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Regularly touted as one of the best British sitcoms ever, O ... Read more

Regularly touted as one of the best British sitcoms ever, Only Fools and Horses kicked off in 1981 when mobile phones were the size of bricks and wine bars were the ultimate places to hang out in. The formula was simple enough: Cockney wideboy Derek Trotter (brilliantly played by David Jason) dreams of better things for himself while sharing a cramped council flat in the nicely named Peckham tower block Nelson Mandela House with his unworldly brother Rodney and his sweet but doddery old granddad. Trouble is, Del's endless money-making schemes (such as his attempt to flog a consignment of one-legged turkeys, or his plan to sell bottled tap water) inevitably backfire, like the knackered old Robin Reliant van he uses to cart around all this faulty gear. Created by John Sullivan, who also sings the very catchy theme tune, Only Fools and Horses is a wonderful mix of dodgy but loveable characters (such as Del Boy's dimwit friend Trigger), knockabout slapstick (no-one falls down with as much comedic grace as Jason) and brilliantly crafted dialogue. Sadly, Leonard Pierce who played Granddad died in 1983; but his armchair in the Trotter household was filled in 1985 by Buster Merryfield as Uncle Albert (an old merchant seaman who bores Del and Rodney with tales of his war days). The show ran to seven series and ended with characteristic warmth in 1991, when Del Boy became a father; but the Trotters made occasional returns to the small screens with six hugely popular one-off Christmas specials. As Del Boy himself might say: "Lovely jubbly". --Edward Lawrenson Minimize

Father Ted is one of those rare sitcoms that defies categor ... Read more

Father Ted is one of those rare sitcoms that defies categorisation--it owes as much to Flann O'Brien and Samuel Beckett as it does to Monty Python--and its blend of satire, character comedy and anarchic surrealism has made it a cult favourite around the world. Exiled to remote Craggy Island, Father Ted shares a house with the breathtakingly stupid Father Dougal Maguire and the constantly inebriated Father Jack, who has a small vocabulary and a taste for furniture polish. Their housekeeper, Mrs Doyle, takes care of them with a never-ending supply of tea and sandwiches: "Go on now, Father, won't you try one? They're diagonal." Together they fight boredom by dressing up as Elvis, startling ducks at the fair and provoking nuns. --Simon Leake Minimize

Father Ted is one of those rare sitcoms that defies categor ... Read more

Father Ted is one of those rare sitcoms that defies categorisation--it owes as much to Flann O'Brien and Samuel Beckett as it does to Monty Python--and its blend of satire, character comedy and anarchic surrealism has made it a cult favourite around the world. Exiled to remote Craggy Island, Father Ted shares a house with the breathtakingly stupid Father Dougal Maguire and the constantly inebriated Father Jack, who has a small vocabulary and a taste for furniture polish. Their housekeeper, Mrs Doyle, takes care of them with a never-ending supply of tea and sandwiches: "Go on now, Father, won't you try one? They're diagonal." Together they fight boredom by dressing up as Elvis, startling ducks at the fair and provoking nuns. --Simon Leake Minimize

Regularly touted as one of the best British sitcoms ever, O ... Read more

Regularly touted as one of the best British sitcoms ever, Only Fools and Horses kicked off in 1981 when mobile phones were the size of bricks and wine bars were the ultimate places to hang out in. The formula was simple enough: Cockney wideboy Derek Trotter (brilliantly played by David Jason) dreams of better things for himself while sharing a cramped council flat in the nicely named Peckham tower block Nelson Mandela House with his unworldly brother Rodney and his sweet but doddery old granddad. Trouble is, Del's endless money-making schemes (such as his attempt to flog a consignment of one-legged turkeys, or his plan to sell bottled tap water) inevitably backfire, like the knackered old Robin Reliant van he uses to cart around all this faulty gear. Created by John Sullivan, who also sings the very catchy theme tune, Only Fools and Horses is a wonderful mix of dodgy but loveable characters (such as Del Boy's dimwit friend Trigger), knockabout slapstick (no-one falls down with as much comedic grace as Jason) and brilliantly crafted dialogue. Sadly, Leonard Pierce who played Granddad died in 1983; but his armchair in the Trotter household was filled in 1985 by Buster Merryfield as Uncle Albert (an old merchant seaman who bores Del and Rodney with tales of his war days). The show ran to seven series and ended with characteristic warmth in 1991, when Del Boy became a father; but the Trotters made occasional returns to the small screens with six hugely popular one-off Christmas specials. As Del Boy himself might say: "Lovely jubbly". --Edward Lawrenson Minimize

Free Worldwide Delivery : Cognitive Surplus : Paperback : P ... Read more

Free Worldwide Delivery : Cognitive Surplus : Paperback : Penguin Books Ltd : 9780141041605 : 0141041609 : 02 Jun 2011 : In the past, we filled our free time with the tools at our disposal. Television became a kind of universal part-time job, and sitcoms and soap operas sponged up our cognitive surplus. This book shows how we're using our cognitive surplus for the better, and what it means for the future. Minimize

Free Worldwide Delivery : Bitchfest : Paperback : Farrar, S ... Read more

Free Worldwide Delivery : Bitchfest : Paperback : Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc : 9780374113438 : 0374113432 : 07 Sep 2006 : Smart, nuanced, cranky, outrageous, and clear-eyed, the anthology covers everything from a time line of black women on sitcoms to an analysis of fat suits as the new blackface; from an attempt to fashion a feminist vulgarity to a reclamation of female virginity. It's a recent history of feminist pop-culture critique and an arrow toward feminism's future. Minimize

Free Worldwide Delivery : The Eight Characters of Comedy : ... Read more

Free Worldwide Delivery : The Eight Characters of Comedy : Paperback : Atides Publishing : 9780977064106 : 0977064107 : 30 Nov 2005 : Introducing the eight specific character archetypes used in sitcoms from the advent of TV, renowned acting coach Sedita also teaches writers how to break down a comedy script, identify different types of jokes and deliver them with comedic precision. Minimize