Logan wrote: I watched a clip off youtube from Outnumbered, which was a painfully awkward and uncomfortable talk between father and son, which definitely resonated with me as a father, so I will look into it more. The Brits are great at doing the comedy of embarrassment (Extras being a very good example). I've come across the name, but on the surface of it it didn't seem like one that I would have been particularly into at the time.

Edited by Dean - February 21 2017 at 03:00

I watched a clip off youtube from Outnumbered, which was a painfully awkward and uncomfortable talk between father and son, which definitely resonated with me as a father, so I will look into it more. The Brits are great at doing the comedy of embarrassment (Extras being a very good example). I've come across the name, but on the surface of it it didn't seem like one that I would have been particularly into at the time.

Since I live in Canada, not many of these have I noticed on TV, and our Netflix has a limited Britcom selection. I used to have BBC iPlayer, which helped, and I've had to look to other means to see most of these shows. Commonly the way I discover music, TV, film, novels, podcasts, documentaries and other items of interest is I find one thing I like which leads me to discover other related media. Currently comedy is not so much my thing, although I am looking forward to the upcoming dramedy "Inside No. 9" episodes. So this bloggy topic sort of represents that.

I discovered Extras and The Office on TV, as well as Black Books, and watched some Little Britain there (wish I'd put Big Babies in its place which I watched on BBC Kids). After getting turned on to AD/BC: A Rock Opera, I looked for more Matt Berry stuff (so Darkplace followed by Man to Man with Dean Learner, followed by Snuff Box and Toast of London because of Matt Berry, followed by my big interest in Matt Berry's music -- listened to The Pheasant ten times yesterday). The Thick of It I watched because of Peter Capaldi joining Doctor Who largely. Brass Eye was thanks to discovering The Day Today, which I loved, on youtube, which I discovered because I was looking for an episode of the Onion series Today Now. I discovered Psychoville since googling found it when doing a search for dark shows such as the mind-blowing for me Utopia and Black Mirror, plus black dramedies such as Misfits. That led me to League of Gentlemen and Inside No. 9. The terrific Nathan Barley was mentioned in another comedy thread here and I could see that it would appeal to my dark tastes.

When it comes to comedy, like most series, I prefer to binge watch. If I love something I tend to want to watch as much as possible in a short time. One things I often like about Brit series is that the runs are more limited than successful American ones. Although too limited in various cases, where I really wanted another series/ season. I hate it when shows seem to finish prematurely -- more episodes are not ordered or when they are cancelled, and maybe cause my tastes are generally not that mainstream, it seems to happen quite a lot (Utopia and In the Flesh being prime examples). Rant, I hate Coronation Street and it seem like our public national broadcaster has been consistently showing it longer than I've been alive (hated that show as a child, and I hate it just as much now), and I wish they showed better British fare.

Already since I made the topic, my list would be rather different (and yes, again, Black Mirror is not a comedy, but is listed as a dramedy in a British comedy guide, so I thought it would be mildly humorous to add it to the list). I wish we had better services for British TV here. I used to get BBC Canada, but it's not as good as BBC in the UK and has Canadian content requirements. Plus many Channel 4 shows have been so good (ITV was superb), but we don't get lots of them (at least we got dramas such as Utopia on Space)....

Anyway, love to have the recommendations keeping on coming in -- be good to have little descriptions to come with them or links to youtube clips etc. I should have done that for all of these shows to make it easier for people to discover stuff that might be of interest to them, but know that as a pessimist my tastes tend to run to the darker side, and I often have an appreciation for the surreal and absurd.

Edited by Logan - February 20 2017 at 12:58

Thanks, Pixel. :)

And League of Gentlemen and Psychoville are particular favourites of mine (which I notice is kind of obvious after saying that as they are at the top of my list).   I'll definitely be looking out for This Is Jinsey.

On that Norwegian note, and bit of a useless side-note: I sometimes wonder if I would have enjoyed a film or TV show much less had I understood the native language and had I not been reading subtitles (an English translation). I've been loving lots of Scandinavian TV and films -- not so much comedy comedy, but definitely some that have had black humour elements.

Oh, and for admirers of League of Gentlemen and Psychoville: Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's anthology series Inside No. 9 is coming back to our screens (at least some of our screens) in just a few days (on the 21st) with the second episode of series three (the first being the Christmas special, but this will be the first of the year). Here's the teaser trailer for the new series:

Just to get to know your tastes a little better, are there any on my list that you like? Would like to get some Norwegian recommendations too, any genre (tv or film). I have listed my favourite modern movie before as The Bothersome Man (Den brysomme mannen), and I enjoyed Trollhunters, and want to see Dead Snow and Max Manus.

I've been wanting to get a translated version of this short film for a long time, though I know how I could do it with translator program:



As for Hyperdrive, I have seen the first episode and it failed to connect with me enough to choose to continue. I guess I should have given it more of a shot (I didn't like Red Dwarf at first).

I have followed Nick Frost's work, and have loved lots of things with Kevin Eldon in them (the brilliant, I think, Dead Set, Nathan Barley, Big Big Train, Hot Fuzz etc. etc.)

Edited by Logan - February 17 2017 at 13:32

Heard of it, but I'd never seen it.   It seems something I might very well enjoy.

Will Dean at Independent wrote: ...This Is Jinsy is one of those weird British comedies, like The League of Gentleman and The Mighty Boosh, whereupon a first viewing, it seems inaccessibly strange but, given time, you come to embrace its eccentricities. It's a learning experience. Here, Stephen Fry joined the cast as a coiffured professor obsessed with fine hair, whose arrival bagan a string of events that culminate in an ancient wig coming to life and terrorising the residents. Of course. There's a lot to be said for unadulterated, often creepy silliness. Jinsy's best moments are its tiny asides: someone holding a newspaper with the headline "COW DIES"; a TV show (hosted by Greg Davies in drag) called "Punishment Roundup"; something named "The Singing Obituaries". It's very silly, but very worth it.

Phil Hogan at the Guradian wrote: ...The first thing to report about This is Jinsy – a sitcom set in a fictional island community – is that it's easier to laugh at than describe. I could say that I noted elements of Father Ted and Monty Python and Vic and Bob and 70s Doctor Who and Teletubbies in the show, and that nasal hair and wigs featured heavily, and that the prevailing aura of things is valve-powered, knitted from string and dressed in the blinding worst of the glam-rock years. But does that sound too unwatchable? I hope not. The truth is I guffawed more than once at its foolishness, its exhausting invention, its inbred characters and little TV screens dotted like parking meters around moor and village issuing residents with advice and entertainment – a talent show judged by a dog ("Woof" for yes, "Enoof" for no), a Stanley Unwinesque weatherman and Harry Hill in drag revealing who's in the punishment booth this week. Blimey, there was even room for storylines – the shenanigans of the island's annual wedding lottery; the ease with which a new religion can take off from an advert for cupboards. Maybe you had to see it. Maybe you should see it.

Right now I'm much more into documentaries and podcasts than comedies, but will try to route the name This is Jinsy into my mind palace for future recollection.



Edited by Logan - February 10 2017 at 12:56

Not TV, but Harry Hill's latest radio sitcom, Life On Egg, features Amon Duul 2's Yeti as its theme tune.

IT Crowd - the girl alone is worth it..............

Edited by EddieRUKiddingVarese - January 23 2017 at 15:23

^ I suspect that none of those listed are safe, mainstream sitcoms that can be found on prime time, prewatershed tv