BBC1 - losing their grip?

Advantages: Best soap, news and sport at the moment
Disadvantages: Losing bits every year when money becomes more and more involved

...What is there that can be said about BBC1 these days? First they lost Des Lynam to ITV, now they have lost Match of the Day in its old form to ITV. They need to come back on track. Until the recent excellent cricket coverage on Channel 4, there is no doubt that BBC1 had a stronghold on almost all sports in terms of the quality of their presenters and their coverage. Currently the Sydney Olympics is being handled remarkably well by the BBC, on both 1 and 2. The sad thing is, soon all that will be left of this will be news, darts and table-tennis if they carry on in this vein....

BIGHORSE 25.09.2000 · Read review
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Review of BBC1

The Vicar of Comedy!

Advantages: Funny , Great storylines , Great acting
Disadvantages: Frank , only lasts 30 minutes

...* What is the Vicar of Dibley * The Vicar of Dibley is a BBC1 is a British sitcom starring Dawn French. The programme is set in a Oxfordshire village called' Dibley'. The programme ran between the years of 1994 and 2007.Although the programme has finished running , Sky channel Gold reguarly repeats episodes. * Background * When Dibley's vicar dies in the middle of a service , Geraldine becomes the new vicar. However the characters , on her arrival believe that it's all one big joke that she is their new vicar.Not because she's a bit loud and up for a laugh , but because she's a woman! At first they just won't accept it , however as the time goes on the villagers grow to love her. * So who Are The Characters ? * Here I will just give a brief description of each characters. There have been a few more than stated...

xdonzx 31.12.2007 · Read review
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Review of BBC1 - The Vicar of Dibley

Forget ITN News - BBC1 have it sorted

Advantages: Excellent news readers, reports and coverage, same time every night
Disadvantages: Not on at 9pm any more

...I was angered when BBC1 moved their main news programme from 9.00 p.m. to 10 p.m. I was used to the news at 9 and was happy with it there. Luckily for the BBC, the 10 o'clock news has proved to be very informative and the format well thought out. The link to the local news at 10.25 p.m. is also good - allowing the regional news a whole 10 minutes for their late broadcast. Conversely, what have ITN been up to? Do they even know? First it's the 11 o'clock news and now it's back to the 10 o'clock news - but when is it actually on at 10 o'clock? Mostly it seems to be on around 10.20 ish - sorry but then shouldn't it be renamed the 10.20 o'clock news? The format of the programme is poor, concentrating more on advertising the Tonight Programme with Trevor MacDonald and worrying about what will be read (briefly) after the ad break. I...

MichelleC 02.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of BBC1 - BBC News

A monster of a comedy

Advantages: Theme tune
Disadvantages: A bit of a silly premise to it

...This US sit-com has been shown on BBC1 and BBC2. It's been some years since it was on. I remember it being shown between 1990 and 1995. Research tells me there were about 70 episodes all together but I don't remember that many. It was actually only on for 3 years in the US but that was because it was given a straight run, unlike the BBC who messed about with the scheduling somewhat! This may be why it's difficult to count how many episodes there were. The programme was made by Amblin which I believe is owned by Steven Spielberg and Rick Baker, special effects creator extrordinaire (he helped on "Thriller" and "American Werewolf in London" for instance) did the make-up. The show was based on the film "Big Foot And The Hendersons" and the plot follows the Henderson family who take Harry in when the father accidentally knocks...

Mel27 03.04.2004 (04.04.2004) · Read review
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Review of BBC1 - Harry and the Hendersons

Classic comedy

Advantages: Very funny, well acted, well written - everything
Disadvantages: None

...Blackadder is one of the most popular of all British comedies, with 4 series made including a one off first shown at the dome, turning out to be one of its major attractions. It’s a historical comedy, with the 4 series set in 4 different periods of time, and features a great cast, with Rowan Atkinson as Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Baldrick. In the 3rd and 4th Series, Hugh Laurie comes in first as the dumb Price Regent, and then as Lieutenant George in Series 4. Stephen Fry makes an appearance in series 2 + 4 as Melchett, with a guest appearance in Series 3. Tim McInerny plays Percy in series 1 + 2, and then Captain Darling in Series 4. Then it also boasts two great comedy writers, Richard Curtis and Ben Elton. This is probably their best achievement. Series 1 is the least good, set in medieval times, and not...

Yeahmate 29.04.2001 · Read review
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Review of BBC1 - Blackadder

Another lame BBC comedy....

Advantages: Genuinely funny, good cast
Disadvantages: Sometimes can be a bit predictable.

...…actually no, this isn’t too bad. Maybe that’s because of the inclusion of Ardal O’Hanlan – best known as Dougal in “Father Ted” – as the main star of the show alongside Emily Joyce, who plays his girlfriend, Janet. You can see this half hour comedy show on BBC1 on a Monday evening at 8.30pm after “Eastenders” as a bit of light relief! Ardal O’Hanlan is George, otherwise known as…THERMOMAN the Superhero, from the planet Ultron! He sniffs out a problem (literally) anywhere across the Universe and can fly there in an instant to solve it – earthquakes, floods, war, just call on Thermoman. When not saving the world/Universe he tries to live an ordinary human life with his girlfriend with sometimes predictable misunderstandings but nevertheless, thanks to...

blurbubble 22.06.2001 · Read review
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Review of BBC1 - My Hero

Timeless Comedy Classic

Advantages: A timeless comedy classic
Disadvantages: None

...How wonderful it is that we are seeing a re-run on the popular 70's comedy series Dad's Army. This is one of those rare, timeless series which truely reflects British comedy at its very best. It is very funny. For those who are too young to remember the series when it was first shown or who have just never seen the show, it is the escapades of a troup of Home Guard soldiers based in a place called Warmington-on-sea during the second World War. The Home Guard were set up as a secondary army to guard Britain against attack, they were part time soldiers with little training and came from all walks of life. Dad's Army is made up with people from varying occupations, Jones the Butcher, Fraser the Undertaker, Captain Mainwaring a Bank Manager, Arthur his long suffering assistant and many more regular characters. The antics of this hotch...

jonwhite 23.12.2000 · Read review
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Review of BBC1 - Dad's Army

Funnier than a Shakespeare comedy

Advantages: All 4 series in one set
Disadvantages: Cost

...It'll make you as happy as a Frenchman who has discovered a pair of self-removing trousers. Yes, this is a review of "The Complete Blackadder" Blackadder first appeared on BBC1 in 1983 and the final series was shown in 1989. Various TV and live specials have been done but this box-set contains series 1-4. The programme recently came second in a BBC poll. About 1 and a half million people voted in "Britain's Best Sitcom". Series One - The Blackadder was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson and is set in the Middle Ages. It is highly under-rated, even by Rowan himself. The humour is very subtle and the cleverness of it possibly by-passes a lot of people. The fact that Baldrick is more clever than Blackadder is very much a Shakespearean idea, in my view. We don't expect the main anti-hero to be thicker than his servant...

Mel27 13.02.2004 (22.07.2005) · Read review
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Review of BBC1 - Blackadder

Classic British comedy!!

Advantages: You split your sides with laughter!
Disadvantages: Only 12 episodes were made

...Hello folks and welcome to my review of another one of my favourite British comedies. Fawlty Towers - ahhh, British humour at its finest, despite the fact that they only made 12 episodes. (That has got to be a crime depriving the British public like that) But those 12 episodes have made their mark on British viewing public for decades. I’m still in hysterics when I watch these 12 fantastic episodes, so for those of you who have never heard of Fawlty Towers (and shame on you for not watching!! tee hee) here’s the 411. Fawlty Towers was filmed in the 70’s and is based on a hotel run by Basil Fawlty and his wife Sybil. Along with the rest of their staff, Polly, Manuel and a few other regular characters, they band together to make up this motley crew. Running a hotel isn’t as easy as it looks however...

LR_17 18.03.2004 · Read review
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Review of BBC1 - Fawlty Towers

Top 10 Comedy Sitcoms

Advantages: GREAT !!!!!!
Disadvantages: NONE !!!!!

...Top Ten TV Sitcoms. Love TV comedy but until I started compiling this list I didn't realise how many good ones where actually out there, or have been out there. Anyhow here is my top 10: 1. Porridge. My all time favourite. Norman Stanley Fletcher, You have pleaded guilty to the charges brought by this court, and it is now my duty to pass sentence. You are a habitual criminal who accepts arrest as an occupational hazard and presumably accepts imprisonment in the same casual manner. We therefore feel constrained to commit you to the maximum term allowed for such offences. You will go to prison for five years. The unforgettable opening narration, as voiced by Ronnie Barker Fletcher, Godber, Mr McKay, Mr Barrowclough, Grouty, Bunny Warren, Orible Harris, Jock, Samson and Delilah. All existing behind the prison walls, all...

Maximus-Qualitus 14.07.2008 · Read review
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Review of Top 10 Best Comedy Series