Watchings

[royalmarriage]

Over the weekend, I watched Beautiful Thing. I'd sort of been reminded about it last year after Hettie McDonald directed the Blink episode of Doctor Who. Despite having a copy of Beautiful Thing for some time, and despite having loved the stage version (this was back in the days when I regularly went to see every new production the Bush Theatre staged. IIRC, I went to see Beautiful Thing a second time, and then again when it transferred to the Donmar).

Got to be honest, both from the perspective of the film as an adaptation of a play I remember really adoring (even though I don't remember much of the detail of the play at this late remove) and from the perspective of having been directed by someone who demonstrated such flair on Blink, I found it really rather disappointing. Which is a shame. :o(

On Monday, I watched Drama Queen, BBC4's tribute to Verity Lambert. Didn't, unfortunately, stay up for or remember to record the Adam Adamant Lives! episode that was shown later that evening (or the Cult of... that preceded it), but boy, she produced some brilliant stuff in her career. I'd love to see The Naked Civil Servant again (I say "again" - I'm pretty sure I saw it once - there must have been a repeat in the late 80s), and GBH (which given that its first episode is named after a Pet Shop Boys song and film* and that it features a Doctor Who convention in a hotel, I'm kind of vaguely amazed that I've not already seen), and Shoulder to Shoulder (her series about the suffragette movement) looked wonderful. And I'd forgotten that Cinema Verity was responsible for May to December, which I remember being quite fond of, although So Haunt Me left me feeling a bit meh. And Jonathan Creek, of course...**

I've now started watching the second series of Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive, on the grounds that it's got Russell Tovey in the cast.

Tim and I are off quizzing tonight, and then tomorrow I've got the day off work (nominally for a bit of spring cleaning, and then we're going up to London to see The Now Show in the evening. I'm rather annoyed to discover that Frankie Boyle is one of the guest stars on next week's show *narked*

David.

* Well, possibly.

**Drawing a discrete veil over El Dorado.

Comments

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

I'd totally forgotten about So haunt me! I loved that ;0)

[loveandgarbage.livejournal.com]

GBH is quite possibly the best drama ever made for British TV. It's available on DVD but was also available via the 4oD system earlier in the year. I've not checked recently. More 4 have also repeated it twice in the past year and a half. It is quite magnificent stuff.

Scott

[taurenova.livejournal.com]

I watched Beautiful Thing last week. Quite enjoyed it, really. Though I thought I would die from the awkwardness of the boys.

It did make me want to watch The Bill episodes with Gilmore and Ashton again. *waits patiently for the release of the DVDs*

*and waits*

Oh and: *envies you over The Now Show*

[elfinessy.livejournal.com]

I saw GBH when it first aired and absolutely loved it. The Doctor Who convention is genius.

[elfinessy.livejournal.com]

Not sure why, but the only thing Rob Brydon's ever done that's made me laugh was Black Books....

[bellavida.livejournal.com]

The Donmar is one of my very favourite theatres. I would love to live close to the heart of London and be able to see a play there whenever I wanted.

PS. I got my Wilf icon. :)