40 years ago this coming Saturday, the first episode of, arguably, the best comedy series ever to be shown on telly premiered on BBC2. Fawlty Towers has long been said to have been based on the experiences of the Monty Python comedy team staying at the Gleneagles Hotel in the seaside town of Torquay. The idea came from […]
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Premiering last night at the Toronto Film Festival, I Saw the Light follows Hank Williams’ sudden rise to fame and struggle with addiction before his tragic death in 1953 at the age of 29 with Westminster-born Tom Hiddleston, star of The Avengers, Thor, War Horse, Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris and the BBC’s Hollow Crown […]
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It’s hard to grasp that UK audiences are within days of the return of Downton Abbey for its sixth and final series. Yes, PBS audiences in America are still several months removed from Downton opening its’ doors in January 2016 but, hey, we can live vicariously, can’t we? That said, we all know that based on the […]
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Even with it being the 40th anniversary of the release of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I have struggled the past few weeks to find the perfect moment to write about Terry Gilliam’s secret to Monty Python animation. Then, like God appearing out of nowhere in the clouds and instructing Arthur, King of the Britians, to ‘seek the grail’, […]
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Rowan Atkinson, the former star of Blackadder and Mr Bean, is making a return to television to play Belgian author Georges Simenon’s pipe-smoking policeman, Jules Maigret, in two new films for ITV and, hopefully, as part of PBS’ Masterpiece Mystery series in the States. Fresh off his recent celebratory ‘25th birthday of Mr. Bean tour‘ […]
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While UK audiences are now under two short weeks until the premiere of Downton Abbey, America continues to slowly pass the time until its return in January 2016. Fortunately, it’s drama overload until then on Sunday nights which began on PBS this past Sunday with the premiere of Arthur & George, starring Martin Clunes as Sir Arthur Conan […]
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In the United States, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement, dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country. While the holiday weekend also tends to […]
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Is there no end to the far-reaching responsibilities of the Royal Family? On September 9, Queen Elizabeth will pass Queen Victoria’s reign of 63 years and 216 days. My guess is there will be a lot on the calendar in the coming week so, thankfully, for Her Majesty, the final series of Downton Abbey doesn’t transmit until Sunday, […]
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Mr. Bean turns 25! Yesterday’s impromptu London adventure marked 25 years since the Mr. Bean pilot was shown on British television back in 1990. Mr Bean’s day out began in St James’ Park where Mr. Bean, a.k.a. Rowan Atkinson, stopped for a selfie with the Millennium Eye and bought an ice cream. After a brief […]
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Indian Summers coming to PBS’ Masterpiece, beginning Sunday, September 27. Set. DVR. Now. Set in the summer of 1932, a time where India is dreaming of independence while the British continue to desperately cling to their colonial rule of India, Indian Summers stars Academy Award nominee Julie Walters (Harry Potter, The Hollow Crown) as Cynthia Coffin, […]
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