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'Modus' ended last night with blood everywhere. Not the best Scandi-noir but perfectly watchable. 

Second part of the Walt Disney documentary - as expected, everything went pear shaped. Did not seem a happy man. 

Special award to Friday night's 'Have I Got News For You' that replaced an indisposed Nicky Morgan (currently reeling in the Trousergate scandal) with a large, expensive handbag.  

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Edited by A Lark Ascending
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Just had a quick flip through the year on this thread (see, these threads do have a purpose!) to try and work out my favourites of the year. Not easy to do as you never know how much you really enjoyed something in January compared with something in November; and how far your sense of enjoyment is affected by subsequent wider discussion.

Confining to TV from 2016, what I did notice was most of what stuck in my memory was from the first half of the year.

My awards (purely based on what I saw from my tiny corner of the world through my particular prejudices and predilections) go to:

  • War and Peace
  • Happy Valley II
  • The A Word
  • The Night Manager
  • Line of Duty III
  • Marcella
  • Peaky Blinders III
  • Trapped (marvellous Greenland Scandi-noir)
  • Fleabag

Overall top award goes to 'Fleabag' for its utter originality and combination of razor-edge comedy with emotional depth.   

Though 'Question Time' deserves an award as the TV programme I shouted at most, especially in June. 

What was really scary, leafing through, was how many programmes I watched which I have quite forgotten. Need to eat more oily fish. 

 

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7 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

Just had a quick flip through the year on this thread (see, these threads do have a purpose!) to try and work out my favourites of the year. Not easy to do as you never know how much you really enjoyed something in January compared with something in November; and how far your sense of enjoyment is affected by subsequent wider discussion.

Confining to TV from 2016, what I did notice was most of what stuck in my memory was from the first half of the year.

My awards (purely based on what I saw from my tiny corner of the world through my particular prejudices and predilections) go to:

  • War and Peace
  • Happy Valley II
  • The A Word
  • The Night Manager
  • Line of Duty III
  • Marcella
  • Peaky Blinders III
  • Trapped (marvellous Greenland Scandi-noir)
  • Fleabag

Overall top award goes to 'Fleabag' for its utter originality and combination of razor-edge comedy with emotional depth.   

Though 'Question Time' deserves an award as the TV programme I shouted at most, especially in June. 

What was really scary, leafing through, was how many programmes I watched which I have quite forgotten. Need to eat more oily fish. 

 

Pretty much matches my favourite TV, although I haven't watched Happy Valley I yet and don't 'get' Peaky Blinders. I would only add River and the ITV crime series Unforgotten. I've spent quite a lot of time working through series on Netflix such as Homeland, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. 

PS Isn't 'Trapped' set in Iceland rather than Greenland?

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20 hours ago, Jazzjet said:

Pretty much matches my favourite TV, although I haven't watched Happy Valley I yet and don't 'get' Peaky Blinders. I would only add River and the ITV crime series Unforgotten. I've spent quite a lot of time working through series on Netflix such as Homeland, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. 

PS Isn't 'Trapped' set in Iceland rather than Greenland?

Yes, I enjoyed those two as well - was that this year or last? Can't remember.

I really enjoyed the latest series of House of Cards and The Good Wife (No 6 so not the latest) this year but they might be 2015 that I only got round to recently.

You are right about Iceland. I do this all the time when mentioning it. Don't know why. Explains why I'm forever returning from the high street having failed to locate frozen goods.   

Edited by A Lark Ascending
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6 hours ago, A Lark Ascending said:

 

You are right about Iceland. I do this all the time when mentioning it. Don't know why. Explains why I'm forever returning from the high street having failed to locate frozen goods.   

Isn't Greenland a store where they sell stuff from Iceland that's gone off?

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21 hours ago, Jazzjet said:

Isn't Greenland a store where they sell stuff from Iceland that's gone off?

I'm way too posh to shop at Iceland (though not hipster enough to shop at Lidl).

Two part Xmas edition of 'Last Tango in Halifax'. Disappointing - thin, silly 'ghost' storyline, way too many potential themes thrown in and undeveloped. Some of the acting even looked a bit unrehearsed (not just the amateur dramatics parts). Wainwright has a great eye for niggling family tension and it was on display here - but I'd not be surprised if she was rushed into this 'Christmas Special'.

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Travelers

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYjhmOGM4MWItOTlkMy00NWZlLWE2MDctYzFlYTIyZmEzOTUxL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjExMjk0ODk@._V1_UY268_CR4,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

 

A time travel show that has almost no mention of time travelling.

The cast are all in the present with no return to their present in our future.

This crept up on me and is one to look forward to each week.

The cast are easy to relate to and their shenanigans all involve actual hard technology and a constant struggle to remain under cover.

Avoids histrionics but is tense, well written and involving in a way that Twelve Monkeys never was.

I like it.  :tup

 

 

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Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream (BBC 4)

Interesting if irritating three parter - suffered in the last 30 minutes from recycling the same old cliches about Freud, Klimt, Alma Mahler and Hitler - "Vienna, a city in political decline but the birthplace of modern thought...blah! blah! blah!". Presented by yet another effin' public school boy (Simon Sebag Montefiore) posturing in a hat. Didn't help that the camera kept getting in really close to his face when he was making grandiose statements. 

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British posters, help satisfy my curiosity by telling me what the ' bake off ', ' great bake off ' thing is all about?

I'm puzzled that so many tv viewers are interested in baking.

I would have thought it a dull, minority interest topic.

Edited by kinuta
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3 hours ago, kinuta said:

British posters, help satisfy my curiosity by telling me what the ' bake off ', ' great bake off ' thing is all about?

I'm puzzled that so many tv viewers are interested in baking.

I would have thought it a dull, minority interest topic.

Beats me - I never watch it. Enormously popular though, appealing to the same demographic that gets equally worked up and manic over Strictly Come Dancing..

While some of us are spinning our Tina Brooks disks the rest of the country is praying at the altar of Mary Berry and Darcey Bussell.

Edited by sidewinder
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2 hours ago, sidewinder said:

Beats me - I never watch it. Enormously popular though, appealing to the same demographic that gets equally worked up and manic over Strictly Come Dancing..

While some of us are spinning our Tina Brooks disks the rest of the country is praying at the altar of Mary Berry and Darcey Bussell.

Thanks Bob.

Mary Berry and Darcey Bussell?  Never heard of them. 

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Watched the exceptional Season 3 of Black Sails on Blu-ray

Watched Game of Thrones Season 6 on Blu-ray

Watched The Expanse on DVD (looks like Blu-ray with excellent upscaling)

Watching X-Files Season 2 on Blu-ray (amazes me how well-done and beautiful appearing and sounding these X-Files seasons look on Blu-ray)

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Image result for alan bennett diaries  bbc 2Image result for lady in the van

Never really paid much attention to Alan Bennett but really enjoyed both the documentary on BBC2 and the film that followed. What a nice man - and some splendid music too (Walton, Elgar....). Loved the section where he talked about being educated by the state, had his health looked after by the state, was sent to university by the state and could not understand how the term 'the state' had become such a term of abuse when used by the right. My experience precisely. Lovely scenes of rural Yorkshire too. 

'The Lady in the Van' was desperately sad - nuns have a lot to answer for. 

Image result for glory film

Saw this when it first came out in the cinema (1989) - amazed that rewatching it 30 years later I could not recall a single scene. Sentimental and follows the standard Hollywood template of a group of blokes at odds with one another, gradually forged into a unit of mutual respect and great courage. Enjoyed it - the final scene (storming the fort) was harrowing. 

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'To Walk Invisible' (BBC1)

Sally Wainwright's telling of the Bronte sisters' story. Ee but its grim up't North. Very enjoyable if more conventional than what you usually get from Wainwright.

Spent the first half wracking my brains wondering where I'd seen the actor playing Anne (far right) before. Then it clicked - she was the young PC in 'Happy Valley'. Wouldn't want to meet Emily Bronte (middle) on a dark night....scary! 

Edited by A Lark Ascending
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This was recommended here a number of times. Enjoyable couple of hours but it made me feel about 98. I think I've more in common with Haworth in the 1840s than the bizarre culture on view here (there's a potential Attenborough series!). I do like Anna Kendrick's voice (first noticed her in 'Into the Woods') - I love the 'When I'm Gone' song which was recently used as a UK TV theme ('Mum').  

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Moving on to season 3 of X-Files on Blu-ray (had to after that cliff-hanger!) I really never saw all these episodes of X-Files and it was about season 4 where I had to stop watching broadcasts as my wife's clinical paranoia made it something best not to have played back. . . .

But man they did a fantastic job with these transfers, the show looks astonishingly good.

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2 hours ago, kinuta said:

Sherlock The Six Thatchers

 

Comic book balderdash.

The script writing chaps were on holiday so the tea lady, assisted by Guy Ritchie, took up the reins.

I'll stick to Elementary, at least it has half decent stories.

The new Sherlock is not for me.  More nonsensical than ever.

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