Britcoms Feed

WPBT2 with Masterpiece Classics premieres a new miniseries South Riding airing on Sundays at 9:00 pm beginning on May 1st.

South Riding2 A feisty schoolteacher returns to her north England home and is drawn to a man who despises everything she stands for on South Riding, Winifred Holtby’s 1936 novel of social consciousness and secret romance. MASTERPIECE Classic presents this Depression-era love story in a three-part miniseries, adapted by celebrated screenwriter Andrew Davies (Little Dorrit, Pride and Prejudice) and starring Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House) and David Morrissey (Sense and Sensibility).

Maxwell Martin plays Sarah Burton, a native of fictional South RidingSouth Riding1  in Yorkshire, returning to apply for the job of headmistress at the local girls’ high school. Her goal is to bring  new energy, new ideas, and a new outlook to the institution, whose students face a bleak future in the hard economic times of the 1930s. Sarah’s nemesis is landowner Robert Carne, portrayed by David Morrissey. Robert is a tradition-bound gentleman farmer, deeply suspicious of Sarah’s social agenda and offended by her pacifist views, especially since he is a veteran of the Great War. But despite his opposition to her candidacy, she gets the job.

South Riding3 Masterpiece: South Riding is based of a modern classic, South Riding. It was the last novel by Winifred Holtby, who died at age 37 of Bright’s disease a month after completing the manuscript. Knowing that she did not have long to live, she threw herself into what became her most enduring book—a chronicle of her native Yorkshire on the brink of change, as the rigid class system was starting to crumble and outspoken feminists like Sarah were charting a new path for women, not least in matters of the heart.

The show airs on Sundays at 9:00 pm beginning on May 1st.


WPBT2 premieres a new series, Ashes to Ashes, beginning April 14th at 9:30 pm.

Ashes to ashes Ashes to Ashes, the follow up to fan-favorite Life on Mars, sees DCI Gene Hunt and his sidekicks back on our screens. But this time, it’s the 80s calling. Alex Drake, a DCI who uses psychological profiling rather than brute force to nail her men, finds herself in a London of New Romantic pan-sexuality, Two Tone ska and rolled-up suit sleeves after a horrific car accident. And whilst she gets to grips with the self-styled Sherriff of Manchester's 'unorthodox' methods, Gene has to wrestle with the fact that not only does he have to show Alex (a bird!) some professional respect, he also sort of fancies her.

Ashes to Ashes allows us to peek behind the bluff exterior of the hugely popular DCI Hunt, whilst givingAshes to ashes2  viewers access to a very different, tumultuous world, where poll tax riots, androgynous fashion and angular pop sit side-by-side with Charles'n'Di commemorative plates.


WPBT2 Broadcasts BBC One Live Coverage of the Royal Wedding on April 29th at 3:00 am.

William and kate 

WPBT2 invites you to be a guest at one of the most eagerly anticipated events of our century, the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.  WPBT2 will air the live BBC One coverage of the wedding on April 29 at 3:00am.  Coverage of the wedding begins 3 hours ahead of the wedding service, which allows viewers to watch the excitement and anticipation build up around Central London as well as other key locations such as St. Andrews and Kate's home village of Bucklebury.

Kate_wills_101023x3_william_b-gr_12 A team of presenters will be stationed around Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and The Mall. They will watch all the preparations as they unfold, report on all the movements and speak to members of the crowd who have traveled from all over to witness this little piece of history. Hear from guest experts, for example, Royal historians and correspondents, fashion experts and possibly some guests who are attending the wedding service.

In this transmission watch the journey of all the members of the Royal Family and Prince-william-and-kate-middleton-engagement-photo-230x300 the bride as they make their way to the Abbey. See the arrivals of all the key guests and watch the full coverage of the wedding service. Following the service, viewers will see the full procession back to Buckingham Palace and then reflect on how the wedding has made an impact all over the United Kingdom and possibly around the world. This programme will end just after William and Kate and close members of the Royal Family make the historic balcony appearance.


WPBT2 premieres William and Kate: A Royal Wedding on April 10th at 10 pm.

 

William and kate William and Kate: A Royal Wedding takes a look at the decade long relationship between Prince William and Kate Middleton. It shows how they first met at University and how they became too set a wedding date. It profiles the participants in this monumental relationship and how this will affect the royal family. This program celebrates and illuminates this highly anticipated and jubilant event in Britain’s royal history.


The Survey says....

The results are in and here is what you had to tell us about British Comedies on WPBT2.

Overwhelmingly, participants want us to continue running the classic British Comedies like Are You Being Served and Keeping Up Appearances, with 55% of the vote. The three other categories, less conventional; edgier or never before shown all received 15% of the votes.

South Florida apparently still wants to see British Comedies on Saturdays in the early evening, although there was strong sentiment for late Saturdays, late Sundays and even weeknights at 7:30.

The final results looked like this:

Saturday early evening        40%
Saturday late evening          20%
Sunday late evening            16%
Other                                 24%

And in terms of the shows you'd like to see, the answers were all over the map and included many of the programs currently in our schedule.

Thanks to all who participated and please take a look at After You've Gone, premiering later this month and tell us what you think of that new series.

Actress Mollie Sugden dies at 86

The TV star, best known for playing Mrs Slocombe in long-running BBC sitcom Are You Being Served?, died at the Royal Surrey Hospital after a long illness.
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The Yorkshire-born actress's twin sons, Robin and Simon Moore, were at her bedside, agent Joan Reddin said.

David Croft, one of the writers of Are You Being Served?, remembered her as a "marvellous character" who would never turn down chances to make people laugh.

"She would never refuse any sort of comedy situation no matter how undignified it was she would always go along with it. She was marvellously funny," he said.

'Lovely person'

Actor Frank Thornton, who played Captain Peacock in the sitcom, told the BBC she was part of a very happy team.

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