In your opinion what's the best British TV show ever? Why do you think it's the best?
Posted by Reasonable_Society82@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 105 comments
I have some favourites, but I don't know if they're the best.
Dr Who
Only fools and horses
Come dine with me
Inbetweeners
Friday night dinner
Merlin
cloggypop@reddit
Brass Eye
Sustainable_Twat@reddit
Would I Lie To You? - In my humble opinion, this is the best panel show we do.
quarky_uk@reddit
Blackadder.
waggywaggydogdog@reddit
Mate, Blackadder Goes Forth is god tier TV too
CactusCastrator@reddit
"That's the Catholics next door. I'll just go and burn them."
TepidHalibut@reddit
Callan 1970's spy series. Top quality writing, characters and acting.
The Day Today. Like Idiocracy, a satire that became a documentary.
yorknave@reddit
Monty Python's Flying Circus spawned all of these
spoo4brains@reddit
Taskmaster, perfect mix of comedy, lateral thinking and Britishness.
yorknave@reddit
No
Reasonable_Society82@reddit (OP)
I'll check it out
spoo4brains@reddit
Oh boy, you have a great journey ahead of you.
Ok-Pumpkin-6203@reddit
The news.
How they keep coming up with different stories, sometimes more than once a day is incredible.
Amazed the script writers don't get more credit.
squigs@reddit
Recently it's gone downhill. They reused the idiot as president plot, and made it even dumber.
i_am_soulless@reddit
Nah, it's almost as depressing as Eastenders
thenorthmerchant@reddit
I cant get into that, the plot lines are too farfetched
Character_Savings966@reddit
😭😂😂
Reasonable_Society82@reddit (OP)
The dramatic stories are peak TV lol
Deep_Pepper_5405@reddit
Downton Abbey, Derry Girls, The Crown, Vicar or Dibley, Fleabag, IT crowd, Broadchurch, MIranda, Slow Horses, Call the midwife, Taskmaster
featherless_peacock@reddit
Red Dwarf
Salgado14@reddit
Mortimer + Whitehouse Gone Fishing
This Country
TyrelUK@reddit
After Life. It's a hard watch, the most accurate portal of grief I've ever seen. But it was handled so delicately, it's a masterpiece.
ettuA2@reddit
Peep show. Hilarious, and feels fully culturally British.
WeirdF@reddit
The Thick Of It was perfect from start to finish.
Mc_and_SP@reddit
"Stuart, any thoughts from within your fucking dream yurt?"
DarkstarRevelation@reddit
The thick of it and the office
Mc_and_SP@reddit
"omnishambles"
PitchOk1448@reddit
Came to say these. Both are hilarious and very particularly British.
Kpowell911@reddit
Top Gear
sunflowergirrrl@reddit
I loved Merlin! For me though I think my pick is Life on Mars
Sorry-Ad-1031@reddit
Motherland
Gameface
NationalTry8466@reddit
Edge of Darkness (1985)
Hot-Coat6244@reddit
RISING DAMP
FAWLTY TOWERS
ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES
Internal-Leadership3@reddit
Dad's army.
Independent-Try-3080@reddit
Only Fools, Peep Show, Inbetweeners, Alan Partridge.
Retro-2D-Gamer@reddit
My all time favourite British telly series was Reggie Perrin.
Solid_Bodybuilder_89@reddit
I really wish Father Ted went of for longer, but sadly he died (the actor).
I dont believe it ..... you missed One foot in the Grave.
My father personally loves The Last of the summer wine.
I like the classics like on the busses.
sleepyprojectionist@reddit
Father Ted is one of my favourite TV shows ever made, and it was very popular in the UK, but definitely isn’t British.
Solid_Bodybuilder_89@reddit
I know it's Irish, but I feel it needed mentioning.
Active_Definition_57@reddit
To be fair, there were no plans to make any more Father Ted. Dermot Morgan died after the 'wrap' party after they made what was intended to be the last episode.
Reasonable_Society82@reddit (OP)
Father Ted was definitely popular in my house growing up, true classic.
Haha yes one foot in the grave!
CountTruffula@reddit
Peep show
No-Television-9862@reddit
Peep show
dimap443@reddit
Black adder
Stunning-Profit8876@reddit
It's not the best, but I've probably rewatched Goodnight Sweetheart more than any other program.
Probably more due to nostalgia than anything else.
LisaandNeil@reddit
'Stath lets flats'
It's one we've watched and rewatched many times - something we don't ordinarily do. That's the first reason.
second reason is that though it first aired in something like 2018 - there are loads of people we meet who've never heard of it. if you watch it and it hits, it really hits.
Plenty_Suspect_3446@reddit
Probably Allo Allo for me.
AverageThat5267@reddit
Doc Martin.
Craig1974@reddit
Are You Being Served?
panjandrumbello@reddit
This is England (film and series)
This country
Kinda opposite ends of the drama/humour spectrum…
Ok-Future9384@reddit
Only fools and horses, every episode was gold.
Zubi_Q@reddit
Fawlty Towers, it's just hilarious
ThrowRASoooSleepy@reddit
John Cleese’s finest hour in my opinion. Never been a big fan of Monty Python, but Fawlty Towers is genuinely God tier British TV.
I want a Waldorf salad!
Nuthetes@reddit
I always thought it was shite. It's just shouting and noise.
It's one I may actually have liked without the canned laughter actually. It's a loud show as it is, and the canned laughter just adds to it which makes it annoying.
Standard_Homework854@reddit
Watch it without your hearing aid, Mrs Richards
ProfessionalMottsman@reddit
Picking up a peanut from the floor “…
Zubi_Q@reddit
Fair enough.
Reasonable_Society82@reddit (OP)
Never watched it. But I'll add to the list🙂
Zubi_Q@reddit
It's a British classic. Very short too. 18 episodes total, across 3 series
iwannabeinnyc@reddit
The Detectorists
Bambi_H@reddit
Same. It's my absolute favourite
CurrencyIll9145@reddit
only fools & horses this country the office black books (i know moran is irish but think it can be considered a british sitcom too??)
West_Eye_4972@reddit
Rising damp, dad's army , peep show.
TomatoChomper7@reddit
For me, top five (in no particular order) are probably This Country, The Office, Peep Show, The Inbetweeners and People Just Do Nothing.
mooviemakers@reddit
Match of the day
SwedishLenn@reddit
Little Britain
The Office
Skins
Current-Highway-4784@reddit
The Royale Family The Vicar of Dibley The Chase
Dear-Catcher-2020@reddit
Red Dwarf
Brass Eye
Planet Earth
Porridge
toast_training@reddit
Fawlty Towers- tears of laughter still.
Spaced / Peep Show - got very close to reality for me.
Status_Intention6832@reddit
Peep show, inside no 9, inbetweeners, black mirror and blackadder.
sleepyprojectionist@reddit
Red Dwarf: Possibly because I grew up watching it, but it will always have a special place in my heart. The first new Red Dwarf novel in thirty years is out in July. RIP Rob Grant.
Spooks: A great contemporary take on spy craft that was equal parts brutal and daft.
Slow Horses: See above.
Cantona-Eric-7@reddit
Inside no9 and Dectectorists for recent shows. Both are just perfect. For drama, Happy Valley.
Old stuff? Comedy:
IT crowd Blackadder (ignore series 1) Fawlty Towers Father Ted (although Irish) Brasseye and The Day Today Nathan Barley
Crime drama?
Lewis Morse Cracker
MrHankMardukas_@reddit
Only Fools is timeless. Inbetweeners is a modern classic. Both are staples!
But some newer shows like People Just Do Nothing, and Stath Lets Flats are brilliant. I understand they’re not for everyone but if you like that style of comedy they’re top notch.
A Christmas favourite in my family is Some Mothers Do Ave Em, which I never really hear others talk about on here.
lulukeab@reddit
My 3 faves which I have yet to see mentioned
Peep show
Ghosts
Motherland
1Mazrim@reddit
I'm surprised peep show didn't get more of a mention
TheRealVinosity@reddit
Black Books
MrRedDoctor@reddit
Peep Show and it's not even close.
Competitive_Ad6466@reddit
The Benny Hill Show
orionprincess1234@reddit
This is not very British of me but I don’t really enjoy British TV shows. I don’t find them funny. The only ones I enjoyed is The Inbetweeners, Little Britain and FoneJacker.
Reasonable_Society82@reddit (OP)
That's fair enough, but those 3 mentioned I think are British staples
Top-Fold-1067@reddit
Auf wiedersehen pet
BunchitaBonita@reddit
The League of Gentlemen. And more obscure: Angelo's
Y2Reigns@reddit
Bottom.
Gimme Gimme Gimme.
Keeping Up Apperences.
Taskmaster.
Azul-J@reddit
I love gimme gimme gimme
Reasonable_Society82@reddit (OP)
I loved keeping up with appearances back in the day🤣
Azul-J@reddit
One foot in the grave
Inside number 9
Only fools and horses
I also love Broadchurch, line of duty and my personal favourite is horrible histories.
PolarLocalCallingSvc@reddit
Only Fools And Horses
Still Game
Alan Partridge (pick a specific programme)
The above three because they're just really my kind of comedy.
Have I Got News For You
Panorama
Dispatched
The last three because I enjoy keeping up to date with current affairs, enjoy comedy, and in depth investigations. Same reason I'll read Private Eye and the FT for example.
Murphield@reddit
Fawlty Towers.....
Relative_Shop4676@reddit
Line of duty and handmaid's tale
StockKick4984@reddit
Love Thy Neighbour
GeggingIn@reddit
The Day Today.
waynownow@reddit
Happy Valley
xDzerx@reddit
Only Fools and Horses 100% imo. Even nowadays it's hilarious to watch lol.
Reasonable_Society82@reddit (OP)
It's a show I rewatch frequently! Even sometimes sticking on random episodes, you have a great time 🤣
OkPosition20@reddit
Porridge
Strawberry_Spring@reddit
Maybe not the best , but Jonathan Creek is a classic comfort watch for me
DaddysFriend@reddit
The office. It’s just perfect
KinnyWater@reddit
Can’t look past this. Was so good it spawned its own language version in countries all over the world.
kazman@reddit
Fawlty Towers.
Only Fools and Horses.
split-tennisball@reddit
attimhsa@reddit
This Life.
Nuthetes@reddit
Detectorists
brykins@reddit
Our Friends In The North
hdhxuxufxufufiffif@reddit
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for me.
It's just perfect. Everything about it, the acting, the script, the pacing, the atmosphere.
I rewatch it (and Smiley's People) every couple of years or so. Just make sure you watch the original BBC version and not the American TV edit that was made to accommodate advert breaks.
O_Beast@reddit
OFAH is timeless. If it’s on I’ll watch it
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