British TV

[robinturner]

One of the great things about visiting my mother and my mother country is British TV.

I started the evening with a TV series about a stage magician's assistant who doubles as an amateur detective solving the kind of crimes that could only be committed by magicians. There are two murders to solve, one of which takes place on a film set in a stately home in a locked room, and the other in the dungeon of a Scottish castle where Bloody Mary used to martyr Protestants.

Then, after deciding that it is once again too late to try to understand 24, I channel-hop and find a sex scene in Welsh. Of course, since it takes place in Wales, it's in a dank wood and both parties are fully clothed.

After failing to comprehend this, I find a channel featuring an accordion player performing Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, before finally reaching the late night adult channel, which annouces in serous tones, "What was the greatest TV series ever? Was it Pride and Prejudice? Was it Mansfield Park? Of course not, it was Topless Darts!"

I love this country.

Comments

[sameen.livejournal.com]

Is that first programme, one with a curly haired bloke in it, basically, *that* curly haired bloke or am i really out of touch.

LMAO at Welsh sex scene..i think it was a bad impersonation, i think its missing a sheep.

this is Sky you are watching, i recommend History channel and BBC News 24, kept me awake through most of those long academic nights
Sameen

Not only for geeks

[solri.livejournal.com]

Yes, there was a curly-haired bloke.

No, I'm not watching Sky, except early evening for the Buffy reruns and the Simpsons. This was mainly BBC, though not, one presumes, the topless darts part.

I get the History Channel back in Turkey as well - good stuff.

Re: Not only for geeks

[(Anonymous)]

The curly-haired bloke is Alan Davies (http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/profiles/alan_davies.shtml). (Used to be a stand-up comedian, then appeared in some adverts, now TV star and rent-a-pundit.)

The show was "Jonathan Creek" (http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0118363). (Sorry, couldn't find a BBC link for that one.)

It was a reasonably recent episode, which meant he's more of a caricature of himself than he used to be. (Like Alasdair McGowan's impression of him.) Definitely worth watching some of the older ones, though, with Caroline Quentin.

[sameen.livejournal.com]

s, there was a curly-haired bloke.

LOL , ROFL , LMAO!!!!

brilliant...

er..hang on, they show topless darts on mainstream..er....what the hell is going on in the UK..

I love watching stuff I saw before in another language..last year i saw Braveheart all in German..Mel Gibson's Scottish accent was actually better :))))) :P
Sameen

[aguirre.livejournal.com]

back when I lived in london I got a big kick out of watching basic instinct when the only things they cut out were the violent parts.

Welsh?

[redngold.livejournal.com]

Remember the verse from Flanders & Swan's "Song of Patriotic Prejudice?" All _I_ remember is surly pepperpot women switching swiftly into Welsh whenever I entered a store in Snowdonia.

Not only for geeks

[solri.livejournal.com]

I think Welsh is only ever spoken when there are English people around.

One of my welsh relatives said, "When I was a boy, we spoke English in the classroom and Welsh in the playground; now it's English in the playground and Welsh in the classroom."

Re: Not only for geeks

[redngold.livejournal.com]

Its amusing to observe that the Welsh seem to be the only (British Isles) ethnic group in NYC that doesn't gather together in bars for the express purpose of "perpetuating the stereotype". Otherwise sane Englishfolks will cheerfully pay $20 for the honour of watching soccer on a pub TV at 7.00am on a Sunday morning, for example.

Maybe they practice their national obsessions in private?

(grain of salt to all the above svp)

[katminnaar.livejournal.com]

Heh! :Þ I remember being in New Zealand years ago, watching TV for awhile in the hotel room. Funny stuff. :) However, their Wheel of Fortune is so cheap! Pitifully low dollar amounts to be won on that show compared to the U.S. version.

I like a lot of the Brit stuff--AbFab, Monty Python, The (original) Avengers and even The Vicar of Dibley was kinda cute. :)

and onanononon

[redngold.livejournal.com]

Red Dwarf! Blackadder! Blakes' Seven! Knock yourself out! (or collapse in a fit of giggling anyway)

Anyone remember the Goon Show? This sad fool has the lot on his hard disk....(not really, Mrs Beeb)

Re: and onanononon

[katminnaar.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen much of those others. Hmmmm. :)

Not only for geeks

[solri.livejournal.com]

And Blake's Seven is coming back! I heard it first from Rodney Orpheus, but I say it today in the Radio Times! Oh happy day!

And you have episodes of the Goon Show on your hard disk? Please send!

Re: Not only for geeks

[redngold.livejournal.com]

Silly question, perhaps, but do you have a DVD drive? They're all MP3 files, and there are...1.07GB of the buggers. So I suppose 2 CD's would do it.

Uh...where would you like 'em sent to?

NB, yes, Auntie Beeb, this is all a joke and no Goons MP3 files exist anywhere. At all.

Re: Not only for geeks

[solri.livejournal.com]

No DVD drive, unfortunately, and only a few hundred MB left on my hard drive. Need more hardware.

BTW, that userpic is a big improvement on the other one!

Re: Not only for geeks

[redngold.livejournal.com]

Then I can send you a couple of CD's for your listening hilarity.

Improvement? Depends where you're standing, I suppose....(grin)

Re: Not only for geeks

[(Anonymous)]

Don't worry about it. Greg Dyke has decided that there's no reason why the BBC shouldn't put their entire radio and TV archives on the web FOR FREE!!!

And it will really piss off Sky. But I'm quite sure that has nothing to do with it.

Trev

Re: Not only for geeks

[solri.livejournal.com]

Whoohooo!