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Britcom's Appeal Timeless A BritCom has taken over my life! Mentally, I've moved to London's Holland Park neighborhood where I "live" with Jean and Lionel Hardcastle, a couple of a certain age. I've joined nearly 1000 other would-be Hardcastles around the world, members of two e-mail groups devoted to the show AS TIME GOES BY starring Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer. AS TIME GOES BY is about a couple who fell in love during the Korean War but lost track of each other in a misunderstanding caused by a postal mishap. They meet again 38 years later when Jean is a widow and Lionel is divorced. Do they fall headlong into each other's arms? They do not but the story of their love's slow renewal is charming and filled with gentle humor. Sixty episodes keep us eFriends discussing characters and sets, furniture and fashions, the Holland Park neighborhood, British culture and language differences, Dame Judi's trademark jewelry and more! British words and phrases have crept into my language: chuntering, nattering, codswallop, "you've lost your bottle" and "may I have a word with you." And then there was the Sunday my pastor read Mark 1:24 where an unclean spirit says, "I know who you are! You're the Holy One of God." What I heard in my head was "I know who you are! You're Cilla Black", a line of dialogue from one of the episodes; I hope Pastor didn't hear me as I laughed aloud at myself!
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What draws us into this cyberspace world? Why do we watch these 60 episodes over and over again? Why do we discuss character motivation, set design, acting styles, and language use ad infinitum (or as some would say, ad nauseum)? Why do we spend hours online searching out new information about the actors in AS TIME GOES BY? Start with Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer, whose onscreen chemistry is so strong that many think they are married to each other in real life (they aren't); add intelligent, witty scripts by Bob Larbey with a story line we rarely see these days (love among the mature), an appealing ensemble cast and you just might want to move to Holland Park yourself! Sweet, tender, refreshing, tasteful, humorous, real: these adjectives all apply to the series and lead us to regard Jean, Lionel, their family and friends as part of our families as well. My TV, PC and ATGB have
brought both pleasure and enrichment into my two-year old retirement! I
invite you to join my eFriends and me in Holland Park some Thursday or
Saturday evening on WILL TV and get acquainted with Jean, Lionel and the
rest of the Hardcastle family in AS TIME GOES BY. Prepare to be charmed!
I warn you, though; such friendships can be addictive!
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