LONDON – July 18, 2010: It just keeps getting better and better as we continue our interviews for the doc on the British comedy writers for PBS. Yesterday, it was another day, another highlight as we talked with Dawn French, writer, actor, comedy genius. Dawn talked at great length about her good friend, Richard Curtis, […]
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LONDON, July 17, 2010 – Yesterday was one of the highlights of the trip this time. As you read in yesterday’s post, we started the day off by interviewing Roger Lloyd Pack from The Vicar of Dibley and The Old Guys. What a genuinely nice individual. Penelope Keith at the Brooklands After that, we ventured […]
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Another day, more British comedy greatness. Started the morning off with a drive to Kentish Town in North London to visit Roger Lloyd Pack, who stars as Owen in The Vicar of Dibley. What a gem of an individual and an unbelievable wealth of knowledge about comedy and acting. Roger did share some interesting observations on […]
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Just a little diversion today to get our strength up tomorrow for what will be a lengthy production day starting at 5:30am with Roger Lloyd Pack (Owen, Vicar of Dibley and Tom, The Old Guys) followed at 3:00p with Penelope Keith (Margo, Good Neighbors and Audrey, To the Manor Born) and then, possibly, Karl Howman (Mulberry, Mulberry). […]
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LONDON – July 14, 2010: Today was more Keeping Up Appearances with our interview with Clive Swift. In this case, you probably do know the name and his work. Clive’s brilliant portrayal of Richard, Hyacinth’s husband, is a perfect example of the excellent casting that sets British comedy apart from their American counterparts. As Clive […]
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Without question, when a British comedy fan is asked what it is they like about British comedy, the first answer is “…the writing“. Ask any actor or actress what it is that sets British comedy apart from the rest of television as we know it, the answer is always “…the writing“. It’s intelligent television that […]
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From Keeping Up Appearances to Father Ted to The Vicar of Dibley, the clergy have had a rough go of it over the years with respect to their portrayal in British comedy. Gerard Gilbert writes in The Guardian that vicars and/or priests are categorized as either crazed or clowns whether it’s the comedic vicar in Dad’s […]
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Just another short rant about why there is no need to create American versions of British comedies that were close to perfection the first time around. This holds true virtually 100% of the time, whether it be for the big or small screen. All I need to do is utter the words of Death at […]
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The stars definitely would align, but, in this case, so must the writer. In a recent interview, James Fleet (Hugo Horton) revealed he would return to Vicar of Dibley should the opportunity arise. Fleet mentioned the same sentiment earlier this Spring when we interviewed both he and Trevor Peacock for the upcoming PBS special on […]
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Sunday night saw the return of Dawn French to London’s Royal Opera House stage in the role of La Duchesse de Crackentorp in “La Fille de la Regiment“. French, who originally played the part to rave reviews in 2007, doesn’t sing, speaks her lines in English (with French subtitles) yet still, according to early reviews, commands […]
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