General Chat

I'm not reading 32 Brinkburn St anymore, have no fear, so you can all spoil away to your heart's content. No.1 is downloading it for us to watch here.

So -- more recommendations!

10 years ago, "BBC Canada" used to give us good dramas and serials.

Now, it gives us crap reality shows. Like we don't get enough of them on US stations ... and Canadian ones. (Ours are slightly better sometimes, we do it with a twist -- figure skating champions with hockey star partners competing in the Battle of the Blades, for instance.) We still get some good BBC things on the Ontario educational station (like Whitechapel), but we miss a lot.

So No.1 has become a downloading whiz.

I read about Land Girls here a few weeks ago, and we have watched that. He downloads Casualty every week. (Okay, we're night-time soap addicts, but we only watch the *good* ones. Oh, and Grey's Anatomy ... for want of anything else.)

So tell us -- what do we need to fetch and watch?

Police procedurals, period dramas, dramatic mini-series of all sorts -- give me your list and if we haven't had it on teevee, I'll send him off to find them!

By the way -- Aussies and New Zealanders are most welcome to recommend their national products as well. We used to get way more Australian stuff here before the 500-channel universe landed on us; funny how that works.

Well my favourite series of the year,Janey, was The Killing...a simply brilliant Danish drama which kept you enthralled for weeks and weeks. Then tomorrow sees the return of another favourite, The Spiral which is a French drama. So now I have a brand new eye I can watch as many sub titles as I like, without squinting:-)...these two are the only dramas I enjoy since The Wire ended. *sighs....

Janey , if you haven't already seen it , one drama I'd recommend is " Any Human Heart " ..... you will love it I'm sure . I believe Jim Broadbent won awards for his acting . It is jam packed with irony and history in equal measure .

I know you like a bit of Si-fi so you might enjoy this series , it's a comedy .

" Hyperdrive " starring Nick Frost . It was made by the BBC in 2006 / 2007 .

So I don't know if it will be a series you can view via the www ?

Okay, all sound good so far.

We have to stock up for the summer soon! All things in North America come to a grinding halt in April. (There are summer replacement series, but you can't count on them.)

BC -- were those shown on BBC? No matter really, it might just be easier for No.1 to find them if they were.

Are they subtitled, dubbed? (I haven't got the patience for subtitled any more; ah, the foreign flicks of my youth ....)

Oh, oops, you said subtitled. Lucky you, I'm the opposite. I have the totally **ed up eye, and haven't bothered getting glasses that would help it. Well, we'll contemplate those.

Amanda -- is that one a series or a one-off? I could google these things, couldn't I ...


Answers at your leisure, I'm off for quiche and one of the last episodes of The Royal. ;)

Oops, a late addition.

We can't see anything on line if it's BBC, as far as I know. But No.1 has his ways. It's almost like having a teenager in the house. Don't worry about suggesting something you think might not be accessible!

If I was a slavish devotee of Red Dwarf, does that mean I'll like Hyperdrive? ;)

By the way, we're partway through the most recent season of Doctor Who, and boy does that stink.

Yes, and good britcoms -- don't hesitate to name some of those too.

We get the odd one on BBC Canada, but they pretty much stink too. Nothing to remotely rival the good old days.

Anybody remember Dressing for Breakfast?

*hangs head....sorry Janey, I only watch foreign cult dramas in dark settings....lol.....

Yes, both mine were on BBC4...

" Any Human Heart " was a mini series , three or four parts ( can't quite recall ) , it was screened on our Channel 4 last year , I do hope you can find it .

" Hyperdrive " is very funny , it sort of sends up " Star Trek " or rather echos it .

You might like " Shameless " , a very popular programme over here , it's a love it or loath it sort of thing but be warned , it's the sort of content that might be considered very shocking by some folk . ( again , it's a Channel 4 programme ) . It must be on about series six by now as it's been running for quite a few years .

Edit to ~~~~~~~ to the lovely BC x

An ABC Aussie legal/comedy/drama you might enjoy - "Rake".


xxxxxx mick

Have passed that on Mick, thanks to you too, and now I am off to eat before I expire!

Murder/Mysteries - the family say I'm obsessed with dead people - lol

Murdock Mysteries - supposed to be set in Victorian Toronto and very 'gentle'. Not sure if it is a Canadian import or a US one. Possibly the later as it is currently having a mid season break. (Shown on Alibi)

Midsummer Murders either with John Nettles as Inspector Barnaby who retired at the end of the last series, or the new series which has just started. Set in rural 'Chocolate Box' England. So many people have been killed over the years, you'd have thought they'd have realised that it is not safe! (ITV)

Poirot - loads of episodes around as repeats.(ITV)

Wallander (not sure of spelling) either the English version or the original Swedish with sub-titles. (might be BBC or ITV) They occasionally pop up as repeats

Lewis - set in Oxford. (ITV)

The only medical one I watch now that ER has finished, is 'Doctors'. (hangs head in shame) 25 minute daily shows set around a GP's Practice, in a made up town in the Midlands. The airing is timed just right to sit and watch with a lunch time snack - lol. More of a human relationship serial than anything else with a bit of medical stuff thrown in, but not as nearly as gritty as Grays Anatomy. (BBC)

Fringe - a US import. The early series were good, but in our opinion it has lost its way. (SKY?)

As I have recorded Brinkburn I have not looked in at the spoiler thread!

There is another 5 part series starting next week on BBC1 at the same time...Monday to Friday at 2.15pm called "Justice".

Lol DetEcTive I love Doctors...my planned lunch time also..comfort viewing I call it. Good story lines and excellent acting. OMG Simon has left The Mill...I am bereft!!!

Linda x

Glad I'm not the only one LInda! lol. Didn't see yesterdays, so might watch that episode on iplayer. No more Simon? - sob, sob.

If you like period dramas, a few which come to mind are...

Cranford.
Downton Abbey.
Lark Rise to Candleford.
A new version of Upstairs Downstairs showed in UK over Christmas 2010 ( in 3 episodes I think).

And a few years older, there were....
Lilies.
BBC mini series North & South.
BBC mini series Wives & Daughters.

Do you know, we've had Lark Rise to Candleford twice through on different networks, at least, and I've never watched it -- it seemed like something that should be watched from the beginning, and I never managed to catch the beginning. So that reminds me, I'll nag him to find that too.

We watched the first two episodes of Brinkburn last night. Quite liked it! He was all for watching more, but I don't really like to watch an entire mini-series at once -- then there's none left, and also it does get to feel a bit much after 4 hours.

Let me know how Justice goes. Just no spoilers!

And I'll have a google for those others Karen and check 'em out.

I will look forward to 'Justice' Janey.The BBC put on these brilliant Dramas every now and then in the afternoons.Why they are on in the afternoon I just don't understand.They would have a massive audience if they were to be broadcast in the evening.Enjoy the rest of Brinkburn St.It's Goood lol

It is odd Jane, I hear you guys talking about such things being on in the afternoon and wonder -- do they have unlimited budget?? But then of course they don't have commercials anyway. ;)

DET, I missed your post there.

Murdoch Mysteries is indeed Canadian! I've only ever watched a couple. It's hard to get No.1 to watch police procedurals at the best of times, and they are quite "mild", and period to boot, and they conflict with other things, and he was resistant. We'll see whether he might feel different come the dog days of summer.

(Conflict: mine at present, you see, is that BBC Canada dropped East Enders last year. It was on at noon weekdays with a complete rerun on Sunday afternoon. I could easily tape the noon ones for my Saturday a.m. viewing. Now they're on another station -- at 9 p.m. and only 9 p.m. Smack in the middle of prime time. So I tape that and luckily we have time-shifting and there are two or three time zone choices for Canadian showings of big prime-time US dramas, so we can watch whatever was on at 9 at midnight, if I'm not home for 9. But we can't both tape and watch digital at midnight, so if there's a conflict still, something gets dropped. And Murdoch Mysteries tend to run 8 to 10 p.m.)

Poirot I've seen every one of -- my BFF and I spent several years of Friday nights cooking for each other and watching all the BBC mysteries on TVOntario or PBS from the US. Morse, Frost, the Christies ...

Wallander I tried to watch one of and it was supremely boring. I know I should give it another try.

Lewis we've caught a couple of lately. I've watched quite a few Midsomer Murders, and they're showing on TVOntario now, but the whole half this week, half the next week never works -- I always seem to remember to look for it when it's on part 2. And No.1 is not a fan.

Men, who needs them.

I'll just mention again -- if you have anybody who knows how to find things, and you like tough political crime drama, you want the CBC's Intelligence. Two seasons, then cancelled as a result of political interference by the Conservative government here. The RCMP and CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service), the FBI, CIA and DEA, Hells Angels, Vietnamese drug gangs, all on each other's heels, US designs on Canada's fresh water, traitors in the government ... and a Vancouver pot dealer just trying to make a living and keep his family together. ;)

Oh no DET I have now become a spoiler...so sorry!! You must watch it on iplayer....poor Cherry at least she still has her Jimmy lol.

Linda x

Murdoch Mysteries is indeed Canadian! I've only ever watched a couple. It's hard to get No.1 to watch police procedurals at the best of times, and they are quite "mild", and period to boot, and they conflict with other things, and he was resistant. We'll see whether he might feel different come the dog days of summer.

Oh, Janey, do give this a chance. It has great humour, not least on "PC gone mad" issues ("Oh sir, I believe "imbecile is offensive - you should say moron these days") type stuff. And I believe several Canadian sideburn replicators must have made a mint from the show!

Great guests too like Buffalo Bill & HG Wells (or some such!)

Jen
x