Recommend me some British sitcoms

 ^ Eastenders is a disturbing little show, don't care for it   ..not a sitcom per se but Posh Nosh is wonderfully strange and funny

Well my favorites have all been names already, Coupling, The Office, Fawlty Towers, Father Ted, Yes Minister, Yes Prime Minister....

For those who need a crash course in Scots humour and language try these:
       Still Game
       Only an excuse
       Rab C Nesbitt
       Scotch and Wry (with the world famous the Reverend I.M. Jolly).

Seek out and enjoy...if you don't understand the language nae luck.

Edited by visitor2035 - April 01 2009 at 17:01

Kotro wrote: Logan wrote: Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister was one of my favourites.  Though moving off-topic, one of my favourite "mini-series" (serial) was also about the rise of someone to Prime Minister: The House of Cards Trilogy.  Brilliant drama.   Hmm, I missed suggesting Yes Minister - absolutely mandatory. Despite being more of a drama, House of Cards will probably get some smiles if you have a dry and dark humour and fondness for the machiavellic - Francis Urquhart (the late great Ian Richardson) is the most perfect negative hero ever!   Although, funny enough, Yes Minister is probably the most realistic of the two...

Yes Minister/ Yes, Prime Minister is a brilliant satire.  The people who wrote it were insiders, and it is actually very educational and very funny.  I've been hoping to see another satire like that.  We had a terrible Canadian show which was cancelled called "Rideau Hall" which is about the Governor General which was a terrible farce.  And then in the US the short lived (probably due to 9/11) "That's My Bush" by the guys from South Park lacked that knowing satirical edge (just a silly, but fun parody).

The House of Cards Trilogy really tickled by Shakespearean bone.  It's one of the few shows I've bought on DVD (that and the made-for-TV Decalog from Poland).  It's wonderful.  Francis Urquhart is a delicious villian and his wife who is the sort of Lady MacBeth character.  And the character of Tim Stamper is so creepy.  I wasn't so impressed with the final installment "The Final Cut".

Dean wrote: Logan wrote: In sci-fi-ish Brit TV, my favourites were The Prisoner, and a wonderful mini-series (serial) called First Born (Gor-Saga) which no one I've come across seems to know. My first reaction was Gor!?  ... as in John Norman's Chronicles of Gor !? I'm sure I would have remembered that  ... looking it up on the imdb - I half remember it, there was another one called Chimera around the same time which was pretty similar as I recall.

I've discussed this show at another forum before and got the same reactions about The Chronicles of Gor (which I have read) and Chimera (aka Monkey Boy) which I enjoyed, but prefer First Born.  Maureen Duffy wrote Gor Saga, which First Born was based on, and Chimera was by Stephen Gallagher.   As I described it then (some spoilers):

First Born is a BBC made in three 45 minute parts show about a human-gorilla hybrid who is raised by the scientist who created him -- he doesn't realise that he's half gorilla (shoulda guessed with a name like Gor). You could say it's part soap opera too; he has a fling with his human half-sister (not realising that she is a blood relative -- they were raised in the same family) who gets pregnant. I found the story very moving. It was based on a novel called Gor's Saga. One of the more interesting elements is how they play-up the religiosity of the hybrid, and his pacifism.


Edited by Logan - April 01 2009 at 13:25

Logan wrote: Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister was one of my favourites.  Though moving off-topic, one of my favourite "mini-series" (serial) was also about the rise of someone to Prime Minister: The House of Cards Trilogy.  Brilliant drama.

Dean wrote: Brit Sci-Fi The first two are unmissable: Life On Mars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y7bFFllzSI (very excellent - with John Sims aka the recent Master from Doctor Who as a modern copper who goes back in time to the 70s)

Interesting - I didn't know this was originally BBC (apparently there's been an American adaptation done)

Apart from the classic already mentioned I have to strongly re-recommend.

Spaced and Peep Show!

Both are brilliant, original modern sitcoms.

Dad's Army is the one absolute essential you have missed. Easily the epitome of British situation comedy.

If you want comedy drama with a tad of brutal realism to it, try Shameless. Possibly my favourite programme on at the moment.

Not sitcoms, but a great laugh nonetheless, my favourite shows are all on Dave: QI, Nevermind The Buzzcocks, Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week... All are amazing.

Oh, and of course some good old what I like to call "gin" humour, Birds Of A Feather. I also second coupling. It's like Friends but with British humour.

One Foot in the Grave anyone? An then there's My Family.