For those who ticked the "Jasper Fforde should sue box" in the Lost in Austen question in the poll about classic series – the writer of Lost in Austen has spoken to the Radio Times. (p 136) and his influences are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead and Doctor Who – The Mind Robber (1968) – meaning that as The Mind Robber predates Jasper Fforde’s novels by some 33 years clearly the estate of Peter "crossroads" Ling should sue.
Cervantes’ trouble with Don Quixote encountering a fictional Don Quixote in book 2, published some time after book 1, is not quoted as an influence – and dear old Migeul having passed the post mortem three score years and ten long stop for copyright protection is – as they say – shafted.
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Is the Lost In Austen TV thing the same as the book of that title which seems to be a ‘choose your own adventure’ stylee book based on a superficial look at the Amazon.co.uk page.
People often have irksome explanations of their influences, didn’t Douglas Adams basically used to say about HHG ‘no mate, SF, never read any of the stuff in my life’?
Now I haven’t seen this LiA show, but what about:
Pleasantville
Spunky modern woman introduces old fictional characters to rumpy pumpy and the word “cool”, but eventually decides that they had some good ideas too, like spectacles and milkshakes.
Star Trek
Something about meeting Moriarty? I never watched it.
Futurama
Send up of the above. “The Holo-Shed’s on the fritz again!”
And the most obvious:
Red Dwarf
Introducing the Bennett clan to curries. “These strides are too tackle-tight, Officer B-B. I can barely cruise!”
Pleasantville is on his list too.
It’s quite watchable in an “I can’t believe this ever got made by ITV” type way. Hugh Bonneville especially is excellent.