You Say Goodbye, I Say 'Allo 'Allo

Erica and I don't watch much TV. One of the main reasons for this is the TV Tax that I wrote about almost three years ago. We still watch some shows after the fact via DVDs or Iplayer. (Hulu is blocked over here dontcha know?) I've started watching a classic Britcom called 'Allo 'Allo. Set in occupied France during WWII this comedy is from the creators of 'Are You Being Served' and bears a slight resemblance to 'Fawlty Towers' in that it is centered around a cafe owner who has a wife whom he tries to forget about interacting regularly with foreigners. One of the most enjoyable features of the show for me is the fact that while the audience hears all the characters speaking English, the characters interact as if they are speaking different languages. The French and Germans understand each other as it is assumed that they are speaking the same language (probably German (in reality English with exaggerated accents)). When two British airmen are stuck in the village and the Resistance tries to sneak them out, they are unable to comprehend the 'language' being spoken. The only person who knows 'English' and can communicate with them is Michelle, the leader of the resistance who when speaking to them uses an exaggerated posh accent (how all us Americans expect Brits to sound (except obviously the lower classes who all sound like Dick Van Dyke)). The show relies on a lot of verbal gags and innuendo, but is a welcome companion for late evenings while Erica does her freelance work.

Some of the other programs I've enjoyed while over here.

Downton Abbey--The first series (as the Brits call seasons) was certainly the best, but two and three are a nice distraction. It'll be interesting to see how far they can stretch it out.

Fawlty Towers--John Cleese at his finest. (Yep I said it) You also have the loveable Manuel and they only made twelve episodes so it never feels like it jumped the shark.

Top Gear--I find that if I watch too much of it, it can feel very forced. Some of the stuff they do is fun to watch, especially on Youtube. 'Star In A Reasonably Priced Car' (Take celebrities, give them a cheap car and have them race around a track (A real one that's shaped like this and not one like this NASCAR fans.))

Extras--Probably the program I've most enjoyed. It's a Ricky Gervais creation where he plays an out of luck actor who gets work as an extra on movies. Always hoping to somehow get a speaking part, he bumps shoulders with stars such as Ben Stiller, Patrick Stewart, Kate Winslett and Daniel Radcliffe who play themselves with exaggerated or inverted personae. The Daniel Radcliffe episode was my personal favourite. 

Friends--I know it's an American show. Brits love it though. For almost the first three years we were here you could basically turn on the TV at anytime of the day and some channel would be showing an old episode. When Erica was pregnant with Clive we worked our way through the complete set of episodes.

Dr. Who--...Dr. Who I feel just demands too much energy. You have to buy into the whole experience. You can't just watch one episode because if you do it just doesn't make sense. I want to want to like Dr. Who, so perhaps someday, but for now I'll just leave the good doctor for all his other fanatics.