Am I the Only Person Around Here Who Loves Britcoms or What?

[Princess of Tap]

I've had a number of Americans ask me why I'm so crazy about Britcoms. They don't get the humor and don't understand the accents.

 

Where I live we have a crazy minority of people who love this sort of stuff.

 

The height of the madness was one summer when the local PBS station placed Hyacinth Bucket on a Billboard in the center of town, inviting everyone to a candlelight supper!

 

When people ask me why I like this foreign claptrap, I tell them I had no choice. I was in London for a séjour and I got hooked on Only When I Laugh. I haven't been the same since.

 

Between Patricia Routledge in Keeping Up Appearances and Dawn French as The Vicar of Dibley, I can never seem to make up my mind-- between the Dishy Vicar or the Hostess with the Mostess. So some evenings, I just settle for Judi Dench in As Time Goes By.

 

I like Doc Martin too, but I don't know exactly what genre it's in?

 

Do you know?

[GregoryPeckfan]

I watch Britcoms all the time.  Of course as you have pointed out I  am Canadian. I am also 3/8 British Isles.

 

 

Doc Martin I think is a dramedy.

 

I love Absolutely Fabulous.

[EugeniaH]

Princess, my favorite Britcom is Jeeves and Wooster, with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. I'm a huge P.G. Wodehouse fan and I thought this was an excellent adaptation to the small screen, including the gorgeous sets and location shots. Though sad to say that late in the series it, too, at times 'jumped the shark'.

[Princess of Tap]

Eugenia-- I've seen it advertised on Acorn and it looked very good.

 

Thanks for the recommendation.

[EugeniaH]

Eugenia-- I've seen it advertised on Acorn and it looked very good.

 

Thanks for the recommendation.

They remastered the series for the Acorn set: I replaced my previous set because the colors pop better than ever now. Nice for this show in particular where, as said, the sets are important and 'atmospheric'.

 

Laurie nails Bertie like he was born into the role. His confused facial expressions are priceless.

[SansFin]

I love British comedies!

 

I believe that: Fawlty Towers is absolute classic. I am giggling as I type this in remembrance of "Norwegian Hamster" sitting up in biscuit tin when it is presented to hotel inspector!

 

I have complete set of: Jeeves and Wooster and watch it often. It is difficult for me to reconcile: Hugh Laurie as both: G. House, M. D. on: American television and complete British twit: Bertie Wooster. 

 

I feel that: Monty Python's Flying Circus is standard against which all other comedy should be measured. I use lines from it often.

 

Yes, Minister is perfect! I am firmly convinced that this is best-ever example of: government-speak:

Sir Humphrey Appleby: I do see that there is a real dilemma here. In that, while it has been government policy to regard policy as a responsibility of Ministers and administration as a responsibility of Officials, the questions of administrative policy can cause confusion between the policy of administration and the administration of policy, especially when responsibility for the administration of the policy of administration conflicts, or overlaps with, responsibility for the policy of the administration of policy.

 

I find it completely impossible to select favorite season of: Black Adder. Each season is so very special in its own way.

 

To the Manor Born, As Time Goes By and May to December are very touching and very funny. Waiting for God, Last of the Summer Wine, One Foot in the Grave, Dad's Army, Vicar of Dibley and Father Ted are so very precious. 

 

Coupling is an absolute favorite! It is so truly wild and unexpected. "The Girl with Two Breasts" and: "Jane and the Truth Snake" episodes should be required viewing. I find that: "Inferno" episode has perfect example of how to review a movie.

 

I am sure that I am not remembering other wonderful series. It is sad to say that I prefer: British television comedies over: American television comedies.

[SansFin]

Laurie nails Bertie like he was born into the role. His confused facial expressions are priceless.

 

 

I believe this is well exampled in the scene which begins at: 6:15 in:

[LawrenceA]

As has been mentioned, Monty Python's Flying Circus is the standard. And I love Black Adder. I also enjoyed what I saw of Red Dwarf and The Young Ones. And I had more than a few laughs at Fawlty Towers and Are You Being Served?

[GregoryPeckfan]

I have all Monty Python episodes recorded on PVR from The Sundance Channel.  I don't really like them after John Cleese left, but I watch them all the time.

[Princess of Tap]

Has anybody seen French and Saunders at the Movies?

 

Two parodies I remember the best are from Gone With the Wind and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. I think Dawn French made a beautiful Maggie the Cat.

[johnm001]

Way back in the 70s, I like DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE and Benny Hill is the funniest human being who ever lived (although, he didn't have a sitcom).  I love ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, KEEPING UP APPEARANCES and ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE.  Otherwise, not such a fan of the Britcom, or the US sitcom for that matter.

[SansFin]

Benny Hill is the funniest human being who ever lived (although, he didn't have a sitcom).

 

 

Benny Hill is indescribably precious! I love his skits! He is so perfectly innocent in all his petty crimes. I wish I had a collection of his series.

 

I love AbFab. It is unfortunately true-to-life in so many ways.

 

I believe that I am the only person in the world who detests: Keeping Up Appearances. 

[Princess of Tap]

Benny Hill is indescribably precious! I love his skits! He is so perfectly innocent in all his petty crimes. I wish I had a collection of his series.

 

I love AbFab. It is unfortunately true-to-life in so many ways.

 

I believe that I am the only person in the world who detests: Keeping Up Appearances.

Keeping Up Appearances is at the top of my list - - but you do have to take Hyacinth with a ton of salt. And I can honestly see how she might really irritate some people.

 

But I just live for her other family - - Onslow, Daisy and Rose. They are unbelievable actors working in an ensemble.

 

Patricia Routledge patterns her character portrayal after 2 legendary American TV comediennes-- Lucille Ball and Gracie Allen.

 

Amazingly she can combine the juiciest qualities of both into this one character.

 

Having spent my childhood watching Lucy and Gracie, I understand how particularly, amazingly talented Patricia Routledge is.

[darkblue]

I think the first "britcom" I ever watched was back around 1970 or so - it was 'Doctor in the House'. It starred Barry Evans and Robin Nedwell as med students in Great Britain. Good stuff.

 

Does anyone remember 'Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'? Michael Crawford - years before the Phantom would upcharge his career - played an unbelievable twit. Way funny.

[GregoryPeckfan]

 Yes, Priminister

[Shank Asu]

I've loved Britcoms well before I moved to the UK.  So many great ones:

The Young Ones

Bottom

Gavin & Stacey

Only Fools and Horses

Friday Night Dinner

The Office

Peep Show

IT Crowd

Fleabag

The Inbetweeners

Detectorists

Father Ted

Alan Partridge

Outnumbered

Vicar of Dibley

Men Behaving Badly

Not Going Out

Royle Family

Still Game

[sylviagm]

I've been watching Britcoms (and dramas) ever since PBS first broadcast them here  years ago.  Father Ted, Good Neighbors, To The Manor Born,  Absolutley Fabulous, Butterflies, just to name a few of my favorites. I must be one of the few people  who ever knew who Rula Lenska was! Anyone remember Rock Follies? Not exactly a sitcom but still entertaining.

BBCAmerica used to air some  excellent shows but the powers that be decided that  Star Trek and James Bond were as much as we were going to get. Thank God for Planet Earth.

[CoraSmith]

The Golden Age of the British sitcom was the seventies and eighties. Fawlty Towers, Blackadder and Yes, Minister are endelessly rewatchable and quotable.  They have witty dialogue and actors who don't laugh at their own jokes. Of the more recent ones I would advise Not Going Out, where a small problem is often turned into a big one by Lee Mack.

[Swithin]

I love the Britcoms and their ancestors, the Carry On films and Ealing comedies. Oddly, two Britcoms that I do not like are Keeping Up Appearances and Fawlty Towers. I love Patricia Routledge in almost anything, but not that series.  Though not a Britcom, I'm not a fan of Doc Martin, even though I had dinner with Martin Clunes' mother Daphne many years ago, at the Garrick Club.

 

[Shank Asu]

On 5/14/2021 at 10:04 PM, Swithin said:

I love the Britcoms and their ancestors, the Carry On films and Ealing comedies. Oddly, two Britcoms that I do not like are Keeping Up Appearances and Fawlty Towers. I love Patricia Routledge in almost anything, but not that series.  Though not a Britcom, I'm not a fan of Doc Martin, even though I had dinner with Martin Clunes' mother Daphne many years ago, at the Garrick Club.

 

Doc Martin is/was filmed a few miles from me.  My wife doesn't approve of how they portray Cornish people but we like the show.

[brickdavis]

Good Neighbors Fawlty Towers and Monty Python are my favorites.

Not a fan of the Python movies though

Reginald Perrin and Ripping yarns were pretty good too

 

[Tikisoo]

On 5/14/2021 at 1:01 PM, sylviagm said:

I've been watching Britcoms (and dramas) ever since PBS first broadcast them here  years ago.  Father Ted, Good Neighbors, To The Manor Born,  Absolutley Fabulous, Butterflies, just to name a few of my favorites. I must be one of the few people  who ever knew who Rula Lenska was!

Same. I listened to HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY on radio & was thrilled when it became a mini series in 1981. I mostly watched at that time period- The Good Neighbors, Dr Who, Monty Python, AbFab...pretty much only like the IT Crowd nowadays.

My Mom didn't like Britcoms until the last few decades, she loved Doc Martin and that one with the Hyacinth charactor (I just don't watch TV all that much) But my Movie Buddy & his wife are real fans & subscribe to Acorn-TV.

[Allhallowsday]

 

On 4/10/2016 at 10:04 PM, Princess of Tap said:

Between Patricia Routledge in Keeping Up Appearances and Dawn French as The Vicar of Dibley, I can never seem to make up my mind-- between the Dishy Vicar or the Hostess with the Mostess. So some evenings, I just settle for Judi Dench in As Time Goes By.

I used to watch Monty Python on Channel 13 (I think originally out of Newark).  My family used to watch The Benny Hill Show and Are You Being Served?and who doesn't love Hyacinth Bucket???  But, me mum erso lubbed Upstairs Downstairs... not so funny.  Oh, she watched the original Poldark ... lots of BBC TV in my house. 

[laffite]

On 5/21/2021 at 1:48 PM, Shank Asu said:

Doc Martin is/was filmed a few miles from me.  My wife doesn't approve of how they portray Cornish people but we like the show.

Wow, lucky you. Point Isaac. Pretty little town, or is a village? I love the show. I have seen it all but I miss it. I recently discovered that all nine seasons can be by DVD for $56. That's quite a lot cheaper than buying by the season on Amazon Prime. I may spring for it. I love Louisa. And that third and best secretary with the cool name. 

[Shank Asu]

On 10/20/2021 at 10:27 PM, laffite said:

Wow, lucky you. Point Isaac. Pretty little town, or is a village? I love the show. I have seen it all but I miss it. I recently discovered that all nine seasons can be by DVD for $56. That's quite a lot cheaper than buying by the season on Amazon Prime. I may spring for it. I love Louisa. And that third and best secretary with the cool name. 

It's a little village.  They offer Doc Martin walking tours for  10 pounds but all the sights from the show are easy to spot.  Tintagel castle (ruins), the supposed birthplace of King Arthur, are right next to the village so it's popular area with tourists.  I haven't watched the last two seasons yet and it has been a while since i watched the earlier ones, but will finish it sometime.