US TV
Year: 2012
The Wednesday Play: The Nativity (1952)
As I remarked last week, it would be a mistake to think the UK was the only country that used to broadcast powerful, high-quality plays. The Westinghouse Studio One plays, broadcast in the US on CBS between 1948 and 1958, are rightly regarded by the likes of Dick Fiddy, the BFI’s TV programming chief, as the ‘first golden age of American television’.
All the same, it would also be tempting to think that US TV might only show original, modern plays set in the US or plays that might be regarded purely as little films. Wrong.
Notably, during the Christmas season of 1952, Westinghouse Studio One showed The Nativity, a play based on the 14th and 15th century Chester and York mystery plays. Adapted by Andrew Allen, directed by Franklin Schaffner, and with a choral accompaniment by the Robert Shaw Chorale, the play was even performed in Middle English.
And it’s today’s The Wednesday Play. Enjoy!
Wednesday’s “Robbie Coltrane on Yes, Prime Minister and a Michael Bay/James Wong TV series” news
Film
- Britt Robertson joins Vince Vaughn’s Starbuck
UK TV
- Robbie Coltrane to guest on Yes, Prime Minister
US TV
- Jason Lee to guest on Men At Work
- Common Law likely to be cancelled
- Emma Caulfield to guest on Royal Pains
- Ray Wise and others to guest on Body of Proof
- Ne-Yo to guest on 90210
- Ben Schwartz to return to Parks and Recreation
New US TV shows
- Christine Woods to star in Hello Ladies
- Greg Garcia sells two comedies to CBS
- A&E orders cast-contingent pilot for Michael Bay/James Wong supernatural crime drama
- ABC buys new fantasy series
- CBS orders pilot of Bruno Heller legal drama
- Adaptation of Terry Brooks’ Shannara in development
Sitting Tennant
Tuesday’s Sitting Tennant (week 34, 2012)
Time for a picture of David Tennant sitting down. It’s so good, not one but two people have sent it. I wonder what it’s like. Hopefully not too much like you’ve just eaten a hundredweight of magic mushrooms, huh?
Find out after the jump.
Continue reading “Tuesday’s Sitting Tennant (week 34, 2012)”
BFI events
How the bloody hell does the BFI’s membership thing work?
You may or may not – probably not – have noticed that I haven’t been doing the BFI TV round up for the last few months. There’s a simple reason for this: I haven’t been getting the screening brochure. There’s a simple reason for this, too: the BFI’s online membership management scheme is a sucky usability nightmare.
So, to be helpful to to the BFI and save it money, you can choose not to have certain mailings sent to you. And here’s what I chose.
What do you think that means? Does that to suggest that by ticking the boxes you’re opting out of something or does that mean you’re going to keep getting the stuff you tick?
I went for option b and the result is no brochures. And this morning I got this.
So that’s definitely confirmed. If you’re a BFI member, you need to tick an option to opt out of the mailing. I’ve now swapped over the options and fingers-crossed, I’ll be able to restart the What’s On at the BFI feature again.
PS There’s no online help and no one replied to my email asking, in case you’re wondering why it’s taken so long to find out. I suppose I could have Tweeted them or something…