Oh happy day!

I'm starting my new blog with great news (well, for me at least!). It has been confirmed today that the TV series Jonathan Creek will be back this Christmas season with a new one-off special. Jonathan Creek is a wonderful series about a man who lives in a windmill (doesn't sound too promising yet, does it?). He works out tricks for a magician, and is also called in to help solve seemingly impossible crimes. There were several series of the show, plus several Christmas specials, but then the series stopped. The show was very popular, so ratings weren't the problem. Rather, the creator of the series was reportedly tired of the incessant production demands by rabid fans such as myself, and decided to stop work on the series altogether. The last episode aired in early 2004, so it will be a treat to see the character again! Unfortunately, apparently neither Caroline Quentin (Maddy Magellan) nor Julia Sawalha (Carla Borrego) are going to be making an appearance in the new episode. While I liked the character of Maddy better, Carla had a fantastic wardrobe!

The first and second series are available here in the U.S. Series three and four are available from Amazon.co.uk, as well as in a boxset of all four series. The episodes from Amazon.co.uk are in PAL format, and so will not play on a regular US DVD player, although nearly all DVD players can be "hacked", using the remote, to play all region DVDs (Google your model and DVD hacks for instructions). You can also purchase a region-free DVD player (might be the best way to go) fairly cheaply. Ordering DVDs from Amazon.co.uk is very easy and delivery is fast -- if (unsurprisingly) somewhat expensive. Still, if you are a true British TV addict, sometimes there's nothing else for it but to grit your teeth and get out the old credit card!