The Royal Mail in the U.K. have decided against producing a series of stamps based on The Benny Hill Show which will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the British channel ITV. The subject matter of the show was deemed to be too politically incorrect for the purposes of putting on a stamp.
Anybody who watches the show nowadays would acknowledge that the show contained sketches that were blatantly sexist. Somehow I doubt ITV or the Royal Mail or anyone would put any of the racier scenes of the show on the stamp. It would just be Benny himself mugging for the camera, so to speak.
For the Royal Mail, it likely boils down to this: when you have a program noted for women whose clothes fly off at any given moment and they're left running around in their underwear and that show is put on a stamp, the last thing you want to ask people to do is lick it.
When ITV canceled their hit series Primeval, I was baffled. This was the top-rated show on BBC America, and it was a pretty solid hit worldwide as well. Apparently, I was right about that, though, as BBC Worldwide and German ProSeiben are part of a complex deal that enabled the show to go back into production.
If only there were an organizaton like that that could step in every time a network axes a sci-fi show on a massive cliffhanger, like Primeval was. Even better, the renewal gives the series two new seasons at 13 episodes each. We're going to have to wait until 2011 to find out how Connor and Abby get out of that tree, but that's better than never finding out.
Unlike the Jericho renewal of a few years back, this deal doesn't include any reductions in budget of any kind, so not only will they be able to keep the entire cast intact, the effects budget remains untouched. I'm glad to hear that, as I don't think I was ready for men in rubber suits chasing the crew around.
Normally I wouldn't do a post about a show that's hard for us Yanks to see, but this game show addition to the Brit's ITV Network merits special attention because it shows just how far ahead of the curve they are when it comes to kicking our asses on television.
The Cube sounds like an ordinary, run-of-the-mill challenge game show, designed to humiliate people on national television by making them look stupid for not being able to complete menial tasks for cash and/or prizes. That's because on the surface, it looks like every single game show you've ever seen since executives realized that crushing the human spirit on live television would score them lets of cash and/or prizes.
But when you watch an entire episode, its stylish look and dark feeling matched with the complexity of the game's concept make for an hour of television that sucks you in and never lets you go for a second. Compare that to just about every recent American game show that pushes you away and makes you run as far as you can from your TV set.
Should we go to Mars next or go back to the moon? That's one of the debates that's going on now as the space shuttle program nears its end (in 2010). According to Space: 1999 and UFO, we should definitely make a base on the moon. That way we can wear groovy outfits, fire lasers, and listen to swingin' music (and possibly be able to turn into cats).
Looks like even a successful show can be canceled after a few years. ITV's Primeval (shown on BBC America on Saturday nights and on The Sci-Fi Channel) has been canceled after three seasons. The show was actually successful and well-liked and there's going to be a big-screen version too (and probably a U.S. version), but it was too expensive to produce.
Are you going to miss this show, or was three seasons enough?
A lot of readers outside of the United States regularly express their disgust with us over our use of Hulu's videos on some of our posts.
Well, I've got some good news ... for 1/100ths of the rest of the world.
Hulu could be coming to the United Kingdom and include more programming than what's available in the States. So if you Brits have been hankering for some Facts of Life but don't feel like the necessary humiliation of having people see you buy it at the local video store, you're in luck.
In Hollywood's never-ending quest to locate every single piece of pre-existing intellectual property to make into a movie without actually purchasing an original screenplay, they'll be turning to flying saucers and shiny women with purple hair.
The iconic 1960s British sci-fi series UFO (right) will be brought to the big screen by an even more iconic producer -- Robert Evans. According to Variety, Evans will team with ITV Global to update the Earth vs. aliens premise.
The original UFO featured a secret team of elite Earthlings (SHADO: Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) fending off a mysterious collection of invading creatures.
Apparently, managing director Jonathan Drake and co-creator Tim Haines are also pitching a series that would transplant the action beyond the UK. Perhaps that means a US-based Primeval spinoff could be coming. Primeval: SG-1?
It would be easy enough to do. Have the anomaly situation expand beyond the shores of the UK, and suddenly you need to set up splinter teams to deal with the exploding problem.
Britain's Got Talent has yet another clip currently sweeping the Internet, and it's in the form of Susan Boyle and her striking voice. In a craze that has made me never want to hear "Never judge a book by its cover" again, the clip of Boyle singing her heart out and wow-ing the visibly skeptical crowd has reminded us to never judge a book by ... its ... cover. Damn it, it's unavoidable, isn't it?
Well, point is, people want more, and thanks to some digging, The Daily Record has found a recording of Boyle singing "Cry Me A River" from an extremely limited 1999 charity CD. Give it a listen, Boyle fans. You'll be delighted.
It's easy to forget in these troubling times that America isn't the only country that's feeling the tight, constricting pinch from the claw of the economic lobster.
This is a GLOBAL economic meltdown. Everyone is feeling that pinch and looking forward to the day when they can grab that lobster by the antennae, throw it in a boiling pot of water, rip off the tail, sprinkle it with butter, pepper and herbs and serve it in a roll with a side of waffle fries. Damn I'm so broke and hungry.
The British Broadcasting Corporation, however, has an interesting way of dealing with their economic problems. Instead of trimming at the bottom, they are aiming their gardening shears squarely towards the top.
ABC has green-lit the pilot of an American adaptation of the British series No Heroics, a sitcom about a group of superheroes and what they do when they're not superhero-ing. If this were a movie, it would be called Mystery Men. If this were a television series a few years back, it would be called The Tick. The concept was even dealt with in Alan Moore's Top 10 comic book.
The Tick only lasted eight episodes on Fox. However, that show suffered from a detriment that No Heroics won't: it was on Fox. That particular network had a tendency at the time to quickly cancel any show it didn't understand unless that show obtained superlative ratings.
I haven't seen the British version of the show yet (which is unusual for me as I enjoy both superheroes and Brit comedy), but I'm putting it on my list. If anybody out there has seen it, please give a quick opinion in the comments.
(S01E08) Like so many of the episodes this season, this one felt too short. The show is good but when it feels too short, it often feels underdeveloped too. Despite the lack of development in places, Belle did get some closure. And I think it's pretty obvious that closure in a season finale is important. I, for one, was glad to see her satisfied with her situation at the end.
Tonight Belle tried her hand at being a courtesan. Wow, semantics makes all the difference, huh? There's your street-walking hookers, your pimped out prostitutes, high class escorts, and your professional courtesans. As she explained how courtesans were different than even highly paid call girls like herself, I thought of one of her very first asides on Secret Diary of a Call Girl. In the season premiere Belle told us that it didn't matter which way you slice it or what you call it, she gets paid to have sex.
I'm a huge Law & Orderfan, and as such, I am quite jealous of the Brits today. Not only are they getting their very own Law & Order, called Law & Order: UK, but Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber is set to star. Bamber, who just ended his role as Apollo on the Sci Fi Network series, is playing one of the main detectives, along with fellow Englander, Bradley Walsh.
According to Bamber, L&O's UK edition is just like the American version, but will be about "London judiciary and London cops. It's got the same premise as the original American Law & Order, same everything, just with a UK production company and UK actors."
The series is slated to begin production in August and will air on the UK channel ITV. There's no word as to whether or not it will jump the pond and be available to American audiences, but I'd definitely be interested to see how this long-running series translates overseas.
Well, OK, it's not like she was dragged off kicking and screaming during the live broadcast (like this guy), but she was asked to leave the set during a commercial break. Rivers was on the show Loose Women (ahem) and they were talking about Russell Crowe and Rivers said that he was "f***ing shit." I think she meant the phrase as an adjective, not a verb.
Rivers is actually over there doing a one woman show on the West End, Joan Rivers: A Work In Progress By A Life In Progress. She has apologized for what she said, the host of the show apologized for what she said, and ITV apologized to viewers for she said.
Just to be safe, TV Squad also apologizes for what Rivers said. Thank you.
Some details have been released regarding the new mini-series series remake of The Prisoner, the cult 1960s series starring Patrick McGoohan. For now, these should be treated as rumors.
Supposedly, Jim Caviezel will play the Prisoner known only as Number Six, and Sir Ian McKellan is set to play the jailer known as Number Two. Six episodes will be produced and John Jones will direct.
This report sounds too good to be true. It's doubtful that either Caviezel or McKellan would slum it to a television mini-series from the movies they've been making. On the other hand, McKellan has put in television appearances before (such as Extras).
While I'm a fan of McKellan's work, wouldn't it be more loyal to the source material if multiple actors played Number Two? I'm just saying.
Shooting begins at the end of August (and scheduled to air next year). At that point, we'll see if the report is accurate.
The Royal Mail in the U.K. have decided against producing a series of stamps based on The Benny Hill Show which will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the British channel ITV. The subject matter of the show was deemed to be too politically incorrect for the purposes of putting on a stamp.
When ITV canceled their hit series Primeval, I was baffled. This was the top-rated show on BBC America, and it was a pretty solid hit worldwide as well. Apparently, I was right about that, though, as BBC Worldwide and German ProSeiben are part of a complex deal that enabled the show to go back into production.
A lot of readers outside of the United States regularly express their disgust with us over our use of Hulu's videos on some of our posts. 
In Hollywood's never-ending quest to locate every single piece of pre-existing intellectual property to make into a movie without actually purchasing an original screenplay, they'll be turning to flying saucers and shiny women with purple hair.
While the primary thrust of this 
Britain's Got Talent 
It's easy to forget in these troubling times that America isn't the only country that's feeling the tight, constricting pinch from the claw of the economic lobster. 
ABC has green-lit the pilot of .jpg)
(S01E08) Like so many of the episodes this season, this one felt too short. The show is good but when it feels too short, it often feels underdeveloped too. Despite the lack of development in places, Belle did get some closure. And I think it's pretty obvious that closure in a season finale is important. I, for one, was glad to see her satisfied with her situation at the end. 
I'm a huge 
Can we talk ... without using curse words? Comedienne and home shopping pioneer 
Some details have been released regarding the new mini-series series 
Six Mad Men characters who are in limbo after the finale
Fact or Fiction: Big Bang, Brothers & Sisters and CSI
The TV Squad Podcast: Linda Purl talks about The Office, we talk spoilers, and more
