The British are coming~

~ Judi Lynn

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not much of a fan of thirty-minute comedies or evening game shows on TV.  I’m hooked on Dancing With the Stars, but it hasn’t been on for a while, and I’ve never bothered with whatever they chose to replace it.  I watch foodtv on Saturday mornings, but that’s it.  Most everything else is repeats and competitions.  That’s why I signed up for Netflix.  We watch shows on it once in a while.  But then I signed up for BritBox.  And my poor HH’s life has changed.

I love British mysteries, and boy, are there a lot of them–old Hercule Poirots and Miss Marples, plus new ones I’ve never heard of.  Diana Riggs is Mrs. Bradley with clever murders and droll humor, Rosemary and Thyme has its two female sleuths stumble over dead bodies while working on landscaping and sickly lawns, and Shakespeare and Hathaway are a cute blond/frumpy P.I. pair.  HH watches a mystery with me occasionally, but he’s more partial to The Great British Baking Show, not that I’ll ever spend three hours making a perfect Victoria Sponge, but he can dream:)

We used to turn off the TV after the evening news.  Now, we flip to BritBox and watch an hour of something entertaining before he settles behind a library book and I pick up my Kindle.  In the days WC (With Children), our TV habits revolved around family entertainment or one of their favorites, but now, AC (After Children), we can watch what we want.  And it’s wonderful.

I’ve always been partial to British mysteries.  I started out with Agatha Christie and then got hooked on Martha Grimes with Scotland Yard Inspector Richard Jury.  And then I discovered Elizabeth George and her Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley.  Maybe they were an extension of my love of Pride and Prejudice.  I’m not sure.  But they have a certain feel about them, nothing gritty like American P.I.s.

Lately, I’ve become equally enamored with cozies.  Instead of an English village with a shop that serves tea, I’ve grown fond of small towns with diners and breweries.  I’ve traded an inspector for an amateur sleuth, but the murders are all quite civilized.  It’s rude to splash gore on the walls or furniture.  For variety, I’ve added an occasional paranormal mystery to the mix with witches who solve murders or own bakeries, and I still toss in a thriller or urban fantasy now and then.  But this summer, I return often to low-key pleasant reads and TV. It suits my mood.  Who knows what winter will bring?  For now, though, hope your reading and writing are going well.  May the words flow!

 

Published by Judi Lynn

https://writingmusings.wordpress.com/ http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5023544.Judith_Post @judypost on twitter Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JudiLynnwrites https://www.bookbub.com/authors/judi-lynn

13 thoughts on “The British are coming~”

    1. When I’ve written too long and my brain’s too tired to read, it’s nice to watch some TV to relax, but it’s hard to find anything worth watching on regular TV, and we have channel after channel that aren’t worth the bother. My husband can usually find something, though, just like yours:)

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  2. There’s little on the in the regular TV season and even less in the summer. I’ve been watching movies when I’m too tired to read or write.

    Never heard of BritBox, but it sounds pretty good. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. ‘Don’t know why our American producers don’t take a hint? Those British comedies are fabulous– dry wit, innuendo, outright slapstick, or outrageous farce sometimes. Entertaining! I too am tired of competition shows. Don’t watch them much

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  4. I’ve never heard of BritBox, but I’ve used to watch a lot of British mysteries on BBC America. I picked up a few on DVD too.

    TV is just dreadful anymore. I recently signed up for Netflix to watch Stranger Things but that’s about the only TV I watch (although I have been catching the Tour de France through July).
    Hubby and I catch the news in the evening and then I usually start reading.

    I got a chuckle out of this line from your post: It’s rude to splash gore on the walls or furniture.”

    😀

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    1. I know. I lament that all the time.
      I once tweeted Verizon “A gazillion freaking channels and not a thing to watch.”
      They came back and said “Have you tried On Demand?”
      Clearly, they missed the point 😉

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