# Are there any US comedians or comedy shows that are successful in the UK? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 9, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302 "2003-11-09T23:02:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/1 "2003-11-09T23:02:39Z")
I know _some_ British humor works here, ie Monty Python, Eddie Izzard. Are there any US comedy shows or US comedians that kill in the UK or Australia? ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/2 "2003-11-10T00:04:41Z")
what a question! Friends, frasier, seinfeld, for starters. US tv takes up approx1 third of primetime terrestrial uk tv - the rest is gardening/makeover/hospital/reality/sexism/sport and 1/600 arts. British tv is like mining for gold on a planet made of shit - there are some golden moments but you need to wade through days and days of excretia to get to them. BTW Eddie Izzard is by no means a household name in the uk. The most popular uk comedian/comic writer at the moment would be between Ricky Gervais (the office) or more likely Peter Kay (Pheonix Nights) I like Family Guy and no-one i know has heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Jabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@Jabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jabba)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/3 "2003-11-10T00:12:58Z")
There are some US shows that have become very poular here, and there are more that have received great critical acclaim. _Friends_ and _Frasier_ for example, are popular over here ( and _Cheers_, when it was on); recently, _Curb Your Enthusiasm_ has had British TV critics drooling ( as did _Seinfeld_ and _The Larry Sanders Show_ in their day). ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/4 "2003-11-10T00:36:43Z")
And _The Simpsons_, of course. And Eddie Izzard absolutely is a household name, in every house I’ve been in at least. As for US comedians who are big over here… Rich Hall, originally from Montana, is very funny and pretty well known (he won the Perrier Prize, ISTR). Bill Hicks had a huge cult following. One or two others, such as Greg Proops and Ryan Stiles (Canadian?), were successful off the back of _Whose Line Is It Anyway?_, but I can’t think of anybody else. Oh yeah, Emo Phillips, but that was years ago. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/5 "2003-11-10T00:44:43Z")
Australia has no aversion to U.S comedy. The Simpsons still does well, and Seinfeld was big back in the day. Malcolm in the Middle’s still going strong, and of course Friends is huge (but less than it used to be). South Park was just as huge here as it was in America, though its popularity has slipped slightly. And of course… shudder… Everybody Loves Raymond. I think where Australians greatly diverge from U.S taste is drama. Although some things like 24 and some cop shows do ok, programs that apparently rate well in the U.S. like The West Wing and Buffy are on late at night here and only get a cult audience. The Sopranos, I remember, although reasonably successful, got so screwed around by the network that many fans gave up and just bought the DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/6 "2003-11-10T00:47:05Z")
‘I love Lucy’ ‘Bilko’ (my Dad always cries with laughter when he watches this!) ‘Mash’ ‘Happy Days’ ‘Cheers’ Um, the one where Michael J. Fox was a mayoral assistant… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/7 "2003-11-10T00:58:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by glee \* > \*\*Um, the one where Michael J. Fox was a mayoral assistant… \*\* “Spin City” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/8 "2003-11-10T07:15:08Z")
Ricky Gervais is bigger than Ali G? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/9 "2003-11-10T08:56:18Z")
It is cos he is black. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![differant\_thinker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@differant\_thinker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/differant_thinker)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/10 "2003-11-10T08:58:48Z")
Scrubs is building popularity (origonally only on saterlite TV but now on prime time channel 4), also Malcome in the middle is being discovered by the main stream (from what I hear down the pub). There are some shows in the UK that I don’t believe you’ve had in the US, so I clalenge you to dig them out and have a look at some great comedy: Black Books (yes it is a comedy and not what you may expect) Have I got news for you QI Never mind the buzzcocks The Office Spaced Red Dwarf To name but a few. No I’m not trying to cause a comedy argument this is only an opinion so take a deep breath and go look. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/11 "2003-11-10T09:17:37Z")
The problem with the comedy panel shows which work so well here, especially HIGNFY, is that US audiences wouldn’t have the slightest idea who any of the panelists are, nor any familiarity with many of the cultural references (or news items). Mind you, there’s no reason why someone in the US couldn’t develop their own version of such things (as, I understand, NPR has already done in radio form). But yes, US sitcoms do very well in the UK. British sitcom writers have never really achieved the same level of skill in writing the sort of witty off-the-cuff remarks you get in, say, _Will and Grace_; the UK sitcoms which do well (as in the case of the ones mentioned above) tend instead to go for the surreal, which the Brits _do_ do well. ---
**Author:** ![DrNick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DrNick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrNick)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/12 "2003-11-10T10:42:16Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Made in Macau \* > \*\* > US tv takes up approx1 third of primetime terrestrial uk tv_\* Now that just isn’t true. Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace, Buffy, Simpsons, 24 - these shows all do well, yes. But they are on BBC2 or Channel 4 (US Dopers - these channels are small terrestrial channels, the highest audience they ever tend to get is approx 5million. Admittedly, the demographic for these channels is an advertisers dream, but the numbers don’t compare to BBC1 or ITV). But yes, they do well. America excels at making happy, aspirational comedy. We do not, at all. Eddie Izzard is absolutely a household name over here, second only to Billy Connolly I’d expect. The big name American stand-ups over here are ones that are pretty much based here I think, like Rich Hall. But he isn’t all that famous. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/13 "2003-11-10T15:33:38Z")
We get The Office in the US. Comes on on Sunday on BBC America, which is not a widely available cable channel. I watch it faithfully – last night was the one about Comic Relief day, where David Brent does that awesome dance (Flash dance fused with MC Hammer shit) and Keith dresses up as Ali G. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/14 "2003-11-10T20:17:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DrNick \* > \*\*The big name American stand-ups over here are ones that are pretty much based here I think, like Rich Hall. But he isn’t all that famous. \*\* I always wondered what happened to Rich Hall. So he’s carved out a little niche for himself in England, eh? Rich Hall had a higher profile in America about 15-20 years ago when he was a regular on the HBO comedy series _Not Necessarily the News_. I think at some point Hall was also a player on _Saturday Night Live_. Many may remember Hall’s “Sniglets” routines on _Not Necessarily the News_, which spawned a few successful books. Does he still do “Sniglets”? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/15 "2003-11-11T19:17:17Z")
Hall hasn’t done Sniglets since his NNtN days. Mostly he has dark, sardonic humor, which the British particularly appreciate. He also has a regular “character” he does, whose name I forget a the moment (Otis something), who plays the blues. ---
**Author:** ![DrNick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DrNick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrNick)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/16 "2003-11-11T19:48:18Z")
Otis Lee Crenshaw. The last time I saw him live, that character was his set. Very funny. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/17 "2003-11-11T22:32:50Z")
Incidentally, he has a new series called Rich Hall’s Fishing Show on BBC4. Just saw the first one and it was a hoot, much sour-faced griping at the expense of Britain and the British. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/18 "2003-11-12T00:30:14Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by different thinker_ > Black Books (yes it is a comedy and not what you may expect) > Have I got news for you > QI > Never mind the buzzcocks > The Office > Spaced > Red Dwarf Black Books shows up on Comedy Central every now and then, but it’s an extremely short run, if I’m not mistaken: only six shows or so, no? At least, they only show the same six or so shows over here before they pull it off rotation again. The Office is on cable, and has generated a lot of critical buzz, although not many households get BBC America, so there aren’t a lot of viewers. And Red Dwarf has a respectable cult following thanks to its semi-regular stints on PBS. (The same channel that introduced us yanks to Monty Python and Benny Hill) ---
**Author:** ![DrNick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DrNick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrNick)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/19 "2003-11-12T01:58:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*Black Books shows up on Comedy Central every now and then, but it’s an extremely short run, if I’m not mistaken: only six shows or so, no? \*\* The typical run for a British comedy show is 6 parts. There have been 2 series of Black Books, I think, so 12 parts in all then. Another great recent series in the UK has been The Book Group, and I believe it was written by an American. ---
**Author:** ![billie\_joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@billie\_joe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billie_joe)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302/20 "2003-11-12T02:13:06Z")
what about things like fresh prince? that did great over here, im kind of getting sick of watching re-runs all the time now there are no new ones but its still real funny. also things like saved by the bell did kind of well over here but only in the younger audience. the problem i find with american shows is that when they use the name of somebody that is only famous in america as the punch-line of a joke, it spoils the joke because we have no idea! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-us-comedians-or-comedy-shows-that-are-successful-in-the-uk/212302.md?page=2)