Class Report

British Television Appreciation


“Geordie Shore” captivates the class.

Teacher: Holly J. Morris, British TV fan
Documentarian: Ilana Nutkis
Location: Washington Post Express conference room
Date: Jan. 20, 2014

Thanks in part to the Internet, British TV is more accessible to American viewers than ever before. Whether you’re seeking a dark crime drama with the pacing of molasses or an over-the-top reality show, there’s likely a series to meet your needs.

The class kicked off with Holly asking the students to share how they got hooked on the U.K.’s television offerings. The responses showed the range of influences that brought the group together: One student grew up watching the long-running soap “EastEnders,” two credited “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” with developing their taste for British humor, and five named “Doctor Who” as their gateway show.

So why is British TV better? (Or at least different?) As one student said of the reality show “Supersize vs Superskinny,” across-the-pond networks “get away with things” their American counterparts can’t — or won’t — risk trying. For another student, a perk of British shows is that the characters aren’t all “unrealistically good-looking,” in contrast to the homogenous perfection of American stars. The class was split on whether cramming multiple U.K. accents into a series was a benefit or a distraction.

Holly screened clips from a wide variety of British shows, including crime serials like “The Fall” and “Broadchurch,” depressing dramas such as “Southcliffe” and “The Mill,” and comedies including “Toast of London,” “Him & Her,” and “Miranda.” The class also watched part of “Embarrassing Bodies,” a reality series in which participants reveal a gross or unsightly malady to doctors. Holly showed the class a clip of a 19-year-old man who described his problem as “lumps on my bottom,” but thankfully cut the bit where the afflicted party displayed his lumps for inspection. British television appreciation only goes so far.

Shows to Watch
And where to find them in the U.S., if anywhere

“The Benny Hill Show” (1955-1991, BBC One and ITV)
Amazon Instant Video, DVD

“A Bit of Fry and Laurie” (1989-1995, BBC One and Two)
Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, iTunes, DVD

“Black Adder” (1983-89, BBC One)
should be everywhere

“Black Books” (2000-2004, Channel 4)
Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, DVD

“Black Mirror” (2011-present, Channel 4)
— Direct TV Audience Network, Direct TV On Demand and directv.com/entertainment/audience

“Bramwell” (1995-1998, ITV)
— iTunes, DVD

“Broadchurch” (2013-present, ITV)
— aired on BBC America so look for reruns, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, DVD

“Coupling” (2000-2004, BBC Two)
Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, iTunes, DVD

“Cranford” (2007, BBC One)
— Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, DVD

“Dancing on the Edge” (BBC Two)

“Dates” (2013, Channel 4)

“Doc Martin” (2004-2013 or present, not sure, ITV)
Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, Netflix, DVD

“Dragon’s Den” (2009-present, BBC Two)

The “Embarrassing Bodies” franchise (2007-present, Channel 4)

“The Fades” (BBC Three)
—Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, DVD

“The Fall” (2013-present, BBC Two)
— Netflix

“Fresh Meat” (2011-present, Channel 4)
—Hulu (first two series)

“Geordie Shore” (2011-present, MTV)

“The Graham Norton Show” (2007 to present, BBC One)
one series on Hulu (watch on YouTube)

“Him & Her” (2010-2013, BBC Three)

“In the Flesh” (2013-present, BBC Three)
— aired on BBC America so look for reruns, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, DVD

“The Inbetweeners” (2008 to present-ish, Channel 4)
Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, iTunes, DVD

“The IT Crowd” (2006-2013, Channel 4)
— Hulu, iTunes, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, DVD

“Jam and Jerusalem” (2006-2009, BBC One); also known as “Clatterford”
— Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, DVD

“Jeeves and Wooster” (1990-93, ITV)
Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, iTunes, DVD

“Keeping Up Appearances” (1990-95, BBC One)
Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, DVD

“Land Girls” (2009-2011, BBC One)
— Hulu, Netflix, DVD

“Lark Rise to Candleford” (2008-2011, BBC One)
— Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, DVD

“Miranda” (2009-present, BBC One and Two)
— WETA, Hulu (first two series)

“Misfits” (2009-2013, Channel 4)
— Hulu, Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, DVD

“Mr Selfridge” (ITV)
aired on PBS, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, DVD

“My Mad Fat Diary” (Channel 4)

“North and South” (2004, BBC One)
— Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, DVD

“Peaky Blinders” (2013-present, BBC Two)

“Peep Show” (2003-present, Channel 4)
Hulu, Netflix

“Plebs” (2013-present, ITV2)

“Pulling” (2006-2009, BBC Three)
Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, DVD

“QI” (2003-present, BBC Two)
Hulu

“Queer as Folk” (1999-2000, Channel 4)
Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, DVD

“Rev.” (2010-present, BBC Two)
—Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes

“Shameless” (2004-2013, Channel 4)
Hulu

“Silk” (2011-present, BBC One)
Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, DVD (first series only)

“Snog Marry Avoid?” (2008-present, BBC Three)

“Southcliffe” (2013, Channel 4)

“South Riding” (2011, BBC One)
— Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, DVD

“Spaced” (1999-2001, Channel 4)
— Hulu, DVD

“Spooks” (2004-2011, BBC One); known as “MI-5” in the U.S.
Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, iTunes, DVD

“Supersize vs Superskinny” (2008-present, Channel 4)

“The Thick of It” (2005-2012, BBC Two and Four)
— Hulu, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, DVD

“Toast of London” (2013-present, Channel 4)

“Top Gear” (2002-present, BBC Two)
— Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, iTunes, DVD

“Torchwood” (2006-2011, BBC One, Two and Three)
— Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, iTunes, DVD

“A Touch of Cloth” (2012-present, Sky1)

“The Trip” (2010-present, BBC Two)
— Hulu (as series), Amazon Instant Video (as movie), Netflix (as movie), iTunes (as movie), DVD (as movie)

The “Up” Series (1964-present, ITV and BBC One)
— Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, DVD

“Utopia” (2013-present, Channel 4)

“The Vicar of Dibley” (1994-2007, BBC One)
— Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, iTunes, DVD

“The Village” (2013-present, BBC One)

“The Young Ones” (1982-1984, BBC Two)
Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, DVD


Ilana Nutkis is a policy nerd and cheese enthusiast who enjoys road trips, tiramisu, and bemoaning the D.C. rental market. She has read every Agatha Christie novel ever written, and once jumped out of a boat in the Pacific Ocean to snorkel with sea turtles despite a traumatic childhood viewing of “Jaws.” For political hashtagging, follow her on Twitter at @IlanaNutkis.