Emmerdale 2010 - Disc 10

Emmerdale 2010 - Disc 10. Another month of West Yorkshire village life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmerdale

Whitechapel

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

Formula 1 2010

The highlights of the first 15 races of the current F1 season. Most of the files are about an hour long so there is good coverage of each race with just the more boring bits missing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One

Getting On returns

After an absence of 15 months, Getting On returned for a second series on BBC Four tonight.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_On

Rag Trade rarity

The Rag Trade was a popular early 60's comedy that was revived for another run in late 70's redoing many of the original episodes. Someone has found a tape of an unaired pilot shot in 1975 for the revival and I have added it to Disc 2. Very interesting. Peter Jones is still there as Mr. Fenner but the role of shop foreman (originally played by Reg Varney and later by Christopher Beeny in the revived version) is played by Tony Robinson (of BlackAdder and Time Team fame) and it's pretty much a different crew of ladies on the shop floor, including a shop steward played by Gaye Brown (played by Miriam Karlin in both series). The original version is a true comedy classic. Unfortunately, only about half the episodes survive. Now......everybody out!!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rag_Trade

Living In Your Car update

Living In Your Car, the recent HBO Canada comedy, had been missing the 12th episode, but it was retransmitted a few nights ago so here it is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_in_Your_Car

Where The Heart Is - Series 2

Where The Heart Is - Series 2 of the long running drama set in West Yorkshire. At that point in time it starred Pam Ferris (Rosemary & Thyme, The Darling Buds of May, Gavin & Stacey, Harry Potter) and Tony Haygarth (Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads, Rosie, Kinvig, Farrington of the FO, and more recently in The Royal and Emmerdale).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_Heart_Is_%281997_TV_series%29

Ideal - Disc 3

Ideal - Disc 3.....with the new Series 6 added which concluded almost 3 weeks ago and I didn't even notice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideal_%28TV_series%29

The Inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners.....with the recent Series 3 added.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inbetweeners

The Bill 1995 - Disc 2

The Bill 1995 - Disc 2. 19 more classic episodes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bill

Brookside - Disc 5

Brookside - Disc 5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookside

A Family At War

A Family At War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Family_at_War

Trailer Park Boys

Trailer Park Boys, the Canadian comedy mockumentary about the good life in Nova Scotia. Bienvenue.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_Park_Boys

Chance In A Million

Chance In A Million, the 1980's Thames sitcom starring Brenda Blethyn and Simon Callow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chance_in_a_Million

Home & Away 2010 - Disc 8

Home & Away 2010 - Disc 8....25 more episodes of the internationally popular Australian evening drama.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_and_Away

EastEnders 2010 - Disc 9

EastEnders 2010 - Disc 9. 17 more episodes and a special of the hugely popular BBC evening drama.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EastEnders

The Bill: Classics - Series 11 Disc 1 1995

The Bill, 19 more classic episodes wrapping up Series 10 and kicking off Series 11 in 1995.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bill

New Tricks - Disc 7

New Tricks - Disc 7....with the latest episodes of this popular crime comedy/drama.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Tricks_%28TV_series%29

Drama Smörgåsbord - Disc 22

Ashenden was a 1991 BBC 4-part mini-series based on the stories by Somerset Maugham of his espionage experiences in WWI.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashenden

The Turn Of The Screw was a 1999 adaptation of the Henry James ghost story produced by Meridian TV and WGBH-Boston.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/archive/programs/turnofthescrew/index.html

From deep down in the old video tape locker comes Vicious Circle, the story of the exploits of Martin Cahill, famous criminal at large in Ireland, at odds with both the police and the IRA, and outwitting both most of the time. A BBC Northern Ireland production.


 

This Is Not My Life

This Is Not My Life is a new slightly futuristic (10 years) mystery thriller from Television New Zealand's TV One. Kicking off with a feature length double episode, it was followed by 11 44-minute eps and concluded today (which was yesterday in New Zealand).
Check it out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Not_My_Life
http://tvnz.co.nz/this-is-not-my-life/not-my-life-index-group-3631491

Reggie returns

Reggie Perrin, the remake of the classic Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, returns for a second 6-episode series tonight, featuring Martin Clunes, Fay Ripley, Neil Stuke, Geoffrey Whitehead, Wendy Craig, Lucy Liemann, etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggie_Perrin

Carry On Films - Disc 6

The final disc in the Carry On collection of 30 comedy films produced between 1958 and 1978. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carry_On_films

Battle of the 70's Comedies

This is probably going to be a waste of time so I'm not going to insert a bunch of links and photo's.
I thought I'd let the readers of this, if there are any, vote for their favorite comedies from the 70's.
I would find the results interesting.

Of course, the first problem is many people haven't seen all the programs I'll nominate, but this is just a poll for the fun of it, so who cares? I've seen most of them but there are still some I haven't gotten to yet and quite a few of them I watched some years ago and they aren't fresh in my memory.

I'm going to leave out the sketch programs like The Two Ronnies, Monty Python's Flying Circus and the Dick Emery Show.

Another omission would be one of the most popular British programs here in the US at that time, All Creatures Great and Small. While there are many enjoyable amusing moments it was a comedy-drama and really doesn't fit in with the others on the list.

Others that actually began in 1979 but had the bulk of their run in the 80's will be left off the list too.
Shows such as To The Manor Born, Terry and June, Only When I Laugh, Potter, Agony, In Loving Memory, Open All Hours.

Some other programs began in the 70's and carried over into the 80's. Quite a few actually. Are You Being Served? Last of the Summer Wine, Citizen Smith, Bless Me Father, Robin's Nest, You're Only Young Twice, A Sharp Intake Of Breath, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Rosie all come to mind. Butterflies had half its eps in the 70's, half in the 80's. I'll include all those.

Others began in the late 60's, but if the bulk of the episodes were broadcast in the 70's I'll include them on the list.

Please consider what made the programs work. Was the writing even and consistent? Or did it get stale? Did the characters remain strong and were they well developed or just a cliche? Did the show have a good atmosphere or was it claustrophobic and confined to a couple of small dingy sets? Was the comedy clever with twists and turns or could you guess what was coming well before it happened?  

Make up a list of your favorite 10 in order of first to last and I'll award 1 point to a #10 and 10 points to a #1, etc.  E-mail them to me and around the end of the month I'll post the results along with some of your comments.

I'll nominate the following, but you can chose whatever you like so long as it fits the criteria.

A Sharp Intake Of Breath

And Mother Makes Three / Five

Are You Being Served?

Billy Liar

Bless Me Father

Bless This House

Butterflies

Carry On Laughing

Citizen Smith

Dad's Army

Doctor At Large-In Charge-At Sea-On The Go-Down Under

The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin

Father, Dear Father

Fawlty Towers

The Fenn Street Gang

For The Love Of Ada

Geroge & Mildred

Get Some In!

The Goodies

The Good Life

I Didn't Know You Cared

It Ain't Half Hot Mum

Last of the Summer Wine (only the first 37 eps were in the 70's)

The Liver Birds

Love Thy Neighbour

The Lovers

Man About The House

The Many Wives Of Patrick 

Mind Your Language

My Wife Next Door

Nearest And Dearest / Not On Your Nellie

No - Honestly!

Oh No It's Selwyn Froggit! / Selwyn

The Other One

Queenie's Castle

Ripping Yarns

Rising Damp

Robin's Nest

Rosie

Rutland Weekend Television

Some Mother Do 'ave 'em

Spring & Autumn

Sykes

Two's Company

Up Pompeii

The Upchat Line / Connection

You're Only Young Twice

Yus My Dear

The Many Wives Of Patrick

The Many Wives Of Patrick was a late 70's sitcom starring Patrick Cargill of Father, Dear Father fame.
I've added the missing episodes. Unfortunately, they made the set about 1½ episodes too large to fit onto a single disc. The files really aren't large enough to reduce any further without suffering in quality.
http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/wives/index.html

Thieves Like Us + The Visit

2 comedy programs from 2007.

Thieves Like Us
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thieves_Like_Us_%28TV_Series%29

The Visit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Visit_%28TV_series%29

Outrageous Fortune - Disc 11

Outrageous Fortune - Disc 11.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outrageous_Fortune_%28TV_series%29

Wallace & Gromit

A Wallace & Gromit collection, including all the Cracking Contraptions shorts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_and_Gromit

Class Act

Class Act was a mid-90's comedy starring Joanna Lumley, Nadine Garner and John Bowe. It ran for 14 50-minute episodes. http://www.phill.co.uk/comedy/act/index.html

Joanna Lumley

A collection of interesting programs Joanna Lumley has done.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_Lumley

In the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon..."Documentary following Joanna Lumley as she retraces the steps of her grandfather to Bhutan, the last of the Buddhist kingdoms untouched by western technology. In 1931, Colonel Weir, bestowed on the King of Bhutan the Knight Commander of the Indian empire."

Final Chance To Save Orangutans
http://www.skyone.co.uk/programme/pgeinterview.aspx?pid=54&iid=48

In The Land Of The Northern Lights
http://www.motorbar.co.uk/dvd_landofthenorthernlights.htm

Catwoman http://www.itv.com/presscentre/presspacks/joannalumleycatwoman/default.html

Joanna Lumley's Nile http://www.itv.com/lifestyle/peopleandplaces/joannalumley/

Brotherly Love + The Cup

Two comedies from the first decade of the 21st century. Wish there was a common name for it. The Tens? The Zeroes? The Twenty-Tens?

Brotherly Love starred Gregor Fisher (who is probably best known as Rab C. Nesbitt) and James Fleet (probably best known as Hugo on Vicar Of Dibley).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brotherly_Love_%28UK_TV_series%29

The Cup starred Steve Edge (Peter Kay/Phoenix Nights, I'm With Stupid).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cup_%28TV_series%29

some updates

The Bill 1994 Discs 7 and 8, Coronation Street 2010 Dsc 8, Doctors 2010 Disc 6, Emmerdale 2010 Disc 9, Neighbours 2010 Dics 9, Shortland Street Disc 3

Brookside - Disc 4

Brookside - Disc 4. Another 19 episodes about life on Brookside Close in Liverpool. Speaking of Liverpool, I see the owners of the Boston Red Sox baseball team are trying to purchase the Liverpool soccer/football team from the owners of the Texas Rangers baseball team who are not very popular people in Liverpool. I found this video of Liverpool supporters pissing and moaning with Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston amongst them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO55BazkiZ4
Whatever.....just as long as I can attend sporting events in this country without that insanity and violence. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookside

The Larkins - Disc 2

The 3rd series of The Larkins with the feature-length Larkins film Inn For Trouble that was released sometime during the early weeks of Series 3. The Larkins starred Peggy Mount (George And The Dragon, You're Only Young Twice) and David Kossoff.