I cannot believe that no-one has yet mentioned “'Allo, 'Allo”. Personally, I think the adventures of Rene and Gruber, not to mention Mimi, Michelle, and Yvette were some of the best stories ever. I made a point of taping all the episodes, and then organizing them in order. (Yeah, Elkman needs a life!) I enjoyed “Are You Being Served” until Mr. Lucas left, then they kind of lost it. “Chef!” is really funny too, but “Absolutely Fabulous” totally did not grab me.
I also loved “Fawlty Towers” but have seen it (as well as “Mr. Bean”) so many times that I’m totally sick of them both. I’m lucky that I get 2 PBS channels here on cable, so that I can watch as many Britcoms as time allows.
No I’m not. I’m confusing two shows. Or actually two actresses. And your also wrong about me not mixing it up with “To the Manor Born”, that’s exactly what I was mixinng it up with. I knew I’d seem Penelope Keith somewhere else other than “Good Neighbors” (ok “The Good Life”) and I was thinking it was “Butterflies”. Haven’t seen either one in a while.
I’ve never heard of “Solo”. I know Felicity Kendall wasn’t in “The Young Ones”. But if you don’t know why I made that leap you haven’t seen “The Young Ones” .
And yes, I’ve seen and liked “The Fall and Rise Of Reginald Perrin”.
And I most certainly know about Felicity ‘Treacle’ Kendal and her Young Ones link. Frankly, if I was in Rick’s place, I would be upset about Vyvyan’s remark too.
No-one has mentioned Rising Damp (Leonard Rossiter, Francis deLatour Richard Beckinsdale) Do you get it over there?
Leonard Rossiter also made a series called Trippers Day - about the manager of a small supermarket. It was very good but he died after recording six episodes.
And what about:
Porrige
Open all hours
Only Fools and Horses
Spike Milligan’s Q series
Yeah, SODA, I like smack the pony,too.
Wow, that sounds a little like I’m no talk english too good, and I like to sit around smacking my pony most of day.
Anyway, it’s more like a sketch-com. Whew, it’s late.
The classics, of course (Blackadder, Flying Circus). Of the recent shows, I think The Vicar of Dibley is great. I’ve yet to see an episode that didn’t have me rolling.
It’s easy to mix Butterflies with Solo. They’re both written by Carla Lane who I hate :(. Every character she writes is the same and every speech they make is interchangeable from character to character. It’s the same long, whining, drone of pointless wimsey (basically Carla thinking aloud I reckon).
Q: Do you dig graves? A: Yeah, they’re alright. (I’d like to dig Carla’s, hhmmph)
Sorry, that’s enough moaning. I didn’t mean to bring all you Dopers down or anything.
We’re not that far removed from those folks across the pond and are fortunate that the venerable CBC carries a good number of British programming. PBS and YTV carry quit a few programs as well so we can get pretty well all of them here.
With that being said I have to agree with many that Red Dwarf is smegging hilarious and I live for PBS’ marathons.
You have to love Lister.
We are huge fans of Ab Fab and have the boxed set of every episode. I am a great fan of Lenny Henry and Chef! is a show I think too many people miss out on. He is the king of the rant.
I was at the track a while ago (I coach Special Olympics) and one of the staff there was a recent arrival to Canada. We got to talking and she was bemoaning the fact that she was missing her favourite shows. I let her know that she could watch “Are You Being Served”, “Keeping up Appearances”, and “Yes, Prime Minister” back to back every evening. We even get Coronation Street every afternoon.
I was really amused to hear Saphy and Bubbles doing some of the voices on “Chicken Run” and it brought to mind one of Bubbles best lines…
“Somedays I don’t even need to wear a bra… that’s what I’d like, grrreat pendulous brreasts”.
Last Of The Summer Wine is a “show about nothing in particular” that predates “Seinfeld” by about 15 years
and is still in production. Set in a village in Yorkshire and its surrounding countryside, it features 3 geriatric buddies who do outrageously age-inappropriate things.
The supporting cast is excellent, as well. Edie Pegden, the
mechanic’s wife who puts down newspapers on her floors before she’ll let husband Wesley inside from his garage is writer Roy Clarke’s low-budget, small-town version of his Hyacinth Bucket character. The other town crones are also
a hoot.
One Foot In The Grave was one that took a couple of episodes to warm-up to, but it’s wickedly funny. Bill Cosby bought the American rights to the show and he and
Pyllicia Rashad damn near sucked all the life from it.
Cosby lost his edge years ago and everything he does now
has to be all nicey-nice. Victor Meldrew ISN’T nicey-nice,
neither is his tart-tongued wife.
GOOD black actors could have Americanized this show, but Mr.
Jello and Ms. Black June Cleaver Wannabe–No f—ing way!!!
Not exactly a Brit-com, but since it’s on BBC America, I’ll throw it in:
My wife is obsessed with “Changing Rooms”, a show in which neighbors (or would that be neighbours) redecorate a room in each others’ houses without their input.
Red Dwarf takes the cake for me. Followed closely by Python, Fawlty Towers and anything by Rowand Atkinson (sp?) (Blackadder, Thin Blue Line, and Bean, the series (NOT the horrid movie)).
There is nothing wrong with Are You Being Served? or the Vicar of Dibley.
Funny part is, I don’t have a TeeVee, but have tapes of some or all of the above shows.
Won’t bother relisting the ones I love that have been listed (too…many… Break…keyboard…’
Mulberry - about the son of Death, training to take over for his dad, who manages to finagle his first job an extra year (IIRC) and sticks with her through it all. Charming.
As Time Goes By - Judi Dench and Geofry Palmer as a couple who fell in love before the Korean War, got separated, and get back together after 40 years. Gets the romantic in me all swoony.
Wow, I haven’t seen “Rising Damp” in a long time
I enjoyed “Bless Me, Father”, among many of the ones listed here.
I’d better start watching “Red Dwarf” sometime soon; sounds like I’ve missed out on a good show.
Funny story (don’t I always have one?):
My sister and I realized that we are living “Keeping Up Appearances” in real life:
my mom IS Hyacinth,
my dad IS the poor put-upon husband,
our next door neighbors ARE the poor put-upon next door neighbors,
my aunt IS the well-to-do sister (except my uncle is not a cross-dresser and they don’t have a pony).
Told the next door neighbor: she fell out of her chair from laughing so hard and broke her teacup (no hand-painted periwinkles, though).
.