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Dates refer to when review was written
Paddington Bear: The Early Years (1/03)
I bet you would never guess from the title of this program that it's
actually a documentary with Stephen Fry traveling through Peru! Ostensibly,
Paddington, a famous literary creation, has origins in Peru and Fry attempts
to ferret them out in this unusual travelogue.
Palin's Column (11/94)
Michael Palin continues his quest for scholarly introspection with
this series documenting his trip to the Isle of Wight and reporting his
encounters for the local paper.
Panto! (3/13)
Comic John
Bishop gets to star in this Christmas-themed ITV TV movie about a
regional DJ who gets the lead in a local panto with a collection of
characters including a diva-ish soap star (Sheridan Smith). It's
opening night and as you might imagine, it's a familiar comedy of
errors, but all's well that ends well.
Paparazzo (11/95)
TV movie pilot on ITV chronicling the adventures of tabloid photographer
Rick (EastEnder's Nick Berry) who is constantly on the trail of
celebrities to shoot (preferably doing something embarrassing). Unlike
most of his brethren who hang around a seedy Soho diner, Rick looks more
like the beautiful people he's supposed to be filming, and of course deep-down
he really has a heart-of-gold for people in need. ITV, being the Working
Class's TV network, delights in showcasing Working Class Heroes regardless
of their profession (last year it was garbage men and movers). Whether
paparazzi qualify as a step up in quality or not remains to be seen.
Parade's End
(10/12)
This
HBO/BBC mini-series was adapted by Tom Stoppard based on the books by
Ford Madox Ford and stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) as
Christopher Tietjens, a gentleman in pre-WWI British society.
Despite
that pedigree, the whole series left me cold. I couldn't
relate or
care about any of the characters even though it takes place at the same
time period as Downton Abbey including the trenches of WWI.
We're to
believe that Tietjens is so unappealing to women that he ends up
marrying Sylvia (Rebecca Hall) a woman he meets on a train who runs off
with another man, has a son with him, and then he takes her back
despite the scandal. Everyone around him including his wife,
brother,
and most of his friends and colleagues believe the worst lies and
gossip spread about him (mostly from Sylvia's jilted lover) even though
they know Tietjens is the most straight-laced Englishman who ever
lived. Even a chaste relationship with a fresh-scrubbed suffragette
named Valentine (Adelaide Clemens) can't make him interesting (he's far
too proper to ever have an affair with her even though everyone else
already thinks he has). And serving in the war doesn't do
much either,
as he manages to alienate nearly everyone in the British army and get
sent to the front. I'm not sure this is going to appeal to the average
HBO subscriber either, despite the presence of Stephen Graham
("Boardwalk Empire's" Al Capone) as Tietjens' best friend Macmaster who
courts the wife of a mad reverend (Rufus Sewell).
Paradise (1/95)
A middle-class family spends their holiday in the basement because
they can't afford to go abroad. Mom is a bit nuts to start with, but soon
the enforced confinement gets to everyone, particularly with their lame
attempts to simulate a sunny resort somewhere. Mom is so fanatical about
the neighbors not finding out about their deception that she prevents her
husband from going upstairs when they hear burglars break in. Can we say,
"Dysfunctional"?
The Paradise (12/12)
Charming
BBC/Masterpiece produced family drama by Bill Gallagher (Lark Rise To
Candleford) about a Victorian-era department store run by the
single-minded Moray (Emun Elliott) who is in an on-again off-again
relationship with the daughter of his banker. In to this world steps
Denise (Joanna Vanderham) who rather than work for her uncle the
dressmaker in his tiny shop across the road, gets a job in the Ladies
Department under the stern Miss Audrey (Sarah Lancashire). But Denise
is too full of ideas to be a simple shop assistant and Moray begins to
take notice of them--and her. A full cast fills out the other
employees of The Paradise who also live on the premises, from the
orphan boy who knows no other world, to the mysterious one-armed Jonas
who always has his eye on everyone. Arthur Darvill (Rory on Doctor
Who) turned up in one episode as an ambitious barber. Based on the
19th Century French novel "The Ladies' Paradise" by Emile Zola.
Paradise Heights (1/04)
Neil Morrissey (Men Behaving Badly)
is one of three brothers who run a slightly-dodgy retail warehouse in this
BBC comedy/drama set in Nottingham. The show is a bit schizophrenic,
part hijinks with lost snakes and romance, but another part is right out
"The Sopranos" with Michael Troughton as a gangster who often gets tough
(and bloody) when displeased. Though many popular British shows have
successfully mixed the light and dark elements, in Paradise Heights,
the mood shifts were too jarring. Retitled The Eustace Brothers
for the second season.
Paradox (3/10)
A small
police unit receive images apparently sent from the future that allow
them to attempt to prevent disasters if they can solve the clues
contained within during this high-concept BBC adventure series. It
doesn't make a lick of sense, and the Ministry of Defence won't let
them tell anyone about the images, so our heroes are left flailing
around without any resources in what becomes a weekly game of Beat The
Clock. It's the "ticking clock" scenario taking to the nth degree,
which is great if you like to see characters running around madly each
episode as if in a competition. It's not really drama as we know, the
premise is the series.
Parents
(10/12)
Silly
domestic sitcom about Jenny (Sally Phillips) who after losing her
high-paying London job for fighting with a co-worker, has to move her
family back to Kettering to live with her parents (Tom Conti and Susie
Blake). Jenny is just too much a dope and a no-talent to get work doing
anything else and the audience must suffer along with her attempts to
move on with her life.
Parents' Night (3/02)
Part of Channel 4's "Shockers" series, this TV movie is told via the
camcorder diary of a bullied teen as he attempts to stem the harassment
he receives on a daily basis at school. He plots his revenge on camera
(which at one point gets stolen by one of the bullies and we see his side
of the story) and then things really spiral out of control when his mother
finally confronts the students and parents one harrowing night at school.
Paris (5/95)
This Alexei Sayle sitcom (he was that "fat bastard" from The Young
Ones) is set in Paris on the Left Bank during the 1930s. Sayle is a
frustrated artist who does all the typical things: goes to the cafe a lot,
unsuccessfully tries to sell his paintings, and finally finds fame and
fortune only after he is committed to an insane asylum. Not brilliant stuff,
especially if you don't find anything French particularly amusing.
Party Animals (7/08)
BBC
political drama focuses on the personal lives of the researchers and
assistants who help MPs get through their days. We see both sides, Tory
and Labour, as well as the political consultants both rely on. Future
Timelord Matt Smith played Danny, the Labour researcher, in one of his
early TV roles.
The Passing Bells (12/14)
In
the run-up to Remembrance Day (what the British call Veteran's Day),
especially with it being the 100th anniversary of the start of the
Great War, the BBC ran this five-part mini-series by Tony Jordan over a
single week that followed two young men who join up as soon as the war
is declared and each episode takes place in a succeeding year until
1918. The big twist is at the start we just assume both Thomas and
Michael are British until 11 minutes in we discover Michael, the
farmer's son, is in Quedlinburg, Germany and not English at all! Ho
ho, very clever Mr Jordan! Of course both boys discover that on each
side, war is hell, and they cross paths a few times until a
confrontation that occurs moments before the armistice is declared in
1918. Viewers who couldn't take the grim ending of "Blackadder Goes
Forth" are advised to steer clear of the finale here. The series was a
co-production with Polish television, where much of it was filmed, and
involves a subplot involving Thomas' relationship with a Polish nurse.
The Passion (1/00)
Three part BBC drama set in a small village full of characters that
puts on an elaborate passion play annually but this year (over the protest
of some people) has hired an outsider (a "grockle" they call them) to play
Jesus. Young and inexperienced, nevertheless the actor they get has that
Savior-like quality, particularly to a housewife (Our
Friends In The North's Gina McKee) who is strongly attracted to
him. Despite the large cast, each person in the village is nicely developed,
especially the petty rivalries and politics that afflict a place where
everyone knows everyone else. BBC America will be running this on February
14th.
Passion Killers (1/00)
Ben Miller (half of the Armstrong and
Miller duo) stars as a loser in love who gets to turn the tables
when he is accidentally hired by a sexy private detective to help her prove
clients are cheating on their partners in this ITV pilot. First she has
to teach him how to pick up women effortless, and after a few false starts,
he's ready to entrap anyone. Clearly he's taken by his boss but she thinks
his attempts to be affectionate are just more "practicing" his techniques.
Pat & Cabbage (11/13)
Barbara
Flynn and Cherie Lunghi play lifelong middle-aged friends in this ITV
comedy. Pat (Flynn) is a widow with two grown daughters, while Cabbage
(Lunghi) is a free-spirit former model who got her nickname from a
famous photo she once posed for. Pat takes a shine to another parent
(Peter Davison) where her grandson attends school, but it's been so
long she's forgotten how to court properly. It's mostly about women in
their 50s getting into hijinks, which I suppose is harmless enough.
Patrick Kielty Almost Live (3/00)
What are the odds the best two dynamic chat shows in Britain would
be hosted by Irishmen? Graham Norton still holds the title, but stand-up
comic Patrick Kielty (actually broadcasting from Belfast) has enough gimmicks
and gags to maintain interest, plus amusing guests such as Brian Blessed
(who demonstrates how NOT to act in a science fiction film), add up to
entertaining and easy-to-please half hours.
Paul Calf's Video Diary(4/94)
A one-shot comedy about three youths in the midlands on New Year's
Eve recording their adventures with a video camera. Remarkably staged and
quite revealing (they really are gits), but quite funny in its revelations
about the ordinary lives of these three guys. One bizarre bit is the hero's
sister is played by Steve Coogan in drag.
It's done incredibly straight until the very end when "she" picks someone
up at a party to take home and asks if he's seen The Crying Game.
Go figure.
Paul Merton's Life of Comedy (9/95)
Regrettably, Paul Merton hasn't much
exposure in this country, which is a shame as his delivery (especially
on the current-affairs game-show Have I Got News
For You) is priceless. In this series we supposedly relive Paul's
early exposure to television while growing up in a small council flat,
interspersed with many classic comedy clips from British television.
Paul Merton: The Series (9/93)
One of the few comedians confident (or popular) enough to get his ownshow
without some kind of double-act. Merton
is best known for always winning Have I Got News
For You even when teamed up with a tub of lard against Ian Hislop
(a classic episode from 1993 - the tub of lard was a last minute substitution
when Roy Hattersly cancelled just before taping). On his own, Merton fares
just as well, observing life from his newspaper stand and in various sketches.
Some good yuks and it's nice to see someone who doesn't rely on a partner.
(See
also Galton & Simpsons for further Paul
Merton appearances)
Paul O'Grady's America (3/02)
O'Grady is well known in Britain for his alter ego, Lily Savage, a
drag queen with a caustic mouth who has hosted "Blankity Blank" on ITV.
I assume O'Grady used his leverage with the network to make this vanity
project where he filmed his trip across America, stopping off in famous
US cities. What's amazing is he makes no attempt to achieve "show
biz gloss" and frequently is seen drunk, whining, or making diatribes not
often spoken by celebrities. But clearly he doesn't care, and it's
always amusing to see a foreign perspective on our country, even obviously
phoney places like Hollywood.
Peaky Blinders (11/13)
Cillian
Murphy stars in this intense and stylish BBC drama series set in 1920
Birmingham. He plays Thomas Shelby, a young man back from the trenches
of WWI and now the ambitious family patriarch of gangsters specializing
in illegal gambling. Their gang gets their name from their trademark
caps which have razor blades sewn in which they use as weapons in
fights against rivals. As Shelby is building his empire across the city
he stumbles upon a cache of weapons which he promptly steals. This
brings the attention of not only the IRA who are keen to get their
hands on the guns for their incipient revolution in Ireland, but also
Winston Churchill who deploys a ruthless police inspector (Sam Neill)
with orders to recover the weapons at any cost. The inspector's secret
weapon in his cat-and-mouse game with Shelby is Grace (Annabelle
Wallis), an Irish undercover agent posing as a barmaid at his local.
Shelby also is dealing with a war with a rival gypsy gang, trying to do
business with the syndicate that controls the race tracks, and keeping
his own family in check including a sister who is in love with a
Communist (Iddo Goldberg), a matriarch aunt (Helen McCrory) and several
brothers. Steven Knight wrote the series which is stunningly realized
by director Otto Bathurst, every episode looks like a movie. The
Weinstein Company has already picked up US distribution rights for
three seasons of Peaky Blinders, clearly putting a great deal of
faith in this period drama.
Peep Show (5/04)
Channel 4 late night comedy starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb
(Daydream Believers) and shot in a
point-of-view style. They play two idiot flatmates and not only do
we see what they do during a normal day but can hear their moronic thoughts
as they try to pick up girls, look cool, or just avoid neighborhood bullies.
Peggy Su! (1/99)
BBC TV movie set in Liverpool in the 1960s about an immigrant Chinese
family running a laundry and the efforts of their father (Burt Kwouk, from
the Pink Panther movies) to marry off his ugly-duckling daughter,
Peggy. He's just arrived from Hong Kong with a Peggy's cousin, a nerdy
fellow in glasses who can't even run a washer, while Peggy would rather
marry the rich son of a Chinese restauranteur who is wooing her. A charming
bit of nostalgic fluff that goes down easily.
Penelope, Princess of Pets (8/10)
This
Channel 4 "Comedy Lab" pilot stars Kristen Schaal as an American
visiting Britain who must defeat an evil MP (Julian Barrett, The
Mighty Boosh) before he destroys the world in a year. Penelope is able to talk to animals (mostly done using obvious
puppets--the low budget is part of the charm here) who help her in her
quest. It's completely over the top and silly but Schaal is a winning
presence and the gags are funny.
People Like Us (7/00)
Parody of "fly-on-the-wall" docu-soaps, with an unseen interviewer
looking at ordinary working class folks who are just as completely clueless
as he is. Like This Is David Lander,
it appears to be on the up-and-up, with no tell-tale laughtrack, but listen
closely to what it going on (in this BBC series based on a radio show of
the same name) and you'll realize it's all a put on.
The Perfect Blue (3/98)
Two happy couples both heading towards matrimony are suddenly derailed
when an old school flame is rekindled between two of them in this BBC TV
Movie (part of their "Love Bites" season). There is a racial angle, but
what's really at the heart of this is whether the old lovers will do the
right thing and ignore the past and marry their intended spouses, or screw
things up for everyone.
A Perfect State (7/97)
The small village of Flatby discovers a loophole in the law and decides
to declare itself independent of England in this BBC comedy. Of course
the British government doesn't take this lying down and in each episode
its civil servants scheme with ways to get Flatby back into the fold. But
the Flatbyans (as they call themselves), despite being a bit odd themselves,
manage to foil the plots against them and remain independent. Plenty of
stock characters but the familiar faces (including Matthew Cottle from
Game
On and Trevor Cooper from Star Cops) make the whole thing
go down nicely.
Perfect Strangers (3/02)
A huge family reunion in a hotel is the setting for this three-part
BBC drama by Stephen Poliakoff (Shooting The Past)
where the black sheep division headed by Michael Gambon (The Singing
Detective) re-encounter the more successful relatives and uncover old
truths. Poliakoff, as evidenced by his last drama, is fascinated
by the power of photographs and still images, and again uses them here
as a motif to illustrate the past and its effect on his characters.
It also reunites him with "Shooting" co-stars Lindsay Duncan and
Timothy Spall as other family members.
Perfect World (3/02)
Paul Kaye stars as Bob Slade, a middle-management executive who schemes,
lies, and has never done a day's work in his life. Needless to say,
he's a huge success in this over-the-top BBC office comedy. Nina
Wadia (Goodness Gracious Me) plays
his rival forever trying to trip him up (only she is Wile E. Coyote to
his Roadrunner; Bob always gets away in the end), and they both work for
a Marketing Director who is stark raving mad. The fun in this series
is seeing a nasty piece of work (whose comic forbearers include Rowan Atkinson's
Blackadder and Rik Mayall's Alan B'Stard)
plot and get the best of everyone. In Bob's "Perfect World," nice
guys do finish last.
The Persuasionists (8/10)
Adam
Buxton, Iain Lee, and Daisy Haggard star in this parody of the hip and
trendy advertising biz with Buxton as the uncool one trying to keep up
with his colleagues and insane Australian boss. The series is a bit
surreal at times, particularly in an episode where Emma (Haggard) is
put in charge as Head of Handsomeness and banishes all the ugly people
(or those who run afoul of her) to the boiler room. I like the actors,
so I enjoyed the series although it was considered a bit of a failure.
The Peter Principle (1/96)
Jim Broadbent stars as a Gordon Brittas-like bank manager who is utterly
incompetent and constantly getting into trouble. However, whereas Brittas'
heart is in the right place even though disaster follows him like a cloud,
"Peter" is just a moron and brown-noser. It's hard to have any sympathy
for him. Renamed "The Boss" in America (perhaps because it sounded like
"The Office").
The Peter Serafinowicz Show (1/09)
The
impressionist and comic (with the unpronounceable name) gets his own
BBC-2 series and proceeds to run with it, doing sketch after sketch,
each with a different accent and costume. Hilarious parodies of Acting
Workshops gives him a chance to do various famous movie stars, and
other characters include a rotund TV pitchman, an android TV presenter,
James Bond and various types of phone chat lines.
Pete Versus Life (8/10)
Rafe
Spall stars as sportswriter Pete in this Channel 4 comedy that uses the
gimmick of sports commentators narrating his life, commenting on the
action, and comparing his performance to previous outings. Pete's
biggest problem though is Pete, he's one of those characters who relies
far too much on shading the truth and it inevitably bites him on the
ass in the most humiliating way possible when he's found out. To be
fair, his nemesis, his best friend's fiancee is truly annoying to the
extreme and has a rather creepy relationship with her own brother,
another situation which Pete fails to deal with well and blows up in
his face. Poor guy, will he ever learn?
The Phoenix and the Carpet (1/98)
Six part children's BBC drama (featuring the characters first seen
in The Psammead) about some Edwardian siblings who discover an ancient
bird (voice of David Suchet) as well as a magical carpet which they manage
to lose track of in nearly every episode! How incompetent can you get?
Still, the production is very well mounted with an excellent musical score.
Philip K Dick--A Day in the Afterlife (7/94)
A documentary about the celebrated SF writer, this features interviews
with most of Dicks' ex-wives, agents, friends, and professional admirers
such as Terry Gilliam, Fay Weldon and Elvis Costello. First rate, although
unfortunately I'm missing the ending.
Pie in the Sky (7/96)
It could almost be a "Smith and Jones" parody: "The Chef Detective."
But that's exactly what this BBC mystery series starring portly Richard
Griffiths features: a detective inspector who also runs a restaurant. It's
played completely straight (with some nice supporting performances including
Samantha Janus (Game On) as a waitress)
but you have to wonder how far the BBC will go to present original mysteries.
The Piglet Files (8/91)
Nicholas Lyndhurst sitcom parody of spy shows, with Clive Francis as
his handler. Two seasons ran, 14 episodes in total.
Pilgrims Rest (11/97)
Lame BBC sitcom about a cafe on a forgotten highway and the "characters"
who seem to always be hanging around. The most amusing thing was in the
pilot where various outages on the letters "PILGRIMS RESTAURANT" neon sign
spelled out cute phrases.
The Pilot Show (7/04)
Channel 4 show where minor British celebrities are conned into believing
the worst ideas ever as potential TV shows they could participate in.
Maybe some folks just want to cling on to fame, no matter how tenuous,
or maybe it's just the British good manners not to laugh in the face of
a producer when you need a job, no matter how naff an idea they might have
for you.
Pinch of Snuff, A (7/94)
Comics Hale and Pace (seen briefly in the Dr Who episode "Survival")
try their hand at drama in this three part mystery about murder at an exclusive
gentlemen's club. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this pop up on
"Mystery" sometime.
Planet Mirth (11/97)
Comedy sketches with a science fiction bent on this ITV series that
is a co-production with the Sci-Fi Channel. Americans will never understand
the arcane references to Barry Norman, Richard and Judy, and Top Gear
which are essential if you are going to appreciate the humor involved.
A running sketch involves a Venusian girl with three arms who was accidentally
left on earth and has grown up in a foster home in London to become the
Saddest Person On the Planet. Doctor Who of course gets a brief drubbing
(mostly bad title puns), but I don't see this series succeeding here in
the States because of the cultural differences.
Plastic Man (1/00)
Two part ITV drama with John Thaw (Inspector Morse) doing his
patented gruff-old-dog-with-a-heart-of-gold thing, this time as plastic
surgeon trying to cope with his patients and professional children. His
son is in training to be a doctor but was involved with a crime, the victim
of which is one of Thaw's patients.
Playhouse Presents (6/12)
Sky
TV commissioned a series of half hour shorts each starring various big
name stars (including David Tennant, Emma Thompson, Russell Tovey,
Stephen Fry, and Alison Steadman). Essentially these are one-act plays,
and with a variety of different material, if you don't like one week's
offerings, you can come back next week to try again. My favorite one
was "City Hall" written and co-starring Rhashan Stone about Dorothy (Olivia Williams, "Dollhouse"),
the first female mayor of London whose
working class roots clash with her rival, a posh career politician
(Martin Shaw). Dorothy's back story and vulnerability (kept afloat only
by her advisor played by Stone) make her an instantly compelling
character and when the story ends with a caption reading "The
Beginning," we can only hope that Sky commissions an entire series with
these characters.
(8/14)
A new series of short dramas from Sky included "The Dog
Thrower" with Matthew Perry who tries to take up a new fad to impress a
girl; "Nosferatu in Love" with Mark Strong as an actor who never breaks
character even when his wife leaves him; and "Foxtrot" with Billy Piper
as one of two stripper who kidnap an abusive customer but get more than
they bargained for.
Playing The Field (7/98)
BBC drama series about a woman's amateur soccer team. Set in the North
of England, we meet the team as Theresa is about to get married, with most
of her teammates as bridesmaids. It doesn't go quite as expected but we
are quickly introduced to the different women who come from all walks of
life. And we discover that Theresa's sister Jo, the best player on the
team, is actually her daughter she had when she was 15 and forced by her
mother to disavow. Each episode focuses on a different character, with
a running storyline about the team's run for the championship. Affairs
are conducted, secrets revealed, friendships tested, and oh yes, there's
a game played each week. Solid material, nicely acted, with men reduced
to mere supporting characters pretty much.
Pleasure (5/95)
An Alan Bleasdale movie, this one set in France about a no-talent writer
who places a personal ad and attracts the attention of a bored married
housewife. He tells her he is a mystery bandit that has been striking Paris,
and she becomes even more excited. Together they make a big score, but
then he dumps her, she is thrown out by her husband, turns to prostitution
and then gets her own form of revenge on the writer.
Pleasureland (7/04)
Part of Channel 4's "Adult at 14" season, this TV movie about a schoolgirl
coming of age and discovering sex among her peers is as grim and raw as
it gets. No one likes to be reminded of those times, although if
you had a teenage daughter, you could do worse than having her see this
powerful film.
Plebs (6/13)
ITV2 sitcom set
in Rome 27 B.C. about three dopey lads trying to live their mundane lives in
the empire. Marcus (Tom Rosenthal) and Stylax (Joel Fry) are employed
scribes working at a medium-sized company who live together along with
their slave Grumio (Ryan Sampson). They want what all young men have
wanted for ages, namely to get laid, particularly Marcus who pines
after his beautiful neighbor Cynthia. Employing some rather impressive
sets (leftover from another production perhaps?) and some CGI to fill
in the buildings, it looks slick and works about as well as a series
focusing on three idiots, regardless of the era, can do.
Plotlands (9/97)
BBC drama series set in 1922 as a woman takes her two daughters and
spends her last five pounds to buy her own "bit of England," a plot in
a field with just a tent. Her fellow neighbors are similarly down-and-out,
trying to survive in the middle of nowhere but eventually surviving adversity
to form a sense of community.
Police 2020 (9/97)
Futuristic police drama that is very matter-of-fact. If you were to
tape an episode of The Bill 20 years from now it would probably
look very similar to this ITV movie pilot. Technology is not trotted out
to the viewer as any big deal, but used in the manner that a radio or gun
would be today. A hostage situation at an apartment block full of Russian
refugees sheds light on one man's torment (Keith Barron) and Britain as
a whole if certain trends are borne out.
Politically Incorrect Night (9/98)
BBC-2 dedicated an entire evening to all things un-PC, including various
celebrities singing the praises of unfashionable people: Margaret Thatcher,
Oliver Reed, Sam Kinison; a collection of incredibly sexist songs; and
a documentary, "One Million Years PC" chronically the history of racism
and sexism on British TV including the amazing fact that The Black and
White Minstrel Show (complete with black-faced white performers) ran
until 1978 on the BBC! The evening finished with a screening of an On
The Busses movie, based on the 70s sitcom (which in itself, owes a
lot to the Carry On films).
The Politician's Husband (6/13)
David
Tennant gives a tense performance as Aiden Hoynes, a
too-slick-for-his-own-good part of a husband-and-wife MP couple (along
with Emily Watson as Freya) who begins this three-part BBC mini-series
attempting to challenge the leadership of the party only to have it
blow up in his face when he's betrayed by his best friend (Ed
Stoppard). Relegated to the back benches, he must watch Freya rise in
power to the cabinet and condemn his policies publicly in order to
remain in favor. We're meant to sympathize with Aiden because he cares
for his autistic son and hangs with his father, but he is a politician
through-and-through and it kills him to see his wife get all the
accomplishments he felt were owed to him. A fascinating look at power,
jealousy and corruption that ends with a real twist.
Pond Life (11/97)
Channel 4 animated series about a high-strung young woman who is constantly
at odd with life. The title refers to her last name.
The Pooters (3/03)
An oddball Channel 4 Comedy Lab pilot about a book discussion
group. Somehow they manage to get noted TV astronomer Patrick Moore
to appear (he seems game for anything), but the whole thing is played completely
straight.
Porterhouse Blue (3/93)
Four-part drama, the title describing the condition of what happens
to the Master of one of the Inns of Court when he dies of a heart attack
"in his own bed as he should, not in a hospital." Tradition IS the watchword
at this fictional school, but the new Master (Ian Richardson) appointed
by the Prime Minister thinks tradition is bollocks and immediately sets
out to reform the school, much to the horror of everyone, particularly
the Porter (David Jason). Meanwhile, a graduate student (John Sessions)
is slowly going bonkers and having sexual fantasies about his charwoman.
A good story, though it helps to understand the traditions underlying it.
Posh Nosh (3/04)
A parody of cooking shows with Arabella Weir (The
Fast Show) and Richard E. Grant as an upper class couple showing
off their kitchen and recipes and making absurd versions of food in 10
minute segments.
Pramface (6/12)
BBC3 comedy
series about Jamie, an awkward schoolboy who manages to have sex with
posh girl Laura at a party and gets her pregnant. Laura wants to
attend university but with a baby on the way and a 16 year kid as the
father, life is suddenly turned upside down. Jamie's best mates are a
girl who fancies him but he doesn't notice, and his horny friend who
constantly puts himself in the most humiliating circumstances in order
to get laid. Meanwhile, Laura's parents (Angus Deayton and Anna
Chancellor) have their own marriage crisis but it all ends pretty well
for everyone by the end.
Prehistoric Park (4/08)
What
if Jurassic Park were real? And filled with creatures scooped up from
other times by unspecified time technology? That's the premise in this
"documentary" series that chronicles the capturing of extremely exotic
(and now extinct) creatures that are the best the computer graphics
(and big props) can buy. No doubt, dinosaur-mad kids are asking even
now if they can somehow visit the park.
The Preventers (5/97)
Hilarious spoof of old 60s ITV action series, in particular The Champions
(in fact the star of that series, William Gaunt, appears as their boss
here). This ITV pilot by the stars of Naked Video has a trio of
60s-throwback secret agents (shades of "Austin Powers"!) battle an evil
Lord, all the while sending up cliches about that era, with clever sight
gags (my favorite: the "drumbeat transition" used to cut between scenes
ala Captain Scarlet, only this time they mistime it and end up stuck
at the original scene on an actor looking around uncomfortably).
Prey (6/14)
Three-part ITV
drama about a police detective (John Simm) who is framed for the murder
of his wife and son, and goes on the run to prove his innocence. Along
the way he will have to turn enemies into allies and a few friends will
turn into enemies (it's a bit like watching a British version of "24"
except without the torture scenes). And like Jack Bauer, Simm is the
clock that keeps on ticking no matter how many times he is shot, beat
up, or hit by a car.
Primeval (7/08)
ITV's answer to Doctor Who
features a group of university scientists working with the government
to investigate time rifts that allow prehistoric creatures to venture
into modern-day London. The first episode is terrible, featuring a
young boy who nobody believes is being stalked by a dinosaur in his
suburban neighborhood (and befriends a cute little lizard), but
subsequent episodes ditch the kiddie angle and things get more serious,
particularly when the head scientist discovers his long-thought dead
wife has been using the rifts to live in the past. The monster effects
are done by the same folks who did Walking With Dinosaurs and the production values are uniformly high.
A Prince Among Men (11/97)
Chris Barrie (Red Dwarf) stars as Gary Prince,
a working class former championship footballer who has cashed in on his
name and built a business empire in this BBC comedy. He is surrounded by
dim secretaries, an upper class business manager, a publican from "the
old days," and his intelligent German wife. Gary is less catastrophe-prone
than Gordon Brittas, but his egotism can remind you of Arnold Rimmer if
he had managed to ever capitalize on a single talent. This new franchise
in the Barrie "Empire" is still finding its way during this first season,
but should, like his other vehicles, have a long run based on his immense
talent for doing likable yet annoying characters.
Prisoners Wives (2/12)
The
lives of the women who visit their men in prison is the setting of this
dramatic BBC series. Franny (Polly Walker) is the rich, spoiled wife
of a gangster (Iain Glen) serving time, pregnant Gemma believes her
boyfriend (Jonas Armstrong) is innocent while he awaits his trial, Lou
hasn’t told her son that their dad is in prison even as she continues
to deal drugs on the outside, and Harriet (Pippa Haywood) is an over
protective mum whose son got busted for possession of a handgun. Things
get complicated of course, the police seize all of Franny’s property
because of her husband’s activities, Gemma discovers evidence against
her boyfriend, and high-strung Harriet is forced to smuggle drugs in so her son won’t
be beaten inside. What lengths will these women do for their men is
the big question in this series, with some surprising conclusions.
The Private Life of Samuel Pepys
(7/04)
Steve Coogan stars as the famous 17th
Century London diarist in a story told in flashback at his trial for treason
while he was with the Admiralty. Though Pepys loved his French wife,
he was quite the womanizer, and made a lot of enemies for always making
it to the top whether during Cromwell's domination or the subsequent Restoration.
Coogan plays Pepys in a similar style as his breakout role in "24 Hour
Party People" making asides to the camera (his funniest comes during the
Great Fire of London in 1666 when someone points off camera that the entire
city is burning and Coogan assures us, "You'll just have to take my word
for it," thus acknowledging the low budget of this entertaining costume
drama).
Privates (3/13)
The BBC
regularly schedules original dramas set in the mid-Century in a
Monday-to-Friday afternoon slot, even though they are perfectly
appropriate for prime time. I guess nobody cares about the 1950s any
more. In this five-episode series set in November 1960 conscription is
coming to an end in the British Army and the last class of involuntary
recruits are forced together in a familiar basic training setting. One
way posh boys could get out of service was by running for parliament,
which one attempts to do, only to see a middle class rival try the same
trick. We also see the drama between a sergeant major having an affair
with his commanding officer's wife.
The Promise (3/11)
This
Channel 4 mini-series was everything I like about well-made British
drama. It had interesting characters, you were invested in their story
and what happened to them, every scene made you want to know what
happened next, there was mystery, politics, and history all showcased
in a first-class production shot on location. Erin Matthews (Claire
Foy) is a British teenager who decides to spend her gap year in Israel
to support her Jewish friend Eliza during Eliza's national service.
Erin's grandfather is near death and she ends up with his diary that he
kept while serving in the British army in Palestine after the war.
While Erin explores the foreign culture of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict as it exists today, we're shown a parallel story of Sgt. Len
Matthews, her grandfather, trying to maintain peace in 1940s Palestine
while Jewish militants were fighting to form Israel. It's a great
dramatic device to let the audience into this world from the point of
view of the British, both then and now. Erin goes on her own voyage of
discovery as she continues to read the diary and tries to find some of
the people her grandfather knew and interacted with six decades
earlier. This ambitious drama by writer-director Peter Kosminksy was an
international co-production with a lot of money on screen recreating
Palestine of the 1940s as well as modern scenes in the occupied
territories. As an outsider who just wants to know what is happening,
Erin is able to go places and ask questions that natives never would.
It was interesting to see the British perspective on the history of the
middle-east, seeing as they were on the front lines during the messy
formation of Israel--a lot of Sgt. Matthews comrades are killed along
the way--as well as today. While some people might be put off by the
subject matter in The Promise, to me it's a first-rate drama that although fiction takes place in an all-too real and troubled land.
Promoted To Glory (7/04)
ITV TV movie with Ken Stott as Mike, a wino who seeks redemption with
Annie, a Salvation Army worker. After being hit by a bus, he turns
up at her rehab facility much to the annoyance of her Army fiancee Nigel
played by perennial loser Kevin Whately (Inspector Morse).
Mike eventually sobers up and decides the only way to earn Annie's love
is to join the Army with her. Will she succumb to his charms or stick
with Nigel? I have to say though, as a Christmas-oriented special,
this has the most cynical ending I've ever witnessed in my life.
It's like killing Jimmy Stewart halfway through "It's a Wonderful Life."
I'm not knocking it, mind you, but talk about souring the holiday cheer.
You'd never see anything remotely like this on American TV at Christmastime
in a million years.
Psychos (1/00)
Channel 4 drama series that basically is ER set in a Glasgow
psychiatric hospital. As usual in these sorts of shows, the doctors are
usually more screwed up than their patients, particularly one loose cannon
who becomes increasingly unglued as he skips his lithium doses. It was
a bit too grim and downmarket for my tastes.
Psychoville (3/10)
Two of the League of Gentlemen (Reese Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton) reteam for
this bizarre BBC comedy series following a group of seemingly
unrelated, and surreal, characters (including Dawn French as nurse who
thinks her doll is a real baby) linked by a mysterious blackmailer. As
usual, Shearsmith and Pemberton play a number of the characters, and in
one episode are joined by Mark Gatiss in an amazing one-take homage to
Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope." Filled with dwarves, creepy old men, and eBay
obsessed Siamese-twins, clearly they are not aiming for the mainstream
audience here, but it's good clean black-comedy fun.
Psychobitches (6/13)
A
spin-off of Sky Arts' Playhouse Presents series, with Rebecca Front
as the therapist to a series of historically famous women all played by
big name comics (Julia Davis, Katy Brand, Samantha Spiro and Mark
Gatiss among others). It's a format that allows each of the characters
to do their crazy little bit of business and then quickly cut to the
next. Often it's just a triumph of costuming and makeup, but a few
stand out like the Bronte Sisters (portrayed as three children on a
couch together who hate each other), and Sigmund Freud's mother.
The Psychopath Next Door (11/13)
In
the first of a series of pilots on Sky Living, Anna Friel plays the
title character, Eve Wright, who has apparently stolen the identity of
a therapist, moves onto a suburban street, and begins wreaking havoc
with her new neighbors. The first episode is all set-up, it would be in
subsequent stories whether we see if she succeeds like Dexter, or
finally gets her comeuppance.
Public Enemies (2/12)
Daniel
Mays stars as a parolee who gets inside the head of Paula his probation
officer (Anna Friel) in this BBC mini-series. He maintains his
innocence but by the Catch-22 of the system, if he won’t accept his
guilt and punishment then he’s a danger to society and thus not
eligible for parole. Paula has own traumas to deal with (one of her
parolees killed someone on release) and pressure from her bosses to
conform to the system. Mays is great at this type of character, he
just looks like a guilty liar, so that you really have to pay attention
to hear what he is saying.
Pulse (8/10)
Claire Foy
stars in this BBC3 pilot written by Paul Cornell as an intern who
starts her residency at a hospital where Creepy Things are afoot. A
patient with recurring cancer is being secretly experimented on by
hospital staff, and it's up to our plucky young heroine to sniff out
the truth. Extremely bloody and gory, not for the faint of heart, this
sort of set-up is usually better for in a feature film (like the
similar "Coma") rather than an ongoing series.
Punt and Dennis (1/96)
Comedy double act with the usual sketches and music (one episode featured
the (yes, popular) Australian act "Bjorn Again" who do old ABBA songs).
Includes elaborate parodies of popular series on UK television including
Bugs
(making much hay over the fact that everyone in the cast is a refugee from
soap operas) and The X-Files.
Puppy Love (9/16)
Low-key but funny series about the relationship between a coarse
caravan-living dog trainer (Joanna Scanlan) and a posh dog owner (Vicki
Pepperdine) who gets no respect from her dog. Scanlan and Pepperdine
also wrote the series and delight in getting the two character's lives
entangled as much as possible and (pardon the expression) watching the
fur fly.
Pure Wickedness (7/00)
Kevin Whately (Peak Practice, Inspector Morse) again
sheds his nice guy persona as a doctor too devoted to work to notice his
wife having an affair with the window cleaner. The BBC drama written
by Lucy Gannon takes the relationship to its natural conclusion, particular
with the children who are involved.
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