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Hi people,

As a Duch citizen I was raised with British comedies,
series and movies, next to American, German and French products.
Whole my life I was fond of Tommy Cooper, Yes Minister, Are You Being Served?, Monthy Python,
Smith & Jones, Black Adder and the Young Ones and Fawlty Towers.
Later I loved watching French & Saunders, Mr. Bean,
Bottom, Absolutely Fabulous and Smack the Pony.
I find British humor superior to the American sitcom,
because of the mix of realism and irony, and superb acting. I really hope that the British continue to produce new comedians and comedies.

Lately there are less nice comedies. I don't like the reality sitcoms. I still enjoy the British detective thaugh.

I will never forget watching Tommy Cooper have a heart attack live on national television. It was traumatizing.

All of the comedies you mention are great. I also love Father Ted and the Vicar of Dibley. Don't you like "The Office" Pieter? I think David Brent is one of the most hysterical (and saddest) characters ever created on television.

The British detective shows are great! I especially love Midsomer Murders, Touching Evil, Foyle's War, Poirot, Touch of Frost, Inspector Morse, Wire in the Blood, Waking in the Dead... wow there are so many good ones.

Sarah,

I heard of Tommy Cooper's live heart attack.
He died practissing his profession.
Is Father Ted and the Vicar of Dibley English, I thought it was Irish, or am I mistaken with another comdey about Catholic priests?. I do like "The Office", but unfortunately it is always so late that I can't watch it.
During the week it was broadcasted at 23.30 hours
on Duch tele. I watched a few times and it was very good. That doughy conceited manager, and that poor naieve thin pale boy and that blond office girl.
It is almost scarry how realistic it is. You can recognise people in your own office. And that's why it is so good.
The Duch love watching British detective shows.
Unlike in France and Germany it is without Voiceover,
so with the English language we get the atmosphere better. Inspector Morse I watched for years, because I did a summer course English in august 1989 overthere, I remenbered places I saw in Inspector Morse.
I watched other series to but forgot their name now.
One serie is with a guy who was also in a commedy,
he was the older one of the duo in that comedy.
He is very good as an inspector to. I like him in that comedy and in the detective. In the detective he has the right kind of irony, what an English inspector on the country always has in good detectives.

Sarah,

I heard of Tommy Cooper's live heart attack.
He died practissing his profession.
Is Father Ted and the Vicar of Dibley English, I thought it was Irish, or am I mistaken with another comdey about Catholic priests?. I do like "The Office", but unfortunately it is always so late that I can't watch it.
During the week it was broadcasted at 23.30 hours
on Duch tele. I watched a few times and it was very good. That doughy conceited manager, and that poor naieve thin pale boy and that blond office girl.
It is almost scarry how realistic it is. You can recognise people in your own office. And that's why it is so good.
The Duch love watching British detective shows.
Unlike in France and Germany it is without Voiceover,
so with the English language we get the atmosphere better. Inspector Morse I watched for years, because I did a summer course English in august 1989 overthere, I remenbered places I saw in Inspector Morse.
I watched other series to but forgot their name now.
One serie is with a guy who was also in a commedy,
he was the older one of the duo in that comedy.
He is very good as an inspector to. I like him in that comedy and in the detective. In the detective he has the right kind of irony, what an English inspector on the country always has in good detectives.

Yes - you are right - Father Ted is Irish - OOPS! Father Ted is on BBC America here. And what is even worse -- my husband now tells me that the actor who played Father Ted is now dead!! But he may be pulling my leg.

The Office: Haha. Yes - Gareth - thin pale boy - is an absolute disaster area. A genius actor. I also love Keith - the big guy - who just appears very infrequently for a few seconds a never smiles. He has maybe one line per episode.

John Thaw (Inspector Morse) is also dead. How sad. I am positive that the other actor you refer to is David Jason. His detective show is "A Touch of Frost". His comedy show was "Only Fools and Horses". He is one of the greats. You must watch Darling Buds of May - if you like Catherine Zeta Jones - it is show they did together before she hit the big time.

unfortunately he is dead - so no more "Father Ted".... <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Pieter - have you seen "Little Britain"? it's the funniest thing on British tv right now....

The Darling Buds of May was my favorite of all time, including Father Ted (which was often over the top daft, but funny in all its truisms). I still cringe when Hyacinth Bucket appears on the screen, but adore Prime Suspect.
What the police dramas do, whether they are serials or a one-off film, is to help do away with a lot of old-fashioned stereotypes of how life is in Europe. People in the US have no idea of what London or Dublin or Paris are really like. Without the cop shows, they're shark bait when they visit. My Irish-born husband steers me around because my compass on Dublin doesn't include drug-dealers or pick-pockets. Sad, in'nit? I'd be the same in London, Amsterdam, or anywhere in Europe. Maybe I'd be a little more cautious in the Far East, but naivete was always a problem for me. We all grew up with a reverse prejudice that Europe was "clean," that somehow there wasn't the inner city crime that plagues so many cities in the US.
It's juvenile to base one's belief system about an area on what the BBC or Hollywood feeds us, but often it's the only exposure a person has to another area. I think Australia is undergoing a bit of an identity crisis right now thanks to the croc eejit. How many people outside of Oz think there are crocs on the main street of Sydney? (What's more; are there?<G>)

Best wishes,
Mary Ellen

raytan,
You're a poet and you don't know it.

The "Father Ted" show was a Channel 4 (English company) show, but written by an Irish team and starred Irish actors. I love it <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ..

Regards
David