The Story

After all the movies and television I have ingested for the last almost 30 years I have found myself to love practically the whole selection of the many television series from ITC.

Growing up in the pleasant city of Sacramento, California and with a somewhat conservative set of parents. My childhood was filled with disney movies, musicals and bible themed stories. There were the occasional trips to the video store where my brothers and I had strict orders to only find videos that were rated G. Needless to say, I made every attempt to find the most obscure classic movie that would have no resemblance to the family friendly media i was force fed. During this young age I gleefully sat on the couch watching movies like Jamaica Inn with Charles Laughton and The Maltese Falcon, with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre, some of the greatest films of all time. And I wanted more.

I was never really able to indulge in british television let alone Television in general. Most of you could say that there was nothing lost in avoiding the drab, sexualized murky sludge that is American TV. I do say yes to that, however I’m sure on the other side of the pond some would consider the same description for their television. Up until recently I would have never really known.

My first experience of any sort of British media was The Adventures of Robin Hood. I remember rummaging through the aisles of Tower Video, looking for a video that would supply  a character and subject matter that would appease my adventurous childish nature. I particularly remember the genuine storytelling quality in which, I believe, has been long lost amongst fast camera sweep ins and all too loud and clear sound effects. The stories were not convoluted with side stories and the lack of unnecessary forks in the story lines is notice in retrospect. The actors and actresses seemed more believable than todays big actors almost as if they were perfectly suited and would have indeed been the character they played if around during the time setting of the show. I attribute this to the training one would have gone through in order to be considered an actor in those times, the theatrical blood that flowed through their veins must have contributed to their authenticity. On the other hand, it would be awesome to consider that some actors of that time were really that cool and smooth with or without training. There is a noticeable seriousness to their roles but with a twinge of humour incorporated within.

Nonetheless, this blog is intended to give a decent run down of the shows from Lew Grade’s ITC Entertainment , which happens to be a large portion of my favourite British Cult TV. I will not only give you details of each episode but interesting facts and observations of each episode. A large task indeed but a worthwhile experiment of data mining and info distribution.