Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with TV and british

Region Free At Last, Thank the Beeb I'm Free At Last!

robocop is bleeding — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:04:49 -0800

Now that we have a region free DVD player, what British shows should we look in to ordering? My wife and I are huge fans of British comedies like Black Books, The IT Crowd, and Peep Show. We've been frustrated that many series are not available in the US (anything beyond the first series of Peep Show or That Mitchell and Webb Look, for example) and so broke down and bought a DVD player (a Philips DVP3980) that I unlocked to be region free.

So after we gorge ourselves on Mitchell and Webb, what else should we look for that's not available in the states?

We're not limited to comedies, either. My wife likes shows like Skins and I'm a huge murder mystery nut (Midsomer Murders, Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost, etc).

While we're mainly interested in stuff we can't get over here, we'd like to take advantage of the seemingly cheaper DVD prices. For example, a 10 episode set of Midsomer Murders comes to something like 60 dollars, shipped, from amazon.uk while a 4 episode set costs 40 bucks here in the states. The less said about the amount I paid for my complete Morse vs the amount being charged on amazon.uk, the better. So any suggestions as to where we can get more for our money are welcome too.

What's the name of this British tv show?

jmmpangaea — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:39:26 -0800

Help, I can't remember the name of this reality tv show. A British Asian doctor (lady) berates an unhealthy person about their lifestyle. The doctor shows the unhealthy person what's happening inside their body and what will happen if they continue their bad habits. Usually the unhealthy person will be a smoker and drinks a lot.

Identifying a British TV series

Riki tiki — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:37:41 -0800

Trying to identify a British television program about a doctor that used to be broadcast on PBS. Here's the information I've been given from fuzzy recollections:

It was British, possibly syndicated from the BBC.
It aired Sunday nights on PBS during the '90s or early '00s.
It was a comedy/drama.
It was about a doctor and his wife.
One of the storylines involved the wife cheating with the doctor's intern.

Anyone have any idea what that might be? Thanks in advance.

Tell me the name of this British TV comedy

lometogo — Sat, 09 May 2009 06:44:18 -0800

Please tell me the name of this recent British TV comedy series featuring two guys and usually started with their walking down a long white hall and then opening a door and entering into a scene

How accurate is the protrayal of British youth in the TV series Skins?

procrastinator — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:50:10 -0800

How accurate is the protrayal of British youth in the TV series Skins? I love watching Skins, but at times it seems too exaggerated in the sense that every effing family is dysfunctional to the extreme, every adult person looks clueless about the world of their children or in the case of the teachers, their students. Not to mention the seemingly out of control drug and sex abuse. I am aware of the problems of the modern world, but i guess as a result of coming from a 3rd world country (Turkey), i find the portrayal in Skins a bit hard to believe, especially when they are just are 15-year-olds.

Just how accurate is it, and what is the situation in other countries?

I Like A Bit Of Comedy, Me

Secret Life of Gravy — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:37:49 -0800

Can you help us with our British TV Comedy addiction? My husband and I have stopped watching American TV completely, instead we have become totally addicted to British comedies. We have about 40 minutes or so a day to watch TV but we are running out of comedies available on Netflix. We are crazy about The Office, The Royle Family, Spaced, Smoking Room, and Peep Show,. Other, lesser favorites, are Green Wings, Yes, Minister, , AbFab, Clatterford, and Ballykissangel. In our queue we have Black Books, Saxondale, Shameless, Doc Martin, and The Mighty Boosh. We hated Chef in large part because of the laughtrack. We also don't like Mr. Bean, Blackadder, Vicar of Dibley, Keeping Up Appearances, and a Bit of Fry and Laurie.

High on our wish list is the 3rd season of The Royle Family, Smoking Room (BBCAmerica only ran a few episodes) Phoenix Nights, and dinnerladies. The last two comedies we have heard great things about but this point, it looks like we will have to invest in a multi-regional player and buy the DVDs if we ever want to see them. Is it worth the investment do you think? Any idea if there will be a release of season 3 of The Royle Family? Are there any series that we are missing? Any suggestions or ideas are welcome, bearing in mind that, yes, we do watch other things such as American shows and non-fiction shows, but I'm really only asking about British comedies.

Please help a North American find a great new British mystery on DVD.

Toto_tot — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:49:23 -0800

What is the latest and greatest murder mystery series or procedural series on British TV that I can get on DVD for my Canadian husband? He's loved Cracker and Prime Suspect and Waking the Dead...
He's a big fan of the Wallander novels. So, that's where he's coming from.

Is it possible to find a set online of something awesome he's never heard of? Doesn't have to be British, I guess - as long as it has english sub-titles.

Smart Britcoms?

kristi — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:45:26 -0800

Please recommend smart British comedies on DVD. I liked As Time Goes By and am enjoying Cold Feet - what else should I look for? Other shows I've enjoyed: Good Neighbors (a/k/a The Good Life), Jeeves and Wooster (I love Stephen Fry), Kiss Me Kate, Solo (yes, I like Felicity Kendal, too). Coupling was pretty good - 7 out of 10? A Bit of Fry and Laurie is funny but I'm looking for story and characters rather than sketch. Cold Feet is enjoyable but is a little close to dramedy for me. If Tom Stoppard wrote for TV, that would be right up my alley.

Looking for things that are readily available in the US on DVD (or are likely to be within the next year).

Ta!

TV blogs?

mooza — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:16:55 -0800

Needing recommendations for TV blogs, including British TV I've been liking Televisionary a lot. I like the script reviews and previews and ep recaps. Are there any other blogs like this the Hive can recommend?

In particular, I want to track down some British TV blogs. Televisionary will often talk about Brit TV, but I want to know more, and sooner!

British mystery TV shows/movies?

gentle — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:26:51 -0800

Great British mystery television shows/movies? My girlfriend and I are both rabid fans of good, old-fashioned British whodunnits. Nothing like a rainy Sunday curled up in the sofa to watch an insufferable amateur detective line up a bunch of eccentric upper-class Brits by the fireplace to expose their innermost red herrings: Poirot, Miss Marple, Jonathan Creek, Cadfael, Inspector Alleyn, Sherlock Holmes, Gosford Park -- we have pretty much watched them all, including numerous Agatha Christie movie adaptations. What else is out there? Must be British, or feature mainly Brits; extra points for smoking jackets, quaint little villages in Dorset, vintage automobiles and funny little Frenchmen. (We don't like modern police procedurals that much, though; Inspector Morse is all right, but not quite our cup of tea.)

Wanted: information about this show.

phaded — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 13:17:30 -0800

I'm trying to find out the name of a British comedy show I saw on PBS once, but I only have a few details about it. About a year ago, while visiting my grandparents in Indiana, my dad and I caught a couple episodes of a British comedy on their local PBS station. We never learned the title of the show, and have been looking for it ever since. As such, I am turning to the hive mind for help.

Here's what I do remember: the show centered around a family consisting of a husband, his wife, and their (I think, anyway) three children--two sons and a daughter. One son's name was Nick, and he wasn't too bright. I remember an exchange between Nick and his father where Nick, upon telling his father that he was going to sell something on eBay, was called an "eDiot".

I can't remember very much else about it, and I know it isn't very much to go on, but I'm hoping someone out there has seen this show and knows what I'm talking about. Please?

Writing for TV? Am I crazy?

Orange Goblin — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 04:37:01 -0800

How can I get into writing for (British) television? I'm currently studying Maths at university, but I'm coming fairly close to thinking "hey, I don't want to actually earn any money, I want to write for TV!" I've been making short films for 4-5 years now, entered a few competitions and even managed to win one, so although my degree might not be relevant, I do have some experience. Would the fact I'm not doing some sort of writing degree be a disadvantage, or would the maths help me stand out from the media studies crowd? Or does it not matter at all?

I've read this previous thread as well as Jane Espenson's blog, but this (along with most of the other advice I have found) is fairly US-centric, and I was wondering if anyone could give a more British perspective.

What are those red and green things pinned to the lapels of people on the BBC?

ar0n — Sat, 06 Nov 2004 05:39:59 -0800

What are those red and green things pinned to the lapels of nearly everybody on the BBC these days?

US Region DVDs of classic BBC Dramas.

grumblebee — Sat, 08 May 2004 08:48:01 -0800

I'm a huge fan of the epic British TV-dramas from the 70s & 80s -- the type shown here in America on "Masterpiece Theatre." Though some of the most famous ones ("Upstairs, Downstairs", "I, Claudius") have been out on DVD for a long time, I've noticed that recently some of the more obscure ones are coming out ("The Charmer," "To Serve Them All My Days"). I usually get my DVD news from dvdjournal.com, but that site doesn't list British series. Does anyone know of a site that tracks them? I am specifically interested in versions for the US, since I don't have a region-free DVD player yet.