# 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:** 3
**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 28, 2013, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/41 "2013-07-28T05:43:30Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > Surely _Coupling_ is the right answer? Or is it too old? _Coupling_ was fairly successful in the UK, but I don’t think it’s going to make any “best of…” lists. It’s one of those TV series that’s competently executed and reasonably funny (like _My Family_ - which seems to get loads of flak, somewhat unfairly), but is just too unambitious and unoriginal to leave a lasting impression. ---
**Author:** ![drbhoneydew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d78d45/32.png) [@drbhoneydew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drbhoneydew)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/42 "2013-08-14T20:10:32Z")
And as if perfectly on time, Series 1 of Cabin Pressure is being repeated on 4Extra. [Episode 1](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00cb5k4) is available until next Monday. Hoorah! Or, for Bleak Expectations fans, Harumble! ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/43 "2013-08-14T20:21:20Z")
It’s stretching the decade, but what about _Spaced_? ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/44 "2013-08-14T20:26:33Z")
The only 2 british sitcoms I’ve seen in the past decade were the Office and Extras. With nobody mentioning it, I feel like I was watching the Brit version of 2 and a Half Men. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/45 "2013-08-15T01:49:18Z")
Thanks to the OP for starting this thread and turning me on to Cabin Pressure - it’s brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/46 "2013-08-15T02:30:46Z")
> [@Zjestika](#): > > I think you’d like [Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Marenghi's_Darkplace) too, if you haven’t seen it. It’s co-written and directed by Richard Ayoade and is wonderfully absurd. Yeah, it’s a pity they only made 6 episodes. > [@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! Yep, it’s a brilliant show, the first season overuses its PoV gimmick a bit but it really hits its stride in the second and I can’t think of any show better. If you like Peep Show then it’s well worth giving the Inbetweeners a look. > [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > (like _My Family_ - which seems to get loads of flak, somewhat unfairly), but is just too unambitious and unoriginal to leave a lasting impression. If you want to watch repetitive committee-written, prolefeed with childish lowest-common denominator assembly-line humour, why not just watch an American live-action sitcom. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/47 "2013-09-06T23:14:28Z")
someone has gotten hold of arthur’s recipe for “fizzy yoghurt”. one person said it was “unnervingly fizzy”. [http://chobani.com/community/blog/2013/08/quality-promise/](http://chobani.com/community/blog/2013/08/quality-promise/) ---
**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:** [November 30, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/48 "2013-11-30T18:26:05Z")
big news! mr finnemore is writing a 45 minute episode titled zurich! [http://www.neontommy.com/news/2013/11/cabin-pressure-creator-john-finnemore-announces-finale](http://www.neontommy.com/news/2013/11/cabin-pressure-creator-john-finnemore-announces-finale) ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/49 "2013-12-01T13:05:08Z")
YAY!!! And boo, that it’s the finale. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/50 "2013-12-01T14:07:07Z")
\*\*Extras \*\*by a landslide. **The Office** is also good (was that within the last decade?), though I honestly do prefer the American version a bit more. Can we count the revival of **Red Dwarf** too please? It was quite good. ---
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/51 "2013-12-02T03:51:25Z")
> [@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! Yup…awesome dialogue. I’m always worried about how they will tackle each new season, yet it always seems to deliver. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/52 "2013-12-02T11:25:44Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > _Coupling_ was fairly successful in the UK, but I don’t think it’s going to make any “best of…” lists. > > It’s one of those TV series that’s competently executed and reasonably funny (like _My Family_ - which seems to get loads of flak, somewhat unfairly), but is just too unambitious and unoriginal to leave a lasting impression. Coupling is nothing like My Family! The latter is so bad that even its stars are embarrassed about it, and the former is farcical genius. I’m now trying to find a way to listen to Cabin Pressure. Amazon UK only has it on CD - a tenner for one series! - and my phone and computer won’t talk to one another, so that won’t work. Neither will streaming, since I’d need to use it underground. Bet there is some way though. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/53 "2013-12-02T15:12:56Z")
You chaps might want to seek out _John Finnemore’s Souvenir Program_ which just finished a run in the R4 6:30 slot. The sniffer dog sketch alone is worth the effort. In a sort of double whammy J.F. was recently the guest panellist on _I’m Sorry I haven’t a clue_ where he got to play Mornington Crescent 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/54 "2013-12-02T18:40:52Z")
Just popping in to say that thanks to this thread I now own all four seasons of _Cabin Pressure_, a show I had never even heard of before. Thanks again, Dopers! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/55 "2013-12-02T23:38:52Z")
> [@Small\_Clanger](#): > > In a sort of double whammy J.F. was recently the guest panellist on _I’m Sorry I haven’t a clue_ where he got to play Mornington Crescent 🆒 He was also on the recent Children in Need episode of Only Connect - which is another show that needs its own thread - though, sadly, he didn’t get a chance to say anything funny. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/56 "2013-12-06T17:39:42Z")
I haven’t watched a LOT of recent British comedy, but put me down as another +1 for The IT Crowd. [The IT Crowd - Fire at a Sea Parks - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy_BKKnHgas) “A Fire? At a SEA PARKS? It’s a _very_ weird place to go on fire.” ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/57 "2013-12-10T21:35:48Z")
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I rather enjoy geeky t-shirts. And I don’t mind if they’re a bit obscure. I believe Cabin Pressure may have given my my very most obscure geeky t-shirt ever, referencing one of my favorite bits from the show: [Otters on a Plane](http://www.redbubble.com/people/afrox/works/8619446-otters-on-a-plane). ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/58 "2013-12-10T21:42:19Z")
That’s the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen. Sadly, there is a probability of exactly zero that I will ever meet anyone who would get the reference, including family and close friends. ---
**Author:** ![Parenchyma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Parenchyma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parenchyma)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/59 "2013-12-11T05:42:56Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I rather enjoy geeky t-shirts. And I don’t mind if they’re a bit obscure. I believe Cabin Pressure may have given my my very most obscure geeky t-shirt ever, referencing one of my favorite bits from the show: [Otters on a Plane](http://www.redbubble.com/people/afrox/works/8619446-otters-on-a-plane). Here’s some more [Cabin Pressure t-shirts and other merchandise](http://www.redbubble.com/people/redscharlach/shop) from the woman who started the [Otters Who Look Like Benedict Cumberbatch](http://redscharlach.tumblr.com/post/19565284869/otters-who-look-like-benedict-cumberbatch-a) thing. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413/60 "2013-12-11T10:08:02Z")
A lot of very fine comedy starts out on BBC R4, A lot of it is tried-out then makes the transition to TV. I am surprised that “The High Life” hasn’t done so but I suspect that Benedict Cumberbatch would now blow any potential budget for it. I do enjoy it though, not least because it contains two of the most exquisite voices ever to grace the airwaves, Mr. Cumberbatch himself and Roger Allam, who himself would have made a great stand-in Smaug. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-funniest-british-comedy-of-the-last-decade/664413.md?page=4)