1.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
2.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, the BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total,16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting, the total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed contract staff are included. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own
3.
Dad's Army
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Dads Army is a BBC television sitcom about the British Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on the BBC from 1968 to 1977, the sitcom ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio version based on the television scripts, a feature film and a stage show. The series regularly gained audiences of 18 million viewers and is still repeated worldwide, the Home Guard consisted of local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service, either because of age or by being in professions exempt from conscription. Dads Army deals almost exclusively with over age men and featured older British actors, including Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Arnold Ridley, younger members in the cast included Ian Lavender, Clive Dunn, Frank Williams, James Beck, and Bill Pertwee. In 2004, Dads Army was voted fourth in a BBC poll to find Britains Best Sitcom and it had been placed 13th in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000 and voted for by industry professionals. The series has influenced British popular culture, with the series catchphrases and it highlighted a forgotten aspect of defence during the Second World War, although it greatly distorted the true history and function of the Home Guard. The Radio Times magazine listed Captain Mainwarings You stupid boy, among the 25 greatest put-downs on TV. A new feature film of Dads Army with a different cast was released in 2016, originally intended to be called The Fighting Tigers, Dads Army was based partly on co-writer and creator Jimmy Perrys experiences in the Local Defence Volunteers. Perry was only 17 years old when he joined the 10th Hertfordshire Battalion and his mother did not like him being out at night and feared he might catch cold, he partly resembled the character of Private Pike. An elderly lance corporal in the often referred to fighting under Kitchener against the Fuzzy Wuzzies and was the model for Corporal Jones. Other influences included the work of such as Will Hay whose film Oh. Featured a pompous ass, an old man and a man which gave him Mainwaring, Godfrey. Another influence was the Lancastrian comedian Robb Wilton, who portrayed a work-shy husband who joined the Home Guard in numerous sketches during WW2. Croft was impressed and sent the script to Michael Mills, the BBCs Head of Comedy, in his book Dads Army, Graham McCann explained that the show owes much to Michael Mills. It was he who renamed the show Dads Army and he did not like Brightsea-on-Sea so the location was changed to Walmington-on-Sea. He also suggested adding a Scot, Jimmy Perry had produced the original idea but needed an experienced man to see it through. Mills suggested David Croft and so their partnership began, when an episode was shown to members of the public, to gauge audience reaction prior to broadcast of the first series, the majority of the audience thought it was very poor. The production team put the report containing the negative comments at the bottom of David Crofts in-tray and he only saw it several months later, after the series had been broadcast and had received great acclamation
4.
Are You Being Served?
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Are You Being Served. is a British sitcom created and written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions from Michael Knowles and John Chapman, for the BBC. Broadcast between 1972 and 1985 on BBC1, the sitcom itself spanned ten series totaling 69 parts – five of which are Christmas specials, are You Being Served. was a great success in the UK and was also popular in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Israel. In the United States, it gained a loyal and enthusiastic following when PBS television stations began airing reruns of it in the mid 1970s, in 2004, the sitcom was ranked 20th in the countdown of Britains Best Sitcom. From 7 October 2013 to 17 March 2014,61 episodes of the series were repeated in the UK on BBC Two as part of Daytime Classics, a further season of repeats were shown on BBC2 during the spring and summer of 2015. A one-off special, with a revamped cast very closely matching the appearance of the original, was broadcast on 28 August 2016. The idea for the show came from Lloyds brief period in the early 1950s working at Simpsons of Piccadilly, the inspiration for the store has also been credited to Rossiters of Paignton department store from the time Lloyd and Croft spent there, and the former Clements of Watford. The pilot episode was created as part of the Comedy Playhouse series, the pilot was used as a filler during the 1972 Summer Olympics when the coverage of the Olympiad was interrupted by the Munich massacre on 8 September 1972, leading to a full series being produced. This first episode was repeated at the beginning of the first series on 14 March 1973, the show became a ratings hit, and after a successful 13-year run, Are You Being Served. Came to an end on 1 April 1985, the cast performed in character for a stage sketch on the BBC1 programme Variety on 19 June 1976. Doremy Vernon, starring as feisty canteen manageress Diana Yardwick over several seasons, also survives, although the pilot was produced in colour, the videotape was wiped in the 1970s leaving only a 16mm black-and-white film telerecording. In 2009, the episode was restored to colour using the colour recovery technique previously used for the Dads Army episode Room at the Bottom. The restored colour version was first shown on BBC2 on 1 January 2010 as part of a special Are You Being Served, John Inmans portrayal of Humphries over-the-top antics and sharp-tongued, witty responses, along with his trademark catch-phrase Im free. Were enthusiastically embraced by many members, and the character evolved into a gay icon in popular culture. In an episode of the spin-off Grace & Favour, the character is described as neither a womans man nor a mans man. The characters sometimes broke the wall for comical effect. The series was shown in the United States on PBS stations and on BBC America, PBS first began airing it in 1987, and viewership steadily climbed as more stations carried it. By the early 1990s, it had gained such a following that American viewers of the show formed fan clubs and were in large attendance wherever cast members made guest appearances. Aired in Canada late night on YTV and it also became available to Canadian viewers on PBS station WNED
5.
Ever Decreasing Circles
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Ever Decreasing Circles is a British situation comedy which ran on BBC1 for four series from 1984 to 1989. It was written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, and it reunited them with Richard Briers and it was much less brash than most situation comedies, and was more like a comedy-drama in places. This move into areas of comedy was continued with Brierss later series If You See God. Briers plays Martin Bryce, an obsessive, middle-aged man at the centre of his local community in East Surrey. This relatively unsympathetic character was the antithesis of Tom Good, Briers said that it was his favourite sitcom role. Martin is married to the motherly and patient Ann and has a settled, orderly lifestyle until he encounters their new neighbour, ex-British Army officer. Paul is everything Martin is not – adventurous, laissez-faire, flippant, witty, handsome and charming, in the words of Martin, a couldnt care less, come on life. He attempts to join in with the activities of Martin and his friends, Martins obsession with order and stability also leads him to get upset at Pauls minor changes to routine, such as sitting at a different table in the local public house. Paul runs his own business, a salon, and later. An undercurrent running throughout the series was the sexual tension. Martin sometimes seems oblivious to the attraction between Ann and Paul but in one episode, he believes that they have run off together. Martin leaves home, leaving Ann a note wishing her happiness, Martins relationship with Paul is double-edged. Paul is always friendly to Martin, who veers between thinly disguised hatred and grudging admiration, Paul cons the colleague into an admission of the trick in front of Ann, restoring her faith in Martin. Central to the show is Martins jealousy of Paul, Paul is shown to be significantly better than Martin at many things, notably cricket, where Paul joins the local team and promptly smashes all the records that Martin proudly holds. The two later play in a tournament, where Martin is delighted to find that Paul is useless. The other regular characters were Howard and Hilda Hughes, another married couple who generally add lighter humour to the plots. They are long-standing friends and neighbours of Martins, who some of his obsessiveness whilst having plenty of quirks of their own. The show also featured guest appearances by Peter Blake, Ronnie Stevens, Victoria Burgoyne, the final scene sees Martin standing in his empty hallway, going over to the telephone, and turning the receiver around, suggesting that Martins obsessiveness will live on
6.
Keeping Up Appearances
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The show spawned five series and 44 episodes, four of which are Christmas specials. Since its original release, all five series—including Christmas specials—have been available on DVD and it is also available for viewing on Netflix. In 2004, it came 12th in the poll for Britains Best Sitcom, in February 2016, it was confirmed by BBC Worldwide that Keeping Up Appearances is the corporations most exported television programme, being sold nearly 1000 times to overseas broadcasters. A prequel titled Young Hyacinth, featuring Hyacinth as a 19-year-old maid in the 1950s, was made that year, shes terrified that her background will be revealed, and goes to great lengths to hide it. Hyacinth likes to spend her days visiting stately homes and hosting executive-style candlelight suppers and she speaks in an exaggerated RP-like accent with Northern undertones, while her relatives speak in broad Northern accents. Her neighbours speak in milder RP accents, when flustered, Hyacinth regresses to her native Northern accent for a while. Although Hyacinth is not deterred by the lack of response to her attempts, nearly everyone around her lives in fear of being invited, the one who suffers the most is her husband Richard. He initially worked for the council but, at the beginning of series 3, although he loves her with a long-suffering endurance, he is notably exasperated by her plans and her habit of making extravagant and unnecessary purchases. They, along with Hyacinths senile father, frequently turn up inconveniently, Hyacinths senile father frequently has flashbacks to the Second World War, and often exhibits bizarre behaviour, sometimes involving embarrassing situations with women. Two relatives Hyacinth is not ashamed of are her wealthy sister Violet, Violet frequently telephones Hyacinth for advice, allowing her to loudly announce to anyone in earshot, Its my sister Violet – the one with a Mercedes, swimming pool/sauna and room for a pony. However, Violets social acceptability is damaged by the behaviour of her transvestite, equestrian-loving husband Bruce. Hyacinth also tries to impress people with the prowess of her beloved Sheridan. Hyacinth boasts about the closeness of their relationship and how often he writes to her and phones her, although he never writes to her. Hyacinth is blissfully oblivious of the seemingly obvious hints that Sheridan and it is at one point implied that Sheridan has come out to his father. Hyacinths neighbour Elizabeth Warden is frequently invited round to the Buckets for coffee, though she is ordinarily calm, Lizs nerves go to pieces in Hyacinths house, causing her to smash Hyacinths china and spill coffee and biscuits on Hyacinths Burmese rug. She is married with a daughter away at University, but her works abroad and, like Sheridan. Elizabeth is occasionally able to one-up Hyacinth herself by reminding her neighbour that her daughter is at University, Lizs brother Emmet moves in with her at the beginning of series 2 after a messy divorce. Emmets problems are complicated by Hyacinths mistaken belief that his frightened reactions indicate that he is infatuated with her
7.
Michael Knowles (actor)
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Michael Knowles is an English actor and scriptwriter. He is best known for his roles in BBC sitcoms written by David Croft and he also played The Honourable Teddy Meldrum in the BBC comedy drama You Rang, MLord. and starred in the sitcom Come Back Mrs. Noah. Knowles did the voice of the Head of the Air Force in the animated movie The BFG and his television career started in 1969 with the role of Capt. Cutts in Dads Army, a series he later adapted for radio. With Snoad, he wrote It Sticks Out Half a Mile and he is also credited as one of the writers for Are You Being Served, appearing in two episodes. Dads Army The Flesh and Blood Show Spy Story The End of the World Man You Rang, Mlord The BFG Walliams and Friend Michael Knowles at the Internet Movie Database
