# Favourite British comedies? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 19, 2003, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286 "2003-08-19T20:57:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![curlybacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@curlybacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlybacon)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/61 "2003-08-20T16:21:10Z")
**fizzygoodmakefeelnice** has the right idea: bernard…bernard…bernard…bernard…bernard…bernard…bernard…bernard…bernard…bernard…look, bernard…bernard…bernard look, bernard… (47 seconds) i love black books 😃 ---
**Author:** ![fizzygoodmakefeelnice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@fizzygoodmakefeelnice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizzygoodmakefeelnice)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/62 "2003-08-20T16:26:33Z")
**curlybacon** , give me back my Black Books DVD! ---
**Author:** ![Ultraviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c77e96/32.png) [@Ultraviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ultraviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/63 "2003-08-20T16:42:04Z")
**Smeghead** , don’t forget that in order to play UK (and I think most European) DVDs, you not only need a multiregion DVD player, but the player must also have a PAL to NTSC converter built in. I think, though, that it is possible to change the region on a computer DVD player, although I don’t know how easy that is. I imagine you wouldn’t have to worry about the PAL - NTSC thing then. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/64 "2003-08-20T17:06:37Z")
Not sure if it counts as comedy, but At Home with the Braithwaites makes me giggle… ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/65 "2003-08-20T17:57:31Z")
Is **Bargain Hunt** considered comedy? Why not? 😃 Faves: Keeping Up Appearances Coupling Manchild Ab Fab Waffled on: Father Ted Fawlty Towers Gimme Gimme Gimme Never Could Appreciate: The Office Men Behaving Badly ---
**Author:** ![Ultraviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c77e96/32.png) [@Ultraviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ultraviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/66 "2003-08-21T00:25:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tapioca Dextrin \* > > It’s available as a [US release](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005KA70/qid%3D1061389059/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-8594671-7600050), or I could lend you my copy if you like. \*\* Thanks **Tapioca Dextrin** , but I just found out that a friend of mine has a copy. A very generous offer, though! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/67 "2003-08-21T05:43:47Z")
No one’s mentioned _As Time Goes By_: not big belly-laughs, but excellent writing and superb acting. I think we all need a Mrs. Bale in our lives. I’ve gotten a bit tired of _Keeping Up Appearances_, though I always enjoy checking out what Onslow is reading in bed (in at least a couple of episodes, it’s been a textbook titled _Principles of Condensed Matter Physics_!). And it’s made me realize what I really want: a Mercedes, a sauna, and room for a pony. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/68 "2003-08-21T05:46:22Z")
Oh, and how about _Last of the Summer Wine_, particularly during the Foggy Dewhirst years (rounding out the best threesome, IMO). ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/69 "2003-08-21T09:43:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MDM. President \* > \*\*Also, the one where ‘Rimmer’ from red dwarf ownes a health club. \*\* That’s _The Brittas Empire_, which I included in my favourites. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/70 "2003-08-21T11:51:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ultraviolet \* > \*\*A couple of people have mentioned “Shelly”. Can anyone tell me a bit about it? I can’t find any info on the net about it. \*\* It was **Shelley** , not Shelly. Despite being an ITV sitcon it was actually pretty good as I remember. It starred Hywel Bennet as an over-educated layabout. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/71 "2003-08-21T16:22:10Z")
Red Dwarf League of Gentlemen (Not the third series, that sucked.) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/72 "2003-08-21T17:52:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > \*\*Oh, and how about _Last of the Summer Wine_, particularly during the Foggy Dewhirst years (rounding out the best threesome, IMO). \*\* Damn! I thought i was going to be the first person to mention this show. I loooooove it! All of my favorites have already been mentioned, i think: Blackadder (esp. The Third) Monty Python Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister League of Gentlemen (esp. the first season) Mr. Bean (some more than others) Ab Fab Fawlty Towers Porridge Actually, one that no-one has mentioned yet is Drop the Dead Donkey. Fantastic satire, extremely topical (generally written on the day before it aired), and very funny. ---
**Author:** ![g8rguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@g8rguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/g8rguy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/73 "2003-08-21T18:10:45Z")
Hmm. And here I thought, **mhendo** , that I was going to get to be the first to mention _Drop the Dead Donkey_. I don’t know how well it would translate over here, since a lot of the things being satirized didn’t get much press over here (or at least, not that I recall), but it was definitely brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/74 "2003-08-21T21:06:40Z")
Nomination for best line from _Last of the Summer Wine_: Nora Batty, on the subject of Marina’s attire: “If her skirts were any shorter, she’d have to wash behind her ears.” ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/75 "2003-08-21T21:27:46Z")
For fans of Blackadder there is a treat for them on BBC radio this Saturday in the form of a documentery about the programme . Called " I have a Cunning Plan " it tells the story of the programme with contributions from Rowan Atkinson , Tony Robinson ,Richard Curtis and Steven Fry. This programme can be heard on demand for the next seven days after the original broadcast via the BBC web site . just go to [www.bbc.co.uk/radio4](http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4) and follow the links to the "listen again " section. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/76 "2003-08-21T21:45:40Z")
_On the Buses_…god, it was so awful that you just HAD to watch it. _Yes Minister Absolutely Fabulous The Good Life Fawlty Towers Porridge_. ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Mycroft\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_H)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286/77 "2003-08-21T22:38:06Z")
Is anyone else old enough to remember _ **The Goodies** _? Brilliant stuff. It was on while I lived in England in the mid-70s. (I’m in the US now, but my heart is forever in North Yorkshire.) From the same time period - Well, Anyway Ripping Yarns Billy Liar Dave Allen at Large (Obscure stuff, haven’t seen them for donkey’s ages, but I have fond memories of them all.) My other favo(u)rites that I’ve caught on the US telly, and most already mentioned are: Red Dwarf Monty Python Blackadder The Good Life To the Manor Born You Must be the Husband Chef (1st season) British Humour Rules OK! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favourite-british-comedies/196286.md?page=3)