UKTV Florida: February 2015

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Death In Paradise - Disc 4

Monday, February 23, 2015

Catastrophe + Cockroaches + Number 2s

some new UK comedy:

Catastrophe is the latest from Sharon Horgan, this time co-written and co-starring American Rob Delaney....who claims to be from Boston but sounds like he's from southern California and has that accent you hear on TV, usually spoken by young women, where every short sentence is spoken slowly with the emphasis on the last word so it sounds like a question???????? This has what we've come to expect from Horgan....lowlife characters incapable of maintaining relationships, awkward situations, sex. Ashley Jensen appears as does Carrie Fisher. It's been reported that it will be returning for a second series.
Catastrophe

Cockroaches is a post-apocalyptic romantic comedy. Now there's a new genre. Jack Whitehall is in it which tells me it's probably targeted at 10 year olds.
Cockroaches

Number 2s is a political comedy from Northern Ireland. I think it's attempting to be satirical, but comes off more as a Hollywood-style comedy of over-rehearsed punchlines and harmless stereotypes. Number 2s

Broadchurch - Disc 2

Broadchurch
Series 3 confirmed

Friday, February 20, 2015

Sergeant Cork - Discs 6 and 7

Sergeant Cork

Sgt Cork

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Midsomer Murders - Disc 22

Midsomer Murders

Would I Lie To You? - Series 8

WILTY has returned for a welcomed 8th series.

Would I Lie to You?

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Count Arthur Strong + Crims

One of the best comedies of this decade (so far), Count Arthur Strong returned for a second series. Well-written by Steve Delaney (who stars as Arthur) and Graham Linehan (who also wrote, or co-wrote, Father Ted, Black Books and The IT Crowd....so that should give you a good idea of what type of comedy it is). Co-starring Rory Kinnear. Count Arthur Strong

Crims is a new comedy with Elis James (aka Mr. Isy Suttie) with Ricky Champ (Him & Her, Dead Boss), Cariad Lloyd (Give Out Girls), Theo Barklem-Biggs (Silk, The Fades).

Crims

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Are You Being Served? {Australia}

Are You Being Served? (Australia) starring John Inman as Mr Humphries. Episodes re-sized to 640 X 480, black areas around picture cropped-off, lead-in and lead-out and commercial break inserts removed, time clocks obscured.

Are You Being Served? (Australia)

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Engrenages {Spiral} - Disc 6

Engrenages

Benidorm - Series 7

ITV comedy Benidorm returned for a 7th series and has been confirmed for an 8th. If you just need the recent Series 7 see the disc below.

Benidorm

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Birds Of A Feather - Disc 8

Birds Of A Feather

After a run of 102 episodes spanning 9+ years, followed by an absence of 15 years, Birds returned about 13 months ago to the largest audience an ITV comedy had seen in 14 years (since the Barbara episode "Mum" in Dec. 2000).

Birds has returned again with 8.3 new episodes.

I hope if it comes back again they find writers than can provide better stories and can also better utilize the characters and create some sort of common thread for an entire series. Marks and Gran seem to be content to just rely on its iconic status and let it float. An added distraction is Pauline Quirke's son did not inherit her acting ability. They need to send him off to university or something (to put it kindly).

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Britain's Best Drives + On The Road + Weekend Escapes

Who used to say "good ol' Mr. Wilson!"? Why it was Dennis the Menace, of course......if you were in the US watching TV about 55 years ago.

More recently you may recall about 6 years ago Richard Wilson took to the road driving vintage cars and using a 1950's road guide he revisited some of the then beautiful drives.
Now he's back on the road again in a vintage car and using an old Shell guide he visits some of the areas suggested over 50 years. It's a format somewhat similar to Great British Railway Journeys.

Filling out the disc is a series from last Spring featuring the "vacationing-but-staying-at-home" Warwick Davis family. You get to tag along as they enjoy, or attempt to, some of the British holiday hot spots and their local adventurous activities and attractions.

Britain's Best Drives with Richard Wilson

Richard Wilson - On the Road

Warwick Davis

Still Game - Disc 5

Still Game - something old, something new. The original play as performed in Glasgow in 1999. The recent stage reunion from Glasgow (the complete 2+ hours performance and not the one-hour edit aired on TV in November), a New Year's Eve one-hour documentary special, a short episode of Jack, Victor and Isa visiting the set of Scottish drama serial "River City" as contest winners and all the Jack & Victor 1999-2002 sketches from Chewin' The Fat (over 65 minutes of video). You'll note that the New Year's Eve special is titled "The Story So Far" which gives every indication that after a rest of over 7 years, Still Game could very well be returning in the future. Still Game is certainly one of the best comedies of this century so far, so that is something to look forward to.

Still Game