#Jonathan Newth

[mariocki]

The Brothers: Investigations (4.3, BBC, 1974)

"Your father founded this company. Why do you want to sell shares to outsiders?"

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, I don't."

"Then why did you allow it to happen? Hammond's has always been a family business. Well, your father would turn in his grave if he knew what you were doing."

"Then Father should have left me in control of it, instead of deliberately arranging the opposite! He didn't trust me, that's what it amounts to. He thought that I needed Brian and David and Jennifer Kingsley, but once they get together my hands are tied."

#the brothers #BBC #classic tv #1974 #Roderick Graham #N.J. Crisp #Gerard Glaister #Patrick O'connell #Jennifer Wilson #Jean Anderson #Robin chadwick #Richard Easton #Hilary tindall #Derek benfield #Murray hayne #Margaret ashcroft #Jonathan Newth #the double dealing is in full sway already; with Brian and David scheming to bring a new director onto the board (and thus break #Ted's tie breaking monopoly) the elder Hammond brother sets about stacking the odds for himself with good old Bill Riley #he's also bought a snazzy new car and had a sign put on his parking space. nothing says midlife crisis like a personalised car parking #space Eddy.. elsewhere Brian follows up on a minor plot point from the previous series‚ a telegram Ann sent to Nick (bleugh) Fox whilst he #was abroad. I'm particularly impressed with this plot point bc it's a nice attention to a minor detail as well as organically setting up #Brian discovering their affair AND it's a nicely in character thing to do too (the eternal accountant‚ of course Brian would check through #their telephone charges). as the cogs start to whir‚ Brian's work starts to suffer‚ and just as a big contract is being hammered out #less happily (for me) Jenny seems to be getting closer to Mr Martin the bank man. I like him‚ I do‚ but let's face it Jenny and Ted #are end game! still at least it gets them out of the office and we have some nice location stuff going on #the final mystery of the week: the mysterious case of Gabrielle Drake.. she's been conspicuously absent from the series so far #initially away on a film shoot and now simply out of the room or just having left it whenever she's mentioned.. could she have moved on #to pastures new? that would eventually require a storyline to sort out just where Jill had ended up.. here's hoping it was just a schedule #issue and she'll turn up safe and sound...

[mapsofthingsremembered]

22 Things from 22

The following is a pretty eclectic list of things that were important to me in 2022, from films and television to books and comics. Some of it is new, and some of it is just new to me.

New Movies

Nope, Jordan Peele

Pinocchio, Guillermo Del Toro

TÁR, Todd Field

Everything Everywhere All at Once, Daniel Kwan + Daniel Scheinert

Barbarian, Zach Cregger

Old Movies (but new to me)

Sherlock Jr., Buster Keaton (1924)

M, Fritz Lang (1931)

Thief, Michael Mann (1981)

Starman, John Carpenter (1984)

Television, New

The Bear, Season 1

Better Call Saul, Season 6

Andor, Season 1

Severance, Season 1

Books, Old and New

White Noise, Don DeLillo (1985)

Pastoralia, George Saunders (2001)

The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)

Comics, Old and New

The Sandman, Neil Gaiman + Various (1988-1994)

All-Star Superman, Grant Morrison + Frank Quitely (2006)

Step by Bloody Step, Si Spurrier + Matias Bergara (2022)

Human Target, Tom King + Greg Smallwood (2022)

Music

Braid, Frame & Canvas (1998)

Slowdive, Souvlaki (1992)

[thisbluespirit]

Ross and Demelza at the Warleggans’ ball in Poldark S1 (BBC 1975).

#poldark #poldark 1975 #gif #ross poldark #demelza carne #ross x demelza #verity poldark #andrew blamey #robin ellis #angharad rees #norma streader #jonathan newth #hugh bodruggan #christopher benjamin #1970s #period drama #book adaptations #love them #how to have fun and ruin other people's parties #<3

[kwebtv]

Janine Wood, Prunella Scales, Joan Sanderson and Jonathan Newth in “After Henry”

#After Henry #TV #Prunella Scales #Jean Sanderson #Janine Wood #Jonathan Newth

[abriefingwithmichael]

Black Beauty 1.11

The first half is a lot stronger than the second half.

Richard Carpenter‘s script creates an apparently insurmountable problem for the Gordons when Beauty seems likely to be destroyed by the police. It’s hard to imagine how they will save the horse. And then there’s a delightful twist/reveal at the half-way mark.

Unfortunately the second half flags. Because we now know what’s going on, it almost feels like a completely different episode. And it moves slowly. Quite a lot of it is just the two villains up against Black Beauty, so we are essentially watching the same stuff over and over. Although there are some very impressive stunts/action scenes with the horse.

It’s refreshing to find an episode where Beauty is central to the story, rather than incidental to it or a supporting character in it. This story is all about him, and - in the second half - he takes center stage and goes after the crooks on his own.

Lovely work from Judi Bowker in this one.

8/10

#Black Beauty #Judi Bowker #William Lucas #Tony Selby #Jonathan Newth

[whiskeywithrayna]

I wanted to post a clip from the episode of After Henry where everyone is ill, but it hasn't been put on youtube. In fact, this is the only clip of After Henry on the internet. I do not understand why because I was raised on this, first the radio series, and then the tv adaptation once we got a telly. I consider it to be one of the greatest tv series of all time. I still have this stinking cold, so I'll be binge-re-watching my dvds under a duvet for most of the day. After all these years, After Henry remains my go-to comfort watching when I'm feeling under the weather.

#after henry #prunella scales #joan sanderson #jonathan newth #janine wood

[mariocki]

The Brothers: Secret Meetings (4.2, BBC, 1974)

"I'm sorry, Martin, we have various pressures on the board; we have to cope with certain personal loyalties that don't always make for rational judgements."

"You'll find the same thing on any tennis club committee. A board of directors isn't an assembly of faceless, predictable robots. It's a collection of human beings with all the usual human failings."

#the brothers #classic tv #BBC #1974 #Vere Lorrimer #N.J. Crisp #Gerard Glaister #Jean Anderson #Jennifer Wilson #Richard Easton #Patrick O'connell #Robin chadwick #Hilary tindall #Derek benfield #Murray hayne #Jonathan Newth #Margaret ashcroft #Frank coda #bleurgh eurgh garghh. Oh Nicholas Fox how I hate thee. he's back and he's as smarmy and disagreeable as ever #we get to see inside his home which is quite flash (for the budget this show was working with anyway). #Ann's is only one of the secret meetings the title refers to. another sees Brian chatting up natty banker type Murray Hayne #(a fine character actor who never seemed to get the starring roles he deserved) about making Hammonds a public company #now I'm no psychic but i don't see Ted going for it... particularly once Brian brings David into the plans without him (exactly the kind #of double dealing that blew up so spectacularly in their faces in series 3). sigh sigh sigh. why do the people in my road haulage soap #opera not make better decisions.. anyway banker Martin seems nice enough (and would appear to be a recurring character) so I'm happy #for him to join the merry throng so long as there isn't TOO much backstabbing...

[mariocki]

Spider's Web (BBC, 1982)

"I love you."

"Oh, I'm so glad."

"Well that's entirely the wrong answer. You're supposed to say: 'I'm so sorry', in a deep, sympathetic voice."

"Oh, but I'm not sorry, I'm delighted. I like people to be in love with me."

#spider's web #agatha christie #single play #classic tv #play adaptation #1982 #bbc #Basil Coleman #penelope keith #robert flemyng #thorley walters #elizabeth spriggs #david yelland #john barcroft #holly aird #jonathan newth #brian protheroe #david crosse #mark draper #lee fox #shown as a kind of festive treat on boxing day '82‚ this tv movie adapted Christie's most successful stage work (ludicrous outlier The #Mousetrap not included). Spider's Web was written in the mid 50s around the same time as the better remembered Witness for the Prosecution #and was written at the behest of Margaret Lockwood‚ who was looking for a starring role a little lighter than the villainous femme fatales #she was then becoming associated with. Keith works hard to capture that same breeziness and slightly giddy flights of fancy that Lockwood #was ultimately so taken with (she stayed with the stage version and even shot a tv version‚ presumed lost). A fairly direct adaptation of #the stage play (Christie is the only credited writer) this is undeniably stagey and doesn't try hard to hide its theatrical roots: the #action is almost entirely confined to one room. Still‚ it's a fun bit of Christie nonsense with a charming cast (Barcroft is a rather #overlooked actor im quite fond of and he does good work as the exasperated detective) and ingenious plotting and twists that will be #familiar to any Christie fan. Particular shout out to Spriggs‚ who does a simply wonderful transformation late in the play‚ which entirely #changes the way you view her earlier performance‚ and to Yelland (later a Poirot regular!) for holding his own against more experienced act

[mariocki]

The Brothers: Echoes (3.8, BBC, 1974)

"Oh, I see we still can't discuss things sensibly. I suppose I'd better wait till you've sorted out your personal problems."

"Meaning what?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"You've had a few personal problems of your own in the past, Brian, don't forget that. And I don't imagine you're home and dry yet."

#the brothers #classic tv #BBC #1974 #Roderick Graham #Eric Paice #jean anderson #Patrick O'connell #Richard Easton #Robin chadwick #Jennifer Wilson #Hilary tindall #Gabrielle Drake #Derek benfield #Gillian McCutcheon #Anna fox #Jonathan Newth #Stephen Yardley #Another doozy! And some more lovely location work! #This has been the series of location location location. This week: Ted and Jennifer go on a day trip and do some sailing! #It's all rather delightful actually‚ as the two of them mess around on the water (in the company of Spider Scott himself‚ Stephen Yardley) #And begin to grow closer once again (hooray!). Back at base‚ David and Brian are both being real jerks as their poor wives cop the blame #David suspects Ann of pushing Brian‚ Brian suspects Jill of influencing David: in reality‚ they're both quite capable of being dicks #Without any spousal influence. And besides‚ Ann is far too distracted by her dalliance with the dreadful Nicholas Fox‚ and confiding her #Troubles in poor lovely undeserving Pamela Graham. Sigh.

[mariocki]

The Brothers: Trade Wind (3.7, BBC, 1974)

"We can't agree that without David."

"Oh, then, put him down as a vote against then, but at least let's get it settled."

"No, I want his opinions."

"Could we meet again tomorrow?"

"No, I'll be in Dover."

"But this is absurd! It's time we stop this nonsense where every mortal thing has to be decided in committee!"

"As long as I'm in the chair, that's the way we do it."

#the brothers #classic tv #BBC #1974 #jean anderson #Patrick O'connell #richard easton #Robin chadwick #Jennifer Wilson #Hilary tindall #Julia goodman #Gabrielle Drake #Derek benfield #Gillian McCutcheon #Jonathan Newth #Anna fox #John Welsh #Jan Harvey #Ebony white #Jeremy Anthony #Roger Foss #Philip Dudley #Eric Paice #A welcome return for John Welsh's old family retainer‚ a recurring guest since the very first episode of this show #He's here to offer sage advice to young Barbara; she's trying to borrow money to cover her hapless husband's debt #Elsewhere lovely Jill has a party‚ David continues to be a rotter‚ wicked Julie is wicked as ever #And my old favourite‚ the excellent Pamela Graham‚ finds herself drawn back into the world of Brian and Ann... As a guest at a dinner #Party from hell‚ and unlikely source of comfort and support for an increasingly vulnerable Ann #Ah they don't make em like this anymore

[mariocki]

The Brothers: Power for Sale (3.10, BBC, 1974)

"Jennifer Kingsley announced that she wants to leave the company."

"Leave?"

"She wants to sell her shares to me and go."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Do you?"

"Me? Good heavens, Edward, Miss Kingsley's hardly likely to confide in me."

"No. Though I sometimes think, Mother, that you run a one-woman intelligence service. There's not much that you don't get wind of."

#the brothers #classic tv #1974 #BBC #jean anderson #Patrick O'connell #Jennifer Wilson #Richard Easton #Hilary tindall #Robin chadwick #Gabrielle Drake #Derek benfield #Gillian McCutcheon #Anna fox #Jonathan Newth #Michael Turner #Roderick Graham #N. J. Crisp #Drama! Drama! Drama! #This series is really cooking with gas now. Multiple story strands are beginning to fall into place for what should be one big boom #Of a finále. Old Mother Hammond has done one nice selfless thing and leant money to young Barbara; in the process she has unleashed #Hell. Jennifer won't stand for it and will sell her shares to pay the money back; younger brothers Brian and David smell blood or #More importantly‚ the scent of power.. And in the middle is poor Ted‚ who's having just the worst couple of days and doesn't understand #Anything that's happening around him. It's rather humanising to see Tough Ted so confused and lost‚ makes him very sympathetic #And his utter refusal to buy out Jennifer is... Well that's growth folks (he tried everything to get her to sell in series 1..) #Meanwhile Ann is still thoroughly (and inexplicably) charmed by the vile Nick Fox‚ and pouring her troubles into the undeserving and too #Good for this world‚ too pure‚ ears of Pamela Graham. Sigh.

[mariocki]

The Brothers: The Newly Weds (3.2, BBC, 1974)

"They're late."

"A little."

"Nearly an hour!"

"It doesn't matter, it's Sunday."

"Well, I like people to be on time - when they're not, it means they keep other people waiting."

"Yes, Edward, but I think you were born with an alarm clock in your head; not everybody's like that."

#the brothers #classic tv #BBC #1974 #Jean Anderson #Patrick o'connell #richard easton #Robin chadwick #jennifer wilson #Hilary tindall #Julia goodman #gabrielle drake #Derek benfield #Gillian mccutcheon #Jonathan newth #Malcolm stoddard #Roderick Graham #N. J. Crisp #So Barbara's married! To a dreamer loafer pretty boy type! He's not good enough for her. But then nobody is really good enough for Barbara #Meanwhile the Jill Julie David triangle is beginning to ramp up into one of the most significant (and frustrating) plot strands #Of this series. Not that I'm saying it's badly written or handled or anything; I'm sure it's very realistic. It's just frustrating because #There's so little nuance that it makes David look ridiculous: Jill is utterly lovely and Julie is pure evil. Or maybe I'm projecting...

[mariocki]

The Brothers: An Impossible Debt (3.9, BBC, 1974)

"You've excelled yourself this time! You know that Edward and I have become very fond of each other, you've always hated the idea. Well. Now you've managed to end it for good. You've always wanted to destroy any possibility of the relationship between Edward and myself. Now you've succeeded. You've achieved everything you set out to do!"

#the brothers #1974 #classic tv #jean anderson #Patrick O'connell #jennifer wilson #Richard Easton #Robin chadwick #Hilary tindall #Julia goodman #Gabrielle Drake #Derek benfield #Gillian McCutcheon #Anna fox #Jonathan Newth #Pauline Williams #Frank moorey #Philip Dudley #N. J. Crisp #Crisp picks up writing duties again after a string of Eric Paice scripts‚ just in time for this series to start pulling the threads of its #Various plot lines together. At the centre of it all: Mary Hammond‚ the iron willed matriarch who only wants to help her relatives and yet #Somehow seems only to cause chaos. Her interference in Jill and David's relationship only deepens their rift‚ and most #Dramatically her act of kindness (loaning young Barbara enough money to get out of dire straits) seems to have finally pushed #The ever suffering Jennifer over the edge. The result? One quarter of the company for sale!! #Poor Ted. For once he's not responsible for the mess he finds himself in #But how will his (increasingly serpentine) brothers address the potential new power vacuum....? #DRAMAAAAAAAA

[mariocki]

The Brothers: The Hammond Account (3.1, BBC, 1974)

"Jenny... I don't want to rake over the ashes, but there are bound to be social occasions when I need someone with me - and no more than that."

"All right. You drive me. But I shall be wearing the same old dress you've seen before."

"Good. It suits you."

#The brothers #classic tv #BBC #1974 #N.J. Crisp #Philip Dudley #jean anderson #Patrick O'connell #Richard Easton #Robin chadwick #Jennifer Wilson #Hilary tindall #Julia goodman #Gabrielle Drake #Derek Benfield #Gillian McCutcheon #Jonathan Newth #Terence Bayler #Malcolm Stoddard #Robert MacLeod #Ian Liston #I could have sworn I had this episode prepped in my drafts but it's gone awol. I guess I must have deleted it by accident. On the plus side #I think we've seen the last of the horrible squashed images! So. Here we are. Series 3 babey! And what a busy episode it is #With pretty much every character getting a significant moment including some significant returning figures from s2 #These include the dastardly Julie (boo! Hiss!) and the monstrous Nick Fox (gargh! Jeer!). Even worse the two are in league; both are now #Part of an advertising firm that are angling to get the business of the hammond Bros.. This doesn't bode well for the future of certain #Relationships. Elsewhere Jenny and Ted are starting to warm up to one another again after a frosty end to the previous series #It's always nice to see them getting on. But what's this... Barbara is back from a holiday.. And she brings news.. And a new character

[mariocki]

The Brothers: Riley (3.6, BBC, 1974)

"As I've said before, none of us know Riley very well... Except perhaps your father. I wonder if he knew he had a police record."

"Well, he certainly never gave any hint."

"Well he wouldn't, would he; he could also keep secrets for life."

"Yes. That's true."

"Perhaps he even gave Riley this job to get him back on his feet."

"Yes, that would be typical of Dad."

#The brothers #classic tv #1974 #Eric Paice #N. J. Crisp #jean anderson #Patrick O'connell #Jennifer Wilson #Richard Easton #Robin chadwick #Julia goodman #Hilary tindall #Derek benfield #Gabrielle Drake #Jonathan Newth #Malcolm Stoddard #Frank Jarvis #Hugh Sullivan #Brian Grellis #Ohh this is a strong episode right out the gate. Paice is one of the most reliable writers working on the series so it's perhaps #Unsurprising that he was given this hijacking side plot to cover. He absolutely nails it here and in the process gives us some lovely #Background on a few of the leads. We learn more about Riley in particular including the fact that he saw active service in ww2 and was #Something of a tearaway in his youth. Jennifer meanwhile reveals that Bill may have always known about her relationship with the late Mr #Hammond snr and sent flowers after Barbara's birth (a very touching moment in a dazzling script). Perhaps what I enjoyed most tho was an #Unexpected insight to Ted's personality: his utter willingness to back Bill without hesitation (even as characters like Jennifer air some #Doubts) is a side of him we see all too little of. He may be a shouty hard headed business type but of them all Ted is also the Brother #Most willing to trust and to believe in others. He knows Bill and trusts him and... That's enough. It's a lovely moment and I really like #Seeing this side of Edward. Elsewhere... Well Barbara's young husband is looking to be just the feckless dreamer Ted took him for...

[mariocki]

The Brothers: Hijack (3.5, BBC, 1974)

"Didn't you say you were the foreman, Mr. Riley?"

"Foreman driver, aye."

"And you fell for a gag like that?"

"All right! But hanging around here isn't gonna find our lorry, is it?"

"They've found that."

"Found it? Where?"

"Couple of miles outside Hartley."

"Well, that were quick."

"Don't get excited, Mr. Riley. I said the lorry, not the load."

#The brothers #Philip Dudley #Eric Paice #Classic TV #1974 #Jean Anderson #Robin chadwick #Derek benfield #Patrick O'connell #Hilary tindall #Julia goodman #Richard Easton #Jennifer Wilson #Gabrielle Drake #Jonathan Newth #Hugh Sullivan #Brian Grellis #Paul Haley #Frank Jarvis #Yvonne Bonnamy #John Barcroft #Hijack! Hijack! Hijack! #I mean you know it's gonna be a good episode with a title like that. Presumably an expensive episode to mount considering it involves not #Only the titular hijack (ok not that impressive but it involves multiple vehicles and outside broadcasting) but also includes a great deal #Of location work and (and!) a trip on a hovercraft over the channel! For real! They went to France! For about five minutes! I mean who was #In charge of the BBC budget in 1974? I love it. After France is done it's onto the main event; the Hammonds lose a major delivery to #Highway robbers! A major blow for an expanding company.. And why is the peculiarly hostile police inspector (a downright thumpable Hugh #Sullivan) keeping such a beady eye on poor old Bill Riley....