Foyle's War is an excellent TV show from England that Richard and I really enjoy watching. Set during the time period of World War II in England, Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle investigates murders and other crimes. Since it is set in Hastings on the southeast coast, they very often mention the nearby towns of Bexhill and Eastbourne. (I have spoken of both places in some of my posts. Richard's parents live in Eastbourne.) Recently, on the episode entitled "Eagle Day" we were pleased to see that they filmed a scene from the Bandstand in Eastbourne. (It was filmed as if they were in Hastings, but trust me, they were in Eastbourne!)
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| Temporary Bandstand set up during renovation while we were there in 2012! See the bandstand behind it, with the blue dome? |
The bandstand is directly opposite the Cavendish Hotel in Eastbourne. The last time we were there, someone pointed out to us that one corner of the hotel looked as if it had been repaired and he either knew or guessed that it had been bombed during World War II.
I found a video about Eastbourne and although I knew that it had been bombed, I had no idea how
heavily it had been hit or how many people had died. I am very familiar with Eastbourne, knowing all the buildings that they show here, yet I had never seen the pictures of the bombings.
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| image from wikipedia |
I agree that it is an excellent series Kay and, as you say, the casting is very appropriate.
ReplyDeleteHey Graham!
DeleteGlad you like it too! Casting means so much, one wrong actor in a role and it throws the whole thing off. Honestly, I have such strong opinions about how something should be filmed! I should be a director!
My husband and I also love to watch Foyle's War. It's a great program.
ReplyDeleteHey Chris!
DeleteIsn't it just so well done? And on top of all that, it is set in E. Sussex!
Thanks for your comment!
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DeleteWe LOVE Foyle's War! The most recent season wasn't as much to our taste as the earlier ones, but overall, it is, as you say, excellent - the acting, the production design, the costuming, the writing. I also appreciate the moral behind almost every episode - that no one is above the law, regardless of any temporary importance they may have with regard to current events. Michael Kitchen is so very appealing in this role - quietly relentless, yet charming.
ReplyDeleteHow sad to see that wartime footage. What a lot that generation experienced.
Of course you would love this too!
DeleteI think I have a bit of a crush on Michael Kitchen, but how can you not? I can't resist that British charm!
A lovely post, I enjoyed all your photos. I am also a big fan of Foyle's War and have the DVD's on my bookshelf so that I can look at them again.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Denise! And thanks for your comment, you have good taste!
Delete:-)
As is so often the case, your blog is the first place I hear about something. Foyle's War sounds intriguing. I don't think it has ever been aired on German telly (not yet at least), but I should be able to find episodes on youtube (unless they are blocked for my country... as is also so often the case) or elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are whole episodes on Youtube, so I hope you are able to see Foyle's War! Let me know if you can, and what you think about it!
DeleteA bygone era. Beautifully acted in the perfect "terribly", "terribly" British accent! Honeysuckle Weeks is just so brilliant. With a name like that the actress just had to be the one to play the female lead don't you think? Glad you like it.x
ReplyDeleteHoneysuckle has a sister named Perdita and a brother named Rollo.
DeleteAll actors, so perhaps that is what the parents had in mind?
Oh yes, I love so many British shows, I am an expert on them, honestly too bad I can't make money with this knowledge! :-)
I've only watched it once or twice and that was by accident. I have to check and see exactly when it is on so I can catch it regularly. How nice to recognize some where that you've actually been on the show.
ReplyDeleteI know just what you mean! We are really seeing many of the earlier years of this show, but they are new to us!
DeleteThat's a lovely and haunting theme song. I've never watched Foyle's War but perhaps I'll do so next time I see it!
ReplyDeleteMake sure you see it! You will thank me for telling you about it.
DeleteI've been a fan ever since it began and love this series. So do my daughters. There's an anglophile theme going on here!They really do an excellent job of bringing that era to life.
ReplyDeleteAnglophiles with great taste, that would be correct!!
DeleteIt is amazing the work that goes into a show like this, I truly appreciate it.
We loved Foyle's War and wish it had not ended. :-( Great shows like this are hard to come by these days.
ReplyDeleteWe missed some of the earlier years, so that is what we are enjoying now.
DeleteAnd great shows like this are almost impossible on American TV!!
I love "Foyle's War". All the actors are superb. The actor who plays Foyle has the kindest eyes and gentle smile. I'm lucky that our PBS station carries BBC programs that are top-rate.Thanks for sharing about your town and its connection to the program.
ReplyDeleteHey Norma!
DeleteI am so glad you love this TV series too! I am also thankful for PBS for getting these great shows for us!
HA! Reading over this, I hope people don't think I know a great deal about England, far from it, I only know this tiny corner of the country, so I was grateful to see it mentioned so much in Foyle's War and to even recognize spots where they film it! :-)
There are so many places that were damaged during the war, that you would never think of as being in the line of fire. It's so sad.
ReplyDeleteThat series sounds superb.
Oh , it is so well done! You would love it, I just know it! Look at your PBS schedule in your area and see if you might have it on soon!
DeleteThe wartime photos that I showed you, I was so surprised to see them and to recognize exactly where they were.
I've never seen Foyle's War. I think you may watch more English series than me as I usually watch American ones! Thought of you this week as I read an article by a cousin of Helene Hanff and her memories of her - I think the first post of yours that I read was about 84 Charing Cross Road. x
ReplyDeleteJulie! You would really like Foyle's War, I really think that you would!
DeleteAnd yes, giggle, I bet I do watch more English shows than you do, and I have done so for many years, since I am ...ahem...getting on a bit!
OH! I adore Helen Hanff and her book, 84 Charing Cross Road, and I am glad that I did a post about her book, and I loved that Anne Bancroft played her in the movie...do you remember that in the movie, Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench (she played his wife) went to a seaside town, and they filmed it at the Bandstand! Any time I am there, I have to stand in the same spot where Anthony Hopkins stood!!
I have watched Foyles war and enjoyed it. Ive not seen the new series yet. Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a lovely comment x
ReplyDeleteOh! Thank you for visiting me! I LOVE your blog and I LOVE the name of your blog! I love forget-me-nots, if you scroll down to the bottom of my blog you will see some forget-me-nots!
Deletexxx
Good Video Kay. It's amazing how many places were hit hard during the war that you never hear about. I didn't know anything about Eastbourne being damaged so badly and cant remember anything on the TV about it here yet I usually tune in if it,s war related. I'm afraid I'm a Midsomer Murders and Scott and Bailey fan although I've watched Foyles War a few times. At least I'm honest ;o)
ReplyDeleteI read that the German bombers would drop off any extra bombs over Eastbourne since it was so easy to see Beachy Head from the air, they knew that Eastbourne was just east of the cliffs.
DeleteOf course, I love Midsomer Murders too! (You have laugh sometimes, though...HOW many murders can occur in one little village in one single episode? HA!)
I also watched Scott and Bailey, but that was not my favorite, a little too edgy and violent for my taste, but there you are...I think I might be a bit like Queen Victoria..."We ARE NOT amused"!! Did she ever really say that...that was one of my favorite Dr. Who episodes with Billie Piper asking that question, do you know the one? Speaking of which, Christopher Eccleston was my favorite Dr. Who! I told you I watch British TV shows!!
Oh my! We LOVE LOVE LOVE Foyle's War and have seen every episode on Netflix. We were so sad to see the last one. I can't remember which was the last one we saw, but I see that more are being planned for 2015. Yahoo!!!
ReplyDeleteYES YES YES!!! I am so happy that your love this series too, Kay!!
DeleteAnd yes, there are more being planned, I read the same thing.
Stay tuned for more of my British TV show reviews and if I recognize something where is it filmed, I get so excited!
This is one of our all-time favorite British programs. I love Michael Kitchen, Anthony Howell, and Honeysuckle Weeks. Another favorite is As Time Goes By with Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer. Time for watch them again!
ReplyDeleteHey Les!
DeleteIsn't it just the very best show?
And did you know that the photos that they show at the very beginning of "As Time Goes By" are really photos of the CHILDREN of the the actors...it is the daughter of Judi Dench and the son of Geoffrey Palmer. Amazing how much they look like each one of them! Love my English shows! :-)
No, I had no idea those were the real children of Dench and Palmer. Thanks for the trivia tidbit! :)
DeleteI love internet movie database..IMDB. I know I must have read it there, I love to look up and see where the filming locations are...I am always looking at the backgrounds of films and TV shows!!
DeleteI've never seen Foyle's War but it sure looks like something I would love. I will have to find it and watch! I can't imagine living in a war zone and your video was amazing. I think it's a testament to the spirit of the British people to survive those years and rebuild for a future for their children. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI think you would really like it. Like so many of the British made TV shows, it is so well done. (Why is Downton Abbey such a hit in America when there are so many better shows from England for us to enjoy?)
DeleteMy in-laws had to be evacuated during the war, and I cannot imagine having to come to the decision to send your children away for fear of being bombed.
I love "Foyle's War"...and Michael Kitchens is wonderful as the calm, collected Foyle. Earlier in the year we had some new episodes....of Foyle being brought back into MI5 post-war. With three more two-hour episodes to go into production this year. Great! And don't you just love the unique, whimsical name "Honeysuckle Weeks" - the name of the actress who plays "Sam"?
ReplyDeleteCan't imagine growing up with the name of HONEYSUCKLE. Maybe she was well off and was in a small school and didn't have so many kids to tease her! It's certainly a name for a marquee, perhaps that was the reasoning behind it!
DeleteANd I adore Michael Kitchen, what a wonderful actor, he reminds me of Anthony Hopkins, just good in everything he does. And you can be assured that I will be watching the new series!
Hey Kay! I just saw your new header. OMG! That is gorgeous! I haven't seen the "Foyle's War" series. I'm still trying to get to Season 1 of "Downton Abbey" and finish Season 3 of "Breaking Bad!" Still my tail! Still hunting for the Louis Zamperini book which I know I have somewhere in the house. I didn't put the book, him, and you together until your recent post on LZ. Terry got the book for Christmas in 2013 I'm sure ~ I just can't find it. Hope you healthy, warm, and safe!
ReplyDeleteStill chasing my tail!
DeleteYou are so funny!
DeleteI enjoyed Downton Abbey for the first two series, but when....OH, just thought, I can't tell you, you haven't seen it! I thought that ending was so bad, I stopped watching it. Odd, since it is so popular in the USA, but there you are, I have very strong opinions about my British TV shows!
And YOU MUST FIND THAT BOOK!!! If you don't have time to read all of it, it is long, then go and search out DEVIL AT MY HEELS, it is much shorter and it is the first book that I read about Mr. Zamperini, that is the one that made me write to the publisher. Honestly, his story just blew me away. Still does.
I'm a big fan of the show - until it was post-war, and then I just didn't enjoy it as much. I've been meaning to ask if you watch Call the Midwife? Honestly one of the best shows I've ever seen. I'm one of the very few who isn't a DA fan.
ReplyDeleteHello Nan!
DeleteI watched the post-war shows also, and I liked them because they still had the same characters, but it wasn't the same, it changed the whole contex of the show.
I somehow missed Call The Midwife and only saw the last two shows of the series, but hey, I will catch it when it is repeated! (My brother told me about it, he loved it!)
Downton Abbey, oh dear, I did enjoy the first two seasons, even though it made me laugh at how chummy they all were, both upstairs and downstairs!
Americans like to think that all English are like that, with great houses and titles, but I know better! :-) (Of course, my Englishman IS a prince of a guy!)
Hi Kay
ReplyDeleteYou know more about Eastbourne than I do - and I live just down the road. In fact, I was there as recently as.........yesterday.
Some would say that what the Germans missed the town 'planners' are hitting with a vengeance: especially in the east which threatens to overwhelm poor Pevensey ( where William 1 came ashore).
You have more followers each time I look!
Kind Regards
Henry