If Only Fools And Horses had started in the 21st century, it wouldn't have lasted for more than two series.
Let me explain. Back in the early 1980s, a brand new sitcom was written by John Sullivan, charting the misadventures of a wayward Peckham family, the Trotters. Three generations were spanned in a poky flat, which was part of Nelson Mandela House. The problem was that, when it first went out in 1981, the ratings were deemed to be on the low side. A second series went ahead, but even then, the ratings were not deemed world-shattering. If that had happened today, the show would have been axed quicker than you could shout “Mange Tout!” That's the price you pay for being with a ratings-hungry broadcaster, full of media-savvy trendies with buzzwords and balance sheets.
But luckily, a repeat season was to prove to be Only Fools And Horses' salvation. This time around,...
Let me explain. Back in the early 1980s, a brand new sitcom was written by John Sullivan, charting the misadventures of a wayward Peckham family, the Trotters. Three generations were spanned in a poky flat, which was part of Nelson Mandela House. The problem was that, when it first went out in 1981, the ratings were deemed to be on the low side. A second series went ahead, but even then, the ratings were not deemed world-shattering. If that had happened today, the show would have been axed quicker than you could shout “Mange Tout!” That's the price you pay for being with a ratings-hungry broadcaster, full of media-savvy trendies with buzzwords and balance sheets.
But luckily, a repeat season was to prove to be Only Fools And Horses' salvation. This time around,...
- 5/29/2012
- Shadowlocked
Simon Dee -- Britain's equivalent of Dick Cavett -- for a heartbeat in the Sixties -- till he self-destructed... Dee died of bone cancer on Sunday August 30th It was London in the autumn of 1968. The world premiere of the film version of The Killing Of Sister George. Taking place in a cinema in Kensington or Chelsea. I was barely 16. I had no right whatsoever to be there. But in my modus operandi of that era, I had bullshitted my way into being invited as a student journalist. The fact that I was not a student (having been expelled from the last school I ever attended at the age of 14) and not a journalist -- were minor details that were overlooked. If memory serves, in common with most...
- 9/1/2009
- by Martin Lewis
- Huffington Post
Simon Dee, the British TV star who inspired comic character Austin Powers, has died at the age of 74.
Dee, real name Cyril Nicholas Henty-Dodd, passed away on Sunday - one day after revealing he had been diagnosed with terminal bone cancer.
He was one of the biggest stars on U.K. TV in the Swinging Sixties, capturing the spirit of the age with his popular Dee Time programme.
Dee interviewed guests such as Sammy Davis Jr., Charlton Heston and John Lennon on the pop music TV show, which was watched by 18 million people from 1967-69.
He also landed cameo roles in films including The Italian Job and Doctor In Trouble, but later disappeared from the airwaves after leaving the BBC when corporation bosses failed to meet his salary demands.
Comedian Mike Myers' has revealed that Dee's "grooviness" inspired his movie character Austin Powers.
Dee, who was married three times, is survived by four children and four grandchildren.
Dee, real name Cyril Nicholas Henty-Dodd, passed away on Sunday - one day after revealing he had been diagnosed with terminal bone cancer.
He was one of the biggest stars on U.K. TV in the Swinging Sixties, capturing the spirit of the age with his popular Dee Time programme.
Dee interviewed guests such as Sammy Davis Jr., Charlton Heston and John Lennon on the pop music TV show, which was watched by 18 million people from 1967-69.
He also landed cameo roles in films including The Italian Job and Doctor In Trouble, but later disappeared from the airwaves after leaving the BBC when corporation bosses failed to meet his salary demands.
Comedian Mike Myers' has revealed that Dee's "grooviness" inspired his movie character Austin Powers.
Dee, who was married three times, is survived by four children and four grandchildren.
- 8/30/2009
- WENN
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