board77

I am starting a thread to help me avoid thinking about a certain marital situation. Dear God, just thinking about it has me whimpering. (shudders)

Anyway I started a thread over on TORC a while ago to enable people to talk about recent programmes that merit discussion and thought a thread here might be useful too. The TORC thread turned into a discussion of TV comedy but really anything could fit here whatever the level.

So I will start with a cheer for a series on paintings on BBC2, The Secret Life of Paintings. I missed the first but last week's was about Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People and tonight's was Vermeer's The Art of Painting. They are packed with information about the social and historical backgrounds to the works. Tonight for instance I learnt that if a Dutch artist of that period sold all his works he had nothing to show to encourage fresh sales. Vermeer kept this particular work, his largest, through all the years of his poverty and his widow tried to hide it so it couldn't be sold to pay off the debts. Leeuwoenhoek (sp?) the famous microscopist was the administrator of Vermeer's estate and insisted on its sale. A good series that treats its audience with respect.

Over to you - I've still got those images in my mind - HELP!

THe trouble with our TV is that I can never get to watch it when all the good programmes are actually on, and yes I know there is this device called a video, and my house is chocka with unwatched tapes, so much of what we get is complete rubbish, endless tedious programmes featuring the terminally stupid, who are either wanting to decorate/sell/do up their house, or alternatively are gawping at cooks, why the f don't these people just get on with it, instead of coming on TV, where they attract a bunch of other people who are even more vacuous than they are.

Having said that I just watched episode 3 of the New Doctor Who and it is fantastic, interesting and funny, and we haven't yet really seen any sticky back plastic and waship up liquid robots yet, the acting is good, the writing brilliant, andBillie Piper has the best council-house chic since the demise of the spice girls

'The stiffs are restless again.' delivered in a Welsh accent Good emotional depth too.

Good thread, Tosh. Did anybody see that program I missed the other day, the one about government sanctioned torture? (Nice happy stuff, I know... )

*~Pips~*

I only watch "Dr. Who".

And "What Not To Wear".

Can I talk about clothes?

We never miss the American "What Not to Wear." My husband is obsessed.

Q_B, what I really want to ask is--is the new "Dr. Who" all right?

Please let it be all right.

I must have taped several hundred hours when we lived in LA in the 80's, but up here no one shows the old shows and the DVDs are so darn expensive--$20 for a single four-part episode, when a whole season of many other shows costs $40. And my kids are watching the tapes into rags. I was hoping (a) a new show would be worth watching in itself and (b) if it succeeded, the old shows might find their way onto American TV.

'The Office' was the best TV show ever.

Except for all those other shows that were better.

But it's still pretty damn good!

The final episode was super crazy brilliant.

Watch it or suffer the consequences.

Quote:

Q_B, what I really want to ask is--is the new "Dr. Who" all right?

ALL RIGHT????

IT'S AWESOME!!!!!!!

What Queen B. said!

It's awesome!



Just like the Dr. Who of old - my Golden Age was the Tom Baker/Elisabeth Sladen era, mid 1970s, my adolescence. Intelligent, quirky, lots of fun, rather eerie, with a great sense of humour and a fandabbydozy budget. And Billie Piper is fabulous. The Spice Girl Ne Plus Ultra.

At long LAST we get a decent sci-fi series for British TV. The good Doctor is back - and how!

Next week a UFO crashes into Big Ben - w00t! - but I am on tenterhooks until the Dalek episode. *bounces*

Tosh, I watched that documentary on Vermeer too. What an amazing history that painting had ... chosen by Hitler for his art collection ... ... thank heavens it was rescued from the Nazis ...

Oh yes, and I sometimes watch 'What not to wear'. Trinny and Susannah may be a couple of cows but they are usually RIGHT. It's fascinating to watch the transformation of their 'victim' - very interesting how the way someone dresses reveals all sorts of things about themselves.

I wouldn't mind if they made me cry - not if they gave me £2,000 to blow on new clothes, thankyouverymuch.

Who heads up the US version, Primmy?

OMG Tom Baker IS the Doctor! And Elisabeth Sladen OMG!

I saw them in the '80s and was older, but that was THE doctor and THE companion for me.

And this new show is worthy?

OMG!!!!!

If only there were hope it would show up over here soon--Sci Fi in their infinite wisdom passed on it.

WNTW in the U.S. is headed by Stacey (a tall thin brunette who wears lots of teenagery looks IMHO) and Clinton (a charming and often very sharply dressed fellow). I've never seen the British show, but we like this one because it's not nasty. They are harsh at times, but good-hearted and the victim always looks better.

"What the Shakespeare!"

Prim, I have a DivX of Episode 1 if you're interested...

I've never seen Dr. Who and don't know what it is. If it is British, then I don't get it-- though, I don't even get much of my tv because I don't have cable. I've watched "What Not To Wear" a number of times and each time makes me hate that woman more and more. Some episodes she wears the ugliest crap and then stands there telling others what they should and should not wear. WTF!

As for British tv shows: Father Ted is brilliant, Office rocks and Black Adder was pretty cool. I recently discovered that Fawlty Towers is on one of the pbs stations. I am quite happy about this.

The ABC here in Australia just bought the rights to the new Dr Who!! One is looking fiorward to it muchly. *bounces as well* They have been repeating the old ones from teh first ever (which I was way too young to see, not even born) 1st Doctor I rememebr is number 2 and only in bits. The Cybermen freaked me out when I was little.
They are now up to the Keys of Time. Tom Baker is definately the best DOCTOR ever!

nl

Sales of sofas rocketed across the UK after last Saturdays episode as children demanded something to hide behind. It will revitalise the furniture industry.