I would offer that it works the other way round just as badly, or worse. America exports more than its share of crap TV. I work for a British-owned company and have heard our foreman talk of getting “Married With Children” over there and loving it. Do I sit and clench my teeth and say “Argh” and worry that the folks of the United Kingdom are judging my culture based on this low-brow show? Of course not! That would be silly in the extreme. I take it as a matter of faith that you don’t, nor will I think that all people in the UK are extensions of the staff at Grace Brothers.
[disappointed voice]
You mean…you’re NOT?
[/disappointed voice]
On a totally different note…
I remember watching AYBS and Benny Hill and Kenny Everett when I was in primary school, probably before I was even 10. I look back now, and think WHAT the HELL were my parents thinking?!?
Well, I saw a bit of ‘Married with Children’ on one of the cable channels here, but was forced to turn off after only a few minutes after my brain made a spirited attempt to flee from the house… I couldn’t work out if it was meant to be funny in its own right, or was meant to be a spoof of sitcoms in general , all be it one that was totally unfunny.
The only reason I watched even that much was that I was vaguely under the impression that it was very popular in the states, so I wanted to see what the fuss was about… I gather it’s not as universally popular as I thought but for a while, I’m afraid I was thinking ‘What the hell are these americans on?’
Ditto what ShadowWarrior said, in the same way that the popularity of “AYBS” in the US has never ceased to amaze me, why “MWC” is in any way popular leaves me puzzled too, and that’s even with having a namesake on the show…
Personal taste counts so much in comedy doesn’t it? But some of the stuff I don’t feel ashamed of I know you’ve already had - ‘Monty Python’ and ‘Fawlty Towers’ for instance. Others to look out for?
Michael Palin’s ‘Ripping Yarns’ stuff had its moments, or try ‘Blackadder’, ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You With Alan Partridge’, ‘I’m Alan Partridge’, ‘Only Fools and Horses’, ‘The Fast Show’, ‘The League of Gentlemen’, ‘The Office’. Some of them might have had their titles changed for the US market. If you like Perry & Croft material check out ‘Dad’s Army’ - slow burn character development as well as some slapstick. There’s a variety of styles there, so if you don’t like one, try another. You’ll probably tell me you’ve seen them all and thought they were rubbish? If so it takes all sorts. But if you haven’t seen them beware - there are no “gay” gents outfitters, no looking up nurses’ skirts, no Chinese man telling “jokes” about flied lice etc.
BTW, in case you were worrying, the comedy shows you send us are certainly not all rubbish - Malcolm in the Middle was on tonight (very good), MAS*H, Cheers, Frasier, The Waltons - all hilarious.
I think everton might be refering to another thread recently that sand the praises of Keeping Up Appearences…which apparantly was not a big hit with some the Brits on this board either.
I think part of the reason we like these Britcoms in the US is because we can relate to the oddball nature of the programs. Plus, British eccentrics have always been a source of fascination here.
And as I posted on the Keeping Up Appearances thread, nothing the UK exports could come close to the embarassment of the US gift to foreigh airwaves: Baywatch.
It was definitely Tiddles…mentioned in at least 5 episodes of the original show. Probably 4x more than Mrs Slocombe’s Maiden name of 3X more than her 1st name.
Originally posted by blindboygrunt
I’m pretty sure Tiddles was said by name in the episodes where, she brought the cat to work, the cat was impregnated by a siamese cat, at least 2x on the phone with her neighbor
Originally posted by London_Calling
In the episode where the employees had to get a physical exam Mr Lucas made it a point of mocking Capt Peacocks lack of endowment. Mr Rumbold (sp?) was much further up Mr. Grace’s ass then Peacock was.
Yes, the cat was called by name but never seen until AYBSA/Grace & Fervour. Tiddles was kept out of sight whenever she was brought to the store. For example, she was hidden under a hat for one episode and in cat carriers for other eps.
Peacock was also making up for his lack of advancement in the Army. When Grace Bros. was hiring for a new Menswear junior, one applicant recognized Peacock from his army days and referred to him as “Corporal Peacock”.
everton - I have in fact seen about half of the shows you listed. Like you said, humor is subjective, but I liked most of the ones I know.
For the record, I can take or leave “Are You Being Served”.
Of the ones you mentioned, “Monty Python” and “Blackadder” are my faves, with “Fawlty Towers” coming soon after. I also have a fondness for “As Time Goes By” and “Vicar of Dibly”.
I kinda like “The League of Gentlemen”, although the humor is often more style than substance.
I saw one episode of “'Only Fools and Horses” when I visited your fine country about two years ago and didn’t care for it. Go figure.
Two of the newer British sitcoms that you really must see if you get the chance are ‘Spaced’ and ‘Black Books.’
I kinda liked Are You Being Served, but that doesn’t mean I thought it was good. It was predictable lowbrow tabloid fare, but done with a sense of fun. Just occasionally there was a really good episode, where the set-up was carried out to its most extreme conclusion, like one where … oh, what’s his name, the gay guy? … ended up dancing in a tutu. I wouldn’t mind watching that again. Wholehearted farces are almost always good for belly-laughs.
Don’t let that colour my recommendation of the other two - shows - they aren’t lowbrow at all, and if you liked Fawlty Towers, you’ll probably like Black Books.
Two of the newer British sitcoms that you really must see if you get the chance are ‘Spaced’ and ‘Black Books.’
I kinda liked Are You Being Served, but that doesn’t mean I thought it was good. It was predictable lowbrow tabloid fare, but done with a sense of fun. Just occasionally there was a really good episode, where the set-up was carried out to its most extreme conclusion, like one where … oh, what’s his name, the gay guy? … ended up dancing in a tutu. I wouldn’t mind watching that again. Wholehearted farces are almost always good for belly-laughs.
Don’t let that colour my recommendation of the other two - shows - they aren’t lowbrow at all, and if you liked Fawlty Towers, you’ll probably like Black Books.
LolaCocaCola, the Grandma is played by Meera Syal, who is much younger than her character in this show. If you like the Kumars, try the sketch show ‘Goodness Gracious Me’, by the same team. As someone who has a lot of Asian family and friends, this show really hit the mark for me - finding targets for humour that most other shows had missed.
Meera Syal also wrote a book, ‘Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee,’ which is worth a look if you like literary comedy with serious undertones that never kill the humour.
Thanks for the heads-up, QueenAl. Unfortunately we don’t get those shows, or very many British shows here in the States at all. But I will definitely check out Meera Syal’s book. Hopefully they’ll have it on Amazon.
Well, I’ll chime in and say I am a fan of AYBS? and add that I like Red Dwarf and One Foot In The Grave equally. As far as them being low-brow, I’d have to look at the context. They’re sit-coms, it’s not like I’m watching Masterpiece Theatre or something. I can’t imagine anyone putting much stock in judging a country by its sit-coms.
I can’t imagine anyone putting much stock in judging a country by its sit-coms.