Red Dwarf’s inclusion in “greatest ever TV series” polls and listicles

[Nick R]

Empire did a readers’ poll of The 100 Best TV Shows Of All Time, and Red Dwarf made it on there:

https://www.empireonline.com/tv/features/best-tv-shows/

This news on its own isn’t really worth making a new topic about. So let’s expand the scope: if you know of any other publications that have done lists of the greatest sitcoms/comedies/TV programmes/sci-fi series that featured Red Dwarf, post about it here.

Or, if you can’t think of any, you can – if you must – use this as a place to complain about what did and did not make it onto Empire’s list, and in what order.

Topic

[Warbodog]

19th best of all time, according to this possibly nationalist T-shirt website:

Top 25 British Comedies of All Time

Their site says they’re Anglophiles based in the US, so hopefully just a bit annoying. They haven’t mastered the reverse list format to tease out reader engagement, ideally spread over multiple unnecessary pages.

[Technopeasant]

https://screenrant.com/tv-shows-thought-would-be-the-next-star-trek/

Patrick Stewart was about to reach for the phone to call his lawyer…

[Warbodog]

“seminal classic” made me giggle. I’m 40 years old.

[Dave]

Glad to see them continuing the trend of using stock photos of the shittest Kryten mask imaginable.

[Technopeasant]

I mean, all she did basically was list every other show with a spaceship…

[tombow]

I remember as a kid, mentioning to various adults that I was a big Dwarf fan, meeting a couple who thought Dwarf was a spin off or sequel to Hitchhiker’s Guide or officially connected to HHGttG in some way, saying “isn’t it that thing that came after Hitchhiker’s guide” 

[Jenuall]

10 best sci-fi TV series ever – according to Radio Times readers

archive link to get around paywall/registration: https://archive.ph/kQRON

Pretty respectable showing for the rouge one

[Warbodog]

10 best sci-fi TV series ever – according to Radio Times readers

That list was too reasonable, so luckily they’ve also voted on the 10 Best Modern British Comedies (that debuted since 2010) to potentially be more annoying: https://archive.ph/m0bK6

10. This Country
9. W1A
8. Motherland
7. Inside No. 9
6. Friday Night Dinner
5. Derry Girls
4. Peter Kay’s Car Share
3. Ghosts
2. Detectorists
1. After Life

[Warbodog]

The narrative focus (no panel shows and sketch shows?) is too restrictive for someone like me who doesn’t really keep up with new stuff when there’s always more old stuff deserving attention too. But limiting it to 2010 is fair enough, that was ages ago.

Liked, but quite easily replaced if I’d watched more stuff tier:

10. The Change

9. Small Prophets

8. Fleabag

Rewatchable tier:

7. Ghosts

6. Mid Morning Matters / most modern Partridges except This Time (but do they really count as new and not continuations just because they have different titles?)

5. Stath Lets Flats

4. Detectorists

Legendary tier:

3. Limmy’s Show

2. Inside No. 9

1. Taskmaster

[Unrumble]

10. The Change 9. Small Prophets
8. Fleabag 7. Ghosts
6. Mid Morning Matters 5. Stath Lets Flats
4. Detectorists 3. Limmy’s Show
2. Inside No. 9
1. Taskmaster

This is a very nice list. The Change is the only one that didn’t quite grab me, bailed after a couple of episodes, but always meant to go back and try again, as I’m a big fan of Christie. 

Probably not far off how I’d rate them either, though I have a big soft spot for Ghosts, would swap that with SLF, then maybe bump Small Prophets above it too, though may just be recency bias.

Remember really liking Fleabag, but it was about 7 years ago that I watched, and have never revisited, so suffers a bit from non-recency. 

Only got into Taskmaster about 3 years ago, as I’d partly written it off as ‘just another panel show’, but it’s been a revelation. 

[Dave]

Ghosts and Inside No. 9 would both be near the top of the list for me. Both superb in their own ways. Detectorists and Small Prophets would both be in there too, lovely shows.

I’d also make room for the Cunk On Earth/Britain/Life shows as they’re one of the few series that reliably make me laugh out loud multiple times every episode.

[Unrumble]

Ghosts and Inside No. 9 would both be near the top of the list for me. 

The live show of the latter was superb as well, saw it in Sunderland.

Praying that the upcoming Ghosts film doesn’t go the way of many a tv show that tried transitioning to the big screen. I have faith in them.

[Dave]

The live show of the latter was superb as well, saw it in Sunderland.

Yes, I saw it in Birmingham (Toyah Willcox). Incredible. 

I have similar concerns over a Ghosts movie, but I trust them at this point to do it right.

[Ian Symes]

I’m surprised Fleabag wasn’t in the Radio Times list, it was the de facto recency bias best ever sitcom for a good while. 

Warbodog’s list is a very good one. I’d want to import Friday Night Dinner from the RT list, and possibly Derry Girls and Car Share would be in contention. Then I’d also bring House of Fools, Alma’s Not Normal, Brian Pern and The Trip into the discussion. And if we’re allowing non-scripted comedies, would Gone Fishing count? Cats Does Countdown, Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle, Murder in Successville, Modern Life is Goodish.

Basically we’re not in a terrible state for British comedies in the last couple of decades, are we?

[Ian Symes]

Yes, I saw it in Birmingham (Toyah Willcox). Incredible. 

We had a G&T day trip to Manchester, and got Sean from Coronation Street.

[Unrumble]

Derry Girls
Alma’s Not Normal
The Trip
Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle

Top-tier stuff. Only recently saw Alma, having made a note of it due to Willan’s appearance on TM, and it being bigged up on RHLSTP (rhlstp). Struck a great balance between grim struggle, heart-warming and funny.

[Unrumble]

Yes, I saw it in Birmingham (Toyah Willcox). Incredible. 

We had a G&T day trip to Manchester, and got Sean from Coronation Street.

We got a local celeb drag queen/panto dame, Miss Rory. Had no prior knowledge of them, but it was a comedic tour de force, had Reece and Steve cracking multiple times.

[Dave]

Maybe Motherland should be in there as well? I also recently enjoyed Mammoth.

[Unrumble]

Maybe Motherland should be in there as well? I also recently enjoyed Mammoth.

Really enjoyed Motherland, gave up after 2 episodes of Amandaland. Felt maybe she worked better in small doses as a side character.

[Dave]

I don’t think Amandaland works quite as well as the ensemble isn’t quite as strong. Although Lumley lifts it and there have been some enjoyable bits. The Christmas special with Jennifer Saunders was quite good fun.

[clem]

I haven’t seen most of these but love Limmy’s Show, Stath Lets Flats and IN9. I enjoyed the first
series of Ghosts but not enough to watch any more, ditto Big Boys. For recent
sketch comedy I can recommend Ellie & Natassia and Jamie Demetriou’s
Netflix special A Whole Lifetime.

I’d also make room for the Cunk On Earth/Britain/Life shows as they’re one of the few series that reliably make me laugh out loud multiple times every episode.

I always enjoy those but still think the character was funniest when she was a talking head on the Wipe shows. 
IN9 Stage/Fright was brilliant. Our special guest was Joe McElderry at the Saturday matinee in Sunderland, and because he’s known for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Steve took the opportunity to shoehorn in his rendition of “It was red and yellow and green and brown…” etc. that he had to learn for Psychoville.

[Dave]

Toyah was filthy and kept telling the boys that she wanted to take them back to the dressing room and fuck them. Then she sang a bit of I Want To Be Free. It was all quite chaotic but good fun.

[Warbodog]

Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle started in 2009, so I didn’t count it.

[Professor Flibble]

I don’t think Amandaland works quite as well as the ensemble isn’t quite as strong. Although Lumley lifts it and there have been some enjoyable bits. The Christmas special with Jennifer Saunders was quite good fun.

I don’t mind Motherland, Amandaland’s weaker. I do think Joanna Lumley is perfect casting for Amanda’s mother. And I enjoy Diane Morgan doing basically what she does in anything.

[Ian Symes]

Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle started in 2009, so I didn’t count it.

Yeah, well, you can prove anything with facts.

[International Debris]

Most of them I haven’t seen, I really need to get around to watching Stath Lets Flats, been hearing good things for ages. I adore Derry Girls and think Inside No. 9 might genuinely be the best series the BBC has ever produced. Not my favourite, but in terms of maintaining an incredible quality over such a long time, covering such a huge range of styles and settings and ideas, it’s absolutely phenomenal. 

[Dave]

think Inside No. 9 might genuinely be the best series the BBC has ever produced. Not my favourite, but in terms of maintaining an incredible quality over such a long time, covering such a huge range of styles and settings and ideas, it’s absolutely phenomenal. 

It’s an amazing body of work. I introduced my daughter to it last year and she’s become hooked too, it’s been fantastic rewatching them all again with her and realising just how much they managed to do with the format. Inspiring.

[Professor Flibble]

The Stakeout is definitely one of my favourite Inside No. 9s, and I think The Devil of Christmas is up there too.

[Warbodog]

They’ll be great to rewatch once I’ve forgotten everything about them, it’s probably on the way. The only one I remember not liking was the karaoke one, because I find karaoke annoying.

[Professor Flibble]

They’ll be great to rewatch once I’ve forgotten everything about them, it’s probably on the way. The only one I remember not liking was the karaoke one, because I find karaoke annoying.

Yeah I wasn’t so keen on the ones that didn’t really have any horror aspects to them, and I remember that being one of them. 

[Author]

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