Looking for Recommendations on British Comedies

[On the Road]

My daughter is turning 17 and just returned from a class trip to England. She took a great liking to BBC comedies and wants to have a birthday party around that theme.

As a present, I would like to buy her several DVDs of British shows. Am wondering if anyone can recommend any of the following shows which were listed by the BBC as among their Top 50 all-time comedies:

from Top 10
Only Fools and Horses
Dad's Army
Porridge
Open All Hours
The Good Life

Other Top 50
One Foot in the Grave
Father Ted
Keeping Up Appearances
'Allo 'Allo!
Last of the Summer Wine
Steptoe and Son
Men Behaving Badly
Red Dwarf
The Royle Family
Are You Being Served?
To the Manor Born
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
The Likely Lads
My Family
Drop the Dead Donkey
Rising Damp
Dinnerladies
Hancock's Half Hour
The Young Ones
Till Death Us Do Part
Butterflies
The Thin Blue Line
Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights
Waiting for God
Birds of a Feather
Bread
Hi-De-Hi
The League of Gentlemen
I'm Alan Partridge
Just Good Friends
2.4 Children
Bottom
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
The Brittas Empire
Gimme Gimme Gimme
Rab C. Nesbitt
Goodnight Sweetheart

(Note -- I took off a few which I'm already familiar with such as Fawlty Towers, Absolutely Fabulous, and The Office, which are all great. But it does not have to be restricted to this list.)

Angie appreciates clever verbal humor, but her favorite genre is gangster comedies. We both loved Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. Would appreciate any input. Thanks.

[Critters2]

1. I'm a HUGH Red Dwarf fan, but it tends to be an acquired taste.

My mom completely loved "Keeping Up Appearances". When she'd come to visit, the first thing she'd do was look at the TV listings to see when "KUA" was on Iowa Public TV. And then we'd arrange the rest of her stay around that ;)

[JVS]

2. holy smeg!

[Critters2]

3. Smeg off, you!

Smeggin' smeghead.

[JVS]

4. .

:cry:

[Critters2]

5. There, there. Let me heat up a little gazpacho soup for ya. nt

[JVS]

6. .

:-)

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. I've never seen 'Dad's Army,' but

it's supposedly the most-beloved of all Britcoms.

"Keeping Up Appearances" and "Are You Being Served?" are classics (as are others on the list, but I haven't seen much of them), and I quite like "Butterflies."

Of course, there's "Monty Python's Flying Circus" — the best thing, of all things, in the history of everything. But not everyone "gets" it.

Oh — just FYI, "Steptoe and Son" was the forerunner of America's "Sanford and Son."

[Forkboy]

8. The Young Ones or Red Dwarf

Bottom is pretty funny too.Also,is you like Ab Fab look for French and Saunders,which is great.

edit - Oh,and Blackadder is awesome too.

[Reverend_Smitty]

9. I loves me some Britcoms...

Father Ted is a sort of a wacky comedy show that is set on a remote Irish island and focuses on the misadventures of 3 inept priests and it's a hysterically funny show. I'm Alan Partridge starring Steve Coogan is based on a pompous talk show host who is constantly putting his foot in his mouth. That particular show follows Alan around in a faux documentary style after he had been sacked from the BBC after an unfortunate "shooting" on live TV, and it focuses on his life living in a motor lodge in Norwich. It's a make you cringe and laugh much like Ricky Gervais does...His faux talk show, "Knowing Me, Knowing You" is also worth a look and is the prequel to "I'm Alan Partridge"

A few that aren't on that list that I would also recommend are Blackadder starring Rowan Atkinson who is wonderfully witty and the complete opposite of his Mr. Bean character, it also has a stellar supporting cast that include Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry...plus it's set in a different historical setting in each season. Another great series is "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" which is a sketch comedy from the late 80s to mid 90s and most of it revolves around great wordplay...only the first two seasons are available on DVD in the US so far.

[dropkickpa]

21. Keeping with the Hugh Laurie theme

I really like Jeeves and Wooster (another Fry and Laurie project)!

[NMDemDist2]

10. i loved "To the Manner Born" and Keeping up Appearances

Are you being served, not so much

[Nicole]

11. Keeping Up Appearances is my favorite.

I love Hyacinth Bucket! Pronounced Bouquet! :rofl:

[SKKY]

12. One I didn't see on this list is "Dave Allen at Large"...

...which is absolutely hysterical.

[bullwinkle428]

23. One of the funniest shows I've ever seen, in my opinion,

although I'm not sure if the OP was looking for sitcoms, specifically. Dave Allen at Large was more like the "Chapelle's Show" of its time, in that it was a blend of live stand-up (even though he sat in a chair) in front of a studio audience along with pre-taped sketches.

Brilliant religious satire that was hilarious without being mean-spirited in any way...

[SKKY]

57. Goodnight. Thank you. And may your god go with you...

That show used to come on at 11:30pm on WLKY in Louisville when I was like 13 or 14. I used to watch it, and tell my classmates the next day about it who thought it was the dumbest thing in the world. I felt like a freak for staying up so late to watch it. But, what can I say, it was very funny stuff.

[KingDaevid]

61. "Dave Allen at Large"

---always struck me as a British (Irish? Allen was from Dublin IIRC) variant on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," very heavy on blackout sketch gags. I found a 20-year-old videotape in my collection that had three episodes taped from WTTW Chicago, before Allen had the BBC withdraw the series from syndication, and indeed the Allen show has aged much better than Rowan & Martin's...

[IntravenousDemilo]

13. Yes!!! "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin"!!!

Leonard Rossiter was a genius and the character of Reggie was the pinnacle of a great comic career (he was almost as good in "Rising Damp", but not quite). "Reginald Perrin" is a serial sitcom about a man who's sick of life and having a severe midlife crisis. He works in a routine, soul-destroying job as regional sales manager for Sunshine Desserts, and he has an unforgettably awful boss, a wife he loves very much, a secretary he secretly lusts after, a ne'er-do-well brother-in-law who's always hitting him up for five pounds or a free meal, a son who's a struggling actor, and a level-headed daughter who's married to an insufferably tweedy, humourless, granola prig who makes foul-tasting wine from turnips and other unlikely things.

Reggie leaves all this and fakes his own death in order to start a new life, but he just can't stay away. And that's just in the first of the three series. I think it's just about the best British comedy ever, and that includes the brilliant "Fawlty Towers", so that's saying a lot. There's a lot of terrific, crackling verbal humour, especially from Rossiter and Geoffrey Thornton, who plays the brother-in-law, but there's plenty of low comedy in the show, too, as well as a great deal of warmth. You can see clips here: http://www.leonardrossiter.com/reginaldperrin/index.html.

I'd also highly recommend "Monty Python's Flying Circus", "Blackadder", "Father Ted" (although not technically British), "I'm Alan Partridge", just about anything with Harry Enfield, "Drop the Dead Donkey", and the first few seasons of "Red Dwarf".

I also have a bit of a soft spot for "Are You Being Served?", "Doctor in the House", and "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em". Plus, if you can find any recordings of "Not Only...But Also" with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, snap 'em up!

[IntravenousDemilo]

62. Whoops, I meant Geoffrey Palmer, not Geoffrey Thornton (who doesn't really exist).

I didn't get where I am today by not knowing the difference between Geoffrey Palmer and a non-existent Geoffrey Thornton.

[Orsino]

14. Can Blackadder not get some love?

Perhaps Python is a little too dated for your list, but Adder is timeless. Like a fine watch.

[bif]

31. Blackadder is the funniest BritCom I've ever seen, followed by...

Faulty Towers.

[Orsino]

32. I find Fawlty painful to watch.

It's so good it hurts.

[Forkboy]

59. "Fresh horse!"

Brian Blessed steals series 1.

[emmajane67]

15. She may have been into the NEW British Comedy too.

Peepshow
The Mighty Boosh
Little Britain

And various other skety-type shows that may be on. You might pick up something on Amazon, I know comedies above have DVDs out.

[RebelOne]

16. I love Absolutely Fabulous. But, unfortunately, that series

wouldn't be appropriate for your 17-year-old, since it shows drug use. But it is hilarious.

[hippywife]

17. The Vicar of Dibley

is loads of fun. I love Dawn French!! Doens't fit the gangster comedy genre but...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/vicarofdibley/

[mainegreen]

19. That is a funny show.

I love the townsfolk on that show!

[geardaddy]

49. Yes, I like the V of D

[geardaddy]

54. French and Saunders is good too.

Sketch comedy.

edit: spelling

[T_i_B]

18. Phoenix Nights

Peter Kay is brilliant!

I'd also reccomend 'Allo 'Allo, Dad's Army, Father Ted and The Young Ones. But much of the more modern stuff such as The Mighty Boosh is just dreadful and best avoided.

[TOhioLiberal]

20. I recommend:

'As Time Goes By' which stars Judi Dench. The local PBS station replaced 'Are You Being Served?' with this about a year ago. I thought that I wouldn't like it, but it is excellent!

[RFKHumphreyObama]

22. Hmmm...

I watched British comedies from an early age in my life so have seen a considerable number of those on your list. I'll give my comments on the ones I know. Please understand that I am trying to think of what would appeal to your daughter's age group


<One Foot in the Grave>
An enjoyable, wonderful and worthwhile series but I can’t help wondering whether your daughter may find the humor in this one –mostly revolving around an old couple –slightly boring.

<Father Ted>
Worthwhile. Some adult humor but nevertheless enjoyable and worthwhile viewing and I think it would appeal to a wide variety of age groups

<Keeping Up Appearances>
Any age group would find this very entertaining –the main characters involved and the situations that Hyacinth Bucket gets involved in are hilarious

<'Allo 'Allo!>
Very funny with very understandable and down-to-earth humor. Some adult references but it’s a harmless show

<Men Behaving Badly>
I wouldn’t recommend this for a 13 year old. Too much adult humor, raunchy themes/sexual references and crude themes. Enjoyable viewing but I’d wait until she was older

<Red Dwarf>
Enjoyable viewing but an acquired taste. Nevertheless maybe your daughter will acquire that taste so it may be worth a try


<Are You Being Served?>
Never liked this show but it is probably an appropriate choice for that particular age group


<To the Manor Born>
Don’t remember this show much but I think this would probably be a series that your daughter may like so it could be worth introducing her to it


<Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em>
See “are you being served?”

<My Family>
One of my favorite British sitcoms of all times. I’ve almost died from laughing at this series and, although it does have some adult references, I’ve found it immensely entertaining and I think it is suitable for all age groups. Highly recommended

<Drop the Dead Donkey>
Hilariously funny but does contain some adult humor and references. Also consider that the series was produced during the Thatcher and Major years and at the advent of the Blair government so many of the humorous references on the show to news/current events may be outdated and puzzling to someone who didn’t live through those times and also keep in mind that several of the public personalities referenced in the show are British and may not be recognizable to a foreign audience


<Dinnerladies>
Never liked this show and could never understand what its appeal was. I found many of the jokes crude and unfunny and unlike “Are You Being Served?” and “Some Mothers Do Have ‘Em”’, I do not recommend this one even after discarding my personal dislike for the show

<The Thin Blue Line>
Hilariously funny, if a little crude and adult at times. Nevertheless Rowan Atkinson does well in this and I think it would have quite a broad appeal

<Waiting for God>
Great show if a little crude and adult in terms of references/themes at times. Again, like “One Foot in the Grave”, much of the relevance and humor of the show may not appeal to a younger audience but then again I watched it at around your daughter’s age and enjoyed it

<Birds of a Feather>
Funny, I was a year younger than your daughter when I started watching this. It can get a little boring and repetitive at times but overall largely an enjoyable series with plenty of good dialogue and wonderful one-liners. A small proportion of the humor is slightly outdated but I still immensely enjoy the show in reruns so it’s still very funny



<2.4 Children>
Suitable I think for all age groups –I was your daughter’s age when this came on TV and I found it entertaining and enjoyable viewing


<The Brittas Empire>
Another TV series that was showing when I was about your daughter’s age. Some of the humor is slightly adult but overall a good show

I’d also recommend that you consider “My Hero” –it’s basically about a super hero who comes to earth and him adjusting to life on earth. It sounds like a childish premise for a show but it’s actually not a children’s show –indeed I’d think twice about showing it to a kid under 12 –and is quite entertaining. It contains some adult humor and references but still a show that will appeal to a diverse age group IMO.

“Ab Fab” is a tough call. It does contain quite a lot of adult humor/references but at the same time I watched the show –as did most of my friends –when I was in your daughter’s age group and we enjoyed it. But if you want to err on the side of caution, then wait until she’s a bit older. The same applies to the “Vicar of Dibley”, although to a slightly lesser extent

If your daughter is in to the more mature comedy type, comedies starring Penelope Keith are usually a good place to start. For more down-to-earth type everyday life comedies, I’d definitely recommend “My Family”, My Hero’ and “2.4 Children”

[On the Road]

36. Thank You for That Encyclopeidic Set of Reviews

I am looking through You Tube Clips to make a final decision.

One Edit: I'm liking the YouTube clips of The Thin Blue Line and Drop the Dead Donkey.

[aljones]

24. At Home with the Braithwaites

your daughter might like this series....i really enjoy it!!!

[Nickster]

25. Father Ted and Young Ones from your list. Two of my favs. n/t

[GirlinContempt]

26. Black Books and Spaced

[ghostsofgiants]

41. I'll second those suggestions.

[skyblue]

27. Posh Nosh is a great show I don't know if it still airs tho'

[geardaddy]

52. Richard E. Grant is brilliant.

[Little Wing]

28. I'm Alan Partridge was good

[Courtesy Flush]

29. How could you forget Mr. Bean?!

[bbernardini]

30. Both Father Ted and Vicar of Dibley are brilliant.

I suppose I'm a little biased toward "Father Ted," since my mother is from Ireland, so the jokes make a little more sense to me. I've been renting "Only Fools and Horses" from Netflix, but the later seasons are getting a bit too dramatic for my liking.

"Steptoe and Son" features Wilfred Bramlett, who played Paul McCartney's grandfather in "A Hard Day's Night." It was also the inspiration for "Sanford and Son."

[On the Road]

33. You're the Only Person to Mention Fools and Heros

even though it was #1 on the BBC's list. I had never heard of it. What did you think of the first couple of seasons?

[bbernardini]

35. They're quite good. I hadn't heard of it until my uncle mentioned it to me.

"My Hero" is also very good, and features Ardal O'Hanlon from "Father Ted." However, I don't know if it's available on DVD in the US though.

[myrna minx]

34. Little Britain, Black Adder, Mr Bean, Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin,

Vicar of Dibley, Father Ted, Faulty Towers, various The Comic Strips Presents are my faves...

[AlCzervik]

37. The young ones, Spaced and any of the Black Adder's.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

38. "Spaced" is a must if she liked Shaun & "Hot Fuzz"

It's by the same people (with the addition of the great Jessica Stevenson):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002LXU6I/

From that "top 50" list, I'd recommend (for a 17 year old)

Only Fools and Horses (although much of this has dated quite a lot)
One Foot In The Grave
Father Ted
Men Behaving Badly
Red Dwarf (especially if she has an interest in sci-fi)
The League of Gentlemen
I'm Alan Partridge
Gimme Gimme Gimme

although be aware that some of the language & content is a lot stronger than the typical US network fare. I'd also add "Coupling" (a bit of a Friends knock-off, but very much its own show (bar the final series which is atrocious), "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (a spoof chat-show by the fictional character Alan Partridge, who went on to star in the sitcom that bears his name), "Blackadder" (just wonderful; skip series 1 for the start because it's very weak), "Black Books" (Irish bookseller who loathes the general public) and "The Vicar of Dibley" (Dawn French as a female priest in a country village, written by Richard "Four Weddings" Curtis. You also can't go wrong with a spot of Reeves & Mortimer in their heyday ("Vic Reeves Big Night Out" & "The Smell of Reeves & Mortimer").

Currently very popular & on DVD (although I'm not a fan) are "Little Britain" (sketch show), "Green Wing" ('surreal' hospital set sitcom/sketch show) and "The Mighty Boosh" (lots of animal whimsy and general weirdness). There's also "Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please" which is written by and stars late teens/early twentysomethings. It's popularity is a mystery to me, but it's well liked and in something like its fifth series.

Far, far less popular (although more down to the fact that the BBC treated it like utter crap) is the truly wonderful "15 Storeys High" about tower block life in London.

For my money, "The Day Today" and "Brass Eye" is where it's at. The former is a spoof news program helmed by Chris Morris which ran for six episodes in 1994 (& was preceeded by an equally great radio show called "On The Hour"). The latter was Chris Morris' baby & is a fake current affairs program which a fantastic blend of angry satire, weird wordplay and celebrity conning. Although they're both over a decade old, they stand up incredibly well. Here's a couple of clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp6rdeROfbE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bq_dkPkQUU

(NSFW - contains swearing)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0GxUxKZdHk (from the drugs episode of Brass Eye; Morris invents a drug called Cake and tricks various celebs into condemning it)

[On the Road]

40. I Was Absolutely Going to Buy Spaced

but unfortunately it seems to be available only in Sector 2.

Thanks for the clips. I looked at a number of them. This is a whole new world.

[TheMightyFavog]

53. If hse liked Shaun and hot Fuzz...

Try Hyperdrive. You'll have to download it off the internet, as it's not available here in the US.

[VLC98]

39. Some of them are ancient...

for example, Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe & Son are classics, but made in B&W and probably too outdated for a 17 year old. My favorites from the 70's would be Rising Damp, Dad's Army, Porridge and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, but I would've been about 10 then and I haven't seen them since, to judge if they really were funny. I enjoyed Butterflies, but it made me feel sad at the same time and I don't think it would be a young persons cup of tea. It starred a great actress called Wendy Craig as a lonely, taken for granted housewife, with two grown sons that hated her cooking. One of the sons went on to star in Only Fools & Horses, which was incredibly popular, but not with me. I can't remember his name, but the husband from Butterflies has been in loads of things, including As Time Goes By, with Judi Dench, which I think is rubbish.

My favorite from your list is I'm Alan Partridge, but I would recommend Extras (Ricky Gervais) which was on HBO recently. I would add that both of them are rude in places, in case that's a consideration.

[ghostsofgiants]

42. Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, Black Books, Spaced, The Mighty Boosh

Those are my favourites. And The Young Ones, but you've already got that one there.

[DrDan]

43. Good Neighbors, Fawlty Towers, The Office, and Keeping Up Appearances

[slj0101]

44. Definitely Fawlty Towers.

I laughed myself into suffocation several times watching that program.

If she likes low-brow comedy, I highly recommend the Young Ones.

[hyphenate]

45. I haven't seen all or even a lot of these

myself, but I have seen a few of them.

Back in the early 70s, there was one--I "think" it might have been "Doctor in the House" about some interns and the trouble they got into. It was mostly in B/W, though for some reason, I seem to remember several--or the last--season in color. It was a lot of fun.

With BBCAmerica, now, I've had the opportunity to see more of them, though even there, the network seems fixated on specials, dramas and "reality" shows.

I have enjoyed what I've seen of "Father Ted" and "My Hero" though I haven't seen as many of them as I would like. "Fawlty Towers" of course is an incredible gem that no one needs convincing is comedic genius. "Keeping Up Appearances" always brings a smile to my face, though some of the episodes are painful to watch--Hyacinth's husband deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for putting up with her some of the time! I prefer to see Pat Routledge doing "Hetty Wainthropp" because she is such an incredible talent.

Another favorite is seeing Dame Judi Dench in "As Time Goes By" because she seems a lot more approachable in this series than thinking of her in a lot of her film roles. Unfortunately, the show requires some time and patience to get the nuances of the characters, and I don't know if a 17 year old can wait for that to develop. On the other hand, if your daughter likes great characters, I would definitely recommend it.

While British comedy tends to be far better for the most part than American comedies, they've made some stinkers as well. Check Wikipedia for information on some for which no one has seen, and perhaps there is a reason why no one watched them! :)

[BreweryYardRat]

46. Seconding The Vicar of Dibley.

One of the best shows ever-at least, so far as the first 3 series/seasons go, I haven't seen the others.

"Sorry I'm late. One of my cows exploded."

[vino]

47. My recommendations from the list are:

Dad's Army - timeless comedy, but a lot of the comedy does require an understanding of the subtleties of the British class system so she may miss some of the jokes.

Father Ted - surreal and hilarious.

The Royle Family - funny family based comedy and should still be funny even if you don't know working class British culture

Drop the Dead Donkey - excellent series the jokes about media behaviour will always be funny but the references may be dated now


Dinnerladies - great female ensemble acting, it's set in a canteen kitchen. Might be a little old for your daughter as the jokes are made by women of a certain age.

The Young Ones - very funny at the time, but as it was based on student life a lot of the references will now be very dated.

Hancock's Half Hour - this was made in the 1960's and will be a slice of history, timeless jokes but maybe a bit challenging.

Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin - an absolute classic, made in the 1970's too funny for words it is about a man who apparently lives a dull suburban life and a lot of the comedy is his response to the situation.

Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights - I found it funny, it is set in a particular subculture of low rent cabaret acts appearing at a social club

The League of Gentlemen - utterly surreal. I would highly recommend this one.

I'm Alan Partridge - clever media based comedy in which Alan Partridge is the unwitting butt of the jokes while imagining hinself the hero.


If you are after clever comedy try Chris Morris http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/d/daytodaythe_66602470.shtml

The Day Today is the show which spawned Alan Partdrige

Otherwise your best bet is The League of Gentlemen

[geardaddy]

48. The Office (the original)

Also, I lurrrrve Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.

On edit: Oops, sorry, I didn't read the end of your post. You already noted The Office.

[Rambis]

50. Coupling is very funny

Cold Feet also very good
(British) Men Behaving Badly


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237123/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101143/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168596/

[MysticalChicken]

56. Agree on Coupling

I actually haven't watched it for a while but I still think it's hilarious.

Never seen Cold Feet or (British) Men Behaving Badly though.

[geardaddy]

51. Little Britain is quite funny.

and it's current, so she may appreciate it.

[On the Road]

55. Thank You, Everyone, for All the Input

After several hours of looking at YouTube clips, I ordered:

-- Fawlty Towers
-- The Thin Blue Line
-- 15 Stories High

and will try to download Hyperdrive and Spaced. A lot of the others looked good. It's hard pick up a sense of any show in short clips.

Monty Python and Absolutely Fabulous are old favorites old favorites and she might have The Office already. Also stumbled on Archangel, a BCC international thriller starring Daniel Craig (she loves James Bond, especially the Casino Royale remake).

[Forkboy]

60. Archangel is a good flick,I thought.

Craig is awesome in both Enduring Love and Layer Cake as well.

[martymar64]

58. Definitely the Young ONes

The rantings of Alexei Sayle as the Bulofski family are priceless.

Also favoured:

Keeping Up Appearances
Allo Allo
Monthy Python
Blackadder
Mr. Bean
Bottom
Ab Fab
French and Saunders
Benny Hill
Comic Strip (especially Bad News Tour)
Thin Blue Line

[Deja Q]

63. Why not these?

Alexei Sayle's Stuff (series 1 and 3; series 2 isn't that good...)
Chef!
Coupling (series 1-3, the final one (4) is rubbish)
Waiting for God (series 1-3; the remaining ones aren't as good)
Mork and Mindy (okay, it's a yank show but it's funny as hell)

[FloridaJudy]

64. "Good Neighbors"

Hysterical series - from the 70's I think - about a young couple who decide to "live off the land" in an up-scale suburb.
"Fawlty Towers", of course
"The Two Ronnies" great British sketch comedy, but rather raunchy at times
"Black Adder" deliciously twisted history

"Dave Allen" is Irish, but I loved his stuff. He passed away recently, alas.