# British TV Shows That Have Been Popular In The U.S **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 11, 2023, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018 "2023-01-11T08:35:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/101 "2023-01-12T18:50:02Z")
Dr Who and HHGTTG both ran on PBS in the early/mid-80’s, as well as The Prisoner. Late 80’s/early 90’s added Red Dwarf, Black Adder, Fawlty Towers, Are You Being Served, Red Green (Candian, I know) maybe a few more I’m forgetting. I think Blake’s 7 also ran at least once though our PBS station, but I don’t recall it sticking around. Space:1999 ran on a local independent station. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/102 "2023-01-12T19:00:46Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I remember watching _ **'Allo, 'Allo** _ in college, so it ran in Olympia during the '80s. I loved the gimmick of having the characters use exaggerated accents; all the actors were speaking English, of course, but the two airmen with English accents couldn’t understand anyone speaking with a French accent. My favorite was the British agent who masqueraded as a French policeman. His French was so bad the Germans would have nailed him immediately if they hadn’t been _ **Hogan’s Heroes** _-level stupid. Answering the phone: _“'Allo? Police station. What? Your pissy is up a tree?”_ In the cafe: **AGENT:** Please, could I have a spune for my kiffee? **WAITRESS:** _(Putting plate on his table)_ Here. I brought you some pee. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/103 "2023-01-12T19:13:47Z")
I forgot: As Time Goes By also ran on our PBS station, my Mom really liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/104 "2023-01-12T19:41:25Z")
> [@peedin](#): > > My father loved \*The Two Ronnies \* and _The Dave Allen Show_ both shown Sunday nights on WTTW in Chicago. You’re making me feel old - I was going to mention how **I** liked those shows! One that hasn’t been mentioned yet - Who’s Line Is It Anyway? I seen most of the British version, and possibly all of the Drew Carey and Aisha Tyler versions. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/105 "2023-01-12T20:25:20Z")
Who’s Line is it Anyway is a good one. Both the original British version and the American remake are great. For recent shows, there’s Afterlife, Good Omens, The Detectorists, and Peaky Blinders. To be honest, even though they are all set in the UK, I’m not sure which ons are actual ‘British’ shows as opposed to streaming service shows that just happen to have British actors and locations. ---
**Author:** ![ByuBilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@ByuBilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ByuBilly)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/106 "2023-01-12T20:27:47Z")
Don’t forget big brother… thank you Richard /sarc… as an addendum ADORED both iterations of whose line. Even with the old stuffy authors under Clive was often hilarious. Wasn’t that one that was based off of Fault towers also “ported” I can’t remember its name also Black Adder was always on but I can’t remember if it was on in America or Canada (my childhood was split between the two nations fairly half/half) I remember being annoyed cuz I always thought the avengers was the cartoon/USA network version and I’d always go “Awww not this again” and my Grandad would chastise me and tell me I didnt know good tv. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/107 "2023-01-12T20:29:26Z")
I was a big fan of **No, Honestly** too. It kind of reminded me of the Burns and Allen shows. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/108 "2023-01-12T20:45:57Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > I forgot: As Time Goes By also ran on our PBS station, my Mom really liked it. That reminds me: One Foot in the Grave Waiting for God Last of the Summer Wine ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/109 "2023-01-12T22:56:09Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Really? That’s considered one of their best moments? Wasn’t like Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin doing that joke a century ago? Try this one then. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uAeda5VUgSs/maxresdefault.jpg "Trigger Can't Keep Up With the Group's Conversation | Only Fools and Horses") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAeda5VUgSs) or this [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qiq8U76Y_1o/maxresdefault.jpg "Trigger's Magic Trick | Only Fools And Horses | BBC Comedy Greats") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiq8U76Y_1o) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/110 "2023-01-12T23:06:58Z")
> [@kferr](#): > > I think Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy appeared in the US too. And it’s in my video collection. I like it better than the remake, since the BBC version left the jokes in. (I have the _Red Dwarf_ boxed set too.) > [@bordelond](#): > > The British comedy _The Young Ones_ found an American audience on MTV circa 1986-88. Yep. I have Every Stoopid Episode. Also, _Comic Strip_. And _The Prisoner_. I watched a fair number of British shows when I was growing up and continuing to today. In no particular order: _Thunderbirds_ _Monty Python’s Flying Circus_ _Dave Allen At Large_ _The Benny Hill Show_ _I, Claudius_ _Sherlock Holmes_ (Jeremy Brett) _Coupling_ _Red Dwarf_ _Father Ted_ _Doctor Who_ (Grew up watching the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker) _The Prisoner_ _U.F.O._ _Space: 1999_ _The Young Ones_ Probably more, but that’s all for now. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/111 "2023-01-12T23:07:47Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Try this one then. > > or this No. Could barely tolerate sitting through those clips. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/112 "2023-01-12T23:12:46Z")
Comedy can be really personal. I didn’t find those clips very funny either. A little too obvious? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/113 "2023-01-12T23:15:10Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Who’s Line is it Anyway is a good one. Both the original British version and the American remake are great. Which American remake, the one hosted by Drew Carey or the current one hosted by Aisha Tyler? It lost something during the six year gap, IMHO. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/114 "2023-01-12T23:33:20Z")
_Last of the Summer Wine_ Unusual show that focused on a group of old men. They went around the village and countryside getting into hilarious situations. Frank Thornton from Are You Being Served also appeared in Summer Wine. He wasn’t a original cast member. The show was unusual because the Characters were written similiar to teenagers. Very mischievous. I remember my local PBS ran it at 10pm. Same time slot that Are You Being Served had filled. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2023, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/115 "2023-01-12T23:57:13Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > _Last of the Summer Wine_ > > Unusual show that focused on a group of old men. They went around the village and countryside getting into hilarious situations. > > Frank Thornton from Are You Being Served also appeared in Summer Wine. He wasn’t a original cast member. The show was unusual because the Characters were written similiar to teenagers. Very mischievous. The late Peter Sallis (“Clegg”) was the voice of Wallace, of _ **Wallace and Gromit** _ fame. Add Gerry Anderson’s _ **Stingray** _ to the list in 110. I also remember _ **Supercar** _ being on CBS Saturday mornings in the early '60s. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/116 "2023-01-13T00:13:06Z")
I have a Russian grandnephew about four years old who loves watching _ **Bob the Builder** _ over the Internet. I’m sure he’ll have a British accent when he starts speaking English. The family was smart enough to get out of Russia just before the invasion began. They’re now in Georgia, and the kid is probably learning Georgian too. Ages 1–4 are absolutely the best time to learn a language, since kids can hear every sound in every language and mimic them perfectly, with none of the hang-ups they acquire as they age. That part of the brain starts shutting down slowly after four, which is why it’s so hard to learn a foreign language later in life. My daughter was perfectly bilingual (in Russian and Midwestern American English) by the time she was 2 1/2, without a trace of a foreign accent in either language. I wish it had been that easy for me! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/117 "2023-01-13T00:24:44Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Add Gerry Anderson’s _ **Stingray** _ to the list in 110. Sorry, 109 apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/118 "2023-01-13T00:52:39Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Which American remake, the one hosted by Drew Carey or the current one hosted by Aisha Tyler? I’ve never seen the Tyler version, but I hated the Drew Carey version. He was a terrible host, and not funny at all. Plus, he kept fighting the premise. And then after a while it became the Wayne Brady show, and I didn’t find him all that amusing. I really liked the Clive Anderson version, although it took a few episodes to hit its stride. When it had celebrities like Jonathan Pryce or George Wendt, it didn’t work. I loved the madcap nonsense of Josie Lawrence and Tony Slattery. Tony Slattery hosting the party was my favorite segment. ---
**Author:** ![dummygladhands71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@dummygladhands71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dummygladhands71)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/119 "2023-01-13T02:43:03Z")
Listen carefully, I shall say this only once It is I, L’Clerq. Loved it ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/120 "2023-01-13T02:44:37Z")
Are you one of _them_? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018.md?page=7)