Funland (TV Series)
''Funland'' is a comedy / thriller serial, produced by the BBC that was first screened from 23 October 2005 to 7 November 2005, on the digital channel BBC Three. Created by Jeremy Dyson (of ''The League of Gentlemen'') and Simon Ashdown, the series consists of a fifty-minute opening episode followed by ten half-hour instalments. Plot A prudish couple, Dudley (Kris Marshall) and Lola (Sarah Smart), arrive in Blackpool by bus from Stoke-on-Trent, and find themselves in a seedy boarding house run by the sinister Leo Finch ( Philip Jackson). At the same time Carter Krantz (Daniel Mays) arrives from London, thrown out of a car naked and carrying only a key and a piece of paper with the name "Ambrose Chapel". He thinks that this is a man responsible for his mother's murder, but after roughing up an innocent taxidermist, Ambrose ''Chapfel'', (Mark Gatiss), he discovers it is actually a disused church, now a nightclub called "Sins" which is run by Shirley Woolf (Ian Puleston-Davies). ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Comedy Drama
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical hour-long legal or medical drama, but exhibit far fewer jokes-per-minute as in a typical half-hour sitcom. In the United States Examples from United States television include: ''M*A*S*H (TV series), M*A*S*H'', ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'', ''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'', ''Northern Exposure'', ''Ally McBeal'', ''Sex and the City'', ''Desperate Housewives'' and ''Scrubs (TV series), Scrubs''. The term "dramedy" was coined to describe the late 1980s wave of shows, including ''The Wonder Years'', ''Hooperman'', ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'' and ''Frank's Place''. See also *List of comedy drama television series *Black comedy *Dramatic structure *Melodrama *Seriousness *Tragicomedy *Psychological ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term originated in ancient Greece: in Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by political satire performed by comic poets in theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a dramatic performance pitting two groups, ages, genders, or societies against each other in an amusing '' agon'' or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old". A revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions posing obstacles to his hopes. In this struggle, the youth then becomes constrained by his lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to resort to ruses w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cheryl Campbell
Cheryl Campbell (born 22 May 1949) is an English actor of stage, film and television. She starred opposite Bob Hoskins in the 1978 BBC drama '' Pennies From Heaven'', before going on to win the 1980 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for ''Testament of Youth'' and ''Malice Aforethought'', and the 1982 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Revival for ''A Doll's House''. Her film appearances include ''Chariots of Fire'' (1981), '' Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes'' (1984) and ''The Shooting Party'' (1985). Early life Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, Campbell is the daughter of an airline pilot. She was educated at Francis Bacon Grammar School, St Albans, and at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Her repertory theatre experience includes the Palace Theatre, Watford, Birmingham Rep and the Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow. [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is an amusement park situated on Blackpool's South Shore, in the county of Lancashire, North West England. It operates as a secure facility, and has introduced epayments via smartphones for admission charges, replacing wristbands and Pleasure Beach Passes, and removing the need to attend the Ticket Centre. The park was founded in 1896 by A. W. G. Bean and his partner John Outhwaite and has been family owned and operated since its inception. The current managing director is Bean's great-granddaughter Amanda Thompson. The park is host to many records, including the largest collection of wooden roller coasters of any park in the United Kingdom with four: the Big Dipper, Blue Flyer, Grand National and Nickelodeon Streak. Many of the roller coasters in the park are record-breaking attractions. When it opened in 1994, The Big One was the tallest roller coaster in the world. It was also the steepest, with an incline angle of 65° and the second fastest w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Big Dipper (Blackpool)
Big Dipper is a wooden out and back roller coaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, England. Originally built in 1923, it was extended in 1936 and was designated as a Grade II listed building on 19 April 2017. It operates with two trains, each containing three four-bench cars, seating two people per bench. After Scenic Railway, Big Dipper is the second-oldest in-use rollercoaster in Britain. It has restraints of an individual lapbar and a seatbelt. History Construction and expansion The coaster was first built in 1923 by John Miller. It was extended in 1936 by American engineer Charles Paige (whose work at the Pleasure Beach is all that survives of the 13 wooden coasters he is known to have built) with arches over the south entrance of the park and additional drops. British architect Joseph Emberton designed the ride station. Refurbishment On 13 February 2010, Big Dipper reopened after months of refurbishment following an incident in August 2009. The 1935 station ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bleak House (2005 TV Serial)
''Bleak House'' is a fifteen-part BBC television drama serial adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name, which was originally published in 1852–53 as itself a print serialisation over 20 months. Produced with an all-star cast, the serial was shown on BBC One from 27 October to 16 December 2005, and drew much critical and popular praise. It has been reported that the total cost of the production was in the region of £8 million. Written by Andrew Davies, the serial was produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark and directed by Justin Chadwick and Susanna White. Plot The longstanding estate battle of ''Jarndyce v Jarndyce'' hangs over the heads of many conflicting heirs, confused by multiple wills. Possible beneficiary John Jarndyce of Bleak House welcomes orphaned cousins Ada Clare and Richard Carstone—also potential heirs—as his wards, and has hired Esther Summerson as a housekeeper and companion for Ada. Honoria, Lady Dedlock, the wife of the imperious baronet Si ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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British Academy Television Awards
The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until 1958, they were awarded by the Guild of Television Producers and Directors. From 1958 onwards, after the Guild had merged with the British Film Academy, the organisation was known as the Society of Film and Television Arts. In 1976, this became the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. From 1968 until 1997, the BAFTA Film and Television awards were presented in one joint ceremony known simply as the BAFTA Awards, but in order to streamline the ceremonies from 1998 onwards they were split in two. The Television Awards are usually presented in April, with a separate ceremony for the Television Craft Awards on a different date. The Craft Awards are presented for more technical areas of the industry, such as special effects, productio ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brian Kirk
Brian Kirk is an Irish film and television director who has directed episodes of '' Game of Thrones'', FX's '' The Riches'' and Showtime's '' Brotherhood'' and ''The Tudors''. He also directed the television film '' My Boy Jack'' starring David Haig and Daniel Radcliffe and based on the play of the same name. Career Kirk has been named to direct the thriller ''Midnight Delivery'' for Universal Pictures. Guillermo del Toro will produce the film. In July 2013 Kevin Costner was in talks to star in the film. Filmography Film * ''Middletown'' (2006) * '' 21 Bridges'' (2019) Television *''Pulling Moves'' (2004) **Episode #1.01: "Claimitis" **Episode #1.02: "Meat Is Murder" **Episode #1.03: "The Quiz" **Episode #1.04: "Dog Eat Dog" **Episode #1.05: "Spousal Arousal" *'' Murphy's Law'' (2004–2005): **Episode #2.01: "Jack's Back" **Episode #2.02: "Bent Moon on the Rise" **Episode #3.01: "The Goodbye Look" **Episode #3.03: "Strongbox" *''Donovan'' (2005) *'' Funland'' (2005) **Ep ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Susan Tully
Susan Tully (born 20 October 1967) is an English actress, television producer, and television director. Her most prominent television acting roles were those of rebellious teenager Suzanne Ross in ''Grange Hill'' and single mother Michelle Fowler in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Tully played one of the original ''EastEnders'' characters, appearing in the first episode on 19 February 1985 and remaining central to the series until 1995. She then gave up acting in favour of working behind the camera, and since then has directed and produced British television programmes. Early life Tully's father was a watch-case maker, and her mother a housewife. Tully was brought up on a London council estate. [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brian Hibbard
Brian Hibbard (26 November 1946 – 17 June 2012) was a Welsh actor and singer from Ebbw Vale, Wales, best remembered as the lead vocalist in the original The Flying Pickets. Early life and career Hibbard was born into a working class family in Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire, and had a socialist upbringing. He was educated at Ebbw Vale Grammar School. After various jobs including teacher, steel worker, barman and chimney sweep, he formed The Flying Pickets with a group of other actors who had practised a cappella singing while travelling by coach to their appearances. Following the group's success in the early 1980s, Hibbard went on to pursue a career as a television actor, appearing in ''Coronation Street'' as garage mechanic Doug Murray, in ''Emmerdale'' as Bobby-John Downes, and as Johnny Mac in the Welsh language soap ''Pobol y Cwm'' as well as the youth drama ''Pam Fi, Duw?''. In 1995 he played Jason in an episode of the fifth series of Heartbeat. He was in the 1997 film ''Twin T ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Simon Greenall
Simon James Greenall (born 3 January 1958) is an English actor, producer, writer and voice artist. He has portrayed Michael in the BBC television series '' I'm Alan Partridge'', as well as in '' Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa,'' the Caretaker in the CBBC game show '' Trapped! and'' Richard in ''Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married.'' He has also appeared in various roles in television comedies such as ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', ''The Armstrong and Miller Show'', ''Alas Smith and Jones'', ''The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson'' and ''Benidorm''. As a voice artist, Greenall is best known for voicing Mr Aleksandr Orlov and Sergi in the Compare the Meerkat advertising campaign for comparethemarket.com along with Captain Barnacles in ''The Octonauts.'' He also voiced Iqbal and Martin in ''Bromwell High'', the Twins in the ''Shaun the Sheep Movie'' along with its sequel '' A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon'', Snout In Kerwhizz and multiple voices in Monkey Du ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', and '' Dracula''. Together with Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Jeremy Dyson, he is a member of the comedy team ''The League of Gentlemen''. Early life and education Gatiss was born in Sedgefield, County Durham, England, to Winifred Rose (née O'Kane, 1931–2003) and Maurice Gatiss (1931–2021). He grew up opposite the Victorian psychiatric hospital there, and later in Trimdon, before his father, a colliery engineer, took a job as engineer at the School Aycliffe Mental Hospital in Heighington.Mark Lawson Talks to Mark Gatiss His family background is working class. His passions included watching ''Doctor Who'' and Hammer Horror films on television, reading Sherlock Holmes and H.G. Wells, and collecting fossils. All those interests have influenced his creative ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |