Favourite British Cult TV shows

[johnone]

does anyone remember just a gigolo with Tony Slattery? ,it was funny and was the first and only pre watershed comedy series based around the world of male prostitution!!!

[Eric Plumrose]

The Ritz on BBC 2, Friday nights oohhhhh . . . years back.

My problem with Ultraviolet is that the vampire mythology it uses is far too Anglocentric. I've got the last episode on VHS somewhere but I was never arsed to watch it. I presume the only reason those pesky Code Vs never nibbled on Jack Davenport was 'cos his performance was so lifeless that they thought he was one of the undead already.

[Devons Daddy]

EDGE OF DARKNESS, classic,
Blakes seven, for all its cheapo specail effects,

[Matt Timson]

Cheers Peeves- to be honest, it never even occurred to me that anyone else would like it enough to justify releasing it on DVD.  Looking forward to watching this again...

[DavidXBrunt]

As well as all the obvious candidates I've got a soft spot for the Saphire Films adventure series of the 1950's. They're surprisingly pacy and modern in comparison with the more stagey and formal Beeb output of the time. They could, and should, be shown today and still be watchable for even the most attention deficient of viewers. They're terribly British and stiff upper lip but with a charm and humour that wins over. Top acting too.

The most famous and succesful will be 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' (as in 'riding through the glen') starring Richard Green. Here Robins a jolly fellow with his band of men, his feisty Marian, hissable Sheriff and a wonderfully played Tuck. Alexander Guage as Tuck presents a humourous figure masking a sharp mind and when Richard Green needed time off he'd take the lead admirably.

The four series are out on D.V.D. for ridiculously cheap prices and not only feature fun scripts, witty action, and well performed stunts they also have a range of guest stars that appeal to fans of British comedy and film.

The first season features, amongst others, Leslie Philips as a foppish dandy lord and later as a crafty scheming villaine, Thora Hird as a no nonsense nanny, Joan Sims as a bawdy wench, multiple performances by Leo McKern, and also appearances from a very young Jane Asher and a pre Crackerjack Nicholas Parsons. The other series has Micheal Caine, Bernard Breslaw, Bill Owen, Sid James, Paul Edington, Leslie Philips (again), Harry H.Corbett and Ian Hunter.

The enthusiastic, catchy theme tune sums the series up and the first series box set is ?14 for 39 episodes, a real bargain. They're region free too.

And as a Doctor Who fan I'd heard for years about what a star William Russel was for playing Lancelot. Now I've seen it I can recommend it. Ian Chesterton as a knight of the round table. Brilliant.

Link: http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/112608/The_Adventures_Of_Robin_Hood_Series_1/Product.html" target="_blank">And they still had plenty of time to sing!

http://images.play.com/covers/112608m.jpg">

[paulvonscott]

Very Tempted by those Dave, might give series one a go.  It looks to me like there are four series of Robin Hood and one of Lancelot, is that right?

Oh and a quick mention for Robin of Sherwood which was great when I was a kid and I enjoy it a lot now.  I've also enjoyed watching Dick Turpin, more of the same, but the episodes aren't as long which hampers the stories a bit.

Wonder if the new BBC Robin Hood is any good?

[DavidXBrunt]

Yeah, that's about right Paul. If you'd like to borrow the first discs of each series I could post them...

But I recommend them whole heartedly. A distinctly different series to 'of Sherwood' but just as telling about the time it was produced in.

[paulvonscott]

Well I got Kinvig for Christmas and it is a minor classic disguised as a low rent ITV sitcom.  Shame it only went for 1 series, and perhaps a bigger shame that it was in the sitcom format, if it had been packaged much like the excellent Biederbeck Affair*, and Kneale had made moe of the uncertainty ovr what was real and what wasn't...

I'm on the final series of The Sweeney and have managed to convert lots of unconvinced people to the cause.  There are many blinding episodes.

After watching Beefcake: A Very British Sex Symbol over christmas (only a fraction as gay as it sounds) I've found myself with two series of the Professionals to watch (12.99 each from play.com). Convinced by no less a person than Kim newman that it's much better than I remember.

Also got Nigel Kneale's Beasts, enjoyed the first one it has a horrible sense of unease but the payoff seemed slightly botched and confusing.  Still 5 more and 'Murrain' to go.

*Another one worthy of cult status.  I caught bits of the Biederbeck Affair on the first run but bits weren't enough to understand what's going on sadly.

Right, my finger is poised to buy the complete Birds of Prey for £7.99 from Play.com... argh, gods of credit have mercy on meeeee...

Oh and Timson, what was re-visiting Budgie like?

[johnnystress]

Children of the Stones

never left me for the last 30 years

I watched it again on dvd recenlty and it's still great
http://k-punk.abstractdynamics.org/archives/stones%20cover.jpg">


Also , Into the Labyrinth

"rothgo, rothgo, rothgo"

http://www.jedisparadise.co.uk/childrenstv/Into_the_Labyrinth/Into_the_Labyrinth6.jpg">

[JOE SOAP]

-Edge of Darkness

-A Very British Coup

-Boys From the Blackstuff

-G.B.H

-Knights of God

All classics and worth rewatching.

[JOE SOAP]

Knights of God, those blaggards:http://tv.cream.org/images2/kog.jpg">

[Ignatzmonster]

Sandbaggers = bureaucratic thrill overload! Strangers and Bulman I will look into but I'll be shocked if it's better.

Bird of Prey sounds like the hot-fucking-ticket.

[TordelBack]

Long live the Knights of God!  

[Lobo Baggins]

Also got Nigel Kneale's Beasts, enjoyed the first one it has a horrible sense of unease but the payoff seemed slightly botched and confusing. Still 5 more and 'Murrain' to go.

I thought that too - Beasts seems to be rather variable.  I spent most of the first episode wondering why on earth the heroine stayed with such a prick, and was left with a feeling of 'wha...?' at the end.  The second, 'The Evil Ghost Dolphin verses the bloke from the Professionals' was just too bizarre to think about.

The other four are very good, though - particularly 'During Barty's Party', and 'Murrain' is very unsettling.

Incidentally, digital channel ITV4 is rerunning the last Quartermass serial on sundays - unfortunately, the sound and picture quality look almost exactly the same as my copy, a third generation VHS recording of the original broadcast in 1979.  Only the adverts aren't as good...

[Proudhuff]

Children of the Stones was fabby
also
Tom's Midnight Garden

and one that was on on a Sunday teatime that ended up in a windswept coastal village, and a Lifeboat but the name escapes me...