Recommended British TV shows?

[thesilb]

There was a thread here a few weeks ago about "Life on Mars" a BBC (not BBC America) show that a lot of Tivo Community folk were downloading and watching. Now, I've always been a fan of British TV and stay glued to BBC America. At Home with the Braithwaites and Coupling are some of the best things on TV in the last few years in my opinion. Then I followed the instructions here and downloaded "Life on Mars" and whoa...there's a whole 'nuther world of TV out there!

So I started perusing the BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4 sites to see what some other great shows might be. I found "Hustle" which I really like, sort of an Ocean Eleven sort of thing. But the sheer quantity of British television present, not to mention past, is kind of daunting.

I am wondering, then, if my fellow Tivo Community fans have any particular near and dear "don't miss" British shows to recommend to me? In particular, does anyone recommend any dry, sarcastic dark comedies such as Braithwaites? Or any roll off your chair funny pure comedies like Coupling?

Finally, besides perusing the BBC web sites or the BAFTA awards site, has anyone found any good web resources to stay on top of British television?

Thoughts appreciated!

[nyny523]

I am not sure it's on BBC America anymore (I get it on my local PBS station), but I am addicted to EastEnders.

[Guindalf]

I am not sure it's on BBC America anymore (I get it on my local PBS station), but I am addicted to EastEnders.

Nope, they dropped it because the average American could decipher the accent!

I, too, am addicted to EE and I get my fix four times a week within a couple of hours of it airing in the UK. I won't say anything about what's going on, becuse PBS is usually WAY behind and I'm completely up-to-date (well, at least to last Friday - I'm away on business).

To the OP, I think you've discovered two of the best as far as I can tell. I'm sure others will post and let us both know what to look for.

I kinda like Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. Gordon Ramsay (the chef from Hell's Kitchen) is a 2/3 star Michelin chef and at the top of his profession. He's also VERY opinionated, swears like a trooper (unbleeped in the UK) and one of the best chefs you'll ever witness. This series has him going to a failing restaurant for a week and "making suggestions" on how to save the business! It's real - not a drama, but it's funny and eye-opening.



<edit: Check your PM>

[nyny523]

Nope, they dropped it because the average American could decipher the accent!

I, too, am addicted to EE and I get my fix four times a week within a couple of hours of it airing in the UK. I won't say anything about what's going on, becuse PBS is usually WAY behind and I'm completely up-to-date (well, at least to last Friday - I'm away on business).


Is it possible to have TV envy? :o




:D :p

[Guindalf]

Is it possible to have TV envy? :o




:D :p


Check your PM too!

[digdug]

All depends on what you are looking for. I like Coupling and a few of the more modern British shows. However I really enjoy some of the older stuff such as:

Are You Being Served
Fawlty Towers
Heddy Wainthrope Investigates
Waiting For God
Vicar Of Dibley

Why is it that British shows can have more outdoor shots than your typical American counterpart? I've never figured that out.

[terpfan1980]

The original 'The Office', 'Coupling', and 'Father Ted' were all pretty good shows.

Some of the others listed above were great too.

If you like crime dramas, MI-5 is supposed to be very good, along with a few other shows that come through BBCA as well.

[dswallow]

Check out "Shameless"; there's 3 seasons so far. I'd suggest starting with season 1 though; don't try to jump right in with season 3 (which just ended not too long ago, so we now are in waiting for season 4 mode).

Starting this month (Sunday, March 19) in Canada is the second season of "ReGenesis".

[7thton]

I like:

The Royle Family
Peep Show
Shameless
The Smoking Room
Teachers
Conviction
Bodies
Jonathan Creek
At Home With The Braithwaites
The Book Group
State of Play
Black Books
Spaced
Wire in the Blood
Thin Blue Line
Blackpool
Clocking Off

All of these are avalible on DVD via amazon.co.uk

[GadgetFreak]

Knowing Me, Knowing You - very funny
I'm Alan Partridge - same character and even funnier

[Vito the TiVo]

Asking the same thing previously on these boards, here are some good ones that were recommended to me:

Black Books
Hex (although season two goes downhill)
Regenesis

I'm also currently watching or have watched:

Spaced
Hyperdrive
The Young Ones
Red Dwarf
Life on Mars

and dozens of others that I can't think of at the moment.

[mrmike]

Adding ones I have passes for that I haven't seen here yet

MI-5
Murphy's Law
Wire in the Blood
Waking the Dead
Murder in Suburbia
Rebus
The Night Detective
Touching Evil

Hmm, I may be a bit into a certain sort of show looking at that list.

[drew2k]

I second that you should check out "The Smoking Room" - it's not shown on any schedule that I can figure out, but I find it a funny, funny show. :up: :up:

I especially love three running gags: closeted Robin's secret love for "Ben-from-the-mail-room", Annie's inability to remember to bring cigarettes on her smoking breaks, and Barry's ineptness at crossword puzzles.

Hope you're not claustrophobic, though, because as the name implies, every scene is set in the "smoking room" of a pretty generic company full of various misfits ... Some of the things in this show are just outrageous, to the point that I have my SP set to ALL, so that I can re-watch it, and I laugh every time!

[MarkofT]

From the thread (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=287241) of about 3 weeks ago:

I've also laughed my ass off at The Brittas Empire, Mulberry, Dad's Army, Butterflies, Dinnerladies, Father Ted, Mr. Bean, My Hero, Some Mother Do 'Ave 'Em., The Thin Blue Line, The Vicar of Dibley, Waiting for God, among all the other shows previously listed.

There are many others less obscure listed in the thread.

[Guindalf]

The Brittas Empire was great - in fact, anything with Chris Barrie is generally worth a look.

If you want some vintage sitcom greats (without hitting the obvious like Fawlty Towers) and are prepared to work through the accents in some cases, check out Only Fools and Horses and Red Dwarf.

OFAH is a wonderful look at people making a living (just) on the wrong side of the law. The interaction between the characters is priceless and there are the occasional comedic moments that will live forever. Example:

DelBoy: "What's better, Rodney, grass or astroturf"
Rodney: "Dunno, I've never smoked Astroturf!"

RD is a scifi comedy with the afforementioned Chris Barrie as a hologram. Dave Lister's Liverpool accent is the reason I hear it wouldn't translate over here, but again, it has some great humor...

Rimmer: "Go to red alert"
Kryten: "Are you sure, Sir? It DOES mean changing the bulb!"

Both of these shows can be found on DVD and "other" sources.

[DUDE_NJX]

I like the UK version of Apprentice better than the US one.
Sir Alan has much more common sense than Donald, and obviously he's doing way better than Trump will ever do in the business world.
The contestants are fun and the use of the non-bleeped F-word in the boardroom by both sides is priceless.

[Jon J]

Hustle currently running on AMC is a co-production with the BBC and is snappy program. ;)

[jehma]

We enjoyed Open All Hours (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074036/).

[editivo]

Two Pints of Lager & a packet of crisps
Hyperdrive

Also a Good Canadian show is Corner Gas.

[digdug]

British Men Behaving Badly

Keeping Up Appearances

Hardware

Last Of The Summer Wine

[rkester]

What is this Life on Mars that evryones been talking aboot? Heard it mentioend in the Doctor Who thread as well.

[dswallow]

What is this Life on Mars that evryones been talking aboot? Heard it mentioend in the Doctor Who thread as well.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/lifeonmars/

Torrent containing all 8 episodes from series 1: http://isohunt.com/download.php?mode=bt&id=9499936

[thesilb]

Hey thanks everyone!!

I am now checking out Regenesis, Black Books and the Smoking Room and surely, will move through all these suggestions in due course.

Really appreciate the comments / guidance :up:

P.S. Though I failed to mention them in my initial post, I had already seen Shameless and I'm Alan Partridge and can vouch for the funny factor as to both. Though Shameless takes some careful concentration to interpret the midlands accents. I went to school for a year in Manchester, and still I have a hard time with these folks' accents, which are really strong. Braithwaites is still my all time modern day fave (Fawlty Towers gets the nod in the "classics" category).

[Sherminator]

Huh? Regenesis is Canadian [tv.com] (http://www.tv.com/regenesis/show/29414/summary.html).

[7thton]

Two Pints of Lager & a packet of crisps


I've seen a couple episdoes of that. Am I wrong in thinking it's the equlivilant of Saved by the Bell? That is, pretty average jokes, a cast of teen-agers, and low production values?

[7thton]

Hey thanks everyone!!

I am now checking out Regenesis, Black Books and the Smoking Room and surely, will move through all these suggestions in due course.

Really appreciate the comments / guidance :up:

P.S. Though I failed to mention them in my initial post, I had already seen Shameless and I'm Alan Partridge and can vouch for the funny factor as to both. Though Shameless takes some careful concentration to interpret the midlands accents. I went to school for a year in Manchester, and still I have a hard time with these folks' accents, which are really strong. Braithwaites is still my all time modern day fave (Fawlty Towers gets the nod in the "classics" category).

While I strongly urge you to check out everything on my above list, I especially urge you to check out Spaced and The Royle Family. They're classic.

[7thton]

I second that you should check out "The Smoking Room" - it's not shown on any schedule that I can figure out, but I find it a funny, funny show. :up: :up:

I especially love three running gags: closeted Robin's secret love for "Ben-from-the-mail-room", Annie's inability to remember to bring cigarettes on her smoking breaks, and Barry's ineptness at crossword puzzles.

Hope you're not claustrophobic, though, because as the name implies, every scene is set in the "smoking room" of a pretty generic company full of various misfits ... Some of the things in this show are just outrageous, to the point that I have my SP set to ALL, so that I can re-watch it, and I laugh every time!

Check out Peep Show. It has the same actor in it that played Robin.

[rkester]

I never have any luck with any torrents ever. They always just sit there doing nothing. The one above is going after it sat for nearly 15 minutes but its going so slow that it will take a year to DL seriously. :(

[dswallow]

I never have any luck with any torrents ever. They always just sit there doing nothing. The one above is going after it sat for nearly 15 minutes but its going so slow that it will take a year to DL seriously. :(
Describe you configuration and what bittorrent client you're using.

[7thton]

Describe you configuration and what bittorrent client you're using.
What he said....

[rkester]

Didnt want to take the thread off topic. and Im usually not a torrent person, just wanted to see wha the hype was about for this particular show.

using a mac on 10.3.9, currently trying bittorrent client v4.02... using Bits on Wheels, I did have 2 incoming for a while but it got less than 1 meg over a 30 minute period. currently have no peers and no incoming. just sitting there.

[dswallow]

Didnt want to take the thread off topic. and Im usually not a torrent person, just wanted to see wha the hype was about for this particular show.

using a mac on 10.3.9, currently trying bittorrent client v4.02... using Bits on Wheels, I did have 2 incoming for a while but it got less than 1 meg over a 30 minute period. currently have no peers and no incoming. just sitting there.
Well, first I'd generally suggest trying Azureus (azureus.sourceforge.net) which runs under a Java environment so should be OK for you on a Mac.

If your current client has any sort of console or debug screen showing more detailed info about what's happening, that often is enough to figure out what's going wrong. Azureus has that (console).

Do you have any sort of firewall or are you NATted behind a router?

Anyway, more likely...

The Life On Mars torrent I linked does appear to have very few seeders. If you register at www.uknova.com you can get access to UK shows, and the torrent there has a few hundred seeders so it should go pretty well. They do limit the site to a certain number of members, but purges of old/inactive accounts happen hourly, so if it doesn't let you register, try again every few minutes for an hour or two and you'll usually get through.

[Mr. Soze]

As Doug said, use uknova as a source. That is my mainstay, and for a client I use utorrent. For LoM and now for East Enders, I have gotten download speeds around 500 kbps, which is almost like realtime, and at the moment, and I will keep seeding them until they go off the tracker.

I also liked "The Worst Week of My Life", a very funny comedy about a hapless guy and his misadventures. Season One, he's getting married. Season Two, they are having a baby. That's off uknova right now, but I still have S2 in avi format. I also have the pilot of "Lewis", which is a spinoff of the Inspector Morse series.

I don't know how to make these available when they go off the tracker, or you could have them.

[Brown57]

I highly recommend "Green Wing", which is a cult show here. It's sort of like Scrubs, but much weirder. The first series is being repeated on Channel 4 from March 20th

http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/green_wing/

For a general UK TV site try Radio Times, which is the UK verson of TV Guide:

http://www.radiotimes.com/

[rkester]

Aight, I will give the above suggestions a try. Definately interested in checking out LoM... some of the other ones mentioned here as well.

I found that many UK shows are hit or miss for me, I either love em or hate em. But I guess I'm kinda the same way about US/CA shows too. Just harder to get exposed to stuff that isn't aired here.

[phodg]

Green Wing is fantastic. BBC America showed the entire first season last year and it still pops up on there from time to time in reruns.
The DVD's are also released in the UK next month. I hope they have a few extras on.

[esperantisto]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Doctor Who. You won't even have to download it, as it starts on Sci-Fi this Friday (the 17th) at 9pm. They are showing two episodes this Friday, after that it's one each friday @ 9.

[rkester]

So far that uknova site is a nogo. I've been trying all day and I get nothing but a blank page on the signup link. I assume thats their way of saying no openings.

[dswallow]

So far that uknova site is a nogo. I've been trying all day and I get nothing but a blank page on the signup link. I assume thats their way of saying no openings.
Probably; in the past they made you enter all the info to create an account and told you there was no room after you submitted it. ;)

I'll try on occasion myself and if the opportunity arises create an account for you and PM you the details, then you can go change the info on the account and use it.

[Idearat]

If you want UK TV, keep trying with uknova. I've been able to download must faster than realtime from that site, peaking at 350KBPS on occaision.

I went looking for Life on Mars, ended up with serveral other series. It's tidy to download a full season in one batch.

[Jesda]

Top Gear!!!!

[rkester]

I finally got thru last night. And have since DLed LoM and my machine is sitting at home seeding it out now.

I probably tried 50 plus times easily to get on.

Based on the share ratios I will have to share it for a month to break even, geesh.

Going to put it on DVDs to watch this weekend.

Top Gear, love that show!

[dswallow]

I finally got thru last night. And have since DLed LoM and my machine is sitting at home seeding it out now.

I probably tried 50 plus times easily to get on.

Based on the share ratios I will have to share it for a month to break even, geesh.
That's good news. Aiming for a 0.5 ratio really is all you need to worry about in the least; frankly, though, just being some positive value above "0" will be good enough. There's many people that only leech.

The best shows to seed are the newest ones, especially while there's only just one seed for them, since that'll be the time most everybody will be needed to spread the file.

[rkester]

I rarely use torrents but when I do, I always try to leave my machine running for as long as I can to return the favour to others. When I DL linux distros I have left it running for a week or more.

Now I need to find somehting else to check out. Lots of stuff mentioned in this thread sounded interesting, just need to research them first.

[Idearat]

From UNNova I've enjoyed:

Hyperdrive
Jamie's Great (Italian) Adventure (Jamie Oliver)
Jeremy Clarkson: Inventions that Changed the World
The "F" Word ( Gordon Ramsay show, haven't watched it yet )
MasterChef
Life on Mars
Scrappy Racers ( follow on to Scrapyard [Junkyard] Wars)
Spooks (MI-5 from A&E, the new season they haven't aired)


I'm currently at a share ratio of 1.35 with about 30GB uploaded. I've got my client set to suck up all available bandwidth so I'll pause it when I'm home and using the web for other things.

When things are seeded well there I love being able to download in less time than it takes to watch. I've got to where I'm reading the TV listings on various BBC sites looking for other interesting shows to watch. For some reason they don't have current episodes of Top Gear.

[rkester]

Any scifi out there worth checking out? Love me some scifi!

[Guindalf]

From UNNova I've enjoyed:

Hyperdrive

Sorry, but I watched the first episode and thought it was dumb - Red Dwarf it ain't!


Jeremy Clarkson: Inventions that Changed the World
The "F" Word ( Gordon Ramsay show, haven't watched it yet )

I need to check these out. Clarkson's my journalistic hero and I've just finished all the existing episodes of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

For some reason they don't have current episodes of Top Gear.

It's between series at the moment. There are no new shows for a while. I still upwrap the episode with the Bugatti Veyton every so often. If you haven't seen it yet, do!

[RichardHead]

So far that uknova site is a nogo. I've been trying all day and I get nothing but a blank page on the signup link. I assume thats their way of saying no openings.
It took me about a month of trying to register a couple of times a day, finally I caught the right day/time and was able to log in last week.

Just keep at it.

[Idearat]

[Hyperdrive] Sorry, but I watched the first episode and thought it was dumb - Red Dwarf it ain't!


Yep, Hyperdrive is dumb, but for some odd reason I watched it anyway. The first episode was a bit of a revelation: As I watched the first few minutes it occured to me that I'd never seen fat people in space before.

[rkester]

I will take this current conversation as a no on hyperdrive. any other scifi worth mentioning?

[rkester]

Watched the first ep of LoM, fun stuff. Going to enjoy devouring it all. Too bad this "series" is so short. Arent the good ones always short?

[Kevdog]

Yep, Hyperdrive As I watched the first few minutes it occured to me that I'd never seen fat people in space before.

Too much of a fuel penalty... :p

[rkester]

Well, I officially hate you all for getting me hooked on LoM. I have 2 episodes to go in series 1 and then Im sod out of luck, gov.

Someone please explain to this yank the following, love,

1) why an hour show is actually an hour. where the bloody hell are the commercials? In the US, that same show is 42 minutes and the space left is commercials.

2) nudity and cussin. I saw boobies, intercourse, and the S word in LoM. Are us yanks that off that we dont 'get' the reality that everyone else gets?

3) Why is this show only 8 episodes for a season? I just get warmed up and then its almost over. Why is that?

It's too bad the US doesnt get this one, it's very cool and easily blows away most anything on FOX at least.

[dswallow]

Well, I officially hate you all for getting me hooked on LoM. I have 2 episodes to go in series 1 and then Im sod out of luck, gov.

Someone please explain to this yank the following, love,

1) why an hour show is actually an hour. where the bloody hell are the commercials? In the US, that same show is 42 minutes and the space left is commercials.

2) nudity and cussin. I saw boobies, intercourse, and the S word in LoM. Are us yanks that off that we dont 'get' the reality that everyone else gets?

3) Why is this show only 8 episodes for a season? I just get warmed up and then its almost over. Why is that?

It's too bad the US doesnt get this one, it's very cool and easily blows away most anything on FOX at least.
1) In the UK there are television license fees which are collected and they fund the BBC. No commercial advertising is on BBC channels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC

2) The government here in the US panders to the religious nutjobs who think they know better than individuals themselves as to what is appropriate. The American Way.

3) I suspect there'd be just as many times we'd say "8 episodes is 8 too many" for shows. I've been told the reason is simply that it's cheaper and provides for (overall) more programming variety. Don't know if that's the reason ir not.

[Stylin]

Does anyone watch "Footballers Wives"? I don't get it on my channel line up, but would love to start watching it...
I've never downloaded a show before, if someone knows a site that gives step by step instructions, pls pm me...tia
Edited: found a thread that walks me through downloading. Yippee! FB Wives here I come!

[Guindalf]

1) In the UK there are television license fees which are collected and they fund the BBC. No commercial advertising is on BBC channels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC

That's just the BBC. ITV (Independent Television) is commercial, as are the cable/satellite channels like Sky (owned by Rupert Murdoch). However, generally, the BBC make "hour-long" shows that are around 40-45 minutes long so they can be sold to commercial stations with room for ads. An actual hour of show is rare, but it does happen.

2) The government here in the US panders to the religious nutjobs who think they know better than individuals themselves as to what is appropriate. The American Way.

Totally correct. I went home last about three years ago and really noticed the difference. Perhaps because I was here for 5 years before going back and got used to American TV, I was actually shocked at how lax British TV has become (Osbornes and Springer with NO beeps - in prime time!).

3) I suspect there'd be just as many times we'd say "8 episodes is 8 too many" for shows. I've been told the reason is simply that it's cheaper and provides for (overall) more programming variety. Don't know if that's the reason ir not.

Traditionally, a British "season" is 6-8 episodes. It's just always been that way. As has been stated before, usually a show has one ot two writers or creative controllers, which means they can only produce these kinds of number without getting stale.

Shows generaly run straight through without all the mid-season repeats, but may, occasionally, be held up for a week if it collides with a major event like a cup final or something.

Look at it on the positive side. You get the taste for a series and you anticipate the next season. Also, if a timeslot is taken by a show you don't like, wait a few weeks and something else will replace it!

[rkester]

So, since 6-8 episodes is typical, are there more series/seasons per year?

I could see scifi channel picking this one up due to its general vibe. Cant imagine how hacked it might be to air tho, since its an hour. 15 minutes out of one eposide of LoM would be a bit much.

[Todd B]

If you liked The Office, you should definitely check out The Robinsons (http://imdb.com/title/tt0442645/) (with Martin Freeman). The first series ran last Summer (at least on BBC America) and it was hilarious.

I'd also put in another recommendation for Father Ted. Coupling also has had me hooked more then a few times lately.

[Guindalf]

So, since 6-8 episodes is typical, are there more series/seasons per year?

More different series, yes. More of the same, no. It goes back to the creators burning themselves out and having time to create a better (?) show.

[DianaMo]

At Home With The Braithwaites = starring a former Doctor Who. :)

[dswallow]

It's from New Zealand, not Britain, but still rather good.

Seven Periods with Mr. Gormsby - http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=296035

[rkester]

Recently I've been asked to find Spaced. Its not on UK Nova, I guess because its older.

Loved Life On Mars for sure, looking forward to next Series! But not sure about the upcoming US version.

I see the UK box is due May 15th for S1 of LoM.

[Mr. Soze]

Cant imagine how hacked it might be to air tho, since its an hour. 15 minutes out of one eposide of LoM would be a bit much.I got season 4 of Spooks/MI-5 and from watching the first two, I can't imagine how they will be chopped up to fit into 45 minute eps.

[dswallow]

Recently I've been asked to find Spaced. Its not on UK Nova, I guess because its older.

http://thepiratebay.org/details.php?id=3377669

[rkester]

Cool. Will have to get it going when I get home.

[dcheesi]

RD is a scifi comedy with the afforementioned Chris Barrie as a hologram. Dave Lister's Liverpool accent is the reason I hear it wouldn't translate over here, but again, it has some great humor...

Rimmer: "Go to red alert"
Kryten: "Are you sure, Sir? It DOES mean changing the bulb!"I watched the first few episodes of Red Dwarf, and I have to say it just didn't do it for me. And it wasn't the accents (unless something about Lister's accent is supposed to be inherently funny?). I guess I'm in the minority on this one, at least among my demographic (scifi geeks w/ goofy sense of humor)...

[lambertman]

Opinions, anyone, on Casualty?

[Sherminator]

Recently I've been asked to find Spaced. Its not on UK Nova, I guess because its older.Nope. UKNova will not carry anything that is commercially available (i.e. on PPV, DVD or VHS).

[thelastvoice]

I've been enjoying The Night Detective quite a bit.

Also Black Books is pretty funny. If you live in Los Angeles, Bill Bailey (who plays Manny on the show) is appearing at the UCLA Macgowan Theater through April 23rd.

[Guindalf]

I was talking to my sister last night and she told me she loves The Green Wing. Has anyone seen this? Worth it or not?

[TomK]

A previous post said it was like Scrubs but weirder. I've not seen it yet but I hope to.

[Brown57]

I was talking to my sister last night and she told me she loves The Green Wing. Has anyone seen this? Worth it or not?

Series 1 was must-see TV and a cult in the UK. The Times called it the equivalent of "suddenly spotting a diamond on a rubbish heap". Series 2 started 2 weeks ago after an 18 month hiatus and the reviews have been bad. I've only watched the first episode of series 2, and it's not as good as series 1, but still very watchable. I bought the DVD of series 1 and will dip into it often.

One thing though, I notice you've been saying you were shocked by the swearing in British TV. Best keep a defibrillator handy if you watch Green Wing. :D

[Jesda]

Fifth Gear on channel 5 is a decent motoring show. Its not as good as Top Gear, but its highly entertaining. ITV4 often airs the final and otherwise unaired episodes of American shows that got cancelled, like Kitchen Confidential, The Inside, and Killer Instinct.

[7thton]

I hated Green Wing, for what it's worth.

[phodg]

I loved Green Wing. I thought it was the funniest thing in years. I haven't seen series 2 yet though - a friend's going to send them over to me.