Perhaps, Perhaps

Yeah I'm just a stupid Yank, but I have really become enthralled with British television.First it was The Avengers. God, I love Emma Peel. Then it was Patrick McGoohan as The Prisoner, even before Danger Man and Secret Agent.Then there was a lapse until I decided to produce a video about comics, fantasy and that stuff when the "Doctor Who" tour came to the U.S. and I worked in an interview with the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee while he was in town. It was a great interview and I spent a wonderful evening at a Japanese steak house with Jon and found him totally enchanting, much to the dismay of his superiors who were pissed I bought him dinner and he still got his per diem. I then took my film crew to Columbus Georgia for a fan convention featuring many Star Trek and Doctor Who stars. I was there when the second "Doctor" Patrick Troughton unfortunately passed away at that convention. I then began my obession with Doctor Who. The Birmingham Alabama PBS station was showing the Pertwee "Who" episodes and I followed them through all seven incarnations of the "classic" Doctors. I doubt I would have had the patience to follow them through the normal 30 minute episodic format. I hate continued stories. Thank goodness the PBS station ran the "edited "movie" versions of them. Cheesy special effects and the switch from film on location to video tape in studio, was difficult to handle, but I kept up with it. It was absolutely an aquired taste. However the plots, characters and acting overshadowed the production values of the program and I became a great fan. The series, but not my interest, ended in 1989. Somewhere along the line I discover "Absolutely Fabulous" and fell in love again. Two Brit babes, Patsy & Edina, stuck in the 60's coping with the present. Joanna Lumley as Patsy is a treasure. My favorite lines from her are...when she thinks that customs have found cocaine in her baggage and detain her, only to find out that the powder is talc, she beats on a door yelling, "Do you know how much I paid for that white powder?" and when Eddy says "You quit drinking once", and she answered, "The worst eight hours of my life". Too damn funny, in context. Fast forward to 1996. Paul McGann played the Doctor in a one off TV movie jointly produced by the BBC and FOX, who "wisely" scheduled it against a huge season finale of Rosanne where Dan had a heart attack, and it never got picked up as a series due to ratings. It did well in the UK and was a great show though. FOX's loss. Fast Forward to 2005. Russell T. Davies, creator of the original "Queer As Folk" brings back Doctor Who for the BBC with great stories, a great cast and to tremendous ratings in the UK. It enthrals me once again. I then discover the BBC comedies on PBS, "As Time Goes By" With Judi Dench, the bawdy "Are You Being Served" and BBC America. Great stuff. I must say that Stephen Moffit is the best writer in Britian. He created the original version of Coupling. This has been compared to Friends but is so much funnier. I have yet to see our version so I have no comparison, sorry. It was cancelled after the 4th epsode. He has also created a wonderful adaptation of the Jekyll & Hyde saga as "Jekyll" that will chill you to the bone. Not only that he has written some of the best Doctor Who episodes written for the new series. "The Empty Child & Doctor Dances" in series one and "The Girl In The Fireplace" in series two, have won Hugo awards for best short form science fiction. I suspect "Blink" which is one of the scariest TV episodes of any show you are likely to see will be nominated again this year. That is amazing just because it is a "Doctor Lite" episode. That means that the Doctor doesn't appear much. This is due to the fact that the way the programs filming proceeds through the 9 months of filming. One episode is very "Doctor free". It still ranks as one of the best Doctor Who episodes ever. Back on track though. BBC America, would be a major cable channel if it was on basic cable & not an extended digital subscription basis. Shows that should not be missed here are "Torchwood", "Robin Hood", "Doctor Who", even if they are a season behind the SciFi channel with thier broadcasts, Coupling...so much funnier than "Friends" and what a great theme song, "Perhaps, Perhaps" by Mari Wilson, "Jekyll" and "Absolutely Fabulous".Once you have delved into these shows you are ready for the rest of their lineup. You might turn on closed captioning though. We yanks really can't hear the British accect well enough. Enjoy!!!!!