British TV programmes

[joninliverton]

I saw a documentary today about the making of the recent series of Dr Who and it focused on presenting the series and the actors to major cities in American. It ended up by showing the first episode in a cinema in NYC with both the Dr and his associate turning up.

From what I gather from this, and also from remarks I've heard about the World Cup, it appears that New York citizens are more attune to what is happening in the UK than the rest of the USA. Certainly regarding the world cup where the Yanks were doing real well until this evening when the lost to Ghana in extra time. The guy from the USA TV channel seemed to agree that the major support for USA Soccer comes from New York.

Your views please. xx

 

[joninliverton]

An example of TV programmes that maybe you guys did watch was the Glastonbury music festival. Today, which is Saturday, the highlight of the evening was a performance from The Scissor Sisters which included a surprise appearance from Kylie Minogue. During the afternoon i caught a set by Jackson Browne and his band which was awsome, maybe some of the old timers can advise me who is musicians were or are because the band was so tight.

Back to the SS and the gay theme, the evening was finalised by 90min set from the Pet Shop boys - absolutely fantastic.

So did American TV or BBC america show any of this. If not then check it out on Youtube.

xx

 

[MissDeidra]

I didn't see it on television here. But I must say about 90% of what I watch is British television. I know that a lot of people I talk to about my favorite television programs are aware of the shows I watch. For example, by best friend was at my house two nights ago and was looking through some dvd's I had on a basket near my t.v. and commented how much she liked the show Lark Rise to Candleford. I thought I was the only person in my immediate circle of friends who watched this show. I work at Blockbuster Video and people come in all the time wanting to know if we have shows like Being Human, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Coupling, Pulling, Gavin & Stacey, Spaced etc. available for rent. I think Americans are alot more aware of what is on British programming. I think it's refreshing.

 

[joninliverton]

Aha Larkrise, a good choice there. I love period drama and the BBC produce so many classics. You may wish to take a look at a series called "Cranford" which is another period classic.

Going back to Dr Who, the American guide who was with Matt Smith throughout the tour stated that it had gone down well in NYC, with the city buses plastered with ads about the new series. Incidentally, yesterday evening was the last episode of the present series.

 

[Denny Bear]

I have never been able to get used to Dr Who but have always sort of wished I would as it is so well received. I do however love the program called Red Dwarf and have watched the full series through several times. I also used to love the program called Good Neighbors but it is no longer broadcast here. Another one was a Secret Life of Machines and from time to time I get a kick out of Are You Being Served. But of course nothing can ever top Faulty Towers. British humor is different then ours so it takes some getting used to but to be honest the sit coms running on American TV now SUCK.

 

[joninliverton]

I have never been able to get used to Dr Who but have always sort of wished I would as it is so well received. I do however love the program called Red Dwarf and have watched the full series through several times. I also used to love the program called Good Neighbors but it is no longer broadcast here. Another one was a Secret Life of Machines and from time to time I get a kick out of Are You Being Served. But of course nothing can ever top Faulty Towers. British humor is different then ours so it takes some getting used to but to be honest the sit coms running on American TV now SUCK.

Denny, you mention Fawlty Tower and Fawlty being the surname of it's proprietors Basil and Sybil Fawlty. Today is an appropriate day to re watch the episode with the dining Germans due to the World cup knockout game England vs Germany.

 

[nsreed]

I have been a huge fan of British TV for a long time. Totally agree about Fawlty Towers. Great show.
Current shows you should watch;
1. Top Gear # 1 show in the UK Its about cars but way more as well. Great cast, very entertaining
2. The Inbetweeners- Life about UK teen boys. Funny
3.New show The Choir on BBCA. Looks like a lot of hot young gay guys will be on it
4. Older BBC show "Are you Being Served" is a great show if you can catch it. It was series that does get rerun often. Same level as Fawlty Towers.
BBC has a lot of great shows that I hope will show up on BBCA soon

 

[SA7180]

I'm fascinated by British culture and love a lot of British television and movies. I love British humor. I used to love Torchwood. The first two series are great. But then they killed off half the cast. And reading interviews the headwriter is a dick. A lot of my friends adore Doctor Who, so I've been watching it this season and it has been enjoyable. I've also enjoyed watching Skins and Merlin. For some reason Merlin doesn't air on BBC America but they have been showing it Friday nights on the Sci-Fi channel.

Stacey

 

[MissDeidra]

Oh I'm with you on Skins. I stopped watching after Series 2 though. I am a huge Doctor Who fan. Fanatic is the term I think. I wasn't sure how I felt about the new Doctor, but alas, I was won over and now adore Matt Smith. He's a Doctor for my generation. As far as Torchwood goes, I hear they are in talks to make a US version. I most likely will not get behind that. I was devistated last July when viewing Children of the Earth. WHY DID THEY KILL IANTO!?

I am completely obsessed with period dramas. I am an avid watcher of Masterpiece Theatre. I would have to give kudos to some recently released here in the States. Little Dorrit, North & South, Cranford etc. LOVE IT ALL. I frequent Barnes & Noble here because they have an entire British TV section in their media department. They are doing a buy 2 get one free sale and I always overindulge.

 

[joninliverton]

Glad you like our shows guys. Of course all the BBC shows are funded by the UK population who if they have a TV have to pay a TV license, currently around 160GBP, so you can thanks us Brits too. LOL

So what American shows do I watch ? Sorry to say but none at the moment. Most USA shows are filmed during the daytime when I'm at work.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Channel 4 series Time Team, introduced by ex Blackadder Tony Robinson, and features a group of archaelogists searching the UK countryside for hidden settlements etc. Very interesting.

 

[SA7180]

Oh I'm with you on Skins. I stopped watching after Series 2 though. I am a huge Doctor Who fan. Fanatic is the term I think. I wasn't sure how I felt about the new Doctor, but alas, I was won over and now adore Matt Smith. He's a Doctor for my generation. As far as Torchwood goes, I hear they are in talks to make a US version. I most likely will not get behind that. I was devistated last July when viewing Children of the Earth. WHY DID THEY KILL IANTO!?

I've only seen one other episode of Doctor Who before this season, so I'm still kind of getting used to the show. I'm not usually of fan of those type of sci-fi shows but I'm mostly liking the new season and have a little crush on Matt Smith. he's so geeky and adorable.

I'll probably have that written on my tombstone, "WHY DID THEY KILL IANTO?!" I was crushed. I had just gotten into the show a month or so before Children of Earth premiered and fell in love with that character and the Jack/Ianto pairing. Fox passed on making a US Torchwood, but there will be a series 4 next year which I have no plans on watching.

I never saw anything beyond series 2 of Skins. After that the cast changed and I wasn't interested.

Stacey

 

[MissDeidra]

Oh hell. Torchwood is my favorite show EVER. Children came out on my birthday last year, so I preordered it from BN.com and took the day off to watch it. I was just gutted that they killed Ianto and didn't have the decency to at least let Ianto and Jack have one last shag! I will watch series 4. I wont be able to help myself. I think John Barrowman makes that show. But it is sad that Owen, Tosh and Ianto are all gone. Maybe they will be able to put Captain John back in there somewhere! And maybe even midshipman Alonso will make a cameo if Russell Tovey isn't shooting Being Human at the same time.

BTW my cat's name is Captain Jack! And his picture has been included in the Official Torchwood Magazine.

 

[SA7180]

Oh hell. Torchwood is my favorite show EVER. Children came out on my birthday last year, so I preordered it from BN.com and took the day off to watch it. I was just gutted that they killed Ianto and didn't have the decency to at least let Ianto and Jack have one last shag! I will watch series 4. I wont be able to help myself. I think John Barrowman makes that show. But it is sad that Owen, Tosh and Ianto are all gone. Maybe they will be able to put Captain John back in there somewhere! And maybe even midshipman Alonso will make a cameo if Russell Tovey isn't shooting Being Human at the same time.

BTW my cat's name is Captain Jack! And his picture has been included in the Official Torchwood Magazine.

I have Children of Earth on DVD but I've never even popped it into my player. I love Captain Jack and JB, but he was never the main draw for me. Ianto was my favorite. I don't like Gwen and I wouldn't get invested in any of the new characters. I'm a stubborn shipper and have no real desire to watch Jack with anyone else. And I don't trust that headwriter as far as I can throw him. I won't ever watch anything that RTD has a hand in again. I'm so glad he has nothing to do with the new season of Doctor Who. I have some friends who will probably still watch and they'll probably keep me updated.

That's so cool your cat got into the Torchwood magazine. When I get another dog, I'm going to name him after oe of my favorite characters, though not a character from Torchwood.

Stacey

 

[tim114]

Fawlty Towers

This is brilliant British humor. It was short lived, like 12 episodes. I taped it off PBS in America. I actually called a PBS station to request that they replay a an episode that I missed. That does not work too well. I now have them all.

British humor can be broad, Benny Hill, or very intelligent.

Great moments:

Returning the dead bird.

Burying the sick cat before they went on vacation.

And then the great line from Maggie Smith: "Yes, she could dance all so high and -- wide."

Love the stuff.

 

[thomas1023]

I love the British TV and culture...being a WASP in the south, me and several friends think of England as our 'mother'.

One of the first shows I saw years ago on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) was Waiting for God...I thought it was hilarious. I also love Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton - some of the funniest interviews ever on Graham Norton...like Robin Williams - if this doesn't make one laugh, oh well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTjtH6FU9e0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKT-oJMkHwI&feature=related (a couple min of overlap)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS7zKboheJ8&feature=related

and then there was Joan Rivers with Graham....I wish there were better clips, but this will give a sample:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui7zg3GyIto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdNWZBec6Lo&feature=related

 

[angelone]

I enjoy our cousins across the seas especially their accent, the way of life, etc. But I wouldn't want to live there - it's too crowded, it's almost like Hong Kong. The British have an exceptionally sense of history and their archtectiture shows it where you go on that grand island. Even their various dialects and accents tell a story how their ancestors came to the island, lived and interacted with the other groups of people already there. You really have a group of diverse nationalities living on the island branded together under the name Great Britain.

 

[whitewhale2]

angelone, Have you actually been to England? There are huge areas that are not particularly crowded, especially the centre and north. The lakes district is particularly beautiful.

Up in Canada we tend to get a lot of the British stuff even before you Americans. I agree that Waiting for God was wonderful with the acid tongued old folks. I have tended to watch Dr. Who on a hit or miss basis. I really liked the last series, and hope the new Dr. Who can live up to the series.

And nobody mentioned Queer as Folk? If you are gay and haven't seen the series you are not complete. Gay story line and lots of skin. While the original English version was great, the three year version shot in Canada pretending to be Pittsburgh had a different energy and was just as mesmerizing. Look for it on the web.

I can't believe no one mentioned it. Did everyone just assume everyone else knew?

 

[joninliverton]

angelone, Have you actually been to England? There are huge areas that are not particularly crowded, especially the centre and north. The lakes district is particularly beautiful.

Up in Canada we tend to get a lot of the British stuff even before you Americans. I agree that Waiting for God was wonderful with the acid tongued old folks. I have tended to watch Dr. Who on a hit or miss basis. I really liked the last series, and hope the new Dr. Who can live up to the series.

And nobody mentioned Queer as Folk? If you are gay and haven't seen the series you are not complete. Gay story line and lots of skin. While the original English version was great, the three year version shot in Canada pretending to be Pittsburgh had a different energy and was just as mesmerizing. Look for it on the web.


I can't believe no one mentioned it. Did everyone just assume everyone else knew?

Absolutely correct Whitewhale, there are still miles of uninhabited land in the uk especially Scotland. The most populated areas are like the USA, major cities. So get yourself over here Angel One and come see me xxx

 

[MissDeidra]

Okay. So I totally forgot to mention my all time favorite comedy show. Coupling. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G....That show is so well written it's sick. Stephen Moffet is a genius and I think his writing on Doctor Who is brilliant. You don't often see people who can write two different genres soooo well. I think I quote Coupling on a daily basis around work and my personal life...so much to the point that people think the lines are just things I came up with...."I collect ears, I can't turn off the naked people, to know of the giggle loop is to become part of the giggle loop"...etc..It is now part of me....

Correction. I only quote Jeffery.