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Sadken · Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 341

Spaced is definitely my favourite thing to come out of the last few years, can't believe I missed it. I was really disappointed by Sean of the Dead though.

Also worth a look is Black Books, although I missed all of the last series. Dylan Moran is a fine comic actor and Bill Bailey is, obviously, excellent.

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Derek and Clive(Dudley Moore and Peter Cook), although slightly vulgar was absolutely hilarious.

waxwing · Joined: 29 Jun 2003 Posts: 719 Location: China

I agree, Sean of the Dead was utterly misconceived. Just little glimpses of the genius of ..err... that guy (don't actually remember his name Embarassed

)

I've just remembered that the best example of pathos was definitely Steptoe and Son. .. Crying or Very sad

Captain Yossarian · Joined: 05 May 2004 Posts: 385 Location: Dongbei

I didn't mind Shuan of the dead - I think it deserves a second viewing. Although it does feel very much like an extended episode of Spaced I was saddened by the reduced role of the wonderful Jessica Stevenson.

Waxwing - I wish I had thought of Steptoe and Son when I made my earlier post! Incidentally, there was an American version called Sanford and Son. Has anyone ever seen that?

I completely agree with you about the surrealist lineage between different British comedies.

It is often stated that Monty Python changed the course of comedy in the way the Beatles changed the course of popular music. However, The Beatles couldn't have succeeded without Elvis and the Pythons couldn't have succeeded without The Goons. Even today they sound so fresh and inventive. It is desperately sad to think that Spike Milligan was the last of them and now even he has gone. I am sure many people will disagree with me but I think Vic Reeves (in his early Channel 4 'Big Night Out' phase) was/is the natural inheritor of this surrealist movement. Graham Lister, Les, Novelty Island, Wavy Davy, Judge Lionel Nutmeg - just completely bizarre.

I am not sure the mantle has been successfully passed to The League of Gentleman. The first series was remarkable but it got so dark later on that it scared me.

As I hinted earlier, often the British comedies that are successful abroad are the ones disliked by discerning audiences in the UK (Mr Bean, Benny Hill, Keeping up Appearances) but the amazing exception to this rule is Monty Python, which continues to attract new fans on both sides of the Atlantic.

milosalex · Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 6

League of Gentlemen

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

Maybe this thread should have been titled: Top 3 BRITISH Comedy Shows, then I could have voted for the only 3 I've ever heard of:

1. The Benny Hill Show
2. Monty Python's Flying Circus
3. The Office

(not really, I've actually heard of a couple more in my lifetime, but can't readily remember them at the moment).

Ludwig · Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 3:13 pm Post subject:

Has anyone else ever been fortunate enough to have seen Mike Leigh's TV adaptation of his stage play 'Abigail's Party' produced and made famous by the BBC? This, too, is an obvious classic.

http://www.dollsoup.co.uk/abigail.htm

(In fact, I see it is available on DV now.)

Sadken · Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 341

Vic Reeves was genius from the late 80's to the mid to late 90's. I think Shooting Stars did for Vic and Bob but I used to watch my tapes of Big Night Out and The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer obsessively throughout my teens.

The League of Gentlemen, although it isn't one of my favourites, is one of the (few) things that make me proud to be a Britisher. That sort of thing just simply would not happen anywhere else and it makes me feel kind of warm inside to have a show that creates an in joke shared by an entire nation.