# Intro to British Comedy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2006, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259 "2006-07-12T23:51:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/61 "2006-07-15T22:14:14Z")
I’ll add that you can find a lot of clips of these comedians on the most popular video-sharing sites. I found lots of Fry and Laurie, but I also came across a clip of a song from a Cambridge Footlights Revue including the very young Stephen Fry, Tony Slattery (resembles Dudley Moore a bit), Hugh Laurie, and Emma Thompson. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/62 "2006-07-15T22:21:23Z")
**The Catherine Tate Show** has its funny moments. Tate is a Tracey Ullmanesque comedian and mimic. Let me second (or twelfth, whichever we’re on) **Peep Show** and **Spaced**. A series that featured one of the main characters on Peep was The **Smoking Room** , also brilliant. I’ve only seen five or six episodes of Smoking on BBC American; I don’t know if it was short-lived or just part and parcel of BBC Am repeat Hell. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/63 "2006-07-15T22:27:01Z")
_Smoking Room_ is good, but only as bastard offspring of _The Royle Family_. And yes, _Peep Show_ is also very very funny, but suffered here because it got stuck at some godawful 11.45pm slot. And yes, Bill Bailey’s standup stuff is great fun. ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2006, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/64 "2006-07-15T23:36:50Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] _Smoking Room_ is good, but only as bastard offspring of _The Royle Family_. And yes, _Peep Show_ is also very very funny, but suffered here because it got stuck at some godawful 11.45pm slot. And yes, Bill Bailey’s standup stuff is great fun. [/QUOTE] If you like Bill Bailey you can try _Never Mind the Buzzcocks_ a comedy music quiz in which he appears as one of the team captains. One of the funnier sports quizzes is _They Think it’s All Over_. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/65 "2006-07-16T02:19:06Z")
Don’t forget Benny Hill! ---
**Author:** ![Buckler\_of\_Swashing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Buckler\_of\_Swashing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buckler_of_Swashing)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/66 "2006-07-16T03:49:10Z")
[QUOTE=Bam Boo Gut] Don’t forget Benny Hill! [/QUOTE] Forget Benny Hill. _Don’t_ forget Peter Cook. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/67 "2006-07-16T05:30:05Z")
[QUOTE=Rayne Man] I do, but I’ve spent many years trying to forget them. [/QUOTE] …and me. “Steptoe and Son” “Hancock” “One Foot in the Grave” ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/68 "2006-07-16T05:55:46Z")
Here is a good website > **[BBC - Programmes categorised as Comedy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/genres/comedy)** > > Find BBC programmes categorised as "Comedy". My personal favourite is Reginald Perrin > **[BBC - Comedy - The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin](https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/fallandriseofreginaldperrin/index.shtml)** > > Adapted by David Nobbs from his novel, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin brilliantly captured the mid-1970s zeitgeist. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/69 "2006-07-16T06:45:06Z")
This American dislikes **Are You Being Served** but I’ve always enjoyed **Allo Allo** , which I think is written by the same team. English actors portraying stereotypical members of the French Resistance. I love the bit about the Englishman disguised as a French policeman, and getting all his vowels wrong… And I love, love, _love_ **A Bit of Fry and Laurie**. Mr. Simnock is classic of course, but the best bit is “We’re talking about language.” Pure structuralist bliss. ---
**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:** [July 16, 2006, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/70 "2006-07-16T07:00:19Z")
[QUOTE=E. Thorp] This American dislikes **Are You Being Served** but I’ve always enjoyed **Allo Allo** , which I think is written by the same team. English actors portraying stereotypical members of the French Resistance. I love the bit about the Englishman disguised as a French policeman, and getting all his vowels wrong… [/QUOTE] I was a fan of Allo Allo . This produced the famous sketch involving \*“The Gateau from the Chateau”, “the dart in the heart”, “the pill in the till”, “the drug in the jug” and “the candle with the handle” \* ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/71 "2006-07-16T09:32:42Z")
**Spitting Image** was rather fun. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2006, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/72 "2006-07-16T09:42:27Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] **Spitting Image** was rather fun. [/QUOTE] _Dead Ringers_ isn’t bad, either! One of the funniest things I’ve seen in years was Jon Culshaw dressed as (and impersonating) Obi-Wan Kenobi in order to buy a used car: _“I need passage to Aldershot.”_ Halfway through the sketch (which the poor car salesman clearly isn’t in on), someone dressed as Darth Vader shows up and engages in a lightsabre duel with Obi-Wan: _“If you strike me down, Lord Vader, you will lose your No-Claims Bonus!”_ Great stuff, it really is… it still makes me laugh just thinking about the sketch! ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259/73 "2006-07-23T18:45:54Z")
[QUOTE=E. Thorp] And I love, love, _love_ **A Bit of Fry and Laurie**. Mr. Simnock is classic of course, but the best bit is “We’re talking about language.” Pure structuralist bliss. [/QUOTE] [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hHQ2756cyD8/hqdefault.jpg "Stephen Fry & Hugh Laurie: The Subject of Language") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHQ2756cyD8) Wonderful stuff 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/intro-to-british-comedy/364259.md?page=3)