The Best British TV Comedies
by Benjamin_Baber | created - 11 Apr 2016 | updated - 11 Apr 2016 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Spaced (1999–2001)
TV-14 | 25 min | Comedy
Friends Tim and Daisy, 20-something North Londoners with uncertain futures, must pretend to be a couple to live in the only apartment they can afford.
Stars: Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes, Julia Deakin, Nick Frost
Votes: 57,615
2. Green Wing (2004–2007)
TV-14 | 65 min | Comedy, Drama
Funky hospital-based sketch-comedy-drama type show.
Stars: Sally Bretton, Oliver Chris, Olivia Colman, Michelle Gomez
Votes: 12,765
3. Black Books (2000–2004)
TV-PG | 25 min | Comedy
Bernard Black runs a book shop, though his customer service skills leave something to be desired. He hires Manny as an employee. Fran runs the shop next door. Between the three of them many adventures ensue.
Stars: Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, Tamsin Greig, Paul Beech
Votes: 61,883
4. The Mighty Boosh (2003–2007)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Musical
Surreal British comedy in which Vince Noir and Howard Moon have adventures filled with oddball characters while working as Zoo Keepers, before pursuing a musical career and running a second-hand shop.
Stars: Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Michael Fielding, Rich Fulcher
Votes: 24,013
5. The Thick of It (2005–2012)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy
The Minister for Social Affairs is continually harassed by Number 10's policy enforcer and dependent on his not-so-reliable team of civil servants.
Stars: Chris Addison, James Smith, Peter Capaldi, Joanna Scanlan
Votes: 26,083
6. The Young Ones (1982–1984)
TV-14 | 35 min | Comedy
The crazy and sometimes surreal comedic adventures of four very different students in Thatcher's Britain.
Stars: Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan
Votes: 16,433
7. Red Dwarf (1988– )
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
The adventures of the last human alive and his friends, stranded three million years into deep space on the mining ship Red Dwarf.
Stars: Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules, Robert Llewellyn
Votes: 37,254
8. Bottom (1991–1995)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy
Two perpetually bored and broke flatmates waste their days in a futile struggle to get laid, earn cash, and not kill one another.
Stars: Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Steven O'Donnell, Christopher Ryan
Votes: 14,150
9. Blackadder (1982–1983)
TV-PG | 195 min | Comedy
In the Middle Ages, Prince Edmund the Black Adder constantly schemes and endeavors to seize the crown from his father and brother.
Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Brian Blessed, Elspet Gray, Tim McInnerny
Votes: 41,040
10. The League of Gentlemen (1999–2017)
TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy, Horror
An interweaving narrative chronicling the antics of such diverse characters as: a transgender taxi driver, a family obsessed with hygiene and toads, a fiery reverend, a carnival owner who kidnaps women into marriage, and a xenophobic couple who run a local shop for local people.
Stars: Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, Jeremy Dyson
Votes: 12,201
11. Father Ted (1995–1998)
TV-14 | 25 min | Comedy
Three misfit priests and their housekeeper live on Craggy Island, not the peaceful and quiet part of Ireland that it seems to be.
Stars: Dermot Morgan, Ardal O'Hanlon, Frank Kelly, Pauline McLynn
Votes: 43,732
12. The IT Crowd (2006–2013)
TV-14 | 25 min | Comedy
The comedic misadventures of Roy, Moss and their grifting supervisor Jen, a rag-tag team of IT support workers at a large corporation headed by a hotheaded yuppie.
Stars: Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, Matt Berry
Votes: 164,200
13. Teachers (2001–2004)
TV-MA | 50 min | Comedy, Drama
Comedy drama that follows the exploits of school staff both inside and out of the classroom.
Stars: Ursula Holden Gill, Lloyd McGuire, Gillian Bevan, Ellen Thomas
Votes: 3,884
14. Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
The original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe.
Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle
Votes: 78,716
15. Fresh Meat (2011–2016)
TV-MA | 50 min | Comedy, Drama
A comedy that follows a group of six students about to embark on the most exciting period of their lives so far, university.
Stars: Zawe Ashton, Greg McHugh, Kimberley Nixon, Charlotte Ritchie
Votes: 19,478
16. Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy (2012–2014)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
The adventures of Noel and his friends Smooth, Andy Warhol, and Dolly.
Stars: Noel Fielding, Michael Fielding, Dolly Wells, Tom Meeten
Votes: 2,580
17. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981)
TV-PG | 152 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Arthur Dent and his friend, Ford Prefect, escape the destruction of Earth, only to face incredible trials, tribulations and adventures in space and time.
Stars: Simon Jones, David Dixon, Peter Jones, Sandra Dickinson
Votes: 11,703
18. Shooting Stars (1993–2011)
30 min | Comedy, Game-Show
Comedy panel game show hosted by anarchic surrealist comic duo Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.
Stars: Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Ulrika Jonsson, Matt Lucas
Votes: 2,830
19. Never Mind the Buzzcocks (1996–2023)
30 min | Comedy, Game-Show, Music
Music-based comedy quiz show.
Stars: Phill Jupitus, Mark Lamarr, Noel Fielding, Bill Bailey
Votes: 6,055
20. French and Saunders (1987–2017)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders satirically present aspects of British life, films such as Batman Forever and Pulp Fiction.
Stars: Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Simon Brint, Rowland Rivron
Votes: 3,743
21. Smack the Pony (1999–2017)
TV-14 | 24 min | Comedy
Three female comics perform sketches dealing with a wide variety of topics, from irritating flatmates to workplace issues to people who pretend to be ill to get free things or special treatment.
Stars: Fiona Allen, Doon Mackichan, Sally Phillips, Sarah Alexander
Votes: 2,255
22. Jam (2000)
24 min | Comedy
A surreal, ambient mix of bleak comedy sketches.
Stars: Christopher Morris, Amelia Bullmore, David Cann, Julia Davis
Votes: 2,656
23. British Men Behaving Badly (1992–2014)
TV-14 | 45 min | Comedy
Two early thirties best friends live together while having completely different personalities. While their girlfriends try to help them take on more responsibilities the boys seldom respond well and usually end up drinking together.
Stars: Martin Clunes, Caroline Quentin, Leslie Ash, Neil Morrissey
Votes: 8,650
24. Outnumbered (2007–2016)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Drama
A part-improvised comedy about a couple bringing up their three young children.
Stars: Hugh Dennis, Claire Skinner, Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche
Votes: 12,156
25. Coupling (2000–2004)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Romance
Six best friends talk about all aspects of sex and relationships on their never-ending quest to find true love.
Stars: Jack Davenport, Gina Bellman, Sarah Alexander, Kate Isitt
Votes: 47,663
26. Fawlty Towers (1975–1979)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Hotel owner Basil Fawlty's incompetence, short fuse, and arrogance form a combination that ensures accidents and trouble are never far away.
Stars: John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth
Votes: 100,040
27. I'm Alan Partridge (1997–2002)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy
A failed television presenter, now presenting a programme on local desperately tries to revive his broadcasting career.
Stars: Steve Coogan, Simon Greenall, Felicity Montagu, Phil Cornwell
Votes: 21,952
28. Black Mirror (2011– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Featuring stand-alone dramas -- sharp, suspenseful, satirical tales that explore techno-paranoia -- "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" with stories that tap into the collective unease about the modern world.
Stars: Wunmi Mosaku, Monica Dolan, Daniel Lapaine, Hannah John-Kamen
Votes: 638,962
29. Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe (2013–2015)
30 min | Comedy, Talk-Show
Charlie Brooker highlights the week's news in a comic fashion.
Stars: Charlie Brooker, Diane Morgan, Al Campbell, Doug Stanhope
Votes: 1,583
30. Screenwipe (2006–2020)
TV-MA | 30 min | Documentary, Comedy
Satirical TV show critique.
Stars: Charlie Brooker, Al Campbell, David Firth, Diane Morgan
Votes: 2,501
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