# British Horror or Supernatural/Paranormal shows? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 29, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838 "2010-01-29T02:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Urban\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@The\_Urban\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Urban_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/21 "2010-01-29T12:16:28Z")
Quatermass and the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/22 "2010-01-29T16:59:06Z")
This violates your “10 years” criterion, but \*Ghostwatch \*(1992) may be worth hunting down. It doesn’t appear to be available on Netflix, though. _Ghostwatch_ uses recognized British celebrities (playing themselves) as a haunting is investigated live on television. It doesn’t hit all of the marks for which it aims, but I think it’s overall a success. It apparently created quite a controversy when it first aired, because viewers thought it was real. If you haven’t yet seen it, and plan to, don’t read too much of the [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostwatch) entry. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/23 "2010-01-29T17:40:46Z")
> [@The\_Urban\_Spaceman](#): > > Quatermass and the Pit. The film version is recommended. - ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/24 "2010-01-29T17:54:52Z")
[Dog Soldiers](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280609/). It’s a film, but it’s been on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/25 "2010-01-29T18:03:21Z")
I’m going to strongly recommend [Misfits](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misfits_(TV_series)). Got seriously addicted and it’s been a while since that happened. Waiting eagerly for series 2. It’s about British juvenile delinquents getting mysterious superpowers and doing… nothing with them, really. You have to see it. Also, there was a two-part remake of “Day of the triffids” not too long ago on the telly. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/26 "2010-01-29T19:13:51Z")
> [@Kal](#): > > [The Second Coming.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Second_Coming_%28TV%29) Oooh, I loved that one! \*\*Jekyll \*\*is a must. James Nesbitt is creepy as fuck as Jekyll and it’s a really well-written & scary series. Also must add my recommendation of\*\* Torchwood: Children of Earth\*\*. It is what the series should have been like from the beginning. \*Very \*dark, very adult, very grim. None of the silly chasing aliens around with guns bit from the regular show. > [@](#): > > And out of left field, how about a bit of comedy drama? Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), a remake of a '60s show. I saw one episode of that, the one with David Tennant as a creepy artist. Very bizarre show. I had no idea of the whole ghost aspect so that was a bit of a surprise. What about the original **[Life on Mars](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_on_Mars_(TV_series))**, starring John Simm? I haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard wonderful things about it. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/27 "2010-01-29T20:25:10Z")
For the love of all things holey, don’t even contemplate watching [Demons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demons_%28TV_series%29). ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/28 "2010-01-29T22:00:29Z")
Just remembered another one, [Crooked House.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crooked_House_%28TV_series%29) Seconding Misfits, and annoyed that I forgot about it. Another “not what you asked for, but it’ll be suggested anyway” suggestion is [No Heroics.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Heroics) A British sitcom about superheroes. And, yeah, don’t ever watch Demons. It was shit. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/29 "2010-01-30T02:44:47Z")
> [@Kal](#): > > Another “not what you asked for, but it’ll be suggested anyway” suggestion is [No Heroics.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Heroics) A British sitcom about superheroes. Wow, really? I can’t think of _a_ US sitcom about superheroes, but I watched some of **My Hero** , so the UK has had at least two 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/30 "2010-01-30T08:53:43Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I forgot about that one. I liked it, right up until nothing was resolved at the end. Thanks for the spoiler, not! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/31 "2010-01-30T08:56:49Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Yeah, I know regular Torchwood is pish :D. Children of Earth, on the other hand, is genuinely really excellent - there are aliens as the “big bad” but the drama and the horror are Earth-bound and family-centric. It is an outstanding piece of television. You only need to know one or two bits of Torchwood backstory to be fully engaged… What bits do I need to know to be fully engaged? I know nothing about Torchwood or Dr. Who. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/32 "2010-01-30T11:06:56Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Yeah, I know regular Torchwood is pish :D. Children of Earth, on the other hand, is genuinely really excellent I couldn’t watch Torchwood either. This is a very different Torchwood. Honest. Do yourself a favour and overcome your doubts. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/33 "2010-01-30T13:25:42Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > What bits do I need to know to be fully engaged? I know nothing about Torchwood or Dr. Who. Just the two that were in the spoiler. I hadn’t seen any Torchwood before I watched Children of Earth, though I had seen a couple of the Dr Who eps with Captain Jack. @Elfkin: well, there’s [The Tick (not the animated one](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0242949/), which probably counts as a US superhero sitcom. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/34 "2010-01-30T13:37:24Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > What bits do I need to know to be fully engaged? I know nothing about Torchwood or Dr. Who. Torchwood is an organisation set up by Queen Victoria after an escapade with the time-travelling Doctor. It’s purpose is to monitor alien activity on Earth and to gather alien technology. At the point we have reached just before Children of Earth there are only three Torchwood agents left, due to a series of unfortunate encounters both in Torchwood and Doctor Who. The leader, Captain Jack Harkness, is originally from the 51st century and due to an incident in Doctor Who is unkillable and effectively immortal. He’s been on contemporary Earth for a century or so at this point. Gwen Cooper is a former policewoman. Ianto Jones is in love with Jack. The Torchwood team are based in Cardiff, which sits on a Rift which occasionally allows _things_ to appear in our world. It’s set in roughly our time. The Doctor only gets passing mention in Torchwood, but various Torchwood members turn up in Doctor Who, especially Jack. That’s it really. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838/35 "2010-01-31T08:14:24Z")
Thank you. I will look for it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-horror-or-supernatural-paranormal-shows/526838.md?page=1)