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#1 Jun 06 2011 at 1:58 AM Rating: Good
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Growing up, I never had cable television. Consequently my viewing options were quite limited, and further consequently I watched a lot of public broadcasting, and furthermost consequently I gained an affection for the many British comedies they would air late on weekend nights.

I've taken to rewatching a few and was delighted to see how well they've held up. I'm currently working my way through Coupling, and even know the exact lines that are coming it's still hilarious.

Shows I've seen much of include:
The Black Adder (all seasons and the special)
Coupling
Are you being Served?
Father Ted
My Hero
Red Dwarf
Chef
Mr. Bean
Up Pompeii
The Thin Blue Line

And though it's Canadian rather than British, a special mention is deserved by The Red Green Show.


Some series I've heard I should watch include: Fawlty Towers, Yes Minister, and The Royle Family. Any other recommendations?
#2 Jun 06 2011 at 5:05 AM Rating: Good
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Monty Python
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#3 Jun 06 2011 at 5:50 AM Rating: Good
I'd de-reccommend the Royle Family and Fawlty Towers, if that's a thing we can do. TRF is abominable, Fawlty Towers is just a bit ****. Then again, so is Mr. Bean.

The Thick of It and Brass Eye are probably the best things not on that list.
#4 Jun 06 2011 at 7:27 AM Rating: Good
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How did Monty Python and Benny Hill not make the list?
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#5 Jun 06 2011 at 8:25 AM Rating: Good
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The Red Green Show is awesome. I don't know why but I love that show. I'm glad they still play it.
#6 Jun 06 2011 at 9:32 AM Rating: Good
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I'd recommend the IT crowd. I haven't seen all of it, but what I've seen has been enjoyable.

edit: apparently written by one of the guys responsible for Father Ted, if you care.

Edited, Jun 6th 2011 10:34am by Vataro
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#7 Jun 06 2011 at 10:04 AM Rating: Good
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Another Canadian comedy you should check out is "The Kids in the Hall".
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#8 Jun 06 2011 at 10:05 PM Rating: Excellent
#9 Jun 06 2011 at 10:48 PM Rating: Decent
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Kavekk wrote:
I'd de-reccommend the Royle Family and Fawlty Towers, if that's a thing we can do. TRF is abominable, Fawlty Towers is just a bit sh*t. Then again, so is Mr. Bean.

Are they just generic? I can appreciate a comedy being unfunny if it is at least unusual.
Kavekk wrote:
The Thick of It and Brass Eye are probably the best things not on that list.

I'll add them to the list, it's a long list though.
lolgaxe wrote:
How did Monty Python and Benny Hill not make the list?

I've never seen anything but parodies of Benny Hill. There's much of Monty python I haven't seen, though I've seen the movies. Overall I think it's overrated.
#10 Jun 07 2011 at 5:30 AM Rating: Good
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Black Books. Go watch it, now!
#11 Jun 07 2011 at 10:10 AM Rating: Decent
His Excellency Aethien wrote:
Black Books. Go watch it, now!


Special though, not bad to be honest but quite special.

There's also always "The Mighty Boosh", quite funny at times.
"The Young Ones" should always be seen, definitely the first season.

Fawlty towers, yes but it's fairly old. I wouldn't bother much with "Yes Minister" and definitely not with The Royle Family, although I suppose I just hate that show too much.


I've always preferred sketch shows myself though, there's a load of brilliant British ones, but I suppose it's not quite the same.

#12 Jun 07 2011 at 10:13 AM Rating: Good
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Allegory wrote:
Overall I think it's overrated.
There has been very few shows on television ever that wasn't overrated.
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#13 Jun 07 2011 at 12:32 PM Rating: Good
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I recommend Spaced, Black Books, Fawlty Towers and Yes, Minister.


Spaced
takes a trite sitcom set up, and turns it into a genial comedy about what REAL early 20 year olds were doing with their time in the 90s.

Black Books is fabulous darkish, chaotic comedy, based on a violently misanthropic handsome drunk and his two friends as they seedily spiral around a dysfunctional black hole. Well, hey, at least they have each other.

Fawlty towers is olde, and incredibly outlandish, but I really think more people love it (painfully) than not. It's about an entirely different sort of misanthrope who runs a hotel with his suffering, selfish wife; heroic, put-upon maid, unreliable cook and whipping-boy, Spanish waiter. It is just about the most jaw-dropping, effective embarrassment comedy I've ever seen, with Basil Fawlty putting his foot so far in his mouth it wound up out his **** by the end of every episode. I used to hide behind the couch, or leave the room when I watched it when I was 8, because I couldn't cope with how badly he screwed everything up.

Yes Minister
is almost as olde, but I think that the acidly dry, and painfully painful political satire has probably stayed as fresh as a daisy to this day.

Edited, Jun 7th 2011 2:34pm by Aripyanfar
#14 Jun 08 2011 at 1:04 AM Rating: Good
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Allegory wrote:
Any other recommendations?
You've got everything I've watched on your list there, so only one really bad one: You could try going through the list of Brit Coms on TVTropes. After reading a few of their descriptions, for instance, Peep Show sounds kinda interesting.

Quote:
Arguably the best sitcom on telly since the original The Office, while never being a heavy hitter ratings-wise Peep Show's strong DVD sales have won it seven series so far, with two more commissioned, and a respectable crop of awards. The show airs on Channel 4 in the UK and BBC America in the US, which also airs Mitchell and Webb's sketch show That Mitchell And Webb Look.


Hyolith wrote:
The Red Green Show is awesome. I don't know why but I love that show. I'm glad they still play it.
Seriously. Red Green is awesome. Ever read any of his newspaper columns?

Edited, Jun 8th 2011 1:12am by Poldaran
#15 Jun 08 2011 at 8:55 AM Rating: Decent
There's also "The New Statesman" with Rick Mayall, that's quite good. "Bottom" but it's a very juvenile **** and **** kind of humour though.
#16 Jun 08 2011 at 10:36 AM Rating: Good
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Oh yes, Peep Show is good, but it's not one of my forever favourites. But the premise makes for some really good comedy. It features two friends going through their social, work and love lives, in-laws and all. The hook is, that while everyone talks out loud, you also get the inside narratives of what the two main characters REALLY think about the people around them, and their actions.
#17 Jun 22 2011 at 5:23 PM Rating: Decent
The Office is arguably the best British comedy series ever. Green wing, peep show, the thick of it, all awesome. You'll probably like IT crowd. Black books, brass eye, mighty boosh are all pretty good. Fawlty towers is very old school, and it hasn't aged particularly well. The rest of the series mentioned in this thread are a bit ****.
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#18 Jun 23 2011 at 12:41 PM Rating: Good
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Would you consider shows that aren't made as comedies but have a decent amount of humor anyway?
#19 Jun 23 2011 at 5:02 PM Rating: Decent
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Ravashack wrote:
Would you consider shows that aren't made as comedies but have a decent amount of humor anyway?

i.e. Top Gear?
#20 Jun 24 2011 at 1:19 AM Rating: Good
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Overlord Theophany wrote:
Ravashack wrote:
Would you consider shows that aren't made as comedies but have a decent amount of humor anyway?

i.e. Top Gear?


I was actually thinking of something really recent: the Sherlock Holmes that the BBC released recently.
#21 Jun 24 2011 at 5:03 PM Rating: Good
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I don't know if you're in to talk shows at all, But I enjoy The Graham Norton Show. He's very funny, and usually the guests he brings on show comedy that sometimes you may never have seen from them before.
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#22 Jul 15 2011 at 9:35 PM Rating: Good
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Aripyanfar wrote:

Spaced takes a trite sitcom set up, and turns it into a genial comedy about what REAL early 20 year olds were doing with their time in the 90s.


I know its a bit of a bump but I can really recommend Spaced. I remember being round a mates and flicking through the channels (all 5, lol) and coming across Spaced. We watched a couple of seconds and thought "huh, its like they're taking the **** out of Resident Evil or something" then realised they actually were taking the **** out of it. Couldn't believe it, a TV program that not only acknowledged the existence of computer games, people playing them who wernt 6 years old, and actually making a bloody good comedy out of it.

After that I was completely hooked. Deffinately Simon and Jessica's best work!
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