Summer Talking Meme #1
I've had a few answers for this meme done or semi-done for a while, so it's about time I posted one, and here goes - From femme_slash_fan: Favourite TV shows almost nobody knows about and should watch? (Seriously... I need more stuff)
Shows that nobody else knows about seems to sum up my entire fannish life of late (and always, really), but since femme_slash_fan specified "and should watch", that's a whole other thing. I have plenty of strange things I love - I don't necessarily think anyone else should have to watch them!
I avoided anything with its own (reasonably active) fandom, like Blake's 7, Sapphire & Steel and The Avengers (obviously, people have heard of them, if they're being fannish about them), and anything I thought was too inaccessible to count as something people should watch. What counts as something 'nobody's heard of' is so relative anyway. (Some of these things really don't count if you're British but do count if you live anywhere else. What can I do?). Of course, much of it assumes some willingness to watch studio-bound, video-taped old British TV of some kind, which I know not everyone is up for. If you are, or you're willing to try, these aren't bad places to start.
Anyway, here's a list! Not in any particular order, really. (I numbered them so I would know to stop if I went over ten, because that would be silly.)
1. Adam Adamant Lives! (BBC 1966-67)
Adam: "You do realise that I abhor your interference in this affair?"
Georgie: "Oh, when you say things like that I go all warm and cuddly."
This is a cult 60s show about an Edwardian adventurer (Gerald Harper) who gets frozen in ice and wakes up in 1966, where he meets Georgina Jones (Juliet Harmer), a DJ at a night club, and together they fight (quirky) crime! Well, actually, they fight crime sort of separately, since Adam doesn't approve of girls putting themselves in danger and Georgie doesn't approve of being left out of the fun. The main characters are completed by Simms, Adam's limerick-loving manservant (Jack May). It was created by Sydney Newman and produced by Verity Lambert, whom you might have heard of. Like most 60s shows, I could list its flaws (it's not an ITC film serial, so expect Classic Who levels of quality & effects, rather than The Avengers or something like that), but such a list would be rendered completely superfluous by its adorable charm and sense of fun and the chemistry of the leads.
Here on YouTube. (Also, the amazing super-60s theme, and a [non-spoilery] Georgie & Adam vid I made, which hopefully captures some of the fun of it.)
tl;dr: adorable out-of-time 60s shenanigans you didn't know you needed in your life, but you did.
2. Press Gang (ITV, 1989-1994)
"Okay - it's like this. There's a tribe living by a river, and in the river there are crocodiles. The tribe has one particular piece of wisdom passed down through the generations. It goes like this: if you happen to meet a crocodile, don't stick your head in its mouth. Every now and then - and who knows the reason - people ignore this advice. Which is sad. Because they die. But very stupid because they were warned. They had a choice. The moral of this story is - you can't afford to be stupid. There are crocodiles."
90s teen drama that was the first thing Steven Moffat wrote, about a group of sixth-formers who run a newspaper for young people. It's funny, surreal, smart, and has a knack for taking running jokes and stabbing you in the heart with them. Julia Sawalha is outstanding as Lynda Day, the Junior Gazette's editor and resident dictator. Then there's the love/hate relationship between Lynda and Spike Thomson (Spike: "You don't happen to be jealous of a girl I've never even met, do you?"/ Lynda: "Of course I'm jealous, Spike. I wish I was a girl you've never even met!"), her best friend Kenny (who's so nice that teddy bears sneer at him), Sarah Jackson (brilliant at features, rubbish at exams), and then there's Colin, who is probably living on another planet (or has certainly sent the accounts there, honest). There is no way to explain Colin, which is another reason people just have to watch it. It's funnier than most comedies, sharply written, and willing to take you to hell and back in 20 minutes sometimes. I couldn't be happier than to have had this as my teenage obsession. You'll find, in addition to Julia Sawalha, a young Dexter Fletcher (sporting a dodgy US accent), Lee Ross, Paul Reynolds, Gabrielle Anwar and Lucy Benjamin. It takes a little while to get up and running, but once it does, there's no looking back. (For my money, the first episode that hits all the typical Press Gang notes is "A Night In". But S1 does show its age more than most of PG, but if that bothers you, it's perfectly accessible to skip to S2 or S3 and come back later.)
You can usually find the entire series pretty cheap second hand in the UK; if you're elsewhere, it's all up on YouTube at the moment. (Keep an eye out for the inevitable Doctor Who references, and then later you can watch out for the inevitable Press Gang references in Doctor Who and Sherlock.)
tl;dr: living without Lynda Day in your life is just silly. (Unless maybe you're a rabid hater of Steven Moffat, I suppose. Which is sad. Maybe in 10 years you can come back and love Lynda and co anyway.)
3. Elizabeth R (BBC 1970)
"All my life, I have been shadowed by conspiracy. The axe, the dagger, the block... they are as familiar to me as spring flowers to a countryman. Fears and doubts circle my head like black crows around a corpse. Every time a new treachery is revealed, I am strangely surprised. Foolishly, I expect good in a world where men pursue evil."
This tends to vie with I, Claudius for the BBC's greatest historical drama of all time, and there's a reason for that (for my money, Elizabeth R's got the prize, but that may be because I'm still scarred by nightmares about Brian Blessed getting poisoned. Thanks, IC). It's six 1&1/2hr episodes - effectively six linked plays - really well written and Glenda Jackson is so amazing in the lead role that she puts all the great actors who've played that role before & since into the shade. It's still a studio-bound BBC effort (they really don't run to actual ships for the Spanish Armada), but it's layered, brilliantly played, critical of Elizabeth as well as being sympathetic to her & I love the collected Privy Council. Maybe slow in places, but still utterly amazing telly.
Here on YouTube.
tl;dr: Glenda Jackson rules. Come prepared for the occasional surprisingly graphic beheading.
4. Campion (BBC 1989-90)
"My dear young optimist, what you're saying is, here's a nice war, come and join it."
Pitch-perfect adaptation of the books starring Peter Davison and Brian Glover. It's charming, amusing, & engaging. It was also a main BBC drama and was shot on film, so it's relatively shiny compared to most of these things.
Here on YouTube.
tl;dr: Why wouldn't you want to see Peter Davison as a specialist in fairy tales 1930s detective?
5. Enemy at the Door (ITV 1978-80)
“Whatever may be the abuse of man, that is the use of nature - first survive. Oh, you’re right. We get used to anything, because we’ve had to over a million years or more. Evolution is an obstacle race. Need I tell a doctor that? And we are here to testify to our adaptability.”
Drama about the German Occupation of the Channel Islands in WWII. As I've mentioned before, it's just so well-written and willing to acknowledge the complications of life and humanity. The ensemble cast is strong (especially the German officers, but also Bernard Horsfall and others), and there are a lot of low-key but consistent ongoing character arcs across the two series. It can be rather slow-build at times, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Of course, it's also a bit heart-breaking, and unfortunately was cancelled before they reached the end of the war, but it remains one of my favourite things I've watched since I've been ill. Plus, there's an awesome librarian and wee Anthony Stewart Head.
I made a trailer and you can find the series here on YouTube (though it still seems to be minus ep2).
tl;dr: Show that thoughtfully uses its setting to explore all shades of the phrase "living with the enemy".
6. The House of Eliott (1992-1994)
"You know what I think? I think it's high time the Eliott sisters had some fun!"
Ah, House of Eliott, why do I still love you so much? Who can tell? But there is something eternally addictive about this 1990s historical drama starring Louise Lombard and Stella Gonet as sisters who set up their own fashion house in 1920s London after being left virtually penniless when their repressive father dies. If you're frustrated by Downton sometimes, this is a good alternative, as it deals with women in the 1920s at all levels (Bea, Evie, their rich clients, the workroom staff and more). Sometimes it may try too hard to check off all the relevant historical points, but I don't care. It's fun and covers an awful lot and the three leads are all ridiculously pretty and engaging. The BBC even have all three series legally up on YouTube for free, even if it may be blocked in some countries. (Judging by the border and lack of theme tune, I think someone's been getting round it here, and the DVDs have been out most places for ages, anyway, so you may be able to pick it up all sorts of ways). Plus, the main ship is actually moving & great. Fashion! Multiple vehicle crashes of all kinds! Social upheaval! Drugs! Movie-making! Aunt Lydia does not approve!
Oh, and then there's the French & Saunders parody here.
tl;dr: Two sisters take on the world and win. Also pretty dresses. \o/
7. The Flipside of Dominic Hide (BBC 1980)
This is an odd little one, but it's actually really good. It was part of the Play For Today series, and it's a time-travel story starring Peter Firth (aka Harry from Spooks), looking oddly like some kind of love child of the Fifth and Sixth Doctors. I was not at all sure what to make of it at first, but if you like old-school BBC SF, and time travel, then get it, keep watching and thank me after. I can't explain, because explaining would spoil it (and it's not so much the twist, which is kind of obvious, so much as the tone of the thing). The original's that bit better than the sequel, but they're both very enjoyable. Watch out for unexpected!naked!Peter Firth, though. (Mind, I suppose, after Equus, it isn't unexpected? It was for me; he's Harry Pearce! /o\)
Here on YouTube.
tl;dr: Great little one-off time-travelling drama. (Naked Peter Firth may be a bug or a feature; YMMV.)
8. Richard III (BBC 1980)
Can Richard III be a thing almost nobody's heard of? Maybe not, but of all the BBC Shakespeare plays this one probably surprised and impressed me the most (so far!). Jane Howell's direction (in this and in the Henry VI's) impressively highlights the power and lack of power of the women, Ron Cook manages to be sort of adorably villainous, and, without transposing anything to another century, it's fully aware of the play as a universal portrait of evil, finishing on the inevitable end result of any evil regime. It's very artificial and theatrical, but it's supposed to be. The set is made up as a children's playground, against which the Wars of the Roses are fought (as battle games that become more and more serious), and throughout the Henry VI's it gradually darkens until you can't quite see what it is in Richard III. It's also, I believe, pretty much the full play. So it depends a lot on your toleration for Shakespeare and old BBC TV, but if you like both, it's well worth seeing, & the cast includes Zoe Wanamaker and Annette Crosbie.
tl;dr: It's the ultimate portrait of evil on a really fake background. Welcome to the world of the BBC Shakespeare Collection. It is a silly yet awesome place.
(I stopped before 10! Yay me!)
(Also, femme_slash_fan, if your question had been what should I rec for you personally, I'd say maybe The Duchess of Duke Street, Zodiac, Survivors, the 1968 ITV Dracula and The Power Game, as I know you're an old hand at ancient telly, and there's some good female characters in those. ;-) )
I would have included Public Eye and The Power Game, but I couldn't honestly claim either of them were "accessible" at this point, though TPG solely because of the poor quality of the surviving film copies, really. (Sadly Network don't run to restoration unless it's a big cult thing). Otherwise it is the most brilliant, cynical and snarky thing about making concrete you'll ever see and if you don't mind murky b&w things, you should absolutely watch it, and write me all the fic. And Public Eye is one of the best things ever, honest. ;-p
I thought a lot about Wish Me Luck and Survivors, too, but this list had a nice happy/angst balance. Still, if you're interested in WWII lady spies or post-apocalyptic things, they're both well worth watching.)
Crossposted from Dreamwidth -- Comments there:
Shows that nobody else knows about seems to sum up my entire fannish life of late (and always, really), but since femme_slash_fan specified "and should watch", that's a whole other thing. I have plenty of strange things I love - I don't necessarily think anyone else should have to watch them!
I avoided anything with its own (reasonably active) fandom, like Blake's 7, Sapphire & Steel and The Avengers (obviously, people have heard of them, if they're being fannish about them), and anything I thought was too inaccessible to count as something people should watch. What counts as something 'nobody's heard of' is so relative anyway. (Some of these things really don't count if you're British but do count if you live anywhere else. What can I do?). Of course, much of it assumes some willingness to watch studio-bound, video-taped old British TV of some kind, which I know not everyone is up for. If you are, or you're willing to try, these aren't bad places to start.
Anyway, here's a list! Not in any particular order, really. (I numbered them so I would know to stop if I went over ten, because that would be silly.)
1. Adam Adamant Lives! (BBC 1966-67)
Adam: "You do realise that I abhor your interference in this affair?"
Georgie: "Oh, when you say things like that I go all warm and cuddly."
This is a cult 60s show about an Edwardian adventurer (Gerald Harper) who gets frozen in ice and wakes up in 1966, where he meets Georgina Jones (Juliet Harmer), a DJ at a night club, and together they fight (quirky) crime! Well, actually, they fight crime sort of separately, since Adam doesn't approve of girls putting themselves in danger and Georgie doesn't approve of being left out of the fun. The main characters are completed by Simms, Adam's limerick-loving manservant (Jack May). It was created by Sydney Newman and produced by Verity Lambert, whom you might have heard of. Like most 60s shows, I could list its flaws (it's not an ITC film serial, so expect Classic Who levels of quality & effects, rather than The Avengers or something like that), but such a list would be rendered completely superfluous by its adorable charm and sense of fun and the chemistry of the leads.
Here on YouTube. (Also, the amazing super-60s theme, and a [non-spoilery] Georgie & Adam vid I made, which hopefully captures some of the fun of it.)
tl;dr: adorable out-of-time 60s shenanigans you didn't know you needed in your life, but you did.
2. Press Gang (ITV, 1989-1994)
"Okay - it's like this. There's a tribe living by a river, and in the river there are crocodiles. The tribe has one particular piece of wisdom passed down through the generations. It goes like this: if you happen to meet a crocodile, don't stick your head in its mouth. Every now and then - and who knows the reason - people ignore this advice. Which is sad. Because they die. But very stupid because they were warned. They had a choice. The moral of this story is - you can't afford to be stupid. There are crocodiles."
90s teen drama that was the first thing Steven Moffat wrote, about a group of sixth-formers who run a newspaper for young people. It's funny, surreal, smart, and has a knack for taking running jokes and stabbing you in the heart with them. Julia Sawalha is outstanding as Lynda Day, the Junior Gazette's editor and resident dictator. Then there's the love/hate relationship between Lynda and Spike Thomson (Spike: "You don't happen to be jealous of a girl I've never even met, do you?"/ Lynda: "Of course I'm jealous, Spike. I wish I was a girl you've never even met!"), her best friend Kenny (who's so nice that teddy bears sneer at him), Sarah Jackson (brilliant at features, rubbish at exams), and then there's Colin, who is probably living on another planet (or has certainly sent the accounts there, honest). There is no way to explain Colin, which is another reason people just have to watch it. It's funnier than most comedies, sharply written, and willing to take you to hell and back in 20 minutes sometimes. I couldn't be happier than to have had this as my teenage obsession. You'll find, in addition to Julia Sawalha, a young Dexter Fletcher (sporting a dodgy US accent), Lee Ross, Paul Reynolds, Gabrielle Anwar and Lucy Benjamin. It takes a little while to get up and running, but once it does, there's no looking back. (For my money, the first episode that hits all the typical Press Gang notes is "A Night In". But S1 does show its age more than most of PG, but if that bothers you, it's perfectly accessible to skip to S2 or S3 and come back later.)
You can usually find the entire series pretty cheap second hand in the UK; if you're elsewhere, it's all up on YouTube at the moment. (Keep an eye out for the inevitable Doctor Who references, and then later you can watch out for the inevitable Press Gang references in Doctor Who and Sherlock.)
tl;dr: living without Lynda Day in your life is just silly. (Unless maybe you're a rabid hater of Steven Moffat, I suppose. Which is sad. Maybe in 10 years you can come back and love Lynda and co anyway.)
3. Elizabeth R (BBC 1970)
"All my life, I have been shadowed by conspiracy. The axe, the dagger, the block... they are as familiar to me as spring flowers to a countryman. Fears and doubts circle my head like black crows around a corpse. Every time a new treachery is revealed, I am strangely surprised. Foolishly, I expect good in a world where men pursue evil."
This tends to vie with I, Claudius for the BBC's greatest historical drama of all time, and there's a reason for that (for my money, Elizabeth R's got the prize, but that may be because I'm still scarred by nightmares about Brian Blessed getting poisoned. Thanks, IC). It's six 1&1/2hr episodes - effectively six linked plays - really well written and Glenda Jackson is so amazing in the lead role that she puts all the great actors who've played that role before & since into the shade. It's still a studio-bound BBC effort (they really don't run to actual ships for the Spanish Armada), but it's layered, brilliantly played, critical of Elizabeth as well as being sympathetic to her & I love the collected Privy Council. Maybe slow in places, but still utterly amazing telly.
Here on YouTube.
tl;dr: Glenda Jackson rules. Come prepared for the occasional surprisingly graphic beheading.
4. Campion (BBC 1989-90)
"My dear young optimist, what you're saying is, here's a nice war, come and join it."
Pitch-perfect adaptation of the books starring Peter Davison and Brian Glover. It's charming, amusing, & engaging. It was also a main BBC drama and was shot on film, so it's relatively shiny compared to most of these things.
Here on YouTube.
tl;dr: Why wouldn't you want to see Peter Davison as a specialist in fairy tales 1930s detective?
5. Enemy at the Door (ITV 1978-80)
“Whatever may be the abuse of man, that is the use of nature - first survive. Oh, you’re right. We get used to anything, because we’ve had to over a million years or more. Evolution is an obstacle race. Need I tell a doctor that? And we are here to testify to our adaptability.”
Drama about the German Occupation of the Channel Islands in WWII. As I've mentioned before, it's just so well-written and willing to acknowledge the complications of life and humanity. The ensemble cast is strong (especially the German officers, but also Bernard Horsfall and others), and there are a lot of low-key but consistent ongoing character arcs across the two series. It can be rather slow-build at times, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Of course, it's also a bit heart-breaking, and unfortunately was cancelled before they reached the end of the war, but it remains one of my favourite things I've watched since I've been ill. Plus, there's an awesome librarian and wee Anthony Stewart Head.
I made a trailer and you can find the series here on YouTube (though it still seems to be minus ep2).
tl;dr: Show that thoughtfully uses its setting to explore all shades of the phrase "living with the enemy".
6. The House of Eliott (1992-1994)
"You know what I think? I think it's high time the Eliott sisters had some fun!"
Ah, House of Eliott, why do I still love you so much? Who can tell? But there is something eternally addictive about this 1990s historical drama starring Louise Lombard and Stella Gonet as sisters who set up their own fashion house in 1920s London after being left virtually penniless when their repressive father dies. If you're frustrated by Downton sometimes, this is a good alternative, as it deals with women in the 1920s at all levels (Bea, Evie, their rich clients, the workroom staff and more). Sometimes it may try too hard to check off all the relevant historical points, but I don't care. It's fun and covers an awful lot and the three leads are all ridiculously pretty and engaging. The BBC even have all three series legally up on YouTube for free, even if it may be blocked in some countries. (Judging by the border and lack of theme tune, I think someone's been getting round it here, and the DVDs have been out most places for ages, anyway, so you may be able to pick it up all sorts of ways). Plus, the main ship is actually moving & great. Fashion! Multiple vehicle crashes of all kinds! Social upheaval! Drugs! Movie-making! Aunt Lydia does not approve!
Oh, and then there's the French & Saunders parody here.
tl;dr: Two sisters take on the world and win. Also pretty dresses. \o/
7. The Flipside of Dominic Hide (BBC 1980)
This is an odd little one, but it's actually really good. It was part of the Play For Today series, and it's a time-travel story starring Peter Firth (aka Harry from Spooks), looking oddly like some kind of love child of the Fifth and Sixth Doctors. I was not at all sure what to make of it at first, but if you like old-school BBC SF, and time travel, then get it, keep watching and thank me after. I can't explain, because explaining would spoil it (and it's not so much the twist, which is kind of obvious, so much as the tone of the thing). The original's that bit better than the sequel, but they're both very enjoyable. Watch out for unexpected!naked!Peter Firth, though. (Mind, I suppose, after Equus, it isn't unexpected? It was for me; he's Harry Pearce! /o\)
Here on YouTube.
tl;dr: Great little one-off time-travelling drama. (Naked Peter Firth may be a bug or a feature; YMMV.)
8. Richard III (BBC 1980)
Can Richard III be a thing almost nobody's heard of? Maybe not, but of all the BBC Shakespeare plays this one probably surprised and impressed me the most (so far!). Jane Howell's direction (in this and in the Henry VI's) impressively highlights the power and lack of power of the women, Ron Cook manages to be sort of adorably villainous, and, without transposing anything to another century, it's fully aware of the play as a universal portrait of evil, finishing on the inevitable end result of any evil regime. It's very artificial and theatrical, but it's supposed to be. The set is made up as a children's playground, against which the Wars of the Roses are fought (as battle games that become more and more serious), and throughout the Henry VI's it gradually darkens until you can't quite see what it is in Richard III. It's also, I believe, pretty much the full play. So it depends a lot on your toleration for Shakespeare and old BBC TV, but if you like both, it's well worth seeing, & the cast includes Zoe Wanamaker and Annette Crosbie.
tl;dr: It's the ultimate portrait of evil on a really fake background. Welcome to the world of the BBC Shakespeare Collection. It is a silly yet awesome place.
(I stopped before 10! Yay me!)
(Also, femme_slash_fan, if your question had been what should I rec for you personally, I'd say maybe The Duchess of Duke Street, Zodiac, Survivors, the 1968 ITV Dracula and The Power Game, as I know you're an old hand at ancient telly, and there's some good female characters in those. ;-) )
I would have included Public Eye and The Power Game, but I couldn't honestly claim either of them were "accessible" at this point, though TPG solely because of the poor quality of the surviving film copies, really. (Sadly Network don't run to restoration unless it's a big cult thing). Otherwise it is the most brilliant, cynical and snarky thing about making concrete you'll ever see and if you don't mind murky b&w things, you should absolutely watch it, and write me all the fic. And Public Eye is one of the best things ever, honest. ;-p
I thought a lot about Wish Me Luck and Survivors, too, but this list had a nice happy/angst balance. Still, if you're interested in WWII lady spies or post-apocalyptic things, they're both well worth watching.)
Crossposted from Dreamwidth -- Comments there: