(no subject)
Mar. 1st, 2009 10:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pedantherSunday night television has become boring again: Cranford has come to an end, and Rob Kelly's Doctor Who-themed run on The Einstein Factor has fallen flat after two episodes.
The Einstein Factor, for the furriners on my friends-list, is an Australian quiz show in which each contestant has to nominate a special subject, like 'Classical Greek mythology' or 'Aircraft of the Second World War'. In each episode, three contestants each face a round of questions about their special subject, then compete against each other in two rounds of general knowledge questions.
Obviously, they didn't wait all this time to have somebody whose special subject was 'Doctor Who' - the appropriately-named David Campbell took old-school Who as his subject back when that was the only Who there was, and won that year's Grand Final.
Rob Kelly's special subject has been new-school Who, of which there is apparently now enough to qualify. Obviously, we'd been hoping he'd repeat the feat of carrying the Grand Final, but this week he was beaten by a determined gentleman whose special subject was The Battle of Gettysburg.
Ah, well.
On to a more cheering topic:
Cranford is a British costume drama, combining three short novels by Elizabeth Gaskell (one of which is also titled Cranford, and two of which aren't). It stars a large chunk of England's top-flight acting talent, led by Dame Judi Dench and Imelda Staunton. And Philip Glenister, for those of you who like to know when that happens.
The producer is Sue Birtwistle, who also produced that famous version of Pride and Prejudice. (Speaking of which, Julia Sawalha is also in it, in a role that makes an interesting contrast with her role in P&P.)
This recitation of facts you can look up yourself anyway is because I'm not very coherent about why I like things, and I like Cranford very much. It's heartwarming and funny and dramatic in all the right places and if you think there's any chance you might like it, you very probably will.
(And Philip Glenister's character totally saves the day, at least as far as all the characters derived from the same novel as him are concerned.)
Next week in the same timeslot is the first episode of Lost in Austen. I think I'll pass, thanks.
The Einstein Factor, for the furriners on my friends-list, is an Australian quiz show in which each contestant has to nominate a special subject, like 'Classical Greek mythology' or 'Aircraft of the Second World War'. In each episode, three contestants each face a round of questions about their special subject, then compete against each other in two rounds of general knowledge questions.
Obviously, they didn't wait all this time to have somebody whose special subject was 'Doctor Who' - the appropriately-named David Campbell took old-school Who as his subject back when that was the only Who there was, and won that year's Grand Final.
Rob Kelly's special subject has been new-school Who, of which there is apparently now enough to qualify. Obviously, we'd been hoping he'd repeat the feat of carrying the Grand Final, but this week he was beaten by a determined gentleman whose special subject was The Battle of Gettysburg.
Ah, well.
On to a more cheering topic:
Cranford is a British costume drama, combining three short novels by Elizabeth Gaskell (one of which is also titled Cranford, and two of which aren't). It stars a large chunk of England's top-flight acting talent, led by Dame Judi Dench and Imelda Staunton. And Philip Glenister, for those of you who like to know when that happens.
The producer is Sue Birtwistle, who also produced that famous version of Pride and Prejudice. (Speaking of which, Julia Sawalha is also in it, in a role that makes an interesting contrast with her role in P&P.)
This recitation of facts you can look up yourself anyway is because I'm not very coherent about why I like things, and I like Cranford very much. It's heartwarming and funny and dramatic in all the right places and if you think there's any chance you might like it, you very probably will.
(And Philip Glenister's character totally saves the day, at least as far as all the characters derived from the same novel as him are concerned.)
Next week in the same timeslot is the first episode of Lost in Austen. I think I'll pass, thanks.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-01 08:03 pm (UTC)I have to say, you might not want to give up on Lost in Austen so soon. Cranford it's not, sadly, but if you're prepared to give it a go, it's definitely the most entertaining thing ITV has come up with a long while. I hear tell that there will be a film version, possibly.
And it holds together even though for a while it looks as though it might not. Plus Hugh Bonneville makes a great Mr Bennet. And great Mr Bennets are very important. Of course, if you don't like it, you can then complain at me after!!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-02 11:05 am (UTC)However, I agree that a great Mr Bennet is an important point in its favour.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-02 05:53 pm (UTC)However, if you have a good book (and it sounds as though you have plenty), that's all right, then. But still, he does make a great Mr Bennet!! ;-)