The Friday News Roundup: Uncreative Title Edition
Click through for lots of goodies on Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Upstairs Downstairs, Being Human, Inspector Lewis, Britain’s Got Talent and more!
Historian Simon Schama apparently really hates Downton Abbey, calling the period drama “a steaming silvered tureen of snobbery” and “cultural necrophilia.” Um, wow. Tell us how you really feel, Simon.
Downton stars Elizabeth McGovern and Michelle Dockery are going to release an album. Alllllrighty then.
If you have a significant amount of cash to spare (around $12,000) you can take a special tour of Highclere Castle (stand in for the fictional Downton Abbey) that involves a personal tour from either Lord or Lady Carnarvon, lunch in the State Dining Room and a 4x4 ride around the grounds.
And, in case you missed it, Downton Abbey won a Golden Globe last weekend for Best Mini-series. If you want some more photos of fabulous Brits at the Globes, click here.
Michael Landes has joined the cast of Upstairs Downstairs as a “charismatic American multi-millionaire.”
Two new video prequels are out for the new series of Being Human. If you missed our post about all the changes coming to Series 4, you might want to read that first.
Steven Moffat promises at least 14 episodes in Doctor Who Series 7 and a splashy 50th anniversary in 2013, says “there will never be a better time” to be a fan of the show. Yay!
The making of Doctor Who’s most notoriously bad special effects. Kind of awesome.
Is a particular character from Doctor Who Series 4 possibly returning for Series 7? Moffat stokes the rumor mill.
The only time I’ve ever sort of wanted to own a Playstation 3 – preview the new Doctor Who video game The Eternity Clock.
Former Who showrunner Russell T. Davies is co-creating a new children’s series with for the BBC’s CBBC channel called Aliens and Wizards. Apparently it’s “Doctor Who meets Harry Potter.” I’m sold!
Entertainment Weekly speculates about why Sherlock Holmes is such a hot property right now.
The BBC’s Sherlock is apparently so popular that the show has actually boosted sales (more than 53%) for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books in the UK.
Speaking of Sherlock’s newfound popularity – CBS has greenlit a pilot for next season called Elementary. It’s a modern day Sherlock Holmes set in New York. (Keep an eye out for another post on this bit of news next week.)
When did Americans lose their British accents? An interesting piece in Mental Floss about how the American accent came about. (Though I’d much rather have a British one, personally!)
Shockingly enough, Norman Tebbit hated The Iron Lady. A lot. (Tebbit was a senior cabinet minister in Margaret Thatcher’s government.) Spoilers for the film – and history, I guess.
The site WhatCulture! asks “Are British Sitcoms Really Better than American Sitcoms?” Personally, I say yes as a general rule (unless we’re talking about American comedies Parks and Recreation or Community), but what do you all think?
This is a fun little travel profile of Cornwall’s Port Isaac, the town that is better known as Portwenn in Doc Martin.
Simon Cowell, ever dramatic, says he poached Alesha Dixon for the Britain’s Got Talent panel to try and hurt BBC rival Strictly Come Dancing.
Star Kevin Whately has hinted that the next series of Inspector Lewis could be his last.
