British TV/General Discussion

@Sheerwater wrote:
Death in Paradise has been renewed for two more seasons including Christmas specials. https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/death-in-paradise-season-13-release-date-bbc/ ( this article contains spoilers for those who haven't seen all of season 12). 

Spin off series, Beyond Paradise made a promising start with overnight ratings of 4.4m viewers, but has received mixed reviews so well see... 

I understand the mixed reviews, Sheerwater. I watched the first episode last night... I had such high hopes, but came away not feeling all that enthused. The positive... the scenery was beautiful, landscape photography was fabulous and Barbara Flynn looks terrific; the cons... disliked the story and the whole introductory approach to the characters missed the mark for me. 

Kris Marshall seemed to float in to Death in Paradise, it took a little bit for him to settle in, but he melded in to the climate and crew in a breezy sort of way. In this first episode of BP, he seemed to be trying too hard which made it have an artificial feel that I wouldn't have expected for his (and Martha's) characters back on English soil. Quite frankly, he was a better fit in the Caribbean.  

Beyond this, he actually looked physically unwell - something seemed off about him to me. His face was bright red and I never remember him looking this way before. 

To be fair, I'll give it a few more episodes to see if it evens out and starts to hit a stride. 

Thanks for the update info.  sheerwater  .....  I am  curious  about  Beyond Paradise  now  ,  unlike Brit  I've not seen it.  However I read some of the reviews and some people comment on social media of the accent of people in the show being used .  Apparently , it's been filmed in  Cornwall , yet the accent they speak in is from  Devon .  That would go way over my head  as I couldn't tell a  Devon accent from a Cornwall accent if ya hit me over the head with it .  lol   

I don't see Beyond Paradise coming up on PBS in the next little while, but have added it to my watch list. I will be seeing Kris Marshal on the series finale of Sanditon. It's been slim pickins for me on new or returning series since the end of Vienna Blood. I do have Vera season11 airing on my Knowledge network, she will keep me smiling till the beginning of April. 

 Yeah  appara  ...  in Vienna Blood  ..  Rachel  Liebermann is played by  Amelia Bullmore .  Bullmore played the boss  DCI  Gill  Murray in  Scott  &  Bailey.  Spent an  enjoyable  Sunday last weekend.  Did a binge of  All  Creatures ...  saved up the last 3  ep. including the finale in  PVR  and decided I'd  view them  all  Sunday ,  My favorite feel good show .  Will go to knowledge  ta find  Vera  S11. 

I have been reading reviews on FB and people are loving "Beyond Paradise" - I don't know if they were watching the same show I was 😁, but it seems I am in a (very few) minority. We'll see, maybe I will be more enthused with E2.

@BritMystery wrote:
 

I have been reading reviews on FB and people are loving "Beyond Paradise" - I don't know if they were watching the same show I was 😁, but it seems I am in a (very few) minority. We'll see, maybe I will be more enthused with E2.

 

 

Episode 2  sees Humphrey, investigating one of the strangest cases he's ever encountered - an entire family has vanished, leaving their TV and lights on and dinner half-eaten...

Episode 3 The peaceful community of Shipton Abbott is rocked when beloved painting the Solo Mare disappears in a seemingly impossible heist while plans are in motion for its appearance at an exhibition. The theft is even more perplexing given the artwork was under the guard of PC Kelby Hartford at the time. Kelby feels responsible and Humphrey pulls out all the stops to recover the priceless piece.

BritMystery, I thought episode 1 was a bit boring, and didn't find some of the humour very amusing especially the flatulence joke at the dinner table. Its also a bit much having actors appearing in this series who have also appeared in Death in Paradise as other people, since both shows are part of the same universe. Although at least , neither appeared in one of Humphrey's episodes. 

@Sheerwater wrote:
Episode 2  sees Humphrey, investigating one of the strangest cases he's ever encountered - an entire family has vanished, leaving their TV and lights on and dinner half-eaten...

Episode 3 The peaceful community of Shipton Abbott is rocked when beloved painting the Solo Mare disappears in a seemingly impossible heist while plans are in motion for its appearance at an exhibition. The theft is even more perplexing given the artwork was under the guard of PC Kelby Hartford at the time. Kelby feels responsible and Humphrey pulls out all the stops to recover the priceless piece.

BritMystery, I thought episode 1 was a bit boring, and didn't find some of the humour very amusing especially the flatulence joke at the dinner table. Its also a bit much having actors appearing in this series who have also appeared in Death in Paradise as other people, since both shows are part of the same universe. Although at least , neither appeared in one of Humphrey's episodes. 

Sheerwater, I agree with your thoughts regarding the first episode, here on my island of one. I was really surprised that outside of a few others, the majority of the comments were so over the top glowing. 

The second episode does sound quite interesting so things may be picking up. 

Deedee, I am watching "The Unlikely Murderer" on Netflix. It's a slow burn fictional Swedish story (based on a book) about the assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme in the eighties. It centers on one character, Stig Engstrom and his possible role as the murderer. All these years later they now realize it wasn't him, so one questions what the purpose was in even moving ahead with this production. That said, it is an interesting watch for those who enjoy Swedish productions and Robert Gustafson plays the part of Stig Engstrom so cleverly.

The reason that I watched was because Mikael Persbrandt - Gunvald Larsson of the TV series "Beck" - has a major role in the first three episodes. I haven't seen him in anything since his last Beck appearance in S5. I am not quite sure when that season hit the MHz airwaves, it must have been 2016 or so. I think you watched Beck at one point - I remember us talking about it. I don't remember if you saw it on TV before they ended broadcasting or had a trial with their streaming service. That was it, you tried streaming and wound-up having problems with their system. In the beginning things were a bit wonky with their streaming service. I had similar problems with Acorn at that time. 

I wanted to mention it in case you were interested in seeing Mikael again on screen, his Gunvald character is iconic. It will take a minute to recognize him, the voice will get you - the look, with the wig and all, will throw you for a loop, it did me!

appara, solar, I did so enjoy Vienna Blood. On rewatch, I found Scarlet and Duke okay. But I still can't abide the remake of ACG&S. 

Not just you Brit. Not the best way to form an opinion, but I won't even try Beyond Paradise. I don't like Kris Marshall. Just made it to the end of DIP, the ending was good.

I did quite enjoy Magpie Murders, even caught Atticus in another show.

I was about to rewatch Grantchester on Amazon Prime (show annoyed me the first time), but I will instead find The Unlikely Murderer. Which I think I saw. Because I think I remember Robert Gustafsson reminding me of Stellan Skarsgard. But perhaps I'm wrong. Thanks.

@deedee713 wrote:
appara, solar, I did so enjoy Vienna Blood. On rewatch, I found Scarlet and Duke okay. But I still can't abide the remake of ACG&S. 

Not just you Brit. Not the best way to form an opinion, but I won't even try Beyond Paradise. I don't like Kris Marshall. Just made it to the end of DIP, the ending was good.

I did quite enjoy Magpie Murders, even caught Atticus in another show.

I was about to rewatch Grantchester on Amazon Prime (show annoyed me the first time), but I will instead find The Unlikely Murderer. Which I think I saw. Because I think I remember Robert Gustafsson reminding me of Stellan Skarsgard. But perhaps I'm wrong. Thanks.

 

We think so alike because at first I thought it was Stellan Skarsgard playing the part of Stig Engstrom, then I realized I got it wrong and it was another actor so looked it up to find out it was Robert Gustafsson. I like Skarsgard very much, but I thought Gustafsson really brought Engstrom to life. 

sheer   wrote ..... 

Its also a bit much having actors appearing in this series who have also appeared in Death in Paradise as other people,  .....

Well now ,  isn't that interesting .  Sounds like  their on a tight budget or something . Trying ta same money , me thinks .  lol  or maybe they think no one would notice ...  Think this would be too  off- puting  for me.   Brit  keep an eye out for this while watching second  ep.  

Okay, so I am a big fat liar!! Before I make a sweeping statement about having nothing to watch.... I have Perry Mason returning to my HBO screen on March 6, followed by a Brit based series called Rain Dogs -descriptor dark comedy/drama. I took sneak peak at reviews and most were positive...we shall see!  

Soler, it was not all that long ago that I rewatched Scott and Baily, and I absolutely did NOT recognize her!  Good catch!

@solar wrote:
sheer   wrote ..... 

Its also a bit much having actors appearing in this series who have also appeared in Death in Paradise as other people,  .....

Well now ,  isn't that interesting .  Sounds like  their on a tight budget or something . Trying ta same money , me thinks .  lol  or maybe they think no one would notice ...  Think this would be too  off- puting  for me.   Brit  keep an eye out for this while watching second  ep.  

Well series regulars, Zahra Ahmadi (DS Esther Williams) and Barbara Flynn (Anne Lloyd) have both appeared in episodes of Death in Paradise featuring DI Mooney (Ardal o'Hanlon). Zahra appeared in a 2018 episode as a murder victim, and Barbara was in a 2020 episode as a gallery owner. Up until now, with the exception of Ralf Little who was a suspect in one of DI Poole's (Ben Miller) season 2 episodes, before being cast as DI Parker seven years later, the producers have always had a policy of not reusing actors.

sheerwater  ....   same thing  happened in  Midsomer Murders  with  Neil  Dudgeon .  He played in a Midsomer ep. as a gardener with a wandering eye ..  making a play for  Joyce Barnaby .  Later on he was chosen to  replace  John Nettles  and became DCI John  Barnaby .  

appara  ...   Love  the old  Perry  Masons  from the series   (  late 50's to  mid  sixties )   Raymond  Burr  did a lot of Perry Mason  specials  (  mid  1980's up till he died in early 1990's )   watching the  series eps.  takes me back to when I was a kid .  

Brit  keep an eye out for this while watching second  ep.  

Will do Soler. After Sheerwater mentioned it, I looked up the first episode cast and did see the overlap. I'll do the same with the second.

Appara, I saw that the new "Perry Mason" was coming up and thought of you, I know how much you liked the first season. Yea, Soler, Raymond Burr PM's do take you back. I used to watch the TV movies of the late 80's and 90's with William Moses playing Ken Malansky. I don't think I missed one. Good stuff.

Well all, I think we are seeing the last of "Vera" with S12 and the special episode to follow (as Brenda Blethyn called it). I kind of had the feeling when I read this (about the special episode) that we were watching the last of this series and it seems that that is the way it is... at least for now. Who knows if a another special episode may pop up at some point in the future, but given BB's age that does not seem likely. 

It is understandable as I remember when Jason Hughes spoke about why he left Midsomer Murders and from his description of what the production process entailed, it is both strenuous and takes you away from family for long periods of time - it takes quite a toll. I am sure that the director and team do everything possible to keep the physical aspect of the role manageable for Brenda - John Nettles said on several occasions before he left, that he was past the point where he could go in hot pursuit of a criminal, at a certain age it doesn't meet reality - but even with care, producing a show of Vera's caliper is mentally and physically hard work. 

(I am not saying that there is an age limit on ability to work, a close friend of mine is older than BB at 81 and still working, but he is a psychiatrist that meets with his patients through zoom - that's a whole different world than being on a TV location for months and months at a time).

Soler and Appara, you both are just seeing S11, so you have more in front of you than Dee and me. And, that's another thing, S11 was done during the pandemic - Vera carried on when other shows did not. She did not leave her team without work during this period which was a difficult time for many actors in the industry. 

If you are going to end though, let it be on a high note, and S12 of Vera has been among the best of the best. 

The reason for my feeling that this is the twilight of the series is that I follow Kenny Doughty on Instagram and he posted yesterday some photos of he, Brenda and Jon Morrison with the caption "thanks for the memories" - although cryptic (and he was told this in many comments) I think that he is breaking the news that the series is officially over without making a formal announcement that he most likely is not allow to make. His mom responded to his post and said "I am proud of you, son", which was another indication to me. Hey, it is possible that they are only speaking about the end of this season, in my heart though, I think it is done. And what a ride it has been.  

@BritMystery wrote:
Brit  keep an eye out for this while watching second  ep.  

Will do Soler. After Sheerwater mentioned it, I looked up the first episode cast and did see the overlap. I'll do the same with the second.

Appara, I saw that the new "Perry Mason" was coming up and thought of you, I know how much you liked the first season. Yea, Soler, Raymond Burr PM's do take you back. I used to watch the TV movies of the late 80's and 90's with William Moses playing Ken Malansky. I don't think I missed one. Good stuff.

Well all, I think we are seeing the last of "Vera" with S12 and the special episode to follow (as Brenda Blethyn called it). I kind of had the feeling when I read this (about the special episode) that we were watching the last of this series and it seems that that is the way it is... at least for now. Who knows if a another special episode may pop up at some point in the future, but given BB's age that does not seem likely. 

It is understandable as I remember when Jason Hughes spoke about why he left Midsomer Murders and from his description of what the production process entailed, it is both strenuous and takes you away from family for long periods of time - it takes quite a toll. I am sure that the director and team do everything possible to keep the physical aspect of the role manageable for Brenda - John Nettles said on several occasions before he left, that he was past the point where he could go in hot pursuit of a criminal, at a certain age it doesn't meet reality - but even with care, producing a show of Vera's caliper is mentally and physically hard work. 

(I am not saying that there is an age limit on ability to work, a close friend of mine is older than BB at 81 and still working, but he is a psychiatrist that meets with his patients through zoom - that's a whole different world than being on a TV location for months and months at a time).

Soler and Appara, you both are just seeing S11, so you have more in front of you than Dee and me. And, that's another thing, S11 was done during the pandemic - Vera carried on when other shows did not. She did not leave her team without work during this period which was a difficult time for many actors in the industry. 

If you are going to end though, let it be on a high note, and S12 of Vera has been among the best of the best. 

The reason for my feeling that this is the twilight of the series is that I follow Kenny Doughty on Instagram and he posted yesterday some photos of he, Brenda and Jon Morrison with the caption "thanks for the memories" - although cryptic (and he was told this in many comments) I think that he is breaking the news that the series is officially over without making a formal announcement that he most likely is not allow to make. His mom responded to his post and said "I am proud of you, son", which was another indication to me. Hey, it is possible that they are only speaking about the end of this season, in my heart though, I think it is done. And what a ride it has been.  

 

Burr was very good in the old movies, he excelled at creepy and evil. 

While sad, I think you're right, Brit. Vera has given us more than most. Except for a few hiccups, imo, the series has been consistently excellent.

For me, the best was that they didn't give her a schmoopy relationship, or give her a disease, or have her die in the last episode.

Thank you, Vera.

Great  Zoom  discussion with cast / producers  of  All  Creatures ...   

All Creatures Great and Small | Q&A with the Cast and Producers (pbs.org)

Hi, Everyone! 

Soler, I bet you enjoyed every bit of that zoom discussion with the "All Creatures" cast. It is great when you find a series that really speaks to you.

I have been watching a lot of TV and loving every bit of it. I am just in the mood to watch and I am finding some great stuff. The lion's share of it wouldn't interest most of you, but I'll mention a few of the highlights.

Soler, I did watch my favorite episode of LOTSW, S7E7 - " Getting Sam Home". Of all the episodes I have seen of the series, this is the one that stands out for me. I am done with watching the series I think. My nostalgic run has come to an end, I am moving on at a high point for me.

I watched the Leonard Nimoy documentary on Netflix which led me to rewatch the Star Trek movie, "The Search for Spock". Oh, did I get a kick out of that. We are going back to the '80's with this one and it was great. The documentary and the movie following just worked together. 

I also watched S2 of "Bancroft " (Prime). I didn't mean to, I clicked on S2 instead of S1 without realizing it until I had finished the first episode. Much like "Marcella", it didn't matter one bit - you quickly get up to speed and the story is pretty much self contained. DCS Bancroft fascinates me, I was hooked... wish there was another season as I am of the firm opinion we would not be seeing the last of her. Let me say no more.  

I just binged the Danish series "The Investigation" on HBOMax...I have the finale episode left to watch tonight. I watched five in one night, I couldn't stop! There are some very familiar faces in it if you watched "Borgen", plus the added bonus of Rolf Lassgard. He is wonderful in it. It is slow paced, this is for someone who likes Nordic noir - once you get going though, boy does it grab you. Deedee, there is one scene in E4 where the lead detective is out hunting and he shoots in the air (we see nothing else on screen) and his dog goes and retrieves a pheasant from the woods. This is actually an integral part of the story, it changes the entire movement of the investigation so it is understandable why it is shown. Since HBO is airing the series I feel confident that they have vetted this and my feeling from what I watched was that the pheasant was brought in to the production in the state we see it. I am letting you know about the scene so you can make an informed decision about watching. 

I have one episode left of "C. B. Strike" S5 (I've been stringing it along not to finish it too quickly) I think this season has been one of the best.

I am also coming close to the end of the Korean drama/detective series "Signal". Lots of episodes, intrigue and twists and turns. Not for everyone, but I am really enjoying it. "The Stranger", also Korean (now both on Netflix and Prime) is one of my favorite detective series. For me, Korean detective/thriller shows can be right up there at the top of the genre. Very different than Nordic/French noir, but just as compelling.

Thanks, Brit. I'm a little better on shows without the American Humane or the foreign equivalent seal, but only a little. Trapped was the worst so far.

The three shows you name look interesting, I'll give them a look-see.

I've been binging Grantchester for lack of a show, Norton wasn't bad second time 'round, but Brittney was still too pretty. Norton in a behind the scenes calls out his teeth.

N.B. The recaps of Endeavour, Season 9, are out there.