9/05/2013

British Telly

 
It seems that everyone is watching Downton Abbey.  It's a great show and the setting is one of the things that makes it so fabulous to watch.  There are a number of great British shows that feature fantastic settings.  One of my favorites for settings is Midsomer Murders. Midsomer is a fictional county which is inspired by the very real and very beautiful Somerset County.  In every episode you are treated to a bevy of brutishness.  They always seem to visit a quaint pub that is just steps from the village green.  Murders happen in the most unexpected places in Midsomer such as at the cricket match, a town festival or at the theatre!  Inspector Lewis and Inspector Morse are based in beautiful Oxford.  Through watching the shows you are taken into the private rooms of the colleges - nothing you would ever see on your ordinary walking tour!  Monarch of the Glen is set in Scotland and features beautiful scenery as does Dr. Finlay.
 
No one can compete with the British for comedy.  There is the cult favorite Fawlty Towers and the bawdy Little Britain. My local PBS station plays As Time Goes By every Saturday.  It features acclaimed actress Judi Dench who re connects after 40 years with her former love after they loose touch when he goes off to war in Korea.  It's a sweet show set in one of my favorite parts of London, Holland Park. Academy Award winning actress, Helen Mirren stars in the gritty Prime Suspect playing an alcoholic cop. 
 
There are plenty of historical drama's to choose from.  If you like Downton Abbey, there is always Upstairs Downstairs or even the Tudors.  It's not terribly difficult to find all of these British gems.  PBS shows a lot of British shows as does BBC America. My current favorite on BBC America is Broadchurch every Wednesday night which is a great murder mystery set at the seaside.  Another Seaside show is Doc Martin which features the fictional town of

Portwenn and filmed on location in the picturesque village of Port Isaac, Corwall is exceptionally picturesque.  Ovation is currently showing reruns of Antiques Roadshow.  I love the British version because the antiques are much older and tend to be more valuable than what we see in America. Another great source of DVD's is your local library.  Every show I've mentioned here I was able to find at my local library or within the library system.  I started using this during the summer months when we have 157 channels and nothings on.  Another great source for British movies and TV shows is Netflix.  Look around, you'll be surprised at how easily accessible British TV is.  Soon enough, you won't even notice the accents!