# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/141 "2023-01-13T12:12:35Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > It kind of blows my mind that _Keeping Up Appearances_, which from memory was pretty mediocre, found a footing in the US but _Only Fools and Horses_, which was mostly utterly brilliant, never did. I’ve never liked Keeping Up Appearances. Even if you intentionally create an annoying character, it doesn’t make them any less annoying. Which isn’t to say it doesn’t have _some_ slight humor to it, but I can’t see why it succeeded when you compare it to most other PBS Britfare. ---
**Author:** ![TimfromNapa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TimfromNapa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimfromNapa)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/142 "2023-01-13T15:41:03Z")
There are so many they are hard to list. Here are a few that were not, as far as I know, made specifically for international distribution: The Avengers Benny Hill Are You Being Served ? Yes, Minister (later, Prime Minister) Father Ted The Good Life (renamed The Good Neighbors for US) Waiting for God Monty Python’s Flying Circus I, Claudius ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/143 "2023-01-13T18:30:53Z")
I cannot fathom the transatlantic appeal of Are You Being Served. It was dated crap when it came out. What the hell do you see in it? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/144 "2023-01-13T18:33:14Z")
It helps if you work in customer service. Pretending to be cheerful. Being polite to people who don’t reciprocate. Managers who are clueless. ---
**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, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/145 "2023-01-13T19:09:32Z")
… And one of your coworkers has a pussy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/146 "2023-01-13T19:14:57Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I’ve never liked Keeping Up Appearances. Even if you intentionally create an annoying character, it doesn’t make them any less annoying. Which isn’t to say it doesn’t have _some_ slight humor to it, but I can’t see why it succeeded when you compare it to most other PBS Britfare. My mother had a friend who she thought was like Hyacinth Bucket, so she found it funny for that reason alone. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/147 "2023-01-13T21:55:35Z")
Another of my favorites. I wish there was some way to watch them again. “Moons of my delight!” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2023, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/148 "2023-01-13T22:01:24Z")
**Rome** was a cooperatively made series between UK, US and Rome. It aired on BBC-2 and HBO. Outstanding series that got far too little attention. ---
**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, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/149 "2023-01-13T22:44:15Z")
> [@nicky](#): > > I cannot fathom the transatlantic appeal of Are You Being Served. It was dated crap when it came out. > What the hell do you see in it? I don’t see anything in it. It’s the same one or two jokes repeated endlessly. And they’re not even funny jokes the first time. But for some reason it was aired incessantly on public television. There are a lot of shows listed in this thread I don’t particularly like—Keeping Up Appearances, ‘Allo ‘Allo among them. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/150 "2023-01-14T04:09:46Z")
_Are You Being Served?_ was done by seasoned professionals. It may have been silly rubbish, but it was first-rate silly rubbish. If it had been done in Hollywood, it would have instead resembled _Monty Python‘s_ skit, the intentionally dreadful “The Attila the Hun Show”. The same applies to Benny Hill; his show was stupid, but it was stupid with an éclat rarely encountered on the American Box. Remember, we have no tradition of music hall or (apart from one hard-working company in Southern California) pantomime. (I am concerned about the greeting the Mischief Theatre will receive with _Peter Pan Goes Wrong_ this spring on Broadway; they did well with _The Play That Goes Wrong_, but the “cozy” genre is established here, whereas “Oh yes it is!” and “He’s behind you!” are quite alien.) ---
**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 14, 2023, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/151 "2023-01-14T04:16:28Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#): > > The same applies to Benny Hill; his show was stupid, but it was stupid with an éclat rarely encountered on the American Box. c.1978, _The Benny Hill Show_ followed _Dave Allen At Large_ on PBS. I much preferred _Dave Allen At Large_. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/152 "2023-01-14T07:13:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **Blake’s Seven** _ and _ **Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy** _ were on PBS in the early '80s, IIRC. And before that, 1981 I think, the radio version ran on the Philadelphia NPR station. I just rewatched the TV version on BritBox. Awful, worse than the movie. And hooray for Danger Mouse. I made my daughter watch that on Nick. I even got the boxed set of the first run. I saw Danger Man when it ran as Secret Agent, and we watched the entire run a while ago. All great except for the last two or three episodes in color. Watch those and you’ll know why Drake resigned. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/153 "2023-01-14T08:30:20Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Let’s not forget _Up Pompeii!_ starring Frankie Howerd. Oh, let’s. ---
**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 14, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/154 "2023-01-14T15:09:40Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I just rewatched the TV version on BritBox. Awful, worse than the movie. I disagree. The 1981 BBC version had cheap, cheesy, BBC effects, production values, and costuming. As I recall, some alien voices and appearances were, for me, stereotypically bad '60s/'70s British science fiction. But as I said upthread, the 1981 version kept in the jokes, and the 2005 version didn’t. Compare: > “But the plans were on display…” > “On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.” > “That’s the display department.” > “With a flashlight.” > “Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.” > “So had the stairs.” > “But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?” > “Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.” In the 2005 movie, the line was > They were in the basement! And the 2005 movie cut out some HHGTTG excerpts, apparently because people would be offended by the discussion/lampooning of God. Don’t get me wrong. I like the 2005 version (although Zaphod was depicted differently from how he was described in the book). But I liked the way the 1981 version kept in all the best bits. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/155 "2023-01-14T17:40:25Z")
I was so looking forward to the 2005 release of HHGTTG and was so disappointed with it. It seemed like it was aimed at juveniles instead of geeks like me. Yes, the BBC version was low-tech but so were the early versions of Doctor Who, which it reminded me of. Its longer running time allowed for all the good lines to be included at least. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/156 "2023-01-14T18:27:50Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > _ **No, Honestly** _. I had an **enormous** crush on Pauline Collins, the girl who played Clara. 🥰 My parents watched _Masterpiece Theatre_, and no one ever wanted to take me up for my 8:15 bedtime on Sunday, and miss it, so I almost always go to stay up and watch all those wonderful series, of which, even though I could barely follow the basic plots, I still somehow knew were greatness. _Upstairs, Downstairs_ was the greatest of all (and yes, I have watched the whole thing as an adult-- multiple times). It aired in 1971 in the UK, but IIRC, it aired in the US in 1972. My first crush ever, which I don’t mind telling you was on a girl, was on Pauline Collins. I was 5. About 16 years ago (I’m pretty sure of the time), a fellow Fathomite from the UK kindly hooked me up with a just-released _No, Honestly_ (I remember the time, because my son was a baby) DVD set. I figured out I could create a partition with the same OS, and install a second DVD player on my desktop on the partition, and therefore have a DVD player dedicated to PAL DVDs. I uploaded _No Honestly_ using DVD43 (but only for personal use-- mainly to watch it on my laptop). Also got PAL DVDs of another Collins and Alderton series called _Forever Green,_ which is sort of a UK version of _Apple’s Way,_ but with better actors, so they pull it off, at least sometimes. Kinda surprised no one in the US has ever run _No, Honestly,_ considering how many stations there are, running SO MUCH stuff. We could have one fewer episode of _2 & 1/2 Men_ a day, and an episode of _No, Honestly,_ instead. If there’s an audience for _Partridge Family_ reruns, there’s an audience for this. Well, wouldn’t you know-- it seems that there are a few eps (including 1;1) of _No, Honestly_ on YouTube. ---
**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 14, 2023, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/157 "2023-01-14T18:57:19Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Kinda surprised no one in the US has ever run _No, Honestly,_ considering how many stations there are, running SO MUCH stuff. I watched it on PBS out of Chicago when I was living outside DeMotte, IN, in 1975–76. Alderton was in another sitcom, the name of which escapes me at the moment, in which he played an elementary school teacher, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/158 "2023-01-14T19:09:14Z")
There was a great line in the first ep of _No, Honestly_ that was treated almost like a throwaway line, but I still smile when I think of it. Clara and Charles meet at a party where they both know the host, but not each other. It’s love at first sight, but Clara is more cautious than Charles. Charles is projecting a future for he and Clara, and she says “We’ve only known each other for half a party.” ---
**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 14, 2023, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/159 "2023-01-14T19:11:21Z")
It was love at first sight for me too. 😍 ---
**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 14, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018/160 "2023-01-14T19:16:45Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I first saw it back in the '60s. Troy Tempest was modeled after James Garner. > > [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bs-\_-YcIAAAC-y9?format=jpg&name=240x240](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bs-_-YcIAAAC-y9?format=jpg&name=240x240) I’ve always wondered who Marina was modeled after: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CD96RQ1-wnY/hqdefault.jpg "Stingray TV Show Outro (1964) Aqua Marina") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD96RQ1-wnY) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-tv-shows-that-have-been-popular-in-the-u-s/978018.md?page=9)