PBS | Tellyspotting

Posted November 2, 2014 - 2 Comments

PBS getting more 'Vicious' in 2015

Following a new Christmas Day special this coming December on PBS, Freddie Thornhill and Stuart Bixby are headed back to PBS in Summer 2015 for the second series of Vicious, the story of two aging partners who have lived together in their Covent Garden flat for 48 years. Vicious first premiered on PBS this past Summer bringing together two of the finest actors on Planet Earth, both very familiar to public television audiences, Sir’s Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi.

Posted October 29, 2014 - No Comment

"All the World's a Stage…" as Benedict Cumberbatch celebrates a lifetime of British drama

This was definitely worth the wait. UK audiences have been teased recently on the BBC’s Facebook page that there was a new Benedict Cumberbatch project in the works. With the simple phrase of “Benedict Cumberbatch filming something special for BBC One and BBC Two” much of the UK went into orbit. Last night, the ‘project’ […]

Posted October 27, 2014 - No Comment

Sans powdered wigs, BBC's Silk headed for U.S. remake on ABC

This just in…a U.S. television broadcast network will try, yet again, to re-invent the wheel and adapt a British drama for American television. Surprise! ABC will re-make Peter Moffat’s British legal drama, Silk, the Bafta-nominated BBC drama which revolved around the lives of barristers at Shoe Lane chambers, and the lengths they went to to […]

Posted October 26, 2014 - No Comment

Fancy a bit of 'Pride and Prejudice' catch-up before tonight's premiere of 'Death Comes to Pemberley'?

Remember when you HAD to read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in high school? I’m guessing a number of you have re-read several times as an adult because you actually WANTED to. Whatever the case, it’s probably been awhile since read it or seen one of the numerous big or small screen adaptations. So, courtesy […]

Posted October 23, 2014 - 1 Comment

More Foyle's War on the way in 2015

For PBS viewers, 2015 is already shaping up to be another brilliant year for British drama. You can now add Foyle’s War to the mix that already includes new seasons of Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife, Mr. Selfridge, Endeavour, Scott and Bailey, DCI Banks, Case Histories, Father Brown, Death in Paradise and New Tricks not to mention the new series premieres of Grantchester and Wolf Hall. To be honest, you had me at Foyle’s War!

Posted October 21, 2014 - No Comment

'Happy Valley' to 'Grantchester' was quite a change for James Norton

After binge-watching Sally Wainwright’s amazing series, Happy Valley, which starred Sarah Lancashire and Steve Pemberton, I began to see the haunting figure of Tommie Lee Royce on every street corner. Played brilliantly by James Norton, Royce was the stereotypical tormented soul/psychopathic killer (if there is such a thing). Thankfully, to get that image out of my head, all I had to do was quickly fast forward to the premiere of ITV’s Grantchester earlier this month.

Posted October 14, 2014 - No Comment

Don't insult the audience's intelligence says 'Wolf Hall' author, Hilary Mantel

“As soon as you decide it’s too complicated for the viewer or history is an inconvenient shape, you fall into a cascade of errors which ends in nonsense”, author Hilary Mantel said to the audience at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. Referring to her novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies and their upcoming BBC adaptations, Mantel stressed the importance of not under-estimating the intelligence of her readers and audience, reports Radio Times. “As soon as you decide this is too complicated for the viewer or history is an inconvenient shape – ‘I’ll just tidy it up’ – you fall into a cascade of errors which ends in nonsense”, citing Showtime’s The Tudors as the perfect example of how simply combining history and drama does not always make for good telly.

Posted October 11, 2014 - 1 Comment

More 'drama' than the law allows in New Orleans at BBC Syndication Showcase 2014

It was drama overload this past week in New Orleans at the BBC’s annual Syndication Showcase (insert how much you feel sorry for me being in New Orleans for three days screening brilliant telly here). I say drama overload in the nicest possible sense. Seems as though ever since that fateful day in January 2011 […]

Posted October 8, 2014 - No Comment

Big screen treatment of Dad's Army drawing top-notch talent

The big-screen adaptation of the classic BBC wartime comedy, Dad’s Army, is drawing some of the biggest names (outside of Benedict Cumberbatch) together as they begin to assemble the cast. The feature film treatment of the Jimmy Perry, David Croft iconic British comedy has landed one of the greats with the announcement that Bill Nighy, […]

Posted October 6, 2014 - No Comment

Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston return to small screen in John le Carre's 'The Night Manager'

Three years removed from his brilliant portrayal of a pain medication-dependent, unconventional, misanthropic medical genius, Dr. Gregory House, Hugh Laurie is returning to the small screen to star in the BBC adaptation of the John le Carre novel, The Night Manager. Laurie’s co-star, Tom Hiddleston, is coming off his portrayal of country western singer Hank Williams in I Saw the Light.