you like the other episodes better when you get to see them though.

Aspasia, I liked The Duchess of Duke Street too, although I've never managed to see much of it in re-runs and mostly have some vague memories from when it was first on. I never got into The Forsyte Saga, although I've read some of the books.

Did anyone ever watch Poldark? I've seen a few episodes of that in re-runs, and I'd like to see the whole series - if I can ever manage to watch it from the beginning!