Latest news with #CharlesHarrison
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC Studios Producer Reveals Why ‘Ghosts' Is 'Indebted' To ‘Friends'
Ghosts might be one of the most popular comedies of modern times, but it owes a large debt to the biggest sitcom of them all, Friends. That was the assertion of Charles Harrison, BBC Studios International Scripted Formats Producer, at Seriencamp today during a session about the international expansion of Ghosts. The series, originally from Monumental Television for the BBC in the UK, follows a young couple inherit a huge castle, only to find one of them can communicate with the various apparitions from history who already live there. More from Deadline Euro Networks Talk Streamer Levies & "Talk Of The Town" Scripted Co-Productions - Seriencamp Screenwriter Discusses Rush To Bring Prime Video's The Elevator Boys Movie to Life - Seriencamp Indie Boss & 'How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)' Co-Creator Philipp Käßbohrer To Receive The Deadline German TV Disruptor Award At Seriencamp 'What the castle is about is something very deep in the English psyche,' he said. 'For the last 20 years in the UK all of our television has been about aspiring to own a home, to own a home in the country, or to do up a home, so the idea of winning a castle is the dream for English people. In this case, it means you're never alone – and you end up with a flat-share comedy. The greatest flat-share comedy is Friends and this show is indebted to Friends.' BBC Studios has been rolling the British comedy series out around the world, with CBS running its strong-rating version to four seasons, with two more to come. There have also been versions in Germany, where TV industry confab Seriencamp is being held this week, and France. Upcoming shows are being readied in Australia and Greece, and several others are understood to be in development. Few comedies have multiple international remakes, and Harrison outlined his theory on why Ghosts has been a format success. 'They key to it is a very simple idea,' he said. 'It's a flat share at the most basic level – a classic premise for a sitcom. Nobody really changes, nobody really learns anything and at the start of every episode the characters pretty much exactly the same.' Friends isn't the only classic sitcom that has helped Ghosts on its path, however. When French commercial broadcaster TF1 ordered Ghosts: Fantômes en Héritage, its writers took a page out of The Office's book. They noted they would follow the scripts of Ghosts' first season before branching off into their own direction, just like Greg Daniels did at NBC with Ricky Gervais' seminal British comedy The Office. Harrison complemented the German version of Ghosts, which is for public broadcaster WDR and streaming service ARD Mediathek, for following the initial recipe and then making new scripting choices. 'When you pick up a format, there is so much good stuff in it that you'd be crazy to get rid of,' he said. 'The structure of the first two episodes leads you in incredibly well, as it's incredibly clear – but there is no need to do it. You won't have the big, bad BBC staring over your shoulder, and we all work very hard to be able to say, 'It's great, but you don't have to do it.' 'I always look on it as a treat the moment where the writers, producers and broadcasters we're working with make the leap and do something different. I cheer when it happens.' Harrison also revealed that a Korean version of Ghosts had been developed. However, he said 'the idea of a young couple trying to find a home together wasn't actually reflective of young Koreans' experience. What they wanted was three sisters as the central characters – one who could see the ghosts, one who never could and one is in the middle, so there are different perspectives.' He added that the Korean 'understanding of spirituality' was 'completely different to the Western view,' which had made the adaptation process 'fascinating.' The Korean version, whose production team was not named, did not get picked up to series. Best of Deadline 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far List Of Hollywood & Media Layoffs From Paramount To Warner Bros Discovery To CNN & More
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mail delivery halted in west side neighborhood
Mail delivery has been halted since April to a neighborhood on the west side of Owensboro, and residents have been unsuccessful in their attempts to get an answer as to when it will resume. Residents on French Street, Ebach Street, Nelson Avenue and Texas Avenue say when mail delivery stopped, they were not given any notice or reason for the stoppage. 'That's the whole thing about it, didn't nobody know about what was going on until we started to talk in the neighborhood, because we weren't receiving any mail,' said Charles Harrison, who lives on Ebach Street. 'We went down there, had to pick our mail up, but we were asking questions about it and nobody would give us any answers.' Residents finally received some understanding about the situation Monday when Susan W. Wright, the United States Postal Service's strategic communications specialist, released a statement about its action: 'The safety and security of our employees is our first priority — and we take it seriously. Delivery to a service area may be suspended or withdrawn completely if there is a hazardous or unsafe situation affecting the letter carrier, the mail, or postal property. 'In April, our carrier was hit by pellets fired from a BB gun while delivering on Texas Avenue. After careful consideration, including guidance from the United States Postal Inspection Service, delivery to the Texas Avenue area was suspended until further notice. 'We are working toward a solution to provide ongoing mail delivery to residents while ensuring a safe working environment for our carriers while they perform the duties of their job.' Wright declined to answer specific questions about the matter. USPS did not provide a timeline for when a decision would be made. While neighborhood residents are glad to know what instigated the stoppage, they're very disappointed a resolution hasn't been reached. 'I was told the postal inspector has got to make a decision — and it's been right at five weeks,' Harrison said. 'I just flat out asked them this morning, 'Is your inspector that lazy?' ' Harrison said there's no reason it has taken this long for a decision to be made, and he's ready to seek outside assistance to bring the matter to a close. 'My next step is the attorney general,' he said. 'I'm talking about getting the attorney general involved to find out what's taking so long.' Harrison said he and his neighbors just want their mail carrier back. 'We have a really good mailman,' he said. 'I told him I'd invite him over to a barbecue if he wanted.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Owensboro neighborhood USPS mail delivery suspended for over a month
OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT) — In Owensboro, residents are demanding answers after their mail delivery suddenly stopped for several weeks. People living near Texas Avenue say they now have to drive several miles just to get their mail. Postal officials say it'll be that way until an investigation wraps up. Ebach Street is one of three roads in a neighborhood where mail delivery just stopped without warning. Many didn't even know there was an issue until they arrived at the post office. They say they were told they would have to pick up their mail at the post office until further notice. Two sentenced on plea agreements in 2024 bust Neighbors say they first noticed the change during Derby weekend the first weekend in May. The Kentucky representative for USPS, Susan Wright, says its all due to reports in April that a mail carrier was hit by BB gun pellets while delivering on Texas Avenue. They say everyone on Nelson Avenue, Ebach Street and Texas Avenue are affected. While several say they had no notification of the change, one person shared they received an email with instructions. She says after careful consideration and guidance from the United states postal inspection service, they decided to suspend delivery until further notice.'I talked to the the postmaster this morning and he said 'when the inspector makes his decision'. I said 'it's been five weeks shouldn't somebody have made a decision,' says Charles Harrison Harrison went on to share there are older residents who no longer have the ability to drive. One resident taking care of her father even mentioned in the grey area of figuring out what was happening, his insurance almost lapsed. Roderick Crite says without a car himself its a huge inconvenience but he has a family member drive him at least two times a week to pick up the mail. He says he spoke with the inspector before entering his home one day.'Probably about two or three weeks ago, and he was saying that he was trying to get the mail started back up, but he needed to know what was going on. I told him that I wouldn't think that any kids around here would do it,' says Crite. He says it may have been kids passing through the neighborhood, but either way he looks forward to getting his mail delivered again. Officials say they are working hard to find a solution to get service back to normal, while ensuring a safe working environment for their carriers. There is no official word on when exactly that may be. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
