Entertainment :: Books
30 Years of British Television by Phil Hall
EDGE ContributorTuesday Jul 8, 2008 A.S. Berman, co-founder of British Television magazine, compiled this slender and jolly collection of 14 interviews with stars of the most popular PBS-broadcast UK TV programs. For anyone who watches public television strictly to feed an Anglophile fix, this is quite the treasure.
There is plenty of fun to be found in these pages. John Inman, beloved as the campy Mr. Humphries in "Are You Being Served?", expresses cheeky displeasure when his character’s sexuality is questioned. "I mean I got a little uptight because who said he was gay, anyway?" he asks. "Until they see him do it across the counter, nobody knows. It’s never mentioned at all."
Among the other choice moments here involve Monty Python’s Eric Idle, who is caught off-guard when asked by Berman on the causes for the British Empire’s demise, Penelope Keith explaining the art of finding likable qualities in seemingly unappealing characters ("The Good Neighbors," "To the Manor Born"), Clive Swift on why his Richard remains married to Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "Bouquet") on "Keeping Up Appearances," and Stephanie Cole’s ability to convincingly play a woman of advanced age and crankiness on "Waiting for God."
One can quibble that the book may have been more representative if it included British TV classics that played in the U.S. via syndication (particularly 1960s-era offerings like "The Avengers" or "Secret Agent"). Also, the section relating to this decade (appropriately identified as the "’00s") is only represented by Beryl and Sue Vertue - clearly a reflection on the absence of British TV on today’s PBS line-up. Nonetheless, "30 Years of British Television" will offer a high quota of nostalgic smiles for those who cannot get enough of our wacky friends across the pond.
by A.S. Berman
BearManor Media, $19.95, 159 pages.
Phil Hall’s latest book is "The History of Independent Cinema" (published by BearManor Media)
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