We hear a lot about the Simpsons and the boys from South Park, and I love them both, but for you who get BBC America, what’s your favorite British comedy series?
I just watched Knowing Me, Knowing You, and I was laughing so hard it made me wonder what the other dopers liked.
Over…
Rick
Are you a Brit, ageless? What US shows do you get and enjoy? I don’t get BBC America, dammit, and it is frustrating seeing the schedule!
But a local station runs a good number of Britcoms, and some I will watch over and over again:
• Blackadder
• The Vicar of Dibley
• AbFab (I hear they’re doing a new season?)
I also catch Red Dwarf, Goodnight Sweetheart and Waiting for God (I idolize Diana Trent) when I’m in the mood, but the writing quality is uneven on these.
There was a one-off Christmas special last year with the entire cast of “AbFab”, but they were playing different characters – aging stage actresses looking for work.
It wasn’t funny.
“BlackAddder” and “Red Dwarf” are long-time favorites. I only recently started getting BBC America, so there are a few others I’ve heard about for years that I can add to the list, like “Chef!” (god, I love Lenny Henry. He’s so gorgeous and what a great ranter. Wonderful in “Bernard and the Genie” as well). Also “The Vicar of Dibley”, and my local PBS station has been running “As Time Goes By” with Judi Dench & Geoffrey Palmer.
Speaking of Geoffrey Palmer, I saw him in a show about 20 years ago that I remember really liking. I think it was called “Butterflies”. Does anyone else remember it?
Eve,
Nope, not a brit. A commonplace bay area Californian, luxuriating in the wonderland of rolling blackouts. (Originally from Ohio,but I’ve lived here for fourty of my 61 years.
I understand your confusion,though. I skulked for about 2 years before I got the gumption to post
You’re a writer, right? I’m envious!
How about those Pythons? Someone will have to come up with them.
Rick
“Love is like a Butterfly
as soft and gentle as I sigh.”
Not that is was a sappy as it’s theme song would indicate.Wasn’t it with the neighbor from “Good Neighbors”?
And speaking of Felicity Kendall, there’s “The Young Ones”.
The rest you aready said. “Red Dwarf”, “Black Adder”, “Chef”.
By the way, Eve and others, I get digital cable,which while expensive, is a godsend (Satansend?) to me as I rarely get out.
It’s pretty much me, the SDMB, and any good comedy or movie I can find.
Love AbFab by the way. Seen all of them a number of times.
It’s a toss-up between AbFab and Fawlty Towers.
I’m split on brit-coms. I can watch the relatively few episodes of Yes Minister and Fawlty Towers over and over without getting tired of them. Shows like ** Keeping up Appearances** and Are You Being Served usually jump the shark pretty quickly. Too many stereotypes and too much class humour maybe…
Pleasure to meet you, Eve. I am El Cordobes, the matador.
The Best: Red Dwarf “We’ve got to be crazy, talking about making love to Wilma Flintstone, it’s not gonna happen. <pause> She’ll never leave Fred and we know it.” Genius.
The Classics: Monty Python, Fawlty Towers and Blackadder.
Honorable Mention: Yes, Minister. The idea that the BBC would do political satire, and do it so well, makes American TV seem even more spineless than usual.
The Jury’s Still Out: Murder Most Horrid. I’ve only seen a few episodes, but the one with Amanda Donohoe as an assassin may have been the funniest half-hour of television ever made. Anyone else even heard of this show?
Waiting for God is far and away my favourite. When I get that age, I plan on being a male version of Diana Trent.
I’m still quoting The Young Ones and I haven’t seen it years! My friend and I couldn’t stand near each other at her grandfather’s burial because we were afraid we’d start laughing when the priest said “Ashes to ashes . . .”
I also really like Red Dwarf but I’d have to say that AbFab is my favorite. They’re all so quotable. I don’t know, maybe it’s the accents or the snorting chortle of the smarmy English, but I can’t stop calling people Sweetie Darling and/or Bitch Troll.
Can’t believe no one has mentioned ** Are You Being Served? ** yet. The most recent issue of The Wireless (PBS product catalog) has bunches of their videos on sale.
One day I’d love to shop at Grace Brothers…
Big seconds on **Monty Python, Blackadder and Fawlty Towers **
333 Eric the half a Beast
What are these Brit-ish comedies of which you speak???
OK, besides the ones already mentioned, I’ll toss in A Bit of Fry and Laurie. The local PBS showed them all once upon a time. I haven’t seen them since, but I still remember a lot. Great stuff.
Monty Python, Good Neighbors (aka Good Life), Red Dwarf, Yes Minister (& Prime Minister) (Paul Eddington was hilarious), and Alexei Sayles’ Stuff (I’ve got 4 eps on tape, wish I had them all!).
The only ones I’ve ever watched were Keeping up Appearances, Mr. Bean and One Foot in the Grave. Of those three, I really only like Keeping up Appearances.
I can’t imagine how dull and dreary my life would Be with out PBS having pioneered bringing British comedies (and MTV with “the Young Ones”) to the US.
Now with BBC America I’ve found my Comedy Mecca…
Heck they had the Weekend Marathon of Red Dwarf a few weeks ago, I didn’t leave my TV set for the whole time, only catching naps during the episodes I’d seen and the BBC World News.
I need a life!
Not much of a selection in my town. Of the few I’ve seen, I like:
Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Benny Hill
Are You Being Served?
Yes, Minister
You’re getting three shows confused.
Butterflies was about a married woman who was flustered with her life and was being slowly wooed into having an affair. (Wendy Craig, Geoffrey Palmer, Nicholas Lyndhurst)
Solo was about Felicity Kendal, newly divorced, who was pursuing a relationship - in a similar style to Butterflies. (also starring Stephen Moore)
The Good Life for some reason known in the US as Good Neighbours. (Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Paul Eddington, Penelope Keith)
At least you didn’t also mix it up with To The Manor Born (Penelope Keith), Yes Minister (Paul Eddington), (both of which had the same theme music) and various other shows where the actors all crossed over each other.
Anyway, one I haven’t seen mentioned here is The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. I dunno if you Americans have ever got a chance to see that one, but if you do I thoroughly recommend it!
It was renamed that so that we Americans wouldn’t confuse it with a 1971 sitcom with the same name. That stinker starred Larry Hagman and Donna Mills as a well-off couple who escape the rat race to become a butler & maid for a wealthy businessman. It lasted 15 episodes.