Category Archives: BBC
Sherlock Character Blogs
Steven Moffat and Mark Gatniss like to create elaborate universes for their fanbase. This includes having the BBC create websites that exist in the worlds of both Sherlock and the fans. The following list only has official blogs for Sherlock characters. There are no weird fetish Tumblrs or LiveJournal entries about what someone would like to do with Sherlock, John, and a tub of Cool Whip.
The Science of Deduction
Sherlock’s website The Science of Deduction is identical to the one he updates in the show. It comes complete with a request for “interesting cases only please” and case files. Many of the case files direct those interested to John Watson’s blog because, according to Sherlock, people are more interested in what John has to say. Unfortunately, there is no phone number for female fans to call Benedict Cumberbatch asking for him to deduce some things.
The blog of Dr. John H. Watson
Sorry, Sherlock, but you’re right. John’s blog is more compelling. Prior to meeting Sherlock, John had nothing to write about, except for the occasional meeting with his mates. That all changed on January 29 (no year given). Since that fateful meeting, John has been blogging about his adventures with Sherlock. The posts correspond to specific Sherlock episodes, so John hasn’t update his blog in a while, but that should change when the first episode of series 3 airs on October 31 in the UK.
Cool TV Video of the Day: Rowan Atkinson Spoofs Classic ‘Doctor Who’
Comic Relief is a charity that helps raise money for the poor. Every odd-numbered year in March, people in the UK celebrate Red Nose Day. This is a semi-holiday created by Comic Relief where people get a foam red nose in exchange for a donation. Most donations occur during the live telethon, which is famous for its hilarious comedy sketches.
Naturally, most people anticipated a Doctor Who sketch because it is pretty much a telethon staple. In 2011, Rowan Atkinson poked fun at classic Doctor Who in this clip.
BBC Announces the 12th Doctor
Since 2005, the BBC’s Doctor Who has gained a legion of rabid fans, transitioning from a cult classic to a full-on mainstream hit. The eponymous Doctor is a time-travelling alien who regenerates his body when he’s close to death, meaning that sooner or later, a new actor takes over the part. Current Doctor Matt Smith revealed in June that he was hanging up his bow tie, and from there, speculation on the identity of Twelve has run rampant. As of Sunday, however, this particular rumor mill has ceased production.
Whovians, join me in welcoming Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor!
Time for Steven Moffat to Bow Out
As a die hard Doctor Who fan I find the upcoming changes in the show to be both thrilling and absolutely terrifying. Between the new companion Clara joining the cast, the 50th anniversary special slated for the fall, and parting with the 11th doctor, Matt Smith, I’ve admittedly had several panic attacks comforted only by the fact that I have such faith in the creators of the show and how they handle change. After all, one of the most magnificent things about this particular show is that every couple seasons it reinvents itself. Without this very fact, the show arguably would have never reached the level of success it has.
So, with that said, I find myself saying I am ready for the new doctor. I am ready for the next brilliant artist (as they all have been brilliant haven’t they?) to take over and put their spin on this whacky character who I love so dearly. I’m even going to go as far to say that I’m downright excited! But this excitement and anticipation for changes leaves me wanting something else to change.
Steven Moffat needs to move on and Doctor Who needs a new show runner.
Ireland Trolls Eurovision
Each year, every country in the European Broadcasting Union gets the chance to participate in Eurovision, which is a singing contest with a penchant for the strange. Western European countries compete for fun. Eastern and Central European countries take the contest seriously because they view it as a show of independence. Of course, this leads to countries like the United Kingdom and Ireland submitting entries with absolutely no chance of winning.
When it comes to bad Eurovision entries, I present Jemni singing “Cry Baby” in 2003 as Exhibit A. It received nul points. You might want to do yourself a favor and not listen to the whole off-key train wreck.
The Top Bits of Fry and Laurie
Before Hugh Laurie was House and Stephen Fry hosted QI, the two friends starred in a variety of sketch shows. The most famous is probably A Bit of Fry and Laurie with the others being Alfresco and Saturday Live, which is similar, but not to be confused with Saturday Night Live.
1. Size Doesn’t Count
The first sketch originally aired in 1987 and was part of Saturday Live. While including it on this list is cheating, the important lesson is that size doesn’t matter and apparently more than one part Stephen’s body is bent.
Doctor, Who Should Be the Next Doctor?
Despite being confirmed for the eighth series/season of Doctor Who, Matt Smith steps down as The Doctor. A lot of fans, like myself, are sad to see Smith go, but we are excited to see who is going to fill his gigantic shoes. (Not that I know Matt Smith’s shoe size, I’m saying it’s a big role) Since the announcement on June 1st, fans have been picking out their favorite actors to replace Smith. Big names such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Rupert Grint (The Doctor would finally be ginger!), and Martin Freeman have been suggested to replace Matt Smith. Past stars of Doctor Who have also been mentioned: David Morrissey (Jackson Lake from “The Next Doctor”), Russell Tovey (Allons-y Alonso, anyone?), Olivia Colman (“Mother” from The Eleventh Hour), and even Billie Piper.
Weekly TV Update: June 3, 20013
This week we bring you stories from around the Internet that you might have missed.
Matt Smith leaves Doctor Who.
Jean Stapleton, who played Archie Bunker’s wife, Edith, on All in the Family, died on Friday.
Dan Harmon announces his return to Community.
The Sopranos tops the Writers Guild of America’s list of Best Written TV Series Ever.
John Oliver talks to The Hollywood Reporter about taking over The Daily Show for the summer. His first day is June 10.
In honor of Jean Stapleton, the All in the Family theme song is after the jump.
Margaret Thatcher on Yes, Minister
Yes, Minister is an excellent show. Real prime ministers are not sitcom writers or actors. What happens when you put the two together? Margaret Thatcher’s poor attempt at trying to appear approachable on what is said to have been her favorite show. Fortunately, the following sketch was never part of a real Yes, Minister episode.
After the jump is a sketch done for Comic Relief that has Minister Jim Hacker asking the British public to donate money.
Episodes’ Season Finale
Jaimie Lapidus
It’s been an intense season of Episodes full of issues that manifested themselves in painful yet hilarious ways. On Sunday’s season finale, all those issues came to a head. The issues are starting to repair themselves in a way that’s very ungraceful, yet very funny. It worked quite well. The episode opened with another one of Beverly and Carole’s exercise running sessions. This time, it wasn’t quite as repetitive, but the dynamic still isn’t very interesting. Nonetheless, it did move the story forward. As Carole is venting about her job offer from Elliot Salad, she starts to realize she could never betray Merc, which doesn’t seem to make much sense considering he does very little to contribute to their relationship and has been a terrible boss.
Over the course of the entire season, Merc wanted to get away with immoral behavior. Carole watched it happen because she loved him. Carole especially laments the fact that he is still married to Jamie, who Carole considers to be a “saint.” Beverly seems hesitant to concur that Jamie is a saint, but then admits that she knows about Jamie’s affair with Matt. The exercise session is a little more interesting than usual at this point. Instead of going over the same issues with Sean and Beverly as they do on every run, the focus shifts to gossip about Jamie and Matt. Now, the viewers have a reason to pay attention. Carole insists that she has to tell Merc about the affair, but Beverly begs her not to for fear of losing her job and Sean. Carole finally agrees to keep quiet after Beverly threatens to tell Merc about Carole’s meeting with Elliot. There was probably a better way to reveal the details of Matt’s affair to Carole. The scene was sloppily written with too much dialogue.
Wait! What's A Dial? 