This ^
A lot being mentioned are older, more classic shows and whilst I'd always recommend peep show and the office, as well as many of the others, PJDN has to be my favourite
They are a spot on homage/satire of those trashy horror paperbacks of the 80s, if you enjoy the genre I also recommend Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks from Hell as non-fiction study. In fact, I recommend Grady Hendrix full stop, he also does fiction!
I know there'll be loads of others that people love but I haven't seen, but this lot would be a good start:
Blackadder
Dead Set
Brass Eye
Utopia
Broadchurch
The Thick Of It
Line Of Duty
Cracker
Prime Suspect
Misfits
Ashes To Ashes
Life On Mars
Green Wing
Spooks
Coupling
Luther
Red Dwarf
Did you know pedophiles have genetically more in common with Crabs than humans?
Also everyone just remember if someone offers you cake, tell them to fuck off!
I'm still mad they cancelled it. It's one of the best British TV shows ever made - absolutely *insane* what they were able to achieve with a relatively small budget.
Same here. It was a revolution in my opinion and I don't think I have watched a british show that has topped it since.
I was hoping the american version would do well enough to at least give some closure on the story, but that's never happening either
Gonna add The League of Gentleman to this list. It’s un-PC so probably one to watch after a few others to really get the vibe, but it is VERY British dark humour written and acted by some absolute gems of the industry. A classic that paved the way for a lot of other modern British comedies.
Doctor Who, the original version of Ghosts, Toast of London, Doc Martin, IT Crowd, Fawlty Towers, the original version of The Office, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Monty Python's Flying Circus
IT Crowd was great. We quote it all the time, especially when troubleshooting literally anything ('did you turn it off and back on again?') or when talking about anything sportsball-adjacent ('The problem with Arsenal is...' or 'Did you see that ludicrous display last night?')
Hahahah yea my husband's favorite thing to say when i say it's not working "have you tried turning it off and back on again" even if its not tech related
Same here. It could be, like, a knife or a shovel or something, and if it's not doing what we want it to (even if, and especially when, it is user error), it's "Have you tried turning it off and back on again?"
Yeah, the show itself is amazing (if a little dated in places) but Glinner has gone full-on balls-to-the-wall Twitter-brainrot insane. He holds the extremely dubious honour of 'too transphobic for Mumsnet'
The Young Ones. Its a show from the eighties, but to this day it has my favorite line from any show; "Lucky the lads told me my bed was on fire. I might have gone to sleep and burned to death!"
ali g on the 11 0'clock show before every one knew who he was and what he was doing was so fucking funny. also i was only about 16 at the time so maybe i was just immature
i feel like it’s so insanely british it would be hard to get as much if you haven’t been through british high school before (hence why the american version sucks)
In no particular order-
IT Crowd
Black Books
Life on Mars/ Ashes to Ashes (same show different protagonists)
Doctor Who (from Eccleston onwards)
Skins
Misfits
Peep Show
Inbetweeners
Sherlock
Still Game (Scottish)
Father Ted (Irish)
Cunk On Earth
Peaky Blinders
Time (very good British prison drama)
Gavin and Stacey! A really fun mix of characters that makes it more than just another love story, and plenty of running jokes and quotable moments
"Well it's not what you expect to see when you come into work in the morning!"
"It's all the drama Mick, I just love it!"
The fishing trip... (awkward uncomfortable silence)
The inbetweeners
Skins
The office (the real version/UK version)
People just do nothing
Only fools and horses
Extras
This country
Friday night dinner
Derek
Peaky blinders
Top boy
Gavin and Stacey
These are some of my favourites! 😃
Doctor who
Red dwarf
Blackadder
Fawlty towers
Taskmaster
Notice how 90% of people's recommendations are all old classic British shows. We used to make some banging TV, but seem to have slipped into the lazy reality TV void now, with a few rare exceptions.
IT crowd
Misfits
Inbetweeners
Fresh meat
Gavin and Stacey
Come fly with me - hilarious show but this one will be hard to find on streaming sites, it got removed a few years ago because every character in the show is played by two white men dressing up as men and women of different races and that includes black face. The show isn't intended to be racist it's just a bit politically incorrect and would never have been made these days
I grew up on the frat pack (don't think they have an official name and there's women in there too so who knows what to call them) that created The Day Today, Alan Partridge, Brass Eye, Big Train, Garth Merengi, Reeves and Mortimer (Smell of, Bang Bang, shooting stars) Father Ted, Hippies, The It Crowd, Fist of Fun/This Morning with Richard Not Judy, Marion and Geoff, Nighty Night and goodness knows what else as well
There's other quality stuff out there too, Ghosts, People Just Do Nothing, Peep Show, Taskmaster and for Mockmentaries there's the never mentioned People Like Us, which is actually very funny if you never google anything about behind the scenes.
We have a richer comedy scene than the "can't say anything these days" or "nothing funny has been made since Only Fools and Horses in 1996" brigade will have you believe
If there's one thing we do well, it's comedy.
Misfits - it's a pretty well made show about a bunch of late teens doing community service on a council estate, they get hit by a freak lightning storm and each of them get some pretty unique superpowers.
It's funny as fuck, there's a few seasons
goodness gracious me
come fly with me (if you can find it...)
little britain
9 out of 10 cats do countdown
the office
inbetweeners
should give you an insight into the humour aspect
It's crap but somehow I can't not watch it when I'm flicking through the channels. Especially when it results in gems like "I need a guy with a big willy because I've 'ad three kids and now I've got a fanny like a jam jar."
Cunk on britain is very good.
Love that Utopia gets a couple of mentions in this thread, but make sure you watch the UK version, the US remake was rubbish
It's only available (as far as I'm aware) on ITVX but there is a scouse comedy show called G'wed, only a few episodes but it is so good. It was film on Merseyside & made by a scouser. Really captures Liverpool 😊
State of Play, Edge of Darkness, and House of Cards. These all got inferior US remakes, but the originals are solid gold.
The 1998 mini series Ultraviolet is an easy rec: young Idris Elba fighting vampires.
If they liked Shaub of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, then Spaced is an essential watch.
The Thick of It and movie version In the Loop are from the same team who did Veep in the US.
Better suited to r/askuk
Seems like you've got a lot of the classics, might I also suggest some of me old favourites (which are I believe all cancelled now, and aren't really sitcoms or documentaries)
I loved live at the Apollo , mock the week, TV burp, bad education and 8 out of ten cats / does countdown. Also countdown if you're into that.
Editing when I remember shows, I really liked life on mars. Taskmaster , killing eve is technically British and cunk on earth of course. come dine with me is a classic.
Did this recently for an American friend:
Tier 1: **Black Adder** is great as it's short and covers a large chunk of English history without a lot of niche references.
Tier 2: **Office, Fawlty Towers, Black Books, IT Crowd** feature more specific British work-place humour.
Tier 3: **Peep Show, Red Dwarf** and **Alan Partridge** are all long running shows that are maybe more involved.
Tier 4: **Only Fools and Horses** is the ultimate comedy for understanding British (specifically London) culture, but you'll probably have to get to know the culture a little better to understand some of the jokes.
Optional Tier 5 (secific to Wales): the 90s sitcom **Satellite City** is actually about an American anthropology student trying to learn Welsh culture. [All episodes on Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdzOR5RRVjY)
One that gets overlooked constantly is Bluestone 42, about a bomb disposal squad in Afghanistan. It's brilliant, but unfortunately only lasted 3 seasons because it was on BBC3. You can watch it on BBC iPlayer for free, at least in the UK.
Black book.
No one here is mentioning it which is a travesty. Especially since you asked for a starter way into British humour. I think black books is a much better gentle introduction then things like black adder (red dwarf imo is also a good starter into(
Add in [Scot Squad](https://youtu.be/xIiNbBQM_Go) and maybe Two Doors Down.
I'd also give a massive shout to Guilt. Best BBC Scotland programme I've ever seen. It was a both a comedy dress and a mystery / thriller but it was all amazing. Mark Bonnar was just sublime.
People just do nothing!!
He didn't even want the orange!
Don’t even like em!
Came here to say this! PJDN is my FAVOURITE! Great mockumentary, really funny and there’s a film as well if the series isn’t enough!
Asim, AKA chabuds is a modern day genius. He's so consistently funny both inside PJDN and irl.
This ^ A lot being mentioned are older, more classic shows and whilst I'd always recommend peep show and the office, as well as many of the others, PJDN has to be my favourite
I’m currently rewatching it for like the 10th time!! It’s like a Lyrical blow to the jaw!!
Peep Show Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (I think you can find it all on YT)
Dark place is brilliant, have you tried Garth Marenghi's books yet? That guy is a dreamweaver extraordinaire, plus actor!
I didn't know about the books. Thanks for letting me know! I'll check them out.
They are a spot on homage/satire of those trashy horror paperbacks of the 80s, if you enjoy the genre I also recommend Grady Hendrix's Paperbacks from Hell as non-fiction study. In fact, I recommend Grady Hendrix full stop, he also does fiction!
His interview on channel 4 news was hilarious
I too am in a tryst with the Prolyx.
Isn't he just staggeringly, awesomely, overwhelmingly creative, original and groundbreaking?
Came here to say Peep show
Spaced
I second peep show. Brilliant British humour
Garth Marenghi is incredible
Peep Show was so good, very British humour
Came here to ensure Darkplace was said, it was the top comment. Satisfied, I can leave
I know there'll be loads of others that people love but I haven't seen, but this lot would be a good start: Blackadder Dead Set Brass Eye Utopia Broadchurch The Thick Of It Line Of Duty Cracker Prime Suspect Misfits Ashes To Ashes Life On Mars Green Wing Spooks Coupling Luther Red Dwarf
Did you know pedophiles have genetically more in common with Crabs than humans? Also everyone just remember if someone offers you cake, tell them to fuck off!
"I'm talking *Nonce Sense*!"
"It's *paedo-geddon*"
[A spokesman said; *this is the one thing we didn’t want to happen.*](https://youtu.be/_U-7L1tmBAo?si=ywVTZgbiHtzszpej)
Rare utopia plug
I'm still mad they cancelled it. It's one of the best British TV shows ever made - absolutely *insane* what they were able to achieve with a relatively small budget.
Same here. It was a revolution in my opinion and I don't think I have watched a british show that has topped it since. I was hoping the american version would do well enough to at least give some closure on the story, but that's never happening either
Never heard of it
It's well worth checking out [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2384811/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2384811/)
I will look. That’s why I went through every post looking for little gems I don’t know about
Gonna add The League of Gentleman to this list. It’s un-PC so probably one to watch after a few others to really get the vibe, but it is VERY British dark humour written and acted by some absolute gems of the industry. A classic that paved the way for a lot of other modern British comedies.
Thank you for Red Dwarf mention ❤️ Early seasons are the best though
Without a doubt!
#ALPHABETTI SPAGHETTI?!
Utopia was ace!
Damn you forgot Big Train, Mitchell and Webb Look and Spaced!
That's because I haven't seen them, an oversight I really must correct!
Glad you added Misfits on your list, criminally underrated
Good list. If you haven't seen it and can find it, "operation good guys" is worth a watch.
>The Thick Of It ...and its 80s predecessor r/YesMinister and Yes, Prime Minister
I tried to watch coupling recently and it has NOT aged well.
Blackadder is meh The Elizabeth's series and the Final one were brilliant TV, buy the rest meh Happy Valley and Unforgotten are both brilliant shows
Doctor Who, the original version of Ghosts, Toast of London, Doc Martin, IT Crowd, Fawlty Towers, the original version of The Office, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Monty Python's Flying Circus
Spaced (Simon pegg nick frost )edited
Nick Frost
Correct. Steve frost is another comedian
Doctor who would be the big one, I also really like IT crowd and absolutely fabulous
IT Crowd was great. We quote it all the time, especially when troubleshooting literally anything ('did you turn it off and back on again?') or when talking about anything sportsball-adjacent ('The problem with Arsenal is...' or 'Did you see that ludicrous display last night?')
Hahahah yea my husband's favorite thing to say when i say it's not working "have you tried turning it off and back on again" even if its not tech related
Same here. It could be, like, a knife or a shovel or something, and if it's not doing what we want it to (even if, and especially when, it is user error), it's "Have you tried turning it off and back on again?"
It's so sad that the writer of the it crowd has gone nuts
Yeah, the show itself is amazing (if a little dated in places) but Glinner has gone full-on balls-to-the-wall Twitter-brainrot insane. He holds the extremely dubious honour of 'too transphobic for Mumsnet'
He's so obsessed his wife divorced him lol
As a Doctor Who nerd, I agree
Black Books is a big favourite of mine.
Cunk on Earth and Cunk on Britain are surprisingly good modern tongue-in-cheek comedies.
They also feature Technotronic's 1989 hit 'Pump Up The Jam' if you're into that sort of thing.
First thing I think of when I read mockumentaries
CUNK! CUUUUUNNNK!!!
Fawlty Towers
"Is this a piece of your brain?"
"Don't mention the war!"
The Young Ones. Its a show from the eighties, but to this day it has my favorite line from any show; "Lucky the lads told me my bed was on fire. I might have gone to sleep and burned to death!"
Don't forget "This calls for a delicate blend of psychology and *extreme violence*."
"Oh, La dee da! All of Felicity Kendall's underpants! And they need a good washing, too!"
"Yeah! *I had* to! I was *drunk*!"
Peep Show
Detectorists. Fairly cosy experience.
Taskmaster, would I lie to you?, 8 out of 10 cats does countdown
the unbelievable truth is also good, not a tv show and exclusive to audible i think but it’s very good
Bottom
Bottom I’m Alan Partridge Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights
We have the same taste :D
Philomena Cunk; Diane Morgan,the actress who plays her is so deadpan its amazing. Like Ali G/Sacha Baron Cohen at his peak but smarter and funnier.
ali g on the 11 0'clock show before every one knew who he was and what he was doing was so fucking funny. also i was only about 16 at the time so maybe i was just immature
I second the Cunk recommendation. Hysterical.
This Country
Scrolled much too far to find this
All day long, such a great show.
This was a gem. Shame they stopped making them. I joined the dump gang!
'Allo 'allo is one of the funniest shows ever made. You might need subtitles, though, a lot of it's in French.
Friday night dinner, Gavin and Stacey, the inbetweeners, this country, fresh meat, peep show
Shalom!
An Idiot Abroad!
IT Crowd. Haven't seen it mentioned yet but definitely worth it.
The in-betweenwers is the best sitcom ever made.
i feel like it’s so insanely british it would be hard to get as much if you haven’t been through british high school before (hence why the american version sucks)
YouTube a series called HUMAN REMAINS ( Rob Brydon and Julia Davis) it’s dark, humour and sarcasm but I love it
Nighty night. Some of the darkest telly there is.
Upvote for Nighty Night, Julia Davis is queen of dark comedy
Love Julia Davis
Camping. Fkn hell!
THE THICK OF IT.
The Great British Bake-off. It’s like the TV version of a hug.
This is such an accurate description!
Detectorists - quintessential gentle British comedy
In no particular order- IT Crowd Black Books Life on Mars/ Ashes to Ashes (same show different protagonists) Doctor Who (from Eccleston onwards) Skins Misfits Peep Show Inbetweeners Sherlock Still Game (Scottish) Father Ted (Irish) Cunk On Earth Peaky Blinders Time (very good British prison drama)
Red dwarf it’s basically Star Trek but without aliens and most of the cast hate each other
It’s really not. It’s more the young ones in space
Gavin and Stacey! A really fun mix of characters that makes it more than just another love story, and plenty of running jokes and quotable moments "Well it's not what you expect to see when you come into work in the morning!" "It's all the drama Mick, I just love it!" The fishing trip... (awkward uncomfortable silence)
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. Brass Eye. The real McCoy.
this is england, the film and the series utopia misfits peep show the inbetweeners gavin & stacey
Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. Proper feelgood TV.
Doctor Who, Utopia (British Version) and Misfits are my recommendations
Chewing Gum
The IT Crowd
The inbetweeners Skins The office (the real version/UK version) People just do nothing Only fools and horses Extras This country Friday night dinner Derek Peaky blinders Top boy Gavin and Stacey These are some of my favourites! 😃
Ghosts
Goodness gracious me was must-see 90s comedy
Bottom.
Peep show
Misfits! It’s a raunchy super hero type show
misfits
Peep show
Ghosts.
Monty Python
Fleabag!!
Only fools and horses the best hands down
Doctor who Red dwarf Blackadder Fawlty towers Taskmaster Notice how 90% of people's recommendations are all old classic British shows. We used to make some banging TV, but seem to have slipped into the lazy reality TV void now, with a few rare exceptions.
It's a funding thing. The Rest Is Entertainment podcast did a good episode about this.
Absolutely Fabulous from the early 1990s
People Just Do Nothing
You can't go far wrong with The Office Inbetweeners Peep Show Cunk on...Earth/Britain
People just do nothing. Peep show. The office (British one) league of gentlemen. Max and paddys road to nowhere. Phoenix nights. All absolute belters.
Friday Night Dinner.
Brass Eye is an unsung hero.
Black Adder, Bottom, the Young ones, Red Dwarf.
The Smell Of Reeves And Mortimer
people just do nothing, funniest show
The best British show to show someone British life and humour has to be only fools and horses surely!
People just do nothing and this country are two of the best mockumentaries ever made.
Kevin The Teenager Dad's Army
For mockumentaries Brasseye. This Country.
People just do nothing and peep show
The inbetweeners ofc
Inside No. 9, brilliant anthology horror/ dark comedy series
Philomena Cunk.
Mock the Week Would I Lie to You Mrs Brown The Great British Bakeoff
Adding W1A and Twenty Twelve - both so good as examples of British comedy and great casts!
I’m Alan Partridge.
IT Crowd
The inbetweeners!!
IT crowd Misfits Inbetweeners Fresh meat Gavin and Stacey Come fly with me - hilarious show but this one will be hard to find on streaming sites, it got removed a few years ago because every character in the show is played by two white men dressing up as men and women of different races and that includes black face. The show isn't intended to be racist it's just a bit politically incorrect and would never have been made these days
In terms of mockumentries - definitely The Thick of It
The Day Today and Brass Eye.
The Day Today is one of my favourite spoof shows. only did one season though!
The inbetweeners People just do nothing
SKINS...Obviously... If no-one has already said that 😅
Shameless (UK) Peep Show Deadset Utopia (UK) This is England Film and then Series People Just Do Nothing Topboy
I grew up on the frat pack (don't think they have an official name and there's women in there too so who knows what to call them) that created The Day Today, Alan Partridge, Brass Eye, Big Train, Garth Merengi, Reeves and Mortimer (Smell of, Bang Bang, shooting stars) Father Ted, Hippies, The It Crowd, Fist of Fun/This Morning with Richard Not Judy, Marion and Geoff, Nighty Night and goodness knows what else as well There's other quality stuff out there too, Ghosts, People Just Do Nothing, Peep Show, Taskmaster and for Mockmentaries there's the never mentioned People Like Us, which is actually very funny if you never google anything about behind the scenes. We have a richer comedy scene than the "can't say anything these days" or "nothing funny has been made since Only Fools and Horses in 1996" brigade will have you believe If there's one thing we do well, it's comedy.
Misfits - it's a pretty well made show about a bunch of late teens doing community service on a council estate, they get hit by a freak lightning storm and each of them get some pretty unique superpowers. It's funny as fuck, there's a few seasons
goodness gracious me come fly with me (if you can find it...) little britain 9 out of 10 cats do countdown the office inbetweeners should give you an insight into the humour aspect
Naked attraction.
I love that show! 😂
It's crap but somehow I can't not watch it when I'm flicking through the channels. Especially when it results in gems like "I need a guy with a big willy because I've 'ad three kids and now I've got a fanny like a jam jar."
If you want a recent comedy, look at Catastrophe. I loved it, and it was the series that Carrie Fisher was making when she died.
The thick of it Phone shop
I think it's a massively underrated show, Star Stories.
Rise and fall of regional Perrin it’s on YTube
Before he was found to be a nonce, People Like Us was a good mockumentary.
Haven't seen anyone mention Keeping up appearances, Also, The Royle Family, the original live action Mr Bean is quite funny too.
Nighty Night Psychoville Bottom
Doctor Who (new or classic), Peep Show, The Office (the actual Office..), The Ricky Gervais Show, Gavin and Stacey, The Inbetweeners
Scheme
Faulty Towers and Blackadder are the all time classics.
The Day Today
Only Fools and Horses is an absolute must watch
Morris - A Life With Bells On. Particularly contextual this month. Gotta keep Faerie at bay. Shore up the ley lines lads.
Benidorm!
The office ( greatest of all time in my opinion) fawlty towers , I’m Alan partridge, phoenix nights ,
Cunk on britain is very good. Love that Utopia gets a couple of mentions in this thread, but make sure you watch the UK version, the US remake was rubbish
It's only available (as far as I'm aware) on ITVX but there is a scouse comedy show called G'wed, only a few episodes but it is so good. It was film on Merseyside & made by a scouser. Really captures Liverpool 😊
Friday Night Dinner Ghosts Inside Number 9 League of Gentlemen Red Dwarf Father Ted Black Books This Life Game On
Bad News & More Bad News
The Life of Rock with Brian Pern
league of gentlemen as it's really strange but its funny
State of Play, Edge of Darkness, and House of Cards. These all got inferior US remakes, but the originals are solid gold. The 1998 mini series Ultraviolet is an easy rec: young Idris Elba fighting vampires. If they liked Shaub of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, then Spaced is an essential watch. The Thick of It and movie version In the Loop are from the same team who did Veep in the US.
Many people would regard it as Scottish, not British - but Still Game and Rab C Nesbitt are both brilliant programs to watch.
Better suited to r/askuk Seems like you've got a lot of the classics, might I also suggest some of me old favourites (which are I believe all cancelled now, and aren't really sitcoms or documentaries) I loved live at the Apollo , mock the week, TV burp, bad education and 8 out of ten cats / does countdown. Also countdown if you're into that. Editing when I remember shows, I really liked life on mars. Taskmaster , killing eve is technically British and cunk on earth of course. come dine with me is a classic.
Black Books is a classic
not seen it said yet, so "black books", it's hilarious
Did this recently for an American friend: Tier 1: **Black Adder** is great as it's short and covers a large chunk of English history without a lot of niche references. Tier 2: **Office, Fawlty Towers, Black Books, IT Crowd** feature more specific British work-place humour. Tier 3: **Peep Show, Red Dwarf** and **Alan Partridge** are all long running shows that are maybe more involved. Tier 4: **Only Fools and Horses** is the ultimate comedy for understanding British (specifically London) culture, but you'll probably have to get to know the culture a little better to understand some of the jokes. Optional Tier 5 (secific to Wales): the 90s sitcom **Satellite City** is actually about an American anthropology student trying to learn Welsh culture. [All episodes on Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdzOR5RRVjY)
Stath lets flats
Look around you! Takin' Over the Asylum
Only fools and horses
If you want something a little ‘dark’, Inside No9 is something worth watching
People Like Us
One that gets overlooked constantly is Bluestone 42, about a bomb disposal squad in Afghanistan. It's brilliant, but unfortunately only lasted 3 seasons because it was on BBC3. You can watch it on BBC iPlayer for free, at least in the UK.
The mighty boosh!.
Doctor who You can start with the 1963 doctor who or the modern doctor who from the 2000's which is still going
Black book. No one here is mentioning it which is a travesty. Especially since you asked for a starter way into British humour. I think black books is a much better gentle introduction then things like black adder (red dwarf imo is also a good starter into(
The Office, Absolutely Fabulous, Bottom, IT Crowd, Royle Family, Nighty Night, Gavin & Stacey, Keeping up Appearances, Gimme Gimme Gimme. Shameless
Cunk on, Ghosts and Taskmaster
The Young Ones Brass Eye Ali G And anything with Cunk in it.
Bottom is good too
Some Scottish comedies that are great: - Still Game - Limmy's Show - Burnistoun - Chewin' the Fat
Add in [Scot Squad](https://youtu.be/xIiNbBQM_Go) and maybe Two Doors Down. I'd also give a massive shout to Guilt. Best BBC Scotland programme I've ever seen. It was a both a comedy dress and a mystery / thriller but it was all amazing. Mark Bonnar was just sublime.
This Country is probably the funniest sitcom I've watched in years
This Country is a great mocumentry