BBC Suggestions

Films, TV shows, and books of the 'modern' era
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movieman1957
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by movieman1957 »

For those of us that are fans of "Inspector Morse" you may want to try the prequel "Endeavour." I am very late to the party as this film was the pilot of the series that has followed.

In this film we are introduced to a very young Morse who is new to the force and is brought with a group of other police officers to work on a missing girl's case. Not very soon after her body is found and the murder investigation begins. Throughout the complicated plot Morse is given an opportunity to show his skills as he impresses his bosses. Being young there are a few slips and he can get ahead of himself. Ultimately, he comes to the conclusion of who killed the girl and it cuts him to his very soul.

One thing I was doing while watching was looking for traits of the later character. We learn some of his family. (If we knew anything over the 15 years of "Morse" it was he wasn't fond of sharing.) We know right away of his love of opera. He is too young to be gruff but we also know that he has always been ill at ease around bodies. Somewhat shy and polite almost to a fault we also come upon his often frustrating relationship with women. But this is all neatly woven into this involved and detailed mystery.

You get to see the Jaguar at a couple of points but it rests in a dealership with no indication of its impending purchase. Two lovely little nods to the later series is a small tribute to John Thaw and, as hoped, they used the same theme music. Barinngton Pheloung has been the music composer to all the Inspector Morse, Inspector Lewis and now Endeavour. Smart people doing smart things.

Recommended but you must watch closely or it will be easy enough to miss things or get confused. Also, if you haven't seen any of the original "Inspector Morse" many, if not all, are streaming on Netflix. "Endeavour" was on Amazon Prime Video. (You will also find Inspector Lewis on Amazon as well.)
Chris

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movieman1957
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Re: BBC Suggestions

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A very good series I thought others might enjoy is a British production currently on Amazon Prime. It is called "Unforgotten." It stars the wonderful Nicola Walker as the head of a cold case unit in a mid country police department. The three seasons are comprised of a single case each season. The premise is a body is found that was killed a number of years prior and they investigate the crime. The identity is found in pretty short order and the investigation often full of interesting back stories carries over the season. Each year to me is better than the previous one. SOme of the story lines are pretty intense. A good cast and good writing make this one a little different but no less fascinating than other British first rate police dramas. I think it is one worth your time.
Chris

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laffite
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by laffite »

The Crimson Field (2014) Six Episodes, Season One (and only)

...is a makeshift medical center consisting of tents strewn about a field in Northern France not far from the Front during WWI. Based on the jacket cover, showing a group photo of cast members, all with nice smiles, made me feel that this might be some goody-goody look of those "brave warriors of a different kind and how they served as a backbone to the war effort in WWI" kind of thing meaning it was to be a bland treatment.

I was wrong.

EP-1 opens with the arrival of three young women who are volunteers only. They have no experience. They apparently come from good households. Their immediate superiors are very strict with them and are unsympathetic to the viewer. The officer in charge of the enterprise is more of a mensch and therefore perceived as weak. We find early that each of these characters and many more have their own stories and are depicted with a raw sense of immediacy and are rippingly well done. Most are absolutely riveting.

What happens to a soldier returning to the station with a wound that might look as it was self-inflected so they can go home? What happens to one of these newbies whose duty it is to undress and wash an injured soldier? What if an English woman who happens to visit Germany in 1913 and fall in love there, and then have war declared and be a nurse on the front, in love with the enemy (so to speak) and pines over his safety, and at the same time perfectly among the faithful to the Allied cause. You can see the juicy possibility of complications may happen with that. The setting that I initially thought might so bland turned out to be a treasure trove of dramatic possibility.

I blitzed my way through the episodes and was consistently at full attention. I was shocked to read that this show was cancelled at end of the first season. I didn't know that until I had finished. God, what do you have to do to get renewed? Actors were shocked and severely disappointed. Fans started petitions.

We all have viewer experiences as this, I suppose. I take solace at this one when I remember a similar situation with Homefires 2015-2016, another war drama, this time with women dominating the story more so than Crimson. A village in England at the start of WWII. The younger men are gone to war. At times soldiers march through the village and are regarded less as soldiers but as aliens, as if viewed with the eyes of backward villagers. But they do things for the war effort and amount of politicking among women's council and are ironically portrayed as "warring" with themselves as if on the front.

There are the various story lines, one of which I detest. It has to do with a disturbing domestic situation. Those who have seen this series will have no trouble knowing to which I refer. I have revisited the series off and on and I simply FF through this. I won't watch it. It seems incongruent to the overall ambience.

My point though that this was renewed for a second season and was eager to see it. Season Two was complete flop to me. New writers or the same writers maybe smoking something. So I tried to think of that experience as a palliative. I adopted that nutty reasoning, oh well Crimson might have been that way too. :roll:

I have now, this very minute as I write this, finding out that there was not an intended third season as well but now --- that the series had been later virtually resurrected out of nowhere a couple of years later. I have mixed feelings about it but I know I'll cave.

All this in regard to Homefires, not Crimson. Crimson was not renewed and will never be. Wah! I certainly recommended it, especially if you are like me, a BBC freak.

---
Sabine Azema in Sunday in the Country
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txfilmfan
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by txfilmfan »

laffite wrote: December 31st, 2022, 5:44 am The Crimson Field (2014) Six Episodes, Season One (and only)

I blitzed my way through the episodes and was consistently at full attention. I was shocked to read that this show was cancelled at end of the first season. I didn't know that until I had finished. God, what do you have to do to get renewed? Actors were shocked and severely disappointed. Fans started petitions.

---
It's somewhat surprising to many that the BBC (in the UK) cares about ratings, but they do. Perhaps not quite as much as the commercial networks, but they still have to ensure their programmes (especially on BBC One, which was the broadcaster for The Crimson Field) have a wide appeal. Their UK funding largely derives from the licence fee that TV households pay.

So BBC management must make many of the same trade-offs that a commercial network would. If a programme isn't popular enough, or if it's too expensive, it's feared the UK public will view it as "bad value for money," as they say there, and support for the licence fee will wane. Of course, support for it has been deteriorating since the advent of satellite, cable, and Freeview services in the UK, and now streaming, that greatly expanded viewing choices. Until the 1990s, most UK households had a choice of four channels: BBC1, BBC2, ITV, and Channel 4. The BBC also is frequently criticised as leaning too far [insert random political bent here], and not deserving of the public's money.

The BBC's current charter runs through 2027. It's very possible that the licence fee will be abolished after that, and the BBC will need to find another funding model - whether that's a subscription model, an ad-supported model, or some other mechanism, the BBC will probably look a lot different in a few years. They will likely have to cut back on programming and/or broadcasting (fewer channels or fewer broadcast hours/day) if the licence fee is abolished. They are already having trouble competing with commercial services for programme purchases from outside production companies and sports rights.
Last edited by txfilmfan on December 31st, 2022, 3:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ElCid
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by ElCid »

We find almost all of our BBC productions through Acorn on Spectrum cable. Apparently they maintain many series that ended or were cancelled many years ago. The On Demand for the BBC channels and PBS offer very little.
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Swithin
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by Swithin »

I have two fairly new BBC series on my laptop/iPlayer: SAS Rogue Heroes; and The English. I have to watch them soon, because now I'm home, they'll vanish after a while.
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txfilmfan
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Re: BBC Suggestions

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Cuthbert wrote: December 31st, 2022, 3:14 pm I have two fairly new BBC series on my laptop/iPlayer: SAS Rogue Heroes; and The English. I have to watch them soon, because now I'm home, they'll vanish after a while.
I saw the first episode of The English when I was in London in November. As it was co-produced by Amazon Studios and BBC Studios (which is a separate, commercial production and distribution company apart from BBC broadcasting, and not funded by licence fees), it's available on Amazon Prime.
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by Swithin »

txfilmfan wrote: December 31st, 2022, 3:31 pm
Cuthbert wrote: December 31st, 2022, 3:14 pm I have two fairly new BBC series on my laptop/iPlayer: SAS Rogue Heroes; and The English. I have to watch them soon, because now I'm home, they'll vanish after a while.
I saw the first episode of The English when I was in London in November. As it was co-produced by Amazon Studios and BBC Studios (which is a separate, commercial production and distribution company apart from BBC broadcasting, and not funded by licence fees), it's available on Amazon Prime.
Thanks! That means I can watch it whilst I'm on the treadmill.
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by HoldenIsHere »

Scrolling through the historical posts here, it appears the discussion in this thread is conflating BBC, ITV and Channel 4 (E4) programs.
(txfilmfan in a recent post touches on the differences.)
It seems the general idea of this thread is for it be a discussion about British television in general rather than specifically about BBC programming.

AGATHA CHRISTIE'S POIROT and PRIME SUSPECT (two of my favorites), for example, were ITV programs.
SKINS (another favorite) was an E4 program.

A few years ago at the suggestion of a friend, I purchased the DVD box set UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS (an ITV program).
I only started watching the DVDs during the pandemic, but I found that I really enjoy the episodes: great writing and acting.
I am currently up to Series 3. I really like the addition of the character of Hazel Forrest, but I do miss Lady Majorie (who died on the Ttanic!) and Sarah, the spirited maid played by Pauline Collins. I also like the Bellamy's daughter Elizabeth (played by Nicola Pagett). I am up to the part where the character has moved to America (Lady Majorie took the Titanic to visit Elizabeth in New York). I'm not certain if Elizabeth appears in later episodes.
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by Swithin »

HoldenIsHere wrote: December 31st, 2022, 6:32 pm
A few years ago at the suggestion of a friend, I purchased the DVD box set UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS (an ITV program).
I only started watching the DVDs during the pandemic, but I found that I really enjoy the episodes: great writing and acting.
I am currently up to Series 3. I really like the addition of the character of Hazel Forrest, but I do miss Lady Majorie (who died on the Ttanic!) and Sarah, the spirited maid played by Pauline Collins. I also like the Bellamy's daughter Elizabeth (played by Nicola Pagett). I am up to the part where the character has moved to America (Lady Majorie took the Titanic to visit Elizabeth in New York). I'm not certain if Elizabeth appears in later episodes.
Your post brings back memories of a great series. I remember Miss Roberts (Patsy Smart), who travelled on the Titanic with Lady Bellamy, returning to Eaton Place clutching Lady Bellamy's jewelry box. A memorable scene. Two favorite supporting characters of mine were Lady Prudence Fairfax (Joan Benham) and Sir Geoffrey Dillon (Raymond Huntley).

Years later -- 2002 I think -- Meg Wynn Owen (who played Hazel) unexpectedly came into my office in New York for what was an unusual chat.
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by txfilmfan »

The Criterion Channel's January lineup includes 8 TV movies made by Mike Leigh for the BBC in the 1970s and 1980s:
  • Hard Labour
  • Nuts in May
  • Abigail's Party
  • The Kiss of Death
  • Who's Who
  • Grown-Ups
  • Home Sweet Home
  • Four Days in July
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HoldenIsHere
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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by HoldenIsHere »

Cuthbert wrote: January 1st, 2023, 11:36 am
HoldenIsHere wrote: December 31st, 2022, 6:32 pm
A few years ago at the suggestion of a friend, I purchased the DVD box set UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS (an ITV program).
I only started watching the DVDs during the pandemic, but I found that I really enjoy the episodes: great writing and acting.
I am currently up to Series 3. I really like the addition of the character of Hazel Forrest, but I do miss Lady Majorie (who died on the Ttanic!) and Sarah, the spirited maid played by Pauline Collins. I also like the Bellamy's daughter Elizabeth (played by Nicola Pagett). I am up to the part where the character has moved to America (Lady Majorie took the Titanic to visit Elizabeth in New York). I'm not certain if Elizabeth appears in later episodes.
Your post brings back memories of a great series. I remember Miss Roberts (Patsy Smart), who travelled on the Titanic with Lady Bellamy, returning to Eaton Place clutching Lady Bellamy's jewelry box. A memorable scene. Two favorite supporting characters of mine were Lady Prudence Fairfax (Joan Benham) and Sir Geoffrey Dillon (Raymond Huntley).

Years later -- 2002 I think -- Meg Wynn Owen (who played Hazel) unexpectedly came into my office in New York for what was an unusual chat.
Thanks for sharing that information about Meg Wynn Owen. The time of her visit to your office would have been around the time of the release of GOSFORD PARK, in which played the lady's maid of Kristin Scott Thomas's character.

The episode ("A House Divided") where Roberts breaks down after returning to 165 Eaton Place is one of my favorites so far. Hazel Forrest's comforting of Roberts helped eased the servants' resentment toward her taking over some of Lady Marjorie's household responsibilities.
Mrs. Bridges's exclamation of "Cheek!" in response to Hazel's pointing out her addition error was a highlight of that episode. This moment was a great example of the wonderful way in which the scenes on UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS are edited together. For a moment the viewer is led to believe that Mrs. Bridges said "Cheek!" to Hazel during their exchange, but that dialogue was in fact the first line of the following scene ---- where Mrs. Bridges is telling the downstairs staff about Hazel.

I agree that Lady Prudence Fairfax ("Pru") and Sir Geoffrey Dillon are great characters. As the family solicitor, Sir Geoffrey was taxed with helping the Bellamy family avoid a few scandals, although technically he was the solicitor for Lady Majorie's family, the Southwolds.
Last edited by HoldenIsHere on January 2nd, 2023, 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: BBC Suggestions

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HoldenIsHere wrote: December 31st, 2022, 6:32 pm Scrolling through the historical posts here, it appears the discussion in this thread is conflating BBC, ITV and Channel 4 (E4) programs.
(txfilmfan in a recent post touches on the differences.)
It seems the general idea of this thread is for it be a discussion about British television in general rather than specifically about BBC programming.
And that would be my fault. There was a time when I associated everything that came over on PBS as a BBC thing. You are right though, it was the general idea.
Chris

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Re: BBC Suggestions

Post by laffite »

movieman1957 wrote: January 2nd, 2023, 1:52 pm
HoldenIsHere wrote: December 31st, 2022, 6:32 pm Scrolling through the historical posts here, it appears the discussion in this thread is conflating BBC, ITV and Channel 4 (E4) programs.
(txfilmfan in a recent post touches on the differences.)
It seems the general idea of this thread is for it be a discussion about British television in general rather than specifically about BBC programming.
And that would be my fault. There was a time when I associated everything that came over on PBS as a BBC thing. You are right though, it was the general idea.
I am someone who knows zilch about all those channels. I would like to able to post on BBC Productions that I have enjoyed from from DVD and TV and even related productions in the same vein that may not be BBC.

Can I do that here, or should we have another thread? Or maybe there is an existing thread like that. If necessary, I (or others who may be interested) would gladly have a look the General Chat.

Ps What does BBC Suggestions even mean? I took it to mean posting on something one actually likes and thereby 'suggesting' it.
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movieman1957
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Re: BBC Suggestions

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My intention was to include anything British. Your PS was right. It was for people to suggest other British productions for me (or anyone) to watch. Happy to have it here unless you find something you think more suited for it.
Chris

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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