# British Television Series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2009, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824 "2009-10-31T06:39:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/1 "2009-10-31T06:39:31Z")
There’s a lot of good stuff on British TV. An English friend of ours is always loaning us stuff he has on DVD. We recently watched both seasons (we Americans say “seasons,” but I think the Brits say “series”) of _Life on Mars_, which is truly excellent. We’ve seen _Gavin & Stacy_ thanks to him, although not the Christmas special yet; I hear they’re going to make a third season, and it’s being adapted into an American show, just like _The Office_ was. And speaking of _The Office_, we have our friend to thank for introducing us to that Ricky Gervais series, plus Gervais’ _Extras_ show. Lots of stuff with Rob Brydon (who plays the uncle in _Gavin & Stacy_ and is absolutely brilliant in that role) and Steve Coogan. We just watched the first season of Coogan’s _Saxondale_, although we don’t think that was his best work. Coogan seems rather creepy there, and I sure hope that’s makeup and not him ging to seed in real life and looking like that. But the fat chick from _Gavin & Stacy_, Ruth Jones, as his wife is good. There’s a lot of really good British stuff. If we liked those, what else would we like? (And yes, we’ve already seen _Absolutely Fabulous_.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/2 "2009-10-31T11:56:47Z")
The best British sit coms at the moment are _Peep Show_ and _The Thick Of it_. The humour of each is as cutting edge as the original _Office_ was, but is a bit more hard core and even less “feelgood”. For something that is surreal, in the true sense of the word (as well as hilarious and visually beautiful), you could try _The Mighty Boosh_. Going back, a classic of its genre (reasonably serious drama about young professionals) was _This Life_. It might not look revolutionary now, but that’s because we’ve become so used to techniques it introduced, such as the way the shaky camera was used. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/3 "2009-10-31T12:02:25Z")
_Cold Feet_ was an enjoyable mixture of _thirtysomething_ and _Friends_. Rob Brydon’s best hour was the little known _Human Remains_ - reflecting my taste and outlook, it’s also a lot less feelgood than _Gavin and Stacy_. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/4 "2009-10-31T13:36:14Z")
I second Peep Show and The Thick Of It. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/5 "2009-10-31T15:19:37Z")
Not a newer show, but [Chef!](http://www.amazon.com/Chef-Complete-Collection-Lenny-Henry/dp/B0009NSCTY/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1257002271&sr=1-10) But only watch the first two series. The third season/series went all to hell. We’ve re-watched this again and again. The writing is brilliant. So’s Lenny Henry and the woman who plays his wife. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/6 "2009-10-31T15:25:59Z")
I watch BBC America all the time. I love their new sci-fi stuff. Primeval and Being Human ran this summer. ---
**Author:** ![D.Fenestrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aca169/32.png) [@D.Fenestrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.Fenestrator)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/7 "2009-10-31T17:42:31Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > Not a newer show, but [Chef!](http://www.amazon.com/Chef-Complete-Collection-Lenny-Henry/dp/B0009NSCTY/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1257002271&sr=1-10) > > But only watch the first two series. The third season/series went all to hell. > > We’ve re-watched this again and again. The writing is brilliant. So’s Lenny Henry and the woman who plays his wife. I used to watch this show, too. Lenny Henry is great. I wish the third season had met the high standards of the first two. Somewhere I still have tapes of it. I may have to dust them off and watch them again this weekend… ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/8 "2009-10-31T17:56:19Z")
Spaced So weird and so funny. ---
**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:** [October 31, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/9 "2009-10-31T18:01:15Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I love their new sci-fi stuff. Primeval and Being Human ran this summer. Primeval isn’t a BBC production, BBC America shows all sorts of British telly, they’ve got some sort of “use the name for whatever” agreement. Being Human was unexpectedly great though, coming from BBC3 which is a sort of youth-oriented testbed for stuff that is terrible more often than not. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/10 "2009-10-31T18:28:00Z")
[The BBC makes incredible Nature programs.](http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/) There was a program recently to find ‘the best David Attenborough moment’. The leading contenders included: - watching a \*\*blue whale \*\*surface from about 20 feet away - commentating on a \*\*grizzly bear \*\*catching a salmon nearby - communicating with a **woodpecker** by tapping on a tree - handing a nut to a **chimpanzee** , who broke it open using a tool - sitting amongst a family of mountain **gorillas** ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/11 "2009-10-31T19:01:01Z")
Spooks (I thnk it’s called MI5 on BBC America or PBS) Foyle’s War (sort of sad when the War ended;)) and Silent Witness. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/12 "2009-10-31T19:34:24Z")
You might like Armstrong & Miller (a comic sketch duo, mostly) - there’s plenty of their stuff on Youtube - here’s a good example: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pK6vhjr3h4) ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/13 "2009-10-31T19:42:37Z")
If you’re sci-fi inclined, don’t miss out on the [most successful sci-fi show in the world](http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/). ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/14 "2009-10-31T21:01:12Z")
> [@Scheidt-Hoch](#): > > The best British sit coms at the moment are _Peep Show_ and _The Thick Of it_. > [@ErinPuff](#): > > I second Peep Show and The Thick Of It. Thirded. Head and shoulders above the rest. Two points: 1. There’s so much of Peep Show to catch up with, which is a good thing 2. The Thick of It is politically very UK-centric, though it’s worth watching anyway just for the one-liners. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/15 "2009-10-31T21:06:17Z")
I don’t know if you’re allowed to view this outside the UK - it’s all 6 series/seasons of Peep Show (and legit): > **[Peep Show](https://www.channel4.com/programmes/peep-show)** > > Award-winning sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb as dysfunctional flatmates ---
**Author:** ![bagga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@bagga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bagga)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/16 "2009-10-31T23:09:56Z")
In case you were wondering why we use ‘series’ rather than ‘season’, it’s because series/seasons don’t have a fixed length over here and so they’re not tied to actual annual seasons - no fall sweeps week over here. Comedy recommendations in order: Spaced, Black Books, Brass Eye, Green Wing, and of course Blackadder. And another vote for Spooks, the first three series in particular were great. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/17 "2009-10-31T23:19:57Z")
> [@PrettyVacant](#): > > T > 2. The Thick of It is politically very UK-centric, though it’s worth watching anyway just for the one-liners. But try and get hold of the cinema (movie!) spin-off “In The Loop” which is mostly set in DC and is the best film I’ve seen in the last year. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/18 "2009-10-31T23:28:01Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > You might like Armstrong & Miller (a comic sketch duo, mostly) - there’s plenty of their stuff on Youtube - here’s a good example: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pK6vhjr3h4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pK6vhjr3h4) It irritates me that the current series of Armstrong and Miller is being sold as “the 2nd”. Actually it’s the 6th. They did 2 with some satellite channel which I didn’t see, then 2 with Channel 4 which were miles better than the admittedly good 2 series they’ve done with BBC. You can get series 4 on DVD - it’s great, with an excellent unbroadcast spoof white South African porn soap opera, but I’m dying to get hold of series 3. There are so many fantastic sketches I can remember from it, including very realistic prosthetic 3 foot dongs (limp) in “The Naked Practice” but for some reason it’s not available. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/19 "2009-10-31T23:41:31Z")
> [@bagga](#): > > Brass Eye, Green Wing Both absolute comedy genius. If you like the spuriously controversial ‘Brass Eye" then you should like Chris Morris’ other well known work, _the Day Today_ (why have BBC News so egregiously failed to heed its lessons?), and the criminally underrated _Nathan Barley_. Did you ever see the BBC comedy _The League of Gentleman_ and wonder what the ‘special stuff’ was? Well in comedy terms, it was Chris Morris’ sketch show _Jaaaam_ which of all sketch shows is the last one you’d ever want to watch on a first date. (In reality I think the clue to what the special stuff was came in the surname of the butcher.) ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824/20 "2009-11-01T00:08:34Z")
> [@Scheidt-Hoch](#): > > It irritates me that the current series of Armstrong and Miller is being sold as “the 2nd”. Actually it’s the 6th. They did 2 with some satellite channel which I didn’t see, then 2 with Channel 4 which were miles better than the admittedly good 2 series they’ve done with BBC. Prepare yourself for pedantry. The sat channel was Paramount Comedy Channel, which aired the first series. Channel 4 aired the next three, though Paramount repeated the second shortly after C4 aired it. That second series (and the first, IIRC; not sure about three and four) was a Channel 4/PCC co-production. On an even more pedantic note, the Beeb are technically correct. The previous four series were titled simply ‘Armstrong and Miller’ and made by Absolutely Productions\*, while the new version is titled ‘The Armstrong & Miller Show’ and made by Hat Trick. \*Who also made Absolutely. A fine sketch show in its own right. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-television-series/515824.md?page=2)