Thank goodness for British television

I’m back at work now, but while I was resting up I watched a lot of British television. It started with Sherlock Holmes. I’d been meaning to watch it, so between naps I watched some, then fell asleep, then watched some more, then slept. And it was quite enjoyable. I especially enjoy saying the name Benedict Cumberpatch. How very British.

Then I caught a recent episode of Primeval and realized I’d never seen the pilot, so I watched all seasons up to this one. Dinosaurs in London. When you watch all the episodes in a row, it’s a lot easier to follow the plot, but it’s also a lot easier to spot the ridiculousness of that show. I don’t care, it’s fun. Dinosaurs in London. And since there’s only 12 episodes per season, it didn’t take me long to work my way up to the present.

Then I remembered that I used to watch MI-5 (AKA Spooks) until it suddenly stopped appearing on BBCA. So I checked and sure enough, Netflix has it on instant. I managed to get through the first two seasons before I had to go back to work, so now I’m inching my way through the rest. There's a lot - that show's been on forever.

Watching Spooks makes me realize how silly 24 was. Fun, but very silly. Spooks has a much more sinister feel. Bad guys aren’t so black and white, and neither are the good guys. And when you look at the actors who have cycled through this show, it’s easy to be impressed with the casting people. And Tony Head, who has officially appeared on every show ever filmed in England.

The other day I was watching an episode and some young blond guy did one scene in a chair and I said to myself, Hey, I think that’s Benedict Cumberpatch! Which is, of course, fun to say. Benedict Cumberpatch, everybody! And I looked on IMDB and yep, that blond fella was indeed Sherlock Holmes. And we’ve come full circle.