Television Recommend the best British comedy series and films of the last decade

[Melbourne Red]

I've basically fallen out of the habit of watching TV and films over the last few years, but making an active effort to watch more comedy now.

I've watched a lot of the good British comedy from 1970-2010 but was hoping someone could recommend some gems from the last decade. Had the pleasure of smashing through the first series of Fleabag last night, and it's the best show I've seen for a long time.

Any others of the quality of Fleabag and Peep Show would be great.

Over to you Caftards.

 

[Sweet Square]

limmy

 

[P-Ro]

The thick of it.

 

[KirkDuyt]

I liked How not to live your life. Critics hate it though, so I might have poor taste.

I always though you're the worst was British, but apparently it's not, it's just the main character that's british. Still loved it though.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Some of the more low key ones that I liked are Cuckoo, Phone Shop, Detectorists (very gentle kind of humour) Flowers (first series, not the second) and Toast of London. I like Upstart Crow too but I'm guessing many wouldn't.

People seem to like Him & Her but I didn't.

 

[steeeb]

How Not To Live Your Life
This Country
People Just Do Nothing

I prefer older comedies like Fawlty, Only Fools, Red Dwarf etc

 

[Tarrou]

The Detectorists is quality

 

[VeevaVee]

Flowers (first series, not the second)

What the hell happened with that second series? I watched a couple and it just didn't have the charm.

 

[VeevaVee]

This Country

Watched the lot of these in one sitting with a few mates. We were cracking up but all agreed it would be far too bleak to watch on your own.

 

[NinjaFletch]

The Detectorists is probably the 'best', but it feels exactly like you'd expect a comedy series that began life on BBC 4 to be.

This Country is a good shout. I watched about three episodes before I worked out the main boy wasn't Mackenzie Crook.

The caf probably hates both, but Friday Night Dinner and Plebs are a good laugh.

 

[luke511]

It's been a grim few years for british comedy compared to it's successful past. I see the likes of IT Crowd and The Inbetweeners as the last laugh out loud comedies from Britain. Even the last 2 seasons of Peep Show fell flat in that period since then and now. It's a strange belief but I reckon how everything is filmed in ultra HD has had a negative effect on the genre. Low budget comedy sets don't pass as well as they used to.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

What the hell happened with that second series? I watched a couple and it just didn't have the charm.

Think the writer disappeared up his own backside after the acclaim the first series got. Tried to crank up the mental illness and artistic interpretation up to 11. I think they lost a step by focusing less on Maurice and Deborah and more on the daughter. It just became pretentious and messy.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

We should mention Inside Number 9 too. Anthology series so hit and miss but some exceptional episodes.

It's been a grim few years for british comedy compared to it's successful past. I see the likes of IT Crowd and The Inbetweeners as the last laugh out loud comedies from Britain. Even the last 2 seasons of Peep Show fell flat in that period since then and now. It's a strange belief but I reckon how everything is filmed in ultra HD has had a negative effect on the genre. Low budget comedy sets don't pass as well as they used to.

I'm not sure it has declined. It's just with the way modern television is everything has become fragmented. There aren't large audiences focusing on one show.

Detectorists was on BBC4 and Cuckoo on the BBC3, which iplayer only so that shrinks the audience.

I think the first series of Flowers was absolutely brilliant but hardly anyone watched it.

Toast of London had a relatively small audience too initially but has seen a recent upsurge in popularity and audience due to Netflix buying it.

 

[Ian Reus]

Pickings have been slim if you're only going back a decade.

 

[711]

Derry girls.

 

[broccoli]

Sick Note was funny for me.

 

[VeevaVee]

Think the writer disappeared up his own backside after the acclaim the first series got. Tried to crank up the mental illness and artistic interpretation up to 11. I think they lost a step by focusing less on Maurice and Deborah and more on the daughter. It just became pretentious and messy.

That was the feeling I got. It was already probably a bit too weird for a lot of people, but that's what gave it the charm. Then it just went off the deep end and wasn't very enjoyable for anyone.

 

[luke511]

We should mention Inside Number 9 too. Anthology series so hit and miss but some exceptional episodes.



I'm not sure it has declined. It's just with the way modern television is everything has become fragmented. There aren't large audiences focusing on one show.

Detectorists was on BBC4 and Cuckoo on the BBC3, which iplayer only so that shrinks the audience.

I think the first series of Flowers was absolutely brilliant but hardly anyone watched it.

Toast of London had a relatively small audience too initially but has seen a recent upsurge in popularity and audience due to Netflix buying it.

This is partially true, but I think that point masks how bad of a job British comedy writers are doing at the moment, there has definitely been a decline. I've given all those series a go but I couldn't get a proper laugh out of them like I can with the likes of Peep Show. Dead Pixels on channel 4 was their latest attempt at making another comedy series, it was highly advertised and gained as many viewers as previous hit comedies pre 2010, and it was the biggest pile of shite.

 

[SoCross]

Black books
The Coupling
MUTv

 

[Fully Fledged]

Black books
The Coupling
MUTv

Black books wasn't in the last decade.

 

[Ducklegs]

The Detectorists is quality

This is a brilliant show.

 

[2 man midfield]

The thick of it
Psychoville
Toast of London

In that order

 

[SoCross]

Black books wasn't in the last decade.

Holy crap you’re right! I feel so old. 2005!

 

[Verminator]

You didn't say sitcom so,
Taskmaster
Would I Lie To You?
8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown

Car Share

 

[Fully Fledged]

Holy crap you’re right! I feel so old. 2005!

I know tell me about it. It's hard to believe it's been that long.

 

[a_devil_inside]

Fresh Meat
Plebs
Psychoville

 

[Riz]

The Detectorists is probably the 'best', but it feels exactly like you'd expect a comedy series that began life on BBC 4 to be.

This Country is a good shout. I watched about three episodes before I worked out the main boy wasn't Mackenzie Crook.

The caf probably hates both, but Friday Night Dinner and Plebs are a good laugh.

Loved Plebs but didn’t enjoy season 3 as much, I thought the replacement for Stylax was decent enough but still wasn’t as many laugh out loud moments.

Have really enjoyed This Country and Derry Girls recently, both excellent and hilarious.

 

[Melbourne Red]

Thanks for the recommendations lads. I've had a look at Detectorists and it seems as gentle as someone said, has a bit of a Royle Family vibe with its understated, character driven humour.

Plebs is right up my alley, I love that sort of shit.

Also will download Toast of London, and check out some of the others.

Tried to get into Upstart Crow but laugh-track comedies seem irredeemably passe these days.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Maybe not what you're looking for but I really like the film In time, which is a romantic comedy. Love how the father/son relationship is portrayed in it.

 

[Revaulx]

Just watched Friday Night Dinner for the first time; about four episodes in a row. My daughters are huge fans and were in stitches throughout, but I managed two or three chuckles at the most. It’s incredibly repetitive, and the characters are annoying and utterly unsympathetic. The Mark Heap character is ok, but that’s more down to Mark Heap playing himself rather than any credit to the writing.

Maybe I’m just too old...

 

[Gambit]

Inside number 9.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Anyone seen the new Matt Berry one The Year of the Rabbit? Had me laughing out loud many times. Great cast and some great lines.

 

[Snow]

Maybe not what you're looking for but I really like the film In time, which is a romantic comedy. Love how the father/son relationship is portrayed in it.

You're confusing the anti-vaxxer Justing Timberlake with Domhnall Gleeson

 

[Mockney]

Anyone seen the new Matt Berry one The Year of the Rabbit? Had me laughing out loud many times. Great cast and some great lines.

The constant creative swearing that wasn’t nearly creative enough got incredibly tedious for me. “KNOB WANK! SHIT MUFFIN! FANNY FILCH! WRITE SOME JOKES!”

I’ll watch a couple more ‘cos it’s alwasy harsh to judge a comedy on its first episode, and there’s some great people in it but.... eh.

 

[nimic]

No doubt.

 

[Heardy]

Sick Note was funny for me.

I gave up on this after about 4 episodes. Just found it a bit meh

 

[Heardy]

I enjoyed Fresh Meat and Bad Education - both with Jack Whitehall.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

The constant creative swearing that wasn’t nearly creative enough got incredibly tedious for me. “KNOB WANK! SHIT MUFFIN! FANNY FILCH! WRITE SOME JOKES!”

I’ll watch a couple more ‘cos it’s alwasy harsh to judge a comedy on its first episode, and there’s some great people in it but.... eh.

I think that aspect was a little over cooked and reading some reviews it seemed it turned a few people off. I think the series does get stronger as it goes on.

 

[golden_blunder]

Derry girls.

Yes

 

[squiggle]

Detectorists and Derry Girls. If you count Derry Girls as British. I feel like I'm taking a sectarian position.

Toast of London.

Friday Night Dinner's best episodes are fantastic but it's quite variable in quality. I loved the first series of Flowers; quite liked the second.



And keep an eye out for The Cockfields, the upcoming sitcome starring Joe Wilkinson and Diane Morgan, both of whom I could watch in anything.
https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2019/06/03/43203/new_sitcom_for_joe_wilkinson_and_diane_morgan

Diane Morgan is the star of, among other things, the 'Cunk on...' series while Joe Wilkinson is probably best known for his 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Coundown and other panel show appearances:

And if you like panel shows (and similar) as I do

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Would I Lie to You?
Mock the Week (though its news discussion is frustratingly centred around the USA and, more understandably, the UK rather than the world)
8 Out of 10 Cats
Taskmaster (Lou Sanders has been a a big find for me in the latest series. I knew her name but not much more. But she's like Joe Wilkinson crossed with an Energizer Bunny)
Insert Name Here

I'm really enjoying The Ranganation so far.

And does James Acaster's four (!) part standup special for Netflix count?