Brit-coms

[Zardoz]

'Father Ted' and 'Bottom' are the funniest shows ever!

[ronstew]

Vicar of Dibley

[Graham]

Faulty Towers!

[mkmound]

They are also available on PBS . ORG

[Jimmy the Celt]

I like Red Green Actually, I think he's funnier than Jeff Foxworthy, but that's me.

Last night I saw a show on SciFi called Garth Marenghi's Darkplace . I didn't know what to expect, but I would describe it as a cross between MP's Flying Circus, Black Adder, and Mystery Theatre. It's absurdly hilarious.

James

[Mattg]

I love Red Green!! But only the older ones. The new shows aren't as funny

[Freelander Sporrano]

Vicar of Dibley

No No No No No No.......yes

[auld argonian]

No No No No No No.......yes

Daughter went to a volleyball camp this week and dropped a lot of lines from Are You Being Served that we always use around the house:

"...are you free?"
"I'm freeeee!"

and

"Glass of water for Mr. Granger."

Needless to say, she found that nobody else there "got it". She is disappointed to say the least and is cursing all of the cultural illiterates in these here parts.

Best

AA

[MacSimoin]

I've been a fan of "Britcoms" since first watching The Young Ones many years ago. Are You Being Served? and Are You Being Served Again? are also two of my favorites, along with the acerbic Fawlty Towers, the wickedly funny Bottom and the exemplary Monty Python's Flying Circus.

For fans of the US drama House, you really need to see Hugh Laurie at his peak comedic talent in Jeeves and Wooster. Stephen Fry, as Laurie's valet, co-stars as "Jeeves" but often steals the limelight from Laurie's "Bertie Wooster". If you love House and want to see Hugh Laurie in a lighter role, I highly recommend the series.

As for Coupling (another popular series), I could never quite get into the contrived plots (the laughs are few and far between) for fear of it leading to me watching Friends reruns. No thanks.

Absolutely Fabulous certainly has its comedic merits, although most of the supporting cast paled against the onscreen antics of Jennifer Saunders (wife of Adrian Edmondson, aka "Vyvyan" of The Young Ones) and Joanna Lumley, but it's definitely worth watching.

Keeping Up Appearances is another great show but its plots are loosely repeated throughout the series. Still, don't miss the plucky Patricia Routledge as Mrs. Bucket ('bouquet'); she's perfect in the role.

'Allo 'Allo! was another funny show, if you like period comedies. Set during WW II, it's about a cafe owner, René Artois, in a town occupied by Germans. Funny stuff.

Chef was another hilarious show, about a manic gourmet chef played by Lenny Henry. I really miss that one and rarely get to see it around here.

Rowan Atkinson aka Mr. Bean is in a class all his own. I've seen bits of his (when he performed on stage prior to the series) and still say he's one of England's most misunderstood and underrated comedic geniuses. He's performed in many other series and is well worth watching time and again.

The Vicar of Dibley (starring Dawn French, an early-80's comedic compatriot of Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Jennifer Saunders and Robbie Coltrane) had its moments but French was by far the funniest one in the series.

My all-time favorite is Father Ted. If you haven't seen this gem, you're truly missing out. Set on the fictional Craggy Island, off the west coast of Ireland, the series unveils the lively misadventures of three priests and an ofttimes funnier supporting cast (i.e. their housekeeper, Mrs. Doyle). Quirky and occasionally surreal, one of the best episodes is "A Christmassy Ted" (a holiday special). One of the funniest scenes in this show is when Gerard McSorley (a brilliant actor, playing Father Todd Unctious) arrives at the parochial house, yet no one has a clue to who he is (a thief after Father Ted's recent 'Golden Cleric' award). Mrs. Doyle rattles off some hilarious priestly monikers while trying to guess his identity ("NO CLUES!!!)...but she finally guesses the name of the mystery priest in under an hour.

Seriously, I can't recommend Father Ted enough. Sadly, Dermot Morgan (who played Father Ted) died at his home the day after filming the last episode of the series. A former teacher, Morgan was a fine comedian (and a credit to his latter vocation) but he left us much too soon. What a loss.

As for where you can find copies of these series (and others), try these links:

BBC Shop

BBC America Shop

ITV Shop

Channel 4 Shop

RTE Shop (Irish TV & Radio)

Amazon.com.uk

Amazon.com

Or, you can always give eBay a try.

Well, that's it from me. I hope these suggestions help.

[macwilkin]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Dad's Army", a very funny look at the Home Guard during the Second World War. If I remember right, one episode even featured a Burns Supper.

"Black Adder" is still my all-time favourite Brit-Com, though Atkinson's "Thin Blue Line" was funny as well.

T.