British Comedy Shows

[Jixby Phillips]

Today I rewatched the first episode of The Day Today and I thought of making this topic. Because as far as I know The Day Today has never been shown in America, and isn't out on DVD here. Here's some shows I've seen that I can think of that are hard to come by in the US:

The Day Today
This is a non-topical news parody, and it's one of the funnier shows I've seen in a long time. There is a follow-up series called Brass Eye, which I have yet to see, but I bought the DVD for myself before I came home from school. Unfortunately my region-free DVD player is back at school. I can remember Dole talking much about theses shows like, years ago. Yeah this show is funny but as you might have noticed I don't have much to say about it :x

Coogan's Run
I saw three episodes of this, it's not bad but it's not FANTASTIC. It's a comedy anthology series by Steve Coogan, who is on The Day Today.

The Comic Strip Presents
I really love this series, but there are a few bad episodes. This is another comedy anthology series, and it comes from people like Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer (all from The Young Ones, which is on DVD in the states, but still considered somewhat obscure in America), Dawn French, and Jennifer Saunders, and a bunch of other people who I don't really know. There are TWO episodes available on VHS, "Bad News" and "Bad News Tour," which were released by Rhino to capitalize off of the Success of Spinal Tap, which I'm sure came out on Video around the same time. Every episode of The Comic Strip Presents is unique, usually parodying some kind of film genre. I've seen (or will see) the first four series, but as I understand it kind of went downhill from there.

KYTV
I wanted so badly to like this show. It's very well made, I just wish it were funnier :( Every joke on the show was way too predictable or just not funny or surprising at all. I saw two episodes, and I was insanely disappointed by it. It's like a British SCTV, but not as funny.

Glam Metal Detectives
Pretty much the same deal, saw three episodes of this, wanted to like it, but didn't like it very much. This is a show by Peter Richardson, who is one of the main creative forces behind The Comic Strip Presents (he was also originally meant to play Mike TheCoolPerson on The Young Ones). When I first saw it, I thought the production values were pretty amazing for a sketch show, but then when I watched the second episode I realized why: They repeat EVERY sketch, and EVERY sketch is pretty much the same. Oh well. :( There were a few funny bits, but the bad seriously outweighed the good.

Filthy Rich and Catflap
This is the missing link between The Young Ones and Bottom (as dole described it once on this board), I've only seen one episode that was released on the Young Ones DVD, but I picked up the DVD of the whole series and I'll watch it soon. I'm hoping for a little more Young Ones than Bottom, which I like but can be teduis. I am honestly shocked when I hear people who say they like Bottom better than The Young Ones.

Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible
I only watched one episode! It was okay! It's another show by Steve Coogan, it's a anthology/parody of British horror films from the 70s. One thing I’ve noticed that’s pretty unique to Brittan is the comedy anthology show. I can’t think of one comedy anthology show made in America, and I can think of a bunch in the UK, like Ripping Yarns, The Comic Strip Presents, Coogan’s Run, etc. and those are just ones I’ve seen. I guess America is scared of doing a comedy show that doesn’t have the same characters (families) and settings (living rooms) every week. It kind of makes me wanna move :(

The Office
haha just kidding haha

uh i guess lets talk about some british shows that aren't around in america and how they are better than american shows

[MetalMilitia]

Ive never really heard of any of those :/
You should definatly check out brass eye though, it was absolutly brilliant, especially the paedophile episode, i almost died of laughter when i first saw that.

[Krythor]

There was alot of really bizarre comedy on an old cable channel called UK Play, that was taken off the air because of low ratings 3 or 4 years ago. It was all really weird and cheap, and hosted by practically the same people, so they all felt like they were made in someone's media class or something.
The two I remember most were these two shows that were hosted by a guy in a black and white top hat, with one being a quiz show called "Either/Or" or something, and the other being some nonsensical shit with him riding a topless double-decker bus around a Father Tedesque island and talking to the locals through a megaphone. I recall a weird music video about the pros and cons of catching the bus, too. At the time they were embarrassing to watch, but I miss that stuff now. :(

Rock Profile and Stella Street were also on UK Play, and were probably the highest budget shows on the whole station. Both are pretty decent and worth looking up.

I liked The Day Today, but I much preferred Brass Eye. It's slightly less goofy, I think, and much edgier. I remember the day after the pedophile episode aired, with all the controversy over the subject matter and all the celebrities in the episode complaining that they were duped into thinking they were talking about something else.

Another show you'd maybe like is Big Train. I haven't seen it for a while, but I liked it alot more than other British sketch shows. It's still not as clever as say, Mr. Show, but it's incredibly goofy, and I'm pretty sure the only recurring joke is an animated staring championship.

[Krythor]

Plus, the League of Gentlemen movie is filming at the moment, and I read that they plan on writing the fourth series after it's done. Best news I've read all year.

[Jixby Phillips]

I've read about Stella Street, Peter Richardson does that right?

I read that the Stella Street movie is coming out on DVD in the states. Any good?

I've got my eye on a video of "Alexi Sayle's Stuff," anybody seen it?

[MetalMilitia]

ug, isnt stella street that show where the epesodes where just like 10mins long and had a shop with some, somewhat poorly acted, rockstars running it?

I cant really see it in film form :/

[Guitar Woman]

Jixby you bastard! You didn't say My Hero! That's the best British Comedy EVER! YOU CUNTFLAP!

[Jixby Phillips]

I hope you're being sarcastic.

I can't tell because you are a stupid person.

[Guitar Woman]

I hope YOU'RE being sarcastic. I can't tell because you are a cuntflap. >=O

[Jixby Phillips]

I saw two episodes of it and it made me stop watching BBC America all together. I had that channel for like, two years and they mostly showed Changing rooms and boring drama series, and the only comedy they ever showed was either:

1. being repeated all over PBS (Keeping Up Appearances, Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, The Thin Blue Line, Are You Being Served, etc)
2. stuff already out on DVD, easy to rent on netflix, or already been on cable channels in recent memory (The Young Ones, Absolutely Fabulous, Father Ted, The Office)
3. Already been on other cable channels (The Young Ones on MTV & Comedy Central, Absolutely Fabulous on Comedy Central and Oxygen)
4. In the case of My Hero: Stuff that's awful and unfunny.

We need a "Channel 4 America," except people would think the "4" means "for," I'm sure. I'm not sure of that would actually be good, but it seems like I've seen a bunch of shows that I liked that originally aired on Channel 4. I just wish there was some kind of British Comedy channel that allowed for shows that aren't easy to see.

[GADZOOKS]

If My Hero is that show with the talking baby, then without a doubt it sucks.

[Krythor]

Yeah, Stella Street is by Peter Richardson. It's better in 10 minute doses, but it does work surprisingly well in movie form. I could only see anybody disliking it if they're turned off by impressionist comedy, which is understandable.

Father Ted, Spaced, Black Books, Peep Show and the 11 o'clock show which spawned Ali G all started on Channel 4. Really, while BBC has produced alot of great stuff, it's produced alot more garbage. I really despise My Hero, Keeping Up Appearances and My Family more than any American sitcom.

I haven't seen Alexi Sayle's show for a long time, when I was much younger and much dumber. At the time, I hated him and his cameos in the Young Ones, but recently I re-watched the first series of the Young Ones and loved them, so I'm dying to see his show again myself.

I forgot to mention that Big Train was written by Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews of Father Ted fame.

[the_dudefather]

i just got the filthy, rich and catflap dvd for christmas and i love it, it is a sort of young youngs style surreality but in a bottom like enviroment, which makes for a good mix.

it features a lot of asides where they address the audience and whatnot. a lot of other british comedy actors make appearences, like stephen fry, harry enfield and chris barrie

i would like to get the comic strip presents at some stage, as i hear its good

[sloth]

brass eye is absolutely brilliant. if not hugely 'funny' funny, bang on satirically. ted maul is a legend. one show that seemed to slip under the comedy radar in the post-office wake was garth marenghi's darkplace. good stuff, its on bittorrent although probably dead by now. armando iannuci was a co-writer for the day today, his show was fucking HILARIOUS. the town sniper was the best sketch ive seen in ages.

[thebiggameover]

are you being served...
>:

[GADZOOKS]

Starring Mike Nelson and Steve Harvey


and black people

[Rongi]

INSIDE JOKE

oh and also is Coogan's Run a parody of Logan's Run?

[MetalMilitia]

brass eye is absolutely brilliant. if not hugely 'funny' funny, bang on satirically. ted maul is a legend. one show that seemed to slip under the comedy radar in the post-office wake was garth marenghi's darkplace. good stuff, its on bittorrent although probably dead by now. armando iannuci was a co-writer for the day today, his show was bloody HILARIOUS. the town sniper was the best sketch ive seen in ages.

Dark place was good and very original but i though a couple of the episodes where not very funny. Its the kind of thing you watch and think 'this should be funny' but for some reason its not.

But I must admit a couple of the episodes where brilliant.

[Rongi]

i know coogan's run is obviously a parody of the title, what i meant to say was is the show just a parody of the movie or what

[Jixby Phillips]

There are no references to Logan's run that I saw on the show. I remember the videos had like pictures of like joggers on it and instead of "volume 1" it said "lap 1" :lol :lol :lol get it

[GADZOOKS]

I'm not a fan of running, would I not like coogan's run then?

[Dole]

Glad to see you got The Day Today Jixby! Hope you enjoyed it. Get Brass Eye too...go on. The things that wont really translate is the shit british celebrities that they are fooling, as you wont know who any of them are, and also the fact that both series parody english news/documentary programs in quite specific ways, and obviously an American audience wont have the same frame of reference......Those two series were incredibly groundbreaking in so many ways....and really, REALLY funny.
There is a great easter egg on the day today dvd with chris morris interviewing Peter OhanraOhanrahan on the morning of 9/11 when he is supposed to be in the world trade center...I think you have to go to the episode menu and then back to the main one and it starts playing (its audio only)
Coogan's Run was ok - not particularly memorable, but the best thing Steve Coogan has ever done, far and away is the Alan Partridge series. He is the sports reporter on The Day Today....there are 3 series, the first is a fake chat show called 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' then two series of 'I'm Alan Partridge' - my favourite comedy programmes ever...bleak, cringe-inducing and fucking funny. YOU SHOULD GET THEM.
I thought Dr Terribles house of whatever was really, really poor.

[MetalMilitia]

Yep, i recently got all 3 serises of alan partridge. Definatly one of favourite shows. I loved the way the show kind of got worse and worse throughout the series 1 until the brilliant ending.

Im alan partridge was easily as good, if not slightly better. Especially the episode with the farmers and the radio interview :lol

I think is went slightly downhill at 'im alan partridge series 2'. It was still good but i think the character of Alan Partridge had reached the end of its comedy life and further series would have been bad.

[Dole]

I too, was one of the 'I'm..' series two haters initially, but on repeated viewing its far and away the best, easily.

[huond]

what do you folks think about LITTLE BRITAIN?

[HickMan]

I've only seen Allo Allo and absolutly loved it :(. I need more British.

[MetalMilitia]

I too, was one of the 'I'm..' series two haters initially, but on repeated viewing its far and away the best, easily.

I have watched the whole series about 3 times and some episodes more and its still my least favourite of the 3.
It is just more predictable than the previous series. In the first 2 its pretty much impossible to know what hes going to do to make a situation worse but in the third hes almost become a parody of alan partridge.

But dont get me wrong i still love watching it. Bits like the bond movie watching afternoon are classic.

[the_dudefather]

anone else watch grumpy old men? (tv series which is completly unrelated to movie)

got the dvd + tshirt combo the other day, great stuff, but only 5 episodes (including christmas episode)

[sloth]

i dont know, little britain is pretty irritating. its predictable, like the fast show became. just a series of easily memorable and widely applicable catchphrases for people to quote at each other. whats jam like? i caught a few episodes when it was on tv. weirdly funny, but never saw much more of it. i want to know what happened to the rumoured collaboration between chris morris and charlie brooker >:

[Dole]

JAM is amazing - really fucking dark and weird in places, hysterical in others. Its like Brass Eye on crack and acid. Forgot to mention that with the other stuff....
The chris morris charlie brooker thing is happening - its about the nathan barley character from tv go home. I think its been filmed, should be on pretty soon.

[pjalne]

I probably have Little Britain in my mailbox, but the lock was changed while I was away. WTF is that all about? >:

[Zbu Manowar]

i just got the filthy, rich and catflap dvd for christmas and i love it, it is a sort of young youngs style surreality but in a bottom like enviroment, which makes for a good mix.

I still can't fucking believe the States didn't get this fucking DVD at all. It was good enough to put the first episode on that nearly-useless third Young Ones disc but apparently tossing another single DVD onto a set that holds the other five fucking episodes is beyond the BBC. They couldn't even throw it onto the Bottom set? Fucking hell.

[huond]

i just got UNCUT VHS tapes of Filthy Rich and Catflap (all the british releases have a total of about 6 minutes cut out due to music rights :()