Best.Show.Ever. I bought the whole series on DVD. My dh loved it too and I'd always call Jonathan R.M. "King Hotness" and dh would just laugh. lol. Moon, I was hoping they'd go through the Kings and Queens after Henry died, but no such luck. Have you seen the movie "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" with Cate Blanchett? It's great, especially on a good TV when they attack the Spanish Armada. There are some great books on Henry's son, cousin (the 11 day Queen, a teenager who was beheaded when she didn't even want to rule!..., and his two sisters who became Queens also.

Another fan of Miss Marple! I am talking about the BBC series with Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, cause there have been some others that aren't as good. The gardens in that series are always gorgeous too. Oh, if only I could have lots of balmy rain and no 5-below days, then I too could have roses like Miss Marple's, dash it all. But I digress. I love Downton, but, really, the kitchen? I could not work there. Cramped cellar-like space, no exhaust fan or high-btu cooktop. But mostly, I am always surprised at how shabby the Downton Abbey kitchen is, from the pots and pans, to the rickety shelves, to the grimy walls. So, no, I am not a fan of Downton's kitchen! Love the rest of it though. Here is a link that might be useful: BBC series with Joan Hickson as Miss Marple This post was edited by shannonplus2 on Fri, Dec 14, 12 at 20:54

I watched both episodes of Small Island and feel that without having read the book the story-line/plot might confuse a viewer coming to it 'fresh', as it jumped about from pre to post War very confusingly. The Jamaicans were shown to be full of old-fashioned courtesy and charm and nearly all the English as racist, ignorant pigs. The part of the story in which Queenie, Michael and the elderly f-in-law attempt to go to the 'pictures' where Michael is set on by US GI's and beaten up and the old man is shot, was SO confusing that it would make little sense to someone unfamiliar with the story. The characters of Hortense and Bernard were nicely played as they appeared in the book and came over as proudly superior and quietly wimpish. Another confusion was that Belfast had to stand-in for war-torn London during location shots and it just doesn't look 'right'. Here is a link that might be useful: Small Island review from Telegraph

Yes Nik, I have heard of some ways to watch BBC without living here, always a way around these things apparently. We pay equivalent $US200 per year to watch the stuff, and although we moan about it, I think overall it's worth it, otherwise we would have advertisements with every programme, as per the other channels. Incidentally, a few months ago I watched one called 'Greece with Simon Reeve', he's been around to lots of countries and this was the turn of Greece and so very interesting it was too. Not so far on Youtube, it's still copyrighted, so only a trailer here. youtube trailer There is a bit more about it on this BBC info page, but I'm not sure if you can access it. I should like to see it again when next it comes around. Wonderful scenery, especially further north but I forget the names of the places. BBC Greece info