Happy 70th, Penelope! And, we open the mailbag

You Look Marvelous Today is Penelope Keith’s 70th birthday. Billy Crystal’s character, Fernando Lamas, couldn’t have said it better. You look marvelous. With a long public television history dating back to the days of Good Neighbors and To the Manor Born right through to her recent efforts serving as host for both The Funny Ladies of […]

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Who said television doesn't influence behavior?

Whoever coined this phrase must have underestimated the power of television to influence buying behavior. Why, you ask? Well, just ask the makers of Harris Tweed how they feel now that Matt Smith, the Eleventh traveling Time Lord, has put on the hand-woven timeless jacket for the new series. The 60’s style jacket will now be […]

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More "My Family" says his family

The great Robert Lindsay, who stars as Ben Harper along side the equally great Zoe Wanamaker in the British situation comedy, My Family, has been ordered by his son to continue with the series when they resume shooting this Spring for, what may be, the last in the series. Series creator and writer, Fred Barron, […]

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Lenny Henry checks into the Overlook

Lenny Henry (Chef, The Lenny Henry Show) does his best Jack Nicholson impersonation in this recent ad for Premier Inn, a UK-based hotel chain. Unfortunately, for Lenny, the ad has come under fire due to an unfortunate misplacement during children’s programming on Nick Jr. Claiming the ever popular “technical error” as the reasoning for the […]

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What ever happened to…

We all know our favorite British comedy stars for just that…being our favorite British comedy stars. For many, however, there’s been an entire lifetime of roles and, well, life, since that classic series we all watch over and over. Just to catch you up on a few favorites as to what they are doing now: […]

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Sherlock leaps to the 21st Century

While it’s sometimes difficult to get excited or even interested in adaptations of classic novels or literature, there’s one coming up that has me in an “I can’t wait” mentality. As we reported last month, the greatest detective of all-time, Sherlock Holmes, is entering the 21st Century, as written by Steven Moffat, the ingenious mind […]

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March Madness – British comedy version

March Madness Time! Time to stock up for some British comedy series power-watching over the next several weeks. Besides the ever-present classics that are worth watching over and over such as Yes Minister, Reginald Perrin and Vicar of Dibley, there are a couple of other series you may or may not be aware of that […]

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Craggy Island anyone?

You can wear green all you want, have a pint of Guinness, maybe some Irish Stew or go to a parade, but no St. Patrick’s Day salute would be complete without a trip to Craggy Island and a look back at one of the Irish comedy greats, Father Ted. Ok, I know it was done […]

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Frank, we'll miss you this St. Patrick's Day

Several years ago, we had an incredible opportunity to spend a couple of weeks in Dublin with Frank McCourt, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Angela’s Ashes, Teacher Man and ‘Tis. Frank hosted the PBS special, Historic Pubs of Dublin, broadcast in March 2008. As host, Frank took viewers on a tour of Dublin telling it’s […]

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Rolling Stones invade Santa Monica

It may have been Santa Monica, October 29, 1964, but the scene was still decidedly British. Only eight months after The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, the British invasion was in full swing and continued its assault on America in what was considered the first concert film of the rock era. In what has […]

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