Saturday, January 5, 2013

pg wodehouse and the bbc


This Saturday I'm actually sharing two favorite things ... my love of author PG Wodehouse and the English Television network, the BBC.  When my husband showed me this article in the Los Angeles Times yesterday morning, "Brits anticipate a Wodehouse tale",  I thought "That will be my A Favorite Thing Saturday" post.

The series will start this month in the UK, lucky ducks! It will be based on the Blandings Castle stories and star Timothy Spall and Jennifer Saunders - love them both!  Doing my happy dance ... well, that is if we are able to get it here please please please.

I discovered the wonderful productions of the BBC (via my mom and her love for all things cultural and British) when our local PBS station (KCET) began airing programs from them.  Good gosh, it seems like that was several lifetimes ago - I think it was in the late sixties, early seventies?  Anyway, many many years of enjoyment and wonderful stuff to watch.

One of the early productions that I adored and led me to PG Wodehouse was a series of his short stories, "Wodehouse Playhouse", starring Pauline Collins and her husband John Alderton. After seeing this charming group of stories, I ran to the bookstore and picked up "Meet Mr. Mulliner" and so began my great love. Wodehouse's stories are filled with silly gentle humor and delightful.

This is my Wodehouse shelf (I've moved the books around a bit so you could see they are two deep). I think I have about forty of his titles ... I think there may be something like ninety? I stopped collecting them long ago but of late have felt the itch to begin again.

I previously shared some of my PG Wodehouse book collection here for Vintage Thingie Thursday.



Joining in the A Favorite Thing Saturday fun with Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage.


36 comments:

  1. I watch the BBC and PBS and am not familar with this..will have to check it out. Always like learning something new!

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    1. Hi Ann! Don't you love BBC America and PBS, we watch so much of them. This is a new BBC series, hasn't aired in England yet. We have to wait and cross all appendages that it will get bought for an America audience.

      Happy week to you!

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    1. Hi Dottie! They are period pieces of a gentler time and very very silly. I've been known to laugh out loud reading them. :) They may not appeal to everyone though - but that's what makes the world go round, huh?!

      Happy week to you!

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  3. Very cool! I've always been a fan of Jeeves & Wooster.

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    1. Hi Diane! A kindred spirit, I adore Jeeves and Wooster, so much fun!

      Happy week to you!

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  4. I love anything British...I think I might like these books. We are anxiously awaiting Sunday evening, when Downton Abbey resumes for it's 3rd season.
    Balisha

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    1. Hi Balisha! Give one a try and see if it's your cup of tea. :)

      Did you enjoy Downton Abbey season opener? We are so hooked on the series.

      Happy week to you!

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  5. Hello, my sweet friend!
    My husband and I are huge BBC fans. We watch everything we can find from Britain. Downton Abbey is one of our favs. Lord of the Glen...Oh, there are so many good ones!
    Thanks for sharing...cause now we have another one to tune in to.
    Blessings and thanks so much for stopping by, Sally!
    Carolynn xxx

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    1. Hi Carolynn! I just knew you were a kindred spirit. :) Yes, we loved Monarch of the Glen too ... we rented all the ones me missed on BBC America from Netflix and saw them all. Have you been watching the Midwives series on PBS? So good!

      Happy happy week to you! xo

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  6. I am also a fan of PG Wodehouse. Loved Jeeves and Wooster. I am not familiar with this particular Sunset tale though. It would be a good one to look up at the library. My husband and I love the BBC shows that we see here on the television.

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    1. Hi GardenofDaisies! :)

      YIPPIE! Another Wodehouse fan! Wasn't Jeeves and Wooster fun?! "Sunset at Blandings" is actually his last book and was unfinished - it was published after he passed away. You can google "list of Blandings titles" and it should come up with them for you. I found out I don't have the first one and now want to get it. Yes, aren't we lucky we get BBC America here?! I wish we could get everything of theirs though. :)

      Happy week to you!

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  7. Sally you and I might be twins. I love Wodehouse. Don, my husband, is a true fan, having done a one-man show "Jeeves Takes Charge" several times over the years. Thanks for the information on the new production - I hope they air it on our PBS station in the future!

    Thanks so much for joining in this week!

    xo
    Claudia

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    1. Hi Claudia! I think there's a distinct possibility we are twins hahahhahaha. I am so late at replying to everyone on this thread that I've already visited you about Don doing a one man Wodehouse play and expressed my excitement at hearing it. WOW! Knowing the fast pace of hilarity and silliness that is involved, I can imagine it was quite an endeavor for him. Would have loved to have seen it.

      Happy happy week to you! xo

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  8. Oh, this sounds wonderful! I'll have to look up a few of these. I haven't watched too much of BBC, but when I have I've enjoyed it.

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    1. Hi Leslie! Wishing you lots of fun discovering Wodehouse - it's charming and VERY silly and gentle. It's probably not for everybody but I love it.

      Happy week to you!

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  9. Hi Sally, I remember you mentioning this author before. I will look for this series on TV as well. I am excited Downington Abbey begins again tomorrow night. Love British television! Enjoy your show! E

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    1. Hi Elizabeth! I do tend to repeat myself hahahhahahaha. The show has yet to air in England, I think it's airing sometime this month there ... fingers crossed it makes it across the pond to us please please please oh TV Powers That Be!

      Happy happy week to you! xo

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  10. To answer your question on my blog: yes, Louie Anderson is still with us. He has an official website. I actually saw him "in concert" in the early 1990s.

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    1. Hi Diane! Thank you for letting me know, seems like forever since I've heard of him. Must have been fun to see him in concert!

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  11. Oh gosh. I hope we get it. I love PG Wodehouse :)

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    1. Hi I'm So Vintage! Yippie! So glad to see another Wodehouse fan. Me too, sure hope it makes it to us - I adore Jennifer Saunders and Timothy Spall, it will be lots of fun. Fingers crossed.

      Happy week to you!

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  12. I love all British movies and T.V. I love Upstairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey. Thanks for sharing.
    ~Clara

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    1. Hi Clara! I'm so loving seeing all the lovers of British movies and TV showing up. Have you seen both the original Upstairs Downstairs and the new one? I think both are fun.

      Happy week to you!

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  13. I need to see if it will be aired here. Looking forward to Downton Abbey tonight.
    Thanks for the nice comment on the necklaces. Enjoy your Sunday.

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    1. Hi Glenda! You're very welcome.

      Gosh, we were all waiting (impatiently teehee) for Downton Abbey, weren't we?! Hope you enjoyed it.

      Happy week to you!

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  14. I love British series too-especially PBS. I'm hooked on Downton Abbey right now. I've never read Wodehouse, but you can bet I'll be checking some out of the library soon. Love that collection, Sally.Thanks for your sweet comments you left, about your trip to Dallas and Tx. I had never been here, before I moved here, so it was quite a change. How's the chemo going for old George? I hope he's doing okay!

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    1. Hi Leslie! Hurray, I'm so glad you love the British shows too. Isn't it fun we're a country obsessed and united by our love of Downton Abbey hahahahhaha!
      I wish I remembered more of our trip to Dallas and San Antonio! Are you enjoying living there?
      So far George is doing fine with the new medications - I on the other hand, am totally freaked out. ;)

      Happy happy week to you! xo

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  15. thank you Sally for another BBC/British cultural item to add to my list. I finally have watched the first season of Larkrise to Candleford and we love it. As always thanks for the heads up and Happy New Year!

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    1. Jenny Jenny Jenny! There you are. :) Hope all is well with you and your family. I hoped you would enjoy Larkrise, we really did.

      Much happiness to you and your dear ones in 2013! xo

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  16. Darn, I don't get the BBC, but love British TV, and watch what I can on PBS, then do Netflix, so I might get lucky with that! Adore Downton Abbey, and just finished watching the 2nd Season of the new Upstairs Downstairs, also wonderful! Oh, the the newer series The Hour, just great!

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    1. Hi Pam! So sorry you don't have BBC America. I think you should be able to find quite a bit on Netflix or iTunes. We are all of us ga ga over Downton Abbey, so much fun, isn't it?!

      Yes yes yes! We LOVE The Hour ... did you see the most recent one? What a cliff hanger, can't wait to see the next one.

      Did you catch The Midwives? Love it too.

      Happy happy week to you! xo

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  17. I love PBS,but not familiar with Wodehouse.Just looked for it on Youtube & found it ,so I will check it out.
    Happy New Year!

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    1. Hi Myrna! I didn't even think of looking of You Tube! Thanks so much for letting me know, I'll have to check out what they have. Hope you enjoy it, it's silly fun.

      Happy New Year to you and your family! xo

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  18. Sally, I had to come back and tell you I laugh every time I see your poodle button in my comments. Can you share all of him? He certainly reminds me of a favorite tp cover in my childhood! E

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    1. Hi Elizabeth! You're so cute! I love this funny poodle so much. He lived in my parents powder room for years - he was a gift from one of my mom's pen friends. I'll email you a picture of him - it may take me a couple of days. I hate having my picture taken, I am the worlds most unphotogenic (spelling?) person - makes me so unhappy. (Made even worse by my husband taking only fantastic photos!) Anyway, so as I was saying I hate having my photo taken and I had noticed people having photos other than themselves as their picture and I thought YES! I've got just the thing for my bio pic LOL.

      Happy Hump Day to you!

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