July 1 , 2009
For Immediate Release

WKNO Viewers Choose Their Next Britcoms

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Between June 15 and June 26, British comedy fans cast their votes for a new British comedy (Britcom) lineup. Voting online and by phone, WKNO viewers elected to keep long-running favorite Are You Being Served? on the air, and bring back another favorite, the romantic comedy As Time Goes By.

“We had such an enthusiastic response last year with a Choose Our Next Britcom marathon, that we wanted to give our viewers another opportunity to tell us what they wanted to see,” said WKNO Program Manager Debi Robertson. “These shows inspire an astonishing level of viewer loyalty.”

As Time Goes By, originally produced from 1992 to 2002, stars Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer in a story of a youthful romance revived four decades later by a chance meeting.  It will return to WKNO starting September 7 and will air weeknights Monday through Thursday at 10:00 p.m.

Originally produced from 1972 to 1985 for the BBC, and set in the fictional Grace Brothers department store, Are You Being Served? has been a perennially popular fixture of local PBS lineups for years.  Fans were saddened this Wednesday, July 1, to learn of the passing of Mollie Sudgen, who played the pastel-haired Mrs. Slocombe. Are You Being Served? will continue to air Friday nights at 10:30 p.m.

The contracts for the series Are You Being Served? and Keeping Up Appearances expired on June 30. WKNO asked viewers to direct the station to renew the contracts or choose a program not currently airing. The choices for the “new” Britcoms were ‘Allo ‘Allo!, As Time Goes By, and Waiting For God. Episodes from all five series aired weeknights between June 15 and June 26.

The current contracts for two other favorite Britcoms on WKNO, Last of the Summer Wine and To The Manor Born, do not expire until June of 2010.

WKNO is a non-profit, private foundation serving the Mid-South for more than 50 years. An important community resource, WKNO uses the power of non-commercial public broadcasting to provide the Mid-South with quality educational and cultural programs that inform, entertain, and inspire. Explore wkno.org for more information.

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