Wow. That’s all I can say to yesterday’s response to the blog about awful and rightly forgotten comedy series of the decade so far, both here and on Facebook, I received tons of shows I genuinely had lost all memory of. And Meet Ricky Gervais which I just wished I could have forgotten.
But that’s all on the negativity front for now as much as I enjoyed compiling the list, I realised it did make me sound like a bit of a resentful sniping twat whose main writing claim to fame since 2000 was realising that “PDF file” and “paedophile” sounded a bit similar. So, to redress the balance, I figure we’re now pretty much done with the last ten years enough for me to present…
…The Twenty Greatest British Comedy Shows Of The Last Ten Years
Catchy as all hells, I’m sure you’ll agree. So, let’s get this comedic circle jerk all up ons and rush to the bit where you call me a “11 O Clock Show liking ninny” in the comments box at the end. Plus ca change.
20. Grass (BBC Three, 2003)
A programme so good that its parent channel actually managed to forget it existed, this reached only a mildly wider audience when BBC2 put it out in a Saturday late night slot. As far removed from what I could ever have imagined a Billy Bleach sitcom to be, Grass was a beautiful mix of genuine laughs and a really interesting storyline not even marred by co-writer Andrew Collins whining to anyone who listened that the execrable OFAH spinoff The Green Green Grass ripped them off.
19. Black Books (Channel 4, 2000-04)
Much less than the sum of its parts, sadly. The first Graham Linehan co-written series buzzed along very nicely with much of the same sort of whimsy and set pieces that made Father Ted so enjoyable. Sadly the second and third runs never quite managed to get the balance back, with scruffy book shop owner Bernard Black (a usually terrific Dylan Moran) veering between loveable anti-hero and genuinely unpleasant wanker, especially towards Bill Bailey’s Manny Bianco who also seemed to similarly be written completely differently depending on which week you tuned in. The great bits were genuinely some of the best comedy of the decade though and Channel 4 should be incredibly grateful for that.
18. Fifteen Storeys High (BBC Choice / Three, 2002-04)
A programme that would have scored a lot higher for me had every episode not made me feel a bit depressed thanks to the utterly bleak nature of both the cinematography and surroundings Vince and Errol would live in which was the key factor not included in the slightly more successful Radio 4 original. That said, there’s a lot of joyful surreal business that takes place among this backdrop and Sean Lock remains great value as the miserable central character. Deserved much better treatment by the BBC but then a good half of the shows on this list depressingly fall into exactly that same category. It IS good though…
17. Phoenix Nights (Channel 4, 2000-02)
Its official comedy by-law now that not believing series 2 of Phoenix Nights is absolutely dreadful point-missing scattershot whimsy with an unwelcome new element of horrific racism (ironically the sort parodied in the very first episode of the first series) can result in upwards of a two pound fine and genital electrocution. The first run does keep its charm though with a handful of believable, well-portrayed central characters and a keen eye on finding the ridiculous in the mundane. Having said that, it isn’t a patch on No.12 in this list.
16. Little Britain (BBC Three / Two / One, 2002-06)
The sort of show that everyone has an opinion on and isn’t going to be shifted by some Northern bloke with a rubbish beard tapping away on his unread blog. But full credit has to be given to a comedy show that can genuinely reach the sheer levels of popularity that Little Britain has, even if it’s usually the rarely repeated more esoteric silliness more akin to Lucas and Walliams previous series that makes it truly special to a certain pocket of comedy fans. I, am one of those idiots. I mean…fans. COMPUTER SAYS LOL.
15. The Armando Iannucci Shows (Channel 4, 2001)
Gentle in one way whilst being unspeakably brutal in others, this was never going to be the sort of programme that people talked about over the water-coolers the day after. Indeed, its torturous path to screen (initially piloted in front of a live studio audience with Tom Binns as co-host) was hampered in many ways by its run going out around the time of September 11th, 2001 which left many potential viewers disinterested in the sort of carefully crafted flights of fancy that the Shows eventually became. Thankfully out on DVD now for all to enjoy, free of terrorist attacks. Even for people who liked Time Trumpet.
14. Fun At The Funeral Parlour (BBC Choice, 2001-02)
A very silly programme written by someone barely into their twenties and featuring all their comedy mates for a channel hardly anyone has. Sounds a right laugh, I’m sure you’ll agree. But laugh I do and did and will continue to do at the beautifully shot (by director Christine Gernon fresh off the final run of One Foot In The Grave and later to bring her eye to Gavin and Stacey) adventures of the shambolic Thomas family, all undertakers. Containing a rare level of sheer enthusiasm for the fact they’re being allowed to make a programme at all, it’s hard not to be sucked in along with them. Find the DVD and make yourself grin like a twat, if not least at how bad actors Mitchell and Webb were back then…
13. Swiss Toni (BBC Three, 2003)
One of the big launch programmes for the fledgling digital channel that seemed to somehow fall by the wayside, thanks in part to not getting a proper terrestrial repeat. A damned shame as the second series in particular, in which Swiss battles with the downsizing of his car-trade business and separation from his wife is some of the most pleasurable telly BBC Three have ever had the dumb luck to broadcast. Plus, it’s available with the aforementioned Grass and the beautiful Ted and Ralph film in one incredibly cheap and incredibly necessary boxset. Which is a bit like making love to a beautiful woman. Or something.
12. That Peter Kay Thing (Channel 4, 2000)
In which six perfectly sketched characters are given life via parodying the increasingly popular docusoap style. Religious eccentric Leonard de Tomkinson or slightly too broad dog botherer Keith Lard are the characters most usually remember but there’s also embittered ice-cream man Mr Softytop, overnight sensation Marc Park, permanently bored acting student Matthew Kelly, Paul LeRoy of the 80’s only Chorley FM (at a time when such an idea wasn’t quite as believable), smug bingo caller Tom Dale and some bloke called Brian Potter who ran a club in the North of England. It works because you believe in the characters and can be gently swept along with the comedy – the exact opposite of the sledgehammer stereotyping in the awful Max and Paddy’s Road To Nowhere just four years later.
11. Gavin and Stacey (BBC Three / One, 2007-09)
I was convinced from the get go that this would be a load of old tut despite long being a fan of James Corden’s work in stuff (2002 telemovie Cruise Of The Gods in particular) but was won over in seconds when having ignored its premiere on BBC Three, I was flipping around in the ad break of something else the same night and fell on Smithy’s debacle of a pub quiz in which every answer seems to be “Gary Lineker” which remains one of the funniest pieces of television I’ve ever had the pleasure in viewing. And the rest of the run’s not bad either…
On Monday, we’ll tackle another top ten, three of which never made it past one series. There’s flat-share funnies, schoolroom sniggering, musical mirthmaking and computer chuckles ahoy! I don’t know about you but Im convinced!!!!!!!!
I’m so alone…
Filed under: Screen Wiped | 1 Comment
Tags: 2000s, best, Marc Wootten need not apply, TV comedy
The Armando Iannucci Shows were ‘da bomb’. Must get “Fun At The Funeral Parlour” too.