J. P. Gilliver (John)
2020-10-06 22:25:57 UTC
I happened to leave the TV on after the midday (well, 1 pm) news not too
long ago, and got hooked on the dramas they put on then - it's
insidious! There was a series called "The Land Girls", then when I left
on last Monday, "The Indian Doctor" - it's about, well, an Indian doctor
(and his wife), who comes to a small Welsh village as the doctor, after
the existing one dies. (1960s.) (BBC1 13:45 weekdays.)
It actually has a lot in common with both the current situation with
covid (more on that below), and Ambridge: village shop, policeman, pub
... I suppose that's inevitable - standard village characters.
Obviously, there are glaring differences too - the time period, and of
course there's a pit (mine). But there's a lot of common "feel" - IMO,
anyway.
Anyway, being out today, I've just caught up with today's episode from
the BBC website, and was a bit surprised to see it described as a
"Comedy drama set in 1960s Wales." Given that today's episode (and it's
going to continue into at least tomorrow's) is about the arrival of
smallpox in the village, I wouldn't have described it as such. Sure, it
has comic bits, as does Ambridge (some of them painful - "how we
laughed" sort of thing; there's even a lovesick policeman!), but I
wouldn't have called it a comedy drama - unless you could call TA one.
The smallpox thing is very covid-like: closing the shop, pub, and mine;
lockdown (even to the extent of a roadblock - I'm wondering, do we have
them now? In bits of Wales even, as it happens!); six feet (none of your
metres then); a vicar who believes prayer will ...; some vaccines do
come from Cardiff, but only seven, so they have to choose (I'd be
surprised if that doesn't happen with covid - hopefully not for long, if
we're to believe the production facilities they tell us about, but for
the first few ...)
I'm enjoying it; if anyone feels like sharing, I think the first series
from last week (covered his arrival and the predictable culture clashes;
the second series this week is when he's been there a year) is still
available on the website (or you could just join in from tomorrow). It
has a _little_ of Call the Midwife about it.
I presume it's a repeat (I'm guessing originally weekly episodes, though
I don't remember it being on) - I find myself wondering how it was
decided on; did someone think it was just a nice cosy drama for daytime
TV, or was the smallpox handling thought to be a good (and sneaky) way
to, I'm not sure what, an audience who might not take in government
briefings and the like?
long ago, and got hooked on the dramas they put on then - it's
insidious! There was a series called "The Land Girls", then when I left
on last Monday, "The Indian Doctor" - it's about, well, an Indian doctor
(and his wife), who comes to a small Welsh village as the doctor, after
the existing one dies. (1960s.) (BBC1 13:45 weekdays.)
It actually has a lot in common with both the current situation with
covid (more on that below), and Ambridge: village shop, policeman, pub
... I suppose that's inevitable - standard village characters.
Obviously, there are glaring differences too - the time period, and of
course there's a pit (mine). But there's a lot of common "feel" - IMO,
anyway.
Anyway, being out today, I've just caught up with today's episode from
the BBC website, and was a bit surprised to see it described as a
"Comedy drama set in 1960s Wales." Given that today's episode (and it's
going to continue into at least tomorrow's) is about the arrival of
smallpox in the village, I wouldn't have described it as such. Sure, it
has comic bits, as does Ambridge (some of them painful - "how we
laughed" sort of thing; there's even a lovesick policeman!), but I
wouldn't have called it a comedy drama - unless you could call TA one.
The smallpox thing is very covid-like: closing the shop, pub, and mine;
lockdown (even to the extent of a roadblock - I'm wondering, do we have
them now? In bits of Wales even, as it happens!); six feet (none of your
metres then); a vicar who believes prayer will ...; some vaccines do
come from Cardiff, but only seven, so they have to choose (I'd be
surprised if that doesn't happen with covid - hopefully not for long, if
we're to believe the production facilities they tell us about, but for
the first few ...)
I'm enjoying it; if anyone feels like sharing, I think the first series
from last week (covered his arrival and the predictable culture clashes;
the second series this week is when he's been there a year) is still
available on the website (or you could just join in from tomorrow). It
has a _little_ of Call the Midwife about it.
I presume it's a repeat (I'm guessing originally weekly episodes, though
I don't remember it being on) - I find myself wondering how it was
decided on; did someone think it was just a nice cosy drama for daytime
TV, or was the smallpox handling thought to be a good (and sneaky) way
to, I'm not sure what, an audience who might not take in government
briefings and the like?
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)***@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf
"Usenet is a way of being annoyed by people you otherwise never would have met."
- John J. Kinyon
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)***@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf
"Usenet is a way of being annoyed by people you otherwise never would have met."
- John J. Kinyon