Strangers And Brothers

1984 thirteen hour adaptation of the series of novels by C.P. Snow. 

IMDB page

Beck - Disc 6

Beck

more Softly, Softly: Taskforce

Softly, Softly: Taskforce

The Code

The Code, an Australian drama-thriller from a couple years ago, has returned for a second series.

The Code

DCI Banks

DCI Banks (detective drama, nothing to do with banks) returned for a 5th series. Speaking of Stephen Tompkinson, Trollied will be returning for a 6th series next month.

DCI Banks

Our Girl

BBC drama Our Girl returned. Been awhile.

Our Girl

800 Words - Series 2

New Zealand drama-comedy 800 Words has returned for a second series.

800 Words

Ray Donovan - Disc 4

Ray Donovan

Ripper Street - Disc 4

Ripper Street

Baron Noir

French political drama.

review

Klovn

Klovn is a Danish sitcom that ran in the late 00's. It's the type of comedy anchored to awkward situations. This could make Ricky Gervais wince. I had heard about it for several years and finally got around to watching it a year or two ago, but it took me a long time to make the files so that they will play in antiquated disc players. It's available on Amazon, minus the 2010 movie, for $498! Anyway. I enjoyed it. Sometimes I think the real star of this is Mia Lyhne as Frank "the clown"'s girl friend. If you go back 45 - 50 years to Till Death Us Do Part, those episodes usually featured 3 of the 4 main cast members "embroiled in conversation" and there in the middle sat Una Stubbs with very few lines. Rather than just sit there she did a great job just using body language. In this show Mia did a wonderful job using body language to express her pain (and occasional joy). 

   Klovn

Breeze Block + Doctors & Nurses + Nathan Barley

Some more elusive UK comedy. This time from the early 00's. All three had a star that later became part of the Benidorm cast and all three shows featured several big names (at least they're big names today).

Breeze Block was about the Breeze family who resided in a lovely tower block. Tim Healey starred as Ralph Breeze, but the rest of the family was played by actors not as well known (although Craig Heaney played a son and just prior to this show had been a regular in the large cast of Band Of Brothers), however other cast members included Ashley Jensen, Mark Benton, Jill Halfpenny and I recall seeing Denise Welch (Healey's wife at the time), Tom Goodman-Hill, Ross Noble......

Doctors + Nurses had an impressive cast with Adrian Edmondson, Mina Anwar, David Mitchell, Geoff McGivern, Abigail Cruttenden, Joanna Scanlon, Susan Earl (Hardware, Reggie Perrin), Steven Alvey (Beast, The Brief, Loved By You). The 6th episode of this is very messed-up. The audio is fine but the video is just sort of a photo every couple of seconds but it's watchable if you enjoy this. Maybe someday a good quality recording will surface. Also, some of the other episodes have audio that is slightly out of sync here and there. I did my best to line it up.

Doctors + Nurses

Nathan Barley starred Nicholas Burns, Julian Barratt, Richard Ayoade, Rhys Thomas, Claire Keelan, Ben Whishaw. Some other people turn up in this like Benedict Cumberbatch, Julia Davis, Kevin Eldon, Noel Fielding. 

Nathan Barley

The Brothers McGregor + Constant Hot Water

A couple of rare UK sitcoms from 30 years ago. 

The Brothers McGregor ran for four series (26 episodes) starring Paul Barber (Denzil in Only Fools and Horses) and Philip Whitchurch (Tyler in My Hero) as brothers that operate a questionable second-hand car business in Liverpool.
Below is a scene from the last episode on this disc. Sort of looks like Elswick Street where they shot the sitcom Bread, doesn't it? The night that episode aired on ITV the second ever episode of Bread was airing on BBC. 

Episode 1.4 is missing about the first 6 minutes and Episode 1.6 is missing about the first 2 minutes.

Constant Hot Water starred Prunella Gee and Patricia Phoenix. 

"Attractive widow Miranda Thorpe has moved to the Yorkshire coast to open a boarding house. Not only has she developed an admirer in Frank, the removal man, but her new neighbour is also paying her a lot of attention too. Phyllis Nugent, owner of the Portifino residential private hotel next door, is prim and proper and believes that Miranda will attract the wrong kind of clientèle to the neighbourhood."

Down for a bit

Late in the week before last my main computer, which my tech calls The Beast, went down with overheating issues. I'm just catching up now.

Cleverman + Hillary

Two new drama's from Down Under. One from Australia, the other New Zealand. 

Cleverman

Hillary

Hillary is a bio-drama about Sir Edmund Hillary. There's a new show on in the UK called Hooten and the Lady. It's some sort of South American adventure drama. I was scanning the files and seeing people being thrown out of third floor windows and get up like they just tripped over the cat and jumping out of airplanes like I jump into my pool. Ridiculous nonsense. Can't believe Jessica Hynes would lend herself to something like that, but then Claire Skinner and Lennie James did Critical last year. Anyway, Hillary is about REAL adventure by REAL people.