Question for the Brits

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 7:23pm

What really great British shows are we missing in the US that we should look for?

Obviously PBS does a fairly good job with Downton Abbey, Upstairs Downstairs, Call The Midwife, EastEnders, and all the costume dramas. They've brought in Doc Martin, Miranda, The Cafe, After You've Gone, New Tricks and Silk. Obviously we've had the Patricia Routledge shows and the Judi Dench shows.

We get some good stuff on dvd: Ab Fab, Life On Mars, Royle Family, Mulberry, Fresh Fields/French Fields, The Ambassador, Extras, Only Fools and Horses and many of the David Jason shows.

I've watched Shameless and Waterloo Road online.

I've been trying to find Clocking Off but haven't got it yet.

What other really good British shows should be on our radar?

Updated On: 2/4/14 at 07:23 PM

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 8:26pm

I'm not a Brit but watch a lot of British television. Here are some of my recommendations.

Drama
Orphan Black
Utopia
Broadchurch (soon to be remade on FOX)
The Hour
Luther (but really only series 1)

Comedy
Misfits
Pulling
Big School
Yonderland
Green Wing
The Inbetweeners
Fresh Meat (this one is on my list)
Peep Show/That Mitchell and Webb Look (people love these but I've never been able to get into them)

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 9:24pm

I'm not a Brit either, but if I may add my own suggestion -

I really enjoyed the BBC's Last Tango In Halifax, which aired on PBS last fall. A six-parter starring Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid as two pensioners who reunite after decades apart and rekindle the romance they had in youth. Some great acting from the leads and supporting players, and good subplots too, including Sarah Lancashire as a new divorcee embarking on an elicit lesbian affair.

Recommended!




30-second trailer

Updated On: 2/4/14 at 09:24 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 10:49pm

Thanks for the suggestions. I've seen Pulling, The Inbetweeners and Last Tango. All good suggestions. I'll check out the other ones.

Also, just so you know my taste: I really enjoyed Gavin & Stacey. Ruth Jones and James Corden made that show. And how can you not love Allison Steadman?

eta: Jay-Lerner, I watched Last Tango specifically for Sarah Lancashire. I saw her in the West End musical "Betty Blue Eyes" and think's she's a wonderful actress.

Also, she is the voiceover for the wonderful show Larkrise to Candleford. Sort of in the genre of Little House On The Prairie. It stars Ab Fab's Julia Sawalha, Downton's Brendan Coyle, the always good Linda Bassett and some guest appearances by Dawn French.

Updated On: 2/4/14 at 10:49 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 1:09am

Broadchurch was great--I hope the second series can keep up the quality (they're filming he US remake, again with Tennant, here in Victoria over the next few months... meh.)

Clyde, Orphan Black is a Canadian show -- BBCAMERICA airs it for some reason, but since Canada hasn't really had a show to be proud of since Slings and Arrows I feel I have to say that (Nevermind, I looked up the specifics and it gets funding from BBCAmerica too, though I don't think BBC even airs it in the UK.)

Gotham, how far back year wise are you willing to go?

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 1:20am

Mr.Selfridge, about a 1900s London department store is worth a shot. I gave it up about halfway through the first season myself, but I know a lot of people have enjoyed it.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 3:14am

Gothampc - I'm a Brit, but I've lived most of my life in the US. This really depends upon how far you want us to go back, I suppose. Since most of the shows listed are contemporary or recent -- lots of good shows mentioned already -- let's stick with that:

THE FALL:
Really superb serial killer mini-series starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan. (Entire first season on NETFLIX)

PRIME SUSPECT:
I imagine you've seen all the seasons, but if not, probably the most essential crime procedural show in the history of British tv and one which made Helen Mirren a massive star.

FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER:
One of the most consistently and riotously funny Britcoms I've ever seen. There are lots of very well made, amusing comedies on tv these days, but none that makes me laugh as loudly or as consistently as this gem. It's not cutting edge and revolutionary in the way The Office or AbFab was, it's just a really well written superbly acted ensemble comedy. It centers on two adult sons from a Jewish British famlily who go to Mum & Dad's for their weekly Friday night famliy dinner. Tamsin Greig (who you may know from Matt LeBlanc's EPISODES) and Paul Ritter are hilarious as the slightly crazy Jewish parents. (You can find all episodes from the first two seasons on YouTube)

THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMAN:
Wickedly funny, dark-dark-dark British sketch show in which three main actors portray an entire village of sociopaths and misfits -- male, female, young, old, human and otherwise. If you've seen "Little Britain", this is the much funnier, much darker version of that kind of thing.

GRANDMA'S HOUSE:
Another Britcom about a British Jewish family, but darker and less riotous than Friday Night Dinner. This one stars and was created by British Jewish gay comedian Simon Amstell. Amstell is best known for his hugely popular stints of hosting British comedy/quiz/pop culture shows like PopWorld and Never Mind the Buzzcocks in which he made liberal use of a very sharp and exceedingly snarky wit -- he famously made Britney Spears cry in a wonderfully loony interview. Amstell became a bit worried that he was going to always be that "impish tv host who said viciously mean things to celebrities" and left Never Mind the Buzzcocks at the height of his popularity to develop a more introspective standup persona and to create GRANDMA'S HOUSE, his semi-autobiographical show in which he plays a slightly exaggerated version of himself. The show always takes place at his grandma's house and the regular visitors include his Mama Rose-esque stage mother, his deeply awkward and unpopular aunt and her strange, sexually aggressive teenage son and his mother's overbearing boyfriend who may or may not have run over a clown while driving drunk. Amstell, like Jerry Seinfeld, is not a great actor but the writing is really sharp and funny and the rest of the cast is superb. (You can also find all episodes from the first two seasons on YouTube)

NEVER MIND THE BUZZCOCKS:
The aforementioned "pop quiz" show that Simon Amstell hosted for several seasons. It's technically a quiz show about pop music/pop culture but it's really an excuse to say some awful things about celebrity figures -- sometimes when they're guests panelists on the show. I especially recommend seeking out the episode that the late Amy Winhouse appeared on. It showcased not only her razor sharp wit but also a surprisingly warm and affectionate side that we didn't get to see much of. (Nearly all the seasons are avaialble on YouTube. Show still airs, but now there's a different guest host every week. Amstell hosted seasons 19-22)

THE CATHERINE TATE SHOW:
If you only know Catherine Tate as the ginger Brit from the last couple of seasons of The Office (US) or from her stint on Dr. Who, you need to see her sketch show. She plays dozens of regular characters -- many of them nothing like her. My favorite being Derek Faye, a flamboyant uppity man middle aged man who lives at home with his mother and is outraged every time someone suggests he might enjoy the company of other men. It's a bit catch-phrase heavy, but it's so damn well done that I don't mind.

SMACK THE PONY and BIG TRAIN:
Two other very funny British sketch shows.

NIGHTY NIGHT:
Really dark black-as-night comedy about a sociopathic hair stylist who uses her husband's cancer to manipulate the people in her life, including her attempt to steal the husband of her MS-suffering wheelchair bound neighbor. Seriously dark stuff that would be softened if remade in the US. (I've seen a few eps on YouTube)

OUTNUMBERED:
Very funny, sometimes understated family comedy about two middle class parents and their three kids. The whole ensemble is very funny, but the best reason to watch is the actress playing the young daughter. She says the most pointed, sometimes violent and dark things that only a little girl could get away with saying -- and they were doing this before Modern Family's Lily was on the scene. (Hulu)



Shows I've heard very good things about but haven't seen yet include:
FRESH MEAT - stars Jack Whitehall - kind of the "it" boy of Brit comedy right now(Hulu)
THIS IS ENGLAND
BLACK MIRROR
THE SINGING DETECTIVE and PENNIES FROM HEAVEN


Phew! That should do for now.

[VeraCharles3]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 5:21am

Gothampc - I am a Brit living in the UK.

The good thing about British shows is they are normally only 6 episodes per series, so easy to catch up with.

If your taste includes Gavin and Stacey, then I agree with HorseTears, you should check out Nighty Night - Julia Davis is fabulous and Ruth Jones appears as her sidekick. It is pitch black comedy but great fun.

Also check out Stella - starring and written by Ruth Jones. A funny, gentle comedy set in a small village in Wales including an alcoholic, sex mad female undertaker!

Vera - great crime drama with Brenda Blethyn and the gorgeous David Leon.

If I think of any more I will post.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 9:24am

Thanks for all of these suggestions, and keep them coming.

I'm going through a Maxine Peake phase at the moment. I loved her in Shameless and now enjoy seeing her in Silk.

I really don't have a specific time period in mind, so if you have any gems from years ago they are fine as well. I always enjoy Are You Being Served (I have to revisit the sequel. I don't remember it being as funny as the original, but I'll revisit). I've enjoyed Last of the Summer Wine. I've enjoyed the early David Jason one where he plays the shop boy. (Has anyone had as great a career as David Jason?)

The more I think about it, the more I realize I've seen many older shows. Yes Prime Minister, Waiting For God, The Good Life, Monarch of The Glen, Rosemary & Thyme, Ballykissangel, My Hero, To The Manor Born, Father Ted. All fun shows.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 9:45am

I just watched THE FALL, and found it a nice antidote within the current obsession of shows about serial killers: it felt by far the most realistic take on the impulse of murder, and did the least to fetishize it of any of the American shows on the same level.

ORPHAN BLACK is amazing, and my understanding is it is produced by BBC America as an original series (like COPPER) and filmed in Canada, because $$$. But I may understate the Canadian involvement in its production. Either way, what matters is Tatiana Maslany exploded off the screen and towards the top of my favorite actors list.

Also, if you're in on GAVIN & STACEY and love James Corden, THE WRONG MANS was co-produced by BBC and Hulu and over here premiered a few months ago and is addictively stylish in an unpredictable way.

[VeraCharles3]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 10:08am

Gothampc - you have eclectic taste don't you?

A good Maxine Peake drama that may be on DVD is Criminal Justice, it's a 5 part series about someone accused of a crime and the procedures (arrest, court case etc) that follows.
The first series starred Ben Whishaw and that was excellent too.

She also does a lot of radio drama here in the UK, not sure how you can hear this though unless you can get BBC Radio 4 online? She is in a new drama next week, 5 nights, 15 minute episodes each. Think she plays a policewoman but would need to double check.

Another few shows - Born and Bred, Pie in the Sky, The Paradise (the same team who did Larkrise, You Rang M'Lord (a spoof Upatairs Downstairs)

Scott and Bailey - two female cops (think Cagney and Lacey)

Also, not British but very popular here, all the Scandanavian shows like the original The Killing, The Bridge, Borgen (my favourite at the moment) and a very good drama Never Wipe Tears Without Gloves - about the start of the AIDS crisis in Sweden.

Sorry, i am going off topic now.

Hope you find a few more shows to enjoy.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 10:14am

I'd agree that THE FALL doesn't fetischize serial killers. I think it does something much more interesting. The show challenges us to like our supposed protagonist with the steely and uncompromising detective of Gillian Anderson. And then it challenges us NOT to like the killer -- an almost preternaturally beautiful Jamie Dornan -- whose character dotes on his children so tenderly you almost want to root for him. Really smart writing and brilliant casting. I just hope that there's no slut shaming of Gillian Anderson's character in s2. BTW, if you haven't seen THE FALL, these aren't spoilers. The killer is revealed from the start -- it's not a whodunit.

ORPHAN BLACK is a very entertaining show and Tatiana Maslany's hat trick is really impressive. I just wish it wasn't so overproduced/edited. Not to mention the blaring soundtrack. Not terribly subtle. But, still, lots of fun.

DON'T EVER WIPE TEARS WITHOUT GLOVES? European shows never seem to be shy about long, clunky titles, that's for sure. Watched a preview, though, and it looks very good. Thanks for the tip, Vera. Hopefully it will make it to Netflix or Hulu or something this year.

Updated On: 2/5/14 at 10:14 AM

[Hulmeman]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 11:26am

I have two suggestions for you:

STELLA - It's a Ruth Jones (nee Gavin and Stacey) set in a small Welsh mining valley, it has some wonderfully comic characters (an undertaker who speaks neither Welsh nor English, but chats on the 'phone. A couple who keep a horse in the front room and a child carer who uses the work c@cking as an adjective) A million miles away from "The corn is green"!!!

Also very popular here is BENIDORM. A group of Brits visit the low rent Spanish resort each year (the same families at the same time oddly enough!). The Garvey's have a mother in law from hell who chain smokes and drives round in a mobility scooter. A pair of middle aged "swingers", a transvestite bar tender. The first couple of seasons had a gay couple and the recent series has the most stereotypical camp, fat, sarcartic hairdresser. Think "carry on" films.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 11:29am

No love for SPACED? So it's a bit on the late-nineties side, but still brilliant.

Also, if you haven't seen THE SINGING DETECTIVE, you're missing one of the best things to ever air on television, period.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 11:41am

Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
Spy
Dirk Gently
Let Them Eat Cake
Catherine Tate Show
Wild West
Vera
The Fall
The Job Lot
Big School
Carrie and Barry
Cold Feet
Afterlife
Teachers
Come Fly With Me
Hotel Babylon
Mile High

And an interesting note on British reality TV, the UK version of The Taste is WAY better than the original American counterpart. The production values are so much better. The camera work is fantastic and the set is beautiful, not at all like an Idol/Voice ripoff. I also really enjoyed Hotel GB.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 1:26pm

Matt, yes I've seen Cold Feet and Hotel Babylon. Both are great. Also, I know of Vera, but haven't watched it yet. I'll check out the others.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 4:16pm

If you like Hotel Babylon and Footballers' Wives, you should enjoy Mile High. A fun little nighttime soap about flight attendants. Two Pints is one of my all-time favorites and started my obsession with Sheridan Smith. She and Natalie Casey are reason enough to watch every episode of its 9-season run. I never wanted it to end.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 4:31pm

Bad Girls, but only series 1. The writing was already terrible and it went straight to sh1t after that! lol. Totally worth a watch, though.


Okay, it was about the lesbian content for me...

[tomatlcm]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 10:02pm

As a Brit who watches far too much television I thought I might wade in.

As far as comedies go there are a hell of a lot of good ones from the past decade or so. I really reccomend the following:
Dinnerladies- from the 90's, written by Victoria Wood starring herself and Julie walters- need I say more?
Mongrels- An adult puppet show about homeless Animals, was one of my faves.
Grandma's House- This has been mentioned by other people on this page but I thought I'd mention it. It's really bloody good!
The Beautiful People- Possibly my favorite of all time. It's loosely based on the early life of Simon Doonam but set in the 90's. It's basically the coming of age story of a young gay youth with a rather common but rather brilliant family. Olivia Colman is Simon's Mum and Merra Syal plays Blind "Aunt" Hayley. If you need any more convincing the show has pretty heavy musical theatre references including full blown production numbers. Elaine Paige was in one episode if I recall correctly! I can't reccomend the show enough.

I think that will do for now. I'll come back if I can think of anything else.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/6/14 at 2:50am

"
ORPHAN BLACK is amazing, and my understanding is it is produced by BBC America as an original series (like COPPER) and filmed in Canada, because $$$. But I may understate the Canadian involvement in its production. Either way, what matters is Tatiana Maslany exploded off the screen and towards the top of my favorite actors list. "

It's Canadian godammit :P The creatives are nearly all Canadian, they actually acknowledge it's set in Canada, etc--but it does get substantial funding from BBCAmerica. There are certain quotas that have to be filled to meet the Canadian film funding (and not just get tax breaks like all the American show that shoot here) hence why Tatiana and most of the cast are Canadian, etc. Anyway, yes, it's great.

Out of older shows, growing up Carla Lanes' sitcoms (as writer/creator) specifically Bread, from the late 80s and particularly Butterflies from the late 70s/early 80s which used to air on PBS. They're gentler in their humour and maybe in some ways more serialized dramedies. This poster has a lot of early episodes as well as a bunch of other vintage UK sitcoms http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCuGA8wmmOg

However, one of my faves that I blanked completely on and hasn't, I don't think, been mentioned was the mid/late 90s "20somethings" BBC drama This Life, which I've heard at the time became a massive hit. Absolutely brilliant--I randomly came across a torrent of it a few years back and watched both seasons within a week. About a bunch of flatmates, several of them just breaking into law degrees. Gets a bit soapy (which I don't mind) but also feels very realistic and relateable (and contains gay storylines as well as full male, brief, nudity if that floats your boat.)

Also has a pretty impressive cast of people who are now better known, like Jack Davenport (pre Coupling,) Andrew Lincoln, Warren Jones (who was on Midsommer Murders later for years,) etc. I can't recommend it highly enough, even if I suppose it does contain some navel gazing (figuratively and literally.) Season 1 was 11 episodes and season 2 was 21. They did a reunion movie ten years later that is kinda depressing, but if you get hooked on the show you'll still want to see. All of the writers went on to do other major things like creating Life on Mars (apparently NBC tried a remake called First Years that was cancelled after 3 episodes much like their remakes of Cold Feet, which Life is vaguely similar to, and Coupling.)

It looks like the first episodes are on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0eBu2i_j-8

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/6/14 at 2:51am

Actually it looks like the entire series and the reunion are on youtube right now, though, like I said, torrents are easy to find (however I don't think it ever had a North American DVD.) Just great stuff--I really missed the characters when it finished.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/6/14 at 2:54am

Wow, someone uploaded one of the three episodes of First Years to youtube because it had Patty Duke in it. So awful (even the fact that one of the charms of the original was the lack of score.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpbTkvChCfo

Sorry, I'm having a This Life moment. I'll stop.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/6/14 at 2:58am

(And speaking of Cold Feet, the creator's follow-up, three season Life Begins is great as well -- I know it aired in Canada, but not sure about PBS.)

[HorseTears]

Posted: 2/6/14 at 4:33am

Oooh! THIS LIFE. I remember seeing the first season either on PBS or BBC America and then they either never aired the second season or I didn't catch it. Will have to look out for that and the reunion!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/6/14 at 9:17am

I also liked The IT Crowd. A bit silly sometimes, but fun.