Top 100 UK Televison Series

[JaseSF]

I'm a huge fan of TV from the United Kingdom from practically all genres. So it seems only fitting to do another Top 100 dedicated to these shows. And to start it all off. What else?

1) Doctor Who (1963-1989): This classic series featuring the adventures of a mysterious time traveler, quite eccentric and seemingly drawn to humanity, along with his companions, was a great, fascinating Sci-Fi show to watch. Originally focused on real history, things soon started to get more fun with the inclusion of bizarre aliens, futuristic settings and fantastic universe and time sprawling adventure. Doctor Who, a true sci-fi hero.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EalUOhd23dA

List so far....

1) Doctor Who (1963-1989)
2) I'm Alan Patridge (1997, 2002)
3) The Avengers (1961-1969)
4) Mr. Bean (1990-1995)
5) Absolutely Fabulous (1992-2004)
6) Red Dwarf (1988-1999)
7) The Thick of It (2005-present)
8) The Black Adder (1982-1983, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1999)
9) All Creatures Great and Small (1978-1990)
10) Are You Being Served? (1972-1985)
11) The League of Gentlemen (1999-2002)
12) I, Claudius (1976)
13) The Good Life (1975-1978)
14) The Benny Hill Show (1969-1989)
15) The Prisoner (1967-1968)
16) The Goodies (1970-1981)
17) Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974)
18) Fawlty Towers (1975-1979)
19) Dave Allen at Large (1971-1976)
20) Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989-2010)
21) Keeping Up Appearances (1990-1995)
22) Prime Suspect (1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2006)
23) Top Gear (2002-present)
24) Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967-1968)
25) The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984-1985)/The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1986-1988)/The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1991)/The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994)
26) UFO (1970-1971)
27) The Saint (1962-1969)
28) Scrapheap (1998-2009)
29) My Family (2000-present)
30) The Young Ones (1982-1984)
31) Bottom (1991-1995)
32) Coronation Street (1960-Present)
33) Sherlock (2010-Present)
34) Bob and Margaret (1998-2001)
35) Jekyll (2007)
36) Green Wing (2004-2006)
37) Doctor Who (2005-Present)
38) 2point4 Children (1991-1999)
39) The Omega Factor (1979)
40) The Professionals (1977-1983)
41) The Protectors  (1972-1973)
42) Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969-1971)
43) Hammer House of Horror (1980)
44) The New Avengers (1976-1977)
45) The Champions (1968-1969)
46) Psychoville (2009-2011)
47) Space: 1999 (1975-1977)
48) Armchair Thriller (1967, 1978-1980)
49) Inspector Morse (1987-2000)
50) Taggart (1983-2011)
51) The Pathfinders (1972)
52) The Adventurer (1972-1973)
53) Department S (1969-1970)
54) Sapphire and Steel (1979-1982)
55) The Two Ronnies (1971-1987)
56) Spaced (1999-2001)
57) Blake's 7 (1978-1981)
58) Whitechapel (2009-????)
59) Survivors (1975-1977)
60) Doomwatch (1970-1972)
61) The Nightmare Man (1981)
62) The Day of the Triffids (1981)
63) The Sweeney (1975-1978)
64) Thriller (1973-1976)
65) Callan (1967-1972)
66) The Brothers (1972-1976)
67) Love Thy Neighbour (1972-1976)
68) Mind Your Language (1977-1986)
69) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981)
70) One Foot in the Grave (1990-2000)
71) Primevil (2007-Present)
72) Torchwood (2006-Present)
73) Waiting For God (1990-1994)
74) The Office (2001-2003)
75) Look Around You (2002-2005)
76) As Time Goes By (1992-2005)
77) Ever Decreasing Circles (1984-1989)
78) Nighty Night (2004-2005)
79) Tales of the Unexpected (1979-1988)
80) Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (2004)
81) Thunderbirds (1965-1966)
82) Only Fools and Horses (1981-2003)
83) Yes Minister/Yes, Prime Minister (1980-1988)
84) To Serve Them All My Days (1980-1981)
85) Joe 90 (1968-1969)
86) The Secret Service (1969)
87) Enemy At the Door (1978-1980)
88) Hi-de-Hi! (1980-1988)
89) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979)
90) Fall of Eagles (1974)
91) Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention (2010)
92) Spitting Image (1984-1996)
93) Danger UXB (1979)
94) The Persuaders! (1971-1972)
95) Bouquet of Barbed Wire (1976)
96) The Famous Five (1978-1979)
97) The Forsythe Saga (1967)
98) Danger Man (1960-1968)
99) Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1962-1971)
100) The Jewel in the Crown (1984)

[Psycho Circus]

2) I'm Alan Partridge (1997 & 2002)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0RHAL3-9LU

Steve Coogan and Armando Ianucci's work of genius. The show was about a socially awkward, narcissistic, failed television presenter, living in Norwich, who can never cease his embarrassing and highly detailed ramblings. In series one he was recently separated from his wife and living in a travel tavern, trying desperately to get back on the TV and by series two he was recovering from a breakdown, attempting to "bounce back" with a new book and living in a caravan with his Ukrainian girlfriend. The Alan Partridge character is the best loved of all Steve Coogan's creations and still quoted endlessly to this day. Supposedly there's a movie on the way and hopefully a 3rd series.

[JaseSF]

3) The Avengers (1961-1969): This British espionage/fantasy series from the 1960s was stylish, adventurous and classy. The acting and stories were pretty darn good to boot and of course we had the ever likable English gentleman John Steed (Patrick Macnee) as lead star and assisted by four able bodied and very capable but decidedly unique and individual beautiful female assistants including Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Venus Smith (Julie Stevens), the ever resilent and most long lasting Mrs. Emma Peel (Dianna Rigg) and finally Miss Tara King (Linda Thorson). Sometimes the stories took on a more science fiction slant arguably creating a new form of spy-fi, oftentimes things were played tongue firmly in cheek with vastly exaggerated British mannerisms. Still the show was clever and fun and things were interesting far more often than they were not. A fast-moving and action oriented series too quite a bit at times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFIST95JLp4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u8ytmIUYVQ

[Nightowl]

4.)Mr.Bean(1989-1995) Who would ever known that a mute could the biggest a-hole there is on tv. The episodes were smartly done and ahead of it's time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0_Sa-cw_Aw&feature=related

[Rev. Powell]

5) "Absolutely Fabulous"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML6DAztbuhc&feature=related

[JaseSF]

6) Red Dwarf (1988-1999, 2009, 2012?): This comedy/science fiction parody series is IMO one of the most brilliant and best written series ever. It's basically a buddy comedy in space. In the far flung future, soup vending machine repairman slovenly Dave Lister is the only survivor after a radiation leak killed the rest of the crew on Red Dwarf. Now he must try and keep his sanity and survive, his only companions an holographic projection of his dead bunkmate Arnold Rimmer, whom pretty much everyone hates and thinks is a total smeghead, Cat- a lifeform that evolved from his pet cat, Holly - the ship's senile computer and Kryten, a service android. It's amazing the attention to detail at work behind this series as it really does pretty much all tie together and work as well as a sci-fi series as it does as a comedy. Apparently they're trying to get a new series off the ground.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSxN1souf2U&NR=1

[Psycho Circus]

7) The Thick Of It (2005-Present)

Two words......Malcolm Tucker. (NSFW)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaFvvWi_KGE

[Rev. Powell]

8). "Blackadder"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To3CFnoOUDI&feature=related

[tracy]

"All Creatures Great and Small"



This heartwarming program was the tv adaptation of the series written by James Herriot about the life and struggles of a Yorkshire country vet before and during WWII. Full of humor and honest realism,it lead us through the everyday practice of James Herriot who moved from Glasgow in hopes of landing a job in a field overwhelmed by many graduates and few positions.

[JaseSF]

10) Are You Being Served? (1972-1985): This featured the various misadventures of staff at Grace Brothers clothing department store. There was much use of double entendres and misunderstandings of potential romantic intentions that frequently made this very funny. Honestly if I put on any episode from my complete series set, I'll be laughing and guffawing from deep within my belly in no time. So many great jokes and comedy one-liners too. And what a great cast with Mollie Sudgen as the man-hungry widow Mrs. Betty Slocombe, John Inman as the mischieveous and flirtatious possibly closet gay Mr. Humphries, Frank Thornton as the dignified and controlling floor walker Captain Peacock, Wendy Richard as the attractive eye candy common girl with the terrible cockney accent Miss Brahams, Nicholas Smith as the easily confused big-eared boss Mr. Rumbold, Trevor Bannister and the young cocky upstart cheeky junior Mr. Lucas, Arthur Brough as the wise and seemingly ancient very set in his ways Mr. Grainger, Arthur English as the wise cracking Mr. Harman and Harold Bennett as the geriatic Young Mr. Grace, head over all of Grace Brothers with his brother Old Mr. Grace, who despite his age isn't above cracking a joke or showing a taste for attractive young nurses/secretaries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSBk-v2gyLw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC8cCVtyN3A

[Raffine]

11) The League of Gentlemen

The extremely dark comic trials and tribulations of the locals and unfortunate visitors in the small village of Royston Vasey. Writers/performers Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith manage to combine elements of soap opera, sitcom, sketch comedy, and pure horror. The series and several specials has many complex, interweaving plotlines and countless characters (mostly played by Gatiss, Pemberton, and Shearsmith) and is as dense and brilliant as an English Christmas pudding.

FUN FACT: The most bizarre character - Pappa Lazarou - was based on a real person, Shearsmith's and Pemberton's ex-landlord.




Pemberton and Shearsmith have created a new series called Psychoville which is sort of a leaner version of League.

[Rev. Powell]

12) I, CLAUDIUS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_65NrdFzPY

[tracy]

12) I, CLAUDIUS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_65NrdFzPY

Yes! That was an awsome series....so well done and acted.

[tracy]

The Good Life....known here in the states as Good Neighbors. Tom Good,a man who designs toys for cereals decided that,on his 40th birthday,that something is missing in his life. He comes up with the brilliant idea of self-sufficiency in a nice suburban area. Much to the concern of his up and coming friends and next door neighbors,the Ledbetters. The parade of "boar walkers" and gardening provide a delightful show to watch.

[AndyC]

14. The Benny Hill Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CJFoOSX1ok