New on
BBC Entertainment in November 2011:
QI Season 2Premiere date: Friday, 4 November 2011 at 20h00
Season 2 of the quiz series featuring Stephen Fry as the host of ‘The World's Most Impossible Quiz’.
Asking impossibly difficult questions of a four-strong panel of guests from the cream of current comic talent, Fry is harried and hampered at every turn by regular panellist Alan Davies. Other guests include Jo Brand, Bill Bailey, Rich Hall, Phill Jupitus, and Jimmy Carr - who each bring their own levels of general knowledge and/or ignorance.
Points are awarded for answers that are ‘quite interesting’, regardless of whether they are correct or even relevant, while heavy penalties are imposed for those that are ‘obvious’ but wrong.
For more about the season, see:
TVSA's QI 2 Show Page
The Graham Norton Show 10Premiere date: Friday, 4 November 2011 at 20h35
Graham Norton returns for a tenth season of his chat show.
Each episodefeatures chat, comedy, celebrity gossip, general weirdness and risqué material.
At the end of each episode, Graham introduces contemporary music acts to wrap things up.
For more about the season, see:
TVSA's The Graham Norton Show 10 Show Page
My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding (Special)Premiere date: Thursday 10 November 2011 at 21h00
Please note: this is once-off special to be followed by a five-part series - see series below.
Entering the world of 21st Century gypsy and traveller weddings, where ancient traditions meet modern fashions in an ostentatious culture clash, this documentary follows four gypsy and traveller families on their wedding day.
Although these young women look sexually provocative, there is a tradition of premarital chastity that is increasingly unusual in Britain today.
Considered ‘on the shelf’ at 20, in gypsy and traveller communities many girls get married soon after their 16th birthday, with the full support of their family. The weddings are visual spectacles - brides and their families compete to have the most flamboyant dresses, which can reach enormous proportions and sometimes weigh more than the bride herself.
Gaining rare access to this fascinating and often misunderstood community, the My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding uses the prism of the weddings to reveal a culture where marriages between first cousins are acceptable, but having children out of wedlock is still taboo and divorce is unheard of.
Used to facing prejudice, this is a community that lives alongside but detached from mainstream society. It is a world of contrasts, living by centuries old religious and cultural traditions but at the same time embracing the gaudier extremes of the celebrity- and fashion-obsessed times in which we live.
Tess Of The D'UrbervillesPremiere date: Sunday, 13 November 2011 at 20h00
A four-episode modern version of Thomas Hardy’s famous novel. As the drama opens, the beautiful and innocent Tess Durbeyfield, dressed in white, dances in the May Day celebrations in her village. She catches a glimpse of a handsome stranger, but he ignores her.
Later Tess is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D’Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune. Here she meets a very different man – the manipulative and fraudulent Alec. Will her very innocence prove to be her downfall?
One year later a changed Tess watches the May dances. Embarking on a new chapter in her life, she leaves her home, finding work as a dairy maid. Here Tess meets the stranger from the celebrations – Angel Clare. He seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent…
A thrilling story of seduction, murder, cruelty and betrayal unfolds. Whilst unstintingly gorgeous and romantic, this new adaptation is an intense, moving and provocative depiction of the tragically beautiful story.
Big Fat Gypsy WeddingsPremiere date: Thursday, 17 November 2011 at 21h00
The series that follows the special
The five-episode series explores the rite of passage celebrations and events - including weddings, communions and christenings - to provide a window into the world of the gypsy and traveller community.
Each episode offers an insight into the community’s attitudes toward gender roles, education, and its perception of the non-gypsy or traveller world. Through the experiences of the characters, the series explores the rituals, traditions and beliefs held by this minority group to tell the story of 21st century gypsy and traveller life in Britain.
Last of the Summer Wine 32Premiere date: Friday, 25 November 2011 at 17h00
The boys are back for a 32nd season and the girls are still outwitting them.
This six episode season sees the return of favourite characters Hobbo, Alvin, Entwistle, Clegg and Truly who go through life full of good intentions, but their antics always seem to get them into trouble as the women in their lives try to keep them in line.
This time round the team’s talents don’t lie in marriage guidance. Hobbo’s hapless schemes backfire when he tries to help Toby win back both his ex-wife and his beloved Jaguar car.
Meanwhile, Howard finds himself homeless when his love life falls apart and wife Pearl throws him out. Acting on the well-intentioned but useless advice of Hobbo and the gang, he resorts to increasingly desperate measures to try and win Pearl over.
If he doesn’t succeed, a tent on the moors could become his permanent residence.
Garrow's Law 2Premiere date: Sunday 27 November 2011 at 19h00
Season 2 of the period legal drama set around trials at the Old Bailey in Georgian London against a backdrop of corruption and social injustice, inspired by the life of pioneering barrister William Garrow.
For more about the series, see:
TVSA's Garrow's Law Mini-Site
Kidnap and RansomPremiere date: Monday 28 November 2011 at 21h00
Dominic King is the best international hostage negotiator in the business. His devotion to his clients and his mantra, "Never Promise, Never Lie," has, until now, meant a 100% success. If only his home life were as satisfying as his professional.
Dominic’s latest case is the snatching of a businesswoman, Naomi Shaffer, in South Africa. Her initial release is botched and he finds himself running out of time to rescue her safely whilst trying to find out who the kidnappers are and why she is so valuable to them.
Starring Trevor Eve, Helen Baxendale and John Hannah, and with a plot loaded with twists and surprises, Kidnap and Ransom is a three-part crime drama of the highest quality.
BBC Entertainment is on DStv, channel 120.