UK TV

An archive of blog entries about UK TV programmes and production.

January at the BFI

18 November 2008 Rob Buckley 1 Comment

Time for our regular round-up of tele events at the BFI. January has a bumper collection to pick from – prepare to bankrupt yourself:

  • 11th/15th: Peckinpah on TV: episodes of Route 66 and Noon Wine directed by Sam Peckinpah
  • 16th: Being Human episode one preview + Q&A with Russell Tovey, Toby Whitehouse and Matt Bouch. Woo hoo!
  • 21st: The League of Gentlemen: Ten Years After – features three episodes of the series and the League themselves in conversation
  • 25th: A CITV workshop, followed by screenings of episodes, including a new episode of Horrid Henry

There’s also a David Hare season dedicated to the playwright:

  • 1st/23rd: Play for Today: Brassneck. The first surviving Hare TV play. Also includes a Late Show Face to Face with Hare
  • 6th/25th: Knuckle. Adaptation for British TV of his stage play
  • 11th/29th: The Absence of War: the third of Hare’s theatre trilogy looking at British institutions
  • 13th: The Guardian interview with David Hare. Preceded by two Play for Today episodes: Licking Hitler and Dreams of Living
  • 17th/21st: Heading Home
  • 25th/27th: The Designated Mourner. A Wallace Shawn play directed by Hare for the BBC Films

Members’ priority postal booking opens 24 November
Members’ online and phone booking opens 1 December
Public booking opens 5 December

Although I don’t normally mention the film side of things, it’s worth noting there’s also a David Fincher season showing Alien3, Se7en, The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room and Zodiac. And February is going to feature a Live TV drama season – although it won’t be live now, of course.

As always, visit the BFI web site for more details

Tuesday’s “Phoo? Phooey” news

18 November 2008 Rob Buckley 6 Comments

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Review: Gavin & Stacey – Series Two

17 November 2008 Rob Buckley 3 Comments

Gavin & Stacey : Complete BBC Series 2

Do you know what my wife said when she saw this had arrived through the post? "Oh, lush."

I’m not saying she is Joanna Page or Stacey, just that sometimes the similarities get a little spooky.

Anyway: Gavin & Stacey, bit of a sleeper hit during its first series on BBC3, won surprising amounts of awards, then suddenly went through the roof during series two, which went on to win even more awards.

Now series two is going to be repeated on BBC1 (starting this Friday) just in time for a Christmas special, also to be aired on BBC1, and for this DVD release.

It’s a lovely little sitcom about a girl from Wales and a boy from SE England who meet, fall in love and get married (rings some bells. Hmm). But as the tag line almost says, it’s not just the two of them and the story is as much about their best friends and family as it is about them.

Continue reading “Review: Gavin & Stacey – Series Two”

Monday’s Sky high ratings news

17 November 2008 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Doctor Who

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Children in Need Doctor Who

15 November 2008 Rob Buckley 6 Comments

So what were we all thinking about the clip from the Doctor Who Christmas Special on Children in Need yesterday?

Me?

  1. Two minutes? That was a bit short, particularly since Rusty had already described everything in it in numerous interviews.
  2. Doesn’t it suggest that The Next Doctor, as Mark and I hinted, might turn out to be just a little bit like Big Finish’s The One Doctor?

I’ve embedded the clip below in case you missed it.