Patrick Macnee, the London-born actor best known for playing debonair hero John Steed in cult British ‘spy-fi’ series The Avengers, has died at his home in California at the age of 93. The Avengers began as a gritty detective piece – literally about revenge – but soon become one of the most surreal and fantastical … >
When Doctor Who made its triumphant re-materialisation onto our television screens in 2005 it did so with a confident swagger, an accent on more rounded characters and a whole litany of strong female characters. While the classic series was forced to bat away regular cries of sexism, the likes of Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna … >
If you’re already under the spell of Sunday night’s resident magicians Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell then you need waste no more time reading this. If, on the other hand, you’ve not yet tuned in then there’s still time (via the magic of BBC iPlayer) to catch up with one of the strangest – indeed … >
Christopher Lee, who has died aged 93, was so synonymous with scary movies that he was known as the Master of Horror. Yet despite seven turns as Dracula (most notably in the titular 1958 classic) and countless other chilling performances, Lee’s talents and interests extended not only beyond the genre but beyond the medium. In … >
On Christmas Day Downtown Abbey will open its ostentatious doors for a very last time. The highly popular British TV period drama will conclude after six award-winning seasons. Creator Julian Fellowes told GoldDerby.com in an interview that it was never meant to become a never-ending story: “Certainly, we didn’t want to go on and on … >
As the sirens fall silent and the blood banks gets a chance to restock, it’s time for a brief look back over the first season of Sky1’s new medical drama. Critical’s initial ‘mission statement’ was to be a real-time medical drama. Whereas your General Hospitals or your ERs might begin an operation and then cut … >
After 13 years, Fox has rehired television’s original paranormal investigators FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully for a six-episode reinvestigation of The X-Files. Loyal fans have spooky expectations from the show’s creator Chris Carter, who set the standard for the cult series and its concurrent and subsequent feature films. > Buy the complete Season … >
Contemporary British comedy scribes find themselves preceded by a long-standing tradition of great British comedy screen-writers. With a very identifiable sarcastic undertone and dry connotation, British comedy has its own unique identity, not just in the English speaking world, but further afield. We take a look at 5 great British screen-writers… Ford Kiernan and … >
The sheer quantity and quality of programming output that we now see on television is quite incredible. Being able to generate strong dramatic stories and flesh out unforgettable characters on a weekly basis is impressive and there is certainly a very British feel to many of the current most popular shows, and this influence has … >
I doubt Jenna Coleman knew exactly how important her character Clara Oswald would be to Doctor Who when she took the part back in March 2012. Like her or not, Clara – thanks to Steven Moffat’s masterful planning and/or serendipity – is the most important companion of all. This has nothing to do with favouritism. … >