TV series's that flopped

[DanTanna_Investigations]

Re: TV series's that flopped

Wasn't 'Castles' the soap that was set half in Britain and half in Australia? - Or was that something else?

That was Families. It was a co-production between Granada and an Aussie channel, then the Aussies pulled out so the Aussie characters were either killed off or brought over here under some ridiculous premise.

It was totally unbelieveable, but a lot of fun. 'Charles Bannerman' was the two-timing villanous barrister character, who was having an affair with his daughter in law. Jude Law was in it very early on.

[Richard1978]

Re: TV series's that flopped

The commedy drama The Border Cafe was another series that sank without trace. It didn't help that the writers seemed to think that Lancashire is connected to Wales.

[agfagaevart]

Re: TV series's that flopped

The North Sea ferry based Triangle is normally high on the list of flop series, though it somehow managed to get 3 series made...

Memories of Kate O'Mara sunbathing on the deck of a ship, on a freezing day, while Larry Lamb watches her sprint to mind. Look what he's doing nowadays:

[Richard1978]

Re: TV series's that flopped

Memories of Kate O'Mara sunbathing on the deck of a ship, on a freezing day, while Larry Lamb watches her sprint to mind. Look what he's doing nowadays:

I remember the 1st episode was shown as part of the TV Hell evening.

[darren]

Re: TV series's that flopped

another is mini pops this channel 4 show featured young children singing then-contemporary pop music.
The children were usually dressed to look like the original performers, including the clothing and make-up.

The show made many adult viewers uncomfortable because it often showed the child singers dressing and dancing in imitation of the provocative styles of the original adult performers

[willpurry]

Re: TV series's that flopped

I remember the 1st episode was shown as part of the TV Hell evening.

Here it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex9M76bMe8M

[Richard1978]

Re: TV series's that flopped

another is mini pops this channel 4 show featured young children singing then-contemporary pop music.
The children were usually dressed to look like the original performers, including the clothing and make-up.

The show made many adult viewers uncomfortable because it often showed the child singers dressing and dancing in imitation of the provocative styles of the original adult performers

I remember seeing a few shows & not thinking too much of it, mostly because I was about the right age not to read too much into it.

Victor Lewis-Smith has metioned it a couple of times in his shows, along with a Walls Finger ad from the same time, not sure if the same kids were in that.

About 12 years ago I spotted a copy of the spin-off LP at a record fair, & was in 2 minds about buying it, nut didn't in the end.

The Day Today must have had in mind when they featured Kiddie Stare as part of their Attitudes Night.

[ayrshireman]

Re: TV series's that flopped

Memories of Kate O'Mara sunbathing on the deck of a ship, on a freezing day, while Larry Lamb watches her sprint to mind. Look what he's doing nowadays:

Cant be all bad then, lol.

[darren]

Re: TV series's that flopped

stressed eric is another i remember it was bought by NBC and adapted for American audiences. The BBC described it as "the first British animated sitcom to make it on to prime time US TV." Some episodes were shown in August 1998, but they were received poorly

[Richard1978]

Re: TV series's that flopped

I remember Stressed Eric could be funny in places, but some running jokes became boring after a few uses.

[DanTanna_Investigations]

Re: TV series's that flopped

'Bottle Boys' - Robin Askwith stars as a randy milkman. Dire. Worse than dire. I think it's possibly the worst tv show ever made, it certainly made TV Hell. Sample lines "Mrs Evans is having trouble with her ****" "Really?" "Yes, they keep pecking at the milk on the step." It made you lose faith in the existence of intelligent life on earth. (EDIT: LOL, they've starred out a word that rhymes with 'bits' and starts with a t. Actually made it funnier than the original line)

'The Happy Apple' - Lesley Ash stars as a girl who gets a secretary's job at an ad agency, and inadvertently creates brilliant campaigns. I liked it, noone else did.

'Good Companions' - 1980s JB Priestly adaptation, ITV thought it was going to be the next big period drama but with music... they made thousands of soundtrack LPs which apparently were stuck in a warehouse for years cause record shops returned them unsold!

'The Good Guys' - cheesy comedy adventure series with Nigel Havers and Keith Barron as two blokes who happened to be both called 'Guy', teaming up to solve crimes and other stuff. Total rubbish insulting to the actors. I remember really wanting to like it cause I like both of them, and being so disappointed.

'Coasting' - Peter Howitt and James Purefoy, again, after Bread, ITV thought Howitt's name would guarantee a hit but it was so unpopular, two episodes were apparently never shown, they couldn't axe it quick enough! Shame, because they had fun adventures in Blackpool, on the run from some cockney gangsters back home. I sure know how to pick losers.

'Hope It Rains' - Tom Bell plays a miserable sod who runs a waxwork museum in a seaside town. Holly Aird - future Mrs James Purefoy - was his flighty young goddaughter. Honestly, who thinks of these things? More intelligent than Bottle Boys admittedly - actually, almost anything is on a higher intellectual plane than Bottle Boys - but although I was Holly Aird's age (still am funnily enough!) and had a bit of a crush on her, I still didn't take to the show.

[DanTanna_Investigations]

Re: TV series's that flopped

TECX! OMG, that was soooo boring, a European based detective 'drama', which had pretensions to high intelligence but was also packed with 'Mind Your Language' cliches about the Italians and Germans. Horrible. Full of incomprehensible industrial espionage plots too.

[Cartimand]

I thoroughly enjoyed the End-of-the-world sit-com "Not With a Bang" too. Terrific haunting theme tune as well. Just a shame it was given a very late graveyard slot and only got one series.

You cited Bottle Boys for some cringing dialog, but let's not forget "Are You Being Served?" got away with just as bad. What about Mrs Slocombe saying "I cannot attend the meeting tonight Captain Peacock, as I have to attend to my *****!"

[Cartimand]

Re: TV series's that flopped

Hee hee! They starred the word out again. No rhyme for the colloquial word for cat in English is there?

[Heather74]

Re: TV series's that flopped

Its an automatic swear filter part of the database