British Telly
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James Heard
Explorer
There's this garden show with a dude running around parking these tiny little lawns and gardens behind flats in London mostly that's BBC (and that I don't know the name of). I don't know why I find it fascinating, because I'm really not fond of plants except in the abstract. I think most of the Woodward (I can't remember if it's Peter or Edward, the son with the strangely shaped head) shows are British too, right? Those are the ones where a forty something actor tries to proclaim that he knows how to fight effectively in the past, gathers up some questionable looking stuntmen, and beat each other around in fascimile? He also does Egypt stuff. Mostly I just stare at his skull and wonder why it looks like that. His father looks pretty normal, and he was on the Equalizer - a show I liked.
When The Prisoner comes out I'm going to try to catch it on BBC America just because Chris Eccleston is awesome. Sometimes late at night I find myself flipping channels and stuck unexplainably on Footballers Wives or something like that. I don't understand it at all, but since it all seems to revolve around people sleeping with each other sometimes it's just...attention grabbing I suppose.
A lot of British and Australian reality shows are on another channel I have. I don't really watch them, but they're funny to watch while I'm waiting for something else to come on. I fully admit this is probably because I've been preconditioned by bad American stereotyping to consider the British accent as being more serious and proper than my American drawl, therefore reality television sounds like Jane Eyre occasionally as everyone studies a coconut or the way Shelly was making eyes at Martin (or whatever).
Mostly though, I dig Dr. Who and that silly garden show.
When The Prisoner comes out I'm going to try to catch it on BBC America just because Chris Eccleston is awesome. Sometimes late at night I find myself flipping channels and stuck unexplainably on Footballers Wives or something like that. I don't understand it at all, but since it all seems to revolve around people sleeping with each other sometimes it's just...attention grabbing I suppose.
A lot of British and Australian reality shows are on another channel I have. I don't really watch them, but they're funny to watch while I'm waiting for something else to come on. I fully admit this is probably because I've been preconditioned by bad American stereotyping to consider the British accent as being more serious and proper than my American drawl, therefore reality television sounds like Jane Eyre occasionally as everyone studies a coconut or the way Shelly was making eyes at Martin (or whatever).
Mostly though, I dig Dr. Who and that silly garden show.
Steve Jung
Explorer
A&E shows Spooks/MI-5.
Brown Jenkin
First Post
glass said:
I think the main reason that the vast amounts of Briish Television programing that is exported never gets mentioned here is because of the nature of these boards. ENWorld has a slant more towards Sci-Fi/Fantasy so we don't end up talking so much about some of the other great British programes. It just happens that Dr. Who is the only current Sci-Fi show that I know of that is currently being exported. Please enlighten me if there are any other Sci-Fi/Fantasy shows being produced in the UK now so I can look for/look forward to them.
James Heard
Explorer
Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad
These are shows currently playing on BBC America (not a complete list, just the stuff I noticed this week):
Cash in the Attic, What not to Wear, Whose Line Is It Anyway, Are You Being Served, Keeping Up Appearances, My Family, My Hero, CHanging Rooms, As Time Goes By, Sharpe, Lie With Me, The Thick Of It, Kumars at No. 42, Little Britain, Hex, Ed vs Spencer, Bromwell High, The Catherine Tate Show, Bad Lads Army, Footballer's Wives, Coupling, Unsolved, Bargain Hunt, Homes Under the Hammer, Location Location Location, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, House Invaders, Waterloo Road, Marian Again, Frances Tuesday.
Cash in the Attic, What not to Wear, Whose Line Is It Anyway, Are You Being Served, Keeping Up Appearances, My Family, My Hero, CHanging Rooms, As Time Goes By, Sharpe, Lie With Me, The Thick Of It, Kumars at No. 42, Little Britain, Hex, Ed vs Spencer, Bromwell High, The Catherine Tate Show, Bad Lads Army, Footballer's Wives, Coupling, Unsolved, Bargain Hunt, Homes Under the Hammer, Location Location Location, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, House Invaders, Waterloo Road, Marian Again, Frances Tuesday.
Quasqueton
First Post
OK, I've got to ask this. I'm sure it's a ridiculously dumb question.
What "base/core" TV companies are there in Britain other than BBC?
In America, we've had ABC, NBC, and CBS forever. FOX is relatively new as a base TV company (15 years?). There are, of course, many, many more now with cable/satellite companies.
But for British TV, all I have ever heard of is the BBC. Surely, even before cable/satellite, you Brits had more than one channel to watch, yes?
Quasqueton
What "base/core" TV companies are there in Britain other than BBC?
In America, we've had ABC, NBC, and CBS forever. FOX is relatively new as a base TV company (15 years?). There are, of course, many, many more now with cable/satellite companies.
But for British TV, all I have ever heard of is the BBC. Surely, even before cable/satellite, you Brits had more than one channel to watch, yes?
Quasqueton
horacethegrey
First Post
:raises hand: Oi! I'm a Brit TV lover myself! I just can't get enough of the stuff they air on the telly in England. 
Though I watch them on video for the most part. Still, I'll take Brit tv over American tv any day of the week (that's not a slam BTW, there are a lot of American shows I like as well).
Among the ones I've watched, the best I've seen are:
Monty Python's Flying Circus - But of course.
The Office - My god. Can there be a funnier series than this? It'll always have the distinction of being the first of it's kind, that being the awkward sitcom. You know it's just painful to watch, but you can't help but laugh.
Brother Cadfael - As Elf Witch said, no one does period mysteries better than the Brits. And this one stands above them all.
Foyle's War - Just like Cadfael, it's a period whodunit. Only this time it's set in WWII. Great stuff.
Spooks: MI5 - In my opinion, this is how esponiage TV should be done. Sorry to fans of Alias and 24, but this one blows them out of the water.
Parkinson - I hardly knew anything about Michael Parkinson, other than the fact that he was an institution on the talk show circuit in England. Having watched a few of his shows on cable, I was pleasantly surprised. He is without a doubt the best interviewer I've seen, as his genial and personable style always manages to get even the most difficult guest to relax and become personable for a even an hour. He's much better than Larry King, or even Leno and Letterman for that matter. I dare anyone not to laugh at his recent interview with Mel Brooks.
D Ali G Show - Before he moved to HBO, the leader of the West Staines Massiv was making fools of people over at ITV. I managed to score some DVD's of his best stuff from this period and believe me, you don't need to be a Brit to laugh at this insanity.
Though I watch them on video for the most part. Still, I'll take Brit tv over American tv any day of the week (that's not a slam BTW, there are a lot of American shows I like as well).Among the ones I've watched, the best I've seen are:
Monty Python's Flying Circus - But of course.
The Office - My god. Can there be a funnier series than this? It'll always have the distinction of being the first of it's kind, that being the awkward sitcom. You know it's just painful to watch, but you can't help but laugh.
Brother Cadfael - As Elf Witch said, no one does period mysteries better than the Brits. And this one stands above them all.
Foyle's War - Just like Cadfael, it's a period whodunit. Only this time it's set in WWII. Great stuff.
Spooks: MI5 - In my opinion, this is how esponiage TV should be done. Sorry to fans of Alias and 24, but this one blows them out of the water.
Parkinson - I hardly knew anything about Michael Parkinson, other than the fact that he was an institution on the talk show circuit in England. Having watched a few of his shows on cable, I was pleasantly surprised. He is without a doubt the best interviewer I've seen, as his genial and personable style always manages to get even the most difficult guest to relax and become personable for a even an hour. He's much better than Larry King, or even Leno and Letterman for that matter. I dare anyone not to laugh at his recent interview with Mel Brooks.
D Ali G Show - Before he moved to HBO, the leader of the West Staines Massiv was making fools of people over at ITV. I managed to score some DVD's of his best stuff from this period and believe me, you don't need to be a Brit to laugh at this insanity.
Brakkart
First Post
Quasqueton said:
There is the BBC which runs 2 terrestrial channels BBC1 and BBC2
ITV runs the 3rd terrestrial channel
Channel 4 runs the 4th channel
Five runs the 5th channel
And that's it really.
Going into digital we find:
The BBC with: BBC3, BBC4, Cbeebies, Childrens BBC, BBC News 24
ITV with: ITV2 and ITV3
Channel 4 with: More 4, E4 and E4+1
Five... still have just the one channel (that I know of)
Oh and then of course there is SKY.
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