Bill Young | Tellyspotting

Posted October 20, 2021 - No Comment

42 years ago, 42 became the literary answer to life, the universe and everything

It was 42 years ago this month where the literary world learned the answer to life, the universe and everything. While the face of radio comedy changed forever back in March of 1978, it was October of 1979 that Douglas Adams unleashed Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, as a book, on the world. While, as a society, we tend to celebrate anniversaries like 40th or 50th such as high school reunions commonplace, I prefer a 42nd anniversary of H2G2 for obvious reasons. Until next time, so long and thanks for all the fish.

Posted October 18, 2021 - No Comment

Post-solar flare crisis, ‘Cobra’ S2 returns to battle cyber warfare

Two years ago the plotline of Cobra seemed a little ‘out there’ to say the least. Imagine, the United Kingdom brought to its knees by a global catastrophe, unprepared politicians scrabbling to respond and even the weird notion of panicked citizens stockpiling toilet paper thrown in to make it even more implausable. While it wasn’t a […]

Posted October 14, 2021 - No Comment

Just in case you’re in the market for a used Mini Moke with TV experience…

If you happen to have recently lost out on acquiring The Blackadder Pub, the 1972 Reliant Regal Supervan III used in Only Fools and Horses, the original Fallen Madonna with the Big B**bies painting from ‘Allo ‘Allo, a rare 1966 Dalek or Dibley Manor from Vicar of Dibley, there’s still hope that you can own a piece of British telly history as one of two […]

Posted October 10, 2021 - 3 Comments

CBS’s remake of BBC’s ‘Ghosts’ continues trend of American remakes that miss the mark.

Regular readers of Tellyspotting are, no doubt, keenly aware of just how much I do not care for American remakes of British comedies or mysteries. The American broadcast streets are littered with failed remakes of the likes of The IT Crowd, Fawlty Towers, Red Dwarf, Coupling, Spaced, Absolutely Fabulous, Men Behaving Badly, Life on Mars, Skins, The In-Betweeners, […]

Posted October 8, 2021 - No Comment

The Dame is a Dane as Judi Dench discovers family link to William Shakespeare and Hamlet

With familial links to Hamlet’s Castle, the connection is set to be revealed on the BBC program, Who Do You Think You Are?, which will broadcast Tuesday, 12 October and has left her feeling just a wee bit closer to William Shakespeare, a full 64 years after she made her debut as Ophelia in Hamlet.

Posted October 5, 2021 - No Comment

A pre-Oompa-Loompas Willie Wonka heads to the big screen with an amazing cast in tow!

Full disclosure. Re-makes tend to scare me, whether it’s big or small screen. Pre-Endeavour, prequels used to scare me too. Neither really ever came close to meeting expectations based on the original until Shaun Evans brought a young Detective Constable Endeavour Morse to life during his early career with the Oxford City Police CID.

While I’m reserving judgement on an announced 2023 release of Wonka, given it will be really hard to touch Gene Wilder’s definitive 1971 portrayal of the iconic children’s literary character, recent announcements as to casting may just have me looking forward to this one.

Posted October 1, 2021 - 1 Comment

First glimpse of Anthony Horowitz’s ‘Magpie Murders’ headed to PBS Masterpiece

At long last, fans of quality British mysteries and dramas are beginning to see the light at the end of the COVID pandemic production shutdown tunnel beginning with the return of Call the Midwife and Grantchester this Sunday on PBS. If that’s not enough to program ‘do not disturb’ on your smartphone, a short two weeks later (17 […]

Posted September 28, 2021 - No Comment

Nicola Walker and Sean Bean in ‘Marriage’ — need we say more?

Fresh off her totally unexpected/departure at the conclusion of the 4th series of Unforgotten, Nicola Walker (Spooks, Last Tango in Halifax) is set to star with Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Broken) in an upcoming BBC comedy/drama series, Marriage. Written and created by Stefan Golaszewski (Mum, Him & Her), the four-part series is described as “an up-close portrait […]

Posted September 24, 2021 - No Comment

The greatness of ‘The Prisoner’ turns 54 this month!

While Fawlty Towers will forever remain the great British comedy of all-time, perhaps the greatest television series of all-time (sorry, folks, it’s not Downton Abbey) turns 54 later this month. The Prisoner is made up of 17 hours of pure telly greatness running on ITV in the UK from 29 September 1967 through 1 February 1968. It […]

Posted September 18, 2021 - No Comment

‘Around the World in 80 Days’ with David Tennant = another PBS Masterpiece!

David Tennant stars as English gentleman turned adventurer and literature’s greatest explorer Phileas Fogg in a thrilling new adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic adventure novel, Around the World in 80 Days, coming to Masterpiece on PBS. Joining Tennant for this 8-part adventure will be French actor Ibrahim Koma (OSS 177) as Fogg’s irrepressible valet, Passepartout, Leonie Benesch […]