TV dramatisations

[julie thorpe]

We have recently treated ourselves to a TV satellite connection and can now get British television channnels. And what a treat it has been! Noel Streatfield's Ballet Shoes, Mrs Gaskell's Cranford (with Dames Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins), a new Andrew Davies adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, and Lark Rise to Candleford. All in the last two months. Yum!

[Zelenka]

I have Ballet Shoes recorded as I was over at my parents when it aired, and over there the only thing that's allowed on TV is my mother's CSI. Haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. We also had an adaptation of The Old Curiosity Shop with Derek Jacobi and a new version of Oliver Twist over the holidays too.

I just spent a fortune on Amazon when I discovered today that you can refine your search to look just for period dramas. Next week though I'm ordering my HD satellite box, which means I can get the BBC's HD channel, and that seems to always show some period drama so I'm looking forward to that.

[julie thorpe]

Oh yes - I saw Oliver Twist too. Unfortunately my husband made a mistake with recording Ballet Shoes, which was screened while we were away over Christmas. So I was very disappointed to discover we only had the first quarter recorded. The trouble is, the instruction manual is in German. My fluency extends to good day, have a nice weekend, excuse me, do you speak English, and I'm sorry I don't speak German. So that's not a lot of help, i find!

[pdr]

internet shopping. I sympathise, Julie.

One of my monthly writing cheques is always spent on DVDs bought at Amazon uk. The box set sales have been too tempting, the BBC Jane Austen, the Charles Dickens, the Mrs Gaskel plus a whole lot of EM Forster, Morse, Sherlock Holmes. You really need to hear your own language spoken, and spoken well, when you don't live amongst it.

The Japanese have a very good National TV with historical dramas and documentaries but I need a translator.

[PastMidnight]

I was very disappointed that I missed the first part of the new Andrew Davies Sense and Sensibility. Sky Magazine had a little teaser but, annoyingly, didn't have the day or time that it was to air, and by the time I looked it up, I had already missed a part. I've been keeping a watch to see when it will rerun. Another that I saw recently was Fanny Hill (forgot which channel that was on), which I thought was entertaining.

[girlyswot]

You really need to hear your own language spoken, and spoken well, when you don't live amongst it.



I listen to Radio 4 online for the same reason.

[Zelenka]

internet shopping. I sympathise, Julie.

One of my monthly writing cheques is always spent on DVDs bought at Amazon uk. The box set sales have been too tempting, the BBC Jane Austen, the Charles Dickens, the Mrs Gaskel plus a whole lot of EM Forster, Morse, Sherlock Holmes. You really need to hear your own language spoken, and spoken well, when you don't live amongst it.

The Japanese have a very good National TV with historical dramas and documentaries but I need a translator.

There is a big Amazon warehouse or call centre or something on the road to Glenrothes, near where my parents live, and I've joked a couple of times that I actually paid for it to be built. I don't know if I'm strange though in that I keep my historical dvds on a separate shelf and have them sorted in order of historical era. I recently treated myself to the complete Sherlock Holmes set (the Jeremy Brett series) and both series of 'By the Sword Divided', which I adore.

The thing I just bought was a film I've never heard of called 'The Advocate', with Colin Firth playing a medieval French lawyer or something, so I'm quite looking forward to that, but the one that arrived yesterday was the film version of 'The Scarlet Letter' with Gary Oldman and Demi Moore. I have no idea how historically accurate or textually accurate that was, since I was too busy looking at Oldman throughout... ;)

[pdr]

amazon sales. I've just scooped a whole lot of Merchant Ivory films of EM Forster, Evelyn Waugh, etc on DVD at £2.50 a piece! Now I shall have to eat porridge all day until I sell another story to the women's mags.