Fazzinchi

Looking Back at the 80’s

Life on Mars was one of the most popular British dramas produced in recent years.  It’s main thrust was a delightful conceit: a police officer goes back in time, which results in clash of cultures… cue ample opportunity for dramatic and/or comedic escapades.  If it has been made in the 70’s (and the time travel had been back to the early 50’s) this would have been the extent of the story and nothing much more would have been made of it.  However, viewers in the noughties are somewhat (more…)

It Looks Like We Might Have Made It

Another year gone and, while it may not be going strong, this old blog is, at least, still going and here is the first post of the year. It is a time for looking back, looking forward and making resolutions and so, I’ll start by looking back. 2007 began with some commitments that held me in good stead for a few months before succumbing to inevitable fatigue. The “Diary of an Addict” was a good record of viewing habits for the first nine months of the year with Doctor Who, Lost, Battlestar (more…)

Ashes to Ashes? 

Here we are again, another week of viewing draws to a close and there were loads of goodies on offer. The highlight of them all must have been the conclusion to Life on Mars that I wrote about earlier in the week. As a previous winner of the prestigious Show-Of-The-Week award, it is, of course, exempt from winning again but I am sorely tempted to re-write the rules to allow LoM an unprecidented second win. Elsewhere we saw the return of Paul Whitehouse and Harry Enfield in a (more…)

Sam’s Final Fling

It has the potential to be one of those finales that is talked about for years to come (at least around the hallowed halls of Fazzinchi Towers), like Blake’s 7 or Blackadder or Babylon 5 or The Office (or, for all the wrong reasons, Quantum Leap). Life on Mars will be remembered as a genre-breaking series that looked back at the seventies with a gritty realism and a realisation that it almost was like another planet. In Gene Hunt we had a fantastic character who, despite being a (more…)

I know she’s not in the new series, but she was genius in the Comic Relief special

April is upon us, Spring has sprung and the weather looks distinctly better outside.  Somehow this has led to a certain lack on television watching lately.  The Other Viewer and I are currently being mocked by our Sky+ Planner which has five episodes of Desperate Housewives and four of Battlestar Galactica on the first page.  We will get around to them soon and an appropriate monster sized catch up post soon.  A week’s vacation this week might be just what the Doctor ordered.  In (more…)

Where There’s Life

I am so glad that John Simm has found himself a role in the new Doctor Who (playing the mysterious Mr Saxon) because, while he has been fantastic in Life on Mars, it is easy to now forget some of his earlier memorable roles in The Lakes, State of Play and suchlike, so to take on what I assume will be such a different role should be great to see. The impending end of this groundbreaking series and the forthcoming role in one of the most popular shows on TV promises to be great for his (more…)