Or is peak British comedy Stuart Lee satirising that scene as a quaint village folk tradition? https://youtu.be/7J1J_iHC2Qw?si=kUy3aQvZ4p2PjLG8

Or maybe both?

> bri'ish

I forget the exact quote, but:

We specifically made something called “Harry Potter” and beat it to absolute death to show you we pronounce the letter ‘T’ in the majority of our accents.

Here is peak Bri'ish philosophy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAh8HryVaeY

Peak ... or peep comedy ...

(Peep Show, I would argue is some of the best recent comedy from us)

The American comic hero is the Stand-Up Philosopher, wittily demonstrating his superiority with every line. The British comic hero is trying his best and failing miserably in a way that is relatable to the audience.

Consequently, the only British comedy that is popular in the US is satire, like Monty Python and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

The US broadcast syndication market is really only set up to sell shows that have more than 100 episodes. I think UFO, Space:1999, and the 1955 Robin Hood were among the few shows seen on regular non-PBS stations. The Disney Show would sometimes run UK-filmed material. (Scarecrow, Thomasina) Partly it's because Americans can't understand the words when they hear many UK dialect accents, so they tune out those shows and that tanks the ratings. Even if you give a station a free tv show they lose money if no one watches it. We do better at remaking shows like All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Skins, and Being Human.

One of the reasons is the number of episodes in a typical UK sitcom series. Normally there are only 6 episodes which US broadcasters find difficult to schedule

I feel that everyone would benefit from a few runs of Yes (Prime) Minister.

Budgets maybe? British shows (especially from the 80s) are cheaply made and a bit grubby, especially in comparison to US shows with their comparatively enormous budgets, beautiful people etc.

Monty Python, A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster, League of Gentlemen, Royle Family, Phoenix Nights, Peep Show, Extras, Brass Eye, The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Bang Bang It’s Reeves and Mortimer, Shooting Stars, Spaced, Mighty Boosh, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, One Foot in the Grave, Ali G, Whose Line is it Anyway, HIGNFY, Idiot Abroad, Life’s Too Short, Fast Show, Black Books, Porridge…

We could do this forever, I’m sure there’s a load still missing!

>Alan Partridge

Let's not forget that the Alan Partridge character was borne on Chris Morris' absolutely genius radio show "On The Hour", and made it onto tv on Morris' televised successor "The Day Today".

Which reminds me of the actual high water mark of British comedy, which was Chris Morris' third and final series "Brass Eye". He rustled too many feathers with that one.

It's a damn shame that those shows have been wiped from YouTube. For my money, Chris Morris is the most unappreciated creator of the 90s/00s, limey or not.

Flebag, Toast, This Country, Detectorists, People Just Do Nothing, After Life.

Maybe four.

Yes Minister is timeless. I still watch it on YouTube occasionally

You can't forget Peep Show. One of the longest-running British comedies, with 54 episodes.

I was expecting it to be Keeping Up Appearances, which is, bizarrely, the BBC's best-selling export show, and which is particularly popular in parts of Eastern Europe (the show came out just as the iron curtain was falling, so that must have been, ah, a confusing intro to the West...)

I heard this was oddly popular in France and Germany. Only surprising because I wasn't sure the language inversion, self-deprecation and cliché would translate well.

There is something very similar to 80s Britain and Eastern Europe. It's why a lot of us who grew up (or had formative years in that decade) have a kinship with people from there.

Anyone still listen to Roddy Radalj and Boris Sujdovic there? ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZCuCg-UM-U )

The Tropical Heat was indeed so popular that the Canadian actor, Rob Stewart, that played the main character visited Serbia back in 2009, talked to people, was signing autographs, took pictures with fans, etc. Since then he follows the country and has recently supported the ongoing students protests against the autocratic regime.