In which I am revising
And goodness me, isn't this a turnabout? I used to loathe revising. It made me ill to have to go back and revisit something I had already written. But from experience I've learned to love revising. It's like the girl you met in school and were totally prepared to hate until you discovered you had eleventy million things in common and became BFFs. Revising is now my BFF. That doesn't mean I still don't have to talk myself down off the ledge every time I start, but it does mean I have come to appreciate how much SIMPLER it is to deliver a good scene when you have the bones in place and just have to tweak it as opposed to building a rocket ship from parts every time. And it's tremendously fulfilling to take the raw scene and shape it into something wonderful--it's like birth, only without the good drugs and messy bits.
Anyway, I am in the pleasant creative fog of revisions at present, and in my down time I'm baking, making holiday plans, and watching "Clatterford". I don't know how I didn't even realize this show existed, but it combines two of my favorite things, Britcoms and a Women's Institute type of organization called the Ladies' Guild. (I deeply lament the fact that I don't live in England for loads of reasons and the WI is one of them. I follow them on Twitter, and I have to say, it gave me NO END of delirium to find that a branch of the WI is following me back.)
The series chronicles the lives of the guild members, and a wonderfully dysfunctional group it is. If you are a fan of BBCAmerica, you will probably spend the first episode pointing at the television, hollering, "I know her!" because the cast is superb--Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, and a host of fabulously talented women. (I did sound as if I had some sort of neurological disorder because I kept calling out, "It's Father Ted's housekeeper!" "I know that guy--he ran off with Bridget Jones' mother!" "And there's Bridget's friend Shazzer!" Be warned.) And it is no spoiler to tell you that my absolute favorite bit is the shot of the pew cozies in the church.
If you have a favorite Britcom I might have missed, do holler!
Anyway, I am in the pleasant creative fog of revisions at present, and in my down time I'm baking, making holiday plans, and watching "Clatterford". I don't know how I didn't even realize this show existed, but it combines two of my favorite things, Britcoms and a Women's Institute type of organization called the Ladies' Guild. (I deeply lament the fact that I don't live in England for loads of reasons and the WI is one of them. I follow them on Twitter, and I have to say, it gave me NO END of delirium to find that a branch of the WI is following me back.)
The series chronicles the lives of the guild members, and a wonderfully dysfunctional group it is. If you are a fan of BBCAmerica, you will probably spend the first episode pointing at the television, hollering, "I know her!" because the cast is superb--Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, and a host of fabulously talented women. (I did sound as if I had some sort of neurological disorder because I kept calling out, "It's Father Ted's housekeeper!" "I know that guy--he ran off with Bridget Jones' mother!" "And there's Bridget's friend Shazzer!" Be warned.) And it is no spoiler to tell you that my absolute favorite bit is the shot of the pew cozies in the church.
If you have a favorite Britcom I might have missed, do holler!
posted by deanna at
6:09 AM
14 Comments:
It's called 'Jam and Jerusalem' over here. Sally Phillips (Shazzer) is terrific - she's in a new show at the moment called Miranda, and she's hilarious.
We often get some of the older British shows from Netflix. One of our favs is Rosemary & Thyme; two female gardeners who are also amateur detectives. Very fun.
Oh my gosh--you have to watch "Keeping up Appearances". So funny! It comes on on Tuesday's at 7:30 on chanel 24 ( If you subscribe to Comcast you will get it). If you do watch it let me know what you think of Mrs. Bucket.
Nina
"As Time Goes By" with Judith Denche (sp?)is absolutely my favorite. I also watch "Keeping Up Appearances", and another is "Last of the Summer Wine." Oh - and "The Vicar of Denby" and "Waiting for God."
Journey
I've been watching Hyacinth for years! Whenever we're out driving and it's deer season, I warn my husband, "Mind the deer."
I adore Keeping Up Appearances and when I mention that to the English, they get very alarmed that it's shown 'round the world as 'British' life. They're embarassed by it--but I LOVE it. I personally can't wait until I have a big enough flat to have special candlelight suppers..=)
Black Books is also outstanding, for entirely different reasons: rude where Hyacinth is well-mannered. It's set around a very grumpy bookstore owner (who hates people coming in his store and just wishes they would go away and let him read and drink wine in peace), his hard-working and much abused employee/housemate and their neurotic friend, Fran who lives next door. The series is also available on US Amazon--last I checked anyway. You must see it.
I'm loving 'Miranda' too! My all time favourites are 'Blackadder', 'Absolutely Fabulous' and 'The Vicar of Dibley' but I'm assuming you are already acquainted with them. Although it's not a sitcom, the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller are exceptionally funny.
Some of the old ones are the best. Also look out for 'The Good Life' & 'Men Bahaving Badly' (currently re-running on Dave in the UK, I'd forgotten what a giggle it was!)
LOVE Clatterford. The Christmas panto episode is my favorite. And I own all five seasons of Absolutely Fabulous.
Bless. I used to feel that way about England too - and then I moved here. Now I yearn for sunny weather and Nordstrom's! I guess the grass is always greener ...
Why did they change the name? I hate when that happens; it makes it difficult when US people recommend books that appear not to exist here in the UK, but do, only under some other name.
I second "Black Books", and if you want something funny and odd, try "Green Wing". "Being Human" is a supernatural story for people who don't like supernatural stories: a werewolf, a ghost and a vampire share a flat (sounds like the beginning of a joke) and deal with how their different states affect their humanity. It's sweet, funny, dramatic and a couple of the episodes reduced me to great, heaving tears. No annoying "Twilight" characters here.
~Elizabeth (the London one)
Re: part one of the entry. How do you get into the "zone" mentally when you write. I mean these aren't technical manuals that you're doing. There must be a lot of emotional involvement. Like an actor in a role, do you become Lady Julia?
And, by the way, Happy Thanksgiving, or as we call it around here when the in-laws invade, "Apocalypse Now".
I just bought the complete DVD series of "The Duchess of Duke Street". I enjoyed revisiting every minute of the series which was on PBS back in the 80's. Wonderful stories set around WW1. Gemma Jones and Christopher Cazanove were excellent.
Have you seen the Britcom "My family"? If you've enjoyed Black Adder and such, I suspect you might like this comedy.
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