Fonty Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 On the basis that there might be a dearth of dance to discuss over the next few weeks, I thought I would start a new topic in the General Discussion Forum. If everyone is going to be locked into our houses for a while, and not allowed to go out, there might be a necessity to delve into the archives and show some old programmes on tv. Which ones would you like to see repeated? I am thinking of programmes that are rarely, if ever, shown now, that are not being played on a permanent loop on Drama or Dave, or one of the other Freeview channels. But ones that had a huge following when they first came out, and which the original audience might like to see again, while a new audience could judge its merits. A few choices from me: I would love to see the original series of Poldark again; the one starring Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees. This was compulsory viewing when it first came out, so I am told. I remember seeing some of the first series when there was a strike on at the BBC, about 20 years go, and thinking how it managed to be both gripping and amusing. Apparently, while the strike was on the viewing figures for it were much higher than those for the programme it replaced! I did see a few episodes of the recent remake with Aidan Turner, but I was away a lot of the time, so couldn't really get into it. However, from the ones I did see, it seemed to be a much more dramatic and serious affair, without the humour of the original. Then there is the original series of the Forsyte Saga. My parents raved about this, and I know there have been many requests for it to be shown again on tv. Apparently BBC's response has always been that it was filmed in black and white, and therefore modern audiences wouldn't like it. I suspect the real reason is that they want people to buy the boxed set. Again, I know there has been a remake of this, which I didn't see. But the original held audiences gripped for 6 months, so it would be interesting to see whether it would still be appreciated by a modern day audience. I would love to see This Life again. I know it was shown very briefly on iPlayer last month, but sadly I was away and missed it. I absolutely adored this when it first came out, and I have seen it twice. But I would be very happy to watch it again. Finally, the whole series of Being Human, right from the beginning. This originally went out late at night on BBC4, so I am not sure how big an audience it attracted, but for those that missed it, it concerned a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost all sharing a house together. 🙂 I watched all of them, and really enjoyed them. It was one of the first things that Aidan Turner did on tv, I believe, so that should be reason enough for people to watch. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 25 minutes ago, Fonty said: A few choices from me: I would love to see This Life again. I know it was shown very briefly on iPlayer last month, Actually, they showed series 1 on BBC4, in 3-episode bursts (as well as iPlayer). NO series 2 though! The boxset(s) will probably be on Britbox, as a guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 The Lord Peter Wimsey dramatisations starring Ian Carmichael. I'm re-reading the books at the moment (last read them more than 20 years ago) and would love to see the programmes again. I loved Ian Carmichael in them! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Fonty said: On the basis that there might be a dearth of dance to discuss over the next few weeks, I thought I would start a new topic in the General Discussion Forum. If everyone is going to be locked into our houses for a while, and not allowed to go out, there might be a necessity to delve into the archives and show some old programmes on tv. Which ones would you like to see repeated? I am thinking of programmes that are rarely, if ever, shown now, that are not being played on a permanent loop on Drama or Dave, or one of the other Freeview channels. But ones that had a huge following when they first came out, and which the original audience might like to see again, while a new audience could judge its merits. A few choices from me: I would love to see the original series of Poldark again; the one starring Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees. This was compulsory viewing when it first came out, so I am told. I remember seeing some of the first series when there was a strike on at the BBC, about 20 years go, and thinking how it managed to be both gripping and amusing. Apparently, while the strike was on the viewing figures for it were much higher than those for the programme it replaced! I did see a few episodes of the recent remake with Aidan Turner, but I was away a lot of the time, so couldn't really get into it. However, from the ones I did see, it seemed to be a much more dramatic and serious affair, without the humour of the original. Then there is the original series of the Forsyte Saga. My parents raved about this, and I know there have been many requests for it to be shown again on tv. Apparently BBC's response has always been that it was filmed in black and white, and therefore modern audiences wouldn't like it. I suspect the real reason is that they want people to buy the boxed set. Again, I know there has been a remake of this, which I didn't see. But the original held audiences gripped for 6 months, so it would be interesting to see whether it would still be appreciated by a modern day audience. I would love to see This Life again. I know it was shown very briefly on iPlayer last month, but sadly I was away and missed it. I absolutely adored this when it first came out, and I have seen it twice. But I would be very happy to watch it again. Finally, the whole series of Being Human, right from the beginning. This originally went out late at night on BBC4, so I am not sure how big an audience it attracted, but for those that missed it, it concerned a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost all sharing a house together. 🙂 I watched all of them, and really enjoyed them. It was one of the first things that Aidan Turner did on tv, I believe, so that should be reason enough for people to watch. Agree re Being Human. It's available on DVD and Blu-ray - pricey for the box set but if you shop around season by season, you can probably pick up all five seasons for under a tenner! Aidan Turner left after the second series and Russell Tovey after the first episode of the 4th Series so if they are the attraction you may wish to return to it season by season. It's very much more recent than the other programmes you list so I would expect it to re-appear on one or another of the channels in due course but haven't seen it listed for repeat anywhere as yet. It was originally a BBC 3 show so it could pop up anywhere! Re the other series you list I remember the original Poldark with Angharad Rees and the Forsythe saga with Eric Porter, Kenneth Moore and Susan Hampshire - both so much better than the repeats! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Great idea, Fonty. A serial shown about thirty years ago on the Beeb called The Ginger Tree starring Samantha Bond. Unusual story with an attractive contemplative quality about it For afternoons on the sofa with some chocolate, Howard’s Way. Would take us all back to the glitzy eighties and we could snigger at the hair and the shoulder pads! The complete Vietnam series from BBC4. Shown last year but so much to take in Between the Lines with Neil Pearson. Whilst being a snapshot in time, it stands up well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 That series on Vietnam was stunning. Not sure which American channel produced it, but it made for 10 hours of rivetting - and at times upsetting - TV. Hopefully that will get shown again before too long Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) I have the Box Set of the first Forsyte Saga and it is truly marvellous. Not too expensive on EBay. One of the reasons it is so good is it’s length which allows so much more character exploration. I enjoyed the second one as well, but then Damian Lewis right up there with Jonas Kaufmann for me! May I also recommend Band of Brothers ( yes, Damian again) which for me is the best war series ever made. Deeply moving. Lastly, I discovered the PBS America channel the other day and they do amazing stuff. Strange that it took an American company to do the best exploration of the Cromwell years! Edited March 17, 2020 by penelopesimpson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) 5 minutes ago, zxDaveM said: That series on Vietnam was stunning. Not sure which American channel produced it, but it made for 10 hours of rivetting - and at times upsetting - TV. Hopefully that will get shown again before too long Terrific, wasn’t it? And the way they set it against the background of what was going on in the world with appropriate soundtrack. Made me understand so much more why Vietnam happened and why America was on a hiding to nothing. Edited March 17, 2020 by penelopesimpson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 10 minutes ago, penelopesimpson said: but then Damian Lewis right up there with Jonas Kaufmann for me! May I also recommendation Band if Brothers ( yes, Damian again) which for me is the best war series ever made. Agree again, on Band of Brothers - but I have the box set dvd to watch that! 🙂 Oh - I remember a few years back now, seeing Damian Lewis having a Chinese meal with a director/producer/whatever - he was in a play in the west-end at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 1 minute ago, penelopesimpson said: Terrific, wasn’t it? And the way they set it against the background of what was going on the world with appropriate soundtrack. Made me understand so much more why Vietnam happened and why America was on a hiding to nothing. it seemed in hindsight, that not only was America at war with communism but at times with its own children when the National Guard killed those student protestors on the lawns of their ivy league colleges. It was almost hard to believe that at the same time, they put a man on the moon! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) The History Festival is just five miles away from where I live and when he was filming Wolf Hall nearby just six years ago, he came to give a talk on the filming of Band. It was standing room only even amongst a heavily over sixties audience. Every bit as charismatic as he is on screen, he told wonderful anecdotes of visiting Dick Winters at his home. He was, apparently, not a easy man until you convinced him that you were a good bloke. Lewis spoke to other survivors who always said that when they heard Dick Winters shout Follow Me,’ they felt totally confident. How wonderful to have such pure courage mixed with straightforward goodness. Edited March 17, 2020 by penelopesimpson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 To lower the tone a bit (or a lot), there was a series called 'Bodyguards' in the 1990s, starring Louise Lombard. It was a complete load of tosh but that didn't stop me from enjoying it hugely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted March 17, 2020 Author Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) I know we can all buy boxed sets of many of these programmes, but do I really want to buy a complete set of something that takes up room, and I will watch maybe once every 5 years at the most? It is a bit like buying copies of books I enjoyed when I got them from the library. No room for them, and anyway I can always go back to the library and borrow them again. I was thinking of just sitting on the settee mid afternoon with a cuppa and a piece of cake, and wallowing in something on the tv that I enjoyed so much the first time round. I have never seen Band of Brothers. Was it shown on the BBC? I don't know how I came to miss it, everyone recommends it. The series on Vietnam sounds wonderful as well, but I know I was away for that. Another one I really liked - Das Boot. The full 6 hour (?) one. Absolutely gripping, and I could certainly watch that again. Edited to add the original one that went out in the 1980s with the wonderful Jurgen Prochnow as the captain. I didn't realise there had been a new series of that. Edited March 17, 2020 by Fonty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Such a delight to be chattering about something other than you know what. Thank you Fonty. Very uplifting. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trog Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Talking Pictures TV is a great source for old series and films. If you like old scifi series, such as Lost in Space and Time Tunnel (starts Thurday), The Horror Channel is your choice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 6 minutes ago, Fonty said: I know we can all buy boxed sets of many of these programmes, but do I really want to buy a complete set of something that takes up room, and I will watch maybe once every 5 years at the most? It is a bit like buying copies of books I enjoyed when I got them from the library. No room for them, and anyway I can always go back to the library and borrow them again. I was thinking of just sitting on the settee mid afternoon with a cuppa and a piece of cake, and wallowing in something on the tv that I enjoyed so much the first time round. I have never seen Band of Brothers. Was it shown on the BBC? I don't know how I came to miss it, everyone recommends it. The series on Vietnam sounds wonderful as well, but I know I was away for that. Another one I really liked - Das Boot. The full 6 hour (?) one. Absolutely gripping, and I could certainly watch that again. Edited to add the original one that went out in the 1980s with the wonderful Jurgen Prochnow as the captain. I didn't realise there had been a new series of that. Fonty, I watch Band of Brothers at least twice a year. You could take the boxset out from your library. Also enjoyed Das Boot, B of B is better. I don't think you would regret giving it a go. Just struck me that the BBC could re-show Fanny and Johnny Craddock programmes. Now I think that might make us cry with laughter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Ooh, and how about complete series of LA Law which I loved? Am re-watching ER on Channel 4 catch-up at present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 I would second The Vietnam War series, it was compelling viewing. I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Tenko was re-shown on the Drama channel a couple of years ago and proved to be incredibly well written. It would be good to watch that again. Line of Duty is currently available on the iplayer. Dad's Army is timeless. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) Janet, the P & P you refer to is regularly shown on the Drama channel. Tenko is great but now I am getting old I find it too harrowing! Edited March 17, 2020 by penelopesimpson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Just now, penelopesimpson said: Janet, the P & P you refer to is regularly shown on the Drama channel I know ... I watch it often but it is never enough! Perhaps others are not as aware of all the goodies on the drama channel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Just now, Jan McNulty said: I know ... I watch it often but it is never enough! Perhaps others are not as aware of all the goodies on the drama channel... The one I love is Persuasion with Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root perfectly cast as Wentworth and Ann. Oh, and Corin Redgrave absolutely marvellous. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted March 17, 2020 Author Share Posted March 17, 2020 5 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said: I know ... I watch it often but it is never enough! Perhaps others are not as aware of all the goodies on the drama channel... Oh, I love the Drama channel. Currently lapping up reruns of Waking the Dead. Goes out a bit late, but I record it. So much better than Silent Witness, which apparently it was axed in favour of. Line of Duty is one of my favourite series of all time. So tense and dramatic. And I like to watch it the old fashioned way - on a weekly basis. It adds to the drama. It used to annoy me was when the British tv channels would get the first few episodes of a series, and then it would vanish without trace to a fee paying one. So another one I would like to see in its entirety is Mad Men. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 46 minutes ago, trog said: Talking Pictures TV is a great source for old series and films. If you like old scifi series, such as Lost in Space and Time Tunnel (starts Thurday), The Horror Channel is your choice. Yes, I only discovered Talking Pictures recently and it's a goldmine for b&w films including a lot I've never heard of. And the Horror Channel shows The Devil Rides Out periodically - my equal all-time favourite film (with The Sound of Music). Not sure what that combination says about me, but there you go. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm365 Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Lowering the tone again - possibly! Blake's Seven, please - all episodes. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penelopesimpson Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 41 minutes ago, Fonty said: Oh, I love the Drama channel. Currently lapping up reruns of Waking the Dead. Goes out a bit late, but I record it. So much better than Silent Witness, which apparently it was axed in favour of. Line of Duty is one of my favourite series of all time. So tense and dramatic. And I like to watch it the old fashioned way - on a weekly basis. It adds to the drama. It used to annoy me was when the British tv channels would get the first few episodes of a series, and then it would vanish without trace to a fee paying one. So another one I would like to see in its entirety is Mad Men. Witless Silence. Terrible. Why DOES Emilia Fox always have her mouth open? Possibly in awe of the endless scope of a pathologist’s job in BBC land? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) 37 minutes ago, bridiem said: Yes, I only discovered Talking Pictures recently and it's a goldmine for b&w films including a lot I've never heard of. And the Horror Channel shows The Devil Rides Out periodically - my equal all-time favourite film (with The Sound of Music). Not sure what that combination says about me, but there you go. Talking Pictures is a great source of many British ScFi Films from the 50s and 60s, usually in black and white and usually starring the same actors. It’s a great channel and I love it. The Devil Rides Out is one of Dennis Wheatley’s brilliant Satanic novels, and, along with To the Devil a Daughter, the best of the Wheatley film adaptations, tho the latter had problems at the very end coz the makers ran out of cash and had to tack on a hastily shot ending. My favourite though would probably be Night of the Demon, known in the States as Curse of the Demon (or vice-versa I forget which) based on MR James’ short story Casting The Runes and which incidentally also gave rise to ructions at the end of the shoot over whether The Demon should be shown or left to the imagination. I would add the John Wyndham and Quatermass movie adaptations but to be honest none of them are a patch on the TV originals. But they are all to be seen on Talking Pictures. British movie-making at its best. The elephant in the room is of course A for Andromeda but chunks of the original TV series with the young Julie Christie in the titular role have been lost and the subsequent re-makes don’t begin to cut it. If anyone could find those missing chunks from the original series, there would be rejoicing in the Heavens! Edited March 17, 2020 by David 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted March 17, 2020 Author Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) 15 minutes ago, penelopesimpson said: Witless Silence. Terrible. Why DOES Emilia Fox always have her mouth open? Possibly in awe of the endless scope of a pathologist’s job in BBC land? Witless Silence! I still laugh when I think about the spoof that French and Saunders did. And they also did a very funny one of the House of Elliot (which was/is being shown again on one of the Freeview channels).. Edited to add I must try and remember to watch the Talking Pictures channel.. Edited March 17, 2020 by Fonty 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 1 hour ago, penelopesimpson said: The one I love is Persuasion with Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root perfectly cast as Wentworth and Ann. Oh, and Corin Redgrave absolutely marvellous. All the Bath interiors were filmed in the house I lived in when I worked in Bath in the early noughties. As if I didn't love this production enough anyway. In recent years I realised how lucky I was to have lived in this house. I realise from Homes under the Hammer that it was a house of multiple occupation but my landlord only used the bedroom floors for bedrooms. We had use of the dining room, kitchen, sitting room, ballroom(!!!) and garden. The hall and dining room still had the decor done by the BBC for Persuasion. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 (edited) 54 minutes ago, jm365 said: Lowering the tone again - possibly! Blake's Seven, please - all episodes. Perhaps someone might manage to find the concluding episode that was never shot so that we could find out what happened to them all in the end. And similarly a vote for Sapphire and Steel - another series that was left unfinished coz the two protagonists were left floating in space, the guy who wrote it died and no-one could fathom out where he intended to take it. Edited March 17, 2020 by David 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 2 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said: All the Bath interiors were filmed in the house I lived in when I worked in Bath in the early noughties. As if I didn't love this production enough anyway. In recent years I realised how lucky I was to have lived in this house. I realise from Homes under the Hammer that it was a house of multiple occupation but my landlord only used the bedroom floors for bedrooms. We had use of the dining room, kitchen, sitting room, ballroom(!!!) and garden. The hall and dining room still had the decor done by the BBC for Persuasion. Gosh! I hope you used the ballroom for its intended purpose! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 2 minutes ago, David said: Perhaps someone might manage to find the concluding episode that was never shot so we could find out what hapeened to them all in the end. And similarly a vote for Sapphire and Steel - another series that was left unfinished coz the two protagonists were left floating in space, the guy who wrote died and no-one could fathom out where he intended to take it. Seems to have taken it with him! So funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 5 minutes ago, bridiem said: Gosh! I hope you used the ballroom for its intended purpose! When I lived there a ballroom dance class used it once or twice a week! As I have 2 left feet I didn't participate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 2 hours ago, jm365 said: Lowering the tone again - possibly! Blake's Seven, please - all episodes. YESSSSS!!!!!! (by that I mean, yes to seeing it again, not yes lowering the tone) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now