What's Worth Watching on British Telly

With Mike away across the pond and all our house guests gone, I decided to indulge in a bit of British tv watching. See, over here the lack of a telly or even a computer to play British-coded DVDs on does not stop one from watching tv. They have taken television on demand to a whole new level.

Via the internet we can get everything that has played on any of the BBCs for the last week. We can get anything that has shown on ITV in the last month and Channel 4, the most generous of them all, allows people with a British IP to stream both current content and classics. The only exceptions tend to be American films and tv shows which are usally "unavailable" (though Hill Street Blues is available from Channel 4 for some strange reason). BTW, I'm certain that no one in Canada will be able to go onto any of the on demand sites, so don't bother commenting that the links don't work.

Most of what passes for television here in Britain is crap, just like in North America. Finding something good to watch is a bit like trying to find a diamond in a murky puddle of pond scum. However, with a little research we have managed to find some series to recommend to our pals across the pond. Basically, my research strategy was to start with the new Doctor Who and work my way out. We enjoyed the Doctor Who Christmas Special for 2008 featuring David Tennant and David Morrissey. Having discovered that the two Davids had also played opposite each other in Blackpool, we rented it and were not disapointed. Blackpool is sort of a film noir musical, featuring a brilliant performance by Morrissey of an arcade owner with big dreams and little ethics finding his life spiraling out of control.

The Doctor Who revival has been led by Russell T. Davies, who has written most of the really memorable episodes. A search last week for other series that he has created and written brought up Queer as Folk (NOT to be confused with the American series with the same title, blech!). This is an older series from 1999 and 2000 (but still available for free on Channel 4 on Demand). The premise is simple enough, it follows the lives of three gay men in Manchester as they go drinking and clubbing and well you know the rest, however Russell T. Davies knows how to write for character and the actors deliver.

The third show worth mentioning is unrelated to Doctor Who (as far as I know): Ashes to Ashes. It is a spin-off of the tv series Life on Mars (again, not the American version), which was entertaining but not really worth owning. So far, Ashes to Ashes appears to be worth owning, though we're only halfway through the first season. In this series a female cop is sent into a coma by being shot. Trapped in her brain, she finds herself in the early 80s in London on a team led by the infamous sexist pig Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). More fast-paced and funnier than its predecessor.

So, to re-cap, Alette's list of British television series worthy of being watched more than once:

Blackpool
Queer as Folk
Ashes to Ashes
(and Doctor Who)