# Let's talk about the funniest British comedy of the last decade **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413 "2013-07-24T20:30:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/1 "2013-07-24T20:30:48Z")
As I have mentioned before, I’m a bit of an Anglophile when it comes to culture. I watch a lot of British TV, and listen to a lot of British radio. Lots more than I do their American counterparts. Of all of the recent shows I’ve experienced, there is one that is heads and shoulders above the rest. One show that makes me work not to guffaw out loud on a regular basis. That show is, of course, Radio 4’s “Cabin Pressure”. With a tiny but very talented cast, a simple premise, and amazingly great writing, this show is a master class in the art of the sitcom. It’s set in a one-plane airline, and each episode generally covers one flight. The characters are the young, inexperienced pilot (Benedict Cumberbatch - yes, THE Benedict Cumberbatch), the older, cynical copilot (Roger Allam, who was in The Thick of It, and who has one of the best voices around), the even more cynical owner Carolyn (Stephanie Cole), and her idiot man-child son Arthur, who serves as the cabin crew (the brilliant John Finnemore, who also writes the show). In later series, Anthony Head joins the cast as I think it works especially well on the radio, because it eliminates all extraneous distractions, and you are able to focus on what matters - the dialogue and the characters. So, if you’re a fan, crack open some stolen Talisker and celebrate Birling Day. Also, yellow car. If you’re not, become one. If you only know Benedict Cumberbatch from Sherlock or Star Trek, you don’t know what you’re missing. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/2 "2013-07-24T21:56:59Z")
Even though I couldn’t see it from the mouseover, something told me this was going to be about _Cabin Pressure_. Having only listened to the first season, I don’t feel qualified to rave, but I agree it is astonishingly well-done. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/3 "2013-07-24T22:32:28Z")
i bought all the series. no matter how many times i listen i scare the cats laughing. my favourites are in order ipswich, ottery st mary, qikiqtarjuaq, uskerty, vaduz, wokingham, and yvedon les bains. the reports from people who have been to the tapings are just as funny as the shows. the picture of benedict being picked up and “flown” are really funny, to see that actually happen… bust a gut. [http://24.media.tumblr.com/692658ccda97075f2c4415577bd671e0/tumblr\_moq3x4Qr3m1sokdnuo1\_500.jpg](http://24.media.tumblr.com/692658ccda97075f2c4415577bd671e0/tumblr_moq3x4Qr3m1sokdnuo1_500.jpg) finnemore had to hold the script for him. oddly i did not cotton onto the alphabetical order until someone pointed out that it couldn’t end a-y. i’m looking forward to finding out how things shake out after the events of yvedon les bains. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/4 "2013-07-25T00:05:04Z")
It is good; I’ve listened to the first series and will probably get more the next time [audible.com](http://audible.com) has a sale. However, to me, _Bleak Expectations_ is even funnier—more of the sheer silliness that I enjoy in British comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/5 "2013-07-25T00:07:38Z")
Ooooh, that’s a good contender, too. I love Bleak Expectations, and Anthony Head is amazingly funny in that one as well. I still have to give the edge to Cabin Pressure, though. The last couple of series of Bleak Expectations have been a bit same-y. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/6 "2013-07-25T01:13:48Z")
Are movies OK? **In Bruges** is mainly British and is my favorite comedy of the past 10 years(though it is also a drama in part). ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/7 "2013-07-25T02:39:29Z")
**Peep Show**. Take _Seinfeld_ and _It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia_… and make it well demented, with a nice side of drugs and hormones. Brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/8 "2013-07-25T02:49:51Z")
John Finnemore’s solo/sketch comedy stuff is even better than _Cabin Pressure_ IMHO. (As I expect you know, Finnemore writes _Cabin Pressure_, and plays Arthur, the idiot steward.) Miranda Hart’s work is also pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/9 "2013-07-25T02:52:26Z")
I’m limited in what I’ve seen, but I’ll go with _[Green Wing](http://www.hulu.com/green-wing)_. It’s set in a hospital, but rarely has anything to do with medicine; there are just a bunch of bizarre events and insane characters. No one in the show has any logical motivation at all, but they’re hilarious, as are some of the plot twists. It’s a weird format – a one-hour comedy, filled with a lot of quick gags and short scenes, separated by speeded up slapstick events. It’s certainly not for everyone, but if you get it, you’ll love it. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/10 "2013-07-25T08:14:00Z")
Psychoville had moments of brilliance and was seriously laugh-out-loud outragous at times: > **[BBC Two - Psychoville](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vw45s)** > > Dark horror-comedy from Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton of The League of Gentlemen. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/11 "2013-07-25T10:07:55Z")
Last ten years? A bit difficult. I would probably have to go for the first TV series of _The Mighty Boosh_. Some of my favourites over the last ten years have been: _The IT Crowd_ (TV) _That Mitchell and Webb Look_ (TV) _The Museum of Everything_ (Radio) _Count Arthur Strong’s Radio Show_ (Radio) _Hyperdrive_ (TV) There’s probably more that I can’t think of. My clear winner though if you go back over the last 20 (and a bit) years is the stuff that Lee and Herring did as a double act: _Lionel Nimrod’s Inexplicable World_ (radio) _Fist of Fun_ (radio and TV) and _This Morning with Richard not Judy_ (TV). Both Stewart Lee and Richard Herring have done decent stuff on their own, but nothing as good as any of the stuff they did together. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/12 "2013-07-25T10:48:48Z")
I’ve not yet heard _Cabin Pressure_ but of the Radio 4 comedies I can remember, _Bleak Expectations_ is the funniest of the bunch. (And if you like Dickensian parodies you might also try [The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0195ngq), this time for television). Also, pretty much anything Graham Linehan wrote will be the funniest thing ever. It’s practically a given. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/13 "2013-07-25T11:11:20Z")
Big up for Stewart Lee - jesus does he twist my melon, man. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/14 "2013-07-25T11:18:18Z")
This thread is quite timely for me. I just bought the first series of Cabin Pressure on iTunes _yesterday._ I have not had time to listen to it yet though. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/15 "2013-07-25T11:27:20Z")
I must admit I avoided _Cabin Pressure_ when it was on the radio, as for some reason I assumed it was a re-run of the original radio series of _The High Life_ (though googling tells me in fact there was never a radio version of _The High Life_), which I never liked when it was on the TV. When I have listened to it, it hasn’t really taken me but tbf I haven’t given it much of a chance either. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/16 "2013-07-25T13:35:06Z")
No, no. Very different. The High Life was horrible. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/17 "2013-07-25T14:04:34Z")
The only things I regularly watch are \*Never Mind The Buzzcocks \*and **Sherlock**. If you stretch things, my favorite British comedy right now is \*Episodes \*with Matt LeBlanc, Steve Mangan and Tamsin Grieg. It’s made for Showtime but shot in England with an almost all-British cast. Part of the charm is their attempts to pass so many pale and pasty Brits as being Californians. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/18 "2013-07-25T16:46:46Z")
Going back many years, but Blackadder was hiliarious… ---
**Author:** ![colander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@colander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colander)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/19 "2013-07-25T17:15:40Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > **Peep Show**. Take _Seinfeld_ and _It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia_… and make it well demented, with a nice side of drugs and hormones. Brilliant! I agree! I have not seen most of these other shows but I am not sure I could like any English comedy more than I like **Peep Show**. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/20 "2013-07-25T17:35:58Z")
I was going to mention _The Fast Show_, aka _Brilliant_, but I see that was the 1990’s. Apparently I have some catching up to do. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413.md?page=2)