Oh, there are going to be references to something called the Last Great Time War that might make you think you’re missing an important part of series history. Thing is, it happened entirely off screen (and isn’t covered in any of the spin-off material), so no one knows exactly what happened, although some details have leaked out over the course of the new series. Remember, the Doctor is meant to be an enigma (46 years and we still don’t know his proper name).
It’s a good idea to watch in order. Although the episodes are mostly stand-alone or two-part stories, they gradually reveal more about the Doctor and his world. Each season finale also ties together bits and pieces from the preceding episodes. One thing that may confuse you is the Doctor is meant to be an enigma, so it’s going to seem like there’s important stuff you don’t know, but the truth is no one does. Heck, it’s been 46 years and we still don’t know his proper name.
No, really, a newbie has no frickin’ idea. Result: AND :). They are beyond both SF and DW. They stomp on conventions and expectations, not only of artforms, but also the SH keepers of history. See: Season 3, Episode 8 and 9.
I think Steve Coogan in the Alan Partridge series is brilliant as well. I liked Saxondale as well. He’s a grower. The second season he’s less… angry.
I love the Fast Show. Even years after it’s over with, I still watch the DVDs.
Look Around You, both series. The first was a pisstake (painstakingly done) of Television for Schools that anyone who lived in the UK in the 70s and 80s endured. The second was taking the mickey out of shows like Tomorrow’s World - again, brilliantly done.
Peter Serafinowicz was one of the masterminds behind those series and had his own sketch show - he is an amazing mimic and it was the best series I’ve seen in quite some time. He won a BAFTA for the show and I am praying that he does another. (Right now I think he’s developing a series for American TV.)
On the soap front, I love EastEnders, but it’s an acquired taste, and a little hard to get into if you don’t know the characters. Fun fact, the voice of the Geico Gecko, Max Wood, is a major character.
I have been disappointed with many shows, all promised to be the most amazing things I’d ever see by friends who claim to know my tastes. Bo Selecta! and The Mighty Boosh are dreck to me. Red Dwarf wasn’t anywhere near as funny as it thought it was, either.
PS - Aren’t Armstrong and Miller the writers behind Peep Show?
If you can find it, there was a series called Sold a year or two ago that was also quite good. It was about a semi-ethical estate agent working for an utterly ruthless company, headed by Anthony Head, who plays evil incredibly well. It’s a comedy.
The Goodies was an excellent, hilarious, and long-running comedy in the '70s and '80s. It is, IMHO, the closest anyone has come to producing a live-action cartoon series.
I’m a huge fan of Red Dwarf, Black Books, The Mighty Boosh, and Top Gear, too.
There’s a lot of good stuff TV-wise that comes out of the UK- which is good, because the ABC need something to show besides the news and “five people and a set, talking about stuff” shows.
Oh, there’s also The Mitchell and Webb Look, if you like sketch comedy, from the Peep Show duo. The radio version is much better, though - The Mitchell and Webb Sound.
It should be noticed the British comedy series often have pretty loose continuities- characters may die and they inexplicably reappear in later episodes with no one batting an eyelid (as in The Brittas Empire, The Mighty Boosh), characters disappear and are never mentioned again, and characters may also appear and people just act like they’ve been around the whole time.
Does Peep Show ever go beyond making you uncomfortable? I’m not saying that it’s using a cheap way out, but I just can’t get into The Office and such because I just cringe.
Blackadder is more like a collection of connected miniseries than a series in the U.S. sense. The leads play different (but related) characters in each, and the settings are hundreds of miles apart. In the first series, Rowan Atkinson plays a repulsive, amoral, conniving, and stupid man. In later series he’s still amoral and conniving, but not so much repulsive and stupid. I’d recommend starting with series 2.
Atkinson also stars in Mr. Bean, a very different series in that it has almost no dialogue. It’s not to everyone’s taste, but at least watch the episode “Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean.” It’s hilarious and perfect for the holidays (and it features a very minor but funny “Doctor Who” reference).
I like the old British series such as, in no particular order:
BlackAdder (1983-1989)
Fawlty Towers (1975-1979)
Yes Minister (1980-1984)
Yes Prime Minister (1986-1988)
The Good Life (1975-1978)
Keeping Up Appearances (1990-1995)
'Allo 'Allo (1982-1992)
Red Dwarf (1988-1999)
Are You Being Served? / Grace & Favour (1972-1985, 1992-1993)
To the Manor Born (1979-1981, 2007)
The Thin Blue Line (1995-1996)
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976-1979)
Waiting for God (1990-1994)
Goodnight Sweetheart (1993-1999)
Up Pompeii! (1969-1975, 1991)
:smack:Years (although there is some geographical distance, it’s the historical periods that really define the series). I missed the edit window by about 45 yards – I mean minutes.
AND :). They are beyond both SF and DW. They stomp on conventions and expectations, not only of artforms, but also the SH keepers of history. See: Season 3, Episode 8 and 9.
