Favourite British comedies?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Although I am Canadian, I absolutely love British comedies (so much so that I bought a multi-region DVD player just to be able to play R2 discs!). I see that the BBC are doing a “favourite British comedy survey” (at http://www.bbc.co.uk/sitcom/vote.shtml ). I was wondering about the Dopers here that enjoy British humour. What are your favourite British comedies? My favourites, in no particular order would be :

One foot in the grave
Spaced
Black Books
Father Ted (okay, it’s set in Ireland, but it is one of my favourite shows of all time)
Steptoe and son
The League of Gentlemen
Are you being served? (I know, it’s so tacky, but I grew up with it and regard it fondly)
Blackadder
Only fools and horses
Red Dwarf
The fall and rise of Reginald Perrin
The Young Ones

Okay, so that’s twelve, but I really can’t eliminate any more from the list. Anyone else?

2

Absolutley Fabulous and anything else done by French and Saunders.

3

DAD’S ARMY - Nuff said

4

Blackadder!

“That depends on whos playing ‘Macbeth’.”-- Baldrick

5

I am an AbFab-aholic. Love those women.
Also, Coupling, Are You Being Served, Fawlty Towers, Manchild, and of COURSE, Monty Python.

6

Monty Python
Blackadder

7

Monty Python, of course, and Are You Being Served (tacky, as Ultraviolet said, but so fun anyway), and Keeping Up Appearances. I love Hyacinth Bucket/Bouquet; I can’t help it.

I must add that as I watch very little TV (haven’t actually turned it on in four months or so), my exposure’s been quite limited. So … I like every British comedy I’ve seen (except for Benny Hill) so far. (I cannot say the same for American sitcoms.)

8

Blackadder
Mr. Bean
Jeeves & Wooster
The Thin Blue Line

9

Fawlty Towers
Ab Fab

I only saw a few episodes of ‘Fools and Horses’, but thought it hiliarious. The guy with the fil-o-fax trying to pick up women was a riot. Is it shown in the U.S.?

10

Did A Bit Of Fry & Laurie ever cross the Atlantic? Should appeal to Python fans, although IMO it’s much better.

11

I’m not sure if A bit of Fry & Laurie was ever shown, I’ve got it on tape, quite excellent, but I love both of them.
that said, I love

Blackadder(obviously)
Father Ted
The Young Ones
Are You Being Served(yeah it’s gooby, hasn’t stopped me before)

Oddly though I absolutely love Blackadder, I can’t stand Mr. Bean. I don’t think I’ve gotten through a full episode.

-Lil

12

I loved “The Fast Show” and anything with Harry Enfield in.

All the old classics as well, Dad’s Army, Steptoe and Son, Monty Python, Benny Hill.

Some great TV.

13

Not technically a sitcom, but Teachers has some downright hilarious moments. I always look for what’s going on in the playground behind the main characters; it’s usually something bizarre.

The Royle Family took a long time to grow on me (long enough that I started watching it in earnest shortly before it went off the air - poo), but it’s definitely a quality program.

And, of course, The Office, if only for Ricky Gervais’s dance. <err-er-er-er-er-errrr…>

14

Of course! The fast show! I must add it to my (huge) list at the top. I forgot about it (how could I!). I find Ted and Ralph inexplicably touching and laugh so hard at Colin Hunt.

15

It doesn’t look like Only fools and horses is shown on BBC America, but it is on every day on BBC Canada.

16

My faves are probably:
Father Ted
Red Dwarf
Glam Metal Detectives
I’m Alan Partridge
The Office
Blackadder
Vicar Of Dibley
The League Of Gentlemen
The Kumars At Number 42
Goodness Gracious Me
Monty Python
The Young Ones

17

Good choices. Did you see Early Doors (Craig Cash’s follow up to The Royle Family)? Another slow burner, but that was its charm. Even at a technical level, they way they used lighting and a slow pan to compress about fourteen hours into twenty seconds in the “Big Boys’ Day Out” episode was outstanding, and not something comedy usually cares about. Look out for it if he does a second series.

Most of my favourites have been mentioned already, but Brass Eye and some of the Alan Partridge stuff was good. I’d be surprised if they export Have I Got News For You because it’s too topical and UK-centric, but maybe the format would work elsewhere?

18

Monty Python
The Good Life
Solo
Rising Damp
Yes Minister
Yes Prime Minister
Red Dwarf
Blackadder
The Young Ones
Shelly

19

Oh hands down Blackadder.
It´s a shame that Blackadder isn´t as popular as Mr. Bean, but I guess that´s due to Mr. Bean being funny, even if you don´t speak English, whereas Blackadder relies heavily on playing with words and such.

20

Hall of Fame:

Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Yes, Minister
Yes, Prime Minister
Red Dwarf
Blackadder
Mr. Bean
Coupling
Fawlty Towers

Under consideration:

One Foot in the Grave
People Like Us
(I’ve only caught two episodes, but there’s definite potential here. It’s possibly the most deadpan humor I’ve ever seen.)

Special Awards of Merit:

Murder Most Horrid

(This was an anthology show with Dawn French playing a different role in every episode. As the title suggests, people tended to get killed. A lot. It was hysterical. The episode with Amanda Donohoe as the assassin contains the single funniest line I have ever heard on television.)

The Games

(Australian, not British, mockumentary about the organizing of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. It was sort of a cross between “Sports Night”, “This is Spinal Tap” and “Cops”. The funniest complete series I have ever seen.)

If anyone else has even seen Murder Most Horrid or The Games, would you let me know. I’ve always thought these shows deserved to be much better known, at least among brit-com fans in the States.