Every now and then, I like to force my opinions on you. It's just a thing that makes me happy. So, let's all just try to get through this one together and it will be over before you know it!
Do you like fun? Do you enjoy giggling? Do you think British accents are better? Do you enjoy watching American TV? Well, if you said no, you're wrong, and if you said yes, have I got a list for you! If it's been on in the US, chances are good we stole it from the UK.
There are a million examples I could give, but I'll confine myself to three:
Do you like Veep? You're missing out on it's far-superior Anglo-original, which I've helpfully included here.
I personally had a slight aversion to Brit-Com for the longest time. I had family and friends who repeatedly gushed about things and I was rebellious and wanted to find things that no one else liked. That didn't end very well, and I've come back to the "fold", as it were.
These gems are found on Netflix, but some are only on DVD or Hulu Plus or Amazon Prime Instant Video. There's also always piracy I guess, but I can't condone that. For legal reasons. I now realize the genius behind some of these shows and while there are some bad episodes, for the most part, they are superb. I now find myself compelled to share these with everyone, spread the word, you know... for the greater good.
So, in no particular order, I give you:
Top 10 British Comedy Television Shows That You Should Be Watching
Get in there, I mean right now!
But before we begin... (grumble-grumble-grumble)
Honorable Mentions
(Historic, Honourable Mentions, in this case I guess?)
These are shows that everyone watches. The grande dames, they have movies and millions and they don't need my help. You already love them!
Black Adder / Mr. Bean, The Inbetweeners, Red Dwarf, Absolutely Fabulous, Fawlty Towers...
And master of them all, Monty Python's Flying Circus.
But this isn't about what you are already watching, this is about those few hidden gems you may not have seen, but you should! Let's do this!
10. Black Books / Father Ted / The IT Crowd
Or as I like to
call it, the “Graham Linehan Trilogy”. These are primarily shows about three or
four people in an unusual situation. An unusual, hilarious situation. From a quiet bookshop to a small parish to the
bustling world of Internet Things, these sitcoms bring the funny. They all
feature brilliant performances and talented casts. The quirky, idiosyncratic,
manic storylines are wonderful and funny. If you haven’t seen these, give them
a try. Black Books is my personal
favorite, followed by The IT Crowd
and finishing with Father Ted.
9 ¾ : The Good Life
I wasn’t going to include
this one. But a wise person told me not to discriminate against things I don’t
understand. This is a quaint story about a husband and wife who want to unplug
and homestead in their very suburban
home outside London. It’s the 70’s. That’s the only explanation I’ve got here.
This show had comedy and wit and fun, and I loved Paul Eddington as the posh
neighbor. However, this show is part of the tapestry that lead to me write Non-Steading. So, while I despise
everything they try to do in this show, and cheered a bit when they failed at
things, it is genuinely funny and you may want to check it out. Ahem.
9. The Vicar of Dibley
This is one that
most people have at least heard of. Geraldine is a force to be reckoned with,
and so is her boss. This series was always being heralded as the second coming
and it took me a while to get on board. But after seeing Alice how could anyone
turn away? The actors on this show tackle real world problems, bringing levity
and sanity to anyone who needs it. Make sure to watch the Blessing of the
Animals episode, and tell me your heart doesn’t melt. I was smiling so hard I
may have cried a little. Or a lot. But it’s not all heart-warming, there’s a
great bit of comedy in there as well. Plus a very, very young Peter Capaldi if
you watch closely! Plus Sean Bean doesn't die!
8. As Time Goes By
This is the show I
think really made me admire Dame Judi. Not only was she off playing M, winning
awards, being an over-all badass, but she was making this quietly wonderful
revelation on television. This is what it really looks like to be good at your
job all of the time. Between her and Geoffrey Palmer, it’s impossible not to
giggle! It made me wish I had a coffee plantation in Kenya that I could lose
and then find the love of my life a second time around!
7. Spaced
Ah, a love letter
to my childhood. I almost wish I could have appreciated this gem way back when
it first aired! This tiny confection only lasted two seasons, but those were
all it needed. Of course, we all would have loved more, but Simon Pegg and
Edgar Wright had other things they needed to bring us like Shaun of the Dead
and Hot Fuzz! (We don’t talk about The
World’s End around these parts.) This show also introduced me to Jessica
Hynes, who aged nicely, as we will see. From Resident Evil to aliens to comics
and more, this show is a perfect capsule that you can swallow any time to help
with Anger… Pain… Fear... Agression.
6. The Last of the Summer Wine
This one has always
held a special place in my head. It was the first show I remember watching that
had British characters. It was also the first time I got to see the creations
of Roy Clarke, and that is always fortuitous. Like most British shows, this one
just keeps recasting people as they leave, so it’s a little confusing at first.
Once you look past any small inconsistencies, you are free to sit back and
enjoy this madcap romp. Generally focusing on older men who still think they
are quite young, it gives you hope that you’ll be that active in your golden
years!
5. W1A
This is the only
show (I think!) that I’m listing that is still on the air. My favorite thing to
say about this is, “Hollywood created a show named after a zip code and we got 90210. The BBC does it and we get W1A.” Finally a chance to see Hugh
Bonneville outside the walls of Downton, and we get more Jessica Hynes as the
PR maven slash nightmare. Everything about this production is dazzling. They
are dealing with the charter renewal, poking fun at themselves and the BBC, and
slaying all the sacred cows they can find. Their meeting on BAME/LGBT numbers
is on-point for how most offices sound these days when trying to “hit their
numbers” and it is comical. Plus I love Will and I don’t even know what’s wrong
with him yet. Seriously, check this show out and be vocal if you like it, maybe
it won’t get cancelled!
4. Yes, Minister / Yes, Prime Minister
This is another
classic example of British television being awesome. When America does politics
we get The West Wing. It’s a great show, but it’s not exactly light. When they
make a show about politics across the pond, we get House of Cards. Oh that’s
right we stole that too! Don’t get me wrong, Spacey is amazing, and I binge
that show with everyone else. But back to Yes,
Minister and its fabulous follow-up Yes,
Prime Minister! These are the shows that other shows try to be. From the
delightfully smarmy Sir Humphrey Appleby to the return of Paul Eddington as Jim
Hacker, MP, this show contains more laughs than you realize. I’ve had to watch
it dozens of times to mine new jokes, and they just keep appearing. Everything from
multiple meanings and witty double entendres to insider humor can be found in
this wealth of material. My personal favorite quote explained everything I ever
needed to know about the newspapers in Britain.
Asked about the press
Hacker responds, “The Daily Mirror is read by the people who think they run the
country. The Guardian is read by people who think they ought to run the country. The Times is read by the people who
actually do run the country. The
Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country. The Financial
Times is read by people who own the
country. The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be
run by another country. The Daily
Telegraph is read by the people who think it is.”
Woolley, his
secretary, asks about people who read the Sun. Hacker replies with, “Sun
readers don't care who runs the
country - as long as she's got big tits.”
3. Keeping Up Appearances
This is the pinnacle
of Roy Clarke’s creations in my book. If you’ve never seen Hyacinth Bucket
(that’s pronounced Bouquet, dear.) then you are missing something in your life.
You will also never feel as sorry for a man as you do for Richard, but that’s fine.
This show is basically Married with
Children, but heaps better. It has a whole mad crowd: Daisy and Onslow,
Rose and whoever she’s on top of that week and their batty father, Elizabeth
the neighbor and Emmet her poor divorced brother, the scruffy Dog, absent
Sheridan. Every single episode of this series is a standalone masterpiece. From
what I understand, it’s still in syndication in the UK out of sheer popularity.
If you only watch one thing from this list, make it Keeping Up Appearances. You
won’t regret it.
2. My Hero
Never has one show
caused so much love and then so much hatred. I hesitated here. I love this show
beyond all reason. Seasons 1 through 5 will determine whether I can be friends
with a person. Season 6 is even worse than The World’s End. We don’t just avoid
talking about it, we actively forget it exists. So, please go and watch this
amazing show right up until the end of Season 5. Then follow the lead actor
over to Father Ted. Do not watch past the end of Season 5 and you will love
this show more than you thought possible. You can watch Season Six Episode One
if you want to see what happens to George, but I… I don’t recommend it,
honestly. Basically just assume everything is fine and the end of Season 5 is
the end of the show.
1. The Thick of It
Malcolm Tucker.
Love him, hate him,
fear him.
If you don’t know
who Malcolm Tucker is, allow me to introduce you. I can’t possible write a
better review of this show than to just show you this clip.
It does contain #NSFW language. Be prepared!
This is Peter
Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker. I know he’s the new Doctor, but I will always love
him for this role. This is my favorite show, and it should be yours, too. Yes, there
are a lot of sweary words and this is definitely #NSFW, but it is just
sidesplitting hilarity. Once you get past the language, which let’s be honest,
is a bit like naughty poetry in the hands of a master-dramatist like Capaldi,
it’s just all wonderful. And just remember it's NMFP.
 |
| It's the best Death Glare I've ever seen. |
So, there's my list of suggestions. If you think there is a conspicuous absence of crime-solving comedy (Waiting for God, etc) or WWII era fun (Like Dad's Army?), you are correct, as those need their very own lists! 'Til Next Time!
Is there anything you would add? What's your favorite, unsung Brit-Com?
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