Plenty, free-to-air telly has a bit, the likes of Corro (which I refuse to watch!), the occasional documentary, and contemporary comedy series such as Not Going Out and Miranda.

On Sky there are two channels which solely air UK content, BBC Knowledge, which is predominantly a documentary channel (Theroux, Wonderland, Child of our time, et al) but also features Top Gear and the occasional reality series (Helicopter Heroes, etc). The other channel, UKTV, is fairly broad in scope, and features everything from Soap Operas to Dramas and Murder Mysteries.

I've been an avid watcher of The Bill on UKTV for the past four or five years, it's been screening on a daily basis and I started getting hooked on the early 90's episodes featuring the likes of Burnside, Roach, 'Tosh' Lines, and Viv Martella. A year or so ago I decided to get a DVD box set of the first three series when the show was made in an hourly format, and was blown away by the quality of the writing and the depth of the storylines and characters, DI Galloway in particular.

Sadly it's slowly but surely drifting away from being a Police Procedural at the moment, and entering the realms of Soap Opera far too often for my liking. The Police work is often periphery to the personal lives and affairs of the characters.

Time Team is also a favourite of mine on the History channel, particularly the earlier episodes featuring Carenza Lewis.

Some good stuff there Lofty. Sadly, I think Time Team has ended (I was a Helen Geake chap). They messed around with the format and the prog. lost its way. Good call re. Corrie :-)

I used to love the Bill in the days of Burnside.  After he left, they made a spin-off called Burnside, which was quite good.  But I haven't watched the Bill for years now.  Does it even exist any more? Not sure...

 

Did you get Green Wing in NZ, Lofty?  A brilliant comedy!

I used to love the Bill in the days of Burnside.  After he left, they made a spin-off called Burnside, which was quite good.  But I haven't watched the Bill for years now.  Does it even exist any more? Not sure...

 

Did you get Green Wing in NZ, Lofty?  A brilliant comedy!

 

It doesn't, they wrapped the show up a year or two ago I believe...

 

Ah yes, the Burnside spin-off, I ended up buying the dvd when I found out about it! A good little series but too short, alas.

 

I long thought of Burnside as the undisputed best character on the show, until I watched the first three series with Galloway, who just trumps him. Short tempered, fiery, intelligent, prone to saying 'my son' every other bloody sentence, just a fantastic character to watch. It was amusing to see Burnside frightened of him, given his usual assured and confident demeanour. Even he knew his place when it came to dealing with Galloway!

 

On the UKTV channel I was describing the newer episodes are all shown on a weekly basis, but I've never endeavoured to watch any of them. The old episodes are screened as 'The Bill: Classics', currently we're mid 2003, I'm not sure how long they plan to go on for but I hope they eventually reach a point where they roll back to the beginning and start screening the late 80's stuff again. I started watching when they were screening the early 90's episodes, so there's a big chunk of episodes that I've not yet seen.

 

As for Green Wing, I don't think it screened over here, although I could be wrong.

 

 

Some good stuff there Lofty. Sadly, I think Time Team has ended (I was a Helen Geake chap). They messed around with the format and the prog. lost its way. Good call re. Corrie :-)

 

Ah yes, Helen, she was in the show in the early stages alongside Carenza, although only became a permanent fixture later on I believe.

 

Are there any Nick Lyndhurst fans here? I'm a big fan of Goodnight Sweetheart, have the whole six series on DVD and must have watched all of them a good three or four times. A fantastic show with a great plot.

 

I decided to have a look at an earlier series that he was involved in, 'The Piglet Files'. Not quite as good as Goodnight Sweetheart, but still quite decent.

Edited June 14, 201313 yr by Lofty 1905

It`s not over here yet but do any of our American cousins watch Longmire? I like it,on season 2 at the moment...katee sackhoff is hot in it  

As a kid its was Tiswas, magnum and only fools. These days game of thrones but the best in my opinion is the Sopranoes and yes i still hate the ending!

Orange is the new black, great series on Netflix.

 

Actually kind of shocked that I got hooked on it, not my kind of stuff I usually watch but its great!

Currently watching ER from the beginning, forgot how much I loved it after the post-season 8 stuff.

Orange is the new black, great series on Netflix.

 

Actually kind of shocked that I got hooked on it, not my kind of stuff I usually watch but its great!

Same here i think i done it over a saturday and sunday. Im currently trying Breaking Bad again after struggling through series one. 

I dont get the rage about Breaking bad, its ok but nothing special. I would have given up on it by now if i was watching it week by week on TV. Its only because we got the first 3 series on box set that i am working my way through them.

Dexter, Chuck, Prison break are the 3 best series that have been out in the last 10 years.

I'm going through all six seasons of Lost at the moment...got them all on DVD on the cheap, so I figured why not.

 

I'd seen 3 or 4 seasons on tv, then it all got very messy, it kept moving timeslot, and I lost track...but now I want to see it through.

The first two or three series were very good and then they spoiled it all. They made too many loose ends that they didnt tie up.

Dexter, Breaking Bad, Prison break are the 3 best series that have been out in the last 10 years.

 

Fixed it for you.

No, it was correct the first time.

No, it was correct the first time.

 

It wasn't though, was it?

 

Haha, down to opinion really. I've never been so captivated by a tv show in my life. Breaking bad is beautifully shot, acted and plotted. Keep working your way through it, Uno. Seasons 4 and 5 are even better.

I watched some Breaking Bad, but not all of it. I don't really regret not watching it, but one day I may watch it through.

 

Does anyone watch the Newsroom?

As a kid its was Tiswas, magnum and only fools. These days game of thrones but the best in my opinion is the Sopranoes and yes i still hate the ending!

Loved Tiswas, probably because it wasn't really aimed at kids. As a teenager, it actually got me out of bed !!! :)

I've watched the Sopranos from start to finish 8 times and actually love the ending. I bed "Journey" love it too !

Can't believe Dexter is over, just finished it.

 

Great series and I recommend it to everyone if you have not seen it!

 

its on par with Breaking Bad and Prison Break.

Anyone else follow Walking Dead?  Back in the UK on the 18th if October.

The Pilot of the US series 'Marvel's agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' was on Channel 4 yesterday evening. The idea is of an international force dealing with the threat posed by humans with special powers. I may not have been watching with 100% focus but the pilot seemed to lack focus itself. It tried to be dark and quirky/funny at the same time and missed both targets, imo though I did laugh once!The pilot looked expensive but the substance (yeah, I know we're talking Marvel) was absent.I may have to keep watching because Chloe Bennet is in it...:-)

Anybody else see it?

Anyone else follow Walking Dead?  Back in the UK on the 18th if October.

 

Yep, love it. Looking forward to it returning(14th of Oct here in Oz). Cracking show that keeps getting better and better.

I watched the first 4 seasons or so of Dexter and then upon starting the next season gave up on it, apparantley it only gets worse as it goes on and the final series was apparantley terrible, probably won't get around to watching the rest of them anytime soon.

 

After the finale of Breaking Bad i'll continue on my voyage through Seinfeld while watching Always Sunny in Philadeplhia each week the new ep comes out, and The Walking Dead returns next month.

 

Might also start watching The Wire if I get the time.

The Pilot of the US series 'Marvel's agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' was on Channel 4 yesterday evening. The idea is of an international force dealing with the threat posed by humans with special powers. I may not have been watching with 100% focus but the pilot seemed to lack focus itself. It tried to be dark and quirky/funny at the same time and missed both targets, imo though I did laugh once!The pilot looked expensive but the substance (yeah, I know we're talking Marvel) was absent.I may have to keep watching because Chloe Bennet is in it...:-)

Anybody else see it?

 

 

I think you should have started a new thread for this, Spudulicious! 

I think you should have started a new thread for this, Spudulicious!

Bugger! Damned if you do...:-)

Bugger! Damned if you do...:-)

 

 

I felt a right twit for entering that thread!  I thought it was an intriguing title.  Then I did a mental "Doh!" at myself!

 

To keep this on topic:

 

to Jonty, the Wire is excellent.

 

I am currently timing my breakfast each day to coincide with Frasier, which I never watched when it was first shown a million years ago.  I find his anally retentive brother Niles hilarious!

I also thought Dexter went downhill quickly after the first 3 or 4 seasons (the first few seasons are some of my favourite TV) so I'm not sure I'll even bother watching the last one.

The Wire was absolutely brilliant in my opinion and fully deserves all the praise it gets, although it took me most of the first season to realise as it takes quite a long time to get going.

At the moment I'm really enjoying Peaky Blinders on BBC2, a drama about criminal gangs in Birmingham in the 1920s. It's supposedly based on fact (the gang was known as the "Peaky Blinders" on account of the razor blades they hid in the peaks of their flat caps) and most of the gangsters are disaffected young veterans from WW1. I think the people behind the show must be big fans of Boardwalk Empire because its influence really shows through, which is no bad thing.

Edited September 28, 201312 yr by bluedave