# Americans, what are your favorite British shows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 22, 2015, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665 "2015-03-22T05:38:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/121 "2016-10-18T07:19:47Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > why so snotty? Yous lost me at “are you being served?” Fucking tatty third rate shite when new. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/122 "2016-10-18T11:13:58Z")
What a shame that there were only twelve episodes of **The Young Ones**. It was absolutely brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/123 "2016-10-18T11:23:14Z")
> [@nicky](#): > > Yous lost me at “are you being served?” Fucking tatty third rate shite when new. And you are unanimous in that! ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/124 "2016-10-18T12:32:53Z")
> [@](#): > > And you are unanimous in that! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2016, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/125 "2016-10-19T03:20:05Z")
_As Time Goes By_. I caught this on PBS when I was living in Minneapolis in the mid-90s and it became a nightly favorite very quickly. This was before Dame Judi became well-known over here and I’ve always felt a bit proprietary about her because I felt like I “discovered” her before her fame in America took off. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/126 "2016-10-22T00:47:17Z")
Doctor Who (then and now) The Bill Broadchurch Our Friends in the North Cracker Downton Abbey Life on Mars Sherlock ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/127 "2017-06-26T16:48:44Z")
Just brought this thread back to say that Season 3 of **Broadchurch** starts this Wednesday on BBC America. It continues to get good reviews. Sadly, the prequel to **Prime Suspect** has been panned pretty hard. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/128 "2017-06-26T17:08:38Z")
Also, the third series of Grantchester and the seventh series of Great British Bake-Off (the last one with the original hosts and judges) have been airing on PBS for the past couple of weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Evin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@Evin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evin)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/129 "2017-06-26T17:17:16Z")
_Cracker_ _House of Cards_ _The Sandbaggers_ _Upstairs, Downstairs_ _Prime Suspect_ \*Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy \* (mini-series with Alec Guinness) \*Game, Set, and Match \* (another mini-series with Ian Holm. Len Deighton evidently hated it) _MI5_ _Foyle’s War_ _Morse_ _The Prisoner_ ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/130 "2017-06-26T19:00:03Z")
Nobody has yet mentioned _**Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979)**_ - the six part BBC series of John le Carré’s novel. Starring Alec Guinness. In my opinion it’s the best and most realistic spy story ever filmed. YouTube: [Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Episode 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq61jstTApk) (full episode) The 2 minute, very slow, opening sequence is simply brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/131 "2017-06-26T19:41:26Z")
I’ve enjoyed many of the shows people have already listed. I think one thing that stands out is the British panel show. I don’t know of many US equivalents. I’m thinking of things like Would I Lie To You or QI, which are billed as games with points but really are excuses for talented groups of comedians or entertainers to engage in funny conversation. The best of these have a core set of presenters, often chosen to have a great chemistry, and a rotation of guest comedians as the “contestants”. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/132 "2017-06-26T19:56:40Z")
Keeping Up Appearances Scott and Bailey Smack the Pony Duchess of Duke Street Family at War Doctor Finlay’s Casebook Danger Man All Creatures Great and Small Tony Hancock Eric Sykes Bless This House Rumpole of the Bailey ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/133 "2017-06-26T23:24:26Z")
Black Mirror ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/134 "2017-06-26T23:26:01Z")
No love for the old **The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin**? ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665/135 "2017-06-26T23:53:57Z")
New stuff since I last posted: The Fall (season 3 was weak though) Lovesick (originally called Scrotal Recall) Detectorists Fleabag [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-what-are-your-favorite-british-shows/715665.md?page=6)