The British T.V. Thread

[Deleted]

Kafka Regarding Peter Wimsey...As I recall, the first of the Ian Carmichael episodes was "Clouds of Witness" which introduced most of the recurring characters, like Wimsey, Bunter, The Duke, The Dowager, Lady Mary, Charles Parker, Freddie, etc. "The Nine Tailors" actually came after CoW, but it does include the early pre-WWI story. When I first saw TNT, it didn't impress me as much as the others, probably because it doesn't have the London background, but I came to really like it, partly because of the bell ringers, also because the resolution of the death is very clever.

I wondered if anyone else remembers seeing Mother Love - a 3 part mini-series from 1989 starring Diana Rigg? She was really, really scary as the woman who was obsessed with her grown son as well as having an intense hatred with her now remarried husband played by the still sexy David McCallum (yes, I still remember Illya Kuryakin). This was really excellent. The lengths that she does to are mind boggling. And all through it she is charmingly polite and well dressed. Heh!

[nitenurse]

David McCallum loved the throw away on NCIS a while back when someone asked what Duckie looked like when he was young, Mark Harmon shot back, "like Ilya Kurakin"

[Deleted]

Is anyone watching Viva Blackpool on BBC America? It is this strange mix of murder mystery and karaoke (like, the characters start singing pop songs for no reason but instead of singing them like they would if they were in Moulin Rouge or something, they sing along with the original vocals). So far, the characters are pretty compelling and the murder aspect is sufficiently mysterious, while the music does add something new to the "detective story" format (I haven't seen The Singing Detective, so perhaps this is all a nod to Dennis Potter). I am really enjoying it so far - it helps that David Tennant (the future Dr. Who) is pretty hot.

[chiqui]

I wondered if anyone else remembers seeing Mother Love - a 3 part mini-series from 1989 starring Diana Rigg? She was really, really scary as the woman who was obsessed with her grown son as well as having an intense hatred with her now remarried husband played by the still sexy David McCallum (yes, I still remember Illya Kuryakin). This was really excellent. The lengths that she does to are mind boggling. And all through it she is charmingly polite and well dressed. Heh!

Yeah, I do! Scary the way she kept repeating "Peesy's whores and Peesy's bastards" all the time. I think Peesy was the ex-husband's name... most disturbing to me was when she killed the cat with the castor bean extract. I didn't mind so much that the little girl who stole the cookie got sick.

As I recall, she tried to kill the son as well when he was unconscious in the hospital, strangle him or something, but he was saved at the last moment.

[Deleted]

...Sorry, editing my response.

[heavenleigh2001]

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.

I never like the person who played Lady Majorie. I understood that she had to play somewhat of a snooty person. But she can off more as a bitch to me. I hated it when she cheated on Richard.


Rose and Sarah were my favorite. I wish Rose would have been able to get married at the end.

[Deleted]

I'm so glad to hear the Lizzie hate. God, she was so annoying, I thought it was funny she married a guy who wouldn't have sex with her. What a weird plot. I also thought Georgina was annoying. "Look I'm not really shallow, I just had a hard war!" James was creepy, going after a young girl like he went after Georgina. It seemed to me that both of those women didn't deserve the loyalty that Rose showed them. I really liked Rose, but I think we were meant to. I watched the bonus features on the DVD and the woman who played Rose actually wrote the pilot episode, it was her and another woman's idea for the show.

I liked Mr. Bellamy, he was kinda sexy in a Capt Picard way. Yes, Lady M came off as a total beotch.

[Deleted]

I liked Elizabeth (in Upstairs, Downstairs). She wasn't always nice but I thought her storylines were more interesting than Georgina's (although G was much more likeable than E). One of my favorite episodes was when Elizabeth was all sexually frustrated because her husband couldn't feel sexually for her and she caught Thomas and Rose flirting and basically freaked out at Rose, belittling Rose's lack of experience where men were concerned etc... all because she herself was so frustrated and unhappy. It was mean, but it was such good television!

Even with that, I think it was right - if abrupt - for Elizabeth to leave the show when she did. Her strong willed ways had basically run their course (what more could she do that was shocking except settle down?). I like that Georgina was brought in. She was rebellious but much more interested in acting appropriately.

I really liked how Rose went from a sweet young woman to someone whose life in service (and lack of sex!) had made her bitter and regretful. Part of it was because of WWI, but another part was because of her devotion to the Bellamy family. The way Rose, Hudson, Mrs. Bridges etc... would have done anything for the family and how they really didn't expect much in return except to be thought of as good servants, was pretty heartbreaking by the end of the series.

One thing that I wish they had gone into was Lady Prudence's seeming desire to marry Mr. Bellamy. She was Lady M's best friend and I don't think she was really trying to make a move on him after her death, but it just seemed like she wanted to be his wife and to be there for him for Marjorie's sake. There were a few times when she treated Virginia Hamilton a little brusquely or without the tact that you know had been bred into her, but nothing was ever made of it that I remember.

[pepper67]

I'd forgotten about Lady P. and her efforts to snare Richard. I always assumed that she was in love with him too, but Lady Marjorie got to him first.

Does anyone remember the scullery maid, Ruby? She was always so slow, and so bullied by Mrs. Bridges, and then at the end, she turned out to be rather spiteful and sneaky.

Mr. Hudson and Mrs. Bridges (now married) were going off to run their own bed-and-breakfast kind of place, and they were taking Ruby with them, as Mrs. B. felt she couldn't leave a poor creature like that on her own - heaven knew what would have happened to her. And, as Rose was saying goodbye to Ruby, Rose asked her something about whether she was happy going with Mr. and Mrs. Hudson, and Ruby said she was, because they didn't have any relatives so when they died, they'd leave everything to her. And she said it all with this smug look on her face, like she had everything planned. I guess she'd forgotten about Mr. Hudson's brother and niece - either that or it hadn't really sunk in that Mr. H. had relatives.

I would have loved to have seen what happened when Mr. Hudson's niece or brother inherited. You know Ruby would have flipped her lid.

[Sunnyhorse]

Mr. Sunnyhorse and I are huge fans of McCallum, Rebus, and Wire in the Blood, and he enjoys What Not to Wear (Trinny and Susannah, of course, not that American tripe) almost as much as I do (although I'm not much enjoying the format change with two women per episode).