The Website for People Who Love Britain - Anglophiles
What if the wildly popular Downton Abbey were a mystery series that took place mostly in the upstairs portion? Or maybe … what if Bertie Woosterwere smarter and he and his man Jeeves solved crimes? And what if they drank as much as the guys on Mad Men? Well, you’d have this: The Lord Peter Whimsey Mysteries. Based on novels written by Dorothy … [Read more...]
As a Churchill buff, this DVD set seemed made for me. The First Churchills is a lavish drama from 1969 about the life and times of the first famous Churchills, the first Duke of Marlborough and his wife Sarah Churchill. They started a dynasty and their story is a great source for drama. So, it's a shame that I didn't really like this … [Read more...]
HM the Queen is the quintessential example of British “correctness,” in manner and comportment. In How the Queen Can Make You Happy by Mary Killen, one learns how to improve one’s life by following the example set by HM, Queen Elizabeth II. In this very British guide to modern manners, or what seems to be a decided lack thereof in … [Read more...]
Anyone who has ever watched Monty Python knows that, as ageless as it is, the show was very much a product of its time. In the five years it was on the air in Britain, the Pythonites’ chief weapon was satire. Satire and absurdity. They’re TWO weapons…. (It’s at this point a rather serious-looking military officer walked into the room … [Read more...]
I'm a HUGE fan of the Shire Library books. They're compact guides to various British historical topics that are always well written and illustrated. So, it was with great excitement that I bought Parliament and Its Buildings by Richard Tames. I'm continually fascinated by British politics and I'm a huge admirer of the institution of Parliament. … [Read more...]
The Cadet Life of Prince Harry by Vasile Michael is a detailed account of what a cadet enduring the 44-week program at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (or RMA Sandhurst) in Surrey, must experience… told as Prince Harry might have seen it. And when I first cracked the book open I have to admit, I didn’t know what to make of it. Michael is … [Read more...]
There is no shortage of guides to British Culture on the market these days and we've pretty much read them all as I love learning about every aspect of British Culture. So, I was rather dubious to the idea of yet another British Culture Guide coming on the market. I was wrong to be so negative! The British: An Awfully Useful Guide by Toby … [Read more...]
Well, I have to hand it to Stephen Moffat. While I've generally been dissatisfied with his run on Doctor Who, he's really pulled off something quite amazing. All I can say is that it's going to be a very long wait until the 50th Anniversary Special on November 23rd. Read our full review on Tardistopia here. … [Read more...]
Honey and Preserves by Fortnum & Mason, a British institution since 1707 and the purveyors of fantastically wonderful jellies, jams, preserves, marmalades and honeys is a slim book, but packed with more information than the reader might suspect. The opening pages discuss the differences between jams and jellies, marmalades and chutneys, and … [Read more...]
This was probably the most anticipated episode of the season for hardcore Doctor Who fans - moreso than the finale next week. Why? It was written by Neil Gaiman. If the name doesn't sound familiar perhaps the title of the last episode he wrote for Doctor Who will - The Doctor's Wife. It's a personal favorite of mine and … [Read more...]
If authors and screenwriters are right, then the 1920s was chock full of jazzy, high class sleuths. It’s not wonder that the years between the two World Wars is considered “The Golden Age of Detective Fiction.” Great writers like Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie kept readers in suspense with well-written, but formulaic, tales of … [Read more...]
As a kid, I never liked mysteries much, and later, I would get a bit miffed when a book I was reading turned out to be a mystery when not advertised as such. But now… well, they’ve kind of grown on me… especially when they take place in Britain. And involve fascinating figures of British history. Much like Mr. Churchill’s Secretary: A Novel … [Read more...]
This week, The Doctor returns to the Victorian Era. I always love the adventures set in the Victorian Era so I was really looking forward to this episode. Read the rest of our review over at Tardistopia.net. … [Read more...]
Released on DVD by Acorn Media in a two-disc set, The Syndicate is kind of television that earns British television its well-deserved reputation as a provider of quality, intelligent fare for discriminating viewers. This five-episode drama written by Kay Mellor and shown on BBC One in 2012, follows the fates of five supermarket employees who … [Read more...]
This week Doctor Who takes us on a journey to somewhere we truly haven't ever been before in "The Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS." The previous episodes of the series have taken us to the most amazing place but this is truly the one that we were all waiting for. Am I the only one that screamed out loud when we finally saw the swimming pool and … [Read more...]
On this episode of Ghost Hunters Interdimensional, The Doctor and Clara investigate the mystery of the Witch of the Well. The voice interfaces of Mike, Mike, The Phantom Troublemaker, award-winning author Bobby Nash, and Jennifer Hartshorn review the ninth episode of the seventh season. Ring the cloister bell, this one's a winner! Links The … [Read more...]
Based upon two detective novels written by Hitchhiker’s Guide author Douglas Adams, Dirk is a “holistic detective” who solves crimes based on seemingly unconnected events. Adams only wrote two books featuring the character before his death in 2001, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul. In 2010, a … [Read more...]
There are thousands of books on Churchill so it can be a considerable challenge to write something completely new. Barry Singer is the owner of Chartwell Books in New York City, a bookstore famous for its focus on the works of Winston Churchill (and works about him). As a huge Churchill buff, he decided to write a book that focuses on an aspect of … [Read more...]
As Foyle's War fans are well aware, there's new episodes coming later this year that take place after the war. This has created an opportunity for Acorn Media, the DVD distributor and now producer of the show) to gather together all the previous episodes in a new giant DVD set. For those that aren't familiar with Foyle's War, a brief … [Read more...]
I’ve never read Boris Pasternak’s classic novel Doctor Zhivago, but I grew up with the dashing image of Omar Sharif’s Doctor Zhivago in my head. The 1965 movie was one of my mother’s favorites and she loved a good romance! So when I sat down to watch the 2002 TV mini-series remake of the classic movie, I wasn’t sure what to … [Read more...]
When a former police offices is found murdered in a drug den, young DI Ann Travis (Kelly Reilly of Sherlock Holmes) teams up with DCS James Langton (Ciarán Hinds of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) to investigate the case. Emotionally involved because the victim was a friend of Langton, the detectives struggle to keep their feelings in check while … [Read more...]
This famous scare attraction had been on Tooley Street in London Bridge for nearly 40 years but closed at the end of January 2013 to move to its new home on the Southbank. From Friday 1 March 2013, The London Dungeon is at County Hall, right next door to the London Aquarium and by the London Eye, which makes sense when you know these three major … [Read more...]
This fantastic 3-Disc DVD set released by Acorn Media was directed by John A. Davis and Tony Wharmby and features James Warwick and Francesca Annis as Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, a madcap couple who banter and bluff their way through eleven smashing London-in-the-Twenties whodunits drawn – sometimes directly– from a book of the same name … [Read more...]
Try to imagine a time when a person could be accused of a crime with little but another person’s word, had no right to an attorney, and the sentence for nearly every crime was death. This was the state English courts of the 18th century, until one young barrister stepped up to become a leading defence counsel and usher in the modern adversarial … [Read more...]
Nancy Jackman was born into poverty in England in 1907. At the age of 12 she left school to help provide for her family. For the next 30 years she worked as a cook for a number of wealthy British families. The Cook’s Tale: Life Below Stairs as it Really Was is her autobiography. Nancy Jackman’s childhood was spent in the Norfolk … [Read more...]
I’ve never been much of a reader of mysteries or police procedurals or any of those types of books, though I sort of like watching them on TV – especially when the characters are good. That said, I have just finished reading The Witness by Naomi Kryske, and am looking forward to more! It follows Jenny, a young American woman from Texas, … [Read more...]
Agatha Christie, who wrote more than 70 novels in her lifetime, is one of the best-selling novelists to ever live. Many of her beloved mysteries have aired on the large and small screens, including on PBS’ Masterpiece Mystery. Now fans of Agatha Christie’s PBS television mysteries have voted for their favorites and a Greatest Hits DVD … [Read more...]
I’m just going to come right out and say it – what a beautiful book! Beautiful… yet quite melancholy, too. The story of an unwilling German au pair joining a troubled family in London in 1960, this novel covers a point in England’s history that I have not given much thought to. So much is written about London during World War II, and … [Read more...]
The story of Winston Churchill is generally well-known - the courageous leader that led Britain through the dark days of World War II to victory. But what many people don't realize is that this was but a blip in his life and in actually he considered himself a professional writer for most of his life. That's the subject of Mr. Churchill's … [Read more...]
For many, reading is an escape into another world, shutting out the reader's physical environment. Sometimes, though, a place can so perfectly fit a book that reading in that spot intrudes on and enhances the experience. Cambridge, England is a university town that has inspired authors for more than 800 years. Here are ten books and their … [Read more...]
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Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas in 2007 in a closet in Chicago. Anglotopia is for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia is now our full time jobs and we spend our time working on the site and planning our yearly trips to Britain. Join us as we explore Britain and everything it has to offer!
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