The Search for Unpasteurized TV
The Best of Vintage Britcoms

RAW, PLEASE | With just a week remaining before Christmas, master procrastinators out there—like me—still have quite a bit of shopping to do. A recent suggestion of the DVD box set of ‘Chef!,’ a mid-90s BBC show, reminded me of all the superb Britcoms that my friends and family (and readers) would wholly appreciate.

Lenny Henry’s sharp tongue and slicing delivery as Chef Gareth Blackstock in the fourth episode of ‘Chef!’ in the clip above is the ripe TV that I’ve come to love from shows imported from across the pond. You don’t get dialog like this from the zip-locked, refrigerated American shows:

In this world you can get anything from crack to the eggs of a dotted warbler, from a good nipple tonguing to a human kidney. Believe me, someone somewhere does real nasty bareback, no safety net, unpasteurized Stilton, and I want it!

And when the Colonies do get imports, the shows may be pasteurized and pussified before the populace may consume them. ‘The Young Ones,’ a mid-80s comedy about four Scumbag College students, was edited before it aired on MTV (back in the Martha Quinn days). Thankfully, you can now get it on DVD (and all the other shows mentioned here, for that matter) and enjoy all of the juicy bits as they were meant to be served. You’ll get a taste of the show’s quirky humor in the clip below, and be on the lookout for Emma Thompson as Miss Money-Sterling and Hugh Laurie as Lord Monty. (Jennifer Saunders also appeared in a few episodes, but that’s the only tip to ‘Absolutely Fabulous‘ I’ll make here; I trust that for our discerning readers I needn’t mention ‘Ab Fab’ in a discussion of great BBC TV.)

Newer on the scene is Catherine Tate, whose sketch comedy show is a riot, albeit a bit repetitive. The range of characters she portrays—from the vulgar to the posh—is impressive, and I’ve included below videos of her well-known Lauren character as well as the over-protective, sheltering mother (with attendant pinch-faced, whiny children).

My favorite, however, is ‘Keeping Up Appearances,’ in which the distinguished Patricia Routledge plays Hyacinth Bucket (who insists it’s pronounced Bouquet), who’s known for her ridiculous bragging about her “pearl-white slim-line push-button telephone with automatic last-number redial” and exclusive candle light suppers. In a display of unbridled snobbery, Hyacinth’s attempts at passing herself off as the pinnacle of propriety and high society are curdled. And yet, never has there been a dish so divine for viewers.

Have any suggestions for great Britcoms? Let us know in the comments!

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