Weird-ass British Television

Would I lie to you is amazing. So is 8 out of 10 cats does countdown.

American humour just can’t compete with superior British humour. Americans never get it.

I want to smack David Mitchell. Hard.

I love David Mitchell.

Josh is a cutie.

[quote]American humour just can’t compete with superior British humour. Americans never get it.

Because it's rarely funny.

R5 - from the country that brought us Sam Kinison and Andrew Dice Clay.

Sam Kinison is funny.

Dice Clay? No.

I have a small crush on Jon Richardson. I have a weakness for the damaged ones.

Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You, and Qi are the best.

Graham Norton has the best talk show ever. The best part of this clip is at 5:20.

Can anyone post any recent Tracey Ullman or The Windsors (comedy) links?

Graham Norton with weird-ass Miriam Margulies.

r6 - from the country that brought us Russell Brand and Jimmy Carr.

All I can say is that I've been happily OD'ing Doctor Who in the run-up to the Global Premiere of Jodie Whittaker as the new Doctor this weekend--Fathom Events is even offering it in cinemas a couple of days after! Doctor Who overload!

R13 Russell Brand can be funny, it is only when he tries to be an intellectual that he falls flat. I don't care for Jimmy Carr as a comic but he is pretty good as a host.

The Doctor Who Global Premiere is on & is fab!

Miriam Margolyes compilation on Graham Norton.

Graham Norton's great if you like the sound of fake forced laughter.

[quote]All I can say is that I've been happily OD'ing Doctor Who in the run-up to the Global Premiere of Jodie Whittaker as the new Doctor this weekend--Fathom Events is even offering it in cinemas a couple of days after! Doctor Who overload!

We have twelve year olds on DL?

[quote]Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You, and Qi are the best.

Smug cunts, all of them

[quote]We have twelve year olds on DL?

Yes, clearly >

[quote]Graham Norton with weird-ass Miriam Margulies.

From 08:49, Jon Richardson reading his latest novel Deep Clean 2: Under The Rim.

Doctor Who is arguably the most successful programme on British TV. It's not just children who watch it.

Dr Who scored 8.2m, it's highest rating in years.

OP, you may enjoy Never Mind the Buzzcocks. This is one of the better episodes.

part 2

part 3

OP (and others) thinks THESE are the weirdest U.K. programmes? Oh dear oh dear...

The best of these types of shows was "The Word" back in the 1990-94 era.

I loved Peep Show, but I've also wanted to smack David Mitchell in everything he's done since.

The Mighty Boosh was weird and wonderful. This Is Jinsy was surreal and really funny. Plebs is good, I also loved The IT Crowd. Older but very, very funny are Black Books and Spaced.

Ragdoll Productions' Teletubbies was kind of weird. Their Boobah was simply bizarre.

A1W was great. Very British.

R33 - So great you couldn't get its name right.

The League of Gentleman may interest you.

No, that’s a local show for local people r35.

R13 - I agree. In spades about Brand. But my point wasn’t that we didn’t have our share of lame comedians but that R5 seems to think you don’t have your share. Obviously each country could go tit for tat forever.

“YES, I can HEAR you Clem Fandango!”

American humor? Two Broke Girls. Damn dumbest sitcom ever created. How did those actors get through that?

British TV is the WORST. Apart from The Avengers (Diana Rigg-era only), Monty Python (which is an acquired taste), Fawlty Towers, and the first two seasons of Ab Fab, it's nothing but shit.

r39, some recent American comedy shows, to name just a few: Web Therapy, The Comeback, Seinfeld, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep (coming from British tv, I know but Veep is much better)...

Classics: Mary Tyler Moore, All in the Family...

Those are just off the top of my head.

British comedy is shit.

You’re a moron r40, go back to your Matlock reruns.

You haven't seen any of those shows, R41.

As an English speaker from neither Britain nor the States, I have to say that you are both capable of putting out some really funny stuff, and equally some absolute dross.

It's Always Sunny Curb Your Enthusiasm Seinfeld Broad City Kimmy Schimdt 30 Rock Parks and Rec Lady Dynamite Arrested Development BoJack Horseman The Simpsons A Good Place Children's Hospital

British Comedy: Extras The Office The Mighty Boosh Black Books Peep Show Dectorists Getting On The Thick of It Father Ted

Excuse the formatting etc etc

Sean Hughes was one of the weirdest, not to mention adorable and quite fey.

R.I.P., Mr. Show.

I liked Sean’s Show but was quite sad to learn in real life he was an abusive asshole. Shame, lots of talent but self destructive and mean spirited.

Ab Fab, French & Saunders, Catherine Tate, Stacey and Gavin (I love Ruth Jones), Jimmy Carr, Chatty Man Alan Carr, love them all. The affair started with Mr. Humphries and Mrs. Solocum. It continues today and I find it more interesting than American TV. The references are sometimes hard to get - I mean who the hell is Marianne Frostrup or Delia Smith? Still better though.

Nothing in this thread really counts as weird-ass by any stretch of the imagination. You have to go to Japan for all the WTF shows.

In OP's clip, who's the hottie next to David Mitchell? (Not Mel Giedroyc.)

That’s Dermot O’Leary r50.

My all time fave series is "The Prisoner" with Patrick McGoohan--fell in love with him immediately, and am still in love with him--perfect writing, sets, actors, effects, music--endlessly entertaining--a visit to Portmeirion village is still on my bucket list!

Hey, buttplug r42, I named shows at r40 that were actually good. Sorry your ass is chapped by what a small list it is. Never saw Matlock, hunty.

What the fuck are you talking about, r43? I've seen all of them, dolt. That's why I mentioned them.

OK, so you don’t remember what you watched last week r53. Don’t worry about it, it happens to a lot of people at your age.

You still have zero knowledge of quality TV though and that is your cross to bear.

I remember what I watched last week. Again, I'm sorry Brit tv blows. "As Time Goes By"?

Don't take it so personally, r54.

r55 are you 103 years old? Have you SEEN any recent British shows?

'As Time Goes By' started in 1992 for fuck's sake - and it wasn't good even then. It would be like me saying - American tv blows. "Full House"?

Fuck you, OP. I've fallen into the WILTY rabbit hole! Thanks, I guess?

Give up r56, he’s not seen a thing since 1971 and goldarnit he likes it that way! No point pissing into the wind, r55 has no knowledge of British TV and he’s not going to start learning at this late stage. Let him go quietly into the long goodnight with his imagination unsullied by original, quirky shows.

French & Saunders, Catherine Tate, I could say I mistakenly left out, r56 and r58. That's about it. And I agree there's plenty of shit since AS TIME GOES BY. To name at least one: THE VICAR OF DIBLEY, which, considering it was Dawn French, made it especially abysmal.

Armando Iannucci

Would I Lie To You is great. Love David Michell but much prefer Lee Mack.

I used to watch QI but now I cant stand Alan Davies.

I watch Father Brown, Midsomer Murders, New Tricks, Doc Martin and Mrs Brown.

I hardly watch American shows now except for Simpsons/Family Guy/ American Dad

“Idiot Abroad” had me crying it was so funny. Why all the hate for British humor?

I'm English - even the existence of this thread embarrasses me.

What is the name of the English dating show where contestants examine each other’s genitals? It was truly the strangest thing I’ve ever seen

Gaytime TV was the best.

LULU!

Channel 4 in the 80s was the best for these kinds of show.

It’s the American Exceptionalism assholes r64. Their inability to understand that we are not perfect (no one is) means they cannot endure praise of anything not American. TV seems to be a particular bugbear because the Exceptionalists like to think of TV as American but it was invented by a Scot, the first ever TV station was the BBC which started broadcasting before WWII and the weirdly narrow minded sensibilities of middle America mean everything is blanded down to beige nothingness so as not to offend the advertizers.

Can any Brits here recommend a good current comedy for an American fan to watch? Much obliged.

Great, now I'm hooked on the damn program!

I've listened to a retro 80s radio station for two years, and haven't heard the Eurythmic's "Would I Lie To You" once. Just "Sweet Dreams" and "Here Comes The Rain Again" over and over.

That shit at the OP was lame as hell. I love shows like "In the Loop" and the original "The Office," but that nonsense you linked was so lame and cheesy.

Has nobody seen Naked Attraction? As Wikipedia describes it:

Naked Attraction is a British dating game show in which a clothed person selects two contestants from six naked people, whose bodies and then faces are revealed in stages from the feet up. The person deciding then appears nude to select one of them for a fully clothed date. The programme then presents their feedback after the date. It premiered on Channel 4 on 25 July 2016 and is presented by Anna Richardson.

R71 Depending on your type of humour, try The Inbetweeners, it is hilarious. Also if you like stand up comedy I recommend an up and coming artist called James Acaster (he is actually on the OP’s post) who has 4 shows on the UK Netflix.

R75 I’ve watched a bit of Naked Attraction now and again and found it surprisingly dull. Yes, you see some cocks and pussies. It’s mildly interesting for five minutes, but I ended up finding it all a bit silly and depressing.

R71 I really love the sitcom Black Adder by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton with Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and Rowan Atkinson, from the 80' and 90'; nowadays Ben Elton does "Upstart crow" with David Mitchell as Shakespeare, also very good.

[quote]I've listened to a retro 80s radio station for two years, and haven't heard the Eurythmic's "Would I Lie To You" once. Just "Sweet Dreams" and "Here Comes The Rain Again" over and over.

In the context of a retro 80's format, that particular song breaks down the 4th. wall. Programmers want safe, unchallenging stuff to keep you softened up for the commercials to follow.

I cannot bear Graham Norton.

Puerile.

Arse-Licking

Smutty

Derivative.

He can even supply a proper seat for the guests who have to perch on it.

I loved "The Inbetweeners". Very funny show.

What town was Schubert built in, OP?

Jon Richardson

Greg Davies

"You're not gonna get away with this! It's not cool to be WEIRD"

Bumping to mention that James Acaster was fucking hilarious on the Would I Lie to You Christmas special.

R86 Thanks for posting! I've been obsessed with James since he started playing basement clubs, nearly 10 years ago. And I've just recently become obsessed with WILTY. It's all I watch at the moment.

You're welcome. James was also on the Christmas special of 8 Out of 10 Cats, as the guy sitting next to the glory hole nerd lady.

OMG David Mitchell's wasp story. He's so fucking funny. And strangely attractive.

I love Toast of London and Matt Berry.

Some of our most popular sitcoms, in the 70s, were spin offs of British shows... like All In The Family, our version of Til Death Do Us Part (British version). I like Doc Martin series.

What the WILTY Christmas special needed was a bit of Bob Mortimer, the show's greatest truth teller.

Mortimer's stories are incredible. I love the WILTY compilation of all of them. Anyone know what's up with Lee Mack and his facial ticks as of late? I never noticed them before, but they were very apparent on the Christmas special.

[quote] TV seems to be a particular bugbear because the Exceptionalists like to think of TV as American but it was invented by a Scot

An American woman once asked my Scottish grandfather, "Do you have TV in Scotland?"

No Matt Berry fans? Disappointing. Hope his What We Do in the Dark series is good.

[quote]Anyone know what's up with Lee Mack and his facial ticks as of late? I never noticed them before, but they were very apparent on the Christmas special.

Do you mean his show "Not Going Out"? The Christmas special was done live and I think he was a bit nervous about it. I think he's really gifted with improv and there wasn't room for him to improv on a live show where he is confined to the script.

Plus, "Not Going Out" is beginning to get a bit stale. The first few years were hilarious, but when they had children and moved to a house, it became less funny. Lee dropped his slacker/loser character and became a sitcom dad. And I think it's hilarious that they show the children in the opening credits and then rarely use them in the actual show.

R93 If I recall correctly, he mentioned his contact lenses in an interview as a cause for his weird flinching.

There was Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place in the 90s I think? Maybe early 2000s. Very surreal. In the same universe was Man To Man with Dean Lerner, a talk show set in the 70s. Again very funny and worth looking up.

I loved This Is Jinsy. Suburban Shootout too, and We Are Klang. Bizarre and wonderful.

R95 love Matt Berry. His fabulousness shone through in House of Fools. He was also in Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place.

R95 & R99 Count me in as another Matt Berry fan. Toast of London is total slapstick, but brilliant.

R98 So DL is this magical place, where people who actually watched This is Jinsy and We are Klang hang out? I'll look into this Suburban Shootout you mentioned then, many thanks in advance for the recommendation.

Accommodations must be made in this list for my pussy, you know.

And I am unanimous in that!

Suburban Shootout thrust the Taylor Swift-loving Tom Hiddleston on the world. But it is funny. I'm surprised that the US didn't create a version of it. It's a great vehicle for an ensemble 30-50 year old actresses.

And if you want a sitcom that teeters on absurd, try "Benidorm." The early seasons are the best. Once Siobhan Finneran and Steve Pemberton left, it became less funny. But it's still oddly funny.

[quote]Do you mean his show "Not Going Out"?

R96 No, I was talking about the WILTY Christmas Special. I guess I could believe the contact lenses excuse, as mentioned above. His demeanor seemed different as well, though.

I have to confess I like Not Going Out. I thought it had spectacularly jumped the shark when they turned it into a family sitcom, but they dialled it back and it's still pretty funny, albeit not as good as it used to be.

YAY r99 & R100 Cheers!

I told you nothing good would come of you watching BBC4

R101 another Jinsy fan! It’s spectacularly strange (as is Klang) but so, so funny. David Tennant was brilliantly creepy in it.

R109 You are so making my early New Year's Eve here on the other side of the globe (I guess). I've tried to spread the word of Jinsy here close to the Alps, but basically a few people look at me strangely now...

I hate “Mum” and don’t know why my PBS station bought it. I like Lisa McGrillis from her portrayal of the plucky Constable Rachel Coles in George Gently but I want to slap her repeatedly in this show. Also, Twister from Lark Rise to Candelford is wasted in it. I’m guessing Lesley Manville is yet another of their National Treasures

On Pointless, a bloke just mistakenly referred to Cressida Dick as... Caressa Dick. How many drag queens has he now spawned?

[quote]I’m guessing Lesley Manville is yet another of their National Treasures

Lesley Manville is a really good actress. She was just nominated for an Oscar for Phantom Thread. I'm not real fond of "Mum" either. I think it's bad writing and Lesley just does the best she can with it. But she's excellent in other movies.

Here's another of Lesley in the wonderful film "Another Year."

R105 yeah I’ve noticed the weird facial tics too. It’s becoming really bad. Might be a side effect of medication. Wouldn’t surprise me if he has ADHD.

Best British TV moment of 2018, and I'm not even British.

My Sheridan would be appalled

I love Greg Davies' appearances on Would I Lie To You - especially given that they are always true.

Love Lesley Manville in Harlots.

r118 Yes, but does he do his own dental work with a leathermaker's drill and a cement called Fuji 9, sitting on a gaming chair placed on top of the kitchen island, with a mirror hanging from a curved Indian musical instrument? Ayshk thinkshk notshk! Cooshon!

R94 ah hoop he tooled hair warts wart!

Another vote for Suburban Shootout, and I also loved The Young Ones.

Sherlock and Doctor Who have huge fandoms here in the States.

R49 And often “weird” is it all it is, at least with the middle-lowbrow stuff. On the whole comedy there is so localised it isn’t funny to anyone raised outside the islands, and their drama isn’t affecting to anyone who hasn’t grown up with knowledge of their traditional lore.

While British humor can be equally insular, excepting the very-provincial fare like THIS COUNTRY it’s generally possible to appreciate so long as you have good English comprehension. Even knowing Japanese or living in the country it can still be impossible to understand what is funny about their comedy. It seems cheesy, gross, very overplayed and often just like continual shouting and cringing to Western viewers. They also don’t seem to have a sarcasm or irony concept as regards humour.

R86 Thanks for posting that. I'd never heard of James Acaster. Really funny. I just watch his stand up spot on the Late Show. It was that funny. He seems better when he is off the cuff. Will check out more though.

[quote] Sherlock and Doctor Who have huge fandoms here in the States.

They don’t call us “the states.” They call us “America.” Yes, there is North America, Central America and South America. Doesn’t matter. We live in America and are Americans.

I've said "the States" for most of my life and don't really care what "they" call us.

r124 Here's another great James Acaster appearance on WILTY, with the cabbage prank story.

R125/R126 quite right, we haven’t any terribly kind epithets for Yanks. I personally prefer ‘New Worlder’ or Mencken’s ‘Colonican’ to ‘American’ for your people (excepting the aboriginal, of course) but I suppose for obvious reasons these didn’t take as a national identity. Did you mind being called Kismet during the War?

I hear they’re now calling us ‘Brexits’ on the continent, which is less imaginative if more historically-accurate a name than we usually get. I don’t know, we’re all fellow gays at the end of the day aren’t we?

My grandpa had a rather posh Edinburgh accent, R121, but he did indeed tell her what's what.

I do love Rab, though. I recently re-watched the episode where Ella is on trial for trying to kill Jamesie, and Mary testifies as a character witness. "When I first met Ella, she was the sweetest, gentlest soul you could imagine. Within three months of marrying Jamesie, she had applied for a gun licence."

I've never heard anyone call a Brit a Brexit, r128, but I have an elderBrit neighbor that we all refer to as That Asshole.

I'm going to suggest Nighty Night and Harlots.

If you can manage the Glaswegian accents, Two Doors Down is brilliant, and has a gay couple.

This wouldn't be a DL thread if mention of Cats/Countdown doesn't include Fabio. He's easily found on Twitter and Instagram.

R113 He is a fucking idiot

Peep Show The Inbetweeners 8 out of 10 Cats do Countdown Benidorm Travelman

Peep Show was good when it started. But it got really formulaic over the episodes. I can never understand why anyone would want to be around Robert Webb's character. One or two seasons of his fuckery were funny, then it just got tedious.

Someone help me out? I'm familiar with this episode; it's the one where Bob talks about his award-winning beers. But I've never seen this particular segment. The YouTube description says "Unseen Bits". Did a special episode (of unseen bits) recently air? I'm not in the UK, so I only get my WILTY fix from YouTube.

It's fascinating, how much the British stew over the Americans. It usually comes out after just one or two comments, this constant resentment and anxiety. By and large we hardly give the British a thought at all.

You'd think they'd be over it by now, this resentment that British exceptionalism is over. It's been over for soooo long. And the US took their place on the world stage because it actually can do what the British always pretended to be able to do. The two world wars showed them to be a paper tiger. Particularly in Asia, Rule Britannia was all smoke and mirrors. The American takeover was to some extent brought on by the British collapse, and went hand in hand with saving Britain from being conquered by the Nazis. They simply did not have the resources to fight the Germans. End of. They needed the Americans to fund their war effort long before the US was even in the war. So their displacement came hand in glove with their salvation as an independent nation.

Maybe that's actually why there's so much resentment, come to think of it. But for fuck's sake, get over it already. It's been eighty fucking years already. You don't like us, get a load of the fucking Chinese. Have fun with them!

I have to agree with you r138. It bleeds through in so many British shows. MI-5 was always bad about that. Something would go wrong and suddenly Peter Firth would have a line that said, "The Americans...." It was like every time things turned sour, they would point to the Americans.

And what tv show was it where they brought on that blonde woman with the really bad American accent and she was always bullying everyone?

Well, that escalated quickly.

. . . .

British TV shows have the worst lighting ever

If you want Weird-ass British Television, though its been mentioned above Night Nite was utterly wicked.

"Baird based his television on the work of Paul Nipkow, a German scientist who patented his ideas for a complete television system in 1884."

So suck it, Scotts!

Screw the Germans AND the Scots

I understand British humor. I'm the only person I know who does understand it, which is totally fucking weird to me. Forget trying to discuss Ab Fab, Keeping Up Appearances, Are You Being Served, and those are only the most obvious ones. Don't even mention Flowers. I don't know anybody who's an anglophile like me. It's frustrating.

I love "Doc Martin", "Dr. Who" and "Vera" currently.

Past favorites included 'Lovejoy", "Father Ted", "Inspector George Gently", "Sherlock", and ":Prime Suspect"

Doc Martin has such a wonky face. Like it's made out of putty.

The IT Crowd is a two man tech department who have a tech illiterate supervisor put in over them, (Played by Doc Martin's first secretary)

And then she gives her talk.

Marcella, Father Ted, Toast of London, W1A, Harlots, The Windsors, The IT Crowd

Doctor Foster

Michelle Wolf, she of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, has been on the British game/chat shows these last few months: Big Fat Quiz of 2018, Cats/Countdown, Russell Howard. She nailed one of the number problems, though to be honest it wasn't a hard one.

R150, the episode of The IT Crowd where they go to see Gay! A Gay Musical is one of the funniest I've ever seen.

I like the IT episode when Roy accidentally drives the get away car and he and Moss kiss.

The IT Crowd was great, but it didn't trust itself. When they brought in the second boss and the weird guy who lived in the back, it wasn't as good. When they focused on the three of them, it was very funny.

Disagree R157. Loved Matt Berry in it and felt Noel Fielding was underutilized.

Love Travel Man with Richard Ayoade. He’s so funny!

Matt Berry was a vital supporting cast member

A funny moment, Prince Charles is certainly surprised.

Another funny IT episode was the dinner party one. Noel was great in it.

My (extremely nerdy) cousin met Matt Berry once, and took the opportunity to shout "FATHEEERRR!" at him.

Lucky cousin!

Watching a so-so British comedy on netflix called Sick Note about an insurance company employee pretending to have cancer to keep his job. Season One his insane boss was horribly played by Don Johnson, and season two by his daughter Lindsey Lohan. So far Linds is unexpectedly good.

I personally don’t count it as weird - more just subversive - but I recently sat a Canadian & a Dane of my acquaintance in front of SPITTING IMAGE and they looked at me like I was mad for

...sorry, damnable phone.

My friends thought SPITTING IMAGE was strange and more offputting than funny. Not true, of course, and my trust in them henceforth was obliterated.

The Neil Kunnick puppet was always my favourite, affably & endlessly upbeat fir no good reason. “Would the Honourable Bitch-Queen please tell the House what she did on her holidays?”

My favorite from Spitting Image was I’ve Never Met A Nice South African

Really enjoy watching Come Dine With Me. The voiceover host (Dave Lam?) is hilarious, making fun of the idiots on the show.

“Have we any other business?”

“I hope not; we’ve sold it all off!”

Didn’t like that show at all r164. Was kind of shocked it got a second season.

Going to miss Catstrophe although this last season (understandably) hasn’t been that great.

Ugh! *Catastrophe

Was the sixth episode that just aired the end of Catastrophe? If so, that was terribly disappointing.

I’ve watched this so many times now and it never fails to make me cry with laughter.

This one is actually quite funny.

'Human Remains' is hilarious.

Funny mini-documentary from Channel Television (ITV's regional station in the Channel Islands) about the cult-classic commercials for a local supermarket chain on the island of Jersey

Guys guys, shouldnt the Brits be saying American tv is better and the Americans that British is better? Self effacement is more effective u know. Try it. It's better than jingoism and gets more of what you want.

Like others here, I'm a regular watcher of Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Would I Lie To You?, and several other British panel shows. Brains, lots of hot men, and free use of any words without bleeping. Great night of telly!