The Website for People Who Love Britain - Anglophiles
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...]
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...]
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...]
I LOVE Jonathan Creek! Alan Davies* plays the charming, eccentric hero who's got long curly hair, wears a duffel coat and lives in a windmill. As you do… (* pronounced ‘Davis’ courtesy of Welsh ancestors.) Jonathan is a 'creative consultant' to somewhat-smarmy magician, Alan Klaus. That means he’s the one who designs the … [Read more...]
Fans of Upstairs, Downstairs might be surprised to learn about a related television series, Thomas & Sarah. When production of Upstairs, Downstairs ended in 1975, fans still wanted more. Thomas & Sarah was television’s response, picking up with two characters who departed from Upstairs, Downstairs during season two. Thomas & Sarah … [Read more...]
A police show filled with sarcastic humor, Vexed is a unique television show that doesn’t fit into one television genre at all. Crimes are being investigated, however it is the humorous personalities and private dramas of the investigators that take center stage in this BBC comedy/drama. Season One of Vexed stars DI Kate Bishop (Lucy Punch of … [Read more...]
The initial premise of Ballykissangel was a ‘fish out of water’ story about Father Peter (Stephen Tompkinson), a young English priest sent to a small Irish village where he runs into the expected resistance - the Irish aren’t too crazy about the English, as you probably know! The first person he meets – and finds himself terribly … [Read more...]
William Travers is an honest London lawyer who always believes 100% in his client’s innocence. When Travers learns that he successfully defended a man who was actually guilty of a horrible crime, Travers suffers a mental breakdown and leaves London to settle in quiet Suffolk. After an old college pal is accused of murdering his beautiful … [Read more...]
Detective Constable “Dangerous” Davies – we never learn his real first name – is a decent guy whose life has hit a rough patch. Peter Davison stars - he’s best remembered for being Tristan in All Creatures Great & Small. He was also the fifth Dr. Who - the one with a rather incongruous stick of celery poking out of his jacket … [Read more...]
One of the things Anglophiles usually like to do is watch British television. Since BBC America seems to have gone in an odd direction lately (Not that there’s anything wrong with Star Trek The Next Generation or Battlestar Gallactica…but really??), I’ve focused on getting my fix through PBS and Netflix. I’ve spent years mining the … [Read more...]
I don’t know how it works in your house, but in our house, the clicker is in the exclusive custody of my husband. Fortunately, he has great taste in TV, and our preferences are pretty similar. For instance, we prefer scripted television to reality shows. That said, Season 2 on DVD of Who Do You Think You Are, a show that follows celebrities … [Read more...]
Herein lies a special review: Taylor's immediate reaction to her first viewing of the new Sherlock. I am thoroughly prepared to eat my words upon second viewing but this reflects my initial thoughts. ~Warning. Spoilers abound and post is sorely unedited or proofread~ I feel like there are two reviews I want to write regarding the newest … [Read more...]
The British TV Podcast with Chrissy & Ryan presents its 2011 Holiday Special. We review the recent Christmas specials on British TV including "Doctor Who," "Downton Abbey," "The Borrowers," "Lost Christmas" and more. Ryan finishes the year with his Top 10 list of favourite TV shows. Listen to Show 102 … [Read more...]
Well, here we are at the end of this eight week long journey. We've been through war and peace and now we're left with some rather interesting turns in Downton Abbey. As usual we used our favorite service, TheTelly.net to watch Downton Abbey live as it aired in the UK. We've been treated to a full 90 minutes of the Crawley family dramas - all … [Read more...]
It's now 1919 and our characters are trying to get back to normal after the turmoil of The Great War. As normal as normal can be. But everyone has been changed by the war, including the dowdy Dowager Countess. I don't want to give away what happened to Mrs. Bates for the sake of American fans who won't see it until January - so I'll leave that … [Read more...]
The real consequences of World War I finally hit the Crawleys personally - and their staff as well in a heartbreaking episode of Downton Abbey. As usual, we made use of TheTelly.net to watch season 2 episode 6 of Downton Abbey. So worth the money to not have to wait until January! The Bates/Anna storyline continues its slow resolve and Mrs. … [Read more...]
After the events of last week, I was interested to see where they'd take us next this week. As usual we were able to watch Downton Abbey Series 2 here in the USA by using the service TheTelly.net - otherwise you'll have to wait until January 8th 2012 to continue the show. Episode two of this season takes place a few months after the events of … [Read more...]
This week draws to a close the single story episodes we've had for the past few weeks but we also get slipped back into the overall season long story arc at the end. Closing Time sees the return of Craig played by James Corden from one of the best episodes of the last series. It's a few years later and happily Sophie and Craig are married with a … [Read more...]
Downton Abbey was the surprise hit last fall - many had thought the days of British Costume dramas focusing on country homes had long since gone. Downton Abbey changed that all - becoming one of the most successful British Dramas of all time. Series 2 doesn't begin airing in the USA until January on PBS Masterpiece, but using TheTelly.net … [Read more...]
Despite sound issues ESO goes live again at Dragon*Con, talking to friends of the show and talking about the pro’s and cons of getting over 40,000 sci-fi and fantasy fans together. But that’s not all, also this week we talk about the newest Doctor Who “Night Terrors” and Episode 9 of Torchwood: Miracle Day “The Gathering” Join us for … [Read more...]
This week we have the pleasure of another standalone episode of Doctor Who but also the pleasure of an Amy centered episode. The team arrives on an unpronounceable planet and Amy gets separated into a separate time stream. Locked into a quarantine that would kill the Doctor if he tried to rescue her. So he sends Rory to the rescue with … [Read more...]
Dragon*Con 2011 had quite the treat tonight when BBC America and Comcast partnered to show an exclusive preview of Night Terrors to the DragonCon Crowd. The lines wrapped around the block - but if you were lucky enough to get in - you were in for a treat. It was by far the most terrifying episode in recent years. It's also a great return to form … [Read more...]
Wow. We deserved some clear answers and Stephen Moffat has finally delivered them. I don't want to give much away. But we're finally given answers in a non-convoluted fashion and in a straight line. All the marketing has been behind the fact they would be going to 1930's Berlin and come face to face with Hitler. But don't get your hopes up … [Read more...]
The theme of this week's episode of The Hour was chaos. We saw chaos wherever we looked from the personal lives of the characters to world governments. The story revolved around the coming war with Egypt and from there chaos followed. We saw demonstrations against these actions in the street. This war had far reaching implications into the most … [Read more...]
This week's episode certainly kept me on the edge of my seat this week. While we did see some of the behind the scenes production of the show The Hour, this week the show was more spy drama once again. We saw Freddy really getting in deep, in the conspiracy surrounding Ruth Elms murder. This week we saw Freddy actually become fearful for his own … [Read more...]
As we get into episode five of Torchwood: Miracle Day the world is going mad in the wake of the Miracle. The stakes are raised higher in this episode and the lives of our main characters are never going to be the same. Predictably, politicians start to get involved with the current situation and being to make things worse. Gwen returns to the … [Read more...]
Apparently this week BBC's show The Hour wanted to be a drama about spies and secrets rather than the production of a news show. I did enjoy tonight's episode. However, I wish The Hour would decide what it wanted to be, a spy drama or a drama about a news show called The Hour. This week we saw very little of the production side of the show, only … [Read more...]
This week brought us the final episode of the 17th series of Top Gear. It's been a short but interesting season so far. This week's review started off with the Lambo Aventador. It's certainly an interesting car but it was a rather uninspiring review and really failed to grab my attention. The highpoint in the review is when Richard Hammond get … [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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