This Day in Cats: #Caturday Issue Nine 11.21.15

The Top 10 British Comedies You Should Be Watching

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 The Office? That syrupy Jan/Fred (I don't actually know names here, I hated that show) romance thing that sustained an ungodly number of seasons? Yep, Britain did it better.

Do you like Veep? You're missing out on it's far-superior Anglo-original, which I've helpfully included here.

Do you like The Daily Show? I suppose this should say, "Did you used to like it" because let's be honest, it's awful and un-watchable without Jon Stewart. Either way, the limey geniuses had it first (the concept anyway) with Not the Nine O'Clock News. In 1979!

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?

To Follow or Not to Follow...

That is the question, Twitter.

I've had my account for a few months now, and I've come to a better understanding of the Twitterverse.

I also ran across a few different people who had posted "Rules" and things regarding who they would or would not follow, who they would block, etc. It seemed like a weird way to make connections, new friends, whoever.

Then I started to see it. Occasionally on my Notifications page, I'll get a follower who has no picture, no bio, a weird user name, and their only tweet is a link. They also follow 1900 people and only 34 followers.

The first few of these, I actually went ahead and followed, thinking perhaps it was just someone getting started on the site. I'm a pretty nice person. Or at least I think I am? Anyway, I attempted to converse with these "Egg" accounts, welcoming them, thanking them for the follow, the usual.

That's when the spam started.

I have since learned my lesson and I now try to only connect with real people. I avoid p0rn bots and weird accounts. But I occasionally still get a follower who seems somehow... iffy.
So with that in mind, I give you my personal:

Twitter Standards and Practices Doctrine

1. I will follow anyone who follows me and is a real person, company or interest. I like lots of things and people and places and I'm all for making new friends! /big welcoming smile

2. I will not follow any account that is spam, p-rn, bigoted, violent, abusive, etc. If you have to ask if your account falls under these no-no's, you're probably fine. It's like being crazy: the ones who are never ask. /suspicious glare

3. If you unfollow me, I may unfollow you back. There are a few accounts I follow without any reciprocity, but that's usually limited to businesses, i.e. HyVee. If you don't want to follow me anymore, that's ok, but don't follow, inflate your numbers from people following back, and then drop everyone you follow to look cool. I don't understand and I don't approve. /stern look

4. Languages are funny things. If you tweet in a language other than English, I may not follow you back because I can't understand what you're saying. If Twitter can't translate, neither can I. Thank you for following me, and thank you for understanding. /apologetic grimace

5. Retweets and Favorites are just my own personal taste. I never expect anything in return. If I favorite something you did, it's because I genuinely like it. If I retweet something it's because I think people would like to know. I hope you'll like some things I post, but I understand not everyone can like everything. /big hugs

Thanks for reading, and thanks for being good Tweeps!