Happy 49th birthday to Doctor Who!
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In an exciting mirror of the real world and to cover up the fact that I was too busy yesterday to do The Wednesday Play (sorry), for this week at least, The Wednesday Play has become Play For Today.
This week’s play comes from ITV’s flagship play strand, Armchair Theatre. Most people interested in UK TV plays tend to focus on the BBC’s Play for Today, The Wednesday Play, et al, but ITV did produce a really superb range of plays itself. Making its first appearance in 1956, Armchair Theatre was the most notable of ITV’s play strands, attracting writers such as Fay Weldon, Jack Rosenthal, John Hopkins, John Mortimer and Allan Prior, and giving us A Night Out from Harold Pinter, Robert Muller’s Hitler ‘what if’ The Night Conspirators and Alun Owen’s Lena, O My Lena.
Various plays were even popular enough to launch spin-off series, including Callan (A Magnum for Schneider), Out of This World (Dumb Martian), Armchair Mystery Theatre, Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width and The Sweeney (Regan).
However, today’s play is the 1964 production The Hothouse, starring Harry H Corbett from Steptoe and Son, and Diana Rigg, a year before she became Emma Peel in The Avengers. Written by and co-starring Donald Churchill, this light-hearted play pulled in an all-time audience record of 8.3m homes. In it, Churchill plays Gordon Parsley, the assistant manager of a supermarket, part of a chain owned by self-made millionaire Harry Fender (Corbett). Hoping to be promoted, Gordon’s prospects look bright when, at the annual staff dance, Harry takes a shine to the ambitious employee’s vivacious wife, Charlotte (Miranda Connell).
On the other hand, the boss’s interest in Charlotte could spell trouble – especially when Harry’s wife Anita (Rigg) decides to meddle and invites the young couple to spend a weekend at the Fenders’ country cottage, where Harry tends his precious mangoes and melons in a hothouse.
Here it is, remastered in all its glory. If you like it, get buy it on DVD (it’s a special feature on The Avengers series 4 DVDs). Enjoy!
Remember Total Serialized, the French and British TV Series Festival? Well it’s back again. Here beginneth the press release/
From 16 to 20 January 2013, Ciné Lumière at the Institut français will hold the second edition of Totally Serialized. It will showcase the best of new productions from both sides of the Channel and also European TV shows on the big screen – with actors, screenwriters and directors in attendance.
Highlights include:
- The UK premiere of the first episode of Spiral series 4, followed by a Q&A with actor Grégory Fitoussi!
- The first episode of the mini-series Labyrinth, based on the multi-million selling novel by Kate Mosse, followed by a panel Q&A with cast and key creatives
- The UK premieres of new Scandinavian TV show Real Humans, and innovative French shows Rebound, Spin and The Church Men
- A panel on TV screenwriting with Jack Thorne (The Fades, This is England), Ashley Pharoah (Life on Mars) and French screenwriters
- The world premiere of Flight of the Storks directed by Jan Kounen
- The world premiere of Jo attended by Jean Reno
- A comedy medley of French and British sitcoms (The Thick of It, Peep Show, Kaboul Kitchen, Workingirls)
- A Skins revival to say goodbye to the cult show ending this year, with a screening of the very first episode and a Q&A with the creator Bryan Elsley
- A night of Doctor Who fun with fancy dress, music, quizzes and a writing masterclass with Toby Whithouse.
Other events will be announced in the next few weeks so please like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (French Institute account) and check our website. The official Twitter tag for the festival is #TS2013.
The Last Hurrah is a six-part, full cast series that’s only available as a download or on CD. Co-written and starring Mayall, it’s about a misanthropic, immoral snowman called Elton who drinks a lot of sherry in a secret London gentleman’s club.
You can get the full series for £10 as a download, £12 as a triple CD from thelasthurrah.co.uk.
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It was part of their sixth series for ATV, one of their last in black and white, and was uncovered by the makers of Bring Me Morecambe and Wise, which starts this week on Gold.
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