British Sitcoms

[jbelkinsii]

Mr. Grant (if I may call you Steve please let me know),

First let me say I've enjoyed your column for the last couple of years.

While I'm not sure I agree with your stance on British sitcoms, you did fail to mention 2 of my favorites: Yes, Minister (later Yes, Prime Minister) and Some Mothers Do 'ave 'em (I think that's what it was called). There was a third about an older woman in a nursing home or retirement home... do you know the one I'm talking about?

Those were the days when only PBS carried British sitcoms and what was shown in Oregon (Doctor Who, Red Dwarf) was much different than what was shown in Alaska (No Doctor Who, No Red Dwarf). Now, I have the pleasure of BBC America and... well let's be honest... my wife hates Briish sitcoms, so I missed the Office, Coupling, Spaced, etc. etc., but I get to watch Graham Norton, Top Gear, and Torchwood so I guess it's a fair trade. Now I'm just rambling. Night.

Jamie Elkins

[Steven Grant]

Mr. Grant (if I may call you Steve please let me know),

First let me say I've enjoyed your column for the last couple of years.

While I'm not sure I agree with your stance on British sitcoms, you did fail to mention 2 of my favorites: Yes, Minister (later Yes, Prime Minister) and Some Mothers Do 'ave 'em (I think that's what it was called). There was a third about an older woman in a nursing home or retirement home... do you know the one I'm talking about?

Those were the days when only PBS carried British sitcoms and what was shown in Oregon (Doctor Who, Red Dwarf) was much different than what was shown in Alaska (No Doctor Who, No Red Dwarf). Now, I have the pleasure of BBC America and... well let's be honest... my wife hates Briish sitcoms, so I missed the Office, Coupling, Spaced, etc. etc., but I get to watch Graham Norton, Top Gear, and Torchwood so I guess it's a fair trade. Now I'm just rambling. Night.

Jamie Elkins

I did like YES... MINISTER and numerous other Britcoms but couldn't name (or even remember, which is another reason YES... slipped my mind) all of them in the space I had. Never heard of SOME MOTHERS DO 'AVE 'EM, and I've passed by the one in the nursing home but don't remember the name nor noticed anything that about it that caught my eye. But I recall it played on PBS Seattle way close to forever... (May still be playing now, for all I know...)

- Grant

[Buzz Dixon]

...I've passed by the one in the nursing home but don't remember the name nor noticed anything that about it that caught my eye.

WAITING FOR GOD. Pretty funny in a very acerbic way. The old lady was a WWII photojournalist whose best friend is a somewhat befuddled elderly man who may or may not be genuinely demented (there's a lot to suggest he's deliberately scamming the system). The supporting cast is pretty funny but more cartoonish. The whole thing has a ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST vibe to it but with a veddy, veddy British flavor -- 'scuse me, flavour.

[dancj]

Waiting for God was good. I've heard that Some Mothers Do Have 'em started off well, but the later ones I've seen were pretty lame.

Other notable ones that no-one's mentioned yet are The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Father Ted, Green Wing, The IT Crowd and One Foot in the Grave.

Steven - what's Good Neighbours? I've never heard of that one. Did it have a different name in Britain? - scratch that, I've just googled it. It's called The Good Life over here.

The sitcom is half-dead over here at the moment with the only major success that I'm aware of being the terrible My Family. Still there is hope that the new No Heroics sitcom about super-heroes will be good. (I watched the first episode of it in my dream last night and it was similar to Green Wing)

[Imaginos666]

Holy crap, I haven't seen anyone mention The Goodies since I was 10 years old. (That was about 25 years ago, for perspective.) What ever happened to those guys?

[Paul McEnery]

Holy crap, I haven't seen anyone mention The Goodies since I was 10 years old. (That was about 25 years ago, for perspective.) What ever happened to those guys?

This would raise an eyebrow in the UK, since two of the three are in England's longest running radio comedy, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, and the other does tons of nature documentaries.

And they recently did a live tour to promote all the DVDs coming out.

[Imaginos666]

This would raise an eyebrow in the UK, since two of the three are in England's longest running radio comedy, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, and the other does tons of nature documentaries.

And they recently did a live tour to promote all the DVDs coming out.

I've lived in America since '82, and there appears to be some import rule that limits British television shows broadcast in America to Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, Monty Python and Doctor Who (though the occasional Red Dwarf/Are You Being Served/As Time Goes By slips through every once in a while.)

[bartl]

Steven - what's Good Neighbours? I've never heard of that one. Did it have a different name in Britain? - scratch that, I've just googled it. It's called The Good Life over here.

That's odd; they even had credits with that name here. I guess it's because there was a Larry Hagman sitcom called "The Good Life" in the U.S.

It's a kind of comedy of which I'm especially fond: a group of basically well-intentioned people stuck with each other, who, due to their differing ideas of what is desirable, drive each other crazy by trying to be nice to each other.

[Steven Grant]

That's odd; they even had credits with that name here. I guess it's because there was a Larry Hagman sitcom called "The Good Life" in the U.S.

That's exactly why. The Hagman/Donna Mills sitcom (in which, I believe, they were conmen acting as butler and maid for a rich family, or something like that), though it only last half a season or something in the early '70s had the name "The Good Life" legally sewn up here. So on import the British one was retitled GOOD NEIGHBORS and new title cards were done up, though on occasion an episode would end up being called THE GOOD LIFE instead.

In the "good" vein, THE GOODIES aired in NYC at 10:30 AM Saturdays in the late '70s/early '80s, following the half-hour version of Tom Baker's DR. WHO. Talk about must-see TV. I don't remember much about THE GOODIES aside from laughing myself silly - it was like a kid-friendlier version of MONTY PYTHON - and the only bit I specifically recall is killer rabbits from outer space attacking, and talking like Bugs Bunny.

- Grant

[King Chillout]

I was wondering what you meant when you mentioned "Good Neighbours", but it's been cleared up now.

I would definitely seek out other British sitcoms such as.... Porridge, Rising Damp, Dad's Army, On The Buses and Open All Hours.

If I described what each of them was about.....you would never believe me !

I've been reading your CBR column for ages and enjoyed it a lot (even though your politics are probably a million miles from mine).
I'd just like to say thanks for keeping me entertained.

[Paul McEnery]

For the most part, there are three rules of comedy in the UK right now.

1) The sitcom is not the dominant form. The comedy quiz show is. QI, Mock the Week, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and Have I Got News for You, for instance.

2) Radio is still hot in the UK. Plenty of comedy quiz shows, but also a ton of sharp sitcom and stand up. BBC Radio 7 does a lot of reruns, while Radio 4 has the first run.

3) Chris Morris and Armando Ianucci.

[Rob Allen]

Two almost-unrelated thoughts on this thread:

- the first British sitcom I remember seeing was Doctor in the House on New York TV in the early 70s. Anyone else recall that one?

- if the British enjoy comedy quiz shows on the radio, they ought to try NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me

[Paul McEnery]

Two almost-unrelated thoughts on this thread:

- the first British sitcom I remember seeing was Doctor in the House on New York TV in the early 70s. Anyone else recall that one?

- if the British enjoy comedy quiz shows on the radio, they ought to try NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me

Having listened to NPR's pitiful, smug, limp, dimwitted and gutless attempt at reproducing The News Quiz, I'm thinking they probably shouldn't.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

Other notable ones that no-one's mentioned yet are The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Father Ted, Green Wing, The IT Crowd and One Foot in the Grave.

Or Black Books, The Mighty Boosh, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, Extras, and so on and so forth...

So on import the British one was retitled GOOD NEIGHBORS and new title cards were done up, though on occasion an episode would end up being called THE GOOD LIFE instead.

Phew, I thought you were referring to 'Love Thy Neighbour', a show from the 70's about a white couple living next door to a black couple, and the white couple struggling to deal with it.
Calling the black man 'Nig Nog' was just a part of the hilarity.

[king mob]

Other notable ones that no-one's mentioned yet are The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Father Ted, Green Wing, The IT Crowd and One Foot in the Grave.

Reggie Perrin is to be remade for 'a 21st century audience' & it's going to be 'dark' according to execs at the Edinburgh Television Festival. The original series was dark, sophisticated & bloody funny, but it's going to suffer in the BBC's remake frenzy.

Father Ted is just sublime genius; less so is One Foot In The Grave but it's still great.

Green Wing is hugely overrated & bollocks. The IT Crowd should be funnier but suffers from weak scripts and awful casting.

The real gem though is Peep Show. Simply the bes British sitcom since Father Ted.

A lost gem is Dead Man Weds which is probably the best thing Johnny Vegas has done & shows that Dave Spikey was the real talent behind the also great Phoenix Nights.