Events

Previews of forthcoming events and reviews of past events.

Friday’s Hollywood Torchwood news

18 June 2010 Rob Buckley 3 Comments

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Events

An Avengers Treasure Hunt – 2nd to 4th July 2010

27 May 2010 Rob Buckley Post a comment

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I don’t run it, but in case you’re interested:

Are you a fan of The Avengers and other cult TV series of the 1960s and 70s? Then why not join us for a weekend of fun and games around those fantastic series?

Taking place in deepest Avengerland (Borehamwood and Elstree) over the weekend of Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th of July 2010, the event includes a tour of locations used in The Avengers and similar shows of the time…, and an evening of games and quizzes with the emphasis very much on fun, so no worries if your knowledge of the series is a bit rusty. Sunday morning is devoted to the Treasure Hunt itself and followed by a well-earned lunch, before the weekend concludes around 4pm.

If you’re interested and want to know a little more, please e-mail us at [email protected]

Please note that this is a small-scale not-for-profit event, organised by fans for other afficionados, which has been running for 24 years now. Oh, and in case you’re wondering: You’re NOT expected to turn up in fancy dress!

July 2010 at the BFI

24 May 2010 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Time for our regular look at what TV’s on at the South Bank in London in July. Things to look forward to include a massive look at Brian Clemens’ work (including two Q&As, one devoted entirely to The Avengers), one of Jonathan Ross’s good shows (The Incredibly Strange Film Show), two episodes of Out of the Unknown, and a reshowing of Chimera followed by a Q&A with Stephen Gallagher and director Lawrence Gordon Clark

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Question of the week: are there too many Brits on US TV?

28 April 2010 Rob Buckley 8 Comments

Time was the only Brits you saw on US TV were there to play foreigners and villains. Soap operas were full of them to add a little bit of the exotic.

Now though, they’re all over the place. Just about every US TV show has at least one Brit in it, either with their natural accent or with a US accent; any US show set in the past and/or a foreign country requires even non-British actors to put on British accents, but predominantly hires Brits.

Why is this? Well, James Purefoy, who I saw at the BFI this Sunday, says it’s because British actors are lower maintenance and cheaper. "We’re called ‘white Mexicans’ in LA."

So today’s question(s) is this:

Is having so many British actors in US shows a good thing? Are we stealing American jobs? Or does our lack of ‘airs and graces’ and smaller pay cheques mean that shows that wouldn’t get made can go ahead and look better than they would otherwise? Or is that irrelevant and you just like seeing Brits in US shows?

As always, leave a comment with your answer or a link to your answer on your own blog.