Whats Your Favourite British Comedy?

[ori-STUDFARM]

Mine came up as The Goodies……..?

http://www.hunch.com/british-tv-comedies/

Topic

[redhead85]

I got Blackadder, which is indeed one of my top favourites! ^__^

[TheLeen]

Blackadder and (seriously) ‘Allo ‘Allo…

[Jonathan Capps]

I got The Thin Blue Line, which isn’t a bad guess.

[curtis]

I got Nathan Barley. Happy with that. Not really my favourite but a top show nonetheless

[Pete Part Three]

Spaced, for me. Fair enough.

[Danny Stephenson]

I got Father Ted, Then League Of Gentlemen then Brittas Empire.

Two out of three aint bad…

[ori-STUDFARM]

My second and third were Monty Python and Yes Minister…..I never watched Yes Minister, but used to love The New Statesman. Similar?

[JamesTC]

I got The Thin Blue Line which I have never seen, Red Dwarf was nowhere to be seen in the top ten, eh.

[hummingbird]

League of Gentlemen, Open All Hours, Monty Python

I’m surprised by Open All Hours. It seems a little too traditional to sit alongside LOG and Python.

[ChrisM]

>My second and third were Monty Python and Yes Minister?..I never watched Yes Minister, but used to love The New Statesman.

Apart from being about politicians, decidedly not.

[Carlito]

I got Peep Show (which I do consider to be the best currently-running British sitcom… unless you count Red Dwarf officially back in the picture), followed by Black Books (which I love) and then The New Statesman (which I’ve barely seen and haven’t really enjoyed what little of it I have).

Even so, it’s inaccurate. Much as I love Black Books and Peep Show, my personal favourite British comedies are Red Dwarf and Only Fools and Horses.

Followed closely by Marion and Geoff, Peep Show, Men Behaving Badly, Blackadder, Harry Hill’s TV Burp, The Thin Blue Line, I’m Alan Partridge, The Day Today, Brass Eye, Operation Good Guys, The Office, Extras, Bo Selecta!, Black Books, Game On, Coupling, Father Ted, One Foot In The Grave, Bottom, The Armistice (or anything with Armando Ianucci), The Royle Family, Time Trumpet, Nathan Barley, anything with Lee & Herring, Life On Mars (does it count? it’s funny as fuck), Gavin and Stacey, HIGNFY, Director’s Commentary…

Okay okay I just love British comedy. I better stop now before I start getting onto the embarrassing stuff. (Chalk, Keeping Mum, If I Ruled The World, Small Potatoes, Da Ali G Show….)

Ahhh I fucking love it.

I even love the really obscure stuff. Even if its quite bad. Anyone remember an old sitcom set in a wax museum called Hope It Rains? Or a Gary Olsen sitcom in a roadside cafe called Pilgrim’s Rest? How bout the Xander Armstrong vet comedy Beast? Or George Cole in Dad? Jasper Carrott in All About Me? Hows about Heartburn Hotel, John Sullivan’s sitcom touted as the next Only Fools set in a rundown Birmingham hotel?

I might start writing some particularly niche interest articles about sitcoms nobody watched or remembers. Perhaps those nice peeps over at Noise To Signal would be interested?? :)

[ChrisM]

Hmm. I got
1. Black Books. – It’s not bad, but it’s not my favourite in real life.

2. Nathan Barley -I’ve never heard of this.

3. The Britas Empire. – Again, not a fave, but I can live with this.

Wildcard: The Wrong Door. – I think they opted for this because I said I liked surreal comedies. Actually I like a bit of both. I.e. I like Spaced (which is pretty surreal) but Only Fools is a favourite too, and that’s pretty ordinary. As for The Wrong Door, it was hit and miss for me. Some sketches made me laugh, others I found dire. I quite liked the quirkiness though.

[Carlito]

I had The Wrong Door as a wildcard too.

If you’ve never heard of Nathan Barley, I suggest you get onto it. Chris ‘Brass Eye’ Morris and Charlie ‘Screenwipe’ Brooker’s sitcom set in the media world, starring Nicholas Burns as an obnoxious twat and the dude from Mighty Boosh whose name isn’t Noel Fielding (it escapes me right now and I’m too lazy to look it up, even though looking it up would probably have required less effort than writing this sentence not to mention the fact that Julian Barrett popped into my head before I’d even finished writing it and now I’m not going to delete the preceding sentence on account of the time I spent writing it) playing a grumpy Brooker type surrounded by idiots.

It’s very good.

[Jo]

I got Open All Hours, The Young Ones and Benny Hill.

First two YES! Benny Hill… not so much with the liking for me.

Wild Card: Kenny Everett. Happy with that :o)

=====

I changed my 2nd answer to 1990s out of curiosity and got these:

Thin Blue Line, Father Ted, The League of Gentlemen.
(OK, WIN, WIN)

Wild Card: Do Not Adjust Your Set – I’ve never seen it :oS

[Carlito]

Do Not Adjust Your Set? That was from, like, the 60s wasn’t it? Wasn’t that the one with David Jason when he was reeeeeeeally young?

[Jo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Not_Adjust_Your_Set

Yup, also Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Jones. I should probably try and watch this!

[ChrisM]

>Wild Card: Do Not Adjust Your Set – I?ve never seen it :oS

I think that was a 80 education programme parody. (A parody of 80s educational programmes I mean, not an educational programme parody from the 80s. Why did I feel the need to clarify that with excessive typing? Or that last sentence? It must be catching. Carl, go away. (Not really.)

If it’s the programme I think it is, it’s pretty amusing, from the little I’ve seen. (Actually I think I’ve got the programme mixed up with something else. Hand on….)

One wiki later… Yep, got that completely wrong.

I should have done that at the start…

If you?ve never heard of Nathan Barley, I suggest you get onto it. Chris ?Brass Eye? Morris and Charlie ?Screenwipe? Brooker?s sitcom set in the media world, starring Nicholas Burns as an obnoxious twat and the dude from Mighty Boosh

That rings a bell. If I’ve seen it, it was only in passing though. I’ll keep a look out.

[ChrisM]

Ok, I typed that before the other two posts. Ho hum.

[Jo]

Ooh (sorry OT) http://www.hunch.com/superheroes-and-super-villains

I got Supergirl, Dazzler, Karolina Dean (Wildcard: Monika Rambeau)

[Jo]

>I think that was a 80 education programme parody. (A parody of 80s educational programmes I mean, not an educational programme parody from the 80s

Did you mean Look Around You?

[Prue]

I got Benny Hill, Open All Hours and The Young Ones. Wildcard was Do Not Adjust Your Set.

I really like Open All Hours and The Young Ones. Don’t find Benny Hill that amusing at all. Never seen ‘Do Not Adjust your Set’.

[Arlene Rimmer BSc SSc]

Oooh I got Python, Spaced and The IT Crowd, in that order, all of which are more or less exactly in line with my tastes (along with The Wrong Door, which I’m going to assume from its company might be worth investigating). Neato!

[Ben Paddon]

I got Only Fools And Horses, ‘Allo ‘Allo, and Keeping Up Appearances. The first one I’m not particularly fond of, and the second and third I absolutely detest.

[Arlene Rimmer BSc SSc]

Aw, I kind of like Only Fools and Horses. (Never seen ‘Allo ‘Allo.) With you on Keeping Up Appearances, however. My grandparents like that one; I find it soul-smotheringly tedious. (They also like Last of the Summer Wine. Boggles my mind sometimes that I’m actually related to them =P .)

[Prue]

I don’t mind ‘Only Fools and Horses’. ‘Allo ‘Allo is sometimes funny. I watch Keeping Up Appearances at night when I can’t sleep. Although I find some things funny, it’s a sure thing to put me to sleep!!!!

[Dave]

I got Father Ted, Open All Hours, Bottom and Thr Wrong Door as a wildcard.

I love Father ted, I don’t hate Open All Hours or Bottom, but I can’t abide The Wrong Door.

[p2p_productions]

Got the same as Danny. :)

[Tarka Dal]

1. Only Fools
2. Allo, Allo
3. Keeping Up Appearances.

Fools I do consider one of the greatest of all-time (save for everything post 96), Allo, Allo I like but I wouldn’t put it that high and KUP I don’t like at all.

[Danny Stephenson]

Has anyone actually got Red Dwarf anywhere in these polls?

[ori-STUDFARM]

I think there is a conspiracy against Red Dwarf and Dave TV. All of these shows are from the terrestrial channels…..especially the pre 1990 ones!

[si]

I got Green Wing, which I’m pretty happy with. I think if you were to ask me outright. though, I’d say Spaced.

[Pete Part Three]

>Followed closely by Marion and Geoff, Peep Show, Men Behaving Badly, Blackadder, Harry Hill?s TV Burp, The Thin Blue Line, I?m Alan Partridge, The Day Today, Brass Eye, Operation Good Guys, The Office, Extras, Bo Selecta!, Black Books, Game On, Coupling, Father Ted, One Foot In The Grave, Bottom, The Armistice (or anything with Armando Ianucci), The Royle Family, Time Trumpet, Nathan Barley, anything with Lee & Herring, Life On Mars (does it count? it?s funny as fuck), Gavin and Stacey, HIGNFY, Director?s Commentary?

That was a pretty respectable list, Carl. You were taking the piss with Bo Selecta though, right? That’s even worse than Gavin and Stacey…

[Dave]

>I got Green Wing, which I?m pretty happy with

It’s amazing how they manage to squeeze a half hours worth of comedy so tightly into an hour.

[Jonathan Capps]

As much as half an hour’s worth?

[Nick R]

I got #1 Blackadder (yay!), #2 Green Wing (yay!), #3 ‘Allo ‘Allo (never seen it…) and The Wrong Door as the wildcard (never seen that, either).

Re: Nathan Barley, you can watch the whole series on Channel 4’s website. I like it, but having never encountered anyone who’s part of that London media “rise of the idiots”, I still find it hard to believe that such people exist. Although having said that…

[Steve Harris]

Fry and Laurie (good)-Adam & Joe (What)-At Last The 1948 show (vaguely recall it)
((In the 60’s that is, not 1948))

[ChrisM]

>Did you mean Look Around You?

I believe so. ;)

>Ooh (sorry OT) http://www.hunch.com/superheroes-and-super-villains

I did this too, and I got:
1.Vision. -Whoever that is. Apparently 3 characters have had that name. Current one is an android. Actually, reading about him he has some pretty cool powers.

2.Doc Savage. Again, who? Edit- reading up on him, I think not.

3.Harry Dresden – Ok, this one I know vaguely. Mainly from a TV series that was on a while back. Only saw a couple of episodes (which were so-so) but I like the Wizard powers idea.

Wildcard: The Toyman.- Again, I know him vaguely. Quite cool abilities though. If a villain.

[ori-STUDFARM]

Batman, Spawn and Thor with a wild card of Plastic Man.

I’m very happy with this…although I must admit. I’ve never really been interested by Thor. Perhaps I should look into the character a bit…

[Mr-Stabby]

I got ‘The IT Crowd’ as my top, which is my current favourite British comedy. Cool site.

[hummingbird]

> http://www.hunch.com/superheroes-and-super-villains

1. Nico Minoru (who?)
2. Jean Grey
3. Doctor Who

I can live with that

[Phil]

1. Brass Eye
2. Jam
3. Peep Show

I’m a fucked up individual.

[Carlito]

> That was a pretty respectable list, Carl. You were taking the piss with Bo Selecta though, right? That?s even worse than Gavin and Stacey?

Series 1 and 2 were brilliant in the context of the time (it was fresh, different, surreal and amusing).

Anything Leigh Francis has done since (Bo! related anyway) has been shite, IMO. The first time I watched series 2 (stoned) I nearly died laughing. I couldn’t breathe when I saw the Ricky Gervais sketch.

I’ve only really laughed THAT hard twice. Stoned watching Bo Selecta series 2 for the first time, and the first time I saw Alan Partridge series 2 “too much mustard gets up your nose” scene.

[Arlene Rimmer BSc SSc]

>1. Nico Minoru (who?)

She’s from a series called Runaways, which as far as I remember is pretty good. (One of the few series from the Big Two comics publishers that I’ve read much of, actually.) She’s part of the titular mostly-female* team of adolescent heroes, and she casts spells. It does have a certain amount of Teen Angst in it, but the couple of volumes I read were pretty good at not dwelling on it too hard.

*although that “mostly” covers some interesting territory, including a shapeshifer with a very fluid gender identity.

As for me, my number-one answer for that superheroes thing was the Doctor! Then Nico, then, um, Elektra. Brainiac was my wild card, so three out of four isn’t too bad, I guess.

[ChrisM]

>Series 1 and 2 were brilliant in the context of the time (it was fresh, different, surreal and amusing).

I liked the Little Bear. In the earlier series, with the bedtime stories. So naughty. Later on when they took the rudeness even further… not so much. It was always filthy but… there are limits.

Bo Selecta was always a bit of a mixed bag for me though.

[Ben Paddon]

That Ricky Gervais sketch is shit.

[The PerformingMonkey]

> Anything Leigh Francis has done since (Bo! related anyway) has been shite, IMO

Apart from series 3 and the Michael Jackson special, obviously. Bo In The USA was dire, indeed. And A Bear’s Tail…FFS.

[Carlito]

Series 3 was a tired rehash at best, USA was awful and the Michael Jackson special was borderline offensive on occasion (even to someone with a very thick comedy skin) and deeply unfunny most of the time. They all had their moments, but they’re hardly on a level with Bo! 1 and 2.

Comedy is subjective, though, and if you enjoyed them well fair enough, but you can’t consider them better than or equal to the first couple series, surely?

[Pete Part Three]

I’m sure the canned audience liked them all equally as much.

[Ben Paddon]

Little Britain series one wasn’t awful. Series two and three were dire, although the series three finale (where they seemed to be trying to wrap up the characters’ stories) was susprisingly enjoyable.

Little Britain Abroad was shit, and I refuse to watch Little Britain USA.

[hummingbird]

Little Britain quickly got tiresome. After, say, about 10 minutes.
There were some good characters at the start but they didn’t seem to go anywhere. Simply rehashing the same predictable scenarios/ punchlines over and over got old very rapidly.

The appeal of Bo still completely eludes me. I’m hoping that one day somebody will explain why it’s supposed to be funny.

[Author]

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