Lovely Bits of Old England: John Betjeman at The Telegraph

Product Information

But at the same time, Ritter also carved out a decent niche as a character actor in prestigious period pieces. In 2012’s The Hollow Crown, he was a swaggering, overcompensatory Ancient Pistol. In Toby Whithouse’s The Game, he added huge depth to a quietly regret-filled cold war spy. He played Jimmy Perry and Eric Sykes. He played Christine Keeler’s barrister and Brigadier-General Sir Ormonde de l’Épée Winter. Wessex Archaeology analysed the Time Team investigation and said that while pottery dating to the 12th to 13th centuries was recovered, "the geophysical and topographical surveys and the evaluation trenches targeted upon supposed area of the deserted Medieval village identified no traces of an abandoned Medieval settlement." Robert [Popper] asked me to read the script, and I was just embarrassingly enthusiastic. Robert had created one of my favourite comedy shows of all time, Look Around You, and I was, and still am, a flustered red-faced fanboy around him. Simon: It was everything I hoped it would be. It had all the best elements of a traditional family sitcom - warmth and big, relatable jokes - but all filtered through Robert's unique, surreal, anarchic worldview. I thought we had the opportunity to make something that could be both popular but also weird and inventive. Tom: I think I had like five auditions, the last of which was a chemistry read with Simon, which I left thinking was a disaster on account of us having terrible chemistry. I was very fortunate to be an incredibly annoying person with a face very similar to Tamsin Greig.

It’s an embarrassment of riches obviously, but I particularly like the episodes where Dad takes centre stage and Paul is let off the leash. The Fox, The Tin of Meat, The Plastic Bag all spring to mind.A village that doesn't have a pub," said one of the show's most popular characters, Phil Harding. "What sort of a village is this?"

Friday Night Dinner brought the actor recognition, along with bigger roles. He played an eccentric forensics expert in Paul Abbott’s No Offence, rarely driving the plot, but considerably brightening things up whenever he was on screen. He did the same in Hang Ups, Stephen Mangan’s adaptation of the US show Web Therapy, quietly carving out MVP status alongside big hitters including Charles Dance, Richard E Grant and Celia Imrie. And in the Cold Feet revival he played a lifeless, weaselly number cruncher with such panache that you could at times be forgiven for thinking that it was actually secretly a show about him.

How to use Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse

Another theory is that one historical owner of the aforementioned "imposing stately home" may well have had his beautiful view obscured by peasant hovels, and removed them when it was appropriate to do so. Landowners behaving in this way was not uncommon, but there's absolutely no evidence this happened in Bitterley. A photo of Bitterley Court. The Fox. Or the bag up a tree. Or the conversation spindle. Or pineapples and the government. I dunno this is what IMDB is for. Whether the village was once much larger or located in a different place, though, is just one of those of mysteries of history that keeps rearing its hard-to-prove head. When he failed to catch the little creature, Martin suddenly got angry and started hitting the candles. "Did you know there are places on the internet now where you can go to find girls?" I think I had like five auditions, the last of which was a chemistry read with Simon, which I left thinking was a disaster on account of us having terrible chemistry. I was very fortunate to be an incredibly annoying person with a face very similar to Tamsin Greig.

As well as being wonderful poems in themselves, these are immortal snapshots of our land. A Maltese friend of mine came here more than 30 years ago and was having difficulty coming to grips with Britain and its strange ways. “Read Betjeman,” said his employer. “Then you’ll understand us.”One, more jokey theory made during the Time Team episode at the end of day one, when the crew fancied a pint, was that the old village was abandoned because Bitterley doesn't have a pub. Sure, Shakespeare was British, but modern-day Brits are decidedly less wordy. Long gone are the days where we would greet each other in the street with a formal “How do you do, Sir?” (while tipping our hats and waving our handkerchiefs in the air). Nowadays, your average Brit under the age of 40 is far more likely to greet their friends or loved ones with a curt “Alright?”