Greetings from sunny Florida

I'm taking a week off and will not be able to reply to e-mails until next Tuesday evening.

Harry & Paul return

After an absence of 2 years, Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse return this evening with a new series of comedy on Harry & Paul. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_%26_Paul

The Mistress

Carla Lane seems to have a flair for writing about women with baggage. Here's another sitcom she wrote, this one starring Jane Asher, Felicity Kendall, Jack Galloway and Peter McEnery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mistress_%28TV_series%29
For those that the name Carla Lane doesn't ring a bell, she also wrote several popular sitcoms such as The Liver Birds, Butterflies, Bread, Solo, Screaming as well as a lot of episodes for Bless This House.

The Four Just Men

The Four Just Men was another ITC production of crime and intrigue. The "four" were, or the actors that played them were, Richard Conte, Dan Dailey, Jack Hawkins and Vittorio de Sica. All four only appear in the first episode together and the following episodes featured only 1 on a rotating basis. It was derived from the Edgar Wallace novel of the same name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Just_Men_%28TV_series%29

Though over 50 years old familiar faces from more recent times do appear.

Honor Blackman is in the Dan Dailey episodes as his secretary/lover.

Frank Thornton, now approaching his 90th birthday,  appears in 9 episodes in nine different minor roles.

And a 25 year old Judi Dench appears in Treviso Dam.

Time After Time

Time After Time was a 90's comedy with Brian Conley, Samantha Beckinsale (Shelley, London's Burning, Get Well Soon, Duck Patrol), Georgia Allen (Brush Strokes, Old Boy Network), Kate Williams (Love Thy Neighbour, Born And Bred, May To December, Berkeley Square).
http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/time/index.html

Karaoke + Cold Lazarus

Karaoke and Cold Lazarus were two connected serials written by Dennis Potter using the same production teams and airing consecutively. They were broadcast by Channel 4 on Sunday nights and repeated the following day on BBC which made it somewhat unique.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaoke_%28play%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Lazarus

Law & Order UK

Law & Order UK. I guess there is a US program called Law & Order and this is a British version or something. Please note the broadcast dates - which means Disc 2 will not be available until 22 October.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_and_Order:_UK

Dead Man Weds + I'm With Stupid

2 mid-00's sitcoms on one little disc.

Dead Man Weds was written by and starred Dave Spikey along with Johnny Vegas.
http://www.sitcom.co.uk/dead_man_weds/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Man_Weds

I'm With Stupid featured Mark Benton, Paul Henshall and Ruth Jones.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_with_Stupid_%28TV_series%29

Rent-A-Goalie

Rent-A-Goalie was a Canadian comedy. I've had the first 2 series hanging around here but despite the fact it was aired less than two years ago I've never come across anyone that has Series 3. So either DVR's are in short supply in Canada or nobody bothered watching it. It'll turn up someday, but in the meantime I can get this out of that "big box of crap I need to do something with". 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent-A-Goalie

The Bill 1994 - Disc 6

The Bill 1994 - Disc 6 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bill

Brookside - Disc 3

Brookside - Disc 3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookside

Bouquet Of Barbed Wire 1976 + 2010

Bouquet Of Barbed Wire is a 1969 novel by Andrea Newman. It was adapted for TV in 1975 with 7 50-minute episodes. 35 years on ITV has presented another adaptation (concluding tonight) in 3 45-minute episodes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouquet_of_Barbed_Wire

"A modern reworking of Andrea Newman’s taboo-busting 1970s psychological drama, Bouquet of Barbed Wire explores the consequences of a father’s obsessive love for his daughter and how secrets once buried in the past return to haunt their lives."

Spooks (MI5) returns

Spooks returns tonight for a 9th series of 8 episodes.

This is called MI5 in the USA for some reason.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spooks



Waterloo Road

Waterloo Road
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo_Road_%28TV_series%29

Hollyoaks 2010 - Disc 8

Hollyoaks 2010 - Disc 8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollyoaks

EastEnders 2010 - Disc 8

EastEnders 2010 - Disc 8

http://en.wikipedia.org/?title=EastEnders

Dressing For Breakfast

Dressing For Breakfast, a sitcom from the late 90's starring Holly Aird (Flame Trees Of Thika, Hope It Rains, Waking The Dead, Monday Monday, Identity) and well-traveled drama guest stars Beatie Edney and Charlotte Cornwell. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dressing_for_Breakfast

Grandma's House + Mongrels

Grandma's House concluded on BBC TWO last night. It's a sitcom with a pretty good cast, but the central character is played by someone named Simon Amstell and somebody please tell me his uncle is the head of the BBC because he has got to be the worst actor I've ever seen. This kid makes Neil Dudgeon look like Sid James. The writing was a tad juvenile. The episodes actually have titles but they're too long to bother with.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma%27s_house

Mongrels is a mature-themed puppet sitcom that aired on BBC Three earlier this summer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongrels_(TV_series)

some recent comedy stuff

Bunch of odds and ends on this disc.

Pete Vs Life was a recent 5 episode sitcom on Ch. 4.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_versus_Life

Roger & Val Have Just Got In recently completed on BBC TWO.
As much as I respect Dawn French and Alfred Molina as actors, this type of comedy isn't for everyone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_%26_Val_Have_Just_Got_In

The Great Outdoors was a 3 episode comedy on BBC FOUR. Anything that Ruth Jones and Katherine Parkinson get involved in will usually make it worthy enough for me to check out, but I don't know how much further they could have taken this thing without getting away from the central theme of odd characters in a ramblers club. It would probably work very well in a comedy sketch program.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Outdoors_%28UK_TV_series%29

The Adventures Of Daniel was a BBC THREE pilot geared for teenyboppers I think.
"Part stand-up, part sketch and part sitcom with promising young comedy talent Daniel Sloss. Daniel has got the same problems as any other 18-year-old - his mum wants him to start paying rent, his girlfriend's dad hates him and he's starting to think he'll never lose his virginity."

The Inn Mates was another BBC THREE pilot. Think of this show as Coupling for 14 year olds.
"Comedy about the lives, loves and antics of a group of people whose lives intersect around the Friendship Inn. John and Sharon, together since they were kids, are having a quarter-life crisis; cool Maisie thinks wild boy Pete is seeing another woman; Blue can't stop sleeping with DJs; Josh has found his real, sperm-donor father, who's gay and not interested; and Chiz and Kaney, rather naive community support officers, think having a load of 'disco biscuits' with their tea is a great idea."

Wu-How: The Ninja How-To Guide. Something else from BBC THREE. 
" A bunch of practical how-tos that help you complete day-to-day tasks the ninja way, with the aid of guides Black Ninja (Lifeskills), Blue Ninja (style), Pink Ninja (Domestic), Red Ninja (Arts/Craft) and Brown Ninja (DIY). They advise on everything from how to make a gourmet meal at a festival to how to make a bike rack out of old office shelving, giving juicy tips direct from the sacred ninja knowledge: Wu-how. Nuggets of wisdom that will transform you from beginner to expert in seconds."

The Bill 1994 - Disc 5

19 more classic episodes from 1994 of The Bill.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bill

Brookside - Disc 2

Brookside - Disc 2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookside

Gone To Seed + Very Big Very Soon

A comedy dynamic duo from the early 90's on Central.

Gone To Seed was a 6 - 50 min. serial starring.......get this.......Jim Broadbent, Warren Clarke, Sheila Hancock, Alison Steadman and Peter Cook.

From IMDB: "A domineering mother Mag Plant, who owns a nursery/garden centre in London, refuses to hand-over control to her children (despite indications that this may be the best course of action for the family). The Plant triplets are comprised of Winston, a one-eyed wrestler; Monty, a would-be Country & Western singer; Hilda, a virginal wallflower whose only passion in life appears to be the Millwall soccer team. A local conman, Wesley Willis, lurks in the shadows and knows the true-worth of prime-location London real-estate."  This made around the same time as Gone To The Dogs with a lot of the same actors.

Very Big Very Soon starred Paul Shane of Hi-de-Hi! / Oh, Dr. Beeching! / You Rang M'Lord? fame. Also in the cast was Tim Wylton (Dustbinmen, A Bit Of A Do, As Time Goes By, etc.) and Sheila White had roles in both programs on this disc.

http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/verybig/index.html

My Old Man + Odd Man Out

A 1970's sitcom 2-4-1. It's MOM and OMO.

My Old Man starred Clive Dunn of Dad's Army and Bootsie & Snudge fame.

This had a second series and if it turns up MOM will have to go onto a disc of its own and Odd Man Out will be the, um,  odd man out. But until then, get 2 for 1.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Old_Man_%28sitcom%29

Odd Man Out starred John Inman (Are You Being Served?, Take A Letter Mr. Jones) and Josephine Tewson (Hark At Barker, Keeping Up Appearances, Last of the Summer Wine, Shelley, Clarence) as step-siblings (in real life they were cousins). Peter Butterworth of Carry On fame was also in the cast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd_Man_Out_%28UK_TV_series%29

In Loving Memory update

In Loving Memory is now completely nice crisp digital video.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Loving_Memory_%28TV_series%29

Sharon & Elsie

Sharon & Elsie was a BBC sitcom in the mid-80's starring Brigit Forsyth (Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?, Boon, Playing The Field) and Janette Beverley with Diana King (Mrs. Peacock on Are You Being Served?, Melinda on Terry And June, Mildred on You're Only Young Twice), John Junkin (Law And Disorder, Out), Carmel McSharry (In Sickness And In Health, Wish Me Luck, Ruth Rendall Mysteries, Beryl's Lot). "Elsie Beecroft (Brigit Forsyth) likes to think that she's "a cut above the rest". She has a well-run home and a good job in a printing firm. After the arrival in the office of new secretary Sharon Wilkes (Janette Beverley), however, Elsie begins to change her outlook on life."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086801/

Potter + A.J. Wentworth III, BA

A.J. Wentworth III, BA is now complete resulting in changes to Potter.

Potter was a sitcom written by Roy Clarke. It starred Arthur Lowe as a pompous interfering retiree with his suffering wife played by Noel Dyson. In the second series the main theme shifted to the chauvinistic attitudes of Potter and the Vicar (played by John Barron) and Harry H. Corbett was added to the cast as a retired gangster. Like the first series of Last of the Summer Wine, this Clarke work featured a lot of comical dialogue with 2 or 3 people talking at the same time and none of them talking about the same thing or listening to the others.

A third series was in the works when Lowe died suddenly. Already written and ready for production, Robin Bailey became the new Redvers Potter for the 3rd and final series.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potter_%28TV_series%29

Following Series 2 of Potter, Arthur Lowe went on to be the title character in A.J. Wentworth III, B.A. where he was a somewhat bumbling math teacher at a boys prep school circa 1940. The episodes were based on the stories of H.F. Ellis and also starred Harry Andrews. I found it very clever, but those that live punchline to punchline probably wouldn't enjoy it much. It's not that kind of simple comedy. By the time this was broadcast Lowe was already dead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_J_Wentworth,_BA

Streets Apart

Streets Apart was a BBC sitcom in the late 80's starring Amanda Redman and the late James Hazeldine who are a couple that meet again after 20 years and now she is successful and he is a taxi driver. Didn't Harry Chapin write a song about that 40 years ago? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094557/

Hancock update

Hancock......Disc 3 had the final 2 episodes of what was BBC's Hancock's Half-Hour, but at that point it was simply called Hancock after Sid James "left" the program. About 18 months later Hancock returned for a 13-episode program on ATV. So 6 of the 13 episodes of ATV Hancock have been added to Disc 3 (thanks, Stuart) and I've had to move the 90 BBC radio programs to a disc of its own. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hancock

An Actor's Life For Me + Us Girls

Two BBC sitcoms from the early 90's.

An Actor's Life For Me

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Actor%27s_Life_For_Me

Us Girls

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us_Girls

There was a second series of Us Girls but it remains elusive.