British TV/General Discussion

Thanks Solar!

Well, I received my "Shogun" DVD yesterday and tried playing it on the family room TV. The picture was fine, but the sound wasn't great which has been an ongoing problem when using that DVD player. I think it is a little bit of both the DVD (sound) cable and the TV itself. The DVD cables from the DVD player to the wall mounted TV run through the wall, so no access to replace it, hence the need for both an upgraded TV and player.

So, I tried playing it on our 30+ year old Sony TV using the (at least) 20+ year old DVD (Region 1) player. We tried the DVD player for the first time in years (and I mean years) last year and it still worked, so I had hope. Let me tell you, it is brilliant! Brilliant! I am playing the DVD on the technology that it was meant for so the DVD fits the screen, it is neither stretched nor has a black border - the quality of the picture and sound both are perfection.

I realize that there are not too many people that still own retro TV's like this, so I am living in an alternative reality, but there has to be others besides the Hubs and me that love old technology and have a (really) old TV hanging out in the house. 😊 At least I hope we are not the only nuts around.

What an incredible experience... watching the mini series (which is exceptional) the way it was intended to be seen and heard is like taking a step back in time. The years seem to melt away, I am transported back to 1980 as I watch -  Richard Chamberlain is still with us, handsome and in his prime, and the present world and all our current troubles don't exist. Best thing I have done for myself in a long, long time. It is seriously brilliant.

Is it just my connection, or does this site suddenly have disgusting in-your-face adverts? Shame on tvmaze if it has sunk to this.

@deedee713 wrote:
Is it just my connection, or does this site suddenly have disgusting in-your-face adverts? Shame on tvmaze if it has sunk to this.

Ive looked into this for you. Nothings changed at our end, is their a particular ad thats a concern? 

Hi Tom. No, there are just ads there when there weren't any before. They are also on my ipad, which is curious, since it is Safari and this is O/S. 

Just me, then. Thank you and my apology for blaming tvmaze.

Hello  dee  and  Tom   ....    dee  I have never had this happen on  this  site  but  happens on my  iPhone a lot and drives me crazy. 

Hey All! 🤗 

Writing from crazy-town, and it is getting worse every day, my anxiety is moving off the charts. 

I get ads on the bottom of my screen (I am writing on an Android phone), but they are from Google - has nothing to do with tvmaze itself. It is below the content of the site and they are there regardless of where I may be in the internet universe. Once Google gets you, they never leave you alone. I didn't know that this happens with iPhones as well.  

Deedee, Xfinity had a free Walter's Presents week (last week) and I watched the first three episodes of S3 of "Astrid". Really enjoyed them and will finish once the season hits my local PBS. I realized something though, I went through the list of Walter Presents inventory and outside of "Astrid" and "Seaside Hotel", there is not another series I am interested in watching.

Okay, let me add the original "Professor T" to that - I did watch the 3rd season and enjoyed it and I got through the first season of "Before We Die" and then packed that in, but with an opportunity to watch anything that tickled my fancy, I was feeling uninspired. It seems that generally, Walter and I don't have the same taste in international programming. I found that surprising, because that is what typically would draw me in.

Solar, we haven't heard from Appara in ages and I hope all is well with her. 

Writing from crazy-town, and it is getting worse every day, my anxiety is moving off the charts. 

Yes  Brit   ...  it  helps with a bowl of popcorn ,  knees  a  foot away from   T.V.       LOL  

Don't think I've ever seen the  original  Belgian   version of   ' Professor  T '   but  I would like to view it as a comparison  to the one with  Ben Miller .   So  socially  awkward  but I like how his mind picks apart a  murder mystery .  I have been wondering about  Appara as  well .  ( shouting  out  west  )  APPARA  JUST  POKE  YOUR  HEAD  IN THE  DOOR  EVEN  JUST  TO  SAY   Hi .  lol 

Hi all...okay, no surprise, but even disgusting ad blocking is full of greedy gobs.

I had AdBlockPlus on my desktop, but it didn't work on the ugly ads at the bottom. Right-e-o, Brit, it's down to the avaricious Google. So I found Total AdBlock, which was one of the few free, BUT only on O/S, it will cost you through the App Store on the phone and ipad. Ah, how nice for them. So, I am spared here.

Spot on again, Brit, I watched much less on PBS Passport than I expected to find. So...is it me or are stars misaligned?...when I had a problem with my FireTV stick, I gave mine to hubby and it worked on his TV. I took his and couldn't activate Passport. SO, I called them, emailed them, and texted them, and no opportunity to reach customer service. So, being me, I got mad and canceled membership. No biggie, but Seaside Hotel was soooooo lovely.

solar, I know I've gone on about Koen DeBouw, but I very much prefer his Professor T to Ben Miller's. Then again, probably just me, I don't like Miller in Professor T, Death in Paradise, or Doc Martin. Okay, end of kvetching. Anyone remember Philo Kvetch?

Yes, appara, where you be? 

@BritMystery wrote:
 

Guys, I found a new show that is very good! "Ludwick" on Britbox. They are dropping episodes every week at the moment. I wasn't going to bother because I thought it wouldn't interest me...wrong!  Finally, something new to watch. 🙌

 

Brit, how did you like Ludwig?

I found it very good indeed, and I would like more please, PTB.

Brit, how did you like Ludwig?

Deedee, it is my new favorite show! We definitely need more. I am thrilled that we have something that is both unique and interesting to watch. The characters all work well together, they complement each other. Very well done.

Deedee, finish this season of Ludwig and I was surprised how a few threads in the story line played out. Didn't see it coming (I had it entirely wrong about the coworker; and never thought Ludwig would come clean). Very glad to hear that we will have a second season. Definitely my new favorite series - the finale did not disappoint.

Reading mixed reviews of the new Christie adaptation "Towards Zero". Negatives include "slow and plodding" - which is exacting what I thought of the last two adaptations they did and bailed because of it. Also read there are substantial changes to original storyline. 🙄  I am going to give it a try (with trepidation). I was so hoping I would like this one. 

Solar, what are you watching these days? 

We haven't heard from Appara and I am concerned. She hasn't posted since the beginning of the year.

@tash845 wrote:
It sure did! Did you watch the tv show Marcella? That was excellent and I do recommend it.

I love Marcella and I kept a note: something I read about the future of this series which was left on another cliffhanger...

Marcella S4 next

Marcella season 3 was first released to Netflix, its international distributor, in June 2020 before it began airing on ITV in early 2021. Since the season ends on a cliffhanger, the groundwork is already laid for a season 4. Whether a fourth season of Marcella will ever see the light of day, however, has yet to be determined.

Each new season of Marcella so far has been released after a period of roughly two years. If a fourth season of Marcella is indeed announced, 2022 would be the absolute earliest it would be released following this precedent. A fourth season might happen much later, too. Rosenfeldt told Express.co.uk that a new season 10 years down the line isn't out of the question, opening up the window for season 4 to extend even into the year 2032.

https://www.looper.com/375802/marcella-season-4-release-date-cast-plot/

(2021-04-06)

I agree, Brit. Does anyone have Appara's email?

@BritMystery     wrote  :

Solar, what are you watching these days? 

Bored   Brit  ,  very  bored .  Keep scrolling  Netflix  looking for anything  interesting ....   select one  , watch an Ep.  , then  shrug   '  not for me '  and  move on.  Keep saying  ..  I'll move past Netflix  but I think there all the same so I stay with it.  

tash and Sair  ..   really enjoyed  Marcella  , so much so I viewed it  twice  ..  not sure which  Season  thou.   So , if a Season 4 is coming  I'm up for it.  Yes,  this business with  appara  ...  I hope  she is not lost in the ether ,  gone forever .     Brit .. one last thing  , I am watching  a rerun of   Bates / Post Office  on  PBS   AND  ENJOYING IT  .  LOL   Re runs  can be good as you can pick up small details  ya might miss first time thru.  Toby Jones  does an excellent job as  Alan  Bates  and the  scenery is stunning ..  looked for a film location  in the  credits  but has none listed  ..  looks like Wales  with the mountains and valleys . 

Deedee, I've been hunting around to see if I have an email for Appara - nothing. Years and years ago she told me her name to find her FB page, but I didn't write the info down at home. 

I do remember the way I previously contacted her directly was through ShareTV - they had that direct message function, but that did not provide me her email address. Her info was in these messages, which are now floating in the ether. This is not good. 

Solar, I read an article in the Radio Times and Kent, UK was one of the locations for the Bates/Post Office series. I'll post the link to the article. The Radio Times is always a pain to click on though, there is a "reject all" cookie option if you are willing to wade in.

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/mr-bates-post-office-locations/

Deedee, started "I, Jack Wright" on Britbox. It is getting good reviews on FB, although I am only so-so with it after the first episode. Not even close to my reaction to "Ludwig", which grabbed me right away. I'll give it a chance though.

Thanks  for the link  Brit .   When I was watching  I was getting distracted  by the scenery , especially the area  around his  home .   So mountainous ,  only bad thing  I would think would be cell  reception .  Filmed  all over  England  and northern  Wales  , now that has been settled .   Two  aggravating  things about  entering sites are  running  into cookie walls and  pay walls .   On Radio Times  ,  to get this article  I found the ' reject all '  button  and  waded  in ,  generally I avoid  anything with  cookies . 

Thanks, Brit. I like John Simm, from Grace, I think. May give it a go.

I recently enjoyed Chasing Shadows on Acorn TV and poof! it was gone on a cliffhanger after four episodes.

Otherwise, I wonder where the excellent actors outside the U.S. are finding work?

Solar, just in case you haven't heard about the upcoming "Badger's Drift" stage play. Daniel Casey is just the right age now to play Barnaby. I see this as a two thumbs-up, I'd rather him than someone else.

https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/829408/john-nettles-reacts-as-new-midsomer-murders-play-casts-co-star/#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17461395741205&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hellomagazine.com%2Ffilm%2F829408%2Fjohn-nettles-reacts-as-new-midsomer-murders-play-casts-co-star%2F

Deedee, you mentioned that you are a John Simm's fan at some point I remembered. He is heavily featured in this series, so it may speak to you a bit more than it does to me. Finished the second episode and I will continue because I want to see it out, but it is still hitting about midway on the scale for me. I did read that it takes off in E3. We will see.

Hey  Brit   ....  Knew  about the  stage tour of  ' Badger's  Drift '   that's coming  up  later this year  but was  totally unaware  that  Daniel Casey  has been giving the lead as Barnaby .  This will make it a must  see for anyone in the U.K.   As Casey says in the article ..  he never thought he would be revisiting  Midsomer after all these  years.  Have  restarted the  ' Midsomer  Loop '  a few  weeks  ago .  Finished up with  Series  24  a few weeks ago and have now started  at the beginning   with  Badgers Drift  ..   will view   Ep. 3   Death of a Hollow  Man   this  afternoon .   One thing of note ..  after 25  years of  production .   Read an article  a  while back about Midsomer's  25 th  Anniversary , not so much a criticism  I thought ,  but more an observation .  It stated that  minority faces  only started showing up in Episodes in the last 1/2  dozen Seasons  or  so  .  I noticed  this while viewing  these  last   5/6 Seasons  ,  so  much so that  a  scene hardly went by without a  minority  cropping up  in view  .  Now that I've started back at the beginning years  this article jumps out at me    ....    not a  minority face in sight  .    lily  white  allllllll the way .  LOL    

"....it is still hitting about midway on the scale for me. I did read that it takes off in E3. We will see."

I agree, Brit. I always find it odd when actors are competent, the writing (I assume) is okay, and the locations are nice. And I'm meh.

My main complaint is that I do NOT like anyone, not any of them. I assume that is the aim of the show?

I too will stick around for episode 3, only because I am stubborn. The least they could have done was throw in a cute dog.