I've been missing a few of my favourite comedy series from way back when, and since it's now been eight years since 2010, I think it's an appropriate enough time to feel nostalgic about things that happened in the early to mid 2000s, when I was still but a child. So let me take you through a list of my favourite (British, inebitably) comedies from the two decades of my childhood and adolescence.
1. Black Books (2000 - 2004)
You can't get much better than this. The combination of three brilliant comic actors (Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, and Tamsin Greig), and the setting/premise of a book shop run by a cantankerous, prolific wine drinker with consistently messy hair and extreme misanthropy is a complete delight. There are so many good lines in this, but it's the outlandish scenarios that showcase how great this show is, such as the very first episode which has a character swallowing The Little Book of Calm and becoming possessed by its wisdom.
2. Goodness Gracious Me (1998 - 2001)
This show was brilliant and had some really good writing & sketches, doing particularly well with all sorts of domestic scenarios and incorporating a lot of very funny stuff dealing with race and making observations of British-Indian culture. Here's a good clip playing with reversal of ethnic stereotyping in TV.
3. The Day Today (1994)
There have been quite a few shows that lampoon news broadcasts, but nothing else on this level. The Day Today takes an almost absurdist approach to satire, mimicking the punchy excess of TV news graphics and reporting styles, as well as drawing on public concerns to create a beautifully warped and hyperbolic version of '90s news bulletins that feels more and more relevant every day in the current news climate. One of my favourite moments has to be the "paedophile disguised as a school" line. It has me in tears.
4. Peep Show (2003 - 2015)
Peep Show caught the attention of many due to its unusual POV filming style, but what really made it special was its perfect portrayal of the endless misfortunes and terrible actions of its protagonists. This show was a sort of comfort blanket for me as a teenager - a vessel through which I could relate my own awkwardness to the world somehow through the painful experiences of Mark and Jeremy. Peep Show has a special place in my heart because I grew up in a big way alongside it, and watching it back now is a completely different experience that I enjoy on a different level. There is something bizarrely therapeutic and simultaneously painfully cringeworthy about watching it, and I love it dearly.
5. Still Game (2002 - 2007)
Still Game is a series that has such intensely well written dialogue that I can sit down to watch it and end up doubled over in hysterics. The characterisation is very well done, and that's often something that's lacking in comedy, so it's really nice to see and lends itself to some genuinely touching moments as well.
♡♡♡
Honourable mentions:
The Mighty Boosh - some of the best in '00s comedy with its fantastical element grounded in just enough reality to be relatable, also great fun for music fans
Bottom - pathetic men hit each other with frying pans a lot
Never Mind The Buzzcocks - still one of my favourite panel shows
Smack the Pony - fantastic female-led sketch show that did some really interesting & weird things
Is It Legal? - a lesser known but fantastic sitcom set in a solicitor's office and featuring the wonderful Imelda Staunton and Jeremy Clyde
Spaced - a very student-y take on '90s culture that has some really smart referencing and a great sense of playfulness
Red Dwarf - everybody's dead, Dave
The Thick of It - a fly on the wall look at the shadow cabinet as they flounder about in the most incredible, ridiculous, and far too real ways - also, Peter Capaldi is amazing
Sean's Show - this show had a running joke about Robert Smith from The Cure bean Sean's mum - I don't think I need to say any more than that
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