New Message Board

Can we resurrect the Anglophiles message board? A place for conversations about crumpets, golden syrup, marmalade, rich tea biscuits, British films, British comedy.....anything British.

Sure, let's do it, pamelad!

I bought a Brit sitcom called "Black Books" for my husband's birthday. While there isn't much about books and bookselling in it, it was pretty good. It has so good writers - some snappy dialog; although the drunk jokes/skits are a bit tiring. We liked it well enough to think about getting the 2nd season. Irish author John Connolly had given this DVD to us at the bookstore I worked at last fall when he was there last, but I left shortly thereafter so didn't get a turn at watching it. I could give the writers plenty of hilarious bookstore-related material to work with (ha ha). Anyone know if the show is still on the air?

>3 avaland: avaland, I've seen Black Books a few times on BBCAmerica. There was a point in time where they had a lineup of "Britcoms" on a weekend night (can't remember if it was Friday or Saturday). I haven't seen it in a while but
I agree, it's pretty good!

"Black Books" had a third season and then stopped - Dylan Moran, plays Bernard and is co-writer, has said there won't be any more. Moran and Bill Bailey (Manny) are very successful stand-up comedians in the UK, both winning the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival. Allegedly Moran is writing a novel at present, it seems all successful comedians in the UK end up writing a novel. Bailey is planning his campaign to represent the UK in Eurovision 2008.

I love Black Books. Most of the episodes are funnier every time you watch them. Season 2 starts with my favorite episode of all--"The Entertainer." That said, the quality does seem to taper off toward the end of the second season so I'm not surprised they quit after the third.

There's some hilarious Bill Bailey standup available on YouTube.

Oooh, a book from Dylan Moran, that would be fun - I have a tiny crush on him... ever since I saw him in Edinburgh at the Festival. Black Books is a fun show.

I'm still waiting for BBC America to show the 2nd season of Green Wing, a personal favorite of mine...

While I was in Edinburgh this year, we caught an evening in tribute to Stephen Fry (who turned 50) on one of the BBC channels, and in addition to much praises for his books, and a sample of a terrifically funny quiz show called QI which he does with Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek, comedian, etc.), they showed a program about his guilty pleasures, among which was books by Georgette Heyer. I am not familiar with her, but of course, had to pick up a couple to try - if she's good enough for Stephen Fry.....

Jagmuse, was that the Fringe in Edinburgh? If so, I'm pea green. I love knowing that Stephen Fry likes Georgette Heyer! That is striking me as so funny.

The tribute to Stephen Fry was on BBC2, they interviewed him on various topics and showed episodes of shows he has starred in. QI is very good, with the exception of Alan Davies who should be worked over by the bouncers and told never to come back again. (What is it that women see in him? Little boy lost?) The show is about panel game about strange facts, the aim of it is to make people laugh rather than win the game. It is a variation of "Have I Got News For You?" which is a panel game about the news event. UK tv has humorous panel games all over the place, they breed and breed and breed.

Georgette Heyer was a very very successful writer of Regency romances. His love of darts makes the Heyer revelation look tame.

How come every time I turn the channel to BBC America I get things like "Footballers Wives" and 'Cash in the Attic"?

>9 Jargoneer: ah, the formulaic and repetitive nature of popular culture! (can you tell I'm taking a class in it this fall?:-)

Isn't darts a very 'pub-ish' sort of activity? or is it a legacy of the 'men's clubs'?

Delighted to see a fresh space for celebrating our Anglophile loves in, Pamela; thank you!

I keep resisting Georgette Heyer... am I wrong in it? There are so many British authors - reputed better - whom I've never read! - And the Regency era just doesn't appeal.

Eurydice, I love Georgette Heyer. Absolute escapism - well-researched, witty, literate, sublimely trivial. In Georgette Heyer's Regency novels, things always turn out for the best.

You can't afford to read too many in a row, though. They can begin to merge into one another.

'Witty' and 'literate' rarely fail to tempt me. I'll keep an eye out for a cheap copy on my next bookstore trip, and see. :)

"Isn't darts a very 'pub-ish' sort of activity? or is it a legacy of the 'men's clubs'?"

I'm dying of laughter here trying to imagine my friends Bartholomew, Charles, and Rupert (he of the double-barreled surname) ever playing darts at the "club". Smoking, drinking, dining and discreet gambling are about as exciting and energetic as it gets in their bastions of privilege and nepotism.

Of course, all these men are Catholics from families so old and so aristocratic that they find the Windsors hopelessly vulgar and arriviste, so less snobby types may well engage in more active pursuits.

Like pamelad and Stephen Fry, I really enjoy Georgette Heyer's fiction. It's just as pamelad describes: these are the perfect books to curl up with (tea and biscuits at the ready) on a rainy, lazy afternoon when exerting yourself mentally feels like more trouble than it's worth.

I noticed recently that at least a couple of Heyer's books have been featured on new paperback release tables at Borders and Barnes & Noble in the US. Apparently, Random House has been quietly republishing her novels under their Arrow imprint since 2005. A number of the books bear an endorsement from Margaret Drabble, who is quoted calling Heyer her "favorite historical novelist". I wouldn't go quite that far myself, but the Random House/Arrow books are well made and attractive and worth checking out if you see them.

I've just started reading my first ever Georgette Heyer book yesterday and am loving it. It's like a cross between Jane Austen and P. G. Wodehouse! Also, it seems to have been really well researched, to the point where I feel I am being educated.

Spephen Fry's taste isn't always so good, though. I started reading Hitler's Willing Executioners on the basis of Fry recommending in his book Making History, but I thought it was terrible and gave up after 60 pages.

If you like Stephen Fry you should check out his autobiography, Moab is my Washpot.

I've never really got into QI. It's seems like the sort of thing I should like, because I like that kind of intellectual trivia, and I like most of the panelists, but somehow it just doesn't do it for me - too crude, not funny enough, and Fry comes across as a bit of a smug git.

>10 avaland: "Cash in the Attic" is a daytime tv show in the UK - the UK doesn't really do daytime soaps but instead chatshows (think slightly better mannered US shows), property shows, antique shows, etc.

"Footballer's Wives" isn't a BBC, it's shown on ITV in the UK and no-one who thinks watches that channel anymore. It's the channel that gave us all Simon Cowell, enough said.

You are correct that darts is associated with pubs (and drink), although it is hard to find pubs now where you can play darts. It is however also a professional sport and is shown live on television. (Apart from the UK, the only other countries that seem to have professionals are Holland and Australia). One player, who won the World Championships x number of years running, was nominated for British Sports Personality of the Year. What makes darts special on tv is one of the commentators, Sid Waddell, who is famous for his quotes.

Sid Waddell quotes (a selection) -

"He looks as happy as a penguin in a microwave."
"He's about as predictable as a wasp on speed."
"The atmosphere is tense, if Elvis walked in with a portion of chips, you could hear the vinegar sizzle on them."
"That's the greatest comeback since Lazarus."
"There hasn't been this much excitement since the Romans fed the Christians to the lions."
"The players are under so much duress, it's like duressic park out there."
"Eat your heart out Harold Pinter, we've got drama with a capital D in Essex."
....and so on....

Jargoneer, I must write down some of the quotes...I can think of some occasions when I could use them...

After reading the above posts, I am now convinced that I must seek some of Georgette Heyer's books. Thanks for the info about B&N, marietherese!

:-))

#17 - What fantastic quotes! They'd almost be worth watching darts for!!

I can attest that yes, B&N has Georgette Heyer - makes the fact that I lugged one back from the UK seem silly now!!

#8 - Sadly I wasn't there for the Fringe this year, I missed it by a day. We were attending a friend's wedding, which was equally fun - good food (although there was an episode where I had to chase around the neighborhood trying to find some missing game pies), a fabulous ceilidh... Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities in the world, and I just love being there! We also went to York, which is lovely, and revisited Newcastle (where I went to uni) to see the Quayside Millennium projects.

"'Men's clubs' was possibly shorthand for Working Men's Clubs. "

Yes, good point. I'm afraid it was only after I went to bed last night that I realized avaland was very likely referring to working men's and trade clubs.

Heyer's 'An Infamous Army' is among the most recent of the Random House reprints. I saw it just the other day. I've also heard it praised for its historical accuracy.

You're all keeping me most amused, with the darts discussion, and sealing the Georgette Heyer intention with your comments on An Infamous Army. ;) Besides, if you can convert aluvalibri, how can you not get me?

Thanks to pamelad, again, Foxhunter, and marietherese.

WOW! Am I so important? Just kidding, of course....:-)))
It does not take much to convert me, especially if the writer is/was British!

you (pl.) are making me wish I hadn't got rid of my Georgette Heyers! Oh spit, they were first editions too, from my uncle's bookshop in Scotland. Now I AM po'd at myself.

Darts is played here at the Navy Club; the older the veterans get, the more dangerous it becomes to be in the same building with them when they're playing.

Edinburgh is one of my most favourite cities too, Jag.

Re Georgette Heyer, her mysteries are quite good and similar to Agatha Christie's for fans of the Dame or Golden Age British mystery, in general.

>10 avaland:, 17: it's a shame that BBC America imports ITV programmes; I agree with the statement that no one who thinks watches ITV. I wish they would shyowcase the best of British television rather than the common rubbish.

Although I admit to liking "Cash in the Attic" ...

Well, my biggest gripe with BBC America, apart from endless schlock, is that even with the good shows, it seems to take forever for them to get new seasons of it, and in the meantime, they tend to repeat episodes ad infinitum, which is annoying.

But I am grateful that we get some good British TV...which of course is better than none at all!

Oh, yes, I watched all of the first season of The Tudors. Very hot, very lush production. Not entirely historically accurate, but if you can suspend your disbelief, it's a lot of fun. Can't wait for Season 2.

I noticed that they used "The Tudors" rather than a title relating more specifically to Henry VIII. That gives them leeway to work through the whole dynasty--another 65+ years from the point at which Season 1 left off.

#26 I also like "Cash in the Attic"--it's one of my guilty pleasures.

BBC America is full of ITV junk. Not only ITV junk but BAD ITV junk. Hotel Babylon, How Clean Is Your House, etc. A few years ago they ran some pretty good mystery series with Robson Green, but the ones on now are horrid. It's really discouraging. Almost as bad as A&E. I wrote them a letter telling them their new season had too much E (entertainment) and not enough A (arts). They used to show the great BBC literary adaptations, foreign films, live stage plays, ballet, etc. Now it's all Dog the Bounty Hunter, Criss Angel--Mind Freak, and Intervention.

You can't blame all the junk on ITV - Hotel Babylon IS on BBC1.

Classic adaptations on UK this autumn are -

Elisabeth Gaskell Cranford - BBC
John Cleland Fanny Hill - BBC
E. M. Forster A Room with a View -ITV
Charles Dickens Oliver Twist - BBC
Charles Dickens The Old Curiosity Shop - ITV

Not a classic but "Miss Austen Regrets", a drama about Jane Austen in her final years.

Does BBC America have commercials? I ask because apparently episodes of Life on Mars were cut down before being broadcast on BBC America, and why would they do that if not to make room for commercials?

If they do have commercials then I expect quite a few programmes must be cut down before being broadcast in America, because the BBC in Britain doesn't have commercial breaks within programmes. Although the BBC now makes a lot of 40, 45 or 50 minute long programmes, presumably with this in mind.

In my opinion the quality of all British television has really fallen off over the last decade. Believe me, the BBC produces quite enough junk without having to buy it in from ITV.

As for calling Hotel Babylon and How Clean is Your House "BAD ITV junk" . . . you really have no idea! Neither of these programmes were on ITV (How Clean is Your House is a Channel 4 programme) and I'm sure they are both better than most of the stuff that is on ITV.

My daughter's boyfriend's parents were on a show in the UK called (I think) "Downsize Me." Apparently, while preparing for retirement, they were assisted with downsizing from a large 4 bedroom home in the London suburbs to a tiny 2 bedroom in a 'cottage' facing the ocean on the Isle of Wight. The 'cottage' looks like a more quaint version of what we call a condo over here. While the premise is fascinating, I also find it horrifying. I'm sure the first thing any downsizing expert would tell us is to get rid of all the books! (then I'm convinced my hoard of fabric would be next)...

There was a show called "House Doctor" on in Britain where an American designer would go into (mostly) English homes and straighten them up so they would sell. One of her tricks was to turf out half of the books in a bookshelf to eliminate the "visual clutter" so there would be lovely (tra la la) spaces for vases etc., and then to cover all the books in white paper. I was aghast. "Oh I know I have Keats somewhere in here...no, that's not him...". Can you imagine?

Yes, there are commercials on BBC America.

Since I don't live in the UK, I have no idea which shows are on BBC and which are on ITV. In any case, it sounds like the overall quality of TV there has gone down, just as it has here. The reality show and talent show craze really started over there--Big Brother, Idol, etc.

I was in London for a week last summer, and let me tell you, our late-night TV (Jon Stewart, Letterman, even Leno) in the US is 200% better than what you can find over there. All I could find was stuff that looked like The Gong Show, B-rate American movies from the '80s, and really bad local documentaries. In one, women were in a stripping/pole dancing competition.

And yet, this is the same country that will devote a week of prime time television to the Crufts dog show, or "Wild Britain," a reality show that planted cameras in various settings and monitored the wildlife activity.

Both of these were fantastic ... if you like animals that is ... and fascinating to me since I would never have seen anything like that on the major US networks.

We do have similar shows in the US. In fact, we have an entire cable channel, Animal Planet, dedicated to shows about animals. They devote two nights of prime time to the Westminster Dog Show (plus reruns for those who missed them), two to the Eukanuba National Championship, plus other dog shows. I believe they even had a condensed highlights of Crufts this year.

Sorry Cariola, I don't think I made my point very well in #36. I've seen the shows you mentioned on Animal Planet. My point is that Animal Planet is a cable service, so not everyone can view those programs. Everyone in the UK gets the BBC without having to subscribe to a cable or satellite service. So, airing those shows on BBC would be like airing them on NBC, ABC, or CBS here in the States. To me it says something about the culture that dog shows are aired on the national network vs. a paid service. I just can't imagine our US network stations showing Westminster in prime time for several nights in a row!

Actually, the final group judging and Best in Show judging at Westminster is shown live on the USA network. (February 11 and 12 this year, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.)
(My dog hates it, because I always make her lie down for a good grooming while I watch!!)

http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/2008/show/tv.html

Despite its name, USA is not a "national network" in any sense; it is just as as commercial as any of the so-called "Big Three" networks in the U.S.