AFAIK, presently there are no HD broadcasts in the UK, though the BBC do seem to be gearing up, and are investing pretty heavily in the format, particularly for shows with larger perceived overseas sales potential.

I think Sky are mooting entering the fray with an HD package in the future, and I'd assume the BBC's long-term plan is to offer HD on their freeview digital platforms.

Sorry, hope this doesn't sound dim, but what is the High Definition format?  I've heard it mentioned a few times about US shows - is it just a US equivalent of the 16:9 format used in the UK?

http://www.collinwood.net - Dark Shadows Journal Online:


* New on the site:

Casting the New Dark Shadows -  Our readers explain their dream actor choices for the new Dark Shadows pilot, including comments from original series cast members Kathryn Leigh Scott and Marie Wallace!

News - all the latest confirmed pilot news.


Cheers

Stuart
------
http://www.collinwood.net

I guess my favourite item is one of the original studio plans (from an early 1897 episode), which I have framed above my desk.  I bought it in one of the festival charity auctions and it always makes me smile, having a little piece of DS hanging on the wall.

Elsewhere, I have a car license plate from the 1991 series, along with one of Barbara Steele's Julia blouses, which hangs in my wardrobe, probably to the alarm of any prying eyes

I think the news of new characters is the most heartening development yet -- it's not just welcome, it's vital.  The 1991 series' problem in a nutshell is that it added nothing of value to the DS mythos - it was parasitic, just rehashing old characters and situations from beginning to end. And, no matter how well produced or acted it was, a copy is a copy - the poor relation by default.

Fantastic news, isn't it?  I'm just looking forward to seeing something new - with good talent behind it and decent resources, the sky really is the limit

There's a videotape index in the Millennium Edition of the "Dark Shadows Almanac".

I don't think any soap ever entirely falls -- if a format's lasted several years, the basic premise has to have legs.  The reasons for the cancellation are numerous and weren't really based on ratings...

Soaps have high and low periods all the time -- it's all part of the cycle of continuous production.  I think that the show had problems with all the disruption the movie caused, but nothing insurmountable.  I personally think that the "soapier" format Lela Swift introduced in the last few months when she became producer did a lot to improve the show, as the upswing in ratings seems to support.  I think had the show made it back to the present full-time, it would have borne fruit on a much bigger scale.