Recommended Television Programmes

[Nick Armstrong]

It amuses me when the most innocuous old films are shown on Talking TV which are prefixed with a wording that "this film contain language that may be considered discriminatory today", or words to that effect.

Dad’s Army repeats on BBC2 are getting a warning these days

Where’s Ed Reardon when you want him....

[Nick Armstrong]

Deutschland 89, the third and final season of this excellent series, starts on More 4 this Friday at 9pm

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/deutschland-89

[Nick Armstrong]

Looking forward to the arrival of the (late, great) Geoffrey Palmer character.

Also to be heard with a great ensemble cast in this amusing series rebroadcast lately on Radio 4Extra

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b00cjnnk

[Dave2002]

Deutschland 89, the third and final season of this excellent series, starts on More 4 this Friday at 9pm

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/deutschland-89

[Cockney Sparrow]

Also to be heard with a great ensemble cast in this amusing series rebroadcast lately on Radio 4Extra

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b00cjnnk

I will look out and listen - "High Table, Lower Orders" -thanks.

Sorry to praise it when no longer available on "Sounds" - but I also listened again (and recorded for future listening) - listened to Geoffrey Palmer in "At home with the Snails". Somewhat surreal humour, but I enjoyed it greatly. Wonderfully supported by Angela Thorne, Miranda Hart, Gerard Foster and others.

[johncorrigan]

There have been elements of 'Raiders of the Lost Past' with Janina Ramirez which I have enjoyed. The programmes took three fascinating archaeological sites and examined their discovery and subsequent impact on the knowledge of the ancient world through the archaeologists who excavated them. I thought there were lots of interesting things in there, especially the artefacts, many of which I was unfamiliar with. My problem with the programmes is that Janina Ramirez didn't give us enough information - a real lack of depth. There was also an over-use of overhead shots from droid cameras, something which is inflicting current TV programmes, and something which I find increasingly irritating...cue shot of Janina Ramirez walking through Knossos from overhead droid, cue pictures of Istanbul from the air for no particular reason etc. In summary, an interesting mixture of the fascinating and the irritating is how I might best describe my experience of the series.

[Dave2002]

Also - only half an hour - as opposed to virtually every programme nowadays stretched out to fill the hour slot (with padding, I presume to hold up for a commercial airing at less than an hour of content).

Great that somebody has mentioned this. It isn't just because of coronavirus, as the trend has been going on for years - 45 minute programmes, then 1 hour programmes etc. In the "old days" one could watch one or two episodes or different programmes before going to bed, but now it's just getting tedious. I don't think it's only for the adverts, but that might be a part of it. Someone (??) has decided that since we all have so much spare time on our hands that we have to be "kept entertained" for longer - but really I often think it merely extends the boredom.

There's a bit more to this also - as it may also depend on whether one watches with other people or not. Some forms of social pressure might actually reduce the time one has to do things which might be of more interest than having one's eyes stuck to a goggle box.

[johncorrigan]

This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the Dunblane Massacre, when a gunman murdered sixteen children and their teacher in their classroom, as well as injuring a further twelve. On Scottish Television last night Lorraine Kelly retold the story of that day, talked to family members affected, and reminded us of the great work done by the Snowdrop Campaign, who in the aftermath of the murders worked successfully to have the possession of handguns made illegal in the UK. Lorraine did a great job of this - she was sent there to report on the events of Wednesday March 13th 1996, and has remained connected to Dunblane ever since. https://www.itv.com/hub/return-to-du...y/10a0668a0001

[ardcarp]

Is anyone re-watching Elizabeth R (BBC4), unbelievably 50 years on? I'm really enjoying it...and the young Glenda Jackson. (I can excuse a few fake Devon seagoing accents from lesser roles!) I wonder how jazzed-up/dumbed-down a similar series would have to be nowadays to have public appeal. Title music courtesy of David Munrow.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p033w6j5

[Serial_Apologist]

Is anyone re-watching Elizabeth R (BBC4), unbelievably 50 years on? I'm really enjoying it...and the young Glenda Jackson. (I can excuse a few fake Devon seagoing accents from lesser roles!) I wonder how jazzed-up/dumbed-down a similar series would have to be nowadays to have public appeal. Title music courtesy of David Munrow.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p033w6j5

A fake Devon seagoing accent would have to be "Elizabeth? Ooh arr!".

[Nick Armstrong]

Man in Room 301

Recommended - but you have to keep your wits about you because of increasingly frequent jumps between times in the story. But the story is good, and the denouement satisfying. Fairly dark, and with an almost continuous sense of menace. All 6 episodes are on BBC iPlayer.

First two watched last weekend: agree with your comments, tight & intriguing. The time jumps are quite clearly signalled by key characters wearing specs or a beard (or being adult rather than adolescent, with the ginger hair helping! ).

Top-drawer stuff

[eighthobstruction]

Is anyone re-watching Elizabeth R (BBC4), unbelievably 50 years on? I'm really enjoying it...and the young Glenda Jackson. (I can excuse a few fake Devon seagoing accents from lesser roles!) I wonder how jazzed-up/dumbed-down a similar series would have to be nowadays to have public appeal. Title music courtesy of David Munrow.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p033w6j5

I don't think they could dumb it down. There have been so many BBC4 progs ref Tudors we are all experts, right down to bugs, vituals, poisons, plagues,portraits, sailing vessels, Dunkirk Shauls and etc....This old series completely wrote Henry Cecil out of Eps 4 the Catholic Plot....Thought Tilbury scene was funny - shot up her nostrils with grumpy attendant/naive attendant, with camera crew adding the odd roar of approval in surmised 16th C accents....

[Nick Armstrong]

I don't think they could dumb it down. There have been so many BBC4 progs ref Tudors we are all experts, right down to bugs, vituals, poisons, plagues,portraits, sailing vessels, Dunkirk Shauls and etc....This old series completely wrote Henry Cecil out of Eps 4 the Catholic Plot....Thought Tilbury scene was funny - shot up her nostrils with grumpy attendant/naive attendant, with camera crew adding the odd roar of approval in surmised 16th C accents....

Excellent stuff, 8tho!!

Isn’t Henry Cecil a racehorse trainer though? Bit before his time...

I did notice William C got sidelined from the conspiracy episode in favour of Walsingham...

But I’ve been enjoying them, dastardly Dagos and all. Quite a lot of ham (not just the Walsing kind), not least thanks to the never-understated Robert Hardy, cardboard Palace walls and dodgy galliards. And yes the two token Tilbury onlookers were a hoot.

But when Glenda starts firing on all cylinders, there’s no taking your eyes off her - and you can’t complain at the quality of the music

[eighthobstruction]

....Oh yep....mixing him up with that composer chappie Henry Persil........boom boom...

[Nick Armstrong]

....Oh yep....mixing him up with that composer chappie Henry Persil........boom boom...