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Maria McErlane
Maria McErlane (born 9 December 1957, in Buckinghamshire, England) is a British actress and presenter specialising in comedy. She has been acting since 1984. She has appeared in several TV series, including ''The Fast Show'', '' Gimme Gimme Gimme'', '' Thin Ice'' and ''Happiness'', "straight" roles in ''The Bill'' and ''Holby City'' and as the narrator for Antoine de Caunes and Jean-Paul Gaultier's '' Eurotrash''. Career Starting on the comedy circuit in the 1990s, under the name 'Maria Callous', she has also guested on shows such as '' Have I Got News for You'', ''If I Ruled the World'' and '' Just a Minute'' on Radio 4. She also is part of the murder panel show ''Foul Play'', alongside Lee Simpson. In June 1984, she appeared in 'Out of Order' (a revue by Christopher Middleton and Jonathan Kydd) at the Finborough Theatre. McErlane co-presented the ITV quiz show ''Carnal Knowledge'' with her friend Graham Norton in the mid 1990s. She co-presented the "Grill Graham" agony aun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east and Hertfordshire to the east. Buckinghamshire is one of the Home Counties, the counties of England that surround Greater London. Towns such as High Wycombe, Amersham, Chesham and the Chalfonts in the east and southeast of the county are parts of the London commuter belt, forming some of the most densely populated parts of the county, with some even being served by the London Underground. Development in this region is restricted by the Metropolitan Green Belt. The county's largest settlement and only city is Milton Keynes in the northeast, which with the surrounding area is administered by Milton Keynes City Council as a unitary authority separately to the rest of Buckinghamshire. The remainder of the county is administered by Buck ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy chat show ''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present) and an eight-time award-winner overall—he received the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance three times for ''So Graham Norton'' (2000 to 2002). Originally shown on BBC Two before moving to other slots on BBC One, his chat show succeeded ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' in BBC One's prestigious late-Friday-evening slot in 2010. From 2010 to 2020, Norton presented the Saturday-morning slot on BBC Radio 2. In 2021, he began presenting on Saturdays and Sundays on Virgin Radio UK. Since 2009, he has served as the BBC's television commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest, which led ''Hot Press'' to describe him as "the 21st century's answer to Terry Wo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack And Jeremy's Real Lives
''Jack and Jeremy's Real Lives'' was a 1996 comedy show for Channel 4, written by and starring Jack Dee and Jeremy Hardy. The series was a collection of mockumentaries similar to their previous collaboration, '' Jack and Jeremy's Police 4''. Each episode focused on the pair playing bizarre characters from a particular profession. The series was shot on film and featured no laugh track. The pilot featured Sacha Baron Cohen being electrocuted. After three episodes it was moved to air after midnight due to low ratings. Episodes and summaries Aristocrats A day in the life of aristocratic brothers has them solving a murder, attending a black magic ritual and visiting some poor people. Writers Struggling, troubled writers believe they've received their big break when Radio 3 ask them to do a poetry reading. Paranormal Researchers The pair search for evidence of ghosts in Barbara Castle, Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
This Life (1996 TV Series)
''This Life'' is a BBC television drama that was produced by World Productions and screened on BBC Two. Two series were broadcast in 1996 and 1997, with a later reunion special in 2007. It centres on the life of twentysomething law graduates embarking upon their careers while sharing a house in south London. Unusually for a show about lawyers, there are no courtroom scenes in either the first or second series, and only one brief scene in the TV sequel. Broadcast during the height of "Cool Britannia", the series is set in London and is notable for its Britpop soundtrack and for its depiction of casual sex and drug-taking. It became a popular word-of-mouth hit and was included on BFI's list of the 100 greatest British television programmes of all time. Production The series was created by Amy Jenkins, who was also its principal writer. Other writers contributed scripts, including Joe Ahearne (who also directed some episodes—the only person to do both on the series), Ian Iqba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sean's Show
''Sean's Show'' is a British television situation comedy, first broadcast on Channel 4 between 15 April 1992 and 29 December 1993. Stand-up comedian Sean Hughes co-wrote and starred as a fictionalised version of himself, aware that he is living in a sitcom. The show's style drew heavily on ''It's Garry Shandling's Show'' (1986–90). It received a nomination for the 1992 British Comedy Award for Best Channel 4 Sitcom. Production In common with a number of British shows of its era, humour often came from repetition of catchphrases or situations. These included Sean's love of The Smiths and Morrissey; conversations with a spider who was actually Elvis Presley; messages on the answerphone from Samuel Beckett and God; "That sock's still not dry"; phone calls from a girl called Angela who Sean definitely "did not lead on"; refugees in the bedroom who do nothing but comment inanely on television programmes; attempts to get scrambled egg from a saucepan and many, many more. The firs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comedy Playhouse
''Comedy Playhouse'' is a long-running British anthology series of one-off unrelated sitcoms that aired for 120 episodes from 1961 to 1975. Many episodes later graduated to their own series, including ''Steptoe and Son'', '' Meet the Wife'', ''Till Death Us Do Part'', ''All Gas and Gaiters'', ''Up Pompeii!'', '' Not in Front of the Children'', ''Me Mammy'', ''That's Your Funeral'', ''The Liver Birds'', ''Are You Being Served?'' and particularly ''Last of the Summer Wine'', which is the world's longest running sitcom, having run from January 1973 to August 2010. In March 2014, it was announced that ''Comedy Playhouse'' would make a return that year with three new episodes. Background The series began in 1961 at the prompting of Tom Sloan, Head of BBC Light Entertainment at the time. Galton and Simpson were no longer writing for Tony Hancock and Sloan asked them to write ten one-offs with the hope that one might become established as a series. Thus, the first two series of ''C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Press Gang
''Press Gang'' is a British children's television comedy drama consisting of 43 episodes across five series that were broadcast from 1989 to 1993. It was produced by Richmond Film & Television for Central, and screened on the ITV network in its regular weekday afternoon children's strand, Children's ITV, typically in a 4:45 pm slot (days varied over the course of the run). Aimed at older children and teenagers, the programme was based on the activities of a children's newspaper, the ''Junior Gazette'', produced by pupils from the local comprehensive school. In later series it was depicted as a commercial venture. The show interspersed comedic elements with the dramatic. As well as addressing interpersonal relationships (particularly in the Lynda-Spike story arc), the show tackled issues such as solvent abuse, child abuse and firearms control. Written by ex-teacher Steven Moffat, more than half the episodes were directed by Bob Spiers, a British comedy director who had previous ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west at Senlac Hill in 1066. It later became one of the medieval Cinque Ports. In the 19th century, it was a popular seaside resort, as the railway allowed tourists and visitors to reach the town. Today, Hastings is a fishing port with the UK's largest beach-based fishing fleet. It has an estimated population of 92,855 as of 2018. History Early history The first mention of Hastings is found in the late 8th century in the form ''Hastingas''. This is derived from the Old English tribal name '' Hæstingas'', meaning 'the constituency (followers) of Hæsta'. Symeon of Durham records the victory of Offa in 771 over the ''Hestingorum gens'', that is, "the people of the Hastings tribe." Hastingleigh in Kent was named after that tribe. The place n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Esquire (magazine)
''Esquire'' is an American men's magazine. Currently published in the United States by Hearst Communications, it also has more than 20 international editions. Founded in 1933, it flourished during the Great Depression and World War II under the guidance of founders Arnold Gingrich, David A. Smart and Henry L. Jackson while during the 1960s it pioneered the New Journalism movement. After a period of quick and drastic decline during the 1990s, the magazine revamped itself as a lifestyle-heavy publication under the direction of David Granger. History ''Esquire'' was first issued in October 1933 as an offshoot of trade magazine ''Apparel Arts'' (which later became '' Gentleman's Quarterly''; ''Esquire'' and ''GQ'' would share ownership for almost 45 years). The magazine was first headquartered in Chicago and then, in New York City. It was founded and edited by David A. Smart, Henry L. Jackson and Arnold Gingrich. Jackson died in the crash of United Airlines Flight 624 in 1948, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, which is owned by News Corp. Times Newspapers also publishes ''The Times''. The two papers were founded independently and have been under common ownership since 1966. They were bought by News International in 1981. ''The Sunday Times'' has a circulation of just over 650,000, which exceeds that of its main rivals, including ''The'' ''Sunday Telegraph'' and ''The'' ''Observer'', combined. While some other national newspapers moved to a tabloid format in the early 2000s, ''The Sunday Times'' has retained the larger broadsheet format and has said that it would continue to do so. As of December 2019, it sells 75% more copies than its sister paper, ''The Times'', which is published from Monday to Saturday. The paper publishes ''The Sunday Ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ITV Network
ITV is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network. It was launched in 1955 as Independent Television to provide competition to BBC Television (established in 1936). ITV is the oldest commercial network in the UK. Since the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990, it has been legally known as Channel 3 to distinguish it from the other analogue channels at the time, BBC1, BBC2 and Channel 4. ITV was for four decades a network of separate companies which provided regional television services and also shared programmes between each other to be shown on the entire network. Each franchise was originally owned by a different company. After several mergers, the fifteen regional franchises are now held by two companies: ITV plc, which runs the ITV1 channel, and STV Group, which runs the STV channel. The ITV network is a separate entity from ITV plc, the company that resulted from the merger of Granada plc and Carlton Communications in 2004. ITV plc holds the Channel 3 b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nigella Lawson
Nigella Lucy Lawson (born 6 January 1960) is an English food writer and television cook. She attended Godolphin and Latymer School, London. After graduating from the University of Oxford, where she was a member of Lady Margaret Hall, Lawson started work as a book reviewer and restaurant critic, later becoming the deputy literary editor of ''The Sunday Times'' in 1986. She then embarked upon a career as a freelance journalist, writing for a number of newspapers and magazines. In 1998 her first cookery book, ''How to Eat'', was published and sold 300,000 copies, becoming a best-seller. Her second book, ''How to Be a Domestic Goddess'', was published in 2000, winning the British Book Award for Author of the Year. In 1999 Lawson hosted her own cooking show series, ''Nigella Bites'', on Channel 4, accompanied by another best-selling cookbook. ''Nigella Bites'' won Lawson a Guild of Food Writers Award; her 2005 ITV daytime chat show ''Nigella'' met with a negative critical reactio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
