Dave Rattigan

Given that standards in British television have declined drastically (see the other thread - I'm being slightly tongue-in-cheek when I take that for granted), what HAS impressed you on television in the last couple years?

I don't follow TV much. In fact, the only thing I watch with any regularity is Coronation Street. But of the other things I've caught recently, I was very impressed with the BBC's Sweeney Todd. I think it was made about a year to eighteen months ago, but I only saw it (on the Hallmark Channel of all places - whassup with that? I thought they did sentimental family dramas and the like?) this Christmas.

Ray Winstone was fantastic. A very understated performance, but he nevertheless conveyed such emotion and inspired such sympathy. Production values were very high, with excellent period detail. It was also very well scripted.

What else has stood out for you?

DB7

Life on Mars was probably my last 'must see' series, I love the old ITC productions and this brought back memories of a few. I've intentionally avoided watching repeats so I can watch it again in a year or two and be fully absorbed once again. Before that, probably Phoenix Nights.

penfold

Some of the new Doctor Who - Blink for example had elements of MR James ghost story style - Spooks is consistent but Life on Mars was outstanding.

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

batman

Life on Mars for me too ... not much else except the odd documentary and Mock the Week. Oh, and Ken Stott was good fun snarling away in Rebus.

Bats.

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cletus awreetus

New Year's Day Concert tonight on BBC4. Excellent stuff. A hopefully good start to 2008.

jack_regan

Yes, Life On Mars was the last thing on tv that i got well into.

I also ejoyed the Jimmy Mcgovern drama series The Street on BBC.

In the past few years was impressed with Blackpool, early doors, island at war, and was also known not to miss shameless,skins and no angels on channel four.

Roy

batman

If it's not just 2007 we're talking about, I have to mention the BBC productions The Way We Live Now and The State Within, both excellent.

Bats.

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Steve Crook

Or any of the Doctor Who episodes written by Steven Moffat.
The Empty Child, The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink. Do we detect a common high quality in the writing?

I also like Spooks despite their preposterous situations and use of technology they do make for exciting drama. And I like the way they're not afraid to kill off lead characters

I'd also nominate Jekyll (oh look, it's that Steven Moffat writing it again) and Cranford as one of the best of the many costume dramas that we've seen recently.

I'd also nominate a few comedy shows like Rob Newman's History of the World... Backwards and The Armstrong and Miller Show. The last one mainly for the jive talking RAF pilots.

And they do continue to make some very good documentaries and factual programmes like James May's 20th Century and Athens: The Truth About Democracy.

In fact I still find plenty that's well worth watching. But in this multi-channel, reality TV, chef stuffed, universe, you do have to hunt around for the quality more than you used to in the old days

Steve

Lady Lois

I thoroughly enjoyed Dr Who and Torchwood... The IT Crowd (despite no Chris Morris this time), Star Stories was fabulous... and I have just discovered The Mighty Boosh as my sister has lent her DVDs to me (I don't have Freeview...) Lead Balloon has been very entertaining....

Carmel

Im telling you know there was sweet F all to impress anyone over the Christmas period, where is the tele we all loved way way back in the 70's when tele was tele maybe we are being spoilt with DVD's or maybe not, maybe tele is getting down right rubbish who agree's.

Live each day to the full because one day it will be your last.

Redstar

Cranford was rather good

Moor Larkin

Torn by Chris Lang was about the only piece of British TV drama that has impressed me for a long long time. It was considered, informed, very topical and dealt with its subject in a balanced yet involving way. And there was very little (if any) gratuitous screeching, swearing, sadism or simulated sex, making it all the more remarkable for ITV since the dawn of the official 9pm watershed......

TE-MOVIES: "Torn"

Steve Crook

The Mighty Boosh should be on everyone's "must see" list to see what a group of inventive people can do with TV. Of course it helps if you follow it from the beginning - even from when it started on Radio 4. It's very surreal and there are a lot of in-jokes and back references to previous episodes.

I thought The IT Crowd was very good as well. We all know IT people like that

Steve

samkydd

Life on Mars Series 1 - Great idea but Series 2 smacked of "cashing-in" and being politically incorrect for the sake of it.

New Tricks - Good actors and well researched stories.

QI - Very entertaining and Stephen Fry is excellent as its quiz master and it doesn't annoy me like Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Have I Got News For You, where just making silly remarks is their idea of spontaneous wit.

Top Gear - Despite my initial dislike of all things Clarkson, my enjoyment of driving has forced me to catch up with several repeats on the Dave channel and some of it is very entertaining.

The Last Detective - Quite enjoyable series but if he's supposed to be useless why does he keep solving cases each week?

Everything else enjoyable seems to be repeats of The Saint, Randall and Hopkirk, The Professionals, Minder, The Sweeney etc. This doesn't bode well for the present or future though!

Frank63

There’s no variety that’s the trouble, no shows anymore of the likes of Morecambe & Wise, Cannon & Ball etc.. It’s either ‘Reality’ shows or rip the people off by getting them to phone in and vote though we may not count their vote depending on whether they are voting for the people we want to win .

" I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception" Groucho Marx