The Hour

Before leaving for school this summer, I was watching a lot of the BBC America. They were advertising their new Dramaville hour that was called "The home for groundbreaking British drama" and it would be airing on Wednesdays at 10. The first show in the slot was entitled The Hour. After watching the teaser for it, I was immediately drawn in.



I am a sucker for any type of drama series or mysteries. I get immediately drawn in with the characters and their story lines even if I can't follow that well. The Hour is about a cutting-edge news magazine that is being produced in 1956. The producer of this program is Bel Rowley, who gets a lot of heat for being a woman in a man's world. Bel's best friend is Freddy Lyon who believed he was going to get the job she was offered. They began working under Clarence Fendley, the Head of News at the BBC. Freddie's new job is at the domestic news job which he deems as inferior to all the others. The face of this production is Hector Madden. His wife, Marnie Madden, used her connections to get him the job as the new anchor. Freddie is not fond of Hector and is visibly jealous of his position.

Bel, Hector, and Freddy

This show is not all about the trials of creating an interesting and compelling news program however. Freddie is contacted by an old friend, Ruth Elms, to investigate the death of her professor. Freddie begins digging and then a few days later Ruth is found in a hotel room after an apparent suicide. Despite the possibility of some shady characters following him, Freddy decides to keep on with the investigation. This makes it into a spy thriller with a possible mole in the BBC news room.

There are plenty of political, news casting, and romantic scandals in this drama. At times, I was confused as to who was who and I had trouble following along with the Suez Canal business. But what I did understand kept me intrigued till the very end. If I didn't understand the politics, I was at least able to understand the love triangle between Freddy, Bel, and Hector. It also did a very nice job wrapping everything together towards the end and yet keeping the mystery going into the second season. This was one of the shows that I made sure I watched each week last semester. I am anxiously awaiting for the second season!

Sherlock

I would love to say what a productive week I have had. I would love to say that I study for all my tests this week and got to bed at a decent time. I would love to say that I am fully prepared for the next few days. I can't. Since Friday night, I have been watching an episode of the BBC 1's Sherlock every night. My gosh. It is magnificent. I first watched the series when the pilot season aired on Masterpiece Theater in 2010. It ended with such a cliff-hanger that I could barely contain my disappointment when I discovered it wouldn't be airing again until 2012. Since it had been close to 2 years, I had kind of forgotten about the series until a friend of my mine up here started raving about this new show he was watching. It was Sherlock. So a group of my friends up here, including my roommate, began watching the first season on Netflix. The second season wasn't on Netflix but my roommate and I found someone who had the three episodes that made up the next season. We watched one every night since Monday. Our other friends were not pleased with us...


As of right now, only six episodes of Sherlock have been shot and aired. The reason being is that each episode is an hour and a half long. Not exactly a short span of time for a TV show, but while watching it you want it to go on as long as possible. Because each episode is essentially the same length as a movie, you need to make sure you dedicate a good amount of time to fully enjoy the brilliance of the show. The dialogue  is quick, witty and sharp. One of my favorite parts of the show is the little banter between Sherlock and Watson.

Sherlock and Watson

This TV version of Sherlock in not set in the late 1800s but rather in the present day which makes for an interesting interpretation. I haven't read any Sherlock Holmes's books yet (I just ordered them from the library and am still waiting for my email) but even I am able to notice the characters and places and names that are used come from the books. Mrs. Hudson is still the the landlady, DI Lestrade is present, and Watson and Sherlock reside at 221B Baker Street. Also Mycroft Holmes is ever present as the "British government" and  Irene Adler makes an appearance.

I think my favorite aspect of this series is the bromance between Sherlock and Watson. It is a running gag in the series that they are assumed to be partners. Watson is always the first one to chime in that he is straight and that they are nothing more than flatmates and friends. Watson appreciates Sherlock's deductive skills, unlike some others around him who get rather annoyed with Sherlock for being a smartypants) and Sherlock knows that Watson is a loyal friend and tries not to upset him. Too much. Here is a clip from the first episode of Watson and Sherlock meeting for the first time:


My roommate and I are already anxious waiting for the next season which won't be aired until later this year. It is a wonderful show with plenty of humor, mystery, and friendship. So far only two of the six episodes have been based on the work by Sir Conan Doyle with titles veering slightly from the related work. For example, the first episode is entitled A Study in Pink based off of the novel A Study in Scarlet.

Benedict Cumberbatch (the most English name I have ever come across) is fantastic as Sherlock and won the GQ award for actor of the year 2011. The show won the BAFTA for best drama series in 2011 and Martin Freeman won for best supporting actor as Watson. Another reason I think I may be drawn to this show is because both of the producers are writers for Doctor Who, which is another one of my favorite TV shows. It has a little bit of everything for everyone. Never a dull moment at 221B Baker Street.

An Idiot Abroad

Karl Pilkington with the World which he will one day rule with all his travels.

An Idiot Abroad. What a title. It pretty much sums up the entirety of the series in three understandable words. This show is the brain child of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The two of them have teamed up before with hit shows like The Office, Extras, and The Ricky Gervais Show. The Ricky Gervais Show began airing on the radio in 2001 and then it launched into a podcast and was later recognized by Guiness World Record as being the most downloaded podcast. HBO gave the show some animation and started showing it in 2010. It is from this show that Karl Pilkington came to be known by audiences world wide. Here is a little clip of Karl doing what he does best:

An Idiot Abroad, as the title suggests, has a simple premise: Ricky and Stephen send their friend and co-host , Karl, around the world visiting most places people only dream of seeing. The first season was entitled The Seven Wonders and Karl sent to China, India, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Egypt, Brazil, and Peru. Personally, I have been to China and I would love to go back again due to the incredible amount of sights the country has to offer and it is my dream to travel the world and experience different cultures. Only Karl doesn't quite see it like that. Here is a clip from the first episode when Karl finds out where he is going:



Not exactly the reaction one would have if they discovered they were taking a trip to China with the chance to climb the Great Wall for essentially no cost to them. But that is how Karl views the world. Karl walked the Great Wall of China for a few days and his insight to this fantastic man made structure was that it should be called "the alright wall of China". Brilliant. After spending a few days in this country, you'd think his thoughts on the country would be a bit deeper and on the airing of the episode on the Science Channel, Ricky and Stephen asked him what he had learned while in China. His answer did not exactly scream that he had gained any real perception on the country:



I have not seen the complete series and since I don't have a TV set at school, I have to make due with watching the second series, The Bucket List, in the form of small clips off of YouTube. Definitely worth it though. Karl never fails to make me laugh because everything that comes out of his mouth is sad without any malice or harm. It's just what he truly thinks about something. And the more I watch it, the less I think of him as an idiot because he is very quick witted and comes up with funny remarks faster than I've seen most. Anytime my day is not going the way I please, I simply start up my computer and click on the newest An Idiot Aboard video I can find. Ricky and Stephen's tasks that they set Karl up for are at times borderline cruel (like the abduction scene) but it is a joy to see Karl going out of his comfort zone. I live vicariously through Karl and his travels whether he wants to go on them again.

Ricky Gervais 

Ricky Gervais was born June 25, 1961 in England. He was originally a part a recording duo Seona Dancing, who had a big hit in the Philippines. After that failed music venture, he then went into radio and met Stephen Merchant. In 2001, their show The Office was aired and at first was almost cancelled due to low ratings. They are both producers for the American version of the show. He is also a well known stand-up comedian. He gained some notoriety in the States for his hosting of the 68th Annual Golden Globes. Despite that, he was asked to host it again the next year.

Stephen Merchant

Stephen Merchant was born November 24, 1974 in England. Many people comment on his height. That would be because he is extremely tall. He is 6 feet 7 inches. He graduated from the University of Warwick in 1996 with a degree in Film and Literature. He is a frequent collaborator with Gervais (or perhaps Gervais is a frequent collaborator with him hmm?) and pretty much anything the other does the other is a part of it.

Karl Pilkington

Karl Pilkington. Despite what some say about him being a gift given to use from the heavens for pure innocent comedy and delight, he is actually human and was born September 23, 1972 in England. He achieved one GCSE which was an E in history. That is pretty telling of the sort of intelligence he has. Ricky often describes him as having an orange for a head because it seems unnaturally round. He has sold his own design for pants called the Pilko Pump Pants on a home shopping network and they sold out. They had a mesh pocket in the seat area. Brilliant.

Brilliant Observation

8 out of 10 Cats

8 out of 10 cats prefer Whiskas. The first five words of that sentence is the title to the next British TV I will be talking about.  I found this show purely on accident one rainy day last summer and I promptly watched about four episodes in that single sitting.  Was my mom pleased with what I had spent the day doing?  Not particularly especially considering the massive amounts of my clothes that needed folding.  But in my defense, the show was incredibly funny and there was never a boring moment.

8 out of 10 Cats first started its run in June 2005.  Jimmy Carr is the presenter of this lovely comedy panel game show and he is never one to shy away from an opportunity to put his sarcastic sense of humor into the mix.  Carr is joined by two teams on either side, one captained by Sean Lock and the other team is lead by Jon Richardson, who recently replaced former captain Jason Manford.  Four guest celebrities from all different spheres of the entertainment industry are on the show each week.  They range from ditzy reality stars, comedians, and athletes and to actors.  There are some pretty interesting mixes and the show is always bound to become a bit more severe in their verbal comedic sparring when Jedward* is on. 

The show begins with "What Are You Talking About?".  The public are asked their opinions on what they were talking about the most this week and then the teams try to pick the top five.  It is surprisingly educational in that way.  I have learned quite a bit about British news from this show.  Granted, I watch the episodes about 5 months after they air so I'm never informed at the proper time. Another bit is "Pick of the Polls" where four pictures are presented and the team captains pick one. Related to the picture is a poll based on it.

Here is a full episode. Start around 4 minutes for "What Are You Talking About?" where they discuss not only the world's economy but also the ever important question from a few months ago of whether or not JBiebs fathered a child.

Jimmy Carr is a stand up comedian and writer. His jokes have been known to be controversial at times and very dark. Nothing seems off limits. The shortest joke he knows is "Venison's dear isn't it?". He is a native of Limerick, Ireland and went to university at Cambridge. Connecting this with last week's entry: He has appeared on Top Gear twice. The Stig has said that he was the worst driver they had had on the show but he did set a new track record for the show. He also hosts Big Fat Quiz Show of the Year.

Sean Lock is also a stand up comedian. Before breaking out onto the comedy circuit, he was a construction worker. He has been active since 1993, after appearing in a few television roles. He was on The Big Fat Quiz Show of the Year with James Corden in 2008 and lost by four points.





Jon Richardson is another British comedian. He often jokes about and is made fun of for his obsessive compulsive disorder. He wrote a book entitled It's Not Me, It's You in 2011 about his trouble having relationships because of his condition. He was originally studying Hispanic Studies at Bristol University until he dropped out and pursued comedy. Good decision on his part I do believe.


Essentially, the guests and captains just banter with each other about current events or the polls they are asked. I can't think of a single show in the States where this set up is even remotely similar. And we are sorely missing out on some great opportunities for comedy because of it. I would give this show 10 out of 10 cats.

*Jedward – twin boys , John and Edward, from Ireland who were on the 2009 X Factor. They are famous for being annoying. Example: