Best Brit sitcom

[hitrack]

Anybody mention Benny Hill yet?!?!?

 

[sleepy5]

Coupling all the way!!!

IMHO, Coupling is far and away the funniest contemporary sitcom on tv today. It's tough to find though, usually on BBC. If you hav'nt seen it, you should...

 

[stroker]

Coupling, no contest

 

[KingLeer]

In case no one has mentioned it...the original British version of The Office.

 

[wilde]

Mine? Let's see. At the top of my list would be a tie.

1) The Blackadder series: Blackadder is perhaps the most intelligent sitcom ever written, regardless of the time period each set of episodes is set in. Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson play off each other extremely well. One of the most underrated catch phrases came from this show, that is of course Baldrick's "I have a cunning plan."

1) Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister: Then the greatest political sitcom ever devised. The rapport between main characters Jim Hacker (Paul Eddington) and Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne) is fantastic. In fact Hawthorne performs a wonderful verbal dance in each episode with the bureaucratic bafflegab given to him in the script.

2) Fawlty Towers: John Cleese as Basil Fawlty, one of greatest TV characters of all time. The episode with the Germans in which Basil performs a whacky goosestep march is enough to split one's side. And the fellow who play Manuel the Portugese waiter/bellhop took just as much crap from his boss if not more than Baldrick did from Blackadder.


4) Mr. Bean: Who needs words? Rowan Atkinson's second greatest character, after Blackadder of course. Some of the greatest physical comdey I've have seen on tv. Let's not mention that goddamn movie that should have NEVER been made. Bugger all was original about it.

Those 4 were my favourites too.

Regarding Blackadder, you neglected to mention Hugh Laurie who is arguably the biggest British actor who has landed in American TV in the form of one Dr. Gregory House. Most memorable quote: "that blue wobbly thing that the mermaids live in". It was Baldrick describing the sea.

Sir Humphrey sadly have passed away. The dialogue in this show will put the best politician in the world to shame. If you want to master the art of saying nothing while appearing to say a lot in an intelligent way, this is a must for you.

I could be wrong but a lot of the actors and writers on these shows are Oxford or Cambridge graduates. Maybe that had something to do with it.

My honourable mention goes to MI5, every bit as much of a thrill ride as 24 is but more sophisticated and less action.

Last but not least, who can forget those wonderful shows by Benny Hill. Comedy and very soft porn never matched so well together.

 

[westwoody]

I love Red Dwarf, but Doctor Who was pretty funny as well. It wasn't trying to be funny but it wasn't trying to be really serious either.
"Yes Minister" was brilliant, just because it was ridiculous and believable at the same time. Can't you imagine the same scenario with Stephen Harper and some PMO hack pulling his strings?

 

[ubique]

Any Young Ones Fans

Before there was AbFab there were the Young Ones. Huge in the 80's. Written by Ben Elton.

 

[corbin241]

By far the best Brit-sitcoms are Spaced,Blackbooks, and a new one called the it crowd..if you want to see the best check these out

 

[tedsweettangv]

Red Dwarf
Coupling
Young Ones
Bottom
The New Statesmen
Black Adder
Faulty Towers
Mulbery

Missing other great shows though

Mary Whitehouse Experience
Have I got News For You
Paul Merton
Harry Enfield

the list goes on.

 

[janus]

What no mention of the great Tony Hancock

The shame! Probably available at Videomatica or Black Dog. Pure genius. The episode with Tony going to the blood bank is just too hilarious.

 

[Maury Beniowski]

Da Ali G, aka Borat, aka Bruno the Austrian Gay TV host...

He cracks me up. Funniest Jew to come out of Britain in a long time...