Help me UK friends, I'm kind of addicted :D
By
Bella,
Posted on: 2010-06-05 01:31 in The European Lounge
I would recommend "Yes, Minister" & "Yes, Prime Minister".
See a few on you tube and well you will know why. 
Jeeves and Woster
and well I love the intellect of Hercule Poirot played by David Suchet (He simply is Hercule).
Lady Arete on Unionhandbook
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They think its all over
Only fools and horses
Open all hours
Porridge
Mock the week
QI
The jeremy kyle show [had to be said sorry!]
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I suppoprt these..Long time watcher of OFaH and its epic.. long season wise..but soo worth it|
Originally Posted by EU_Damz
Only fools and horses
Mock the week The jeremy kyle show [had to be said sorry!] |
Mock the week is just classic..but have to say Fanky B gets abit tiresome after soo long.
And nothing wrong with JK..watching the people come on..be complete fools (for a kinder word) and watch as they get told to STFU LOL
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Yikes! IT Crowd listed but no Father Ted or Big Train...|
Originally Posted by Sofiah
I've been addicted from a long time to UK TV Shows.
I know my basics : *Doctor Who, Torchwood, Life on Mars, Ashes to ashes... *The Fawlty Towers, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Ab Fab, IT Crowd, Blackadder... I recently discovered some really good jewels I've never heard of before, like: *No Heroics *Spaced *Black Books *How not to live your life *Psychoville |
On British comedy:
I'd certainly second Lady Arete's suggestions of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister (whilst mentioning that it really does tell you more about how British Politics works than most politics courses do and was actually a favourite of Mrs Thatcher).
And also Damz's suggestion of Porridge. Though I'd definitely add The Two Ronnies (if you like wordplay then Ronnie Barker and Yes Minister's SIr Humphrey Appleby should keep you happy for many, many hours
). It could be well worth checking out 'The Frost Report' (though, to my slight shame, I'm not as familiar with them as I should be).
If you like things a little surreal, then try The Young Ones and Alexi Sayle's Stuff (which struck me as very Pythonesque at times). And if The Young Ones grabs you then Bottom is probably a must...
I'd highly recommend Peep Show and That Mitchell and Webb Look.
Oh I forgot this til I wrote the next part - maybe try One Foot in the Grave.
Incidentally Bottom (think it was series 2) and One Foot in the Grave contain two of my favourite episodes of sitcom where the entire 30minute show is in one confined scene (in bottom it's two people stuck in a Ferris Wheel gondola and in OFitG it'speople stuck in a car).
It can be very hard to write something constrained this way but both do it magnificently well.
On British Drama:
Going back a bit but...
Tried Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and The Prisoner? (I'd go for the original late 60s versions)
If you've seen and liked the original Dr Who then maybe try out Blakes Seven and Space 1999 for a British 70s scifi fix. Ok - they may have dated a bit worse than earlier suggestions, but hell - I like them.
More recently, I'd suggest giving Spooks a try (though that's spy-type spooks rather than ghosties and ghoulies). Also Jonathan Creek - a crime-solving creator of magic tricks (by the same writer as One Foot in the Grave).
Hope this helps - enjoy the shows.
BTW - Plenty more where they came from when you're done... hmmm - mockumentaries: Try Operation Good Guys, This is David Lander and One of Us...
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Top gear over the last few years is amusing and Midsomer Murders
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Definitely these two!|
Originally Posted by EU_Damz
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Mock the week QI ... |
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Originally Posted by Judgement_Dave
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More recently, I'd suggest giving Spooks a try (though that's spy-type spooks rather than ghosties and ghoulies). Also Jonathan Creek - a crime-solving creator of magic tricks (by the same writer as One Foot in the Grave). ... |
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.... Jeeves and Woster ... |
I would also recommend:
* Bad Girls - good prison drama based in a Woman's prison
* The Street - good drama series with different characters and stories
* A bit of Fry and Laurie - Stephen Fry's and Hugh Lauries sketch show, it is hilarious
* Butterflies - classic but funny
* My Family - people either love or hate this but I think its quite funny (particularly the first few series)
* Shameless - funny but quite dramatic
* Agony - probably one of the funniest TV series out there
* Victoria Wood Presents - great stories with Vicky Wood's brilliant humour
* As Seen on TV - Vicky Wood's brilliant sketch show
* Not the Nine O'Clock News - another brilliant sketch show with Rowan Atkinson and others
* Girls on Top - French and Saunders with Ruby Wax in a brilliant Sitcom
* Absolutely Fabulous - Another brillian sitcom by/with Jennifer Saunders oops just saw you listed this
* Waking the Dead - brilliant cop show looking cold cases
* Silent Witness - brilliant crime show focusing on the forensic team
* Gimme Gimme Gimme - another brilliant sitcom with Kathy Burke
* Dinnerladies - another brilliant sitcom with Victoria Wood
Ok I watch to much TV
Edit - and the UK does produce some good television!!
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
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Some of my personal favourites (of the little that trickled to Sweden):
Tripods - one of my first introductions to television sci-fi.
The Prisoner - a must-see (and I'm talking about the old one from the sixties).
House of Cards trilogy - three mini-series of four episodes about... well, post-Thatcher politics. Imagined post-Thatcher politics, but nonetheless.
Spooks - one of the few secret agent shows that I enjoyed.
Neverwhere - urban fantasy, lacking in budget, not lacking in atmosphere, writing or Neil Gaiman.
Hornblower - naval drama of the napoleonic war, extremely well produced and authentic.
There's a series of Sherlock Holmes series starring Jeremy Brett that I loved, but it seems to be hard to get by nowadays (at least in Sweden). I regret not getting the big DVD box with all episodes when it was available, but at the time I couldn't afford it, and now there's just bits and pieces available.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Robin of Sherwood series when it was aired in the 80s, but it has not aged well.
Oh, and add Red Dwarf to the list.
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and how can I forget the BBC's Merlin...by the same people behind Doctor Who I think
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Aren't you missing a 'Nine' from that? |
Originally Posted by Tired Angel
* Not the O'Clock News - another brilliant sketch show with Rowan Atkinson and others
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IIRC it was Not the Nine O'Clock News - shown on BBC2 at 9pm when BBC1 usually showed the news. And if the old memory is working I think it was Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones.
So if you like that then Alas Smith and Jones may be worth watching. Amongst some great sketches it had a fantastic recurring item of Mel & Griff in head to head dialogue.
If you can't find the TV series there was an audio release of some head to head conversations...
Of course Rowan went on to Blackadder.
All I can currently recall Pamela going on to do was the excellent TV series of the book of the radio series of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy... which has to be seen/heard/read in at least one form.
Anyone know if hedgehog flavour crisps are still available anywhere?
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You might think that but I couldn't possibly comment.|
Originally Posted by Shadow_Kitty
Some of my personal favourites (of the little that trickled to Sweden):
House of Cards trilogy - three mini-series of four episodes about... well, post-Thatcher politics. Imagined post-Thatcher politics, but nonetheless. |
Yup - I'd say that between the House of Cards trilogy (serious drama) and Yes Minister/Prime Minister (comedy) you've been brought fully up to speed on UK Politics. Though reading Machievelli probably still helps...
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I agree with a few shows mentioned but i'm really surprised no-one has mentioned The Brittas Empire. That was definitely worth a few laughs!
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Thanks for pointing out my mistake there - ive updated my list |
Originally Posted by Judgement_Dave
Aren't you missing a 'Nine' from that?
IIRC it was Not the Nine O'Clock News - shown on BBC2 at 9pm when BBC1 usually showed the news. And if the old memory is working I think it was Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. So if you like that then Alas Smith and Jones may be worth watching. Amongst some great sketches it had a fantastic recurring item of Mel & Griff in head to head dialogue. If you can't find the TV series there was an audio release of some head to head conversations... Of course Rowan went on to Blackadder. All I can currently recall Pamela going on to do was the excellent TV series of the book of the radio series of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy... which has to be seen/heard/read in at least one form. Anyone know if hedgehog flavour crisps are still available anywhere? |
Just my brain thinking faster than my fingers can keep up
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
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I hope you know of its spiritual predecessor: The League of Gentlemen|
Originally Posted by Sofiah
*Psychoville
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Also
Brass Eye: Fake current issues program that occasionaly humiliated british celebrities by tricking them into supporting fake things.
Monkey Dust: Surreal satirical animation sketches. Contains such reoccuring gems as Ivan Dobsky and Mr Hoppy, Clive Pringle's excuses (NSFW punchline), and Geoff the first time cottager
The old Minder, with George Cole was very very good.
Thanks for your replies, I will try to find these, I already knew some of them ( I got all the books inspiring Jeeves, and a few research about Psychoville pointed me toward The League of Gentlemen).
A lot of the shows you've mentionned seems quite good, it's a shame that's nearly none of them crossed the channel... And french TV shows are quite awful, except for very, very rare exceptions (Kaamelott, Hero Corp) that are nearly intranslatable...
So it's a big "Thank you" to all of you, and feel free to add to the list 
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Just realised that I made a mistake and put 'One of Us' - I meant 'People Like Us'.|
Originally Posted by Judgement_Dave
BTW - Plenty more where they came from when you're done... hmmm - mockumentaries: Try Operation Good Guys, This is David Lander and One of Us...
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And some good suggestions - Big_Lunk_NA suggested some brilliant shows, but possibly a little too adult-oriented with a sick/black sense of humour for many... Brass Eye caused a media $*&%storm in the UK after a paedophillia 'special'.
Oh - and I'm a little surprised that no-one, self included, has yet mentioned The Mighty Boosh...
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my toons
Funny: Ee-Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh! #3662 * The foul-mouthed Handyman! #1076 * City of Norms #132944
Serious: To Save A Single World (#83744) * Marketing Opportunity (#83747)
you could also watch Some Mother's Do Have Em. also Merlin is due to be back soon!!, they are filming it right now! WHEE!
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Only because exposing our american cousins to unadulterated Boosh may cause irrepearable damage to the surrealist comedy filter in their brain.
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Originally Posted by Judgement_Dave
Oh - and I'm a little surprised that no-one, self included, has yet mentioned The Mighty Boosh...
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older shows that haven't been mentioned yet, but i found pretty good:
As Time goes by
Are you being served?
and for some funny movies, try the carry on flicks (the early ones)
I would personally recommend Coupling (make sure you get the UK version written by Steven Moffat (doing the current Doctor Who), not the utterly pants US one). For a taster... Try this. NSFW subject matter, but played for laughs
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I'll second the recommendations for Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister which is still one of the best comedy shows ever made.
I find Peep Show to be among the best of the current batch of UK comedies.
If you like more surreal humour then Green Wing is worth a watch.
Also I find it inexplicable that nobody in this thread has mentioned Red Dwarf. All I can say is watch it.
The UK 'Queer As Folk' is very good. Also, Alan Plater's Beiderbecke trilogy - 'The Beiderback Affair', 'The Beiderbecke Tapes' and 'The Beiderbecke Connection'.
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This is going to be a minor thread derail, but see if you can track down some of the old BBC radio comedy shows.
I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again (one of my favourites), I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, The Goon Show and Round the Horne being four series that spring to mind.
A small taster of ISIRTA.
Warning:
The above post may contain Cynicism, sarcasm and/or pessimism. If you object to the quantities contained, then tough.
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Gah... how could I forget Red Dwarf? Bella is right, if you like a little sci-fi with humor this series is one you should watch aswell.
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Originally Posted by Bella
Also I find it inexplicable that nobody in this thread has mentioned Red Dwarf. All I can say is watch it. |
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I've been addicted from a long time to UK TV Shows.
I know my basics :
*Doctor Who, Torchwood, Life on Mars, Ashes to ashes...
*The Fawlty Towers, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Ab Fab, IT Crowd, Blackadder...
I recently discovered some really good jewels I've never heard of before, like:
*No Heroics
*Spaced
*Black Books
*How not to live your life
*Psychoville
If I hadn't heard of them in a random net surfing (mostly from TVTropes and BBC Comedy Show), I could have totally miss those very great shows.
So, can you help me? Is there another great piece of UK TV culture that I must see? It can be recent, or old, I don't care, as long as it is good.
Thanks!