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RE: My Top 100 TV - 20/9/2008 9:42:59 AM   
elab49


Posts: 19527
Joined: 1/10/2005
quote:

ORIGINAL: rawlinson

99. Rich Hall's Fishing Show



FInally got to see it - Dave are showing it about 10.40 pm - Thursdays I think. I'm sold - the Canadians apparently are as useless in supplying their troops with kit as we are. Sent them to Afghanisatan in jungle camouflage - for the desert - sore thumbs come to mind. And the Amercians still managed to kill 4 of them...

When I recovered from that one I set it up for series record.

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FORUM POLL – Best Films 2009

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May 09 Invisible Man (1933)
Jun 09 You, The Living (2007)
Jul 09 Watchmaker of St Paul (1974)
Aug 09 An Actor's Revenge (1963)
Sep 09 A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Oct 09 Up (2009)
Nov 09 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
Dec 09 Longest Day (1962)
Jan 10 Hue and Cry (1947)

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Post #: 121
RE: My Top 100 TV - 25/9/2008 4:28:48 AM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
76. ER



1994

I know that on some people's televisions, a show that calls itself ER is still airing right now. Not in my world. In my world, ER ended with Season 8 Episode 21, On The Beach. The final episode of Mark  Greene. The show survived Clooney leaving, but for me it lost its heart when Anthony Edwards hung up his stethoscope. I attempted to watch the show post-Greene and was greeted by an endless parade of dull doctors and boring storylines. As much as I liked Noah Wyle he just couldn't carry the show on his own. And the oddest thing happened, ER became just another hospital drama. In the early years it was so much more than that. Doug Ross battling to save a child's life during a flood, Greene getting attacked in the ER toilets, Carter getting stabbed by a patient, Kirsten Dunst as a street-kid... the show was so much better than the typical hospital drama. Everyone involved seemed to believe in and care about what they were doing. The cast were excellent right down the line, from Clooney's star-making performance to Eriq La Salle (almost) wiping all memory of Coming To America from my mind. I tried watching an episode or two a series ago, Forest Whitaker acted everyone off the screen and then some nobody had his legs amputated. Might as well be watching Holby City.

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Post #: 122
RE: My Top 100 TV - 25/9/2008 10:52:48 AM   
elab49


Posts: 19527
Joined: 1/10/2005
Well no-one won't have heard of this one! I stopped watching before you but would watch the odd epi where something had been highlighted (like the Forrest Whittaker ones which I'd noticed after The Shield).

I did enjoy it in its heyday but it seemed very soapy compared to the early days of Casualty (when the NHS was still an issue - before it turned into soap of the worst kind).



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FORUM POLL – Best Films 2009

SAVE THE KAKAPO!

May 09 Invisible Man (1933)
Jun 09 You, The Living (2007)
Jul 09 Watchmaker of St Paul (1974)
Aug 09 An Actor's Revenge (1963)
Sep 09 A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Oct 09 Up (2009)
Nov 09 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
Dec 09 Longest Day (1962)
Jan 10 Hue and Cry (1947)

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Post #: 123
RE: My Top 100 TV - 25/9/2008 3:13:36 PM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
My only memory of early Casualty was that my parents watched it .  I think it's fair to say that ER was always a little soapy. But it was all done so well that I find it impossible to let that bother me. These days it just all seems so lifeless.

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Post #: 124
RE: My Top 100 TV - 25/9/2008 3:24:55 PM   
elab49


Posts: 19527
Joined: 1/10/2005
quote:

ORIGINAL: rawlinson

My only memory of early Casualty was that my parents watched it . 


I'll just get me zimmer.....

Rich Hall's show is on tonight on Dave - about 10.40pm.

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FORUM POLL – Best Films 2009

SAVE THE KAKAPO!

May 09 Invisible Man (1933)
Jun 09 You, The Living (2007)
Jul 09 Watchmaker of St Paul (1974)
Aug 09 An Actor's Revenge (1963)
Sep 09 A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Oct 09 Up (2009)
Nov 09 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
Dec 09 Longest Day (1962)
Jan 10 Hue and Cry (1947)

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Post #: 125
RE: My Top 100 TV - 25/9/2008 3:30:17 PM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
quote:

ORIGINAL: elab49

quote:

ORIGINAL: rawlinson

My only memory of early Casualty was that my parents watched it . 


I'll just get me zimmer.....

Rich Hall's show is on tonight on Dave - about 10.40pm.


An all too short show. Once you've watched your way through Fishing Show then Cattle Drive is worth a look, even if it was a bit too 'plot' focused at times. Have you ever tried any of Hall's Otis Lee Crenshaw shows? There's a dvd and cd. Very different from Fishing Show but it shows his talent with songs and wordplay, The Scrabble Song is a minor masterpiece.

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Post #: 126
RE: My Top 100 TV - 25/9/2008 3:37:21 PM   
elab49


Posts: 19527
Joined: 1/10/2005
I tracked down the stuff after seeing a clip on the Edinburgh Festival programmes a couple of years ago. And, of course, his wonderful guest appearances on QI.

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FORUM POLL – Best Films 2009

SAVE THE KAKAPO!

May 09 Invisible Man (1933)
Jun 09 You, The Living (2007)
Jul 09 Watchmaker of St Paul (1974)
Aug 09 An Actor's Revenge (1963)
Sep 09 A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Oct 09 Up (2009)
Nov 09 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
Dec 09 Longest Day (1962)
Jan 10 Hue and Cry (1947)

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Post #: 127
RE: My Top 100 TV - 25/9/2008 3:52:42 PM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
quote:

ORIGINAL: elab49

I tracked down the stuff after seeing a clip on the Edinburgh Festival programmes a couple of years ago. And, of course, his wonderful guest appearances on QI.


'The Ferris Wheel was originally invented as a means of transportation'. Hall is one of my favourite QI guests. Not sure if this is apocryphal or not but Matt Groening is supposed to have based the design of Moe on Rich Hall.

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Post #: 128
RE: My Top 100 TV - 25/9/2008 3:55:05 PM   
elab49


Posts: 19527
Joined: 1/10/2005
I'm not sure I'm going to be able to watch him without seeing Hall now. That was deliberate, wasn't it!

Was the Ferris Wheel one when they were talking about the Elephant on Coney Island (or a boardwalk out there somewhere).

_____________________________

FORUM POLL – Best Films 2009

SAVE THE KAKAPO!

May 09 Invisible Man (1933)
Jun 09 You, The Living (2007)
Jul 09 Watchmaker of St Paul (1974)
Aug 09 An Actor's Revenge (1963)
Sep 09 A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Oct 09 Up (2009)
Nov 09 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
Dec 09 Longest Day (1962)
Jan 10 Hue and Cry (1947)

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Post #: 129
RE: My Top 100 TV - 25/9/2008 4:05:47 PM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008


That was the problem I had when I first found out.

I *think* the ferris wheel episode is the series 1 ep with Gyles Brandreth, I may be wrong on that though. I'll have to check my copy.

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Post #: 130
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 1:11:32 AM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
75. The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes And Dr. Watson
 

 
Year: 1979

From probably the most popular show on my list to the most obscure. Five series, split into eleven episodes, were made for Russian television between 1979 and 1986, The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is quite possibly the finest adaptation of the Holmes stories ever made. I say possibly because some of my copies don't have subtitles. As familiar as I may be with Holmes, watching the stories in Russian without subtitles can be a little difficult. So if I could actually understand all the episodes then this would possibly be a top 10 show. It would also possibly be higher than a certain other Holmes related series that shall appear in due course. One thing is without a doubt, the show's adaptation of The Hound Of The Baskervilles is the finest ever filmed (IMO, of course). The series took great care to maintain the feel of classic Holmes, even managing a good job of the recreation of Victorian England in Russia, and Vasili Livanov's performance as Holmes is at the very least a strong challenger to Jeremy Brett's as the screen's definitive Sherlock. Vitaly Solomin gives a strong performance as Watson, but for me the definitive portrayal of the role remains Michael Williams in the BBC radio adaptations. The show can be a little difficult to track down, but it's really worth the effort.

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Post #: 131
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 3:37:21 AM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
 74. Blackpool



Year: 2004

SPOILERS AHEAD

Ripley Holden (David Morrissey) is on top of the world. He runs one of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas, he's raking in the money and he's adored by family and friends. Well, actually he's not. But in his head, that's where he will be soon. In reality he runs a tacky end of the pier amusement arcade, he's going bankrupt, his wife is bored, his daughter rebellious and his son distant. But he has dreams. He wants to open a Vegas style casino in Blackpool. Except the council don't want him to have the planning permission, and then a dead body turns up in his arcade. This brings DI Carlisle (David Tennant) onto the scene. Called in to assist in the investigation, Carlisle goes out of his annoy his superiors (especially the one who's a good friend of Holden) and make life difficult for Holden. Even if it means arresting his son and sleeping with his wife (Sarah Parish).

Obviously inspired by Dennis Potter shows The Singing Detective and Pennies From Heaven, the cast break into pop songs at certain points during the show. So we get treated to David Morrissey miming to Elvis Costello, David Tennant and Sarah Parish dueting on Cupid and I Second That Emotion. Best of all is the face-off between Morrissey and Tennant, soundtracked to These Boots Were Made For Walking.

At a certain point during Blackpool I stopped caring about who the murderer was. My focus was all on the intense power struggle between Morrissey and Tennant. Two of the finest actors of their generation, whenever they bang heads the show reaches another level. Tennant gets the quieter role as the manipulative but likeable Carlisle while Morrissey gets to grandstand as Holden, all swagger and bravado. Parrish is great in her role and the rest of the cast, including Steve Pemberton, acquit themselves well. But this is the Tennant and Morrissey show and they make the most of every second of screen time.

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Post #: 132
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 7:51:59 AM   
Gimli The Dwarf


Posts: 58975
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From: The spaceship Swine Trek
 I'm chuffed to see ER make the list, but a shame to see it so low. Without out a doubt it's my favourite show. I came to it late in the game with series 8 (and watched them all out of sequence to begin with - 8, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2, 9, 3, 4, 10) and while it was undoubtably better during those first 8 years (Romano's depature was probably a turning point), I still look forward to a new episode more so than with any other show. It can still pull a complete winner out of the bag. My favourite episode though comes from series 1, Love's Labor Lost .

I loved Blackpool as well, mainly for Morrisey and the musical number. Great fun.


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Post #: 133
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 11:16:25 AM   
elab49


Posts: 19527
Joined: 1/10/2005
Well now you're just being provocative! I grew up loving the books and Jeremy Brett was like manna from heaven. A perfect evocation of the character Conan Doyle created. I honestly can't see that bettered - and I'm assuming you agree as I'm guessing this is the later one you mention.

However - in the spirit of fairplay! - I'm downloading a couple of the epis to have a gander.

One we do disagree on - I thought Blackpool was awful. Moments actually made me cringe and not want to watch it was so eye-ripoutingly awful. The songs just didn't work for me - it didn't have the cohesion with the story and script that Potter did. The actors regularly looked so awkward doing it as well, particularly Morrissey. And the bed bit with Tennant and Parrish? I switched off. Had to watch it later and use fast forward. I just couldn't stand it.

And it was annoying for other reasons - because some of the non-singing bits had some really nice touches. Couldn't bear to watch the whole thing again though - a non-song version, maybe.

_____________________________

FORUM POLL – Best Films 2009

SAVE THE KAKAPO!

May 09 Invisible Man (1933)
Jun 09 You, The Living (2007)
Jul 09 Watchmaker of St Paul (1974)
Aug 09 An Actor's Revenge (1963)
Sep 09 A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Oct 09 Up (2009)
Nov 09 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
Dec 09 Longest Day (1962)
Jan 10 Hue and Cry (1947)

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Post #: 134
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 11:53:52 AM   
Professor Moriarty

 

Posts: 4565
Joined: 6/10/2005
From: the waters of Casablanca
 The Jeremy Brett versions of Holmes really would be in contention for me as the best TV ever. The adaptations, characters, acting, theme music and settings are all bang on for me. If its not vying for at least a top 10 position in anyone's best TV ever then I'll..... (goes off to think of something he'd do).

Big Holmes fan anyway and I've not caught these, so like elab I'll find somewhere I can borrow them. Should be fun. Ya gavaryoo malenki pa roosky.

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Post #: 135
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 3:17:18 PM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
quote:

ORIGINAL: Gimli The Dwarf

I'm chuffed to see ER make the list, but a shame to see it so low. Without out a doubt it's my favourite show. I came to it late in the game with series 8 (and watched them all out of sequence to begin with - 8, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2, 9, 3, 4, 10)



I've experienced the same thing. Every time my wife wants me to watch an older show that she loves and I haven't seen, she'll show me her favourite episodes first. So I'll end up seeing half of series 4 before jumping back to series 1 for an episode then we'll spin to series 7. Incredibly disorientating. I was with ER from the beginning so I think it may have bothered me more when my favourite characters started leaving. Once Ross, Greene, Hathaway and Benton had all gone I knew there was little left for me in the show.

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Post #: 136
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 3:24:05 PM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
quote:

ORIGINAL: elab49

Well now you're just being provocative! I grew up loving the books and Jeremy Brett was like manna from heaven. A perfect evocation of the character Conan Doyle created. I honestly can't see that bettered - and I'm assuming you agree as I'm guessing this is the later one you mention.

However - in the spirit of fairplay! - I'm downloading a couple of the epis to have a gander.

One we do disagree on - I thought Blackpool was awful. Moments actually made me cringe and not want to watch it was so eye-ripoutingly awful. The songs just didn't work for me - it didn't have the cohesion with the story and script that Potter did. The actors regularly looked so awkward doing it as well, particularly Morrissey. And the bed bit with Tennant and Parrish? I switched off. Had to watch it later and use fast forward. I just couldn't stand it.

And it was annoying for other reasons - because some of the non-singing bits had some really nice touches. Couldn't bear to watch the whole thing again though - a non-song version, maybe.


I'm glad you're checking out the Holmes. It's not just me who feels that way about it, the show is held in incredibly high regard. Let me know what you think of the ones you get to see. Brett and Livanov would battle it out as my favourite Holmes, with Merrison in third and Langella, Cushing and Rathbone fighting for fourth place. The Cushing series was in contention at the lower end of the list, as was Sherlock Hound .

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Post #: 137
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 3:28:56 PM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
quote:

ORIGINAL: Professor Moriarty

The Jeremy Brett versions of Holmes really would be in contention for me as the best TV ever. The adaptations, characters, acting, theme music and settings are all bang on for me. If its not vying for at least a top 10 position in anyone's best TV ever then I'll..... (goes off to think of something he'd do).

Big Holmes fan anyway and I've not caught these, so like elab I'll find somewhere I can borrow them. Should be fun. Ya gavaryoo malenki pa roosky.


Oh good, I hope you're able to find them. I'm either going to have both of you thanking me or yelling at me for wasting your time.  I'm not going to say too much more about the Brett Holmes right now, except that it has the best ever casting for Mycroft.

< Message edited by rawlinson -- 26/9/2008 3:29:36 PM >

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Post #: 138
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 3:46:15 PM   
elab49


Posts: 19527
Joined: 1/10/2005
What with the obvious and Porterhouse I just can't help seeing that man in stockings and bondage gear! (Which is a tad disconcerting). I'd probably give a nod to Ian Hart's Watson as well - not an overly successful production but I did like that characterisation.

Completely out of nowhere, I realise (I don't know why Gray takes me to Stratford Johns) - and I've been looking for it for years - have you ever seen Brond?

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FORUM POLL – Best Films 2009

SAVE THE KAKAPO!

May 09 Invisible Man (1933)
Jun 09 You, The Living (2007)
Jul 09 Watchmaker of St Paul (1974)
Aug 09 An Actor's Revenge (1963)
Sep 09 A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Oct 09 Up (2009)
Nov 09 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
Dec 09 Longest Day (1962)
Jan 10 Hue and Cry (1947)

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Post #: 139
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 4:32:28 PM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
quote:

ORIGINAL: elab49

What with the obvious and Porterhouse I just can't help seeing that man in stockings and bondage gear! (Which is a tad disconcerting).


 Is that revenge for the Rich Hall/Moe thing?

quote:

  I'd probably give a nod to Ian Hart's Watson as well - not an overly successful production but I did like that characterisation.


I liked Hart as well. But he was stuck with one of the worst Holmes castings ever.

quote:

  Completely out of nowhere, I realise (I don't know why Gray takes me to Stratford Johns) - and I've been looking for it for years - have you ever seen Brond?


I haven't, but I do know of someone who has it. It's on my list of things to acquire from them, right below Tarry Dan Tarry Dan Scary Old Spooky Man.

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Post #: 140
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 5:09:05 PM   
elab49


Posts: 19527
Joined: 1/10/2005
I would be very interested to know how it looks. It is one of those that stuck at the back of my mind. I do have the book, which is also interesting. But you do wonder if you'd watch it now and think - what?! why did I want to see this! Other shows like The One Game finally get releases - tad disappointing overall - and Nightmare Man (still excellent) but this stays stubbornly gone.

Tarry Dan I have vague memories of but either my parents didn't want to see it (would have been just before I got my own TV) or it clashed with something. I know I had a TV a year or so later because one of my first TV memories is watching Salem's Lot (when I was supposed to be asleep) and having the buggery scared out of me when the master popped up in the jail.



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FORUM POLL – Best Films 2009

SAVE THE KAKAPO!

May 09 Invisible Man (1933)
Jun 09 You, The Living (2007)
Jul 09 Watchmaker of St Paul (1974)
Aug 09 An Actor's Revenge (1963)
Sep 09 A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Oct 09 Up (2009)
Nov 09 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
Dec 09 Longest Day (1962)
Jan 10 Hue and Cry (1947)

(in reply to rawlinson)
Post #: 141
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 5:15:34 PM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
I'll let you know about Brond when I get copies. I try not to take too much at once so it may be a little while. I was a bit disappointed in The One Game as well. Salem's Lot would have got a place in my list, the casting of James Mason and the 'window' scene nearly got it on there, but I think in pretty much every other way the BBC radio version was superior.

Edit - I seem to keep mentioning radio shows on this list. I may throw in a mini-list along the way of my favourite radio stuff. Still have my fingers crossed they'll do a television adaptation of Nebulous.

< Message edited by rawlinson -- 26/9/2008 5:16:54 PM >

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Post #: 142
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 5:24:30 PM   
elab49


Posts: 19527
Joined: 1/10/2005
I mentioned this on the Independence Day trial thread. I don't suppose you heard the BBC version of Independence Day London with Nicky Campbell and Patrick Moore (where the latter has a fist fight with one of the aliens)? I realise it was complete cheese - but genius cheese, nonetheless.

The worst bit in Salem's Lot for me - and I guess it is kind of odd - was the morgue when the scalpel tore the skin and there was that paper tearing noise. Still makes me feel icky just thinking about it.

Radio I know virtually nothing about. I rarely listen to drama unless warned well in advance (I think the last time was when one of the channels broadcast the production of Othello with Ejiofor in the lead).

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FORUM POLL – Best Films 2009

SAVE THE KAKAPO!

May 09 Invisible Man (1933)
Jun 09 You, The Living (2007)
Jul 09 Watchmaker of St Paul (1974)
Aug 09 An Actor's Revenge (1963)
Sep 09 A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Oct 09 Up (2009)
Nov 09 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
Dec 09 Longest Day (1962)
Jan 10 Hue and Cry (1947)

(in reply to rawlinson)
Post #: 143
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 5:40:37 PM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
I haven't heard Independence Day but now I really want to  I don't think that the Salem's Lot/noise thing is odd. I saw the notorious Flower Of Flesh And Blood once, with everything that goes on in that film, the thing that disturbed me most was the sound effect of a bone being cut through.

You can get some absolutely genius stuff on radio if you look hard enough. Nebulous, for example, a sci-fi comedy with Mark Gatiss as a Quatermass-esque Professor. He runs a key government agency so underfunded that they have to take in laundry. If that's not cool enough, David Warner plays his arch-enemy and Nebulous constantly has flashbacks to his childhood in the circus. Absolute genius. Then you have The Mausoleum Club, a gentleman's club where the entry requirements are 1. You have to be able to tell a good story. 2. You have to have gotten away with murder. Every episode a parody of classic literature and with a cast that includes Stephen Fry, Timothy Spall, Miranda Richardson and Terence Stamp. Or Misery with Miriam Margolyes in the Kathy Bates role. I think I may throw in this list for my own amusement.

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Post #: 144
RE: My Top 100 TV - 26/9/2008 6:35:24 PM   
elab49


Posts: 19527
Joined: 1/10/2005
I'm looking forward to it. THe cast in the middle one is droolinducingly (sic) good. And having checked, the clincher for Nebulous would be the wonderful Graham Crowden.  - but I don't like Ideal. Is that an issue?

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FORUM POLL – Best Films 2009

SAVE THE KAKAPO!

May 09 Invisible Man (1933)
Jun 09 You, The Living (2007)
Jul 09 Watchmaker of St Paul (1974)
Aug 09 An Actor's Revenge (1963)
Sep 09 A Canterbury Tale (1944)
Oct 09 Up (2009)
Nov 09 Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
Dec 09 Longest Day (1962)
Jan 10 Hue and Cry (1947)

(in reply to rawlinson)
Post #: 145
RE: My Top 100 TV - 27/9/2008 2:05:02 AM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
I've never actually seen Ideal but I don't think it should be much of a problem. It's worth trying an episode or two of Nebulous. The Deptford Wives is my personal favourite, it manages to parody The Stepford Wives, Jurassic Park and Blade Runner and also find time for a guest appearance by Peter Davison.

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Post #: 146
RE: My Top 100 TV - 27/9/2008 2:41:52 AM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
73. Hamish Macbeth



Year: 1995
 
Often unfairly dismissed as a gentle Sunday night show (only by those who never watched it) Hamish Macbeth was a brilliantly subversive take on the British tradition of Sunday night small town comedy-drama (think Ballykissangel, Heartbeat et al) Set in a small Scottish village of Lochdubh (the kind of fictional place I'd dearly love to move to), Hamish Macbeth follows the adventures of the titular character, the local copper.

The first clue that this isn't going to be an average show is the fact that Hamish is played by Robert Carlyle. Carlyle is a lot of things, but he isn't Nick Berry. He spends his days smoking dope with the local doctor, poaching, helping a friend fake a crime scene, kicking in the headlights of a love rival and getting caught in a love triangle. He also tries as hard as possible to avoid showing up on the radar of police hq. The last thing he wants is to be moved back to the city.

The show is considerably darker than it may seem to the casual viewer. Check the fate of Geordie Robb in the first episode for a glimpse of the gallows humour that defines the show. Also, the show's most emotional episode, with a suicidal Hamish heading for a remote island to kill himself, manages to end with the same note of black comedy.

Add to this one of the most oddball casts of villagers outside of Summerisle and you have one of the most offbeat police dramas ever seen on British television.

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Post #: 147
RE: My Top 100 TV - 27/9/2008 3:09:33 AM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
So here's the first entry in the radio list. I decided on a top 50 in the end and I'll spread them out in entries of five through the list.

50. Literary Misfits

A five episode series where classic literary characters stumble into the wrong book. Jane Eyre calls on Sherlock Holmes for help solving a mystery. Dracula tries to marry Lady Bracknell's daughter and Frankie Brady goes to work for the Bennetts. It sounds like a recipe for easy laughs, but this dark little series goes for the throat and takes things very seriously.

49.  The Club Of Queer Trades

David Warner plays Basil Grant, a seemingly insane but secretly genius retired KC  in this series of G.K. Chesterton adaptations.  Basil and his brother Rupert (Martin Freeman) investigate a bizarre series of mysteries that all seemed to be linked to The Club Of Queer Trades.

48. Bleak Expectations

Delightful Dickens parody. Pip's life is being ruined after being sent to St. Bastard's, the most violent school in Britain, by his evil guardian, Mr. Gently Benevolent. It may not be subtle but it is hilarious, and Anthony Head makes the perfect Dickensian bastard as Gently Benevolent.

47. Time After Time

One off drama. A man checks into a hotel only to find himself trapped in a time loop where events constantly replay themselves and he is unable to leave the town. The ending is a little obvious but the show itself is a joy.

46. The Quatermass Memoirs

This drama-documentary series was the last outing for Nigel Kneale's classic character. The show mixed three different aspects. There was an interview with Kneale talking about the inspirations for Quatermass, material from the original t.v. shows and finally there was a brand new Quatermass storyline. The professor has become a recluse until he agrees to an interview  about his life and career with a young journalist.

< Message edited by rawlinson -- 27/9/2008 3:10:08 AM >

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Post #: 148
RE: My Top 100 TV - 27/9/2008 5:18:52 AM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
72. Agatha Christie's Poirot



Year: 1989

Yes, I love Albert Finney too, but Suchet's Poirot is THE Poirot. The one for the ages. I'm not sure there's much I can say about such an iconic performance. You read any Poirot novels today and it's Suchet you see and hear. He plays the character exactly as he's written - pompous, vain, single-minded, infuriating, but absolutely brilliant. The earliest adaptations are the finest, Suchet works best with a strong support and the regular players of Hugh Fraser, Philip Jackson and Pauline Moran match him beat for beat. I think the strongest testimony to Moran's performance is that she actually manages to make Miss Lemon a sexy character, not an easy feat when you consider how many people she traumatised in The Woman In Black. Outside of And Then There Were None, I think Poirot was Agatha Christie's finest creation. Certainly most of my favourite stories - Murder On The Orient Express, The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd and The A.B.C. Murders are all Poirot tales. The finest adaptation of Christie ever. And that includes the 45 And Then There Were None.

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(in reply to rawlinson)
Post #: 149
RE: My Top 100 TV - 27/9/2008 5:40:50 AM   
rawlinson


Posts: 8923
Joined: 13/6/2008
71. Absolutely



Year: 1989

I seem to be filling up my list with Scottish comedy shows. If you've seen Absolutely you'll understand why this deserves a place on the list. And John Sparkes is a fellow Taffy and Morwenna Banks is Cornish so the show is only two thirds Scottish. Anyway, Absolutely was a Channel 4 sketch show that became a bit of a cult legend in the early 90s. In addition to Sparkes and Banks the cast of Absolutely featured Moray Hunter, Jack Docherty, Peter Baikie and Gordon Kennedy. Several of the characters created for the show have entered the comedy lexicon. The slightly sinister Mr. Don and Mr. George got their own series and Frank Hovis, a grotesque usually depicted on the toilet got revived for several later shows. But my favourite character was always Calum Gilhooley, the most boring man on earth. None of the cast seemed to go on to that much success after Absolutely, certainly not to the Comedy Gods status that they deserved for creating Absolutely. Probably the most notable member was Morwenna Banks, and she ruined everything by marrying David Baddiel (Why, God, Why????) It's difficult to talk about sketch shows in any real depth, so here's a treat for you all, via the magic of Youtube, Calum Gilhooley in court.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xfCCXWq3Z_M

I tried to find the 'G for gnome sketch' but was out of luck. If you enjoy that, try a few more sketches and then go and check out the complete box set.

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(in reply to rawlinson)
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