“A towel, [The Guide] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Not only does it have great practical value, a towel has immense psychological value” – Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Today, H2G2 fans are marking the 23rd anniversary since the all-too-early passing of creator/writer, Douglas Adams. Festivities continue around the world throughout the month of May which will also mark also the 23rd anniversary of the first Towel Day which took place just two weeks after Adams passed away from a heart attack on May 11, 2001. The imp ..read more

Larry the Cat at #10. Editorial credit: Drop of Light / Shutterstock.com Despite the recent surprise annoucement by current UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling for a 4 July general election, there has been one constant at the most famous address this side of 221B Baker Street 10 Downing Street since 2011. Serving as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom at 10 Downing Street, the residence and home office of Britain’s prime minister, Larry the Cat was appointed in 2011 and finds himself now preparing to enter his 14th year in residence in 2025, serving his fifth PM i ..read more

Midsomer Murders Mayhem podcast launched March 28. Photo: Storyhunter Once again, THE podcast you been waiting for (and hopefully listening to) that digs deep and goes behind-the-scenes into the long-running British mystery series, Midsomer Murders!, continues to showcase the idea that things aren’t always that rosey when living in a picturesque small English village (in this weeks episode, the town of Fletcher’s Cross). With new episodes dropping each Thursday, this week we dig deep into “Dead Man’s Eleven”, episode 3 from series 2 which was originally broadcast in 1999. Again, I find m ..read more

Highclere Castle, aka Downton Abbey. Photo: Bill Young The Internets hair has been on fire recently with the official confirmation from Focus Features and Carnival Films of a third film in the Downton Abbey saga coming this past week. Months of rumors have finally been put to rest as a third film following on from 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era is happening! Unfortunately, while no plot details have been announced, there is a list of the cast members who are set to return including Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert Jame ..read more

Sir David Attenborough at BBC Showcase Liverpool. Photo: Bill Young Sir David Attenborough, the one-time director of BBC Programming in the 60s and 70s turned biologist, natural historian, and writer, turned 98 years young on Wednesday (8 May). Beginning with Life on Earth in 1979, Attenborough set about creating a body of work which became a benchmark of quality in wildlife film-making, and influenced a generation of documentary film-makers. The series established many of the hallmarks of the BBC’s natural history output.  Five years after the success of Life on Earth, th ..read more

Don Gilet joins the Honoré Police Department for S14. Photo: BBC/Red Planet Pictures With DI Neville Parker’s time on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie as head of the Honoré Police Department having come to an end, the search was on once again for a new DI to solve what seems to be a weekly murder on the tiny fictional picturesque island of Saint Marie. DI Parker’ time on Saint Marie lasted a year longer than his predecessors with DI Richard Poole (Ben Miller) lasting 3 seasons only to have his time end on the island at the wrong end of an ice pick, DI Humphrey G ..read more

Midsomer Murders Mayhem podcast launches today. Photo: Storyhunter Once again, THE podcast you been waiting for (and hopefully listening to) that digs deep and goes behind-the-scenes into the long-running British mystery series, Midsomer Murders!, continues to showcase the idea that things aren’t always that rosey when living in a picturesque small English village. With new episodes dropping each Thursday, this week we dig deep into “Murder on St. Malley’s Day”, episode 5 from series 4 which was originally broadcast in 2002. Again, I find myself loving this episode as DCI Barnaby  ..read more

Photo: PBS Masterpiece First broadcast in 1967 on the BBC, The Forsyte Saga was produced on a budget of £10,000 per episode which, at the time, was a fairly significant gamble not only because it was the last major British drama serial to be made in black and white but it was produced at a time when only a small proportion of the population had television sets able to receive the BBC. It had a successful run on PBS in the U.S. in the early 70s which allowed WGBH/Boston to launch the Masterpiece series Fast forward 50+ years and you have The Forsyte Saga&n ..read more

Alexander Blake is a former soldier who replaces William at Scotland Yard. Credit: Masterpiece on PBS Masterpiece on PBS recently announced that Kate Phillips (Peaky  Blinders) would return as Miss Eliza Scarlet, Victorian London’s first ever female detective, for a fifth season of investigations. The series will be retitled, Miss Scarlet but Stuart Martin (Jamestown), who played Scotland Yark detective William “The Duke” Wellington in the previous four seasons, will not return for Season 5. Stuart Martin as ‘The Duke’ in Miss Scarlet and The Duke. Photo: Masterpiece o ..read more

ITV STUDIOS PRESENTS VERA Pictured: Brenda Blethyn as DCI Vera Stanhope. Sadly, there is no joy in Mudville these days as word has come out that series 14 of Vera will be the last as Branda Blethyn has said it’s time to hang up the floppy fishing hat and iconic trench coat. Adapted from crime author Ann Cleeves’ Inspector Stanhope novels, the Northumberland-based detective series has graced the small screen for the better part of 13 years encompassing 13 series and 54 episodes. DCI Vera Stanhope of the Northumberland & City Police Department will call it a day after the upcoming 1 ..read more