I have come to the conclusion that the BBC is absolutely and utterly brilliant. I’ve been trying to find some tv shows or movies to watch while I am giving plasma, because I can barely stay away anymore if I read, even if it’s a really really good book. I relax so much when I donate that I can barely keep my eyes open. Visual entertainment still seems to keep me awake, however, but it seems that there are about 46 million versions of the same tv show on right now, and our local library has them all on dvd. Yawn. I was excited when shows like “Lost” and “24″ came on, (“CSI” was always pretty cool, too) because this was some honest to goodness creative thinking by Hollywood. But now just about every single show copies this format in some way. Now, I like these originals, but I don’t want to watch all the copies because they are not as good. They are a cheap imitation, like instant coffee: it’s not as good as the original.
So I decided to start branching out, since our library does have an amazing video collection (the books, however, leave much to be desired). I watched a couple of things from the BBC, and they were brilliant. So I kept watching different BBC shows, and they continued to be AMAZING. They are everything many American shows are not: interesting, intelligent, and CREATIVE. Awhile ago my Brother in law posted a blog about books he’s been reading over the summer, and I think I’ll do that too (I am in desperate search for a good book…I’m running into similar problems in literature), but here are a few reviews of some shows from the BBC that I’ve been enjoying.
1. Around the World in Eighty Days with Michael Palin. Yes, THAT Michael Palin, the “It’s…” guy from Monty Python. This is what American reality shows should be. In this 7 part mini-series, Palin decides to see if he can go around the world like Phileous Fogg from the Verne book. And the trick is he can’t use airplanes. So he goes by train, cargo ship, even a dhow. It was interesting to see different cultures and different methods of travel. I think what made this show fantastic was Palin’s sense of humor (not completely over the top, but a normal sense of humor) combined with his ability to find interesting people. He didn’t focus long on the areas he visited, his main focus was on the people in those areas. Of course, being a comic, he can’t help himself and put in a few sight gags, puns, and subtle references to Monty Python (One of the highlights of this show was watching him slowly slip into insanity during his cargo boat trip across the pacific. Hilarious!). I highly recommend this show if you catch it on PBS or a cable show or something. This was filmed around 1989, and since then has made several other BBC travel shows, which I am excited to say our library has most of them. He has also written books about his trip, and you can read them online free on his website.
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2. “Spaced”. This is from the “Shawn of the Dead” team, and I have decided that Simon Pegg can do no wrong. A short, two season long show about a guy and a girl who pretend to be married so they can rent a really cool flat. The awesome twist is all the subtle sci-fi and other nerdy references they work into the show. They parody so many shows, that you really have to know some obscure movies to understand a few of the references. It’s brilliant. And hilarious, especially the paint ball episode.
3. Other comedy: “Blackadder” and “Mr. Bean”, starring Rowan Atkinson. I don’t think I need to say anymore about this. These shows are brilliantly funny on an absurdist level. And, Christmas just doesn’t seem right without watching the Christmas episode of Mr. Bean.
4. Doctor Who (the new series, haven’t seen the old one): quite possibly the best sci-fi show I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot. Fantastically acted, incredibly well written, great special effects, and just Brilliant.
5. The Inspecter Lynley series, about an aristocratic Scotland Yard Inspector Lynley, and the lower working class sidekick, Sgt. Havers. What’s great about this show is that the two main characters will most likely not be falling in love, and it’s refreshing to see a guy and girl work together as friends (although she really really hates him at first, but in a funny kind of way.)
