Television programmes

I've taken to watching a Quiz Show called Only Connect on BBC4- not that I can answer the questions but its got such a contempt for glitz, entertainment or contemporary tv quiz show formats that I can't help but love it. Its a show where if you dont know your Classical Greek alphabet or Egyptian heiroglyphs it considers you too dumb to even ask for a question- got to admire that!

We have a show called "Words and Numbers." I've discovered I'm much dumber than I ever knew!

(Btw there is a young lady mathematician hostess on it who has a very nerdy fashion sense, like some prebuescent girl from the seventies (in country Australia), an IQ of about 480, and a lovely, well, nerdy smile, and I suspect rounded bosoms, though discreetly hidden... I adore her. I wish she was mine. I wouldn't mind being dumb in her house. I bet she would take proper care of me - and actually in a proper respectful, missionary position wifely way, not in the way a modern emancipated liberal woman like Kafria would, I'm sure, not that that would not have it's postives. )

Anyway, it's not your average show, if you like your entertainment dorkily intellectual.

Just discovered that the BBC have cancelled Doctor Who Confidential. New series of Merlin on today, and of course, the last episode of doctor who!

Btw, Orwell, I googled that show and you've got the name wrong! Looks a bit like a Countdown rip-off tbh...

That'd be "Letters and Numbers"... My bad. I thought it looked odd.. but you know me... write it, forget it, usually regret it!

Suddenly noticed that the Beebs Merlin is back. Watched the first series and most of the second, but became disinterested, missed season3 and am wondering if it is worth catching up or not... anyone seen it to give a clue.

I started watchig again half way through the last series- and was suprised to find it had grown up considerably and got a bit less right-on and pc. This series opened with a very watchable two parter and in some aspects at least is begining to resemble the original tales a bit more.
Still be interesting to see when it comes to it how they cover the bit where Morgana, Arthurs half sister, uses magic to pretend she is Guinivere for some rumpy with her brother and conceives his bastard inbred son Mordrid- I suspect they may miss that bit out or just bring Modrid in as someone else when the time comes.
Judging from the conclusion of this series opening two parter it looks like they have already chickened out the whole Lancelot betrays Arthur for a quickie with the Queen story- which rather ruins the whole point of that character for me.

(suddenly its gone all Knights of the Round Table on here!!)

It has indeed, it is an enduring tale. my personal enchantment dates from Bernard Cornwells series!

I am a big fan of the Excalibur film based on Mort d'Arthur. Love th eguy that plays Merlin in it, not traditinal really at all yet brilliant and unique performance. And the guy who plays Arthur is amzing in the differenc ebetween his character and performance at te start and by the time he is King.

Not a tv programme, but short web series!

For those who knew and liked supernatural the FX team behind that are currently also doing this non linear story online. Five out of six eps are up.

I am enjoying it and thought others might

WARNING!! it is of the supernatural persuasion, quite gory and violent in a lot of it and also deals with crisis of faith and some playing with Christian doctrine, so if it is not your cup of tea don't go see! (may be some language issues too!)

on the other hand if it is fell free!

http://www.divinetheseries.com/

Kafria wrote:It has indeed, it is an enduring tale. my personal enchantment dates from Bernard Cornwells series!

I've got one of his books. Is it worth reading?

I've read a lot, but not all so I'd have to say it is worth a try.

He is very good at capturing the reality (or imagined reality) of warfare throughout history and wrapping it in an enticing story.

Having said that I do occasionally find that some of them fail to hit the mark (for me the american civil war set and the latest Alfred series haven't seeme to work as well) Not sure if that is the tales themselves or just that the time periods involved do not fascinate me as much.

Been rewatching Firefly- whoever made the decision to can this after only 1 season should have been publicly flogged. Magic stuff.

Here's one of my favourite episodes.

Father Ted. Very funny show

Classic stuff with Father Ted. Anyone who hasn't had a watch of this go on, go on, go on go on go on go on go on.

Currently watching Stargate Atlantas, its surprisingly good.
Didnt think it would be a patch on SG1, but is just as good.
Stargate Universe wasnt bad either.

I am sooo looking forward to seeing the 6th season of Dexter! Haven't started watching yet, so no spoilers. I am also very eager to see season 2 of Games of Thrones.

I haven't watched SG Universe, but I have seen all of SG-1 I believe and most of SG Atlantis thanks to countless re-runs . I think my favorites are Dr. Jackson and McKay, but it is hard to choose. Slightly guilty pleasure those shows... mhm...

Current ultimate guilty pleasure though is BBC's Merlin.

Just seen the first 6 episodes of Game of Thrones, at first I wasnt too impressed but as it went on I quite like it, specially the little dwarf guy, one of the Prince Lanisters. He is the best thing about it, oh and of course its nice to see Boromir again. The music is really great too. I would like to make a video like Pettys for Bree using that music, our female friendly thread could become Vestal Corner, and the gripe thread could be Hades and you have to pay the boatman in buckie instead of gold.

I love Merlin too, Morgana is my fav, I like her costumes.

The bad girls always have the best outfits.

I like the idea of paying the boatman in buckie. Most threads and discussion sail off in unpredictable directions on a sea of buckie, so why should a boat ride here be any different?

My only problem about Morgana is that she wears high heels, and i dont remember medieval folk wearing Jimmy Choos, its a bit odd.

Well there's a lot we don't know about those times. I didn't know they used as much mascara and eyeliner as she does either, but then again she might have know someone who knows someone who knows someone in Egypt.

Got to admitt Merlin has become a guilty pleasure of mine too, and Morgana is certainly attractive in a goth sort of a way (not quite so impressed with her, ahem, acting). I wasn't to keen on the early seires but the latest one seems a lot more mature and darker, it also helps that it now at least bears a passing resemblance to the original myths.
Good gig for John Hurt too, does a bit of voice over at the start, his character rarely appears, and he still gets top billing in the credits!

I caught an episode of Only Fools and Horses earlier. Its easy to forget jut how brilliantly written and performed this was, particularly in the early series.
More than any other show I can think of it balances drama and emotion with comedy. Here's a good example. The show originally was about 3 characters, Del Boy, wise cracking would be entrepenuer, his younger brother Rodney and their Grandad. However the actor who played the Grandad passed away, always a dilemna for an ongoing show in how you deal with it (looking at you here 8 Simple Rules). Heres the episode to see how Horses did it.



One of my favourite early episodes (this is actually the episode preceeding the above one- so you might want to watch this one first). Half an hour of joy.

Being watching 'Young James Herriot' on the BBC- a three part drama partly made up and partly based on early notes and unpublished works. For those not familar with James Herriot his books are about his life and chart his time from leaving Glasgow Vetinerary College and getting his first job as a vet in the Yorkshire Dales, through WW2, his marriage and many more years. I highly recommend them.
I used to watch the tv series based on them, All Creatures Great and Small but was always annoyed he was English in it. This drama corrects that as it covers his time at Glasgow Vetinary College. Its a little to retrojected modern in its ideas, I doubt the female charater who he was really at college with was quite so modern in her views or so forceful in them, although I've no doubt she was of that opinion there is something unauthentic with the period in how she expresses them. But that aside I've thouroughly enjoyed it and the other period detail is as sumptious as only the BBC can make it.

I was an extra in all creatures great and small, way back when - ran down the street in plaits and a smock, also got down to the last three in auditions to play the daughter, but didn't get it!

Having watched the whole of supernatural on dvd this summer I have been on a silly tv kick. Watch both series of Dark Angel (series 2 has a certain fella me lad from spn!) all the avaliable big bang theory - soo geeky it just makes me laugh out loud.

Currently on a firefly kick, not come across it before, but it is mentioned so often decided I'd take look. Three eps in and enjoying myself!

Oh and christmas hols begin today

Petty have you ever seen Hamish Macbeth? I havent but I was thinking of buying some of the books and was wondering if they are good, and authentic. I like M C Beaton as a writer, specially Agatha Raisin, a stroppy cow if ever there was one, maybe thats why I like her as a character. Those buggers at the BBC stopped BBC Prime so i dont get to watch The Mighty Boosh and Dr.Who any more, or geeking out watching Alan Titmarsh doing gardening stuff, its bad news.