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DavidB-AU
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Inspired by Recently/currently listening to... what interesting things are you currently watching on TV, streaming or other media? 

 

I'll start with what I personally I think is a corker. I'm currently binge watching the Sharpe series with Sean Bean from the 1990s (not yet up to the additional ones from 2006/2008). I remember seeing the first couple on TV back in the day then completely forgot about it. I think it has held up remarkably well with no big budget special effects, just great scripts and real scenery. There is a lot of attention to detail with uniforms, weapons and songs of the era.

 

Cheers

David

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Recently finished watching the first series of Bad Banks.

 

A German drama set in the banking world, which I thought was worthy of note as something a little different from the usual fayre. 6, 50 minute episodes. Only niggle for me was that with a variety of languages (at least German, French, and English) being spoken; when English was uttered, there were no subtitles. As you become used to reading/following the subs, when someone says something and there isn't text on the screen sometimes you miss out. Also the case when an English phrase was inserted in a block of non-English language - no subs for the English words. Could be a little confusing at times as you alternate between listening and reading.

 

At the time I didn't realise that it was the first series, but the way the story concludes it was very much intended for a follow-on. And the IMDB link suggests that there will be a second series in 2020.

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Interesting topic! I like the sound of Bad Banks, I'll have to check it out.

 

I'm a big fan of European dramas, mainly crime ones as I read similar fiction. I've just finished the third series of Follow the Money on BBC4 which was excellent. It's a Danish series based around economic crimes, a bit different to the normal murder thrillers. The first two series were great too. 

 

Also recently finished watching Deutschland 86, the follow up to Deutschland 83. It's a Cold War spy series and again i would highly recommend watching from the beginning. It's been shown on More4. 

 

Finally, I am currently working my way through season 3 of Cardinal, a Canadian detective series. Again it has aired on BBC4. 

 

Saturday evening at 9pm on BBC4 is normally the timeslot for some great European dramas of which I have enjoyed many over the years... The Bridge, Borgen, The Killing, the Wallender series, Modus, the list goes on and on!

 

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Chernobyl,  I don't think it needs much explaining what it's about, however how it happened and the ins and outs of what went on within a totalitarian state is certainly an eye opener on many levels.

 

Highly recommended.

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"What We Do In The Shadows" TV series based on the 2014 movie but set in the US rather than NZ. Shares the same basic premise as the movie - a documentary on Vampires sharing a house - and is just as funny.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Was wondering if someone would start a viewing thread, well done David.

Recently finished Breaking Bad, now going through Better Call Saul. There's also a Brian Cranston/Giovanni Ribisi series called Sneaky Pete to check out on Amazon.

Looking forward to seeing Season 3 of Ozark on Netflix later in the year.

 

C6T. 

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20 hours ago, luckymucklebackit said:

I have been binge watching "Designated Survivor" on Netflix,   Finished series 1 and it was not a bad story, not sure if the rest will be as good though as ABC cancelled the programme after the end of series 2 but Netflix bought the rights and made a series 3.

 

Jim

 

Haven't watched Designated Survivor myself, but a colleague who has similar tastes to me says that all 3 series are well worth it.

 

Of course, does their taste match my taste in this instance and more importantly, would either match your taste?

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I've watched the first couple of episodes of Wild Bill on ITV this week. I've quite enjoyed it, not too serious, but the story is developing in the current narrative of the UK, politically l, culturally, economically etc. Not overly complicated, so doesn't require too much concentration, but a decent watch so I think I'll stick with it. 

 

I also noticed a new Scandi drama is starting on more4 on Sunday night. Another programme selected under the fantastic 'Walter Presents' banner, so I think I'll be adding that to my viewing list next! 

 

Edit: it's called The Lawyer, set in Copenhagen and Malmo. 

Edited by south_tyne
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Didn't like latest Line of Duty (disappointed, was looking forward to it, but gave up after two episodes);  Didn't like Years and Years (disappointed, was looking forward to it,  but gave up after two episodes);  Have been enjoying Summer of Rockets;  Have just started Catch22 - not entirely sure yet, but hopefully thumbs up.  Excellent news is that Engrenages (Spiral) will be back in the autumn with a new series.  Other foreign dramas I've liked have been Witnesses (Temoins), Spin (Les Hommes de l'ombre), and the two Deutschlands.

 

DT

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1 minute ago, Torper said:

Have been enjoying Summer of Rockets;  Have just started Catch22 - not entirely sure yet, but hopefully thumbs up. 

 

I've been enjoying Summer of Rockets too.  It is very classy. I'm going to start on Catch22 when I'm done with that. 

 

2 minutes ago, Torper said:

.....and the two Deutschlands

 

I loved them. The good news is there will be a final instalment to come in due course (Deutschland '89). 

 

Another couple I really enjoyed, both Belgian in fact, were Salamander and Professor T. The latter is very quirky and different to the usual type of thriller. 

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10 minutes ago, south_tyne said:

I've watched the first couple of episodes of Wild Bill on ITV this week. I've quite enjoyed it, not too serious, but the story is developing in the current narrative of the UK, politically l, culturally, economically etc. Not overly complicated, so doesn't require too much concentration, but a decent watch so I think I'll stick with it. 

I watched the first episode and thought it terrific. Rated Rob Lowe in Parks and Recreation, plus I'm not unfamiliar with the locale. 

 

The first episode had the right amount of humour and gravitas.

 

The beauty of catch up TV seems to be I can watch a quality series such as this at my leisure. Not pandering to week by week cobblers from desperate marketing bods. 

 

C6T. 

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2 hours ago, Classsix T said:

I watched the first episode and thought it terrific. Rated Rob Lowe in Parks and Recreation, plus I'm not unfamiliar with the locale. 

 

The first episode had the right amount of humour and gravitas.

 

The beauty of catch up TV seems to be I can watch a quality series such as this at my leisure. Not pandering to week by week cobblers from desperate marketing bods. 

 

C6T. 

 

You're right, Rob Lowe was great. I was also a huge P&R fan. It definitely got the balance between serious drama and humour right. 

 

I am the same. I basically don't watch any TV live nowadays and just select the series that I want to watch. I never have more than two on the go at once, I can't handle it(!!) so just save them for later. Hence I'll wait and watch Catch22 in due course. 

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Well, yet another evening when I shan't even bother switching the TV on.  We are entitled in our household to have a free TV licence but if we're required to pay for one next year I don't think we'll bother unless the fare on offer significantly improves.

 

DT

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36 minutes ago, Ohmisterporter said:

Just to clarify; if I don't watch live tv do I still need a tv licence? 

 

It's quite complex but I think the answer is yes. Using any catch-up service means you need you. That is using any medium, so whether it is through a TV, laptop, tablet etc. Well that is my understanding anyway but happy to be proved wrong. 

 

When I first moved into my flat a few years ago I didn't have a telly or even an aerial for months. The TV Licensing people were really aggressive in the way they went about things in the shape of constant letters and threats. It was almost as though they didn't believe I didn't have a telly. In the end I did get one. My brother was in a similar situation and actually had a bloke come and inspect their home in order to 'prove' that they weren't watching the box! Honestly they felt like the Stasi were after them. 

 

2 hours ago, Torper said:

Well, yet another evening when I shan't even bother switching the TV on

 

If you are completely stuck for something to do, Wild Bill is worth a watch on ITV on Wednesday evenings. Appreciate you probably enjoy the peace though. To be frank, apart from the cricket highlights on C4, that is the only programme I am watching in all week at the moment.

 

Certainly if I had to choose between the telly and the radio I would choose the latter. I couldn't be without my DAB radios! 

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1 hour ago, Ohmisterporter said:

Just to clarify; if I don't watch live tv do I still need a tv licence? 

 

If you watch or record live TV online, on any device or channel, or download or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer, you need to be covered by a TV Licence.  Live TV means any programme you watch or record as it’s being shown on TV or live on an online TV service.  If you only ever watch on demand or catch up programmes on services other than BBC iPlayer (and you never watch live TV programmes on any channel), you don't need a TV licence.  Thus you can go to the ITV hub, for example, and  catch up on ITV News half an hour after it has been broadcast.  You can't however watch it as it is being broadcast live, even streaming it on your computer.  You can probably never watch BBC news (no bad thing).  And of course you can watch subscription services such as Netflix etc.

 

DT

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Personally I don't begrudge the license fee as I believe it does give value for money for what the Beeb does. Neither do I disagree with either subscription ad free services or free to view advertising funded programming.

What really grinds my gears is the fact Sky gets away with doing both. However, I vowed years ago that Murdoch will never get any of my money, so Sky and NowTV can go do one whilst I swear at their adverts on the Pick Freeview channel.

 

It was Xmas two years ago when terrestrial TV thought airing daily Carry - On back to backs was adequate 21st century entertainment (Up The Khyber is the only good one they made) that put me on to Netflix. I don't think I could do without now, though it's not daily viewing fare for me, I get entertainment value per month. The fact they fund quality series and film output directly is also to be applauded I feel.

 

C6T. 

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14 minutes ago, Classsix T said:

I believe the actual law states that you need a licence for any device capable of receiving a TV signal, so even if you don't watch Freeview via an aerial on your telly, you will need one. Auntie is also keen to point out that a licence is required to view BBC programmes on a laptop/tablet/console etc.

 

Not so.  Many wrongly believe you need to be covered by a TV licence if you have the ability to watch 'live' TV, even if you don't watch it. You only need a licence if you actually watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer.  So, if you've got an aerial on your roof/satellite dish/TV with built-in Freeview etc, but you don't actually watch live TV, you don't need a licence. (although enforcement officers may need a bit of convincing, but the onus of proving you watch live or BBC iplayer is on them, not you - best perhaps to keep the aeriel unplugged).

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/tv-licence/

 

DT

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8 minutes ago, Torper said:

 

Not so.  Many wrongly believe you need to be covered by a TV licence if you have the ability to watch 'live' TV, even if you don't watch it. You only need a licence if you actually watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer.  So, if you've got an aerial on your roof/satellite dish/TV with built-in Freeview etc, but you don't actually watch live TV, you don't need a licence. (although enforcement officers may need a bit of convincing, but the onus of proving you watch live or BBC iplayer is on them, not you - best perhaps to keep the aeriel unplugged).

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/tv-licence/

 

DT

Apologies and thanx Torper, I must admit I'm going on info garnered from some time ago. As you were folks!

 

C6T. 

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In the event Mrs Torper persuaded me to watch Judi Dench's Wild Borneo.  I'm sure it was good, but unfortunately I fell asleep after quarter of an hour, one of the problems that regularly afflicts me when watching TV.

 

DT

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  • 5 months later...
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Have just watched, and much enjoyed, Dracula on BBC1.  Loads of blood and coffins and a really spooky castle, with the make-up people having a ball.  Genuinejy quite frightening in parts, but also funny - why does the villain always get the best lines?  Harker to the rather camp Dracula:  "You're a monster!".  Dracula:  "Your're a lawyer - nobody's perfect".  Ot a bit later, to a crowd of terrified nuns:  "You have a choice.  I may be undead, but I'm not unreasonable".  Recommended.

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