Small world--I watched the series last week (I have free Apple+ for a while and I'm wondering if I'll keep it when the charges come due). I agree with everything you said, and will add this. . .pretty much everything in the show is familiar--the owner trying to wreck the team (straight out of the late '80s Charlie Sheen comedy Major League), the fish-out-of-water coach, the aging veteran contending with the hot newcomer, the team of misfits--but it's all done with heart, observation, and genuine humor. And I especially like that Ted isn't just a bumbling Good Ol' Boy stereotype--he's a genuinely GOOD guy who cares and wants the best for everyone. (And Coach Beard is hilariously surreal.) Love it--great show--I might keep Apple+ just for this!
I was waiting for Napoleon to comment, but as he hasn't yet...
Zen concluded at the weekend. The final episode was good fun. I enjoyed the intrigue surrounding the Monetti family although I figured out the culprit with ease. There was scope for an immediate sequel which was curtailed by the BBC penny pinching. Rufus Sewell was good as the hero, still looking bemused by his predicament. He's a very noble policeman. Disappointed his romance with Caterina Monro looks to have bitten the dust. The sex-on-the desk scene was hilarious. Overall, a fine little trio of stories. It looked as if it had legs, but someone obviously disagreed. Miss Monro's legs only remain firmly in the memory then.
Lately I've been watching Michael Palin's series about his famous and excellent travel documentaries. It gives new perspective to the documentaries I enjoyed so much in the past.
It Strokes me that Michael Palin can make a very good ally to Bond in the Ketim Bey mould. He is funny, quirky and his personality is both warm and engaging. I want him to be a MI6 station chief!
Oh, I thought I'd commented on Zen's final episode, seems I hadn't. I enjoyed it, but they do rush the resolution a lot as if to say, okay, it doesn't quite hold up but maybe they won't notice. Thing is, I remember the first one. And the second. The third I honestly can't recall the plot, only the sub plot with the office politics. Oh, there's a new priggish boss, a bit OTT. Having the powers that be keep calling on Zen got a bit much, then again this only went to three episodes (presumably six the first time round.) Not sure where the romance could go after this unless they kept splitting up or getting back together. Oh, it was about someone being kidnapped, wasn't it, and his dodgy family out to pay the ransom? It just didn't feel dangerous enough somehow but don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, just a teensy bit shaggy dog story with the denouement coinciding with the final dregs of white wine at the tail end of the evening.
Zen kept coming out on top and the top brass never really got anything on him to compel him to do their bidding ad infinitum.
Spent the last couple of Saturday nights engrossed in the Finnish drama Man in Room 301. A good, quite tense family drama which has some good performances. Some of the storylines seem a little bit unlikely, but it isn't hurting my enjoyment.
They just did a OO7 special looking at some of the famous cars. They must have had them delivered special to the studio warehouse after the Bond in Motion exhibition closed. It was fun to see them less concerned with the iconic motors and more interested in the lesser models, like the Toyota GT 2000 from You Only Live Twice and the Renault 11 from A View to a Kill, the latter converted into a Renault '5.5' by being sawn in half !
They also had Paddy driving the £3.3m Aston Martin D.B. Mark V Goldfinger Recon - which isn't road-insurable as it comes equipped with gadgets - ram bumpers, machine guns, oils licks, revolving number plates, smokescreens. All but the ejector seat.
I don't watch Top Gear as a general rule, but this was fun. I was hoping they'd drive a Mercury Cougar though...
It’s actually not the gadgets which stop it being road legal but the fact it’s a brand new car but doesn’t adhere to the modern safety requirements for a motor vehicle because it’s a 1960s design.
I knew those Toyotas were rare and valuable but I had no idea quite how much they were worth! Very quick too.
I’ve been watching Prison Break again. I really enjoy this series, Robert Knepper is superb as the evil T-Bag. Full of twists and turns it is ideal binge watching TV.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
I spent three evenings rewatching the original 1978 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
A fine piece of seventies sci-fi. You can probably learn more about it on Wiki.
I remember we got it on UK TV in 1979. Everyone thought it was brilliant. I enjoyed it equally this time. It cuts corners. It's not as detailed as the recent(ish) reworking, but it has a better pace because of it. Love the seventies fashions invading outer space. A workable, attractive cast, especially the women - Jane Seymour all nippley as Serina - Lorne Greene all stately as Adama - Patrick MacNee voicing the Cylon Emperor, always good to have a Britisher as your chief villain - a bothersome child and his robot dog (they put a chimpanzee in the dog suit; not sure animal rights would allow that today.) Good action scenes. SFX pretty good too. Cylons can't shoot for toffee; they are as bad as storm troopers in that aspect and also clearly inspired by Dr Who's Cybermen. The show cost something astronomical for 1978 and only lasted one season, which seems a great pity. Something of a cross between Star Trek and Star Wars, I feel. There was some dispute between George Lucas and the producers which was important at the time, but seems hardly worth anyone's effort with hindsight.
They shaved the excess fat from the first three episodes and made a theatrical cinema release for Europe to view before the TV show aired, which is how I first watched it. Not sure I have the stamina for all 24 episodes, but I might drop in every now and then.
Just finished Snowpiercer on Netflix. Absolutely loved it. Great cast and Sean Bean is his usual brilliant self.
Also finished The Irregulars also on Netflix. It was watchable. Found the first episode a bit childish and didn't like the female lead at all but it grew on me and came together at the end. Different take on the Holmes/Watson story for sure.
Finally, I've just started A Discovery of Witches. Something I've been meaning to watch for a while and after watching a couple of episodes last night I don't think it's going to disappoint. I love Matthew Goode. He could have made a decent old school Bond.
The Prisoner (1967). Not years, but decades ahead of its time. Some episodes are much the same but there are at least 10 really good ones. The theme tune is superb and it has the greatest title sequence in television history. I’ve really enjoyed watching this again.
The Avengers, Season 4 (1965). A mixture of excellent, very good, good, and not so good episodes. There were many episodes that I don’t remember seeing before. MacNee and Rigg are good together. The stunt doubles are very obvious. Looking forward to Season 5.
The Kill Point (2007). A good 8 episode series depicting a bank heist gone wrong. Donnie Wahlberg and John Leguizamo are both excellent as the negotiator and gang leader, respectively.
Pennyworth, Season 1 (2019). Set in an alternate London this charts the adventures of the young future butler to Batman. Excellent acting and production values make this superb viewing. Viscerally violent and with very strong language coupled with good a pacy script this makes excellent viewing.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Robin of Sherwood is being repeated on ITV4 in the UK. Brings back such great memories of the eighties. Watching the programme and then re-enacting with friends with our homemade bows, arrows and wooden swords. It's still a great watch and what a soundtrack! 🌲🌳🏹🌳🌲
Not sure if Michael Praed ever actually screen tested for Bond?
I watched episode 11 of The Persuaders last night. It was directed by Peter Hunt and George Baker was a guest star. There’s a lovely in-joke where an attache case is opened and it is filled with James Bond paperbacks including the movie tie-in of OHMSS 😃.
This was a good episode with great support from Peter Vaughn and Suzanna Leigh. The beginning is very humorous with Danny Wilde roughing it in the countryside while Brett Sinclair has a luxury tent equipped with fridge-freezer, television and champagne!
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
I loved the series when it originally came out and I'm also rewatching it again now. The highlights for me are Dirk Benedict as Starbuck (who I aspired to be as a teenager in '79, and whose archetypal character is still appealing); the costume design for the Colonial Warriors by Jean-Pierre Dorleac; the design of the spaceships; and the overall sense of fun and light-hearted approach in the vein of Star Trek. It's fairly well known that the plot of BG was Gene Roddenberry's original idea for ST - a 'wagon train across the stars' - so that's no surprise.
I still have the Colonial Warrior jacket I saved up for and bought from the US back in '79, from an advert in the pages of Starlog magazine!
Yes! Almost identical to the screen-worn version but just without any lining and a slightly paler fabric . They nailed the design, and it also has the unusual clasps and collar pips.
Started watching GLOW UP season 3, the make up artist competition on BBC. I've watched every series of this and been fascinated by the originality, the creativity and the confidence of the MUAs who take part. Some of their work is outstanding and although the contestants seem to tick all the diversity / inclusive boxes, they do have interesting, thoughtful stories to tell. New presenter Maya Jama lacks the personal touch of Stacey Dooley, but she gives an enthusiastic commentary and doesn't sound surprised by the artist's abilities and techniques.
Before retirement I never had much time to watch TV so am enjoying catching up on lots of series which passed me by. I’ve finished season one of 24 and thought it was very good and an original concept of the events taking place in real time (including commercial breaks) which mercifully are not on the steaming site, Disney+.
Have just started season two and it is also very good.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Still working my way through Galactica, I've noticed how many Bond alumni are in the series. You mentioned Jane Seymour and Patrick Macnee, Chrisno1, but the first few episodes have also revealed Britt Ekland, Barry Nelson and Bruce Glover. It's a real guilty pleasure. My wife called it a kids show. I can't really disagree too much 😑
Comments
Small world--I watched the series last week (I have free Apple+ for a while and I'm wondering if I'll keep it when the charges come due). I agree with everything you said, and will add this. . .pretty much everything in the show is familiar--the owner trying to wreck the team (straight out of the late '80s Charlie Sheen comedy Major League), the fish-out-of-water coach, the aging veteran contending with the hot newcomer, the team of misfits--but it's all done with heart, observation, and genuine humor. And I especially like that Ted isn't just a bumbling Good Ol' Boy stereotype--he's a genuinely GOOD guy who cares and wants the best for everyone. (And Coach Beard is hilariously surreal.) Love it--great show--I might keep Apple+ just for this!
I was waiting for Napoleon to comment, but as he hasn't yet...
Zen concluded at the weekend. The final episode was good fun. I enjoyed the intrigue surrounding the Monetti family although I figured out the culprit with ease. There was scope for an immediate sequel which was curtailed by the BBC penny pinching. Rufus Sewell was good as the hero, still looking bemused by his predicament. He's a very noble policeman. Disappointed his romance with Caterina Monro looks to have bitten the dust. The sex-on-the desk scene was hilarious. Overall, a fine little trio of stories. It looked as if it had legs, but someone obviously disagreed. Miss Monro's legs only remain firmly in the memory then.
Lately I've been watching Michael Palin's series about his famous and excellent travel documentaries. It gives new perspective to the documentaries I enjoyed so much in the past.
It Strokes me that Michael Palin can make a very good ally to Bond in the Ketim Bey mould. He is funny, quirky and his personality is both warm and engaging. I want him to be a MI6 station chief!
Oh, I thought I'd commented on Zen's final episode, seems I hadn't. I enjoyed it, but they do rush the resolution a lot as if to say, okay, it doesn't quite hold up but maybe they won't notice. Thing is, I remember the first one. And the second. The third I honestly can't recall the plot, only the sub plot with the office politics. Oh, there's a new priggish boss, a bit OTT. Having the powers that be keep calling on Zen got a bit much, then again this only went to three episodes (presumably six the first time round.) Not sure where the romance could go after this unless they kept splitting up or getting back together. Oh, it was about someone being kidnapped, wasn't it, and his dodgy family out to pay the ransom? It just didn't feel dangerous enough somehow but don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, just a teensy bit shaggy dog story with the denouement coinciding with the final dregs of white wine at the tail end of the evening.
Zen kept coming out on top and the top brass never really got anything on him to compel him to do their bidding ad infinitum.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Spent the last couple of Saturday nights engrossed in the Finnish drama Man in Room 301. A good, quite tense family drama which has some good performances. Some of the storylines seem a little bit unlikely, but it isn't hurting my enjoyment.
I'm currently watching SNOWPIERCER on Netflix.
Not my usual cup of tea but it's been fab, especially since Sean Bean appeared. He's great in everything he appears in.
TOP GEAR on BBC1 (U.K.)
They just did a OO7 special looking at some of the famous cars. They must have had them delivered special to the studio warehouse after the Bond in Motion exhibition closed. It was fun to see them less concerned with the iconic motors and more interested in the lesser models, like the Toyota GT 2000 from You Only Live Twice and the Renault 11 from A View to a Kill, the latter converted into a Renault '5.5' by being sawn in half !
They also had Paddy driving the £3.3m Aston Martin D.B. Mark V Goldfinger Recon - which isn't road-insurable as it comes equipped with gadgets - ram bumpers, machine guns, oils licks, revolving number plates, smokescreens. All but the ejector seat.
I don't watch Top Gear as a general rule, but this was fun. I was hoping they'd drive a Mercury Cougar though...
It’s actually not the gadgets which stop it being road legal but the fact it’s a brand new car but doesn’t adhere to the modern safety requirements for a motor vehicle because it’s a 1960s design.
I knew those Toyotas were rare and valuable but I had no idea quite how much they were worth! Very quick too.
I had no idea, thanks for that. And yes, that Toyota, boy, pricey.
No, there isn't anything good on TV 😒
I haven't watched Top Gear since Clarkson and crew left but I had this on in the background waiting fro Line Of Duty.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see I'd picked a day when they had a Bond feature.
I quite like Freddie and Chris but I can't deal with Paddy. I think he tries a bit too hard.
I’ve been watching Prison Break again. I really enjoy this series, Robert Knepper is superb as the evil T-Bag. Full of twists and turns it is ideal binge watching TV.
I spent three evenings rewatching the original 1978 BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.
A fine piece of seventies sci-fi. You can probably learn more about it on Wiki.
I remember we got it on UK TV in 1979. Everyone thought it was brilliant. I enjoyed it equally this time. It cuts corners. It's not as detailed as the recent(ish) reworking, but it has a better pace because of it. Love the seventies fashions invading outer space. A workable, attractive cast, especially the women - Jane Seymour all nippley as Serina - Lorne Greene all stately as Adama - Patrick MacNee voicing the Cylon Emperor, always good to have a Britisher as your chief villain - a bothersome child and his robot dog (they put a chimpanzee in the dog suit; not sure animal rights would allow that today.) Good action scenes. SFX pretty good too. Cylons can't shoot for toffee; they are as bad as storm troopers in that aspect and also clearly inspired by Dr Who's Cybermen. The show cost something astronomical for 1978 and only lasted one season, which seems a great pity. Something of a cross between Star Trek and Star Wars, I feel. There was some dispute between George Lucas and the producers which was important at the time, but seems hardly worth anyone's effort with hindsight.
They shaved the excess fat from the first three episodes and made a theatrical cinema release for Europe to view before the TV show aired, which is how I first watched it. Not sure I have the stamina for all 24 episodes, but I might drop in every now and then.
I've found a new guilty pleasure. Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries.
I watched the new film recently 'Crypt of Tears' and then started on the series from the beginning.
Quite an enjoyable little series.
Spooks was massive here but I never actually watched it. Many of the actors went on to be big stars.
What do Miss Fisher and Spooks have in common? Rupert Penry Jones.
Just finished Snowpiercer on Netflix. Absolutely loved it. Great cast and Sean Bean is his usual brilliant self.
Also finished The Irregulars also on Netflix. It was watchable. Found the first episode a bit childish and didn't like the female lead at all but it grew on me and came together at the end. Different take on the Holmes/Watson story for sure.
Finally, I've just started A Discovery of Witches. Something I've been meaning to watch for a while and after watching a couple of episodes last night I don't think it's going to disappoint. I love Matthew Goode. He could have made a decent old school Bond.
Some TV I’ve been watching recently:
The Prisoner (1967). Not years, but decades ahead of its time. Some episodes are much the same but there are at least 10 really good ones. The theme tune is superb and it has the greatest title sequence in television history. I’ve really enjoyed watching this again.
The Avengers, Season 4 (1965). A mixture of excellent, very good, good, and not so good episodes. There were many episodes that I don’t remember seeing before. MacNee and Rigg are good together. The stunt doubles are very obvious. Looking forward to Season 5.
The Kill Point (2007). A good 8 episode series depicting a bank heist gone wrong. Donnie Wahlberg and John Leguizamo are both excellent as the negotiator and gang leader, respectively.
Pennyworth, Season 1 (2019). Set in an alternate London this charts the adventures of the young future butler to Batman. Excellent acting and production values make this superb viewing. Viscerally violent and with very strong language coupled with good a pacy script this makes excellent viewing.
Robin of Sherwood is being repeated on ITV4 in the UK. Brings back such great memories of the eighties. Watching the programme and then re-enacting with friends with our homemade bows, arrows and wooden swords. It's still a great watch and what a soundtrack! 🌲🌳🏹🌳🌲
Not sure if Michael Praed ever actually screen tested for Bond?
I watched episode 11 of The Persuaders last night. It was directed by Peter Hunt and George Baker was a guest star. There’s a lovely in-joke where an attache case is opened and it is filled with James Bond paperbacks including the movie tie-in of OHMSS 😃.
This was a good episode with great support from Peter Vaughn and Suzanna Leigh. The beginning is very humorous with Danny Wilde roughing it in the countryside while Brett Sinclair has a luxury tent equipped with fridge-freezer, television and champagne!
I loved the series when it originally came out and I'm also rewatching it again now. The highlights for me are Dirk Benedict as Starbuck (who I aspired to be as a teenager in '79, and whose archetypal character is still appealing); the costume design for the Colonial Warriors by Jean-Pierre Dorleac; the design of the spaceships; and the overall sense of fun and light-hearted approach in the vein of Star Trek. It's fairly well known that the plot of BG was Gene Roddenberry's original idea for ST - a 'wagon train across the stars' - so that's no surprise.
I still have the Colonial Warrior jacket I saved up for and bought from the US back in '79, from an advert in the pages of Starlog magazine!
Ha! Was the jacket any good? :)
Yes! Almost identical to the screen-worn version but just without any lining and a slightly paler fabric . They nailed the design, and it also has the unusual clasps and collar pips.
Amazing, c&d !
Impressive! I always quite liked their outfits 😊
Started watching GLOW UP season 3, the make up artist competition on BBC. I've watched every series of this and been fascinated by the originality, the creativity and the confidence of the MUAs who take part. Some of their work is outstanding and although the contestants seem to tick all the diversity / inclusive boxes, they do have interesting, thoughtful stories to tell. New presenter Maya Jama lacks the personal touch of Stacey Dooley, but she gives an enthusiastic commentary and doesn't sound surprised by the artist's abilities and techniques.
Before retirement I never had much time to watch TV so am enjoying catching up on lots of series which passed me by. I’ve finished season one of 24 and thought it was very good and an original concept of the events taking place in real time (including commercial breaks) which mercifully are not on the steaming site, Disney+.
Have just started season two and it is also very good.
Yes, 24 was a classic series.
Season 1 & 2 are IMO the best, after that too many improbables. But the whole lot is worth a look.
Was advised to watch Frank of Ireland from a friend at work - it’s silly and funny and very Irish 🤣
Still working my way through Galactica, I've noticed how many Bond alumni are in the series. You mentioned Jane Seymour and Patrick Macnee, Chrisno1, but the first few episodes have also revealed Britt Ekland, Barry Nelson and Bruce Glover. It's a real guilty pleasure. My wife called it a kids show. I can't really disagree too much 😑
I've only watched two other episodes and it is, how to put it nicely, elementary...?