Classic TV

Classic shows that have almost been forgotten, as well as shows that should probably have been forgotten

The Weekly Play

The Wednesday Play: The Cherry Orchard (1962/1981)

2 July 2014 Rob Buckley 1 Comment

Chekov’s last play was The Cherry Orchard, a typically cheery little number in which an aristocratic Russian woman (Madame Lyubov Andreievna Ranevskaya) and her family return to their family estate – which includes a large cherry orchard – just before it is auctioned to pay the mortgage. The family is given several options to save the estate, but essentially does nothing, resulting in it sale to a serf and the demise of the orchard, in an allegory for the futility of the Russian aristocracy’s early 20th century attempts to preserve its status.

The great thing about plays, of course, is not only can they be re-staged time after time, the same actors can come back to them at later stages of their lives, offering different interpretations, perhaps even of different characters. For example, in a televised version of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 1962 production, Dame Judi Dench played Anya, Madame Ranevskaya’s daughter, alongside John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft and Dorothy Tutin. And in 1981 BBC production, she played Madame Ranevskaya herself, alongside Bill Paterson and Timothy Spall. And you can watch them both below to compare and contrast. As always, if you like them, buy them on DVD.

What TV’s on at the BFI in August 2014? Bilko and a Moira Armstrong season

30 June 2014 Rob Buckley Post a comment

It’s time for our regular look at the TV that the BFI is showing, this time in August 2014. Given that summer holidays are approaching fast, it’s no surprise that there’s less on this month, but there is a season of director Moira Armstrong’s work, as well as an evening dedicated to the awesome The Phil Silvers Show – aka Bilko. 

Continue reading “What TV’s on at the BFI in August 2014? Bilko and a Moira Armstrong season”

Andy Serkis gets Gollum and Caesar the Ape to talk to each other

27 June 2014 Rob Buckley Post a comment

I’ve always liked Andy Serkis. I remember him in what was pretty much his first role – a cycle courier on ITV kids drama Streetwise – even if the most YouTube can remember of that is the following ‘clip’, in which he plays the saxophone:

However, he’s now a big star in the movie world, having done motion capture roles in many films (he even runs his own motion capture company). His most famous role is as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, but he’s also been King Kong and Caesar in the new Planet of the Apes movies. Here he shows Conan O’Brien how versatile he is:

The Wednesday Play: Ghosts (1987)

25 June 2014 Rob Buckley Post a comment

The heyday of theatre on television has long gone. Indeed, by the early 80s, with television’s constant drive to become more filmic and more ‘mimetic’, pretty much all the play strands on all the UK’s channels had disappeared, leaving film strands or even nothing at all behind them. However, occasionally, one channel or another would try to revive theatre on TV.

In 1987, BBC2 launched its Theatre Night strand, which televised staged adaptations of classic plays. One of those chosen was Ibsen’s Ghosts, directed by Elijah Moshinsky and starring Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Michael Gambon, Freddie Jones and Natasha Richardson.

Given the year, it should be no surprise that Ibsen’s story of a venereal disease passed down from father to son should have been selkected. Working entirely in a studio set of interconnecting rooms created by designer Gerry Scott, the adaptation shows the power theatre has, even without the trappings and verisimilitude of film, but it wasn’t enough to convince the powers that be that plays should still be part and parcel of television output. All the same, you can enjoy it on YouTube or buy it on DVD.