What are your 3 favorite British TV series?

[splitwdw]

Actually the number of actors has expanded greatly in the past decade, and quite a few of them are acting in US TV prime time shows.

Sorry, was referring to the British shows/mini series. I watch mainly PBS which carries the British shows. You seem to have the same people in the period shows. Michael Gambon is in everything!! If I like the series I buy the dvd. Just got "Death Comes to Pemberly" and the actress that plays Elizabeth Darcy is also in "The Bletchley Circle" and "Becoming Jane".

 

[audreyh1]

There were a huge number of new (young) faces in the BBC reincarnated Dr. Who, although now they are showing up in other series.

 

[splitwdw]

There were a huge number of new (young) faces in the BBC reincarnated Dr. Who, although now they are showing up in other series.

Never watched the old or new Who.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Are actors/actresses in Britain limited to working in certain areas of film work? Seems like you see the same people over and over again. Or is it because we are seeing limited view of British shows?

We notice this all the time. Sort of fun. The main character in Grantchester, for example, is the really really scary bad guy in Happy Valley. The main character in Happy Valley is one of the adult daughters in Last Tango in Halifax. That character's romantic interest is an occasional police officer in Vera. I think everyone has been in Midsomer Murders.

I am falling more and more in love with Martin Shaw's George Gently.

 

[samclem]

Fawlty Towers

A reachback to my youth: Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds Intro

MP Flying Circus

Derek: With Ricky Gervais. Need to watch at least 3 episodes, as it is very different, and you need to get a grasp on it. Then you will love it.

Agreed, a lot of fun. Pity that it looks like they won't be making more of them.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

Currently I have been enjoying the Great British Bake Off which comes on here before Downton Abbey. I also like Grantchester which is broadcast right after D.A. I am quite smitten by the Vicar (and his black Lab pup, Dickens).

 

[harley]

Never watched the old or new Who.

I've been watching Dr. Who since 1979. For years Saturday night on PBS was the best tv watching time of the week. Red Green at 11, Dr. Who at midnight, then Red Dwarf at one. I was quite sad when it went off the air, although it was definitely time after 25 years. When it started back up on BBC America I was skeptical, but it's been very enjoyable, even though it now has enough budget to not have to have the villains just be wrapped in bubble wrap. The ridiculous special effects were a big part of the draw back in the old days.

Then again, my other favorite BBC shows include The Young Ones, Red Dwarf, Blackadder, and The Omega Factor.

DW insists I include her and DD's favorite BBC show - Tenko. They used to rush home from school/work to watch that, and cried puddles when it ended.

 

[splitwdw]

harley, Guess my educations lacking, I've never heard/seen any of the shows you mentioned other than Dr. Who. Did see a couple of people here mention Red Dwarf. I'll have to go Google the names.

edit: I did google and these are older series and don't think I was watching much tv at that time. I also never understood British humor so never watched any comedies.

 

[harley]

Well, don't make any judgments on brit tv based on my taste. The Young Ones was an outrageous 80s comedy. I've never met anybody else who liked it. Red Dwarf was good, but silly, and as someone mentioned earlier it lost it's magic after the first 3 or 4 seasons. The Omega Factor wasn't ever even on American TV afaik. I saw it on some VHS tapes that a British friend had. It was dark and pretty creepy.


The various Blackadder series were true classics, though. I would recommend them to anyone. Tenko was a dramatic series about a bunch of women POWs in a Japanese prison camp in WWII. DW and DD loved it. I don't think it's been on American TV since the mid 90s when they were watching it.

 

[Alan]

Well, don't make any judgments on brit tv based on my taste. The Young Ones was an outrageous 80s comedy. I've never met anybody else who liked it. Red Dwarf was good, but silly, and as someone mentioned earlier it lost it's magic after the first 3 or 4 seasons. The Omega Factor wasn't ever even on American TV afaik. I saw it on some VHS tapes that a British friend had. It was dark and pretty creepy.


The various Blackadder series were true classics, though. I would recommend them to anyone. Tenko was a dramatic series about a bunch of women POWs in a Japanese prison camp in WWII. DW and DD loved it. I don't think it's been on American TV since the mid 90s when they were watching it.

...and one of the main characters from Tenko , Stephanie Cole, has been in many other shows, some shown in the USA such as Doc Martin and Waiting for God.

 

[MRG]

+1

I am not sure if there are any other British shows worth watching after you have seen Benny Hill.

I flew to the UK with a load mouth guy that had never seen Benny Hill. Most of business class was enjoying his reaction to the show. I'd seen a few shows but was totally embarrassed at this guys uncontrollable laughter, and talking back to the screen while wearing earphones. I'm glad I wasn't seated too close to him.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned my favorite; don't know the name of the show. I had not taken care of my sleep patterns and stayed up most of the night watching a snooker match. I really should have been able to sleep, but couldn't.

I'm sure snooker is a fun sport, watching it with lack of sleep not so much. Better then watching curling, I think.

 

[boatfishandnature]

1.Yes, Prime Minister
2.Yes, Minister
3. Downton Abbey

 

[Ally]

I can only narrow it down to 4, but we enjoyed so many more, too:


1. Downton Abbey.
2. Doc Martin.
3. Last Tango in Halifax
4. Foyle's War (very last episode is tonight on Acorn TV)

 

[modhatter]

I really prefer tv series that have a continuing story line instead of a new murder mystery each episode. Shows like Last Tango in Halifax, Doc Martin,
The Fall, Grandchester, Broadchurch, etc. Any of the series you know of that have a continuing story line?

Though shows like Foyles War and Luther are both well done, it is still the new murder to solve each show. The Killing (not British) was another well done show with a continuing story line.

 

[Ally]

Some other mini series on Netflix we've liked are The Paradise, Broadchurch, Happy Valley, Secrets and Lies, Mr. Selfridge, Island at War, Bletchley Circle, and The a Fall. I think The Hour is on Amazon Prime and that's also good.


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[F4mandolin]

Allo Allo, As Time Goes By, New Tricks.....at this time. A year from now it will be something else......as it should be unless your interests never change.

 

[audreyh1]

Some other mini series on Netflix we've liked are The Paradise, Broadchurch, Happy Valley, Secrets and Lies, Mr. Selfridge, Island at War, Bletchley Circle, and The a Fall. I think The Hour is on Amazon Prime and that's also good.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

Thanks for the suggestions. The serene blond god I'm enjoying in Grantchester is the bad guy in Happy Valley, so it will probably be creepy for me, but I gotta check it out!

OK - we're going to give Netflix a try since we're starting to really hunt on hulu+.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I really prefer tv series that have a continuing story line instead of a new murder mystery each episode. Shows like Last Tango in Halifax, Doc Martin,
The Fall, Grandchester, Broadchurch, etc. Any of the series you know of that have a continuing story line?

Though shows like Foyles War and Luther are both well done, it is still the new murder to solve each show. The Killing (not British) was another well done show with a continuing story line.

I loved The Killing (USA version--didn't see the Danish version) until the coy belated decision to NOT solve the murder as previously promised at the end of its initial season. Grrr.

 

[Ally]

Thanks for the suggestions. The serene blond god I'm enjoying in Grantchester is the bad guy in Happy Valley, so it will probably be creepy for me, but I gotta check it out!

OK - we're going to give Netflix a try since we're starting to really hunt on hulu+.

It was the opposite experience for me. I saw Happy Valley first and he was terrifying! I could hardly stay in the room during some scenes. When I saw he was going to be on Grantchester, I wasn't sure I could make that transition, but I have. He is lovely on Grantchester!

By the way, it's a little hard to understand the dialect on Happy Valley at first, so we turned on our closed captioning for the first couple of episodes and that helped a lot. The woman detective is the same actress who was one of the main characters in Last Tango in Halifax, which we loved, too.

 

[Ally]

I loved The Killing (USA version--didn't see the Danish version) until the coy belated decision to NOT solve the murder as previously promised at the end of its initial season. Grrr.

They ended up with four seasons of the Killing and it's on Netflix. It is a great show, especially if you watch all the seasons.

 

[Bestwifeever]

They ended up with four seasons of the Killing and it's on Netflix. It is a great show, especially if you watch all the seasons.

I liked the first season but I had to boycott it after the showrunner pulled that stunt. I am sure the ratings fell as a result

I should just watch the Danish version.

 

[Ally]

They solve the first season in the second season and then the other two are pretty much self-contained. The last two are really good and it ends well for a series. Thanks to Netflix for funding the last season and wrapping it up.

 

[Chuckanut]

Aurelio Zenn
Foil's War
Jeeves and Wooster

 

[TrvlBug]

1. New Dr. Who
2. Old Dr. Who
3. Have You Been Served (I think that's the name...it took place in a dept. store)

 

[harley]

It's "Are You Being Served?". It was a hoot! I particularly like Young Mr. Grace, who was probably in his 80s and always had a beautiful and buxom nurse with him.