17 TV shows for lovers of subtle British humor

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

British humor does not lose its originality and does not go out of fashion. Before the premiere of "Hippopotamus" based on the novel by Stephen Fry, Lifehacker compiled a selection of the brightest and most recognizable British sitcoms.

1. Monty Python: Flying Circus

• Comedy.
• Great Britain, 1969.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 9.

The iconic British sketch show, which laid the foundation for the trend of comedy absurdism on television. His influence on the comedy genre can only be compared with the influence of The Beatles on modern music. Unprecedented satirical techniques and sketches not subject to a single theme challenged television traditions from the youth counterculture of the late 1960s.

The opening credits could be inserted in the middle of the episode, or they could be skipped altogether. Some of the characters returned in the next episodes, but all the scenes with their participation were in no way connected. The sketches of the next episode easily and naturally combine sarcasm with outhouse and intellectual humor.

This cocktail of peculiar animation, play on words and well-aimed observations about the life of a typical Briton of the time is so rooted in the land of Foggy Albion that his classic sketches even entered the exams for applying for British citizenship.

2. The Folty Towers Hotel

• Comedy.
• UK, 1975.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 8.

Two years ago, this sitcom celebrated its 40th anniversary, but despite its venerable age, it remains one of the most beloved shows in the UK. The show ran from 1975 to 1979, and the comedy of sheer chaos definitely resonated with audiences. The cast is headed by John Cleese, who has become an almost national hero and legend of the comedy genre in his homeland after the huge success in Monty Python.

The sitcom talks about the hotel and its owner Basil Fawlty, whose lack of professionalism, tactlessness, hot temper and disgust for guests are eternal sources of trouble. The show boasts an army of hilarious characters and low-key black humor that makes you giggle endlessly as hotel staff step on the rake.

The series might seem absurd and childish if it were not so competently and cleverly written. This makes the Folty Towers Hotel one of the favorite British comedies of all time.

3. Yes, Mr. Minister

• Comedy.
• UK, 1980.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 7.

A satirical comedy about political cuisine, in which we meet the parliamentarian Jim Hacker, awaiting appointment to the ministry under the new government. As head of the ministry of administrative affairs invented by the scriptwriters, Jim meets the state bureaucracy in all its glory, although his assistants provide direct interaction with other departments.

Over the course of three seasons, as well as the subsequent sequel to "Yes, Mr. Prime Minister," Jim is mastering ways to maneuver under the heel of the state apparatus to push through really useful projects. Ultimately, he is promoted to the first public office in the country.

According to the description, it seems that the show is boring and dry, but this is not at all the case. A wonderful trio of leading actors - Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Foulds - delivers charisma and never ceases to delight with subtle humor.

4. Fools are lucky

• Comedy.
• UK, 1981.
• Duration: 9 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 9.

A long-lived British sitcom that tells the story of the adventures of the Trotter brothers who decided to become millionaires. To achieve their goal, they drive around in a yellow three-wheeled "heel", selling useless and usually stolen goods.

The main plot revolves around the next stupid ideas of the arrogant and carefree Deeds of Boy and the foolish Rodney, who found himself drawn into the Napoleonic plans of his brother. Together they guarantee you a few hours of fun, after which you will fall in love with this couple, just like British TV viewers.

The show was closed in 1996, but returned after a five-year hiatus and continues to delight occasionally with holiday special episodes.

The series was voted the UK's best sitcom in a 2004 BBC poll, and its funny stories are still popular today and are regularly broadcast on both the BBC and the comedy GOLD.

5. Black viper

• Comedy.
• UK, 1982.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

A cycle of comedy mini-series telling about several generations of the Blackadder family, embodied in its only representative visible to us - the cynical, mean and malicious aristocrat Edmund, performed by Rowan Atkinson.

In every generation, Edmund is accompanied by the rude and insidious servant Baldrick, a connoisseur of various bad habits and activities. In each subsequent reincarnation, Blackadder became more and more discerning, while his servant sank lower and lower.

The humor of the first season was built on the classic techniques of Atkinson, which later migrated to Mr. Bean, and the series did not have much success. Despite this, the show was renewed for a second season, and it was he who brought the "Black Viper" the incredible love of the audience. Atkinson was removed from the writing team, replaced by Ben Elton, who focused on deeper dialogue, fun chase scenes, and historical fidelity. And the series finale is still considered one of the most touching and profound in the history of the genre.

6. The Fry and Laurie Show

• Comedy.
• UK, 1987.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

Comedy sketches starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, usually making fun of the upper classes, the rich and, oddly enough, spies. It was this show that forever captured the couple in the hearts of viewers and helped Fry and Laurie reach their current star status.

Most of the sketches are not interconnected, but in some you can find repeating characters. The most popular of these are two alcoholic businessmen, Peter and John, who are planning to open a health and fitness center, and Tony Marchison and the Office, two incredibly naive spies, childishly frankly discussing their work over a cup of coffee.

A masterful combination of silly and witty in precise proportions made The Fry and Laurie Show a dish for intellectuals and the actors themselves one of the most ingenious duos on the comedy scene. A little later, they amazed viewers with another masterpiece, the TV series Jeeves and Wooster (1990) about the frivolous aristocrat Bertie Wooster and his wise valet Jeeves, pulling the owner out of the most delicate situations with British calmness.

7. Fucked up

• Comedy.
• UK, 1999.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 7.

Freaky takes a typical sitcom idea and turns it into something unique. The series tells about a guy and a girl who decided to pretend to be a couple in order to get an inexpensive home. The premise seems hackneyed, but The Fuckers manages to avoid all the typical elements of such stories like love triangles or ridiculing clumsy introverted nerds. And one of the main roles belongs to the true genius of the comedy genre Simon Pegg.

Although this comedy, which was released at the turn of the millennium, only lasted two seasons, it proudly ranks among the British comedy classics. This unique project of the television wizard Edgar Wright, with its cartoonish style, sarcastic, smart and hilarious script, never made it into the mainstream, but it remained a favorite among a huge number of loyal fans.

8. Black's Bookstore

• Comedy.
• UK, 2000.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 6.

Bookstore owner Bernard Black does not believe in customer service, or the need for customer service at all. He just sits at the cash register, reads, drinks, smokes and is rude to everyone.

The sitcom was broadcast on Channel 4 for three seasons, allowing the full talent of the leading actor Dylan Moran, Tamsin Greg, who plays Bernard's girlfriend, and Bill Bailey, who appeared in the form of his assistant Manny, constantly falling under the hot hand of the boss.

Bernard's love for wine not only brings a smile, but also allows him to look inside the character, where lies the sadness and despair of his chaotic lonely life. It will not do without provocative humor: Moran was nowhere else as funny as in the role of the eccentric, emotional and ridiculous Mr. Black. "What was your mother's maiden name?" - the questionnaire of the tax report asks the question. “Her first name? I just called her Ma, so we'll write it."

9. Office

• Comedy.
• UK, 2001.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 6.

A parody pseudo-documentary sitcom about the everyday work of office workers of the fictional paper maker Wernham Hogg. Today, this concept of the show is unlikely to seem original, but in 2001 it looked like a real television revolution. The show became a hit and pioneer in parody of documentary art, paving the way for things like Parks and Recreation or The American Family.

You certainly have heard more about the American version of "The Office", at least you must have met numerous videos with the main character played by Steve Carell. But remember the old rule of mass culture: the original is always better than the remake, this is absolutely true in our case. And if you perceive them as two different shows, you can enjoy both in exactly the same way.

10. Absurd natural history

• Comedy.
• UK, 2002.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 6.

A comedy series in the genre of absurd educational documentary from Robert Popper and Peter Serafinovich. This is a parody of outdated video lessons that teachers played on VCRs in front of bored schoolchildren.

In "Absurd Natural History" science was taken over by the anarchists, and we became their forced students, but this time you won't be bored! You just need to arm yourself with a protractor, two compasses and chewing gum, which enhances brain activity. Experienced scientists will tell us how to shave strawberries correctly, how to get "serpentine" from sulfur and champagne, where the first microbes and other curious purely scientific facts arose.

Any crazy idea is presented with a seriousness worthy of the oldest professor at Oxford, and the protagonists are often people in white coats whose faces we will never see. It is noteworthy that the creator of "The Simpsons" Matt Groening once called "Absurd Science" one of the funniest shows he has ever seen. Write this down in your notebooks.

11. Peep show

• Comedy.
• UK, 2003.
• Duration: 9 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 6.

A sitcom from the comedy duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb, which tells the story of the lives of two eccentric buddies.

Mark is an introverted and awkward loan manager with a rather cynical outlook on life, and Jeremy is a young slacker musician whom Mark has sheltered in his rented apartment. In the first episode, the heroes try to seduce Tony's neighbor, but any of their attempts are doomed to failure: Mark, who decided to conquer her heart with a description of the Battle of Stalingrad, is let down by shyness and conceit, and Jeremy, on the contrary, is swagger and uncompromising.

The premiere of the series in 2003 literally baffled viewers with its innovative audiovisual presentation: each frame was filmed from the perspective of one of the characters. We saw exactly what they saw. And most of the dialogues began with internal monologues, so we not only looked at what was happening through the eyes of the characters, but also heard their thoughts, full of selfishness and hidden cunning.

"Peep-show" is both funny and sad, and touching, and vital, and a little surreal at the same time. And surprisingly accurately portrayed the tedious and aimless existence of immature and irresponsible recent graduates who set off on an independent voyage.

12. Mighty Bush

• Comedy.
• UK, 2003.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

Mighty Bush can only be described in one way - the most surreal comedy ever. It has everything: from Luns talking to each other to hermaphrodite tritons, an army of evil grandmothers and other wonderful phenomena that we will meet on our "journey through time and space", where the opening song calls us. Needless to say, it was this grotesque format that contributed to the development of a whole mass cult of the show's fans.

The series' lead actors are the provocative gothic-looking comedian Noel Fielding and his less-gothic accomplice Julian Burratt. The second got the role of a jazz musician who imagines himself to be a mysterious womanizer, and the first appears in the form of a simple glam rocker who communicates with animals and goes crazy over his hair.

The couple work at the zoo and are friends with the Naboo shaman and the talking gorilla, and the show tells about their unusual working days. The series attracts with several distinctive features at once: bright decorations, episodic musical numbers and extravagant costumes, which made Mighty Bush an icon of the comedy genre. But the most important thing is the complete disregard for any frames and boundaries of format, television and decency.

13. Green wing

• Comedy.
• UK, 2004.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

A dramedy about the life of a fictional British hospital and its insane staff. We meet the main character - the new assistant to the surgeon Caroline Todd, who is quickly trapped in a tenacious web of relationships with the attractive Dr. Macartney, arrogant anesthesiologist Guy and inexperienced intern Martin.

But the funniest of all the medical staff is, of course, the extravagant and carnal-obsessed radiologist Alan Statham. He now and then finds himself in delicate situations, which clearly does not benefit his intimate relationship with a sarcastic and weary employee of the personnel department Joanna. Another important character is the crazy coordinator Sue White, from whose lips the most unexpected jokes about her colleagues fly off. She is obsessed with the idea of marrying Dr. Macartney and having children with him, and woe to anyone who gets in her way!

If you don't like absurd sketch jokes, the comedy soap opera Green Wing, with its undeniable originality and general insanity, has every chance to appeal to you.

14. My life in cinema

• Comedy.
• UK, 2004.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

Art is a young screenwriter who lacks stars from the sky, but still remains in business. His forced admirer is Jones, a neighbor in a rented apartment, with whom they live on Art's salary. But most importantly, each of the six episodes of the show is a copy of a famous film.

Immersed in the film industry, Art sees the world around him through the prism of plots of classic films, presenting us with his psychedelic version of reality. The authors have recreated famous footage from Hitchcock's Yard Window, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, Federico Fellini's 8½, the drama The Best Shooter, the thriller Shallow Grave and the Western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. At the same time, the imposition of extraneous scenes did not prevent the creators of the show from developing their own plot.

The cast is also fascinating: Chris Marshall created the image of an unattractive dreamer-goof, while Andrew Scott (Moriarty from "Sherlock") came out quite a sweet romantic, in love with his girlfriend Beth (Alice Lowe), to whom Art was found to be allergic.

15. The thick of things

• Comedy.
• UK, 2005.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 7.

A satirical procedural starring the twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi. The show provides a peek behind the scenes of British politics and provides a sense of one's own presence: poorly processed sound, partially impromptu dialogues and filming with an unstable hand-held camera. Even more, intending to achieve unprecedented realism, the scriptwriting team worked with insiders, checking even the smallest aspects of political everyday life - from the decoration of offices to the density of swear words in conversations. There are really a lot of swearing in "The Thick of Things".

The series can be characterized as transferred to the XXI century "Yes, Mr. Minister", unless here we meet not brave idealists, but corrupt and incompetent officials. The plot takes us to another fictional Ministry of Social Affairs and Citizenship, and the central character is the press secretary of the Prime Minister Malcolm Tucker (Capaldi), whose job is to yell at others in the hope of avoiding another failure.

If you liked the action, we recommend you pay attention to the spin-off "In The Loop" (2009) with the participation of the main actors of the series, as well as the American version of the show - "Vice President" (2012) from HBO.

16. Inside the ninth number

• Comedy.
• UK, 2014.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

A unique black comedy anthology from a couple of longtime friends - Steve Pemberton and Rhys Shersmith. Each episode is a story in its own right, which will not only amuse you, but literally knock you off your feet with sharp turns in the style of Hitchcock. Thriller, flowing into comedy and back, rivets until the very last second, because for 30 broadcast minutes the authors throw a tub of boiling intrigue, absurdity and horror onto the viewer.

Detective, gothic horror, historical drama, mystical thriller, musical, sitcom - each of the stories of the show "Inside the ninth issue" is original and imbued with the spirit of retro British TV programs. But this does not prevent the authors from experimenting with a format rarely seen on the small screen: for example, the second episode of the first season contains almost no dialogue, and the fourth episode of the second season was filmed through a surveillance camera aimed at the workplace of one of the call center operators.

A show can be dramatic, comedic, and truly terrifying: a crazy cocktail of genres creates an unusual aftertaste and defies categorization. Only the place of action remains unchanged: room or house number 9 - a new scene for another dark anecdote.

17. Dirk Gently Detective Agency

• Science fiction, comedy.
• USA, UK, 2016.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

A bizarre television adaptation of the cult novel by English writer Douglas Adams, starring Elijah Wood and Samuel Barnett.

It all started with the fact that the bellboy Todd had an unusually disgusting day: the landlord demands rent, and the mess at work ends with the hero discovering the torn corpse of a millionaire in one of the hotel rooms. But the most amazing thing is that Todd in the corridor comes across none other than himself, running in a fancy fur coat stained with blood.

On this very day, detective Dirk Gently appears in his life, a month and a half ago hired by the deceased to investigate their own murder. Dirk decides that from that moment on, Todd is destined to become his friend and assistant, to which he is forced to agree for the promised payment.

But this is just the beginning. Throw in the Noisy Trio quartet of vampire marauders following on the heels of Todd Corgi, a couple of mysterious special agents protecting Dirk, a girl confined to a bed in an apartment right above Todd's apartment, and trying to find Dirk's intergalactic killer.

The blatant absurdity of the action, the non-trivial plot and unexpectedly perky jokes, every now and then slipping into the detective's hasty speech, turn "Dirk Gently's Detective Agency" into a real find for lovers of British humor.