Posts related to Britain and British culture.
In Frederick Forsyth’s thrilling modern espionage novel, The Fox, a British teen with Asperger’s, Luke Jennings, turns out to be a cyber-genius who can hack into the world’s most secure systems, like the Pentagon, NSA, and CIA.
Johnny English Strikes Again (2018), directed by David Kerr, follows Johnny English as he comes out of retirement to stop a cyber attack that has exposed every active spy in Britain. Rowan Atkinson plays Johnny, now a geography teacher who longs for the old days.
Sarah Brightman's 2008 release, a crossover of pop and the classical voice. I found it some years after it appeared and was glad I did.
Sarah Brightman's 2008 release, grand and unhurried singing. I found it some years after it appeared and was glad I did.
A late discovery of Delirious?'s 1997 album, a raw and ambitious record that helped reshape British worship.
In The Midnight Line, Reacher finds a West Point ring in a pawn shop and tracks its owner, a female veteran caught in Wyoming’s opioid trade.
Paddington 2 (2017), directed by Paul King, follows Paddington as he is wrongly sent to prison after a thief steals the birthday present he planned to give his aunt. Ben Whishaw voices Paddington, now a beloved member of the Brown family and the neighbourhood.
Sherlock is a British crime drama series. It aired on BBC One from 25 July 2010 to 15 January 2017. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss created it. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Sherlock Holmes, a consulting detective in modern day London who solves cases the police cannot.
Night School revisits 1996, with Reacher in Hamburg teaming with CIA and NSA agents to stop a jihadist selling a nuclear weapon.
The Night Manager is a British thriller series. It aired on BBC One from 21 February to 27 March 2016. David Farr wrote it, based on the novel by John le Carré. Tom Hiddleston plays Jonathan Pine, a former soldier turned hotel night manager who is recruited to infiltrate the inner circle of an arms dealer.
Iona's 1992 album inspired by the ancient gospel manuscript, an ambitious record I found years later.
Downton Abbey is a British drama series. It aired on ITV from 26 September 2010 to 25 December 2015. Julian Fellowes wrote it. Hugh Bonneville plays Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, who runs a grand estate in the Yorkshire countryside during the early twentieth century.
Coldplay's joyful 2015 album, a bright farewell of sorts that I discovered well after its release.
Make Me drops Reacher in the isolated town of Mother’s Rest, investigating a journalist’s disappearance into a dark web conspiracy. With her partner, he uncovers a sinister underground service.
Top Gear is a British motoring programme. It aired on BBC Two from 20 October 2002 to 28 June 2015 in its best known form. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May presented it together for 22 series.
The Grey (2011), directed by Joe Carnahan, follows men who crash in Alaska. Liam Neeson plays Ottway, a hunter who guards oil workers. He knows wolves and death.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), directed by Peter Jackson, brings the story of Bilbo Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield to its end. Martin Freeman plays Bilbo, who watches his friend lose himself to greed as armies gather at the gates of the Lonely Mountain.
In Personal, Reacher hunts a sniper who targeted the French president, linked to a past enemy from his Army days.
Paddington (2014), directed by Paul King, follows a young bear from Peru who arrives in London looking for a home. Ben Whishaw voices Paddington, a polite and hopeful bear who wears a red hat, loves marmalade, and believes the best of everyone he meets.
The IT Crowd is a British comedy series. It aired on Channel 4 from 3 February 2006 to 27 September 2013. Graham Linehan created it. Chris O'Dowd plays Roy and Richard Ayoade plays Moss, two IT support staff in the basement of a London corporation.
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows concludes the series as Harry, Ron, and Hermione hunt Horcruxes to defeat Voldemort, now controlling the wizarding world.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts uncovers Voldemort’s past through Dumbledore’s lessons, while a mysterious book aids his magic.
Coldplay's quiet, wounded 2014 album, a record of loss I returned to and heard with fresh ears.
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix follows Harry’s fifth year, where he faces a Ministry denying Voldemort’s return and a tyrannical new teacher, Umbridge.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry is unexpectedly entered into the dangerous Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts, facing deadly tasks and the return of Voldemort.