anything good on TV ?

Andy
I am very pleased you were able to find a copy and watch it and that you enjoyed it so much. And being a “native” it must had a strong extra resonance. I would love to see it again.

The classic Airplane is on Film 4 later today. 9pm

Having seen both Akenfield and Heimat it does not bear comparison.

Charlie.
I’ve just finished watching the complete ‘Akenfield’ on DVD.
I managed to track down a copy in Suffolk, thanks to the internet.
What did I think?
Brilliant is what I thought.
Being from East Anglia myself (Norfolk) so much from my childhood (the modern scenes in the film) was familiar, and having made the decision to leave myself, I had much sympathy for the characters.
A decision I’ve never regretted by the way.

Andy.

I was thinking of ‘The Village’.
Plenty of 1940’s stuff about with owners needing a bit of financial help too.
A.

I think you pals lorry is a cracker Andy, where would we be without all those involved in the restoration, and preservation, of such items,( “Cough”, as yourself), I take my hat off to them all.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Of course, Andy, that’s what we were discussing. I have just read this review of it today….

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9977862/The-Village-a-struggle-for-honesty-ends-up-as-twaddle.html

I was thinking of ‘The Village’.
Plenty of 1940’s stuff about with owners needing a bit of financial help too.
A.

That’s very handsome albeit a bit early for Foyle……

Well a friend of mine operates this on behalf of Tate & Lyle. I’m sure a quick Google followed by the good ol’ telephone would have helped them, but as ever, indolence among these people is the real star of the show.

It’s a 1913 McCurd by the way.
Please note, how relatively crude it is. Most peoples idea of an ‘old’ vehicle is much more firmly rooted in something from a later period–say the 1930’s/40’s or even the 50’s these days.

Still doesn’t hurt to get it right though.
A.

Whilst there dosen’t seem much on TV to watch theses days the only live programme i tend to watch is Doctor Who .
But from the good ol USA a must see is Breaking Bad ……Informed he has terminal cancer, an underachieving chemistry genius turned high school teacher uses his expertise to secretly provide for his family by producing the world’s highest quality crystal meth.
More compelling than it probably sounds it is well worth watching for some outstanding TV, IMHO of course

I fear so and for which they do get a lot of criticism from time to time – and certainly in the Historic forum here!!

It seems so Chas, therefor it’s their researchers who seemingly havn’t done their job properly.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt Linc, but fear it has to do with lack of knowledge. I see countless buses from the 1920s onwards at various shows and I’m sure this organisation could have helped :

http://www.nartm.org.uk/members.htm

So no excuses I’m afraid….:(

Andy, I think to be fair, it would be very hard to find a bus to fit that period, the BBC to their (Sometimes) credit do their best to make things as authentic as possible.:)
Jim.
Lincoln .7

I agree with every word, Andy. Very disappointing indeed. Someone said it sailed close to the Monty Python Yorkshiremen but without the humour. Far too earnest and overwritten and as a result false.

Having seen both Akenfield and Heimat it does not bear comparison.

I also enjoyed the Lark Rise to Candleford trilogy of books by Flora Thompson but not the TV adaptation which strayed well away from the books.

Watch very little ‘live TV’ these days. I’m with some others here, I think Foyles War, particularly the series which sadly finished last night, was brilliant. Better in some ways than earlier series. IMO, I think of late, that when ITV do drama they do it well. It’s a shame that these types of drama shows that they do, are now very short in duration. I was a great fan, well still am, of the Inspector Morse, and now Lewis series. Some of the documantary channels put out some worthy progs, but they repeat often. Once a day, I try to catch the daily news, usually via CNN or RT, and that’s about it.

I enjoyed the Jonathan Dimbleby “Road to El Alamein” from last week, very well made I think and enjoyable, not dumbed down like so many documentaries seem to be (or crammed into 30 min timeslots – the BBC will have Ant & Dec doing Panorama at the rate they are going….. :mad::eek:)

I never really got into Foyle but what I did have some hope for, but as ever was disappointed by, was the BBC’s much trumpeted ‘The Village’.
I actually turned off after 15 minutes of episode 1. I was initially hoping that it would be an accurate depiction of life in the pre-Great War era but of course it isn’t. Alarm bells were ringing straight away in scene 1, act 1 when the bus came down the lane looking suspiciously modern with pneumatic tyres (subsequently five minutes Googling established it to be a modern replica built in the 1980’s to be a rough facsimile of a charabanc). Things went rapidly down hill from there with alcoholism, domestic abuse and sadistic school teachers. It seemed to me and others that a BBC steering group (or whatever the hell they call themselves) sat down in an office in Woodgreen and collectively decided that a) it’s grim up North, and b) it was unremittingly grim years ago. All without reference to anything–certainly reality.
No one I actually know has so far succeeded in watching a complete episode, and while I do realise that life was somewhat harder back then, I fail to believe it was completely without humour or joy.
Listening to ‘Front Row’ on Radio 4 recently, the TV critic on there compared it, somewhat less than favourably I think with Peter hall’s 1974 film ‘Akenfield’, about life in a Suffolk village in the same period.
Short clips of Akenfield are available on Youtube but sadly a DVD of the film is very difficult to track down.
It was also compared (again unfavourably) with the German TV series ‘Heimat’ which was screened some years ago.

To finish, I know that I’ll be accused of nit-picking about the bus, but surely years ago the BBC in particular were famous for going the extra mille to depict accurately background period shots.
And if they can’t be bothered with the small stuff, why should I believe in the bigger overall picture of life that are attempting to portray..?
Andy.

PS. And there was a ‘Routemaster’ in Foyle the other week.

Moggy – deja vue!:diablo:

I’m a fan too. If you are looking for fast moving excitement this is not the show for you, but if you are prepared to just sit back and be transported to (a slightly glamourised) 1940s, then go for it.

I saw Miss Weeks in a modern day series a few month’s back. In 21st century clothing she’s a fox.

Moggy

Frazer Nash
7th September 2008, 10:14
Just keep your eyes off my Honeysuckle, Moggy. She loves ME!!! 😀

Moggy C
7th September 2008, 10:34
I’ll ask her about that when she wakes up :p

Ahh, IF ONLY, 😉 (And I think I can say that for both of us !!)

Jim.
Lincoln .7

She is totally gorgeous. I saw her in something contemporary a couple of years back and in modern dress she is a stunner.

Interesting choice of names, especially with a sister called Perdita and a brother christened Rollo

Moggy