Glad yer liking our telly Josh - I've just been reading discussion at The Guardian site bemoaning its current standing in relation to the top American stuff (West Wing, Sopranos, etc). The Prisoner's crackingly weird, and if you like that you'll probably like the Avengers too. If you like Coupling look out for the much sicker Peep Show. And, if people get into the Prisoner they can come and see the village - it's not a set, it's a village in the far north west of Wales caller Portmeirion, built by eccentric architect/gardener Clough Ellis (I think that's right) and now more famous for its high quality porcelain. I think you can even stay there, sadly, the menancing inflatables are long gone.

Ah, an article/thread about British TV - where's Zedd?!

I finally got cable a few months ago and am wondering how I ever managed over here without BBC America.

Coupling may possibly be the funniest thing to have hit British TV since Fawlty Towers.

They don't just have excellent drama and sitcoms, of course - there's also the boyishly subversive Graham Norton, whose chat show is a breath of fresh air.

Now I just need to talk BBC America into getting the overseas rights to Match of the Day, and I'm set.

The only thing is Doc ... he's missed out all the REALLY good shows. Many of the comedies and sit-coms are good, but some are duds too and set up against the lowest common denominator and are only really suitable as English fare.

But the poms do some of the best historical dramas of anywhere ... try Hornblower, Sharpe, etc, about the Napoleonic wars, one set at sea, the other on land (Sharpe, mostly in the Peninsula War). Sean Bean's Sharpe has been described as an English Clint Eastwood character, which is spot on. The thinking man's Clint Eastwood, though.

There are a couple of other beauties around on Aussie pay TV at the moment from the UK, which has a dedicated British TV channel called UKTV ... one of my favourites is Foyle's War, about a British detective set during WWII. It's brilliantly scripted, brilliantly set in its time and very nicely acted.

What a corker.

Then there are shows like Minder (could Americans understand the cockney slang, though??), which although old, still, like The Prisoner, stand the test of time.

If Josh likes McGoohan in The Prisoner, he'd love stuff like Minder for its quirkiness.

My all-time favourite: Callan, the murderous MI5 cold-war asassin from the 1970s - but with a conscience (kind of). Old, but great, although it IS an acquired taste.

Yeah, well, being American he probably doesn't know about a lot of them.

There is quite a lot of good British stuff on offer over here, though, if you know where to get it or have a decent cable package. You can even get Father Ted on DVD.

Speaking of which, do you remember Graham Norton on that show as the hyperactive Father Furlong?

Yes, I do - hilarious, even if totally ridiculous, as was the whole show (I think a first-hand understanding of Irish catholicism helps, though) ... and my favourite episode - when they go to the coast (the "seaside") for a caravan holiday.

They got it right, right down to the woman who cares for the priests - who are always extremely religious and pious, and in some cases far more moralistic than the priests themselves.

i've actually been wondering when we'd start seeing more british tv shows on our networks (i mean, if the uk can import shows on their broadcast stations, why can't we? oh wait...no, we have to make a special american version if we do that!)

anyway, last summer bbc america was airing a 'new' robin hood that i thought was great! it was cheesy, but witty. it's not a perfect period series(their clothes and language verge on being modern), but you find yourself cheering on robin and maid marion has a few little tricks and secrets up her sleeves, too!

Loved the Prisoner and it's antecedent Secret Agent. I was but a very young kid when they were on, but Patrick McGoohan was a genius (and actually Canadian, if I recall correctly).

Aside the from the obvious (for me) additions of BlackAdder and Jeeves and Wooster (not to mention A Bit of Fry and Laurie) there is the quintessential groovy spy series The Avengers!)

Robin Hood went down well here too GR, with its rather cheeky take on the great outlaw as a hoody wearing scamp! It's part of a resurgence of "Saturday teatime telly" with Doctor Who leading the way and producing genuinely family suitable viewing, usually with some attempt to work on a kiddies' level and a mum and dad level.

Father Ted is one of the greatest tv comedies ever, I still mourn the passing of Dermot Morgan, who played the Craggy Island priest.

Then there's the other goodie going around at the moment - Judge John Deed. It's great stuff: working-class boy makes good by becoming a High Court judge, is full of compassion, doesn't mind giving the jury a bit of direction, has women problems, and fights the old-school tie network.

Turns the law - potentially the most boring thing on television - into high drama. Love it.

I've heard of that, but I don't think it's made it Stateside yet. Who plays the judge?

Your description of it reminds me of a great show from the 90s called 'The Chief', starring Tim Pigott-Smith (later replaced by Martin Shaw) as a maverick Chief Constable battling corruption and scheming in Westminster and within his own force. Very smart TV.

I can't believe you haven't mentioned "Are you being served?"?????????????????????

Of course... we all know Americans love that show. Crude but hilarious!

Funnily enough, my ex-wife's aunt was an actress, and it's her voice you hear over the opening credits as the elevator operator announcing the floors. She also appeared in a couple of early episodes as Mr Rumbold's secretary.

NO WAY DOC!!! Wow! She must have been a genuine "dolly bird" (in the parlance of the times) then... Mr Rumbold's secretaries were busty and low of top if I remember rightly. I can't believe that's translated to America, wow, I thought that kind of campery was a British peculiarity.

The Judge is played by....

Wait for it...

Martin Shaw.

I haven't watched it but it's not been well received by the broadsheet critics (apart from female critics that is) who mock it's lack of reality.

From: ARE YOU BEING SERVED?"
Mrs. Slocombe is concerned that she'll be stuck in a meeting all evening and calls a neighbor to ask if he'll feed her cat.

"Hello, Mr. Ackbar, this is Mrs. Slocombe. Could you do me a great favor?
Go to my front door, bend over and look through the mail opening, and if you can see my pussy, could you push a sardine through the slot?

Hello?
Hello?"

Its rather than it's... D'oh... You wouldn't believe I used to be a journalist would you

The operative phrase apparently, Colin, is "used to be"...

;-)

Slapstick humour of the Are You Being Served variety does travel well owing to its complete and utter lack of subtlety. Allo Allo would be another example of that style of comedy that has translated extremely well around the world.

Keeping Up Appearances is also very well received over here - where it re-runs more or less continuously on PBS on Saturday nights. It's somewhat more subtle and mannered than AYBS, but has the same basic spirit.

Cripes! And I thought Americans all watched Monty Python, Fawlty Towers and our docs, thus considering us a race of super-brained uberwits! Whereas in fact they know the sad truth - that we're toilet-brained fuckwits! Damn...

Spell checkers, grammar checkers... Without them we are nowt! ;o)

Sorry to tell you this Doc but KKevin still ain't doing it, the Gooners did you 3-0 in the cup... bugger! I was inspired to place a very small wager on the 'pies. Hey ho.

Why aye, Colin, I was following the live text commentary on the BBC. Can't say I'm surprised. However, I gather from the post-match report - the live commentary was understandably fixated on events at Anfield - that the final score somewhat flattered Arsenal, and that the Toon showed some flashes of what may be to come from King Kev and his boys.

Match of the Day confirmed your view Doc - and Allan Smith made it through a game without maiming anyone or launching a foul tirade at an official, well done Al! The King meets the Leader in Exile (known to some as Big 'Elbows' Al) tomorrow (Monday) to discuss his role at the club: "I'm not a number two," says Al apparently, so presumable he'll come in as some sort of consultant/strikers coach.