Your Favorite British Comedy?

[Deja Q]

Red Dwarf
The Vicar of Dibley
Waiting for God
The Piglet Files

or name your choice! :D

[DavidDvorkin]

1. Fawlty Towers, of course

Nothing else even comes close.

[fishnfla]

4. John Kleese for sure

"The Young Ones", which used to air on MTV in the 80's

[VOX]

29. Or "Watery Fowls," as the hotel sign once read...

Classic, classic stuff. None better.

[Richardo]

70. "Flowery Twats" was another one...

I'm laughing just thinking about it... :D

[VOX]

79. I also remember "Farty Towels"...

Only 12 episodes, I believe, but timeless and classic in every way.

:toast:

[Rooktoven]

42. Except pure Monty Python

The greatest comedy ever.

[FlashHarry]

2. Black Adder; Python; Young Ones; Fry & Laurie; Harry Enfield

There are sooo many!

[fishnfla]

5. "Do you dig graves?"

"Yeah, yeah, they're alright"

[FlashHarry]

14. No! No! You can't bury Rick alive!

That's absolutely correct, Neil. We'll have to kill him first!

[grytpype]

3. You have to like Blackadder.

Thin Blue Line isn't bad either, another Rowan Atkinson show.

Other greats: The Young Ones, The Brittas Empire, One Foot in the Grave

Likeable on some level: Keeping Up Appearances, Are You Being Served?, 'Allo 'Allo, Dad's Army

[Deja Q]

8. Black Adder

The Christmas special co-starrting Nicola Bryant was geat, but I never got into the actual series... I like the premise (same people play blood relatives of their earlier selves every new season and then die a horrible death at the end of the season), I just don't dig the humor.

[FlashHarry]

17. Weird. I didn't like the X-Mas special, but loved the series!

Nos. II, III and IV, anyway.

[shanti]

6. ab fab

absolutely fabulous....great stuff!

[RebelOne]

75. Agreed

Loved that show. Wish they would revive it.

[Don_G]

7. "Lovejoy"

Comedy/mystery starring Ian McShane.

It's been off the air for a while, but it's still my favorite.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

47. In a similar vein

as Lovejoy (which was about a mystery-solving antique dealer) is Jonathan Creek (about a man who makes his living designing tricks for magicians, which gives him insight into how "impossible" crimes happened). It's also very funny.

[Rick Myers]

9. Red Dwarf (rumor: a movie is in the works!!!)

Also Faulty Towers, then Python...

[AntiCoup2K4]

12. It's not a rumor. Red Dwarf movie IS in the works

And in case anybody didn't know, Series I and II are finally out on DVD! I'm sure the rest will follow soon for all you Smegheads!

[CBGLuthier]

16. 2 seasons a year

Two lousy seasons a year so it gonna be a few to get em all. :)

[Deja Q]

23. Yeah but they only need to get to season 5 to satisfy me...

:D

[no one in particular]

36. There seem to be all the episodes of RD over on Edonkey.

Not that I would know anything about that.

[ronnykmarshall]

10. Ab Fab!

[MaineDem]

11. Currently, it's Coupling

But all those mentioned have held my Number One Favorite spot at one time.

[CBGLuthier]

13. Fawlty

Many are great. Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin, Hitchhiker's Guide, Ab Fab, but for 100% absolute packed brilliance Fawlty Towers is as good as it can ever get.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

15. Ab Fab

Men Behaving Badly
Coupling
Fawlty Towers

[Gman2]

19. keeping up appearances.

cant get enough.

[pippin]

80. Keeping Up Appearances and As Time Goes By

Hyacynth and family are hilarious. Especially love Onslo.

Judy Densch is always worth it in Time Goes by. Particularly like the actress who plays Mrs. Bale the housekeeper. What a face!!

[Ediacara]

48. Ab Fab by a mile!

[booksenkatz]

18. The Young Ones, no question about it!

[Lisa]

20. tie between "One Foot In The Grave" and "Waiting for God"

Oh, and my co-worker says he'll spill coffee on my keyboard unless I mention "Chef!" (with Lenny Henry, Dawn French's husband).

[Lorien]

65. Really?

Lenny Henry is French's husband?

[FlashHarry]

21. I take it back. It's the Goon Show, hands down!

Nobody specified television comedy. The Goons (Milligan and Sellers, in particular) were the Buddy Holly & the Crickets of modern British comedy (the Pythons were the Beatles).

[Rick Myers]

30. Oh shit!!! I have an old audio tape of a couple shows!!!

The Goon Show was EXCELLENT!!!

[jburton]

22. Waiting for God

I think I like it the most because I've seen it the least. Dark humor, starring a hellraising older woman.

It barely ever runs compared to the usual suspects like AbFab, Keeping Up Appearances, etc.

[atreides1]

24. My Favorites

Keeping up Appearances
Are you Being Served
As Time Goes By
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Days of Summer Wine
Are You Being Served, Again

[FlashHarry]

25. I take it back again! It's The Office!

Brilliant mockumentary. Sick, twisted stuff. Ricky Gervais is a genius.

[BelgianMadCow]

26. Ni ! Ni !

Monty Python and Fawlty Towers
but there are some many good new ones...Absolutely Fabulous is amazing...

the beeb rules

[Forkboy]

27. Red Dwarf

BlackAdder
Young Ones
Fry And Laurie
Alexei Sayle's Stuff
Fawlty Towers

in that order.

[Nikia]

28. Are you Being Served?

I watched in high school every evening on PBS. I thought that it was hilarious.

[Pert_UK]

32. "I usually give my pussy an airing at this time of the evening"....

And so forth....

:evilgrin:

Nice choice...very un-PC!

P.

[Must_B_Free]

66. the one where the gay salesman

pregressively dressed up like a woman to demonstrate a mink stole and ended up getting a date with the captain!

I think this was the funniest comedic episode of all time

[Pert_UK]

31. Good graphic, odd choices of Brit Com.....

Blackadder,
Brasseye,
Monty Python,
The Day Today,
League of Gentlemen,
The Fast Show,
The Young Ones,
Bottom,
The Office,
Fawlty Towers......

I don't even know what The Piglet Files is?!?!?!

Red Dwarf was brilliant early on, but got a bit tired....and the others are for my parents' age, although the Vic of Dib is sometimes amusing.

[Deja Q]

40. Odd, odd?! I never knew I was so obvious!

:D

"The Piglet Files" is a parody of MI5. Produced by LWT in the early 1990s. I know Series 1 is available on DVD. And it's downright hilarious. The show's witing quality did eventually descend to the level of "Get Smart" in its third series, but even then it was still very funny.

And what's wrong with watching shows not geared toward one's age group? :D In America, there's only one age group and the stuff aimed for it is pretty lame when not crass or reeking of commercialism when they're not airing commercials... Besides, Diana Trent should be everyone's role model! (Though the pukes can stick to emulating Harvey Baines like they ought to... :evilgrin: )

When d'you think Red Dwarf went bad? Series 5, to me, was its final gasp of greatness - though series 2 is probably THE best. Series 1 had some great ideas, but it just doesn't come off as well as series 2 did...

[TheBigGuy]

33. Ab Fab

...still one of the best.

[vixengrl]

34. Ab Fab!!!!

I find myself curiously identifying with their hedonism in a kind of "I wish" way--you know, without the spiritual emptiness part. More like the vodka shots and Rolling Stones part. Red Dwarf--I've caught many of the episodes on PBS, but I don't think I've seen any season entire except maybe the first (Pledge week marathons usually were all the first season eps.) And I've been watching "Keeping up Appearances" I'm petrified I will become Hyacinth when I'm older. (I've already seen signs.)

[no one in particular]

35. Red Dwarf, AYBS, so many more.

The only TV I watch anymore are British comedies. Can't stand American sitcoms. Tis a shame my local PBS doesn't carry as many as they did before.

[Rowdyboy]

37. Keeping Up Appearances...

Hyacinth Bucket (Boo-kay!) is my heroine.

[cosmicdot]

38. i watched an episode of "My Hero" last night

it sorta grew on me


Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No - it's health-food store owner, George Sunday (Ardal O'Hanlon, Father Ted), also known as the world's most famous superhero, Thermoman. Not being very familar with Earth's customs, Thermoman is often embarassingly honest and tends to take everything too literally.

otherwise:

To the Manor Born
Starring Penelope Keith (Audrey), Peter Bowles (DeVere), Angela Thorne (Marjory), Gerald Sim (The Rector), John Rudling (Brabinger), Michael Bilton (Ned), Daphne Heard (Mrs Polouvicka), Ben Aris (Spalding), Betty Tucker (Mrs Beecham), Daphne Oxenford, Anthony Sharp, Joyce Windsor

Blackadder
Are you being served
Keeping Up Appearances
Thin blue Line
I'm Alan Patridge
French & Saunders

[cosmicdot]

73. plus, Vicar of Dibley & AbFab to my short list

n-n-n-n-no-yes

[NightTrain]

39. Red Dwarf...

...Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Goodies, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, among others.

[bbernardini]

41. Fawlty Towers, Vicar of Dibley, Father Ted

You can't begin to imagine how pleased I was when they finally announced a "Vicar" DVD release for Region 1.

[blondeatlast]

43. Goodness, Gracious, Me . . . I think that is what it was called.

Sketch comedy by Asian Indians, could put SNL to shame.

[Wickerman]

44. The YOung Ones?

Wasn't that British? I liked that. THough I kind of like Keeping up appearances and Faulty Towers, too.

[Zero Gravitas]

45. Its...

Monty Python's Flying Circuseseseses
Fawlty Towers
Young Ones
Black Adder
Ab Fab

<cue Liberty Bell March...>

[LTR]

46. My faves

Monty Python
Mr. Bean
AbFab
Benny Hill

[Skittles]

49. Steptoe and Son

It was f***ing HILARIOUS.

[FlashHarry]

54. Another BritCom that became an American show...

Although, I liked Sanford, too.

[RushIsRot]

50. I found the Vicar of Dibley hilarious, but then...

I also liked Butterflies are Free, Are You Being Served? and Waiting for God delightful!

[Lindacooks]

51. Good Neighbors!

eom

[Lydia Leftcoast]

52. I was hoping someone would mention

Good Neighbours!

[FloridaJudy]

88. Seconded.

The "boar walking" episode had me helpless with laughter.

Quite the best thing about British comedy is that it's so dead-pan; no annoying laugh tracks. They assume you have a working brain and a sense of humor.

I still think that Monty Python rules, though.

[greatauntoftriplets]

53. Keeping Up Appearances

and As Time Goes By.

[HEyHEY]

55. OPEN ALL HOURS!!!!!

LOVED IT

[FlaGranny]

56. Fawlty Towers!!

Best ever.

[hussar]

57. Only fools and horses

Rodney you plonker

[PurityOfEssence]

58. The Two Ronnies, Python (of course), Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin

Ab Fab, The Young Ones, The Alexi Sayle Show, Fawlty Towers

[Lindsey]

59. AB FAB

IMHO some of the funniest lines in the history of T.V. ("give me the talking stick, I'll pay for the damn thing") "They need to tax the stupid people." God - what a great show!

[peterh]

60. Ab Fab…

But Bennie Hill had a knack of striking that other cord in me.

[redeye]

61. Monty Python, Yes Minister

"Minister, you don't have to actually answer all the letters you receive from your constituents. You can simply answer 'The matter is under consideration,' or sometimes 'the matter is under active consideration.'"
"What does that mean?"
"Well, 'under consideration' means, 'we've lost the file,' and 'under active consideration' means, 'we're trying to find it.'"

[rucky]

62. Wooster & Geeves anyone?

also a huge fan of Python and Black Adder.

[Pert_UK]

67. Or even Jeeves and Wooster.....

:-)

Fry and Laurie were just so obviously perfect for those roles.

P.

[Lorien]

63. Blackadder, Monty Python, Thin Blue line

Vicar of Dibley, Keeping up appearances, Chef!... I just wish there were more episodes of them all!

[EFF BrandyWine]

64. All my favorites have been listed in this thread...

but did you know that "Fawlty Towers" was not originally written to be a comedy series? John Cleese was hired to make a short film about how NOT to run a hotel, which was to be shown to a group of people in training for hotel management. When it was shown it was so funny that eventually BBC asked him to do a series. I loved the show, saw every episode a dozen times.

I thought I was the only one that enjoyed Red Dwarf, it was the zaniest show I'd ever seen. Also loved Black Adder. How is it no mentioned "Mr. Bean?" That was hilariaous. And Ab Fab was very funny. Good Neighbors was delightful and Keeping Up Appearances is genuinely and incredibly a hoot!

Monty Python remains the most clever of all. Bristish humor continues to surprise me with its freshness! Classic one was the "dead parrot" bit. It cracks me up.

[FloridaJudy]

91. Albatross!

[Pert_UK]

68. Anyone ever seen Spaced???

Buy it, steal it, get it, just watch the bloody thing.

Hilarious - rammed full of film references, sheer genius.

Tim's obsession with Jar-Jar Binks and his verbal abuse of a young child who wants to buy Star Wars merchandise is fantastic.

The Matrix piss-take is probably the best, but you'll have fun trying to spot all the refs.

P.

[SPQR]

69. Dad's Army,

Yes, Minister, followed by Yes, Prime Minister.

[GOPisEvil]

71. Good call on Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister!

Wickedly funny for a politics geek like me!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

83. I can't imagine having a series like that here

For those who haven't seen it, imagine a simplifiedf (fewer characters) very cynical and wickedly funny version of The West Wing, which is probably closer to the truth of how politics actually happen than The West Wing ever was.

[CBHagman]

84. Charlie Peters of the Washington Monthly actually...

...paid tribute to Nigel Hawthorne (Sir Humphrey) after Hawthorne's death a year or two back. If I remember correctly, Peters said "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister" were perfect depictions of government bureaucracy. The shows certainly attracted some interesting fans.

And I was sorry to see Nigel Hawthorne go. We've lost Paul Eddington, too.

[dolo amber]

72. Blue Jam

Brass Eye, Absolutely, Big Train, anything involving Alan Partridge :D

edit: Blue Jam was on the radio, so I guess it doesn't count. Also neglected to mention Python, the Young Ones, Red Dwarf and anything at all ever with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. (RIP :()

[MiddleRiverRefugee]

74. Anyone remember "Doctor In the House" from the 70's?

About medical students. Abso-freakin-lutely hilarious.
Haven't seen it in damn near thirty years. Would kill to find iton video somewhere.

[pippin]

82. Yes! Yes! Yes!

Actually there were several Drs in . . . there was Dr. in Love, Dr. at Sea. They began actually in the 50s with the books and movies starring Dirk Bogarde and Kenneth More with that wonderful acto James Robertson Justice as the Medical Chief of staff.

The original films are available on video at
http://www.learmedia.ca/product_info.php/cPath/15/products_id/103

They are funnier actually than the later series--dr. in the house is available at amazon.com

[mac56]

76. Does nobody remember "The Goodies"?

Classic.

[BigMcLargehuge]

77. Chef, Father Ted, Vicar of Dibley, and One Foot in the Grave

Fawlty Towers goes without saying, I mean, it's probably the best TV show ever produced about anything in the history of televised entertainment...

But Chef, Father Ted, Vicar of Dibley, and One Foot in the Grave are damn funny in their own right.

Gareth Blackstock is every chef I've ever worked with.

[DrDan]

78. I love The Office

then Fawlty Towers
Good Neighbors
Keeping Up Appearances

[SiobhanClancy]

81. Fawlty Towers and AbFab...

I AM Edina:)

[scarletlib]

85. "Are you Being Served?"

One of the best. Also, Red Dwarf, Black Adder, and Monte Python.

Black Adder: Jumping Jews of Jerusalem. His Black Russian CodPiece.

[chadm]

86. The Office

awesome.

[CBHagman]

87. "Fawlty Towers" is just brilliant.

And don't forget the great ensemble work on that show. And does anyone ever mention Connie Booth's contributions? Wasn't she a co-creator?


I also ADORED the TV adaptation of the first two Adrian Mole books by Sue Townsend. Those were hilarious, and the theme songs by Chaz Yankel were terrific.

Honorable mentions:

"The Last of the Summer Wine." I like the fact that the women spend their time shaking their heads over how clueless the men are, no one in the village appears to be younger than 40, and no one is ever too old to make a fool of him/herself.

"The Vicar of Dibley," particularly the Lent/Easter episode, in which everyone must give up something for Lent. Owen is forced to stop swearing, but not before getting in his last tirade: "Arse, arse, arse!"

"As Time Goes By." Great characters, gentle humor. I loved the episode where everyone tried to persuade Lionel he was going deaf, plus all the episodes at the village where Jean and Lionel have their country house.

"Coupling." Am I the only person who noticed Jack Davenport was in "Pirates of the Caribbean"?

"Waiting for God."

"A Fine Romance." Judi Dench and her real-life husband, Michael Williams, in an on-again, off-again relationship.

[It was not a pretzel]

89. Auf Wiedersehen Pet

although origeinally concieved as a drama.

To date the best series ever screened.

[Byronic]

90. Stone me!

Blackadder probably has to be my favourite

But then there is always:

The Good Life (or Good Neighbors in the US). Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington made a great team, the episode when Margo got drunk was hilarious; Richard Briers has been excellent in just about everything he has ever been in, and who could look better than Felicity Kendall in tatty clothes and wellies every week! The cast just seemed to be having a ball filming it (Kendall's giggle is just so darn infectious).

Ever Decreasing Circles: Not as well known as The Good Life and so under-rated in my opinion. Richard Briers plays Martin Bryce, an irritating yet endearing pillar of the community, driven to distraction by a smooth charming neighbour (Paul) that seems to be everything that Martin is not. Top stuff!

Dad's Army: The perfect cast. From the pompous Captain Mainwaring, the laid back Sgt Wilson (John Le Mesurier - "Do you think that's wise, sir?"), the dour Scotsman Fraser ("We're doomed! doomed!"), Corporal Jones ("They don't like it up 'em!"), Pike ("you stupid boy!") Godfrey ("May I be excused?") to bit part characters like the Vicar, the Verger and Hodges, the Greengrocer. This was the last line of defence against Hitler's hordes? He never stood a chance!

Hancock's Half Hour: A real oldie but a genuine classic. Tony Hancock, one of the true greats of British comedy, often joined by Sid James (who had surely the filthiest laugh in Britcom history). The only thing better than this was the radio version. "A pint? Why, thats very nearly an armful! I'm not walking around with an empty arm for anyone!" - Hancock, the Blood Donor.

Only Fools And Horses: So many brilliant moments. From Del falling through the bar in the trendy wine club to the falling chandelier to 'Batman and Robin'. John Sullivan created characters that people not only laughed at but cared about. Lovely Jubbly!

You Rang Milord?: Not many people liked this but I loved it. Comedy mixing the casts of Hi-Di-Hi and It Aint Half Hot Mum in a 1920s aristocrats home. Superb performances all round. Lord Meldrum was so dead-pan as to be perfect; Paul Shane was great as Stokes the crooked butler, Su Pollard delightfully dippy as the naive Ivy the Maid but Michael Knowles stole the show as the Honorable Teddy, a Wodehousian style characer with one difference: his weakness for maids. He is constantly driven mad with desire by the smell of carbolic soap and their shiny scrubbed faces.
Critics hated this, but in the words of the Hon. Teddy: "Bally Cheek!"

Jeeves and Wooster with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie was also sublime. Was this the greatest adaptation of the works of 'The Master' PG Wodehouse? Indeed it was, old fruit! What Ho!

[Harrumph]

92. AbFAb.....

Edina: "You are what you eat, darling."
Saffy: "Well then that makes you a large vegetarian tart."


Keeping Up Appearances (Onslow is a gem)

Red Dawn (With the size of this space ship, why do the two who hate each other room together?)

The Young Ones (Disgustingly, grossly funny)

The Royal Family (Actor who is Onslow (above) is also on this series)