I Love BBC America!
Written: Feb 10 '03
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Pros: Funny, Clever, Orginal- able to get away with more than we are here!
Cons: None~
The Bottom Line: Love it, Love it, Love it. Bloody Fantastic!
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| annecal's Full Review: BBC America |
Until I started living with Adam, the television channel BBC America was pretty unknown to me. Now, I am sorry to say I’m addicted! I watch BBC America constantly- probably more than my British love would like, but I adore it! Here are some of my favorite shows:
Changing Rooms
Have you ever seen TLC’s “Trading Spaces”? Well this is the show that Trading Spaces (TS) is based on. The premise is that 2 sets of neighbors change houses and redecorate a room in each other’s house over a period of 2 days. Each team has a designer, and they share a carpenter aptly named Handy Andy.
This show is one of my favorites. It is only a half-hour long as opposed to TS hour-long program, so you don’t see quite as many of the little projects. Another difference is that the teams only get 500 pounds per room (about $750), where on TS they each get $1,000. Perhaps the most noticeable difference is the manner in which the participants react to their rooms. Usually on TS you’ll know if someone doesn’t like what’s been done to their room, but they don’t often get emotional. On Changing Rooms, they tend to tell you what’s on their mind. A rerun I saw not long ago featured a woman yelling, “ I hate it- it is absolute crap! There is no possible way I could hate this room more than I do right now! I’m going to kill Jane! “(the neighbor who worked on it). Check your listings and try to catch this one if you can – if you like TS, you’ll love it!
Ground Force
Ground Force is another makeover story type show, but in this case, the team completely redesigns and plants someone’s back garden. In this case the work is done by one person and the crew, led by Alan Titchmarsh, to surprise that person’s spouse (sometimes roommates surprise each other, or siblings, but you get the gist). The way that gardens are laid out in the UK makes them ideal for this—they are often a fenced rectangle at the back of someone’s home. Homes in the UK are often connected the way condos are here. One of the neatest things about this show is learning about the plants they use, how to line up plants before you plant them to get an idea of what you’re looking at, how to construct gazebos, walls and brick pathways, and how to create a fountain or “water feature.” The best episode of this program I have seen is one where they redo the garden of Nelson Mandela, as a surprise from his wife. It was amazing- you learn so much about the area they are in (they usually are in the UK, but sometimes venture out), in this case, S. Africa- you see local craftsman and artisans, and there was a wonderful piece on Mr. Mandela himself (who absolutely loved the garden).
If you enjoy working in the garden, you’ll love this program.
House Invaders
Is the last DIY driven show. In this one, one of two female designers (both featured regularly on Changing Rooms) will go to a home accompanied by the two Phils. The Phils are carpenters, and I’m pretty sure they’re lovers as well- or would like to be, but hey- they look pretty good in their tank tops, and they’re capable of whipping together a cabinet out of some old rotting plywood, so who cares, right? Anyhow, in this show, the designer and her possibly gay sidekicks come to your home and completely re-vamp three rooms of your choosing, using only the wood and paint and stuff that the homeowner has in the shed or garage, along with whatever fabric the person has stockpiled. Let me say here that I think some homeowners cheat, as they seem to have loads of perfect, fresh lumber in their shed, 10 pots of never used paint, and rolls and rolls of fabric just kicking around. Not that I blame them- I’d totally cheat too because the crap I have lying around right now is completely useless and waiting for the dump! Honestly, though—the things people SAVE! Seeing is believing. I usually will watch this one only if neither of the other two is on- it’s not bad, but not nearly as good as Changing Rooms!
What Not To Wear
This is another show that TLC has copied- I don’t know if there is a relationship between the two channels, but TLC copies so much BBC I think there must be! Anyhow, in this show the two female hosts accost an unsuspecting fashion nightmare. Note that the nightmare has been nominated and secretly taped for footage by a friend or family member. Trinny and Susannah are determined to help the fashion victim learn how to accentuate the best qualities of her (I’ve only seen women victims so far), body. They are often harsh, but not in a mean spirited way. They are also not perfect themselves, and recognize this- Trinny Woodal: "Trousers were invented to cover my thick ankles and I don't even have a bosom."
Susannah Constantine: "I've got a flaccid stomach, massive breasts and chins that are breeding."
I also love this quote from BBC America’s website from Susannah- they asked her:
What do you consider to be your worst fashion disaster?
"I've had so many fashion disasters. Elton John has a ball every year - white tie and tiara. I'd just had a baby and thought I was a lot thinner than I actually was. I had the opposite of anorexia and thought I looked like Elle McPherson. And my God did I not! I wore a dress that was very plunging. My tits were H cup, and my arms were huge to carry the weight of my breasts and I wore this little strappy dress with this net coat over the top. I looked like a barmaid. I looked so hideous. I look back now and I'm so embarrassed. And it wasn't that long ago.
Try to catch this if you can- it’s catty and wonderful!
Coupling
Most easily described as a racier, edgier version of Friends, this is a wonderful show, both witty and funny. It features three men and three women. They are all friends—and they have all slept with each other at one time or another- scandal! They each have distinct personalities, and work very well together as a cast. The longer you watch, the more you love this show. New episodes are shown Sunday nights at 10PM. Do make an effort to see this if you enjoy Friends!
The Office
This is a newer show, and it is starting to really get good. It features an office staff- a horrid, unbearable a-hole of a boss, the sucking up pain in the @ss of his assistant, Garret, (the kind of guy who thinks that having a higher rank means he can fire people), a pity-able receptionist, Dawn, who gets treated poorly by everyone around here, and Tim, another worker you start to really love as a character.
This show started off a little slow, but you needed to understand the characters to understand why certain things are funny. The humor in this show is dry and often fairly subtle (though often not subtle at all!). This show is on Thursday nights at 10:20.
Blackadder
This is one of Adam’s favorites. This show features the character Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson), as four generations of his family, depending on the season. Season 1 is Medieval, 2 is Renaissance, 3 is Regency, and 4 is WWI. Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean) says of the show, “We found that if you set jokes in a very hard and nasty background, the jokes actually become funnier. I love characters that are extreme and larger than life and very peculiar." (BBCAmerica.com)
The character of Blackadder (which changes in societal standing with each season) is always accompanied by Baldrick (Tony Robinson), who is always filthy repulsive as a person- and who always has a “cunning plan”—usually trouble!
The show is very funny, and well acted. I think probably Adam likes this one more than I do, but I still enjoy it a lot. If you’re a fan of Atkinson’s give this show a try!
Father Ted
This is one of my favorites, as well! Growing up in an Irish Catholic family, this show about three Irish Priests who live together in a sort of exile on Craigie Island, Ireland. Father Ted, (the late Dermot Morgan) was banished due to some gambling problems- some money intended for a pilgrimage went missing…
Father Dougal McGuire (Ardal O'Hanlon) was exiled after a baptism which didn’t quite go as planned. This lovable nitwit sleeps with Masters of the Universe Sheets on his bed, and keeps a chart with Ted’s help, to remember what is real and what is make believe. The third priest is Father Jack Hacket (Frank Kelly) was banished for reasons so severe no one speaks of it. He spends most of his time passed out drunk, and covered in his own juices. He is truly repulsive, but quite funny at times. They live with their tea-obsessed housekeeper, Mrs. Doyle, a lovable hunchbacked servant with a devout heart, and an overwhelming desire to serve tea. This is a very, very funny show—especially if you were raised Catholic but have a sense of humor about religion in general!
SO Graham Norton
Where do I even begin?! Graham Norton hosts an evening talk show, on weeknights at 11PM. He is wonderfully, outrageously and completely gay. Gay as the day is long. And FABULOUS! He is very witty, and very funny! Guests are often gay icons such as Cher, but include your run of the mill celebrities, as well. He will often call someone with a fetish on speakerphone and have a chat with them. This includes a man who was sexually obsessed with balloons and a woman who got her rocks off licking sweaty sneakers. It really is very outrageous, and I absolutely love it. Mind you, they say the “F” word and others from time to time here, and it isn’t a show for little kids to be watching, but I’d watch this over Letterman any day!
Eastenders
This is Britain’s most watched soap opera, but it really isn’t for me. I’ve never been one for soap operas, and this one is no exception. I have seen parts of it from time to time, and I can tell you that it is much grittier than soap operas are here in the States. It features a cast who are not all model material, and the subject matter seems very, very serious and depressing a lot of the time. If I’m wrong here, please correct me. If you like soap operas, and you like drama, I’d recommend this show- it’s really not my cup of tea though.
Ok, well there you have it. There are other shows, such as Ab Fab and Antiques Roadshow, among others, but I wanted to focus on some of the lesser known ones. If there is one that you really feel should be mentioned, let me know. If you have any questions feel free to E-mail me!. Cheers!
Recommended:
Yes
Average Program Rating: TV G -- general audiences
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annecal
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Member: Annie
Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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