The Britcom fan in me has had a cracking week. First, Sundance confirmed it’s airing the third season of Shameless beginning July 20th. Read the full post.
Jul 7
2008
04:16 PM ET
Bits and Bobs (Vol. 2): The Best Underrated British Sitcoms
- Comments 68
- Add comment
Latest News
- 'DWTS': Season 14 winning team is...
- 'American Idol': Notes from inside the Nokia
- 'American Idol' poll: Jessica or Phillip?
- 'True Blood': New showrunner is...
- 'Deadliest Catch' clip: Rescue at sea!
- Michael McKean hit by car in NYC
- 'Great Gatsby': Gonzo new trailer
- Nick Offerman: Blond to 'have more fun'?
Most Commented
Top 5 Most Read
- ‘Dancing With the Stars’: Season 14 winner is….
- On the scene at ‘American Idol’ finale: The audience at Nokia Theatre clearly liked Phillip Phillips better than…
- ‘Glee’ season finale: Who made it to New York?
- ‘American Idol’: Did Phillip or Jessica win the night?
- ‘Deadliest Catch’: Greenhorn medical emergency on the Wizard — EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
You forgot to mention this Friday’s episode of “Doctor Who” on Sci-Fi. The best episode of the latest season.
I love British tv. I’m an avid fan of Blackadder, Coupling, AbFab, Monty Python, the Young Ones, The Office, classic cheesy Dr Who, Are You Being Served, and Keeping Up Appearances. Love my PBS and BBC America channels!!
Another vote for Spaced – geek humour abound!
Also – Waiting for God – not your typical BBC Comedy – let’s face it – assisted living facility humour is not your typical fare, but well worth it.
I love reading about all this love for shows like Father Ted, which I still laugh at even though I’ve seen every episode dozens of times. I also love Peep Show, Knowing me, Knowing you, Red Dwarf, Men Behaving Badly, and the Brittas Empire (I love Chris Barrie). Since everyone here loves Simon Pegg and Black Books, I have to make a special mention of the episode he guest stars in as the manager of a rival bookstore. It’s the funniest performance of his I’ve ever seen.
Spaced is my absolute favourite. The Royle Family is amazing. The Mighty Boosh, The IT Crowd, and Look Around You (featuring cameos of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost!) are some of my other favourites.. Another Simon Pegg sketch show, We Know Where You Live is amusing (not quite as amusing as Big Train).
Most of those are only available on Region 2 though!
SPACED will be released in the US July 22nd!
Oh yea, and Rafe Spall really is foxy!
Don’t forget about BBC Radio 4, folks. Amazingly great stuff there. And you can listen free on the web all the time. Don’t let TV do all the work for you. Let your mind have a work out via radio!
I’m new to the Bits and Bobs blog, and having just seen this entry, am amazed that no one has mentioned the Royle Family! I just saw this year’s Christmas special, and am reminded of just how ingenious the entire thing is. The writing, by Mrs Merton creator and performer Caroline Aherne, is sublime – both moving and hilariously funny, and the acting second to none. It stars a collection of Britain’s greatest comic and acting talent, acting their socks off in the most seamless ensemble. Even watching it for the first time now, it would be obvious that a show like the Office or the Kumars at No 62 would never have existed without it (and the same goes for anyone familiar with the similarly moving, but not quite as hilarious, Early Doors). The programme really is brilliant, a true descendant of the socially real British comedies of earlier decades, such as Steptoe and Son or ‘Til Death Us Do Part – themselves inspirations for successful US sitcoms. Not to be missed by any true Anglophile.