I was inspired to write this from a BLD post about a few Brit shows on another thread. I must admit to a love British drama and comedy. No one does it quite like the Brits. Despite Australia being flooded with American humour it just does not have the same flavour or wit for me. There were some excellant ones like Seinfeld but the good ones were few and far between. The difference in the American version and english version of the office to me showcased the difference. I could never get into the American version.
I loved Only fools and horses with some wonderful comedic actors was great and I loved last of the summer wine. The Vicar of Dibley with Dawn french and Absolutely fabulous. The comic genious of french and saunders showing that Brit women could do wonderful comedy as well. And of course there was Monty Python introducing a totally different kind of comedy from the slapstick and one liners.
Even British drama was a much better alternative to American drama if you liked more realism. They had stars that looked like the average person rather than someone that had just stepped out of vogue magazine. The early episodes of the bill were really good until wokeism started creeping into it. Frost was another good one. David Jason is a fine actor and could do it all. I doubt he would've reached those heights in American television. All creatures great and small was another great series. Lark rise to Candleford was fantastic. I think another was the darling buds of may where Catherine zeta jones got her start. The Brits were so good at showcasing the ordinary lives of people and making them into a must watch series where you could really get into the lives of these people without the script writers turning it into a peyton place. There are many more that were excellent viewing Im sure many posters had their favourites.
I couldnt go without a small mention about Australian humour as a side note. If you haven't seen much of it, look at the Adventures of Russell Coight and Kath and Kim as two starters..