FanFare

A tale of power, glory, and gore from Arthur to Elizabeth 1 by David Mitchell [more inside]
posted by winesong on Feb 6, 2024 - 10 comments

A drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times, set in an English coastal town in the early 1980s.
posted by ob1quixote on Mar 23, 2023 - 2 comments

A bingeable three-episode series on Britbox/Amazon Prime about "the life and times of disgraced Labour politician John Stonehouse, a high-flying minister of Prime Minister Harold Wilson's government who vanished from the beach of a large luxury hotel in Florida in November 1974, leaving a neatly-folded pile of clothes as he swam into the sea, intent on faking his own death." (IMDB)
posted by Countess Elena on Feb 12, 2023 - 3 comments

A governmental think-tank, whose remit is to curb the independence of the intelligence service, has lost one of its key members, and Claude Whelan—one-time head of MI5's Regent’s Park—is tasked with tracking her down. But the trail leads straight back to the Park itself, with Diana Taverner as chief suspect. Has Diana overplayed her hand at last? What’s her counterpart, Moscow’s First Desk, doing in London? And does Jackson Lamb know more than he’s telling? Over at Slough House, with Shirley Dander in rehab, Roddy Ho in dress rehearsal, and new recruit Ashley Khan turning up the heat, the slow horses are doing what they do best, and adding a little bit of chaos to an already unstable situation… [more inside]
posted by Strutter Cane - United Planets Stilt Patrol on May 14, 2022 - 2 comments

Lovers Rock is a 2020 romance film directed by Steve McQueen and co-written by McQueen and Courttia Newland. It stars Micheal Ward and Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn as two lovers who meet at a reggae house party in 1980 in West London. The film was released as part of the anthology series Small Axe.
posted by latkes on Feb 14, 2021 - 4 comments

In 1987 Luton, in Thatcher's Britain, confronted by National Front racists on the streets and a stressed, angry father at home, a British Asian teenager learns to live his own life, get a new perspective on his Pakistani immigrant family, and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen. Directed and co-written by Gurinder Chadha (known for Bend It Like Beckham), with music by legendary Indian composer and film score creator A.R. Rahman. Inspired by a true story. [more inside]
posted by brainwane on Aug 17, 2019 - 9 comments

During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs in the balance. The newly-appointed British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler or to fight on against incredible odds. [more inside]
posted by gemmy on Jan 15, 2018 - 10 comments

LIKE NOTHING YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE! A gigantic sea lizard emerges from the ocean off the British coast and wrecks stuff, but is captured. Then its mother shows up. Oops! Mormo could not be reached by press time. Note that the short intro blurbs often seen in these writeups are taken from advertising for the movie. I don't myself claim you've never seen something like this obvious British Godzilla clone before. Leonard Maltin (a good sport) shows up in a couple of host segments! This episode is not available on YouTube. Premiered July 18, 1998. 17 episodes left. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Jan 11, 2018 - 8 comments

Two first-year students at Oxford University join the infamous Riot Club, where reputations can be made or destroyed over the course of a single evening. [more inside]
posted by fearfulsymmetry on Sep 21, 2015 - 3 comments

3rd in the series of Michael Apted's "Up Series" documentaries, this episode tracks our more mature and insightful protagonists as they enter adulthood, exploring both their lives and their thoughts about the two earlier films. Lynn is married and running a bookmobile, Simon works as a meatpacker, Sue seems happy as a travel agent, Paul the same as a bricklayer, Bruce studies advanced math and calls himself a Socialist, wealthy Suzy smokes and seems quite world-weary, Charles (making his last appearance) waxes philosophic, no-longer-so-shy Nick studies physics at Oxford, Neil squats in poverty, Peter lives in a dump with college roommates and taxi driver Tony and posh John argue about who came off worst in the earlier films. Spoilers for the entire series allowed as we continue weekly every 7 years to 56 Up. [more inside]
posted by mediareport on Aug 3, 2015 - 4 comments

“Why do we bring these children together? Because we want to catch a glimpse of England in the year 2000. The union leader and the business executive of the year 2000 are now seven years old. ‘Give me a child until he is seven, and I will give you the man.’” The 30-minute 1964 documentary Seven Up! profiles fourteen British seven-year-old boys and girls from across the class spectrum. It's the first documentary in the Up series, which continues to revisit the children (now adults) through the present day. Now, let's meet the kids! [more inside]
posted by Going To Maine on Jul 2, 2015 - 13 comments

In which we meet Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle, establish his style as a quiet, dogged, highly ethical dude, attempting to carry out police work during WWII, and are also introduced to his driver/sidekick "Sam", his son, newly enlisted Andrew, and his future assistant and recent war veteran, Paul Miller. [more inside]
posted by latkes on Mar 20, 2015 - 10 comments

The feature adaptation of Roger Lewis' book about the actor best remembered for his comedy on The Goon Show (radio), as Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther movies, comedy records, and much more. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Sep 22, 2014 - 2 comments

The story of King George VI of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Sep 21, 2014 - 8 comments