Your best and worst ever TV programme....

[arsene york-hunt]

Best: Tinker,Tailor, Soldier, Spy (by a mile) Worst: The Masked Dancer

[Nagel]

As with most of the Hollywood trivia that Alfs comes out with, what he says is mostly complete nonsense. Marc Norman came up with the idea in the late 80s (or at least his son did). He then wrote a screenplay and sold it in 1991. Tom Stoppard was then hired to do a rewrite and the film went into production the following year, but then Julia Roberts dropped out as they couldn't find a suitable leading man. The project got put on hold and then the script got sold to Miramax in 1997. So, from the time the original script got sold to when the final one with Tom Stoppard was written took 1-2 years, not 12, and it's highly doubtful that a bunch more writers were ever involved. The idea that he was paid $1k a word is also nonsense. The average word count for a script is about 20,000, so if Stoppard wrote half the words in the final script he'd have got about $10m for it. Laughable idea.

[Nurse Ratched]

Alfs, that is TOP NOTCH trivia, and I would never have guessed that was the way the script/film came about. I would have assumed Stoppard had the original idea and was planning it for the stage, maybe. The script is a triumph. As is the whole film, really. Perfectly cast and acted, brilliant costumes and scenery, wonderful score.

[Alfs]

Nurse Ratched 12:18 Thu Sep 7 Bit of trivia for you. Shakespeare in Love was in development for twelve years, writer after writer being hired and fired. In a bid to save it, they hired Tom Stoppard, for a fee of $1000 per word. He did a great job though, and was worth the money.

[zebthecat]

DukeofDevo 12:05 Tue Sep 12 Caught that too and it is still brilliant.

[northbanker]

I was contemplating what are the worst and have arrived at the following: 1. Anything with an audience of morons screaming whooping and clapping in the middle of songs. eg X factor, the Voice. 2. Any "Comedy" where the cast are dancing during the credit sequence eg. Friends and any number of US teen comedies, all execrable

[DukeofDevo]

zico 4:18 Mon Sep 11 They showed that recently on BBC4 Probably on the iPlayer

[zico]

Been thinking a bit more about this and can recall that as a kid I was absolutely blown away when Edge of Darkness appeared on BBC1 starring Bob Peck. Fantastic drama series.

[Council Scum]

Boardwalk Empire is at number 2 for me, just below Gomorrah

[The Mercernary]

Two more to add to the list: Waking the Dead Boardwalk Empire Although Married at First Sight is indeed truly awful TV, there are parts of it that are entertaining, like when they first tell their parents!

[zebthecat]

Das Boot is very good indeed. It must have been extremely expensive for a domestic TV show but I imagine it made its budget back and then some from the film edit. The full TV edit is still the best.

[Council Scum]

ray winstone 1:24 Wed Sep 6 Re: Your best and worst ever TV programme.... Best: The Sopranos You place The Sopranos above Gomorrah?

[Pee Wee]

Worst: Pointless...

[Darlo Debs]

Russ of the BML 12:37 Wed Sep 6 Part of Blackadders genius is that being already set in the past, it doesn't age like most other sitcoms. I still think it improved massively once Ben Elton started writing with Curtis. Another worst is anything presented by Stephen Mulherne (sic) he really boils my piss ...I don't why he is just very annoying. He's ruined Catchphase.

[kylay]

Best: breaking bad/better call Saul and the wire Worst: friends

[Gary Strodders shank]

Boys From The Blackstuff was a phenominal series.

[Swiss.]

Life on Mars is a good call. Obviously BB I hate all reality TV. Yes even fucking Bake Off .Strictly. luckily I avoid the them but sometimes an ex or one of my sons is watching. This Aussie shit when they married without knowing each other and them…it’s so shit. And also anything with that fat arsed Kardashian bint or Ant and Dec in it

[mashed in maryland]

Forgot about Life on Mars, great call

[The Mercernary]

Lots of great mentions so far. Shout outs for Life on Mars and Der Pass. Worst - where to start?! What's not been mentioned already? Rentaghost and It Ain't Half Hot Mum - absolutely loathed that programme.

[Takashi Miike]

Nighty Night, Eastbound & Down, Still Game worst - anything featuring Cowell or those pair of Geordie cunts

[Nurse Ratched]

Arf! @ zeb jnr

[cholo]

Favourite I suppose is Breaking Bad Worst? Not sure because I give up on tv pretty quick if it doesn't engage me fast enough. A bad film I can sit through as it's only going to be a couple of hours of my life.

[cholo]

Favourite I suppose is Breaking Bad Worst? Not sure because I give up on tv pretty quick if it doesn't engage me fast enough. A bad film I can sit through as it's only going to be a couple of hours of my life.

[zebthecat]

Nurse Ratched 12:18 Thu Sep 7 Had the same sort of experience with The Smurfs. It was just stonkingly dull. They even had the gall to add a trailer for the sequel after the film as well. My son's comment was "Please let's not see that one Dad".

[Nurse Ratched]

Git.

[Alan]

Favourite film:- Thomas and the Magic Railroad This inventive extravaganza is a hauntingly beautiful film with two stunning performances. Although a fantasy, what is undoubtedly real is the deep emotional impact of this delicately told film, evidence of a brilliant director at work.