More British TV Discussion Part II

Highly recommend a new British detective series on BritBox called "Grace"..

Grace is a British crime drama series based on the bestselling Roy Grace novels by Peter James. The first two novels Dead Simple and Looking Good Dead have been adapted into two feature-length films for ITV starring John Simm as Detective Superintendent Roy Grace in the lead role. The series was written and adapted by Russell Lewis for ITV and premiered on 14 March 2021.The first episode attracted 7.2m viewers, which made it the fifth-most-watched program for the week of 8-14 March, according to BARB.

I just got a 7 day free trial for BritBox but it's all Vera and Marple and Poirot and MI5 and stuff I've seen.

What are the best shows on BritBox now? I'm assuming Grace is not there yet, r1.

Thanks OP.

Over the weekend I watched a new show "Murder In Provence", ITV is one of the producers, it was just okay for me but others might like it.

Murder in Provence features Nancy Carroll. John Light guest stars in the third episode. Both play regular characters in Father Brown, which are romantically involved.

BritBox has some great murder mystery shows, like Magpie Murders with Leslie Manville as female lead.

I liked "Hope Street," which I learned about here.

I don't think Magpie Murders is available yet in the US :(

I finally got around to watching Good Omens and LOVED it. It’s really funny. David Tennant and Michael Sheen and even Jon Hamm. A second season is in the works.

Anyone in the UK (or here) heard anything about the British version of CALL MY AGENT? Is it in production and who is cast?

R2 - Grace is currently streaming on BritBox. I watched it last weekend. It was very good. Russell Lewis is also the writer for all episodes of Endeavor.

If you are disappointed in 'The Gilded Age", I highly recommend watching a better Sir Julian Fellowes creation called "Belgravia".

Anyone know when the second season of "Van Der Valk" starring Marc Warren is going to be scheduled on PBS? It's already been shown in Australia and some parts of Europe.

Anyone know when the second season of "Van Der Valk" starring Marc Warren is going to be scheduled on PBS? It's already been shown in Australia and some parts of Europe.

Anyone know when the second season of "Van Der Valk" starring Marc Warren is going to be scheduled on PBS? It's already been shown in Australia and some parts of Europe.

Anyone know when the second season of "Van Der Valk" starring Marc Warren is going to be scheduled on PBS? It's already been shown in Australia and some parts of Europe.

^ Sorry for the repeated posts above. DL said I couldn't post but then my post shows up three times??? WTF? DL is one indecisive bitch.

R8 Helena Bonham Carter, Kelly Macdonald, Olivia Williams, Phoebe Dynevor, David Oyelowo and Dominic West, Amazon Prime with a release date of around, well now.

R11 - After checking three website, I would guess in October 2022.

R17 - thanks. I'll probably forget everything that happened in the first season.

Cannot wait for that UK Call My Agent!

My guess is a lot of the episodes will be original stories and even better than the French version.

Sorry, I was not a fan of Belgravia. It looked good but the storyline was obvious from the start and the characters were cliches. The big reveal was a cop out, everything sorted so nice and cosy. Why write a story that could’ve been written 200 years ago?

Sanditon Season 2 premiers 20 March 2022 on PBS.

A shame that Sanditon is losing Theo James and others, because the actors got cast in other projects when the show was initially canceled.

Sadly SANDITON is really subpar Masterpiece Theatre. Without Jane Austen's continued writing as a source, the plot got sillier and sillier and I thought that even with Theo James the first season.

Sanditon is based on an unfinished novel by Austen. Of course, Austen fans will cut a bitch for anyone daring to finish what Austen couldn't.

Sanditon = better than average actors, fabulous costume and First Class British real estate porn. I'm all in!

What more could one ask for????

Better than better than average actors, r25.

Better plot, too. The first episode of Season 1 used up everything in Austen's Sanditon and then went its own way. I will confess to watching the rest of it, waiting for Theo James and/or Leo Suter to show up. Won't be watching S2.

Follow the buzz and find the torrent. WTH is wrong with you?

Sanditon was like Seventeen magazine meets BBC -- just a teenage romance novel on tv. Really bland and silly.

Young Wallender tries hard but is poorly written and the lead actor, a hunky Swede (who played the hunk in Avenue 5, one of the funniest shows ever to hit Brit tv) thinks he's a young Brando, all mumbly-wumbly.

Bulgaria was a nice try but didn't take off -- the only good thing about it is Tamsin Grieg's outstanding performance.

Two older shows that are absolutely superb and worth watching: North and South, which is truly extraordinary, and Bleak House (2005), one of the best Dickens adaptations ever.

I recently rewatched Cranford and Return to Cranford and still loved them. So I gave Wives and Daughters a go. Hm. It just kinda sat there, except for Francesca Annis's performance as the shallow stepmother, and I could see where the plotlines were going *long* before they got there. Still, nice to see Anthony Howell of Foyle's War in his first TV role, so not a complete waste of time.

R30

Yes, yes, yes. I love Anthony Howell. I lust after Anthony Howell. He was great in 'Foyle's War.' Everything about 'Foyle's War' was great.

Seems like he's doing a lot of voice work, and he used to do a lot of theater. I don't know why he isn't more famous, or cast more often. Maybe he isn't even going after parts.

Looks like his next project is an animated feature called 'Dragonkeeper' with Bill Nighy and Bill Bailey.

He's 50 years old and never been married. Which is meaningless, but I sure would like him on our team. I've never gotten gay vibes from him; he's just English.

Anthony Howell earned a degree in architecture at uni.

I learned that from one of those cast interviews from Foyle's War.

Did Jane Austen get fired from writing for TV?

This weekend I binged watched Season ! and Season 2 of this show on BritBox. It was really good. I highly recommend.

Murder in Provence. This is really good too! Wonderful location settings, great script and witty dialogue.

I love Roger Allam, Nancy Carroll and John Knight is the guest villain in episode 3.

Roger Allan plays the same part in every show he's in -- grumpy jowly man who moves like a hippopotamus with hemorrhoids.

R36 - Allam not "Allan". Autocorrect is a bitch!

[quote] Roger Allan plays the same part in every show he's in

So? Tons of actors do that. I love Allam.

Just finished ITV's Holding, written by Graham Norton and directed by Kathy Burke.

It's a bit twee at times, like a Maeve Binchey, about the residents of a small Irish village whose lives haven't really progressed after 20 years. Then some DARK SECRETS are unearthed and a policeman with the body of an underwear model comes to investigate from Cork and takes his clothes off a lot.

It's only 4 episodes so 3 hours max. Dame Brenda Fricker has a small role in it but her scene in episode 3 is quite stunning acting. There's also lesbianism, alcoholism and dairy farming.

So do I!!!

R39 - Where can I stream "Holding"??????

R38 - So do I!!!

Holding is on the ITV hub - I can't link to it for some reason

R10- I'd rather watch that 0THER drama set in Belgravia-

R42 - I did a quick google search for Holding. I do not think Holding has yet been released in the USA. I would bet that it will be available for streaming via BritBox when released in the USA. I really want to see it as I really like Graham Norton.

Season 2 of Sanditon concluded on Sunday 24 April 2022. What did you think?

I am looking forward to Season 3 of Sanditon.

Season 8 of Endeavor begins in US on PBS Sunday, June 19. Have any DL Brits viewed Series 8 yet as it debuted in the UK on 12 September 2021?

The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe is very good. Eddie Marsan and Monica Dolan at their best. 3 hours across 4 episodes. Another series on the ITV hub.

I've not watched The Ipcress File yet but it's had good reviews and I still haven't watched Our House with diddy Martin Compston, hairy Tuppence Middleton and shirtless muscled Rupert Penry Jones.

I have recently become addicted to "Come dine with me" on youtube. I actually first heard about it when watching the french version ("Une dinner presque parfait") a few times in Paris, but the english version is much easier to understand to say the least. It's just fun, but without all the dumb fake drama of american reality t.v Perhaps that's why they tried to do it here and failed.

Did you talk about "A Very British Scandal?" The first vignette has Hugh Grant as a politician on trial for plotting to kill his gay boyfriend, and the second has Claire Foy and Paul Bettany as the Duke and Duchess of Argylle. Really great, on Amazon.

[quote] Season 2 of Sanditon concluded on Sunday 24 April 2022. What did you think? I am looking forward to Season 3 of Sanditon.

Yep. I really liked it. They are putting Charlotte through the ringer. But I think much of this is based on the realities of that time. The hero this time is very Austenian. Mysterious but not irredeemable.

R48 - Watched both of them. I thought a Very English Scandal with High Grant was better than A Very British Scandal with Claire Foy.

However, both shows are worth a watch or two as I watched each series two times.

I love Endeavour, especially for Roger Allam and Anton Lessor.

Are we including Heartstoppers as a British TV show?

I’m currently watching the second series of Gentleman Jack. It’s great fun because the real Anne Lister was such a character. I can’t help but feel that the way she treated her conquests made her a lesbian chauvinist pig.

I've always wanted to love ENDEAVOUR as I adore the cast and the original mysteries by Colin Dexter. But the plotting in the series is mostly outrageously awful. They deserve better.

Sanditon's S2 seems improved, just from a glance at last week's episode....can anyone confirm?

Has anyone been watching Nicola Walker's new detective series ANNIKA, currently on PBS Passport? It's actually not bad and she's always interesting to watch. Each "whodunnit" is wrapped up at the end of the 50 or so minutes so the series becomes more about Annika and her daughter and co-workers, who are all wonderfully cast.

The first season of Sanditon was basically Seventeen Magazine meets Romance Novels. Just a waste of time, watching that insipid woman utterly charm everyone around her without displaying an iota of charm.

Take that back, R55. I love me some Charlotte. She was young and inexperienced and had no idea what she was doing to men. Especially with big natural boobs and a guilelessness.

Princess Charlotte?

Have any Brit DLers seen the new series (season) of Grantchester. I read something on the internet stating that Will Davenport get married????? I do not like the idea of Will Davenport getting married with regards to storyline of the series. The Vicar needs to be single for the show to work!

I think I agree with you, R58. Unmarried characters make better fantasy idols. I do like this Vicar.

Just watched the first 2 episodes of the new British version of Ten Percent. I liked it but couldn't quite decide if it wasn't quite up to the French version because the plotting and characters were so similar and thus there was little surprise or if the familiarity of some of the Brit actors made the characters less interesting....or what. But I'll keep watching, Good cast over all and wonderful shots of London.

Highly recommend "Signora Volpe" on ACORN TV.

It reminds me a lot of "Murder in Provence" except that it is not as light hearted and the language is both English and Italian (with English subtitles). "Signora Volpe" is produced (showrunners) by the team that brings you the current incarnation of "Midsomer Murders". I am pleasantly surprised at how much I like "Signora Volpe" just as I was pleasantly surprised with "The Chelsea Detective".

My friend and I gave up on A Very British Scandall season 2 in the middle of the first episode. We both thought it was predictable, but had different ideas of where it would go. He thought she was gay, I thought she had a child out of wedlock.

I would ask which of us was right, but neither of us cared that much.

Season 3 of London Kills premiered 06 June 2022 on Acorn TV. All five episodes dropped on 06 June 2022.

Grace Season 2 premiers 21 June 2022 0n BritBox.

Professor T -- the English version -- is not nearly good as Professor T -- the Belgian version. The latter is absolutely excellent, the former doesn't work nearly as well partly because Ben Miller overplays his role, making it seem almost like a parody of someone acting as someone who's on the spectrum - and because it's too politically correct. The Belgian version has better acting and they don't give a crap about correctness.

Is anyone watching "Becoming Elizabeth" on Starz??? Tom Cullen is pretty hot.

I can watch 2012 and W1A over and over. The scripts (especially for W1A) are brilliant.

[quote]I can watch 2012 and W1A over and over. The scripts (especially for W1A) are brilliant.

You'll enjoy 10 Percent, adapted from Call My Agent by John Morton who is responsible for both.

There isn't anyone quite as outstanding as Anna Rampton but it's very well odne.

10 Percent? I don't want that.

(Sorry, I had to. I don't mean to be funny, but Anna Rampton is my favorite character, but I usually talk more like Tracey Pritchard.)

All of those women on W1A are brilliant!

My hubby has one of those internet attachments that allows him (well, he pays for it) to watch current UK television and we're currently watching a great new mystery mini-series called SHERWOOD with Lesley Manville, Joanne Frogatt and a host of familiar Brit actors. It had a slow start (it's about a current village murder that might have origins in the 1980s miners' strikes) but by E3 is deeply engaging. Kind of similar vibe to BROADCHURCH where the investigation unearths all sorts of dirty secrets. Anyone else watching it? I imagine it will show up on Masterpiece Mystery next year.

The new PBS series on Masterpiece Theatre PORTOFINO is absolutely dreadful!

The moving BBC miniseries Four Lives (about the gay serial killer) is now on Britbox. It’s been retitled The Barking Murders.

R71 - From what I have seen, episodes 1&2, I must agree with you. I find the actors well cast, the acting better than average but the script so far is very weak and the production values are very bottom of the barrel budget.

[quote]10 Percent? I don't want that. (Sorry, I had to. I don't mean to be funny, but Anna Rampton is my favorite character, but I usually talk more like Tracey Pritchard.)

There were actually complaints in Wales about Monica Dolan's accent. Admittedly The Welsh complain about pretty much everything but I always thought she was very convincing. Tracey Pritchard sounded halfway between Bridgend and Neath to me, possibly having a mother from Port Talbot.

I was disappointed with the British 10 Percent. The British do “cheeky” very well and there’s zero “cheeky” in the show. Maggie Steed is the only one in the show that is worth watching.

Plus, who are these stars playing clients? They couldn’t get those actresses who are in every other damn show: Keeley Hawes, Nicola Walker, Olivia Colman? Imelda Staunton shows up for a supermarket opening. And her husband, Jim Carter, could have really turned in an excellent performance as one of the clients.

And the assistants are fugly. They chose the worst looking actors. In the French version, the assistants were decent looking people.

Your review, r75, is spot on! I was severely disappointed by the Brit 10 Percent. They really should have just used the talent agency as a spring board and done more original scripts instead of pale imitations of the French. As for the guest stars, I would assume they asked all the actors you mention but they all had the (rare) good sense to pass.

Slow Horses is good. Gary Oldman does good work. I want to read the books.

R74, I had no idea Tracey is supposed to be Welsh. (I have no idea what Welsh sounds like.) I just assumed she was from someplace up north like Liverpool or Scotland.

Actually she sounds a lot like Terry Jones 'drag characters in Monty Python.

Welsh accent.

Monica Dolan’s job was to be funny, not to do a documentary on the Welsh accent.

The US equivalent is when someone does a corny Southern accent as if they are a hillbilly.

I am guessing that this show might be better for Americans because being ignorant, we have no baggage.

[quote]Monica Dolan’s job was to be funny, not to do a documentary on the Welsh accent. The US equivalent is when someone does a corny Southern accent as if they are a hillbilly.

There have been some hilarious Welsh accents over the years. Stephen Graham's accent in White House Farm was hilariously bad.

Rachel Griffiths tried her best in Very Annie Mary, and she sounded like a native compared to Brenda Blethyn and Naomi Watts in Plots With A View/Undertaking Betty. Naomi sounded like she was Vietnamese. Keira Knighley and Sienna Miller were ok in The Edge Of Love.

Most of the Pride accents were quite poor. Andrew Scott in particular.

Graham is a cunt. I know firsthand from being on the set of Boardwalk Empire.

Watched "Grace" Episode 1 of Season 2 last night on BritBox. It was worth the watch but not as good as season 1. Hope the new episodes of Season 2 get better.

Lesley Manville has joined Keeley Hawes, Olivia Colman, Sarah Lancashire and Nicola Walker as "that middle aged actress who's in everything."

[quote]Lesley Manville has joined Keeley Hawes, Olivia Colman, Sarah Lancashire and Nicola Walker as "that middle aged actress who's in everything."

But at least Lesley Manville can act!

The scary matriarch

Lesley Manville can act.

The needy friend.

Lesley also has the feature film of Mrs. 'arris Goes to Paris coming soon to a theatre near you.

She’ll also be Princess Margaret in the next season of The Crown but I wish it had been Francesca Annis, instead. Annis really does look like Margaret and certainly can act.

True r88, but Francesca Annis is 77 years old. And by the time they finished filming two seasons, she would be pushing 80. She’d look too old for what they want Margaret to look like.

R89, I think Margaret will be dead by the conclusion of Season 5, though,

Each season depicts about a ten year period, give or take.. I think Diana’s infamous BBC interview in 1995 will be around the second or third episode into the season and the finale will conclude in 2002 when Margaret dies, leaving Elizabeth without her beloved sister. Margaret’s death will have to be treated as a significant moment for Elizabeth so it will most likely be the centerpiece of the finale. Otherwise it would have to be rushed early in Season 6 and that wouldn’t be appropriate considering Margaret’s important function in this series.

Lesley Manville is one of those actors who is always brilliant but never really got her big break despite the PTA getting her an Oscar nom for Phantom Thread.

Quite funny that she was nominated the same year her ex husband and father of her kids Gary Oldman won.

And it's even funnier that she played Uma Thurman in the original stage production of Dangerous Liaisons and is now playing Glenn Close in a tv series of it.

R45 Watched Season 8 ENDEAVOR. Fell asleep. Husband liked it well enough. Shaun Evans looks rough. Strange has lost so much weight he doesn't look like the same actor. Allam looks exactly the same.

I have discovered Dinnerladies. I saw an interview with Jennifer Saunders where she talks about the “brilliance” of the “late” Victoria Wood, who I’d never heard of. Went down a rabbit hole and discovered both seasons of Dinnerladies, which she created and starred in, are on YouTube. It’s a cute show in that “British sitcom” kind of way. Lots of familiar British faces: Celia Imrie, Julie Walters, Anne Reid, Maxine Peake, etc.

I am a big follower of British tv and performers, but somehow I totally missed Victoria Wood.

Last week I rewatched the first season of HAPPY VALLEY. It was just as good the second time around.

I keep hoping that if Broadway attempts a revival of Mame, they’ll get Sarah Lancashire to do it. Many Americans knew her from Happy Valley, but even more now know her from the Julia Child tv series.

That season premiere of ENDEAVOUR was deadly! The plot machinations were impossible to follow. I think Roger Allam was rolling his eyes in every scene he appeared in. This better be the final season.

I wish we could watch HAPPY VALLEY S1 here in the US again but it doesn't seem to be streaming anywhere.

Happy Valley is available for streaming from Amazon

OMG, thanks, r98. Obviously, I hadn't checked there recently.

Victoria Wood was certainly talented but I found her stand-up routines to be extremely cutesy. But that was what charmed her to British audiences in the first place. Her comedy was “cozy” at a time when most of it wasn’t.

I watched Happy Valley for free on Tubi. It had commercials, but it wasn’t too bad.

I’ve only seen a few episodes of Morse, didn’t like his character as played by John Thaw. I love Endeavour though, mostly for Roger Allam. I don’t see a connection between the Morse character and the Endeavour character re personality. The Jag, the classical references, the opera and now the house, sure, but I don’t see an older, embittered Endeavour behaving like Morse.

R102

I'm with you. I loved 'Endeavour' even when it was convoluted and the plot intricacies were way over my head. But like you, having watched every episode of 'Morse', I have never seen or felt the connection to John Thaw's 'Morse'. You can put up the obvious clues, as they have, but 1+2+3 doesn't equal 5.

I wonder how much I stick with 'Endeavour' because I love Roger Allam and his character Thursday. But then, I love everything Roger Allam does. And Thursday doesn't appear in 'Morse', so he's a goner in some fashion before the end of the series.

And though I said that I stuck with it despite convoluted plots, I'm disappointed that it appears this season has upped the ante.

R100, I went to see a Victoria Wood live show at what was a very dark time in my life. It was the best £20 I have ever spent. I laughed so much and I walked out of the theatre feeling much lighter. Things didn’t seem quite so bleak. I was so sad when she died.

On Endeavour it's like they have to complicate the plots to mask all the bad writing.

The original Morse mystery books (and the tv series to some extent) were extremely complicated and twisty but so brilliantly written, you didn't care who did it in the end because the journey through the story was so engaging.

I really should have mentioned the incomparable Anton Lesser on 'Endeavour'.. i would watch him read the proverbial phone book.

Is Anton Lesser ever less than brilliant in anything he does?

So I can be happy just watching him and Roger Allam. I am never conscious of either of them acting. They just disappear into the character and the scene.

John Thaw, while not handsome, had a sexy daddy vibe about him.

Shaun Evans looks like he wandered in from a Lord of the Rings casting call.

R104, this was just posted.

Totally agree about John Thaw's sexiness, certainly in the early years of the original series.

But Anton Lesser?? Love him for what he does but he's exactly the same in everything, always looking desiccated, smoking a fag.

John Castle was one sexy motherfucker.

Oh, yes, John Castle! First introduced to him as the police detective in the Joan Hickson/Miss Marple A Murder Is Announced (best Agatha Christie ever filmed for TV IMHO) and then delighted by his lead performance as the roguish music hall magician in the British series Lost Empires opposite a young Colin Firth.

Only then to realize that I saw him years before all that as Prince John (the middle brother) in The Lion in Winter.

Grantchester has become a soap opera. All the vicar does is smoke, drink and have sex.

Grantchester has always been like that. It was never good. Robson Green always slummed and smoked his way through every episode.

WHET James Norton's career? Wasn't he being touted as the next James Bond, among other things??

I just finished the first US episode of season 8 of Endeavour, Striker. I don't watch the British mysteries for the glory of their storytelling. They're actually pretty bad. I do enjoy the performances of the three main characters. I hope PBS will carry Shaun Evans' next series.

James Norton is doing fine. He is filming Season 3 of Happy Valley.

I took me a couple seasons to warm up to Anton Lessor but now he’s right up there with Roger Allam.

The Striker episode, it opened with the football game and two pickpockets in an alleyway divvying up their loot (I guess, it all happened so fast) and Thursday comes up behind them to arrest them. But first he starts beating one up. Then it cut to another scene and it was never mentioned again. Thursday has occasionally roughed up someone, he’s old school, but because it wasn’t referenced in the rest of the episode, I wonder if it’s setting up Something for the finale. Something pertaining to Thursday and the fact that he was Never Mentioned in Morse.

R116

Well, Thursday has no money with which to retire, no wife, and no family. He was set to retire from the force and it is really unclear whether he remained on the force for the the greater good, or for the paycheck.

Something is definitely up. For a while we thought it was going to be suicide, but it may be as a result of his bad actions which is more likely and easier to script.

No cheese and pickle could do in any mortal.

Or, maybe it WILL be suicide and that accounts partially for Morse's general bitterness and cynicism. If they get a good writer, the darkness of Thursday's suicide and all its implications could be masterly.

Nurse Barbara from Call The Midwife is now on Grantchester and she’s got her eyes on the vicar!

He’s back with his wife, the son is in Northern Ireland in the Army (and the IRA is a threat), the daughter has gotten over whatever snit she had with her life. True, he’s lost all his savings but he will have a pension. He dabbled in the dark side two seasons ago with those crooked cops but that’s all done with. He’s always been a very steady character; neurotic Morse is more likely to commit suicide.

I can’t imagine the writers coming up with a plausible scenario in the two remaining episodes (which have already been shown in the UK) so my guess —and hope— is that they just forget the continuity.

Last night’s show was much more straightforward until it got to the business with the clock hands being signal flags code in Welsh and I hadn’t picked up on the accent.

Didn’t Strange look good in that tux.

R95 - Where did you watch "Happy Valley"? I have not been able to find it on any streaming service I have access to.

R106 - Roger Allam is once again above brilliant in the new BritBox original series "Murder in Provence" co-starring Nancy Carroll. Allam and Carroll have fantastic chemistry. Scripts are very well written.

It has been announced that there will be one more season of Endeavor. Endeavour will conclude with Season 9.

R121

You can watch it on Amazon Prime. Check also the services below.

After watching Happy Valley, I had to look up Sarah Lancashire's resume, and have watched almost everything she's done. She's just a fantastic actress. Loved her in Last Tango in Halifax, and of course Julia. I'm sort of obsessed with her.

I watched Happy Valley for free on Tubi. It had commercials, but it wasn’t too bad.

R125, same. I even found an episode (it’s divided into three parts) of Murder Most Horrid where she stars with Dawn French.

I agree that Allam and Nancy Carroll (from Father Brown) were wonderful together in Murder in Provence, (and Patricia “the barricades of ‘68” Hodge too)…the plotting was so-so, but the direction was terrible. I hope they do a new series and really put some money into it.

Just watched the first episode of McDonald and Dodds' third series, the episode is called Belvedere. Wow. Quite the elaborate crime, and you've got the fabulous Siân Phillips camping up the whole thing.

Last night I found seasons1 & 2 of Happy Valley (with commercials) on the steaming service "Crackle".

[quote][R125], same. I even found an episode (it’s divided into three parts) of Murder Most Horrid where she stars with Dawn French.

I just watched Jonathan Harvey's Murder Must Horrid episode about a lesbian love triangle also starring Dame Frances Barber as an alcoholic head teacher with a gambling addiction. I did laugh out loud a couple of times.

The problem with Murder Most Horrid is that it shows the limitations of Dawn French as an actress. She’s not in the same league as the actors on “Little Britain” or “Inside No. 9”

Love Murder Most Horrid. The episode with Dawn as mean, cuntish restaurant critic is the best.

Dawn French isn't in the same league as David Walliams and Matt Lucas?

Seriously?

r132, the one with her as the hostage of an incompetent robber begs to differ.

That series SHERWOOD that I mentioned upthread with Lesley Manville that's currently being aired in the UK is spectacular. Very twisty complex plot with lots of surprises by episode 5. I hope it streams soon for y'all!

That sounds really good r136. I hope it shows up somewhere over here.

In England, the power and volume buttons are on the left because they drive on the left side of the road. Their tv is so stupid!

Damn, I want to watch the rest of the series This Is Going to Hurt but I'd have to subscribe to one more streaming service. Fuck.

I’m now two Lesley Manville series’ behind.

Catch up, r140, because soon Lesley will be adding The Magpie Murders and The Crown to her busy resume.

Commenting on posts from above:

1) I also adore Anthony Howell from Foyle's War but I also think you could see his gayness from space. He pings to high heaven..thank goodness!

2) I don't get the Roger Allam love...he's "ok". Just EXACTLY the same in everything I've seen him in.

3) I'm passionately in love with Gentleman Jack and that cast but especially Suranne Jones and Gemma Whelan.

4) I just started watching Endeavor which I'm really liking so far and I'm sad to hear that it sounds like the writing goes downhill as the series progresses...of course, that happens to lots of shows.

5) No ones mentioned it but I wish they would just finally end Midsomer Murders...either kill the show or get rid of the awful show runners who have fucking ruined it.

With the new diversity standards imposed on British tv, Midsomer Murders no longer works. There aren’t that many minorities in rural England. And there certainly aren’t as many blended families as they portray.

R140

Maybe three behind. I don't remember it being mentioned lately, but try to see Lesley Manville in "Mum", a British dramedy. Completely different than you've ever seen her, and she's still brilliant.

It's a quiet show where almost nothing happens on the surface, but all of the characters are right on the edge, internally. It's a collection of damaged people - or oddballs - or both - and Manville's character anchors the show.

It's really wonderful to watch. Different and special. All of the actors are very good. British fans may recognize a few of the players from other shows.

Season 1 is on Amazon Prime, Seasons 2 and 3 are on Britbox. There are only three seasons.

Those that especially appreciate fine acting should check it out.

Anything with Matthew Goode. I especially liked "Dancing on the Edge".

When is Gentleman Jack S2 coming to the US? I cannot wait!

Love Mum! Heartily second r145.

And adore Anthony Howell from Foyle's War! But he hasn't been in any good series since then, has he?

R145

Matthew Goode has been around for awhile so there's plenty for you to watch. Kind of a journeyman British actor.

First up, and if you've never seen him in anything, he was especially good in 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.'

But here are a few more:

He Knew He Was Right

Death Comes to Pemberley

The Good Wife . The Crown

Check out his IMDB

R143, there aren’t as many murders either.

R145, I loved Dancing on the Edge. You never knew what would happen next. It was very unnerving.

r145 r147 r148 Have you seen The Offer on Paramount Plus? Matthew Goode plays Paramount VP of Production Robert Evans and it is my favorite bit of acting by Matthew in years. You can get a free 7-day trial on Amazon Prime or watch it on Paramount Plus (not sure if they have a free offer or not).

Re: Victoria Wood. I would recommend a TV film she did, Housewife, 49. She wrote it and her acting was superlative.

R146 - Gentleman Jack Season 2 is available in the US exclusively via HBO Max.

But when, r151? Has it really started here already?

R152 It's already been on. HBO Max was two weeks behind the BBC broadcasts.

Go sign up for HBO Max and you can watch all 8 episodes in one go!

Midsomer Murders has multiple problems but yeah, the ridiculous diversity mandates has helped make the show unwatchable.

But, it's mostly the dire writing and plotting. It's truly awful now.

And, frankly, while I like Neil Dudgeon, it's time for a new Barnaby. And, Nick Hendrix is cute but they also need a new Sergeant.

What I really want is a Very Special Episode with Tom, Joyce, Cully and all of the previous sergeants coming back for a really big juicy murder...perhaps the slaughter of the entire village of Badger's Drift!

Doctor Foster with Suranne Jones is very good. She's plays the world's most vindictive GP who gets even with her ex- when he dumps her for Jodie Comer.

I want a very special Midsomer Murders episode where all the previous sergeants come back and participate in an orgy. Hubba hubba.

[quote]With the new diversity standards imposed on British tv, Midsomer Murders no longer works. There aren’t that many minorities in rural England. And there certainly aren’t as many blended families as they portray.

Yes, it's unrealistic that a small rural county with weekly murders that are always solved has non white people living in it.

Doctor Foster is one I keep watching over and over. It really is wonderful.

"I'm a wolf tonight."

I quite enjoyed "Traces". Martin Compston is in S1 and Michael Nardone is a hot daddy.

Gentleman Jack - it's kind of a snooze, isn't it? I guess unless you're a lesbian. Pretty sets and costumes though for sure.

R160 I'm not a lesbian and it's not a snooze. Far better than anything ever written for Downton Abbey or that awful Call the Midwife show.

I liked the first season of Doctor Foster, the ending tied everything up. Then the opening scene of the 2nd season you could see that she was determined to screw her life up again so I stopped there.

I know there are lots of people who love her but I just couldn't get into Suranne Jones in either Dr. Foster or Gentleman Jack, She always seems to be overacting to me.

R163

Try her out in 'Scott & Bailey.' The three leads are all very good. The others are Lesley Sharp and Amelia Bullmore.

"Two female detectives, one motherly, the other emotionally immature, have varying levels of success applying their eccentric outlooks on life to their police cases and private lives."

I loved her in that and really disliked her in 'Dr. Foster' but I think I disliked her because I disliked the character and the show.

Lesley Sharp’s such a wonderful actress. And in the UK her looks haven’t gotten in the way of her getting work. It certainly would be an issue in the US.

Lesley Sharp is wonderful. If you see younger pictures of her, the nose isn't as obvious. Or they lit her differently. She's actually quite attractive but it's hard not to see her nose. Her husband is hunky Nicholas Gleaves.

The British always (usually?) cast based on talent vs. America that casts on looks.

The actress Ruth Sheen is a good example. Great actress but unusual looking. I doubt she'd ever get cast in America.

[quote] The actress Ruth Sheen is a good example. Great actress but unusual looking. I doubt she'd ever get cast in America.

No chin, buck teeth and brilliant in everything she does. I love her in "Another Year" because she takes a very underwritten role and plays it in one of the most natural ways (she very much holds her own with brilliant Lesley Manville and Jim Broadbent). I don't think there's a false moment in that performance. And of course, she's great in many other roles.

I don't really like the play "Night Mother" but if I ever saw that she was doing it somewhere, that is a performance that I would fly there to see it.

Ruth Sheen was so brilliant in that wonderful episode of UNFORGOTTEN.

She's like Thelma Ritter, she can't do any role without bringing effortless truth to the character.

R168

Indeed.

I haven't seen "Another Year" yet - so thank you R167 - but I was going to recommend and forgot to add it to my response - that anyone that is unfamiliar with Ruth Sheen's work should watch her episode of 'Unforgotten' for a taste of her brilliant acting.

Ruth Sheen should have got a BAFTA nomination for her scene in It's A Sin, as should Keeley Hawes for that matter.

She's also brilliant in Holding On, an 8 part Magnolia/Short Cuts multi strand drama from the late 90s with Lesley Manville and David Morrissey. I can still picture her sat in her garden mocking her husband.

Oh god, her one scene in It’s a Sin was FANTASTIC. Brilliant acting.

r169, if you need plot "Another Year" isn't for you. If you want to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon with your British neighbors, it's definitely a movie you should see. It's on my list of Top 10 Favorite Movies. I revisit it once a year.

Watch Ruth Sheen's reaction in the trailer when introduced to the girlfriend. And then watch as she turns to Lesley Manville on the "Life's not kind" line. Two very subtle moments which very few American actresses could capture. She is the queen of subtle acting.

Ruth Sheen is indeed terrific in everything she does, but I once saw her on a show talking about acting and she was ridiculously pretentious, kind of the opposite of the characters she plays. It was a disappointment but a reminder that it's better to like actors from afar.

I am very much looking forward to the next season (series 3 in the UK) of Queens of Mystery. I love all three of the "Aunts", Julie Graham (Cat Stone), Siobhan Redmond (Jane Stone), , and Sarah Woodward (Beth Stone). The character, the 80s rocker-artist chick, Cat Stone played by Julie Graham is my favorite.

'Scott & Bailey" is truly subversive. It has all the cliche's of male cop shows--the young impulsive cop with a complicated love life teamed with a older, seen-it-all veteran who takes them under their wing.

They are under the command of a tough, hard-bitten superior who brooks no nonsense.

Except in this version they are all women.

The male characters are defined purely in terms of their relationship with a woman.-just like the women in normal cop shows.

At one point, the entire chain of command from Scott and Bailey up to the upper echelons of the London force are all women.

[quote]At one point, the entire chain of command from Scott and Bailey up to the upper echelons of the London force are all women.

Did you never realise it's not set in London?!

R176 I have not watched in in over a year. I cannot remember where it takes place.

R175

That's precisely why the show is so great. There aren't many TV shows that feature three very strong women. And they're all flawed, as we all are. It's written by Sally Wainwright, who writes strong roles for women. Wainwright also wrote 'Happy Valley', 'Last Tango in Halifax', and 'Gentleman Jack.'

Scott & Bailey is set in Manchester, for those wondering.

And - random fact - Amelia Bullmore, who played CI Gill Murray, wrote a umber of the episodes. She's as good a writer as she is an actress. (Bullmore's shining moment was in Episode 3.8, which also stars Nicola Walker. Watch her acting while she sits in a car.)

Are the S&B episodes wrapped up at the end of each one (a la Cagney & Lacey) or do plots runs through seasons?

S&B do have stories that wind up in an episode, but they also have larger arcs.

The Nicola Walker arc was that the final season?

No, The Nicola Walker story arc was the third season of 'Scott & Bailey.'

S&B ran for five seasons, though the fifth series was abbreviated.

Dodger has a low rating on IMDb, but I grew to like it.

However, they do portray Fagin as a Jew (although not as harshly stereotypical) while dumping some of the other world that Dickens created (Bill Sikes is portrayed as a loveable idiot). Rather than showing how Jack became Dodger, I’d rather see a series about Fagin’s backstory.

New season Grantchester starts Sunday 10 July 2022. I cannot wait.

Sherwood has the best ensemble cast in British tv history. The premise of the story is excellent. Unfortunately, the writing is crap. Huge plot holes, unnecessary characters.

On the plus side: Joanne Froggatt doesn’t have to play a battered wife. (No spoilers please. 🤫)

It’s been renewed for a second season and I think it’s going to be as boring as Season 2 of Broadchurch.

Agree on all counts, r185.

As an American (perhaps), I was also a bit confused about the setting. In the first couple of episodes, the town seemed very depressed working class if not worse. But the main detective lived in a house almost worthy of an LA movie star. And Lesley Manville's home, which initially seemed to be part of several tenement style row houses, seemed to morph into something more stylish as the series went on. Same with the family with the family with the archery range and the black school teacher's house. Did anyone else notice discrepancies with the production design/location?

R186, you’re right. The sister remarks on Lesley Manville’s house extension. Where did the money come from?

Also, why are the police working out of a church? Was that ever explained?

I wondered about the need for the church setting, too, r187. And why the huge indoor cross was always lit up so brightly for some odd reason.

Happy Valley has moved to AMC+, which you can add onto Amazon Prime, AppleTV+ or Roku.

Just re-watched Happy Valley on AMC+ as part of a free week's trial.

I'd forgotten so much of the intricacies of the various plot strands. Wonderful storytelling, if not quite as brilliant as I'd remembered. But I guess it was one of the first of the great British crime dramas I'd ever seen with not much for comparison. Sarah Lancashire was simply wonderful, so raw, and the entire cast, with many actors I now recognize from dozens of other UK shows, is fabulous. They're all so entirely believable as ordinary people caught up in tragedy in a small Yorkshire village.

Though it's available, I'm not re-watching Season 2, which I thought was disappointing. Hoping that Season 3, which should debut in a few months, is better.

The delayed latest series of Two Doors Down is now on iPlayer.

Christine is sour as ever and Michelle and Alan remain welcome additions.

It’s not the most accomplished tv ever made but it is very funny and true to life.

Anyone have any recommendations for newer British shows available in the US? I loved Happy Valley and The Fall and Broadchurch, but a few of the UK shows I’ve sampled that were that “type” haven’t really grabbed me.

I have enjoyed some Australian shows as well..I liked Glitch, even though I’m not usually into a lot of sci-fi stuff.

Have you watched Line of Fire, r192? It's a riveting police procedural with incredible twists and turns. I think the first 3 seasons are available for streaming.

I’m not sure if it’s playing in the US, but I recommend “C.B. Strike”. It’s based on books written by J.K. Rowling about a war veteran turned private investigator.

Also, file under really good shows that they didn’t continue: from two years ago “Dead Still” about a photographer that takes portraits of dead people for their loved ones to remember them by.

R193, is this the show you mean?

R194 - C.B. Strike is on HBO On Demand. I saw it about a year ago and liked it a lot.

Doctor Foster still blows me away.

YES!

Line of Duty, not Line of Fire. Thank you, r192. Try it, you'll love it.

Thanks for the suggestions!

C.B. Strike is easily the worst mystery I've seen coming from the UK.

Pudgy, unpleasant detective whom all women immediately love is paired off with an unbearably perky assistant and solves crimes that are overly simplistic and make Murder She Wrote's plots look like something out of Shakespeare.

Single-Handed, on the other hand, is really good.

R192 - Murder in Provence on BritBox (Roger Allman & Nancy Carroll), Grace (John Simm) on Brit Box and London Kills (Hugo Speer) on AcornTV are all excellent.

Also, Man Hunt ( Martin Clunes ) on AcornTV is also excellent.

I'm a Brit TV fan and love shows like Line of Duty and Happy Valley. I really like Brenda Blethyn but Vera gets very complicated. It's 90 minutes long and sometimes they refer back to a someone that hasn't been on screen for an hour. You have to remember many character names for the plot and resolution to make sense.

“Murder in Provence” needs to be better, the mystery plot I mean. The characters are fine. They need to film it entirely in France and open it up a bit. Because half of it is done in England pretending to be France, it’s shot very close up.

Murder in Provence needs a better premise. Why is Provence policed by the Brits?

R206 - Roger Allam's character in the series has a British mother or maybe it was a grandmother. When the characters speak French, they get the French accents correct or so I have been told.

A better answer would be that "Murder in Provence " was made with an American audience in mind. Most American's do not like sub-titles.

"Signora Volpe", with Emilia Fox, om AcornTV does a much better job with Italian. 50% of the dialogue is Italian with sub-titles and 50% is British English. (Some times Americans, like myself, need English subtitles to understand British English such as dialects on Shetland and Vera).

Started watching Scott & Bailey last night, great show. Thanks to whoever suggested it.

Rosemary & Thyme is another good one. I really enjoyed it. The country house porn is off the the charts.

I started watching Rosemary & Thyme some years ago when it was on PBS. I ended up buying all seasons. It is like comfort food. Nothing too awful but some mystery with humor. Two great leads.

I love the French and Italian episodes. Actually I love them all.

Surprising that American tv has not tried to do a Scott & Bailey or Rosemary & Thyme series.

R209

One could make the argument that the US already did 'Scott & Bailey' years ago with 'Cagney & Lacey'.

I bow to no one in my love for 'Cagney & Lacey', but S&B is probably the superior show. But 40 years makes a big difference in plots, characters, and atmosphere, so they may be equals and just representative of the times.

I wonder if Sally Wainwright has an opinion!

From the NYTimes:

When Ms. Wainwright first started working on “Scott & Bailey” she knew she wanted to create a universe a step beyond the woman-against-the-boys’-club construct that undergirded previous shows like “Prime Suspect” (starring Helen Mirren) or “The Closer” (starring Kyra Sedgwick). The idea was to dramatize a situation, she said, in which it was “perfectly acceptable to be a woman and high-powered in an interesting job and it goes uncommented upon because you’re surrounded by women who are doing a similar caliber of job.”

R211

Thanks very much for that article.

Started watching "Redemption" on BritBox last night. It was much better than I expected it to be. It is set in the Republic of Ireland. Has a season long story arc with episodic stories mixed in. I say it is a cross between Scott & Bailey and Vera due to minimal humor but not near as dark as Lind of Duty.. Each episode is 48-51 minutes. It is definitely worth a look.

Almost all British TV shows end up being a pleasant surprise at how good they are.

Thanks for the heads-up on Redemption.

I liked Murder in Provence (while hoping that the plot writing improved) but I just had a difficult time wrapping my head around the concept that Roger Allam was playing a French judge —maybe a judge who investigates is too bizarre a concept— in a French relationship in a French city. He’s SO English. Yet I can watch Van de Valk with another English actor playing a Dutch policeman and totally accept him. Maybe because his colleagues are speaking English with Dutch accents? MiP is all British actors so it’s easy to think they are expats who happen to be living and working in France.

Signora Volpe manages it well too.

^ I mean, if they changed it so that Roger Allam was a British guy who somehow became qualified to work as a French judge and his partner was an expat and her mother—because I love how she’s always going on about being at the barricades in ‘68—was an English rebel who’d married a French guy…but the series is based on some books and I guess fans would squawk.

There was a detective series called Zen set in Italy starring Rufus Sewell and all the actors in it spoke in their native British accents. They all sounded ludicrous.

I think Signora Volpe manages it the best with The Mallorca Files (also BritBox) doing a decent job too.

In The Mallorca Files, the actress is a Brit expat and actor is a German expat.

There’s a British reality/documentary show about the Savoy Hotel. I love this type of show. I think there was also one a few years ago about London’s Mandarin Oriental and one or two about the running of London’s train stations, I think Paddington may have had a show about it.

Sally Wainwright is a brilliant writer she struck a near perfect tone with Scott & Bailey. I haven't watched Happy Valley yet but it's on my list, I'm just going to take break from watching murder for a while.

Has anyone seen Last Tango In Hallifax and if so, is it worth the time?

R220 - I liked Last Tango a lot.

I know there are posters who didn't care for Nicola Walker, but I thought she was fine - and I enjoyed most of the story lines.

LOVED Last Tango, great comfort food that is brilliantly raised by the cast' s talents. Nicola Walker may only do "one note" in everything but she does it superbly.

R220 - Yes, Tango is worth the watch. The four lead actors are great and the story is compelling.

Ann Reid is the main selling point of Halifax. I've seen Celia referred to as a "battleaxe" but it doesn't do the character or the performance justice.

She's an old woman who's earned the right to be inpatient and rude. The Derek Jacobi line "She reads the Daily Mail! She says she only buys it for the tv pages. but...." when he's focusing on her negatives made me laugh so much.

I loved Tango! It had been recommended to me by a couple of people, but my perception was that it was a sweet, sleepy show. Finally tried it after seeing Sarah Lancashire in Happy Valley. It’s so much more compelling than I thought it would be.

Anne Reid was also terrific in Years and Years.

What I find interesting about Last Tango is that they are all very outspoken, spend a lot of time arguing with each other but somehow do get along, don’t hold grudges and make it totally believable. Especially Sarah L and Anne R, they will be in the car arguing furiously about something horrible that the mother did one minute and then arrive at their destination and the daughter says, “right mum, have a good time, I’ll pick you up at six” in a completely normal voice.

[quote] Especially Sarah L and Anne R, they will be in the car arguing furiously about something horrible that the mother did one minute and then arrive at their destination and the daughter says, “right mum, have a good time, I’ll pick you up at six” in a completely normal voice.

Isn't that most normal families?

British actresses have a brilliant way of playing unlikable characters, and also have no fear of looking unattractive, in ways that American actresses just can't approach.

British actresses also know how to build a character.

[quote]British actresses have a brilliant way of playing unlikable characters, and also have no fear of looking unattractive, in ways that American actresses just can't approach.

Oh come on. Most American actresses play complicated characters with unlikeable qualities. Every discussion around Sarah Jessica Parker results in comments about how unlikeable Carrie Bradshaw is, listing all her flaws.

Sarah Jessica is just humble bragging for her character.

No, Carrie Beadshaw is a frequently unsympathetic character. As is Jackie Payton, Valerie Cherish, Betty Draper, Patty Hewes, Annalise Keating, the characters in Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, Little Fires Everywhere, Killing Eve etc.

The idea that American actress won’t look ugly or be unsympathetic is just bullshit.

Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, Little Fires..., SATC????? Did you really watch those series? Yeah, American actresses WON'T look ugly, r232

R232, thanks for your post. Jesus, the dismissiveness of simple minds regarding American vs British actors really does boggle the mind sometimes.

Anyone else like Ladies Of Letters with Anne Reid and Dame Maureen Lipman?

R235 - I started watching "Ladies of Letters" but got distracted and never finished it. Thanks for reminding me that I need to pick it back up.

R234 - I always though that British and American acting was vey equal talent wise but, IMHO, British writing seems to be superior.

What American actress is on the level of Lesley Manville or Sarah Lancashire as far as versatility? Don’t say Streep because while she plays various characters, I don’t believe she fully embodies them. Sarah Lancashire’s Julia Child was miles better than Streep’s hammy performance.

Ladies of Letters was okay. But just okay. Watchable.

R237 - Annette Bening??? Jessica Lange??? Frances Conroy??? Judith Light???

[quote]What American actress is on the level of Lesley Manville or Sarah Lancashire as far as versatility? Don’t say Streep because while she plays various characters, I don’t believe she fully embodies them. Sarah Lancashire’s Julia Child was miles better than Streep’s hammy performance.

Oh for gods sake.

Have a word with yourself.

Let's just say British actresses, even those who mainly do series TV like Sarah Lancashire, Nicola Walker, Lesley Manville, Anne Reid, Suranne Jones, Jodie Comer, Keeley Hawes, Siobhan Finneran, Polly Walker, Francesca Annis, Vicky McClure, Claire Foy, Kelly MacDonald, Deborah Findlay, Anna Maxwell Martin, all those fab ladies on W1A....I really could go on and on...are just so much more damn INTERESTING than American actresses who do the same. Imminently more watchable!

I mean, Judith Light? Have you watched her lately on Transparent and Julia? She's a cartoon.

I'm almost finished bingeing all 11 seasons of "Dalziel & Pascoe," a police detective series which should be the Official TV Series of Datalounge, since the main character's name is pronounced (for some strange Scottish-related reason) "Dee Ell."

Wow! I always liked Dalziel and Pascoe but my local PBS has only shown maybe 1 or 2 seasons. It's so effortlessly great. Just expected to be that good.

It's OK but the original Reginald Hill series of Dalziel/Pascoe books is so much better, so much quirkier, so much darker.

I’m rewatching Scott & Bailey. I had forgotten there was a scene with her brother getting fucked. Obviously it was shown in primetime because you see zero skin, both keep their shirts on.

If this had been on Channel 4, you’d see several minutes of them rolling around naked and their faces at the moment of penetration.

I'm an American, elder gay who still works in the film industry. I'm old so I have watched the greats in film and tv since the 60's. I have no problem admitting that the Brits clearly outshone us in acting and writing in the last decades of the 20th century. There are many reasons for this which I won't go into most of you are smart enough to understand why.

Hotel Portofino just finished. It wrapped up a few storylines and left others dangling. Most of the guests have checked out and a new lot will be arriving in time for next season.

R247- IS there a next season for the series?

Yes, I’m pretty sure it was renewed.

All of "Dalziel & Pascoe" is available on Britbox.

I've binged all but the final two seasons of "Silent Witness," which has run for 26 years!

Silent Witness became boring with the original pathologist. She started to annoy me. I.ve always liked Emilia Fox and she's good in the role.

It's a pretty good show but nowhere near as good as Waking the Dead was. Or MI-5 aka Spooks.

Is Spooks (MI5) worth watching?

I don't know if it has been shown in the UK yet, but the Apple TV+ series "Slow Horses" is excellent. Starring Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden and Kristin Scott Thomas, it's about a branch of MI5 where agents are exiled after they screw up. Used to sorting garbage and pushing paper, these "slow horses' stumble upon a major operation when a group of white nationalists kidnap a young Muslim guy.

The first series was 6 episodes and a second has already been filmed. (They're based on a series of novels by Mick Herron.) A third & fourth series has been ordered. Hopefully they can keep up the quality. Gripping stuff.

Adding a BIG thumbs up to Slow Horses. Gary Oldman is hilariously mean, and Kristin Scott Thomas is at her icy best. And six episodes was the right length.

And a big thumbs down to Hotel Portofino, which, granted, I was just watching for the scenery (including Oliver Dench's backside). The plotting was awful, and the dialogue even worse, especially for Mark Umbers' character, who apparently wandered in from a touring production of a PG Wodehouse play ("I say, old thing," etc.). Nice production design, but they wasted Anna Chancellor in a nothing part.

R252, I liked Spooks (MI-5). If you like the espionage genre, it’s good. It’s not a show to watch while you’re doing something else, you have to pay attention.

Yea Spooks is great. I can't remember ever being bored with any of the storylines or characters. Except I hated that American CIA agent played by an otherwise decent British actress. In this she stunk and viewers wanted to shoot her. I've seen all 10 years.

The male eye candy in Spooks is good as well.

And Max Brown

Anybody ever watch INSIDE NO. 9? I’m in season 3 now and I am really enjoying it. Sort of BLACK MIRROR-ish. Pretty much every episode has some British actor you’ve seen before. I have to keep IMDb open to figure out who everyone is! Also, I have a little crush on Reece Shearsmith. Is he gay, or just British.

DL fave Richard Armitage is in Spooks-MI5, as is the delicious Raza Jaffrey.

I binged Slow Horses a few days ago. It was excellent. I loved the reference to George Smiley who Gary played in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. All of the characters were engaging even the villains. This type of thing is British TV at its best.

Slow Horses is fantastic as are the books. MI5/Spooks, I liked the first couple seasons. It was very intense. My favorite scene is when the whole crew are at a funeral and suddenly everyone’s phone starts ringing. But for real cut throat spy agency stuff, nothing can match Sandbaggers. It’s 1980s video quality will put viewers off nowadays but it was killer.

R262, thanks for the heads up about Sandbaggers. I'll go on the hunt.

I found Sandbaggers a bit dull. Too much politics and not enough action. More “Yes Prime Minister” than “MI-5”. Where MI-5 talks about government meetings, with Sandbaggers, you have to sit through the 15 minute government meeting. I get that production values were lower, but almost every episode is in that boring office. MI-5 has a slicker office including that entrance door.

R257 yes Rupert is gorgeous and has a lovely big cock!

R259 Inside no. 9 is terrific, especially earlier seasons.

I'd love to see a second season of Road Kill with Hugh Laurie. Has anyone heard if that's happening?

Pics, please, of Rupert Penry-Jones's lovely big cock!

R267 feast your eyes!

I just saw a ten minute video of Derry Girls. It seems quite amusing.

BRB - here it is.

I loved Derry Girls.

I’ve watched the first two seasons (a mere 12 half-hour episodes) of Derry Girls three times and laughed like a fool every time. And after the first couple of shows, I turned the closed captioning off as my ear had tuned in to the Derry accent (I still had to look up a few slang terms like craic.)

Where is Derry Girls streaming???

'Derry Girls' is streaming on Netflix.

I finally started watching Scott and Bailey and I'm hooked after 2 episodes. I don't know why I waited so long. I'm also a few episodes into Midsomer Murders. While this place has more murders than Cabot Cove supplied for Jessica Fletcher and is completely implausible, it's entertaining.

I wish I had not binged Scott & Bailey in the last two weeks (i was off work), I should have savored it. I still have the fourth season and fifth (only 3 episodes) left to view.

I love Midsomer Murders, I'm up to season 13 but it is getting a bit stale at this point. I was watching an episode or two every Sunday morning as my couple of hours to just tune out. Heavenly. The 2004-2005 season Barnaby gets a partner who is quite sexy, unfortunately he doesn't last long and he gets unceremoniously written out. It's very nice while it lasts though.

I think that Scott & Bailey falters in Season 3. Bailey becomes too unappealing.

Although Nicola Walker is great as the crazed lesbian. Finally her bag of acting tics works in her favor. The car scene in the final episode is excellent.

Just seen a trailer for a new Nicola Walker Programme also starring Sean Bean. It's called Marriage and looks a bit hmmm.

Yikes, that looks dreary, r277.

I'd rather have seen Nicola continue with Unforgotten or The Split. Or Last Tango in Halifax - is that one getting a new season?

Isn't Nicole currently doing "Annika"? Or is that over?

Lots of these Brit series are short and can be filmed in the entirety in a few months. Nicola was starring in The Split, Last Tango and Unforgotten, all within the same years. She can certainly handle 2 series now, if need be.

When does the new Happy Valley season come out? I hope we don’t have to wait long to get it here in the US.

The third and final season has filmed and will air in late 2023 (at least in Britain.)

Unfortunately, in the U.S. it will be exclusive to AMC+; no longer Netflix. I'm going to wait until it's all been released, sign up for a free AMC+ trial, binge it, and cancel.

Tired of being "forced" to subscribe to varied channels to watch one show; especially when a show has historically been on a channel I already subscribe to. It's a business game and I don't want subscriptions to 10 different pay channels.

[quote]I finally started watching Scott and Bailey and I'm hooked after 2 episodes.

I'm in for any series with a pathologist nicknamed Scary Mary.

Brenda Blethyn is doing a drama ("Vera") and a sitcom ("Kate & Koji.")

I only saw a few minutes but isn't "Kate & Koji" shite?

r285 I actually kind of like it ... although they replaced the actor playing Koji in the second season.

Just saw MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS tonight at our local movie theater.

Just horrible! The good reviews are truly perplexing. I couldn't believe how inept the direction and script were. Kind of cheap-looking with some big gaffes in continuity and editing, too.

Lesley Manville was dependably good but really too twittery for the role IMHO. Isabelle Huppert was atrocious and half her dialogue is in French....was she ever really a good actress? Maybe too much plastic surgery or botox have ruined her facial expressions and manner of speaking.

Just saw MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS tonight at our local movie theater.

Just horrible! The good reviews are truly perplexing. I couldn't believe how inept the direction and script were. Kind of cheap-looking with some big gaffes in continuity and editing, too.

Lesley Manville was dependably good but really too twittery for the role IMHO. Isabelle Huppert was atrocious and half her dialogue is in French....was she ever really a good actress? Maybe too much plastic surgery or botox have ruined her facial expressions and manner of speaking.

R288 did Isabelle get her hooters out for Mr 'Arris?

This is surely the final season of Grantchester, right? If not, why not? Clearly, Charlotte Ritchie’s character is the romantic endgame for Will (I’ve seen TV before…). (And I hope there are several more seasons of Ghosts for her.) Everyone just seems to be collecting a paycheck, starting with the writers. At this point, I’m only watching it for its production values (see also: Hotel Portofino).

[quote] Sanditon was like Seventeen magazine meets BBC

It starred some loose-lipped Jamaican teenager who was incapable of combing her hair or placing it demurely under her bonnet.

Actually Grantchester should do a Leonard spinoff. Relocate him to 1960s London.

R4, I enjoyed Murder in Provence because of those actors. The series was criticized because it was supposed to take place in France with French officials, but was in English rather than French with English subtitles. I wouldn't mind seeing another season as it also has Patricia Hodge as Nancy Carroll's mother.

I recently dumped Netflix and subscribed to AMC+, which I should have done long ago.. It has a series that I'm watching now called Spy City. The main character is played by Dominic Cooper. He is an English spy who has to return to Germany when it was divided into sectors a few years before the Berlin wall was erected. His job is to clean up a mess he inadvertently caused. I see that AMC+ also has a remake of the Ipcress File as a series. I am not familiar with Joe Cole, the actor who plays Harry Palmer, but Tom Hollander and Lucy Boynton are main characters as well. It was just released this year. I'll be watching it as well.

I just watched Before We Die. One character is gay seemingly only to make an extremely weak point in the final episode.

Series seven should be the end of GRANTCHESTER. That finale was so complete - where else could the show go?

I watched one episode of THE IPCRESS FILE and while it's gorgeous to look at, it didn't hold my interest but I am a fan of Joe Cole so I will get back to it eventually. He was also great in Sky's / AMC+'s GANGS OF LONDON.

The British version of Before We Die is vastly inferior to the compelling two-season Swedish version.

I've heard that June Spencer, at the age of 103, is retiring from playing Peggy Woolley in the Archers after more than 70 years.

I'm into season 3 of Midsomer Murders and I'm happy to see a smattering of British actors that I'm familiar with from other series in every episode. I just saw David Robb who played Dr. Clarkson in Downton. Who knew he was a former hottie with long, wavy blond hair?

R297, wow. I admit I didn’t know radio dramas were still a thing. Are they still popular?

R299, I stream lots of radio dramas from BBCSounds. They are great for listening to at night.

BBC is still using traditional radio to reach and educate the traditional leaning folk. Otherwise, all they'd have is Rupert Murdoch or Sinclair Radio type of right wing propaganda.

I thought radio drama stopped back in the 40s.

r302 It was still going on in the '50s. "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" ran until 1962.

On BritBox, I watched the four-part series Reel Britannia last night. It was about the history of the UK film industry from 1950 through 2010. It was very good. Any film lover would love it. Interviews with many famous British film directors.

Jason Isaacs to play Cary Grant. I like Jason Isaacs but I don’t think he’s the right type.

At this point in time Jason Isaacs is too old to play anything but a post-Father Goose Cary Grant. I just saw him in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and didn't recognize him, he had aged so much.

Isaacs is still a good-looking man, but my eyes rarely drop below his hair implants or toupee or whatever it is he's got on his head. Good lord, he was funny in The Death of Stalin, though.

I don't think Issacs is supposed to be a looker in Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris.

He looked pretty decent as a hot, dominant daddy type in the first season of Star Trek: Discovery, which was a couple of years back.

[quote]a hot, dominant daddy type

Which is his type. But that doesn't describe Cary Grant at all.

I get Sean Bean, Jason Isaacs and Hugo Speer mixed up. They all fit into that hot, dominant daddy type category.

Watched the first couple of episodes of Kate & Koji, there are some funny lines in it. BB does a good job with what she is given. The cringe is how they write for Koji, I get he's a stuffy type but they could try to make him a bit less stereotypical, I am enjoying it though.

AcornTV: Watched the first two 45-minute episodes of the Australian show 'Darby and Joan". Darby, an Aussie, (Bryan Brown) and Joan, a Brit, (Gretta Scacchi) play two retired geezers that stumble upon each other due to a car wreck. Darby is a retired detective who does not seem to happy with retirement and Joan is a retired nurse trying to figure out how and why her husband mysteriously died in Queensland, Australia. The show is really good and does not require much concentration. The cinematography of Queensland is gorgeous. All of the supporting guest cast was excellent. Show is total of eight episodes. If you are looking to watch something light and non-feature length quick, I suggest checking out this show.

Thanks r312. Just added Darby and Joan to my watchlist.

R311, I think the stuffy attitude is part of the comedy. Kate is a mouthy, say whatever comes into her head type person. So the best comic foil for her is someone who is a bit stuffy and plays by the rules.

Nicholas Ralph and Callum Woodhouse fans - ALERT!

PBS is showing a new season "behind the scenes/the making of All Creatures Great and Small tonight.

Thanks R315.

PBS will start airing the 3rd season of All Creatures in January.

Season 3 is of "McDonald & Dodds" is starting on Britbox.

Season 2 of "Guilt" on Masterpiece starting next Sunday.

“Marriage” is a piece of crap. Soap opera plot lines, long dramatic pauses, story lines that go nowhere (filler), unnecessary characters, jumpy narrative. The only things I can say about it is that Sean Bean is a cute teddy bear and Nicola Walker uses less acting tics. It’s a 2 hour movie stretched out to four hours.

My apologies. That PBS special last night about ALL CREATURES.... was just a rerun. Nevertheless, I was teary-eyed through most of it.

Really looking forward to the reboot of GUILT. I love both of its leading men, Mark Bonnar and Emun Elliott. Are they very popular actors in the UK? Are they in other series or films I should check out? I originally saw Bonnar in UNFORGOTTEN, such a poignant portrayal of a troubled gay man. And Emun - so sexy!

R321 - Check out Bonnar in 'Shetland', and 'Catastrophe' where he gets naked. Heaven.

He's great in everything and there's lots more. See his IMDB.

Mark Bonnar is the John Slattery of British tv.

Emum Elliot was very pleasant as a doctor in Trust Me with Jodie Whittaker.

Not sure if he used a butt double but him shaking his booty in leather chaps in Filth was quite pleasant.

Is Shetland series 7 running now? It's the last one with Doug Henshall. Series 8 will be a new guy. Whoever it is, I hope he has a Scottish accent but I'll bet the character will be from off island so we'll get that outsider trying to fit in with locals shtick.

I think it's running in the UK but it looks like it won't debut on Britbox until tomorrow (8/23).

Where do I watch episode three of season 3 of Mc Donald and Dodds? Amazon has episodes 1 and 2 yet says episode 3 is unavailable. Any help is appreciated.

Britbox. I watched it last week.

Sorry -- I misread your post. Only episode 1 of Season 3 was available as of last week. I haven't checked for this week, but they don't release the whole season at once.

Mark Bonnar's nudies.

Episode 3 of Mc Donald and Dodds Season 3 is now available on Amazon Britbox.

Highly recommend Irish police procedural drama "Hidden Assets" on AcornTV. Show is serious and heavy but NOT as heavy and as complicated as "Line of Duty".

Jane Seymour stars as an amateur detective (sort of a Jessica Fletcher type) in "Harry Wild," which is set in Ireland. And "Hope Street," another police procedural, is set in Northern Ireland.

I watched the first episode of "Harry Wild" it was cute and Jane was fun, it was okay. You think it's worth watching 333?

I can’t remember what it’s called but there’s a very silly and funny show with Johnny Vegas as a coach driver who solves murders.

r335, that is "Murder They Hope" with its "prequel" Dial M for Middlesbrough.

It's kind of a trashier or campier version of Shakespeare and Hathaway. A few fellow Benidorm cast members (including Hannah Waddingham, Game of Thrones and Ted Lasso, and Steve Edge, The Madame Blanc Mysteries) show up as guest stars.

Does Jane Seymour wear sleeveless dresses to show off her immaculate upper arms?

r336 Actually, the first one in the series was "Murder on the Blackpool Express." Followed by "Death on the Tyne" and THEN "Dial M for Middlesbrough." After that came the "Murder, They Hope" series.

Although it's the kind of stuff I normally enjoy, I can't stand Johnny Vegas. The female lead sort of reminds me of Luella Shakespeare.

Can someone who knows UK tv please explain to me the phenomenon known as Keeley Hawes as it seems there's a law that says she must be in every show produced in the country.

Keeley is Mrs. Matthew McFadyen, so there's that.

Keeley Hawes is like Sarah Lancashire. Both get work because they have a good look and are adaptable. She can play the mother (Durrells) or a society woman (Upstairs Downstairs reboot). She can do action shows (Ashes to Ashes, Line of Duty) and she can do quiet dramas.

Now tell me why Olivia Colman and Nicola Walker are always working. Olivia as Queen Elizabeth was a ridiculous casting choice.

I believe Keeley began starring on TV as a teenager so the UK public has been invested in her development for a long time. And she certainly has played a wide range of characters. I wonder if she'd also been considered to play the Queen in S2 of The Crown? At least until Olivia's career really took off with her Oscar.

I'm surprised that Keeley hasn't found her way into a US series now that hubby Matthew is here doing Succession.

I first saw Keeley in Line of Duty and thought it was great that they gave a dumpy middleaged actress such a good part. I thought how in the US they would go with someone better looking or who had been the beautiful young thing twenty years ago.

Then I saw her early work and realized she had been a glamourpuss. And even today she can look great when not playing a former cop facing systematic abuse.

I still think she is a terrific actress---even if she is gorgeous..

Keeley worked consistently with good but not spectacular reviews for years. Plenty of period dramas.

It wasn’t until Line Of Duty that she got great reviews and award nominations.

She was amazing in Line of Duty.

I love Keeley and her husband...but I'm completely over Nicola Walker. The last few years I've avoided all her shows...I remember when all three were on Spooks eons ago...one of my favourite British shows.

Keeley was so lovely in the reboot of Upstairs/Downstairs and The Durells. She really gets that 1930s Norma Shearer like style of leading lady.

[quote]She really gets that 1930s Norma Shearer like style of leading lady.

You say that like it's a good thing.

Having watched it from the beginning I'd argue that Keeley Hawes is primarily responsible for the success of Line Of Duty.

The first series got decent reviews but the second series was where word of mouth really took off, despite it being on BBC2 and getting lower viewer ratings than the first. Keeley got her BAFTA nom along with Vicky McClure and it got a best drama nomination.

When the 3rd series premiered it got a huge amount of publicity with Daniel Mays being pushed as the main lead... Keeley's return halfway through was kept totally under wraps, possibly because the tabloids weren't that interested in it yet, so when Lindsey Denton returned and started beating up rapey probation officers it was one of the best tv moments of the decade. Series 3 got amazing reviews and Daniel Mays picked up a BAFTA nom.

When it came back for series 4 it was promoted to the Sunday night BBC1 slot and the promo revolved around Thandiwe Newton and Jason Watkins. Thandiwe and Adrian Dunbar picked up BAFTA noms.

By the time series 5 started with Stephen Graham there was a HUGE appetite for it. And then series 6 with Kelly McDonald came out after lockdown when most normal people had had a chance to catch up with 30+ hours of tv.

None of that would have happened without Keeley Hawes.

RIP Lindsey Denton.

I think Thandie Newton was not a great choice because part of the fun of the show was that none of the actors were very well known, so you never knew who would end up as a major character.

Newton came on and you knew she was going to be central.

I liked Newton in the role...that was a good season.

Okay, I’ve caved and started watching LINE OF DUTY. I decided to start with Series 2, the Keely Hawes one. I like it so far.

That Martin Compston sure is a cute little thing, isn’t he?

I worked my way through the first 23 seasons of "Silent Witness" earlier this year and just found out that Season 24 is now available on Britbox--so back to Nikki and Jack.

I've also just started "Happy Valley" which unfortunately is not on one of the MANY streaming services I pay for, but IS on Crackle. Unfortunately, the placement and length of the ads is really annoying. They literally go to a commercial in the middle of a character's sentence. And then they last for 2-3 minutes. I wish they'd be more like Hulu.

Watched the first 2 episodes of GUILT S2 tonight on PBS. So intriguing but they sure don't make it easy to follow. Even harder than S1. I trust it will all make sense by the end.

Love those 2 leads Mark Bonnar and Emun Elliot (those dimples!).

So many good shows.

Has anyone tried Dublin, the series. Irish but so good and dark. English detective comes back to Ireland where he discovers a case that has haunted him all his life.

I know some people dislike Nicola Walker but I loved the one season of River and of course Annika

The Stranger is great .

Marcella is great

Bodyguard I absolutely loved

I watched the first two episodes of "The Thief, His Wife, and the Canoe" on Britbox and I'm drawn in.

R352, No, no!!!! There's an important character in series 1 of Line of Duty that will be reintroduced over the series. This character has an arc that will not make sense to you if you start from series 2. You must watch series 1 from the beginning - no shortcuts!!! Those who have watched the series in its' entirety should know who am talking about. No spoilers!!

Yes, R352. The comment from R357 is right.

There are characters and crimes and details that play out over ALL the seasons.

Plus, Season 1 has a pretty great story. The plotting is much better in season 1 than in any other. (And all the seasons are great.)

It seems I remember Polly Walker in a season of Line of Duty or maybe I am on drugs. Anyway, I really like Polly Walker in every show I have seen her in.

I watched the first two episodes of Guilt on PBS last night. Not having watched S1, I had no idea how these people were connected and had a very hard time following the story. Where I lost it was when a character (wait, who's he? The father of one of the dead guys?) opened the trunk of the car. Ok, eventually we get a flashback and eventually we find out who that guy is but I'd already forgotten the developer? who pitched and lost and still got him confused with the "salesnan"? at the retirement home who will turn up stabbed in the future. And why is the former cell mate waiting in the main character's flat? And Miss Thursday, does your father know you're sleeping with a guy you just met?

As I have PBS streaming through Amazon Prime I must ask, Is Season 1 of Guilt worth binge watching?

R361

Yes.

Mark Bonnar is wonderful, as always, and it also has the great Ellie Haddington. Jamie Sives and Emun Elliott are fun to watch.

Interesting story and plotting.

Go binge.

James Nesbitt is a terrific and versatile lead actor in at least two series set in N. Ireland: BLOODLANDS, 2021 (Acorn TV) and THE SECRET, 2016 (Netflix then, Acorn TV now). Sad cop in the first, murderous dentist in the second.

Kelly MacDonald and John Hannah star in THE VICTIM (4 hrs) on Britbox. Doxxing a child killer leads to trouble and strife for housewife KM, set in Port Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Season 1 of Guilt is better than Season 2.

Having watched the 2 new episodes of GUILT last night, I'm going to watch S1 again this week on Passport. Hoping that will help me comprehend S2 better but I doubt it. I think the series is not meant to be comprehended, just enjoyed.

I'm surprised Guilt hasn't been adapted into a Hollywood movie.

Matt Damon and Matt Bomer as the brothers

Bryce Dallas Howard as the older brother's wife

Alfre Woodard as the neighbour

Rose Byrne as the niece who grew up in Australia

Édgar Ramírez as the private detective

This is retro and I'm not sure it's streaming anywhere legit atm, but I am enjoying a rewatch on Youtube of the 2000s lesbian dramedy SUGAR RUSH.

Such a funny, lovely, charming and even outspoken show. We need this kind of thing today. Takes me back to the happier, easier and more innocent times of actual exclusively-lesbian clubs, lesbian shops & cafes, and normal lesbian relationships with no kink or angst or medical intervention or political anvils dropped on it.

Anybody know if season 2 of Kate & Koji is available anywhere?

Okay, okay, I’ll go back and watch S1 of LINE OF DUTY. I’m almost done with S2. Keely Hawes is great.

r368 Yes ... it's on Britbox or Acorn -- whichever one season one is on. There's a new Koji for season 2.

Great! R352, Please post your thoughts on series 1 whenever you are done...enjoy!

I am half-way through "Hidden Assets" on AcornTV and it is much much better than I expected.

The thing that really hit me is that the show is set in Ireland and Belgium but most of the show was filmed in Canada.

R372, I’m watching Hidden Assets too. I like it even though it’s very formulaic.

Struggling department on the verge of being closed down

Head detective works outside the boundaries

Team are all buddies and work perfectly together. Always in pub after work.

CCTV solves everything

Top brass is always saying, “Why wasn’t I informed?”

They bring in people to interview but they don’t quite have enough to hold them.

Lawyer always advises “No comment”

Hugo Blick's latest looks very impressive.

Emily Blunt's first TV role since Gideon's Daughter won her a Golden Globe.

The last 3 dramas have been creatively plotted, complex with brilliant casts. If they'd been American productions they'd have received 4/5 major acting nominations each series.

R367 I loved Sugar Rush. The two main actresses were great. It also featured a baby Andrew Garfield as a gormless teenage wanker.

R375 it was criminal that SUGAR RUSH only got two short seasons (10 episodes apiece). Reckon it would have had higher ratings, if it weren't unfairly shafted from good timeslots after the first few episodes, and moved around in the schedule by BIG BROTHER which was still really popular on Channel 4 at the time. The actresses, the scripts and the concept deserved so much better. And even now hardly anyone remembers it and it's never syndicated. Injustice.

Though I do sort of like that it's a hidden gem and a cult secret, if I'm honest. At least it won't be ruined by a shit reboot or re-running to death, though it would be really cool to get a little 'where are they now/16 years later' catch-up finale episode or miniseries just to tie it all up. The season 2 finale ended on a bathetic sort-of cliff-hanger or set-up for what was meant to be another season, anyway, so it's not like the potential wasn't there to continue.

Maybe by 2023, Kim & Saint are married with kids, or they've tried that and are divorced, or they never got that far and went their separate ways seeing other people when they unexpectedly bump into each other again as 30-somethings. Or perhaps Sugar has crash-landed back into their lives, after a decade of absence where as usual she's been embroiled in one crazy thing or another. There's a lot you could do to finish the story off.

I know NEIGHBORS was huge in the UK, but are other Australian shows like KATH & KIM and GLITCH popular as well?

Can one of our British correspondents answer this one:

Why is the weapon of choice on many British crime dramas a BASEBALL BAT? Why are baseball bats even sold in the UK if the sport is not played there? And even if there is a niche market for people who use baseball equipment for its intended purpose, why do so many households seem to have one at the ready? Why not a cricket bat?

R378, they can be easily bought here and can double up as a rounders bat which is properly a fair bit smaller. Every single person in the UK has played rounders at some point. They are probably bought as a weapon while not seeming to be. We have a large shillelagh hanging behind the door. Seemingly a souvenir but is is what it is. My mother has walking sticks.

[quote] Why is the weapon of choice on many British crime dramas a BASEBALL BAT?

Baseball bat = Good, old-fashioned battle club from Viking warrior times

R377 - For Yanks in the USA with access to right streaming services Crownies and Janet King are very popular. Many of my friends watch Crownies and Janet King. I know it is Kiwi show but "My Life is Murder" on Acorn TV is also very popular.

Yanks are very much into scenic porn and house porn. Therefore, Aussie and Kiwi shows have a great deal of appeal. This scenic porn is one of the reason the Aussie produced "Darby and Joan" have done so well on AcornTV. Then again, having Bryan Brown as one of the leads did not hurt at all.

[quote] Yanks are very much into scenic porn and house porn. Therefore, Aussie and Kiwi shows have a great deal of appeal.

Eh? All I ever saw on HOME & AWAY was endless generic beach, scrubby Bush, and suburban houses that all looked the same.

R378 a cricket bat is unsuitable in most cases, because it carries a connotation; that the owner has played or enjoys cricket, and therefore is likely to be comfortably middle-class aspirant or higher, and so not the usual stereotype to reach for a blunt object and commit violence with it (though it’s happened more than once in life, I’m sure).

There’s also the consideration of what looks most dramatic on film, what can be drawn out for maximum impact on the audience. Think of Bill Sikes clubbing Nancy on the bridge in OLIVER!—that scene wouldn’t be nearly as horrifying and disturbing and meaningful had he simply shot her or knifed her once or twice. The prolonged thumping is sickening.

R382 - You need to check out "Darby & Joan" and "My Life is Murder" for scenic porn.

Darby and Joan looks like fun with a bit of murder mixed in.

What fun doesn't?

I think Keeley Hawes would have made a great Margaret in The Crown in Seasons 3 and 4. She wouldn’t have been right for Elizabeth.

I’d still love to be the Yank in a four way with Mark Strong, Jason Isaacs and James Purefoy.

I’ve recently started watching INDUSTRY on HBO, and UK hottie Andrew Buchan is in a few episodes. I’ve crushed on him since BROADCHURCH.

Love Andrew Buchan! Early hotness from way back to CRANFORD. He should be a bigger star.

Thanks to all contributors on this thread.

I had started Guilt about a year ago, watched about 10 minutes, decided it was totally predictable and gave up on it. Started to rewatch it, loved it and found out it was anything BUT predictable.

Now watching Hidden Assets and loving it.

On a side note: Who the fuck is Walter of Walter Presents? Have seen a few shows now with this imprimatur and love them.

This post doesn't quite fit the thread title but last night I watched TOPSY-TURVY which is now on HBO Max. What an utter delight!

I hadn't seen it since it first premiered in theatres in 1999 and at that time I didn't know most of those actors like Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, Shirley Henderson, Dorothy Atkinson, Kevin McKidd, Andy Serkis, Joanna David and Vincent Franklin, who have since become regulars on all the UK tv I've been watching online since then. And, of course, the wonderful Jim Broadbent and Allan Corduner as the lead gents.

Did Henderson, Spall, Atkinson and McKidd do all their own singing? I looked for a dubbing credit but didn't see one.

Worth another look if you haven't seen it in awhile.

This is Going to Hurt is my new favorite show -- I love Ben Whishaw and he's absolutely wonderful in this -- but so is everyone else. A scathing indictment of the British Health System, but a lovely look at a gay relationship.

Did anyone finish watching GUILT on Masterpiece Theatre tonight? I enjoyed the first season but found this one incomprehensible. I can't imagine even the actors understood what they were saying.

Thanks to the guys upthread who recommended Line of Duty.

Season 1-4 is on Pluto and I've been watching an episode a day - I'm halfway into Season 2 - and I'm really loving it.

I was just re-watching a rerun of Broadchurch last night and realized Line of Duty's Vicky McClure was the older reporter who coaxed Jonathan ("Olly") Bailey out of his clothes and into her bed. My god, I think there are only about 3 dozen actors who appear in all of UK TV.

If you watch enough British TV, it's almost as if you recognize all your extended family members.

At the same time, they have some brilliant actors that never break through or are relegated to doing bit parts.

Oh, yes, r396, I love spotting them all in such a variety of roles. They really elevate material that isn't always that exciting.

R393 -- Totally agree with you. The first season of GUILT was all about twists and turns, but they made sense. The second season was impossible to follow; the show tried way too hard to fool the viewer but instead ending up fooling the entire show -- I still don't really know what happened, or why, or anything else. Apparently there's going to be a third season; with luck, maybe they'll return to the success of the first.

And as good an actor as Mark Bonnar is, the camera spent far too much time on his face, just dwelling on it for enormously long periods of time as though his face was the entire action of the scene. Weird.

Anyone else enjoying Vander Valk on Masterpiece Theatre? Not brilliant but it'll do for now. Oddly enough, I don't particularly care for Marc Warren who plays the title character, but I love everyone in the supporting cast, especially Mamie McCoy (Lucienne) and Elliot Barnes-Worrell (Job).

I'm looking forward to the episode when Job's secret past is finally revealed.

I just watched the finale of Van der Valk. As I wrote in another thread Warren’s a good actor but his face looks unfortunately like a deranged transvestite’s. I also like Maimie McCoy and the actors who play Job and Brad. The first one was OK-Joseph Millson was very hot as the rich Dutch businessman who liked showing off his naked body when getting out of his pool. The other two episodes were dreary, though. Just very dull storylines.

'Ordinary Lies' is a few years old but I finally watched it.

Found it via my love for Con O'Neill, who was in Series 2 and was wonderful as usual. Lots of great actors in both Series1 and Series 2. (Discovered Matt Di Angelo, who played Fletch in Series 2. He started out weak but became very compelling. He also looks very hot without a shirt and has a great chest.)

I loved both Series. Got great numbers to start reportedly, but the numbers dropped by the end of Series 2 and the BBC didn't renew it. I would have loved to see more.

Not sure it needs it;'s own thread, but I'm interested in what people thought. Did a search and came up with nothing.

Any other fans? Opinions?

Con O’Neill was great in the Chernobyl miniseries. And he broke my heart when he was in the musical Blood Brothers in London and on Broadway.

[quote]Sherwood has the best ensemble cast in British tv history.

So true. Just about every British actor you've seen in another series shows up -- if only for one episode. The weirdest was Stephen Tompkinson (star of DCI Banks) as an aging hippie type with long hair.

And on a shallow note ... I want Bally Gill inside me ... quite deeply. Horrible name--hot guy.

Someone on the "Inspector Morse" thread recommended "The Sweeney", a mid-1970s (four seasons/53 episodes) drama starring the late John Thaw as a tough detective inspector. It's streaming on Brit Box.

Dinnerladies is on Australian TV right now.

It has a Dad’s Army vibe.