Friends is the most popular long-running sitcom series the world has ever seen. The 6 friends were watched and loved from the minute they came onto our screen in September 1994, until the very last episode 10 years later. The ratings were consistent throughout all 10 series, but there were a number of episodes that stood out in terms of the viewership. Here are the top 10 most viewed episodes in history:

The One with Ross’s Wedding: 31.6M
This episode was filmed on location in London and had cameos from Richard Branson and Jennifer Saunders. Ross marries Emily after a short relationship and says the wrong name at the alter leading to a whole wave of problems for the newlyweds, and Rachel who is still in love with Ross.

The One with Ross’s New Girlfriend: 32.1M
This was the first episode in series 2 and featured Julie, who was Ross’s new girlfriend he met in China. The episode shows the mixed feelings Rachel has for Ross and introduces the 2nd series of the franchise in great style.

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Image via Wikipedia

As the latest round of Simpsons guest stars are wheeled out, it’s easy to dismiss the whole thing as a lot of old barrel scraping. But guest stars make the Simpsons, and have done since its inception. It’s just that in recent years, the show’s pandering to current trends and faces that become instantly obscure is far more pronounced. The old cliché is that you haven’t really made it until you’ve been featured on the Simpsons, but the tendency for the later seasons to bundle actors in under their real names is frankly indulgent (and indicative of the blight on professional voice acting that Hollywood stars have been since Aladdin). Katy Perry, Halle Berry, Russel Brand, Daniel Radcliffe?

The Simpsons entered the Guinness Book of Records with 337 Guest Stars nearly six years (and seasons) ago. There are now 740 Credited appearances of guest stars, though this figure (unlike the record breaking figure above) includes the multiple appearances of actors like Albert Brooks, Kelsey Grammer, Phil Hartman and Joe Mantegna (you know, talented people who play characters other than themselves). This is quite an achievement when you consider that for at least the first four seasons, a number of A-listers were appearing under pseudonyms, apparently embarrassed about appearing on an animated show. Nowadays, we get to be embarrassed about A-listers in our animated shows. How times change.

Anyway, without further ado the best and the worst in Simpsons guest stars

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I thought I’d follow up on my previous post about TV Kitchens with one about the actual chefs themselves…hope you enjoy it!

I love cooking programmes, I always have. I started getting interested in cooking when I was 14 and would try and cook anything I liked the look of. But I’ve never been fond of recipes, they’re so fussy with exact measures and times and having to stop in the middle of everything to go back and read the damned thing every 5 minutes… eek! So began my love affair with cookery shows. I adore watching someone cook and not only knowing what they put in it but also to get a sense of the food by watching it being made and eaten. I have never felt the need to sit there with pen and paper to write down the recipe or look it up online. In fact I prefer to go back to the kitchen and make my own version of it. These days there are so many cooking programmes and it’s all about who’s the funniest/sexiest or most glamorous or has the fanciest recipes and gadgets. Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining, I watch most of them but I do enjoy some more than others. Here is my 3 all time favourite TV chefs and why I love them. Want to find out more, then click here

With the release last week of the second season of the awesome Dollhouse Season 2 on DVD (you can read my last post about Dollhouse here on BM) I wanted to spend some time paying tribute to the man behind that not just that show, but some of the finest stories, characters and screenplays in modern times…

Joss Whedon is one of my favourite Writer/Directors. The man has so much talent and imagination and a great sense of humour. Before I knew what he looked like I wanted to marry him, but now… well let’s say I’d really love to be his best mate.

I think Joss’s (yes, first names – we’re best mates remember?) biggest strength is his ability to create amazing characters who are real and alive and who, even in the hands of other writers and directors, will stay just as powerful. Another thing I love about his work is the strong female characters he creates. They are beautiful, smart, funny and amazingly tough (usually with some kind of super power and they can kick anyone’s ass). I wonder what the Freudian take would be on that. Go On You Know You Want To Know More

Anyone who loves to cook will agree that the kitchen is the most important room in the house. You can accomplish so much in a bright spacious and beautifully decorated kitchen. Eating is so much more fun in the kitchen, especially breakfast. Nothing beats the smell of coffee and toast in the morning and imagine having it by the kitchen window, preferably with an amazing view… Anyway as you can possibly tell I’ve recently been doing some serious researching after being given the green light on a brand new kitchen, and have been resorting to my old friend the TV to inspire me on the best styles and designs… here are my three favourite kitchens used by TV chefs…
Read the reast of this post to see the Top 3 Chefs Kitchens

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I don’t read comics or watch Star trek, I hate computer games and have no idea what the hell String Theory is,  but I love luuuuuuuve The Big Bang Theory. I have watched every episode and can’t wait for the fourth season to see if Penny finally realises that the lovable Leonard is the only man for her and that she can’t possibly live her life without her three little elves.  Oh yeah not to forget the possible blossoming of romance for Sheldon!  Below are my five favourite Big Bang Theory moments:
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