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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With the long-awaited series 2 of The Wrong Mans returning last night and concluding tonight on BBC Two in the UK and then tomorrow night (Christmas Eve) on Hulu in America, Tellyspotting recently sat down with series co-creator/writer/star, Mathew Baynton, to talk about what’s in store for Sam and Phil in S2 and, basically, all-things comedy. Before we find […]
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It’s hard to imagine the Crawleys at the dinner table during just about any episode of Downton Abbey and not seeing wine served. Without question, when Mr. Carson pulled a bottle of wine from the cellar for Lord and Lady Grantham, one could be assured it was a fine French Bordeaux, the wine of choice […]
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While we are still in the dog days of Summer and the endless string of 100+ degree weather, it’s never too early to begin planning your Downton Abbey-themed event for this Autumn in the UK or for January 2014 in the States…. Wines That Rock, the company responsible for Rolling Stones Forty Licks Merlot and […]
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Today’s From the Vault segment pays tribute to those having to work retail on Black Friday. The Friday after Thanksgiving has long been hailed as the busiest shopping day of the year in America. Only in the United States can the aptly named Black Friday start at 8:00pm pm Thursday. In recent years, the competition […]
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Here’s wishing a coveted third Michelin star to Le Chateau Anglais and Chef Gareth Blackstock for his alter ego, Lenny Henry’s 54th birthday today. Given that Chef Blackstock’s restaurant was one of the few in the United Kingdom to receive a two-star rating from Michelin we felt it the only fitting gift we could give […]
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For many, Friday the 13th may be the one day where your actions (or inactions) range from staying inside, avoiding black cats, walk way out of your way to prevent you from walking under ladders, or even attempting to avoid buildings that have a 13th floor. Unfortunately, for Basil Fawlty, every day is Friday the […]
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David Kelly. He was Grandpa Joe Bucket in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, rode a motorbike naked in Waking Ned Devine, starred alongside Peter O’Toole and Peter Ustinov in the Irish mini-series, Strumpet City, and played a vicar in The Italian Job. The Dublin-born actor possessed a “wicked sense of humor”, according to […]
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It’s an old story, but one worth re-telling. You’re an actor/actress targeted for life for a role done a lifetime ago. A legion of fans worldwide don’t want to let go. It’s something that every actor worries about. In the world of British comedy alone, just ask Patricia Routledge (Hyacinth Bucket), John Cleese (Basil Fawlty) […]
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To most, if not all, British comedy fans, there is but one Fawlty Towers. Without question, when one speaks the name, visions of an extraordinarily short-fused hotelier by the name of Basil Fawlty come to mind. While Basil is desperate to join the ranks of the “upper class”, he’s forever at odds with guests and […]
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