London’s Grace Brothers Department Store set to re-open after 30+ years

While it’s been more than three decades since we last were able to walk into the retail ladies’ and gentlemen’s clothing department of London’s Grace Brothers department store, the doors appear ready to re-open in the not-too-distant future. The classic BBC comedy series, which ran from 1971 to 1985, is set for a re-boot as part […]

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Gareth Gwenlan, British television producer/director, dies at 79.

Gareth Gwenlan, a name you may not be familiar with but whose work you have seen and enjoyed for decades on countless British situation comedies, has died at age 79. Gwenlan, who joined the BBC Comedy department in 1967 as a producer, helped create some of the world’s most beloved British sitcoms, notably The Fall And Rise […]

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Is ‘Brittas Empire’ set for reboot?

Ok, so I might be in the midst of a mild case of ‘good old days’ syndrome when it comes to British comedy but there are days that I look at the current comedy output from the UK and long for the days when a new season of As Time Goes By, Keeping Up Appearances, […]

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No more ‘New Tricks’ for the old dogs at UCOS

The long-time staple of the BBC’s police procedural line-up, New Tricks, will be ending its’ run after the forthcoming 12th series, which will air on BBC One this coming summer and in early 2016 on public television stations in America. What started as a rather non-descript, one-off episode in March 2003 that followed the work of the […]

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Eastenders’ Larry Lamb to be newest ‘old dog’ on New Tricks

If you’re a P1 fan as I have since day one of the brilliant BBC One crime drama, New Tricks, you’ve probably noticed a number of changes over the course of the last couple of series. Whether it’s the writing, the acting or the storylines, the series has weathered virtually a complete cast overhaul in […]

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Goodnight, Teddington: Iconic British comedy studio set for demolition

In the ‘let’s tear things down that have a history attached to it and build something that will make a lot more money’ era that we all seem to live in, it was bound to happen, unfortunately. Following on the heels of the recent closure of BBC Television Centre, Teddington Studios, the home for years to Thames Television and where much of the magic happened during Britain’s Golden Age that has been seen by generations of television viewers, is set for demolition in the not-too-distant future.

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Take a tour of the British Isles in accents

From a drama standpoint, have you ever wondered as you were watching the likes of MI-5, Doc Martin, Scott & Bailey, New Tricks, Case Histories, Call the Midwife, Father Brown or Eastenders how where the show is set will dictate the accents used in the show? How about from a comedy standpoint with Last of […]

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