Sunday, December 25, 2011

Sharman

Sharman was a 90's crime / private investigator show starring Clive Owen as Sharman. The first 4 episodes were based on books by Mark Timlin of the same name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharman_%28TV_series%29

Spindoe

Spindoe was a 1968 crime serial about organzied crime.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindoe

Smörgåsbord - Disc 34

Some things new, some things older...........


Bridesmaids
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridesmaids_%282011_film%29


Fear Of Fanny
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Cradock
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804475/


Just Henry
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2147359/
"One-off drama set in post-Second World War Britain, based on the novel by Michelle Magorian, the writer of Goodnight Mister Tom. Henry's life has not been easy. Having lost his father in the war and seen his mother remarry soon after, the youngster has become troubled, suffering nightmares and taking no interest in his education. But when his father's posthumous medal for bravery arrives in the post, he decides to go searching for answers about his death, leading to a series of surprises. Josh Bolt leads the cast, which includes Dean Andrews, Elaine Cassidy, Stephen Campbell Moore, Barbara Flynn, Sheila Hancock, John Henshaw and Pooky Quesnel."


Lapland
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2091334/
"Festive comedy drama about a chaotic but close-knit Birkenhead family who believe in making Christmas as special as possible. This year looks like being the best yet as they pack their bags for an authentic yuletide in Lapland, complete with huskies, reindeer and hopefully a meeting with Santa himself. But the holiday promises even more than they bargained for - as they soon discover. Sue Johnston heads the cast, which also includes Elizabeth Berrington, Stephen Graham, Julie Graham and Keith Barron."


The Last Will and Testament of Billy Two-Sheds
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0506866/
Starring James Bolam and Jodie Whittaker.


The Walk
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436884/

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Thursday, December 22, 2011

How Not To Live Your Life


After an absence of over a year, How Not To Live Your Life returned for an hour long Christmas special which is also the final episode of the show. One of the better sitcoms of the past 5 years. Funny, but hardly a classic.....me thinks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Not_to_Live_Your_Life

Top Boy + Without You

2 recent drama mini-series:


Top Boy
There are reports that this will be returning in a year or so for a second series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Boy


Without You
from the ITV website:

Without You is a brand new three-part drama adapted from the novel What to do When Someone Dies by writing duo Nicci Gerrard and Sean French.
It stars Anna Friel in the lead role as school teacher Ellie Manning, a wife who is devastated to learn her husband died in a horrific car accident with a mystery woman in the passenger seat.
Stricken with grief and refusing to believe her husband is having an affair, Ellie sets out to find the truth of who the mystery woman is, and why she was in the car.
Without You is a taut and emotional thriller, directed by Tim Fywell (Waking the Dead) and produced by Nigel Marchant (The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, Downton Abbey).

American Horror Story


American Horror Story.......will be returning next year..........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Horror_Story

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Life's Too Short + The Cafe

2 new comedy shows:


Life's Too Short is a mockumentary, or observational sitcom, from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (The Office, Extras) and the hardest working dwarf in show-biz Warwick Davis (Star Wars, Willow, Leprechaun, Harry Potter).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life%27s_Too_Short


The Cafe is a comedy-drama written by and starring Ralf Little (The Royle Family, Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps, Married Single Other, Massive, Paradise Heights) and Michelle Terry and directed by Craig Cash (The Royle Family, Early Doors, Sunshine, Mrs. Merton And Malcolm).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cafe_%28TV_series%29

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Homeland


Homeland.....will be returning next year......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_%28TV_series%29

Rev.


Series 2 of the sitcom Rev. ended tonight with a Christmas episode and it was nice to see Geoffrey Palmer make an appearance. Hopefully this will return in the future as it's one of the few sitcoms in recent years that seems to be targeted at an audience older than 11. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rev._%28TV_series%29

upcoming Christmas holiday weekend

This weekend on UK TV there will be the usual assortment of past Christmas episodes and specials and a few new things to look forward to.


Thursday night How Not To Live Your Life will return for a Christmas special which will also be the last ever episode.


Christmas Eve will see the Series 4 finale of Merlin, a special long episode of EastEnders, a new holiday comedy-drama called Lapland with Sue Johnston, Julie Graham, Keith Barron, Stephen Graham and Elizabeth Berrington and a Christmas special of Outnumbered.


On Christmas it will be the specials from Doctor Who and Downton Abbey and the return of Absolutely Fabulous. AbFab will also be back on New Year's Day and a third time later in 2012. There will also be hour-long special episodes from Emmerdale, EastEnders and Coronation Street.


On Boxing Day the Irish laissez-faire sitcom Mrs Brown's Boys will be returning with a Christmas episode that will kick off a second series of 8 new shows. Also, the Poirot episode "The Clocks" will be aired for the first time, I believe, in the UK. It's been broadcast in other countries several times over the past two years.


Last night Rob Brydon returned with his show for the Series 2 Christmas episode.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Mongrels

The BBC Three clever comedy Mongrels returned for a second series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongrels_%28TV_series%29

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Misfits - Series 3

Series 3 of the popular Sci fi comedy-drama Misfits has concluded.
8 new episodes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misfits_%28TV_series%29

Once Upon A Time In The North + The Ritz

From the box of video tapes labeled 'rare old Northern comedy':


Once Upon A Time In The North was a 1994 sitcom written by Tim Firth (All Quiet On The Preston Front, The Flint Street Nativity, Border Cafe, Calendar Girls, King Of Fridges) starring Bernard Hill (Fox, Boys From The Blackstuff, Lipstick On Your Collar, Titanic, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sunshine, Five Days), Susan McArdle (Early Doors), Christine Moore and Bryan Pringle (The Dustbinmen, The Pallisers, Growing Pains of PC Penrose, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Wish Me Luck, A Prince Among Men).


The Ritz was a 1987 comedy-drama (50-min. eps) with Andrew Dunn (dinnerladies) and Julia Ford (All About George, The Street, Shameless).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ritz_%28TV_series%29

Pan Am - Disc 1

Pan Am is a Hollywood period drama also currently airing in Canada, the UK and Ireland. Reportedly, this is returning next year for 5 more episodes. I'll admit this type of stuff isn't really my thing, but in checking it out I couldn't help but immediately notice how they do up the female actors somewhat realistically, but the male actors all look like they're 18 and have contemporary hair styles. Sorry, but 45 years ago Pan Am didn't have teenagers piloting their jets and they didn't look like they just walked out of a trendy West Hollywood hot spot with their entourage....which sort of gives it the look of a comedy sketch-show spoof.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_%28TV_series%29

Unforgettable - Disc 1

Unforgettable is a Hollywood crime-mystery series currently airing in the US and Canada and scheduled for broadcast in January in the UK and sometime next year in Australia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unforgettable_%28TV_series%29

Enlightened

Enlightened is a recent Hollywood comedy-drama that is currently being aired in the UK and Ireland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightened_%28TV_series%29

Friday, December 16, 2011

The Inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners, the E4 comedy, came to an end as a TV show over a year ago now. They did a little thing for Comic Relief last March and in August the movie was released and these have been added and that should close the door on this one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inbetweeners
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inbetweeners_Movie

This Is England

This Is England and the saga of Shaun returned for three nights this week. Here is the original film from 2006, last year's This Is England '86 and this week's This Is England '88. More nitty gritty lowlife drama.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_England
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_England_%2786 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_England_%2788

PhoneShop

PhoneShop, the Channel 4 sitcom, returned for a second series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PhoneShop

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Him & Her


Him & Her, a sitcom airing on BBC Three, returned for a second series. Starring Russell Tovey (Being Human) and Sarah Solemani (Roman's Empire, Suburban Shootout).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Him_and_her

Death In Paradise

Death In Paradise is a new legal drama comedy starring Ben Miller (Armstrong & Miller Show, Moving Wallpaper, The Worst Week Of My Life, Look At The State We're In!, Primeval) and French actress Sara Martins. The show takes place on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_in_Paradise_%28TV_series%29

Being Erica - Disc 4

The 4th series of Being Erica, the Canadian fantasy drama-comedy, has ended and the show has reached the end as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Being_Erica

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Crownies - Disc 3

Crownies - Disc 3. This Australian legal drama has concluded and will not be returning although a spinoff is under consideration.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crownies

Emmerdale Farm 441 - 555








8 more discs of vintage Emmerdale Farm. Over 100 episodes from April 1978 to February 1980.

Emmerdale 2011 - Discs 9 - 12




Emmerdale 2011 - Discs 9, 10, 11 and 12. 

Friday, December 9, 2011

Pete Versus Life

Pete Versus Life, the Channel 4 sitcom, returned for a second series.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_versus_Life

Emmerdale Farm

Emmerdale, the popular ITV evening drama serial, is less than a year away from it's 40th anniversary. For about the first 17 years it was known as Emmerdale Farm and on this disc are the first 25 (of over 6,000) episodes.

EastEnders 2011 - Disc 11

EastEnders 2011 - Disc 11

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Baker Boys

Baker Boys, the blue-collar drama from BBC Wales, has returned for 3 more hour-long episodes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_Boys_%282011_TV_Series%29

Coronation Street 2011 - Disc 11

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Till Death Us Do Part update



Till Death Us Do Part has been updated with episodes once missing. I believe that with the exception of the 2 minutes of surviving footage from the 1965 Comedy Playhouse pilot, they are all found on Disc 2.
Some episode guides will show that more of the older 60's shows still exist, but they are only snippets and not complete episodes....with the exception of The Phone which exists as a very crude vintage home recording.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Till_Death_Us_Do_Part_%28British_TV_series%29