It's almost like an era is ending.
Last week Patrick McGoohan, Oliver Postgate and Tony Hart, this week John Scott Martin. It's not a year to be a British television actor in your eighties.
[Also Ricardo Montalban, not strictly British but fondly remembered.]
Apparently "Channel Four should merge with Channel Five or BBC Worldwide and become a rival to the BBC, TV watchdogs suggested". I'm not sure how BBC Worldwide would "become a rival to the BBC", and even less sure why it would want to. I expect that it's the usual story of financial wizards shooting themselves in the foot. Pit one branch of the BBC against another . . . and the BBC loses.
The Hart has Gone from British Television no comments
Posted at 10:08 AM in BBC, Channel 4, John Scott Martin, Oliver Postgate, Patrick McGoohan, Tony Hart, worldwide
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Jonathon Creaks On no comments
Posted at 10:08 AM in Creek, Demons, Doctor, Jonathon, Who
What makes a special special?
The BBC seem to have taken a shine to the short-series or one-off-at-a-time notion.
First Doctor Who used the Christmas special to lead into a short number (is it three or four?) of 'specials' before the new boy takes over. Then the news that Jonathon Creek would be returning - at least once.
Is this prudence with licence-payers money in these credit-starved times? A new breed of cowardice amongst commissioners? Or a lack of faith in writers?
Instead of committing themselves to the cost of a whole series are they letting the budget out drip-at-a time and fiercely monitoring the viewing figures? It makes sense for a commercial station, although ITV have thrown six episodes of Demons into the fray with seemingly little thought, but surely the Beeb should have a little more confidence in their creativity?
The BBC seem to have taken a shine to the short-series or one-off-at-a-time notion.
First Doctor Who used the Christmas special to lead into a short number (is it three or four?) of 'specials' before the new boy takes over. Then the news that Jonathon Creek would be returning - at least once.
Is this prudence with licence-payers money in these credit-starved times? A new breed of cowardice amongst commissioners? Or a lack of faith in writers?
Instead of committing themselves to the cost of a whole series are they letting the budget out drip-at-a time and fiercely monitoring the viewing figures? It makes sense for a commercial station, although ITV have thrown six episodes of Demons into the fray with seemingly little thought, but surely the Beeb should have a little more confidence in their creativity?
Gene Hunt: a career in Ashes no comments
Posted at 10:25 PM in Avengers, Crook, Demons, Doctor, Glenister, Mackenzie, Phil, UFO, Who
Well what a night - the new Doctor revealed AND the premiere of ITV's "attempt at a Doctor Who beater"!
Well, that was a theory about the new Demons.
[Re: the next Doctor (not The Next Doctor!), I can't specifically recall ever having seen him in anything before, so I have no comment.]
Demons: I won't be the first to compare it to Buffy because it's already been done. Plus I've only ever watched two episodes which I can barely remember. (But one of those might have been a two-parter.)
The guiding light (read 'selling point') is Philip Glenister, or rather should have been, except for the naff decision to make his character American. Since his involvement hinges on association with a man of Dutch descent living in England why bother forcing him to adopt the accent?
The obvious answer is to ease the selling of the series to American networks who apparently need 'an American take' on events to make them palatable. This hasn't changed since 1952 when footage of Raymond Burr (you might remember him as A Man Called Ironside) was inserted into the first Godzilla film.
But why would American stations bother buying British programs in order to see Americans? The Avengers became a cult over there because it was so British (well, English) - it would have been watered down by such pandering. The only American influence on the series was to have Mother made into a regular character instead of a one-off, which worked wonderfully as I'm sure both Rhonda and Grandmother would agree.
Having made the character American why not cast an an American in the rôle? I feel that ITV are trying to milk Glenister's past glories. This tactic has already backfired since the guides are referring to him as "Ashes to Ashes' Philip Glenister". How short memories are: you're only remembered for your most recent disaster. He excelled as Gene Hunt in Life on Mars; in the pale imitation he plays a mere shadow of himself.
On the plus side he does sound remarkably like Ed Bishop. If ITV's creative scheduling for 2009 features a remake of UFO he's got the job . . . as long as the budget stretches to a weekly bottle of peroxide.
The best feature was Gladiolus Thripp, played by Mackenzie Crook, a Rocky-Horror 50's rocker . . . bounty hunter. Superbly over-the-top he still managed to convey more menace than his Pirates of the Caribbean character ever needed to, whilst teasing the very edges of pantomime villainy. Like all the other advantages to the show this one was squandered. As a bounty hunter he didn't have an emotional investment in the main cast, so why kill him off so soon?
Well, that was a theory about the new Demons.
[Re: the next Doctor (not The Next Doctor!), I can't specifically recall ever having seen him in anything before, so I have no comment.]
Demons: I won't be the first to compare it to Buffy because it's already been done. Plus I've only ever watched two episodes which I can barely remember. (But one of those might have been a two-parter.)
The guiding light (read 'selling point') is Philip Glenister, or rather should have been, except for the naff decision to make his character American. Since his involvement hinges on association with a man of Dutch descent living in England why bother forcing him to adopt the accent?
The obvious answer is to ease the selling of the series to American networks who apparently need 'an American take' on events to make them palatable. This hasn't changed since 1952 when footage of Raymond Burr (you might remember him as A Man Called Ironside) was inserted into the first Godzilla film.
But why would American stations bother buying British programs in order to see Americans? The Avengers became a cult over there because it was so British (well, English) - it would have been watered down by such pandering. The only American influence on the series was to have Mother made into a regular character instead of a one-off, which worked wonderfully as I'm sure both Rhonda and Grandmother would agree.
Having made the character American why not cast an an American in the rôle? I feel that ITV are trying to milk Glenister's past glories. This tactic has already backfired since the guides are referring to him as "Ashes to Ashes' Philip Glenister". How short memories are: you're only remembered for your most recent disaster. He excelled as Gene Hunt in Life on Mars; in the pale imitation he plays a mere shadow of himself.
On the plus side he does sound remarkably like Ed Bishop. If ITV's creative scheduling for 2009 features a remake of UFO he's got the job . . . as long as the budget stretches to a weekly bottle of peroxide.
The best feature was Gladiolus Thripp, played by Mackenzie Crook, a Rocky-Horror 50's rocker . . . bounty hunter. Superbly over-the-top he still managed to convey more menace than his Pirates of the Caribbean character ever needed to, whilst teasing the very edges of pantomime villainy. Like all the other advantages to the show this one was squandered. As a bounty hunter he didn't have an emotional investment in the main cast, so why kill him off so soon?
And they said it wouldn't last . . . no comments
Posted at 11:31 AM in Big Brother, Dead Set
Happy New Year!
Channel 4 gets off to a flying start with it's innovative schedule . . . another series of Big Brother.
They start the year with the Celebrity BB and Dead Set phone-in competition. One is live, the other a repeat - can you tell which is which?
I must admit I was totally baffled by Dead Set: everything goes wrong and then everyone dies - what exactly was the point?
I can only conclude that when the BBC announced that Survivors was on the cards C4 bosses panicked and commissioned an instant rival program. Concept and script optional, the only requirement was that it be slapped together and put on air first.
They succeeded, if producing an ill-conceived rush-job constitutes success.
Channel 4 gets off to a flying start with it's innovative schedule . . . another series of Big Brother.
They start the year with the Celebrity BB and Dead Set phone-in competition. One is live, the other a repeat - can you tell which is which?
I must admit I was totally baffled by Dead Set: everything goes wrong and then everyone dies - what exactly was the point?
I can only conclude that when the BBC announced that Survivors was on the cards C4 bosses panicked and commissioned an instant rival program. Concept and script optional, the only requirement was that it be slapped together and put on air first.
They succeeded, if producing an ill-conceived rush-job constitutes success.
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