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It's time for a NEW round of "Name your favorite British TV show"!!

To anyone who is new to the forum, this is where we are sharing our favorite British shows. Mostly murder and crime shows, but there's a whole lot of everything in there (including a few from other countries). There is a previous thread with several hundred shows listed, but it has gotten a little bit too big, and it's very hard to get all the way through it, so I am creating a new thread that we can add our new shows to. I also made a spreadsheet of all the shows that were in the previous thread, so if anyone wants to access that, I'm going to put a link in here, and that way you'll have it at your disposal. It's a copy, so you can edit it if you want or do whatever you want to it.

I can't guarantee all of the information in the spreadsheet is correct. I tried going through the previous thread and pulling out all of the shows that were in there. But some of them I couldn't find, and some of them I couldn't figure out what they were as they were shows with duplicate names. And I may have missed some too. But hopefully, most of them are here, and you can always add others to the list if you want. All of the information I got about where to stream the shows came from IMDb, so that may get outdated from time to time. One good website to check is https://www.justwatch.com. I also listed the IMDb ratings, which I think is nice to know.

I would ask that before anyone adds a new title, you please check the previous thread to make sure it's not already in there or better yet, check the spreadsheet. Obviously if someone makes a mistake, it's not going to be a terrible thing, but it would be nice to keep the newer thread limited to shows that are not listed on the previous thread. I will also keep the link to the previous thread here to make it easier to check.

*Here is the link to the previous thread: *https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/time-for-another-round-of-name-your-favorite-british-tv-show

And here is the link to a Google Sheet listing around 200 British shows, with a few Canadian, Australian, and U.S. shows thrown into the mix. 😊 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ot1wCryGNQPHgCcHwDZK9zc48JVINRkvIImHRDO6UWk/edit?usp=sharing
**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A NEW LINK!!! This is not editable, and is view only.

Please let me know if you have any questions or any problems opening the spreadsheet.

Posted by
3719 posts

Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a classic. I also liked the old shows “One Foot in the Grave” and. “Keeping Up Appearances” which taught me that “Hounslow” is not just a London suburb.

Posted by
1437 posts

Keeping Up Appearances. (Richard!) (Sheridan, you must come to my candlelight supper!)

Posted by
597 posts

Traitors!!! It's a new reality show based in the UK and I love it!!

Posted by
825 posts

Very impressive spreadsheet, thanks for putting that together!

A new show I am enjoying right now is "How Are You? It's Me, Alan (Partridge)" the latest in a long series of Alan Partridge programmes starring Steve Coogan. I love all the Partridge entertainments (including podcasts) going all the way back to the classic comedy series "The Day Today" where the character of Alan Partridge was introduced. I also really recommend the series before this one "This Time with Alan Partridge" which was some of the best tv I've seen in a while.

There's also a new series of Mitchell and Webb which I enjoyed tho I don't think it's as good as their previous one.

Posted by
35938 posts

that must have been a real labour of love!!

Time for legs up and a nice cup of tea

Posted by
145 posts

I don't think it is mentioned anywhere but Father Ted is an absolute comedy classic. 30 years after it was made and it is still quoted especially when offering a cup of tea, "Go on, go on, go on".

I'm not sure if he particularly 'travels' but Peter Kay has written some brilliant stuff. Phoenix Nights is set in a northern working man's club. The episode with the family fun day is hilarious. "Chorley FM Coming in your ears".
Car Share is equally funny and sweet. The soundtrack on the car radio is also brilliant if you are of an early 70s vintage. Peter Kay really knows his music.
Finally, i think it has only been shown once on TV but a one off he did for Christmas is one of the best p1ss takes of TV talent shows you will ever see. It is genuinely called 'Britain's Got the Pop Factor....and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice". He gets the ridiculousness of these types of competitions bang on but with affection. The 'real' people like Simon Cowell and Cat Dealey play themselves in it.

Posted by
10524 posts

Time for legs up and a nice cup of tea.

Ha ha, yes, indeed, Nigel - and that's exactly what I did!

Posted by
3514 posts

Thank you for organizing that thread! I used it to find some new shows for my folks to watch, they're avid Brit murder show fans.

A few more that I don't see on the list:

The Cleaner - irreverent comedy about a crime scene cleaner (BritBox/Roku, IMDB 7.1)

Durrells in Corfu - Brits in Greece in the 1930s (PBS, Amazon, IMDB 8.2)

Fleabag - cringy comedy, in a good way (Amazon, IMDB 8.7)

The Thick of It - cringy government political drama (Britbox, Peacock, IMDB 8.7)

No Offence - another crime drama (Pluto, BritBox, Acorn, IMDB 8.0)

Posted by
7685 posts

Wow, Mardee, that's some amazing dedication to the forum!

I don't see Heartbeat. I give it a 100 ;) for music, 10 for scenery, and maybe 6.5 for writing/plot??

Posted by
9922 posts

Over decades usually via PBS on American TV:
Dr Who
The Avengers
Benny Hill ( my dad loved that show)
The Prisoner
Vera
Inspector Morse
Scott and Bailey
Happy Valley
Midsomer Murders
Annika
Hetty Wainthrop
Touching Evil
MI 5
Prime Suspect
Unforgotten
Taggert
McDonald and Dobbes
Lovejoy
DI Ray
No Offense
Magpie Murders
Shetland
Shakespeare and Hathaway
Monty Python
Poirot
Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett
Whitsable Pearl
Magrait with the late, great Michael Gambon. Loved that it was filmed in Budapest doubling for WW2 Paris. Ah the magic of location filming.

Watching PBS is part of my DNA.

EDIT 1: Forgot Inspector George Gently and Endeavor
EDIT 2: I Claudius with Derek Jacobi

Posted by
10524 posts

There are a few shows that did not make their way onto the list because I didn't know which one it was. For example, Heartbeat had about. 3-5 different entries on IMDB, and without knowing which one it was, I was reluctant to put it in there. So if someone wants to let me know more details about it, I'd be happy to flesh it out more.

The problem is some shows that people named had no time period, description or cast members, or anything that would help to identify it. And there are a lot of shows out there with the same name, lol!

The same thing with "No Offense". There were at least five shows named with the same title. I was trying to do more searching in the beginning, but by the time I was 60% of the way through, I was just trying to get through the list. So I admit I did not make the same effort towards the end as I was in the beginning. 😊

Posted by
1903 posts

There have been 3 ‘civilian’ series of British Traitors and the first celeb series is currently showing. The US series is shot back to back with the British version and features the same tasks and Scottish location but a different presenter. I’m a huge fan and have watched all the English language versions currently available!

Posted by
145 posts

I believe the BBC is going to start showing .the Irish Traitors once the UK celeb Traitors finishes. Their ‘Claudia’ is Siobhan McSweeney, Sister Michael from Derry Girls.

Posted by
862 posts

This is awesome mardee! Thank you so much! Scrolling through the other thread for new show ideas was getting crazy! Really appreciate you!

Posted by
8067 posts

It was sad to learn that Patricia Routledge (Hyacinth) from Keeping Up Appearances passed away a couple weeks ago.

We still enjoy Midsomer Murders and the new Lynley series as well as the new Karen Pirie series.

Posted by
7685 posts

I looked at the spread sheet earlier in the day, and now its completely different? With the same shows repeating?? Is it me?

Posted by
400 posts

jules,

oh dear! it's not you. something happened to the spreadsheet. seems like a sort problem or something.

Posted by
718 posts

The Young Ones :)

edit: And some British Police drama with an older Detective and his younger partner who was almost like a monk. Don't remember the name but the younger partner was my kind of character.

Posted by
10524 posts

ATTENTION!!!!!

I should have thought of this and warned you, so that's my fault. The reason the copy is getting edited is that I allowed edits on the copy, not the original, but didn't think about the fact that you probably wouldn't think about making your own copy.

So what I've done is changed the link above to the spreadsheet in my first post. Go ahead and open that one up. That will be view-only, and no one will be able to edit it.

For those who are editing the old document, please remove your edits so that it won't show up, and make your own copy. That way, you can just make edits for yourself.

TO MAKE YOUR OWN COPY: Use the old link, then click on File-->Make a Copy, and that will copy the link so you have it for your own. But as I said, if you don't care about creating your own copy to edit, just use the NEW link upthead in the original post.

Posted by
1437 posts

I, Claudius; Sunset Song; A Town Like Alice and so many more from over four decades ago.
This is so much fun, Mardee. I can't imagine the amount of time and effort you've put into your spread sheet!

Posted by
718 posts

No where near the bizarre of my pick of "The Young Ones". I didn't expect anybody else to agree but I'm surprised it was as popular as it was:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Young_Ones_(TV_series)

"The show was voted number 31 in the BBC's Best Sitcom poll in 2004.[1]"

Though, like with Monty Python, the BBC had difficulties:

[snip]
According to Jackson, the finished project was met with complete disbelief by the BBC, but the recent arrival of Channel 4 led the broadcaster to air what had been created a week after its opening night, on 9 November.[7]

To help make it stand out, the group opted to combine traditional sitcom style with violent slapstick, non-sequitur plot turns, and surrealism.

edit: Also:
Last of the Summer Wine
Some of "Doc Martin"
That Judi Dench series with Lionel (can't remember the name)

And of course, can't forget the British Tim Hunkin and his wonderful "Secret Life of Machines"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Life_of_Machines

Posted by
145 posts

RobertH, many British Gen Xers have a great affection for the Young Ones. it was like nothing we had ever seen on the BBC, felt really quite subversive and most importantly was very funny.
I was 10 when it was first shown and would sneak into my bedroom to watch it on the black and white TV I was allowed to have I my bedroom for my ZX81 computer.

Posted by
718 posts

Emma, you can be excused for your (very) young and impressionable age. I was over 40 when I first saw it. :)

Posted by
35938 posts

That Judi Dench series with Lionel (can't remember the name)

"As Time Goes By"

Posted by
10524 posts

This is so much fun, Mardee. I can't imagine the amount of time and effort you've put into your spread sheet!

Thanks! It was a labor of love, I will admit! Although I'm sorry for the mixup with the first version...

Posted by
1375 posts

Mardee, thanks so much for putting this together. I feel like I watch a lot of British tv, but there are loads more on your list that I was unaware of. I owe you a glass of wine for this!

Posted by
1995 posts

Well for me it’s a toss up between

  • 24 hours A&E which was previously mentioned
  • Wheeler Dealers and its various offshoots. Really enjoy the old episodes with Edd Chyna.