leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (09/06/85)
THE TRIPODS
A television review by Mark R. Leeper
It is England some 100 years in the future, but it might be 100 years
in the past for the level of technology. Things seem frozen in time and the
only thing around that seems beyond the 19th Century are the alien tripods,
maybe forty or fifty feet high, towering over the landscape. As each person
in the village becomes an adult, a strange metallic framework is embedded
into the top of his or her head that makes him or her a happy and docile
worker.
Nothing really original here. The series is based on the books THE
WHITE MOUNTAINS, THE CITY OF GOLD AND LEAD, and THE POOL OF FIRE by John
Christopher. The trilogy will be told in 25 half-hour episodes. Based on
an insufficient sample, I would say the acting is good and the special
effects adequate. I have a used copy of THE WHITE MOUNTAINS and the
previous owner pencilled in "Boy Scout stuff" on the first page. He was
probably right, but the same could be said of the STAR WAS novel. That was
not too bad as a film. The series seems worth watching. Watch for it on
PBS stations.
Mark R. Leeper
...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeperpete@stc.UUCP (Peter Kendell) (09/10/85)
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For your interest...
A new series has just started here.
--
Peter Kendell <pete@stc.UUCP>
...mcvax!ukc!stc!pete
'Give it all you can,
It's much better than,
The prefabricated concrete coal bunker!'
Who ? When? Answers on a postcard or stuck-down envelope.ecl@mtgzz.UUCP (e.c.leeper) (09/13/85)
> A new series has just started here.
For the benefit of those Americans that don't speak British, I would like to
point out that a "series" in Britain is equivalent (more or less) to a "season"
here.
So this doesn't mean another (American) series, but a continuation (American
season) of what is now running here.
Evelyn C. Leeper
...ihnp4!mtgzz!eclpete@stc.UUCP (Peter Kendell) (09/17/85)
Summary: Expires: Sender: Followup-To: Distribution: Keywords: Xpath: stc stc-b stc-a Xref: ukc net.sf-lovers:4901 net.tv:211 In article <1152@mtgzz.UUCP> ecl@mtgzz.UUCP (e.c.leeper) writes: >> A new series has just started here. > >For the benefit of those Americans that don't speak British, I would like to >point out that a "series" in Britain is equivalent (more or less) to a "season" >here. > >So this doesn't mean another (American) series, but a continuation (American >season) of what is now running here. Well, only more or less. As I understand it, an American season lasts six months, or 26 episodes. This is usually dependent on audience figures, with the show being reviewed half-way through the season. My source is 'The Making of Star Trek' by Roddenbury and Whitfield, plus observation. Over here, and on the BBC (source of 'The Tripods') at any rate, a series can consist of 6, 12 or 13, or 26 episodes. Typically, a comedy series such as 'Monty Python', 'Fawlty Towers' or 'The Hitchhiker's ...' runs for 6 weeks. A drama series would typically run for 12 or 13 weeks. I suppose 'Upstairs, Downstairs' falls into this category. Only a few shows run the full 26 weeks. 'Dr. Who' is the obvious case here. Then you have soaps for local consumption, 'Coronation St.', 'Crossroads', 'Brookside' etc. that run all year round and 2 or 3 episodes a week. These are *never* bought by the U.S!!! Because PBS and the networks tend to buy British material when it has already been running for a while over here there is often enough to fill a six-month period. The situation with commercial TV is slightly different as the programs are made with tight schedules and commercial breaks in mind. An ad agency likes to bulk-buy slots with reliable audiences so longer runs of modulo 1/2 hour length are popular. BTW, did you know that D****s runs only 47 minutes on the BBC? Program lengths *have* to be flexible here! I am, as ever, open to correction by the better informed. -- Peter Kendell <pete@stc.UUCP> ...mcvax!ukc!stc!pete 'Only too far is far enough'
brown@nicmad.UUCP (09/20/85)
In article <585@stc-b.stc.UUCP> pete@stc.UUCP (Peter Kendell) writes: >Then you have soaps for local consumption, 'Coronation St.', >'Crossroads', 'Brookside' etc. that run all year round and 2 or 3 >episodes a week. These are *never* bought by the U.S!!! I beg to differ, I believe that 'Coronation St.' was an the USA cable network. It was dropped as it wasn't getting viewers. >BTW, did you know that D****s runs only 47 minutes on the BBC? >Program lengths *have* to be flexible here! It's 47 minutes because the commercials are missing. If I were to tape it here and leave out the commercials, it will be 47 minutes here as well. >I am, as ever, open to correction by the better informed. No corrections, just additional data. -- Mr. Video {seismo!uwvax!|!decvax|!ihnp4}!nicmad!brown
pete@stc.UUCP (Peter Kendell) (09/24/85)
Summary: Expires: Sender: Followup-To: Distribution: Keywords: Xpath: stc stc-b stc-a Xref: ukc net.sf-lovers:5020 net.tv:214 In article <357@nicmad.UUCP> brown@nicmad.UUCP (Mr. Video) writes: >In article <585@stc-b.stc.UUCP> pete@stc.UUCP (Peter Kendell) writes: >>Then you have soaps for local consumption, 'Coronation St.', >>'Crossroads', 'Brookside' etc. that run all year round and 2 or 3 >>episodes a week. These are *never* bought by the U.S!!! > >I beg to differ, I believe that 'Coronation St.' was an the USA cable >network. It was dropped as it wasn't getting viewers. Steps backward in amazement! I'm not surprised that nobody watched it. Just staggered that anyone bought it in the first place. > >>BTW, did you know that D****s runs only 47 minutes on the BBC? >>Program lengths *have* to be flexible here! > >It's 47 minutes because the commercials are missing. If I were to tape >it here and leave out the commercials, it will be 47 minutes here as well. > Yes, I know. It's good fun spotting the phantom commercial breaks on imported programmes. It's usually fairly obvious in the way the music swells up to a climax, the camera closes in on an agonised, etc. face, the picture fades... and then the same scene carries on as if nothing had happened! It may interest you to know that there is a movement here to have the BBC carry commercials to avoid having the licence fee go up again. The commercial companies are scared of losing their share of the ad market; the rest of us are horrified at the idea of having a good service wrecked. It seems that only our loony government likes the idea. I'm keeping my fingers crossed... Personally, I resent having to pay higher prices for products with large TV advertising budgets when I watch hardly any commercial TV. The current licence fees are 65 pounds p.a. for colour TV and 18 pounds for B+W. I suppose this compares quite well with some cable services. -- Peter Kendell <pete@stc.UUCP> ...mcvax!ukc!stc!pete 'Only too far is far enough'