How Well Do You Know British Comedy? - Anglophenia Ep 24
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- Опубліковано 17 лют 2015
- Most Americans know Monty Python and AbFab, but here are some basics you should know to consider yourself well-versed on British comedy.
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Here are a few classic British comedy shows, starting with sit-coms...
• Coupling
• Only Fools and Horses
• One Foot In The Grave
• Blackadder
• I'm Alan Partridge
• Dad's Army
• Steptoe and Son
• Father Ted
• Royle Family
• The Young Ones / Bottom
• George & Mildred
• Peep Show
• Porridge
• Spaced
• The Thick of It
Next, a few good examples of general comedy/sketch shows...
• Dave Gorman's Modern Life Is Goodish - (intellectual stand up comedy with slides)
• Hale and Pace - (silly 80s sketch show)
• Charlie Brooker's Wipe series - (sarcastic review of current events)
• Harry Hill's TV Burp - (a zany look at TV shows)
• The Peter Serafinowicz Show - (probably the finest sketch show ever made)
• Look Around You - (fake 1970s educational series with a surreal twist)
• Not The Nine O'Clock News / Smith and Jones - (classic 80s alternative sketch shows)
• The Day Today / Brass Eye - (fake current affairs shows)
• Da Ali G Show - (the show which brought Sacha Baron Cohen to fame)
• Fist of Fun - (classic and great Stewart Lee sketch show)
• Reeves & Mortimer / Shooting Stars (colourful and surreal sketch / panel show)
• We Need Answers - (similar to Shooting Stars)
• Little Britain - (hugely successful "catchphrase" based sketch show)
• QI - (clever panel show full of fascinating facts)
• The Adam and Joe show - (charming 90s sketch show with a 'home made' feel)
• That Mitchel & Webb Look - (another great sketch show with clever jokes)
• Horrible Histories - (an educational show for kids that is actually really funny)
Finally, a selection of Britain's most beloved and popular stand-up comedians:
• Dave Allen
• Bob Monkhouse
• Michael McIntyre
• Phil Cool
• Lee Evans
• Tim Vine
• Billy Connolly
• Richard Herring
• Lee Mack
• Frank Skinner
• Eddie Izzard
Goes without saying this is only a small selection of British humour.
Lee Bee The League of Gentlemen? Where is that on your list?
You say the Serafinowicz show is the finest sketch show? I raise you the Limmy show, and the Armando Iianucci show. You included the Day Today and left out the Iianucci show, shame on you. Armando Iianucci is not often seen on-screen, but is involved in many of what the correct people call the greatest comedy shows of Britain.
don’t forget The Inbetweeners and The IT Crowd
@@bourbon2242 you can forget the Inbetweeners and the IT crowd. Inbetweeners is fine, IT crowd is good, but they're not top tier.
@@davidwilson6577 DO NOT FORGET THEM
What about Fry and Laurie? Many Americans know them individually, but very few know them as the comedy double act.
A bit of Fry and Laurie is one of the funniest shows ever made!
Their "Jeeves" was brilliant: I watched every episode one weekend whilst I was sick in bed. Best medicine ever.
+michelle stein-evers frankl You,madam,have excellent taste!
+Carol Shuturan Agreed!
Oh man, I just started watching that! It's AMAZING! Plus, it's nice to see Hugh Laurie being funny after watching House.
My two favourites are definitely Blackadder and Fawlty Towers!! "Don't mention the war! I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it all right."
Yes, you read correctly. I'm a German who actually finds that hilarious. ;-)
Fawlty Towers (of which they only made 12) has been shown many times that I got sick of it, and don't watch it any more. I had a phone call recently from my 30 year old son saying I should watch Fawlty Towers - he loved it.
Black Adder is one of my all-time favorites (the best season is the Elizabethan one) Did you ever catch The Black Adder Christmas Story? 8-)
Eric Montford Yes, I've seen the Christmas Story :-)
Dominik from Germany well, what were you expecting to see out of a torquay bedroom window? sydney opera house, prehaps? the hanging gardens of babylon? herds of wilderbeest sweeping majesticly... you can see the sea its over there, between the land and the sky
No mention of the Two Ronnies? Ronnie Barker was a classic when it came to British word play!
+Toran J. Shaw R.I.P
Fork handles
RIP Victoria Wood.... a great actor and comedian.
I still can't believe she's gone.
Ahem, disappointed at the lack of mention of David Mitchell. His sarcastic rants are the embodiment of British comedy.
Too true.
+Xefox Music The rude waiter sketch by M&W is one of my all time favourites. That and the Green Clarinet Man.
+Mark Oglesby peep show is aslo underrated
+Xefox Music He is also the guy they should have got to play Arthur Dent in The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy.
John Smith Do you reckon? I think Martin Freeman carries of despondency much better.
"Only fools and horses","Alo-Alo" and The Black Adder have been shown on the national service and the #1 most popular channel in Macedonia at least 5 times, start to finish. I love them soooo much. I used to watch them when I was younger even tough i didn't quite understand everything.
what about Dad's Army? Blackadder? Mock the Week? Mrs Brown's Boys? so many you could of shown. maybe you should consider doing part two videos on the one's that many people commented on. I'm a Brit, still living in Britain, and love watching this
Mrs Brown's Boys is, in addition to being utterly pointless, not British.
Helen Wood Mrs Browns Boys made by BBC Scotland, so definitely British!
Er...I think you'll find Mrs Brown's Boys is an IRISH show. Written by and staring a hugely well known Irish comedian, as well as other Irish actors. It's production company is neither here nor there. Never fails to amaze me how some British people claim Irish successes as their own!!
calm yourself. I know that they used to do a show that was just produced in Ireland but because the current show is produced by BBC Scotland, I counted it in. I didn't claim it.
Helen Wood no, no it's not. You must not be from Britain/Ireland. The best two islands in the world btw 😂😂😂
No Little Britain and the young Ones?
also father Ted, Blackadder, red dwarf, it crowd, black books
Since when was Father Ted British?
em diar it's not ^^ i was just thinking of examples and got carried away, I put it in because that's my list of favourite TV shows that aren't American
Dude, the less known.
I love A Bit of Fry and Laurie. I love Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie ! Also love Black Adder. Mr Bean, all those sketch shows are amazing. Also Catherine Tate is hilarious.
While I do agree, I think maybe Mr Bean is already quite well known over in the colonies.
Personally I think Catherine Tate is as funny as a heart attack, but I agree that A Bit of Fry and Laurie and Black Adder are amazing.
Um, what about A Bit of Fry and Laurie?! How could you forget that?!!
+Theo Rodriguês She didn't forget. Although most Americans have never actually SEEN it, many are familiar with it, and that was the distinction here. (Although I have no idea why Yes Minister was included in that case, as it's been airing on PBS since the Cretaceous period.)
Are you being served? - Mr Bean - Keeping up appearances -
Where's Rowan Atkinson? :0
Yes!!!! Why isn't Rowan Atkinson on the list?!
+Doublebubbletrouble !!! Totally agree! He's the best british (world's) comedian ever! This is a very big mistake, @Anglophenia !
This was about less well know British comedians, Rowan Atkinson hardly qualifies.
Qi is a national treasure
AND...it starts airing tomorrow night on BBC America! Fellow Americans, you MUST tune in. You will become more familiar with a bevvy of British Comedians that grace that panel. I adore it! (Terrified they will edit it within an inch of its life though.)
It is indeed a National Treasure - as is Stephen Fry. Fantastic show. I don't know if they're starting with the first series - but if they are, America has a lot of catching up to do. Just take some of the information they give with a pinch of salt.
Very aware lol. They are starting with J which is fine. I'm hoping they throw some of the older ones in now and again. I'm sick of them rerunning Top Gear so much!
Kimberly Stovall just watch it on youtube it's all here
Stephen Fry for king!
Eddie Izzard? Catherine Tate?
Am I bovvered?? Yeah, I am! Lauren Cooper can not be overlooked!
allo allo allo, Anything by french and saunders? can't wait for the new abs fabs movie.
blackadder. also IT crowd. Red dwarf.
The Mighty Boosh!!!!
Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, Lee Evans. Billy Connelly, Dawn French, Ross Noble and many, many more ^_^
I can't believe I forgot to list Ross Noble. I love that man.
Kimberly Stovall He is amazing, I just watched loads of videos of him due to this video. haha
Alan Davies' As Yet Untitled with Ross is always a hoot.
Peep Show, Little Britain, The League of Gentlemen, Frankie Boyle, Jimmy Carr, The Catherine Tate Show, The Fast Show, Billy Connolly
Only Fools and Horses; Are You Being Served?; The Good Life aka Good Neighbors; One Foot In The Grave; Red Dwarf; Last Of the Summer Wine; Keeping Up Appearances; The Vicar Of Dibley; The Young Ones; Waiting For God; Black Adder; Not the Nine O'Clock News; Fawlty Towers; Rutland Weekend Television; A Fine Romance; As Time Goes By; French and Saunders; A Bit of Fry and Laurie.
Almost all of those are shown in America, either on BBC or PBS.
I loved Not the Nine O'Clock News, and really enjoyed the special edition magazine they released for the royal wedding. And then it spawned a not-very-successful American copy, Not Necessarily the News.
Never heard of Rutland Weekend Television.
Some of these programs were FOR older folk to watch.
But you forgot Butterflies - watched by all. At the time.
never heard of Butterflies.
I'm American, grew up in America, Never been outside America, and the British comedies I've seen are: Keeping up Appearances, As Time Goes By, Are you being served?, Fawlty Towers (the only part of it i remember is when John Cleese beats up his car with a tree branch after it broke down), and this one other show, though I don't know the name of it.
Are you being served? is my fav.
No Catherine Tate? Whatever, I'm not bothered.
I absolutely love Andy Hamilton's hilarious Old Harry's Game and John Finnemore's Cabin Pressure.
Benny Hill!!! One of the funniest shows I grew up watching!
Americans know that.
Benny Hill was always way more popular in the US than UK for some reason. The British comedy scene have kind of disowned him.
***** Awe! That's sad to know...he was so damn funny...classic slapstick at it's best!
This was about less well know British comedians, Benny Hill hardly qualifies.
The Goodies were a staple of my childhood
The Goodies were great! The PBS station in my town used to run their shows on Sunday evenings back in the 1970s. I laughed myself silly watching their shows.
BBC TV panel shows are cool too. QI, Would I Lie To You, mock the week etc
surprised that "Spitting Image" didn't get a mention, same with IT Crowd, Spaced and Bill Bailey/Billy Connelly.
Going back a bit further, how about the Goons? I know that they were a great influence on the Pythons and others of that generation. Also, the Goodies?
I Love both the Goons and the Goodies. The Goons was much better on the radio and ended in the 1960s (I thin k), so their humour might be a bit obscure for our friends in the USA. As for the Goodies, I always think the BBC were a bit embarrassed by them. They were never marketed properly.
Fry & Laurie come to mind. Most Americans would flip if they knew Dr. House was actually funny as crap. Black Books was great; Bill Bailey is HUGELY underrated, at least over here in the States. And a special shoutout to all involved in Mighty Boosh and I.T. Crowd. Matt Berry is phenomenal.
I was so hoping for Russel Howard on this list. I love his show Russel Howard's Good News, even if it is very British and some American viewers wouldn't understand some of our cynical humor X3
ChappieTriggerHappy I know!!!
so happy that you included Reeves and Mortimer! two of my all time favourites!
David Mitchell & Robert Webb. "That Mitchell & Web Look" and "Peep Show" are two of my favorite shows ever. Both on Netflix. Enjoy.
All of those seemed really old! What about IQ, Nevermind the Buzzcocks, 8 Out of 10 Cats, or Big Fat Quiz? Of for comedians Jimmy Carr, David Mitchell, Bill Bailey, or Rhod Gilbert? All of which are all over the country and BBC (or Channel 4;).
Panel Shows are a different thing. The only thing that comesclose to the form in the US is "@Midnight" on Comedy Central. QI, Mock the Week, Have I got News for You, Nevermind the Buzzcocks, 8 out of 10 Cats, Would I lie to you, etc.
I love the panel shows... And spend way to much time watching them;).
90% of panel shows are shit, and the majority of the "comedians" are even worse.
Yes Minister is still the best insight into political realism you'll find anywhere
Love these videos! Humor delivered with all the right punch lines.
love the channel! more frequent vids please
The Vicar of Dibley is my favourite British comedy
Indeed. An excellent show. I've been to the village and the church in which it is set. Both are just so beautiful. Another very gentle sitcom I love is 'To the Manor Born'. Not especially funny, but always good fun, well acted and - once again - delightful scenery.
AndrewofWare I agree with both of you - both great shows
As an American Anglophile, I thought I knew all the best British comedies/comedians/comediennes. Not one on that list did I know of.
I like:
Doctor Who (Yes, not really a comedy, but there are times I laugh my a$$ off, and it's my absolute favorite British Export.)
Fawlty Towers
Benny Hill
A Bit of Fry and Laurie
Only Fools and Horses
Blackadder (anything/everything with Rowan Atkinson)
The Vicar of Dibley
Father Ted
Keeping Up Appearances
Catherine Tate
Last of the Summer Wine
RED DWARF!!!!!!
Are You Being Served
The Thin Blue Line
The Brittas Empire
Black Books
Chewin' the Fat
The 2 Ronnies
The I.T. Crowd
Spitting Image
Bill Bailey
The guys from Top Gear (Top Gear UK is the only one for me.)
and so many, many more.
You've chosen some excellent shows there - especially the Two Ronnies. I'm surprised Anglophenia did not include them. If you love Ronnie Barker then you'll love Porridge. This is a sitcom set in - would you believe it - a prison. Perhaps this is one on your 'so many more' list.
As a Brit, you should definitely add The Young Ones and Bottom to your list of to-watch, they're a bit more alternative, but definitely worth a go if you love British comedy. (also, Peep Show, for more modern British comedy.)
AndrewofWare Never heard of it. I will give it a try tonight.
paxman9270 Also try adding in some of these (in order):
Allo! Allo!
The Good Life
Some Mothers do 'ave 'em
One Foot in the Grave
Outnumbered
2point4 children
Men Behaving Badly
The Russ Abbott Show
AndrewofWare Pilot & first episode were very good. DancinStupidity Varsh I will squeeze those in as time permits
Thanks for posts. Love them.
So pleased you mentioned Yes, Minister! One of my favorite, regularly watched shows. I love Sir. Humphrey's verbose explanations. Also on my list is Open All Hours and Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrine.
Methinks QI should have been on here 🙋
Won't say any more, too much that could be added ^^;
I'm Pakistani and I absolutely LOVE British Humour. Although, English is my 4th Language, I enjoy British comedy more than any other humour in the world (including the one in my own Native languages). Anyway, here's a list of my favourites:
1. The IT Crowd
2. Would I Lie To You (Lee Mack is super duper witty)
3. The Graham Norton Show
4. Spaced & other Simon Pegg movies like Hot Fuzz, Hector & SOTD
5. Majority of other Panel shows.
6. Classics like Mr. Bean, Fawlty Towers & Mind your Language
I've watched lots more that I can't really recall right now ... but 85% of them were/are Hilarious!
Fourth? You speak four languages!?!
Ms. Thompson is a great host and this was a fun video. Thank you!
Morecambe amd Wise are possibly the best comedians I have seen. Not only are they genuinely hysterical, they provide one of the most upbeat songs available on the internet: Bring Me Sunshine.
Ronnie Barker, David Jason, everything Blackadder, Young ones, Ad Fab, Red Dwarf .... this didn't even count as a skim over ...
Don't know how funny he was, but Benny Hill was the first to let me know as a little boy I loved the female form.
Benny made me fall in love with innuendo on a hill in Alabama. Thank the Lord for Benny.
The Two Ronnies, Frye and Laurie (most of my friends had no idea that Hugh wasn't American and is a great comedian), French and Saunders, Little Britain, Mighty Boosh, Young Ones, Ab Fab, Python, Good Neighbors, Rising Damp, I could go on all day....
I don't know about British comedians, other than Monty Python, but I will tell you this. I most certainly miss YOU on Anglophenia, and I wish you would come back and make more episodes.
I think a lot of really excellent British comedy has never made it in the U.S. because we can't understand 70+% of the words. Monty Python is HUGE here -- they ENUNCIATE. Your "Top Gear" is more popular than OUR "Top Gear" -- they ENUNCIATE (and ours are wankers). Dudley Moore was very popular... Peter Sellers was a huge star.
There used to be a radio show in Los Angeles (and probably syndicated elsewhere) called Cynic's Choice, hosted by Brian Clewer. It featured all the great radio comics from Britain. We're perfectly happy to laugh with you, provided we can understand what you're saying!
I think the problem is that you're too lazy to listen. Americans have the weirdest way of talking, but we manage to make out what they are trying to say.
Comedy is best when you can relax. If you're focused like a brain surgeon trying to figure out the words, laughter is not a natural reflex.
I've really tried to understand a lot of British comedy, but the words are strung together so fast with such a thick accent, much of it is impenetrable! The unfamiliar slang and subject matter makes it harder. Even when you hear a name amid all the jabber, you have no earthly idea who it is, but something about that person made the joke work for the audience.
"Mr. Bean" (Rowan Atkinson) is big in the U.S., because he can SPEAK, and a lot of his humor is visual.
A list of great British comedy without The Goon Show?!? Has the world gone mad?!?!
Greatest of the lot!!!
|Not read all the comments, so someone might have mentioned him already, but - Ben Elton - one of my all time favourites.
Not only was he one of the biggest live acts when I was growing up back in the 80's and 90's (I saw him live twice) but he also had 2 stand up BBC TV series, The Man From Auntie and The Ben Elton Show (also featuring Ronnie Corbett).
He co-wrote The Young Ones with Mayall and Edmondson, and Blackadder 2, the 3rd and "Goes Forth" with Richard Curtis, (yes THAT Richard Curtis) as well as other TV shows such as Filth Rich and Catflap and TheThin Blue Line as well as other, one-off 6-parters. He's written the stage shows We Will Rock You (featuring Queen's music) and Tonight's The Night (with Rod Stewart's music) and Love Never Dies- written as a sequel to Phantom of the Opera, and The Beautiful Game, with Lloyd-Webber.
He's also written 15 books, one of which was made as the film Maybe Baby, and several others have been adapted for stage shows. He's won loads of awards for his musicals, plays and his books -he's one of my favourite authors, I have 12 of his books.
What about "Keeping Up Appearances" or "As Time Goes By" or "Are You Being Served?"? Those are hilarious!! I used to watch those on PBS as a kid!!
I agreed with Yes Minister and Stewart Lee (which might reveal my tastes) but I think you left off almost all the good ones! :)
Black Books.
Shooting Stars
Young Ones
Spaced
Gavin and Stacy, the real and good one.
Banzai
Ross Noble
Bill Bailey (Americans don't know him, do they?)
Miranda
The Mighty Boosh
That's enough for another episode, I think.
Miranda isn't funny but the rest of the list is good, needs Father Ted and the I.T crowd though.
The Great Steve I chose Miranda for diversity in genre and I agree on FT :) Didn't watch much Channel 4. I have yet to see Green Wing.
Kristi Winters Well she did mention reeves and mortimer, and american's are starting to know spaced due to their success with the movies.
Mock the Week
Have I got news for you
Room 101
Newman and Baddiel
The Mighty Boosh is one of my favourite shows, it's ledgend.
No mention of Mitchell and Webb?
"Yes, Minister" is one of the British comedies that is played every week on my PBS station here in Texas. I love it.
Keeping Up Appearances, The Two Ronnies, Are you Being Served, Last of the Summer Wine, As Time Goes By, Chef, Fawlty Towers, AbFab, BlackAdder, Mr. Bean as well as Monty Python are among my favorite BritComs.
+armlovesmetal This is a history of Saturday nights on PBS...
Evilqueen1985 I always watched BritComs on PBS on Saturdays. I enjoyed watching every one of them.
What has America done to upset us, we can't send them The Krankies. I grew up watching Steptoe and Son (which I think became Sanford and Son in America). I dread to think what they would make of Are You being Served across the pond :)
I agree, even the events of the Boston tea party don't deserve retaliation in the form of the Krankies.
Are You Being Served was on our public television station in the 90s and beyond. As a teenager I loved it, still do. Mollie Sugden and John Inman were so wonderful.
Of the ones I know all are excellent choices. But the Krankies... Dreadful, unfunny and incomprehenisble. I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemies. (Well I would, but that's another story.)
We could have given you The Krankies, instead you have Doctor Who. You're welcome America :)
"Are You Being Served" and its short lived sequel, run on my PBS station every week for most of the year, with the sequel not quite as often yet, and I love it. My PBS station says they show more British comedies now than the BBC does at one time.
Ducks in a barrel and all, but a survey of British Comedy that doesn't include Stephen Fry is like [complete metaphor here, something something totally surprising, incomplete and abhorrently unrepresentative of things as they truly are].
I love how intelligent your humour is.
What about all of the panel shows like QI, Would I Lie to You, and Mock the Week? Some of my favorite comedians include David Mitchell, Dara O Briain, Bill Bailey, Jo Brand, Rob Brydon, and Jimmy Carr.
Billy Conolly, you have f...... left out!
Red Dwarf! I think there was a US pilot
There were TWO US pilots...neither ever aired. They were horrible. American suits just could not wrap their heads around Lister. They kept casting tall, buff and blonde guys. :D
Yes, in both pilots they made Lister too "clean". Danny John-Jules said said the only American who could ever have played Lister properly was John Belushi.
This was about less well know British comedians/comedies, Red Dwarf hardly qualifies.
Great to see Harry Enfield mentioned. Also worthy of mentioning are The Fast Show, Bottom, Red Dwarf, Only Fools and Horses and Fawlty Towers. More recently there's The IT Crowd, That Mitchell and Webb Look, Peep Show, Miranda and Harry and Paul. Also worth watching are the panel shows QI, Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You.
8 out of ten cats is a news show using statistics. And Russell Howard is really good. My dad and I always watched Russell Howard together because A: It was after the watershed and B: We both liked it.
How about bottom that was absolutely hilarious
Saunders and French.
Yes!
It great to see a bit of radio comedy being included in the list too! I adore Cabin Pressure and think it's a comedy masterpiece. With fantastic writing and a superb cast it one of the best comedies in recent years.
Keeping Up Appearances was my favorite show at 10 years old. As an American child spending days on end with a Brit raised nan.
Tommy Cooper for one :)
Peter Kay? Is it 2005?
+rexana
the Krankies? is it 1985?
Morcambe and Wise? is it 1975?
I think "The Thick of It" is one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. Yes, there is a lot of cursing, but it is so cleverly written. The character of Jamie MacDonald is probably the funniest Scots I have ever seen!
THE LIVER BIRDS + THE RAG TRADE + Yes PM (Radio Series) + Dad's Army (Radio Series) + BBC 4 1991 reconstruction of Marx Brother's 1930s Radio Series "Flywheel Shyster & Flywheel" + BASIL BRUSH ...
The two ronnies!!!!!!?!!!?!!!!!?!!!
Benny Hill!!!!
Eddie Izzard of course! Perhaps too famous in America for the video? His show at Wembley Arena was the absolute highlight of my trip to London... of course I was in love with all Anglophones after 8 months in France.
I've been into Mock The Week for years, then I watched all of Russell Howard's Good News as well. Nevermind the Buzzcocks, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Whose Line is it Anyway?, Michael McIntyre is a great stand up comedian, Walk on the Wild Side, Keeping up Appearances, The Catherine Tate Show, Waiting For God, The I.T. Crowd, Spaced... I love British comedy and want more of it in my life.
You miss lots of stuff like
Last of the summer wine
The young ones
The comic strip
Bottom
Only fools and horses
Open all hours
The two Ronnie's
Dads army
The royal family
Mr bean
Michael McIntyre
Russell brand
John bishop
Alan partridge
Santondale
Paul and Pauline calf
Miranda
Blackadder
Rik myall
The office
Derick
Steptoe and son
Keeping up appearances
The likely lads
Allo allo
The vicar of dibley
Porridge
As time goes by
The good life
One foot in the grave
Mitchell and Webb
The thine blue line
Outnumbered
Mrs browns boys
The mighty boosh
Big train
Spaced
Father ted
Absolutely fabulous
Rising damp
Early doors
After you've gone
The life of Riley
Black books
The it crowd
Moone boy
Trollied
The fast show
Not the nine o'clock news
Spitting image
Spike Milligan
French and Saunders
Little brilliant
Catherine Tate
Ben elton
Bill Bailey
Billy Connolly
Tim vine
Lee mack
Tommy cooper
Les Dawson
Peter Cook
Frankie Boyle
Jimmy Carr
Chubby brown
Kevin bridges
Rob brydon
Steve coogan
Coogans run
Alan Carr
Noel filding
Graham lineham
Paul o'grady
Rik mayall
Frank skinner
The new statesman
Birds of a feather
Red dwarf
Good night sweet hart
Gavin and Stacy
The indetweeners
My hero
Not going out
Lee mack
Little Britain
Sean lock
Ross noble
Johnny Vagas
Graham norton
Al Murray
Ken Dodd
Harry hill
Dinner ladies
Roy Clark
Keith Lemmon
Bo selector
Lee Evans
Rowan Atkinson
Live at the Apollo
Bob monkhouse
Eddie Izzard
Bread
Extras
Gimme gimme
Hebburn
Jeeves and Wooster
Men behaving badly
My family
Shooting stars
Green green grass
Rock and chips
The thick of it
The trip
The wrong mans
Lenny Henry
Citizen Karn
Paddy mcguinnus
James cordon
Rab c Nesbit
And many many more that's all I could think of off the top of my head
No catherine tate, Jimmy Carr? David Walliams?
Big Emu **Ant and Dec
The only one of that list I know is Yes Minister. I also know its follow-on Yes Prime Minister. I also adore 'Good Neighbors', which in Britain is known as 'The Good Life'. The shows share Paul Eddington, which is maybe why they struck such a chord with me. I also like 'To the Manor Born' with Good Neighbors/The Good Life alumna Penelope Keith. Hmm. I seem to be sensing a thread here. Speaking of this theme, I also like 'Rosemary and Thyme' with Felicity Kendall from 'Good Neighbors/The Good Life. And anything with Richard Briers, Kendall's husband in that show. His work in Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare film adaptations is wonderfully comedic as well.
I loved listening to Just A Minute. It was broadcast on shortwave by BBC World Service. They also had My Word, My Music, and a fourth programme whose name I can't remember. Regarding TV series there was Yes, Prim Minister after Yes, Minister.
You didn't mention Dave Allen or The Two Ronnies. On Saturday nights a lot of British comedy TV series were shown on the American TV station known as PBS (also available in some Canadian markets). They used to show programs such as Sweet Sixteen, Solo, The Good Neighbours (known as The Good Life in the UK), To The Manor Born, As Time Goes By, Goodnight Sweetheart, Executive Stress, Butterflies, Three Up Two Down, Keeping up Appearances, and The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.
Years ago there was also a programme called On The Buses. There was also the series of "Doctor" series all with names that started with the word "Doctor" and had most of the same cast of actors.
Two shows I never liked are Mr. Bean and Are You Being Served. Another series was 'Allo, 'Allo by the same couple that created Are You Being Served. It was a bit stupid at times (although not as bad as Are You Being Served) and I did watch it for most of its run.
Is no one gonna talk about Lee Evans!?
Where on earth was the Catherine Tate Show?!
Please keep making videos!!
Recommended viewing is 'The vicar of Dibley'. For comedy there's Jack Dee and Dave Allan. Oh and there's an awesome comedienne called Siobhan Thompson. 😀😘
Fry & Laurie ? Hugh Laurie's known in the US but not as a comic.
I saw a comment on an interview of Hugh Laurie, complaining about his "fake sounding British accent." They had no idea that Dr. House IS a Brit! They should be forced to binge-watch Blackadder!
Miranda hart is so funny! You have to mention her! I love it your show btw :)
I.T. Crowd and Coupling are two just of hte top of my head, that I have really enjoyed
All of these are here in the USA. Well, at least in Dallas. The radio programs are on Lionheart and Bulldog Radio from 8A-midnight Fridays and KERA/KDTN play every sitcom mentioned here.
Why has nobody mentioned the amazing Kenny Everett?
+Tone Knight has it ever been repeated?
Tone Knight Never forgotten! I miss him so much!
ROWAN ATKINSON
So glad you included Stewart lee
any actual British comedies/sitcoms I watched growing up was from my local PBS station on weekends. first I show I remember - that I liked was a show called "the Goodies" - I think that what it was called. then Monty Python, Benny Hill. then I came across a show called "Dave Allen at Large." I loved that show so much that I would write down some of the jokes and sketches from it and preform them at school (and I got in lots and lots of trouble for it. Thanks Dave.) Sitcoms that I loved where "The Good Life/Neighbors." if for anything just to look at Felicity Kendall. "May to December." (I think that is what is was called.) and "to the Manor Born." which I liked but not as much as my father did. In my adult hood it's been "The Vicar of Dilsby" "As time goes By" that's all I can think of right now.
The Two Ronnies
Coupling.
OwtDaftUK Yup, Coupling was so cleverly written.
+OwtDaftUK - I loved coupling especially Geoff.
N.B. for any americans reading this we mean the original British version not the crappy remake that was aired in the U.S.
This was a really great comprehensive list. There's a vast range of comedians in the UK and it wouldn't be possible to cover them all. Our sense of humour over here is complex and weird, but I feel like these comedians are great markers for explaining where the core of our comedy comes from.
One of my favorites has always been "Are you being Served?"
Lee Evans anyone ???
+Jak Wilkins He is sort of known in the US. Has a fairly substantial part in There's Something About Mary, and also appears in a few scenes of The Fifth Element
French and Saunders! And for panel shows Have I Got News For You is always a hoot!
My favourite British comedy has to be Blackadder! The amazing actors, the dialogue, the insults, the end shot of 'Goes Forth', everything about it is just perfect. When I first moved to the UK, I only knew Rowan Atkinson for Mr Bean and his annoying cameo in Love Actually, which is a shame because Blackadder is SO MUCH BETTER.
Love Anglophenia, I watch as an English teacher and really enjoying it!
I would say Eddie Izzard (England),, Danny Bhoy (Scotland) and Dylan Moran from Black Books (Ireland)