Best Of British: Part 5 (Modern)
Up until now in the Best of British series, I have spoken exclusively about British comedy shows I associate with my childhood. I’d now like to introduce some of the shows which came along a little later.
Although I contend that British TV has fallen somewhat from the comedic heights of my childhood, there have most definitely been some real gems produced in recent years. Here are some of them…
The Vicar of Dibley
“The Vicar of Dibley” came onto our TV screens at a particularly turbulent time for the Church of England. Two years prior to the first season, the Church of England had begun ordaining women and this was causing significant issues within the Anglican communion. In true British style, Richard Curtis sought out the comedy in this tense situation and crafted a sit-com about the life of one of these early female vicars in the sleepy village of Dibley. The lead character, Geraldine, was played by the well-known comediane, Dawn French. Although I would suggest that the final seasons were rather sub-par, on the whole, this was a lovely, gentle-natured comedy which took a light-hearted look at parish life from both sides of the pulpit.
My Family
I never felt that “My Family” really received the recognition that it deserved. As the title suggests, it’s about a family, the Harper Family. The Dad, Ben, is wonderfully grumpy and feels constantly harangued by his wife and harassed by his children, especially his idiotic son, Nick:
The show lost a lot when Nick’s character left, but I still think those earlier seasons were superb.
Outnumbered
There is a saying in Show Business that one should never work with children or animals. The show “Outnumbered” breaks both of these rules since it stars three children who, at times, act like real animals. There is no great story line to the show, it’s simply about the lives of two parents and their three “spirited” children. The kids in this show are a-maz-ing, especially Ramona Marquez who plays little Karen.
Rather than “scripting” the children, the writers of the show give the children broad instructions and then simply turn on the cameras. The result is truly wonderful and if you pay close attention to the grown-ups in the show you can quite often see that they’re having to work very hard to suppress their laughter.
In the clip below the kids are at a wedding, under the patient care of the local vicar…