Exported TV shows

[zeebo]

Another cool BBC mini-series was "The Day of the Triffids".  I'm talking about the one from the 80's - they did another remake like five years ago but I haven't seen it. 

It's interesting to me how many BBC productions, although low on production budget, seem to have such great dramatic quality.  They seem to focus more on character and story than dazzling effects and such.  Hollywood could learn something.

[Mind Flayer Monk]

Another thread gave me an idea to ask which TV shows/ dramas/ sit coms have you seen that came to you from over the pond US-UK that you really enjoy? Dr Who and Star Trek (in all genres/ Deep Space ( etc) are a given.

For me I loved (in no particular order): MASH, Soap, Hill St Blues, Taxi, Happy Days, Big Bang Theory, Frazier

I'll try and think of others.

I think we had a similar thread to this in the past. Something about a BBC mini series about the end of the world written by Terrance Dicks.

[eddie dean]

I'm not much of a gear-head, but I really enjoyed  Top Gear on BBC America. The british version is really good, especially the road trip challenge segments. The 3 hosts buy old vehicles and modify them into boats or some crazy configuration, or simply drive them stock, to see how many miles they can get out of them.
They drove through the southern states in one episode, and as a prank, they wrote provoking,  yet funny, phrases on their cars to see what kind of reaction they would get out of the locals. Southern  stereotypes, like:  inbreeding, idiots playing bangos, General Lee was a poof, pro wrestling  is fake, etcetera.
Not surprising the 3 hosts and camera crew were almost beaten up at a gas station. The angry 'good-ole-boys' piled into a lifted 4x4 and chased them out of town. It was really funny to see the wide eyed hosts stop before they reached the next town to scrub off their cars!
The US version, started a couple years ago, is  painfully pathetic by comparison.

[jazmunda]

Hey jaz, speaking of imported television, I remember seeing an early sixties Australian kiddie adventure show called "The Terrible Ten."  It was about ten early adolescent types who lived on farms or ranches and rode around on horses. In their wanderings, they found a big pile of scrap lumber and built themselves a pretend town, which they (naturally) called "Ten Town."  I remember nothing else except that they always had spine tingling adventures, may have solved petty crimes, and we're always being menaced by a group of bad kids, who they inevitably thwarted and humiliated.  Does that ring any bells?

We also got Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" for awhile, although about all I remember is the little improv jazz piano he pounded out during the credits.

That was before my time.

Skippy was an institution in this country. He always saved the day no matter how ludicrous the situation. Here is a sketch from an Aussie sketch comedy show parodying the super kangaroo.

http://youtu.be/CpASbAO5LX4

[HorrorRetro]

The Good Life/Good Neighbors. It reminds me of me and my house. 
The Prisoner -- probably one of my favorite shows ever.
Brian Clemens' Thriller
Survivors
The Young Ones
Keeping up Appearances
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Broadchurch
Coronation Street -- I'm absolutely hooked. I watch it 5 nights a week though one of the Canadian channels I get here.

[eddie dean]

The Good Life/Good Neighbors. It reminds me of me and my house. 
The Prisoner -- probably one of my favorite shows ever.
Brian Clemens' Thriller
Survivors
The Young Ones
Keeping up Appearances
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Broadchurch
Coronation Street -- I'm absolutely hooked. I watch it 5 nights a week though one of the Canadian channels I get here.

I loved that show! In the late 80's, early 90's, MTV aired The Young Ones, good times!

[bigchucka]

Another thread gave me an idea to ask which TV shows/ dramas/ sit coms have you seen that came to you from over the pond US-UK that you really enjoy? Dr Who and Star Trek (in all genres/ Deep Space ( etc) are a given.

For me I loved (in no particular order): MASH, Soap, Hill St Blues, Taxi, Happy Days, Big Bang Theory, Frazier

I'll try and think of others.

Was it the Gordon Ramsay/ Bear Grylls comment?

[jazmunda]

I loved that show! In the late 80's, early 90's, MTV aired The Young Ones, good times!

Rik Mayall from The Young Ones passed away the other day:

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/the-five-funniest-ever-rik-mayall-moments-from-alternative-comedy-classic-the-young-ones/story-fn907478-1226949218523

[bigchucka]

If you like Monty Python... Terry Jones.  For Blackadder... Tony Robinson.  They both have good History Channel- style shows that are historical documentary based that they have done that are good.

Jones...

Documentary series[edit]
Crusades (1995)
Ancient Inventions â€" directed by Phil Grabsky and Daniel Percival (1998)
The Surprising History of Egypt (USA, 2002) a.k.a. The Hidden History of Egypt (UK, 2003) â€" directed by Phil Grabsky
The Surprising History of Rome (USA, 2002) a.k.a. The Hidden History of Rome (UK, 2003) â€" directed by Phil Grabsky
The Surprising History of Sex and Love (2002) â€" directed by Alan Ereira and Phil Grabsky
Terry Jones' Medieval Lives (2004)
The Story of 1 (2005)
Terry Jones' Barbarians (2006)
Terry Jones' Great Map Mystery (2008)

Tony Robinson...

Selected filmography[edit]

Time Team (1994â€"2013) â€" Presenter
Romans (documentary) (2003) â€" Presenter
Britain's Real Monarch (2004) â€" Presenter
The Doomsday Code (2008) â€" Presenter
Tony Robinson's Crime and Punishment (2008) â€" Presenter
Catastrophe (2008) â€" Presenter
Tony Robinson's Time Walks (2012â€"present) â€" Presenter (The History Channel on Foxtel)

[Yorkshire pud]

I'm not much of a gear-head, but I really enjoyed  Top Gear on BBC America. The british version is really good, especially the road trip challenge segments. The 3 hosts buy old vehicles and modify them into boats or some crazy configuration, or simply drive them stock, to see how many miles they can get out of them.
They drove through the southern states in one episode, and as a prank, they wrote provoking,  yet funny, phrases on their cars to see what kind of reaction they would get out of the locals. Southern  stereotypes, like:  inbreeding, idiots playing bangos, General Lee was a poof, pro wrestling  is fake, etcetera.
Not surprising the 3 hosts and camera crew were almost beaten up at a gas station. The angry 'good-ole-boys' piled into a lifted 4x4 and chased them out of town. It was really funny to see the wide eyed hosts stop before they reached the next town to scrub off their cars!
The US version, started a couple years ago, is  painfully pathetic by comparison.

I was given a book for christmas that gave some background to various episodes. The Bolivian road trip (yep Jez really was on the edge of the drop) the balloon conversion and the trip through Alabama. That really did happen. People thought it was set up but they (production team as well as the three presenters) really were terrified they'd be lynched by the rednecks and drove as fast as they could until they could try and clean off the cars.

[Yorkshire pud]

Was it the Gordon Ramsay/ Bear Grylls comment?

Might have been. :

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

The Prisoner -- probably one of my favorite shows ever.

Thank you!  I'm ashamed of myself for not remembering it earlier.  It was an inexcusable oversight, and I realize I'll have to suffer the consequences.

[attachimg=1]

However, they will never break me, and I vow on John Drake's unmarked, empty grave, to never rest until I find out, beyond a shadow of a doubt, who Number Two works for.  Be seeing you...

[Yorkshire pud]

Thank you!  I'm ashamed of myself for not remembering it earlier.  It was an inexcusable oversight, and I realize I'll have to suffer the consequences.

[attachimg=1]

However, they will never break me, and I vow on John Drake's unmarked, empty grave, to never rest until I find out, beyond a shadow of a doubt, who Number Two works for.  Be seeing you...

To know who number two is, you need to know why number two is a different person each episode... That in turn will tell you who number six is. And why we don't see number one.

Number six is all of us. I worked that out in the last two minutes of the last episode when I saw it on TV aged about 14. I didn't get any of it until then.

[jazmunda]

Thank you!  I'm ashamed of myself for not remembering it earlier.  It was an inexcusable oversight, and I realize I'll have to suffer the consequences.

[attachimg=1]

However, they will never break me, and I vow on John Drake's unmarked, empty grave, to never rest until I find out, beyond a shadow of a doubt, who Number Two works for.  Be seeing you...

I can't believe I missed The Prisoner too. Shame on me.

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

That was before my time.

Skippy was an institution in this country. He always saved the day no matter how ludicrous the situation. Here is a sketch from an Aussie sketch comedy show parodying the super kangaroo.

I knew the show was an institution, but could never figure out if it was meant to be taken seriously.  Not to cast aspersions, because we've had dreadful series about unnaturally intelligent sheep dogs (Lassie, who's going on close to five hundred in dog years, and who has saved Timmy after he fell in the well every other week), dolphins, and a gentle grizzly bear who never mauled anyone because Ron Howard's ugly little brother told him it wasn't cool.  However, a day saving kangaroo is kind of a stretch, which is why I'm wondering if it was all tongue in cheek.  Cheers!

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

To know who number two is, you need to know why number two is a different person each episode... That in turn will tell you who number six is. And why we don't see number one.

Number six is all of us. I worked that out in the last two minutes of the last episode when I saw it on TV aged about 14. I didn't get any of it until then.

That's exactly what they want you to believe, because the foot bone's connected to the ankle bone,    and Biggles won't be saving the day because he doesn't have a penny farthing bicycle for the Guy. 

[Yorkshire pud]

I knew the show was an institution, but could never figure out if it was meant to be taken seriously.  Not to cast aspersions, because we've had dreadful series about unnaturally intelligent sheep dogs (Lassie, who's going on close to five hundred in dog years, and who has saved Timmy after he fell in the well every other week), dolphins, and a gentle grizzly bear who never mauled anyone because Ron Howard's ugly little brother told him it wasn't cool.  However, a day saving kangaroo is kind of a stretch, which is why I'm wondering if it was all tongue in cheek.  Cheers!

"th th th th th th th"

"Whats that Skippy? There's no fucking way our helicopter can lift that truck out of the ditch because it hasn't enough power. Shit, thanks Skip, what would we do without you?"


I had forgotten about 'Cheers'. Was a great sitcom..saturday night with a beer.

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

"th th th th th th th"

"Whats that Skippy? There's no fucking way our helicopter can lift that truck out of the ditch because it hasn't enough power. Shit, thanks Skip, what would we do without you?"

Again, not to cast aspersions on an Australian institution, but a sentient emu would have been way more believable than a kangaroo, and, given the reach of its massive toes, I wouldn't be surprised if it could play some rockin', rollickin' boogie woogie piano instead of the esoteric, inaccessible marsupial jazz noodlings Skippy produced with his blunt little forelegs.  I shouldn't be critical though, because Lassie can't carry a tune in a bucket, and Flipper sings in a subsonic frequency only other cephalopod can hear.

[Yorkshire pud]

Again, not to cast aspersions on an Australian institution, but a sentient emu would have been way more believable than a kangaroo, and, given the reach of its massive toes, I wouldn't be surprised if it could play some rockin', rollickin' boogie woogie piano instead of the esoteric, inaccessible marsupial jazz noodlings Skippy produced with his blunt little forelegs.  I shouldn't be critical though, because Lassie can't carry a tune in a bucket, and Flipper sings in a subsonic frequency only other cephalopod can hear.

Wait a minute: You mean none of that was real? What sort of disinfo conspiracy is that? What about the abseiling koala? The mountain bike riding ostrich? The break dancing leopard? The zip wire escapades of Patrick the African elephant?

[zeebo]

I can't believe I missed The Prisoner too. Shame on me.

Haha, that's funny I was gonna put it down but I figured with this crowd it had already been mentioned five times.

[George Drooly]

I really like Black Books.

http://youtu.be/4GDDl74cbYA

And QI is amazing, probably the only quiz/game show ever created worth watching. Extremely witty people there, Stephen Fry a perfectly erudite host.

http://youtu.be/Kw8UENRItw4

[zeebo]

I'm not much of a gear-head, but I really enjoyed  Top Gear on BBC America.
.... The US version, started a couple years ago, is  painfully pathetic by comparison.

This is how I feel about Iron Chef America compared to the original Japanese show.  I wish upon the Food Channel's producers a bad fugu sandwich.

[Yorkshire pud]

Oh, from the 70's!! Ellory Queen whodunnit.

[jazmunda]

I knew the show was an institution, but could never figure out if it was meant to be taken seriously.  Not to cast aspersions, because we've had dreadful series about unnaturally intelligent sheep dogs (Lassie, who's going on close to five hundred in dog years, and who has saved Timmy after he fell in the well every other week), dolphins, and a gentle grizzly bear who never mauled anyone because Ron Howard's ugly little brother told him it wasn't cool.  However, a day saving kangaroo is kind of a stretch, which is why I'm wondering if it was all tongue in cheek.  Cheers!

It was a kids show so it should be taken as such. It was our version of Lassie.

[bigchucka]

Might have been. :

The one I just watched was The Island with Bear Grylls... 13 everyday British men stuck on an island in the Pacific for a month.  Did you watch any of that? Just seen it got picked up for a second season.

It's similar to a show that was on Discovery here in the states called Out Of The Wild.  They did 2 seasons in Alaska and one in Venezuela.

[bigchucka]

This is how I feel about Iron Chef America compared to the original Japanese show.  I wish upon the Food Channel's producers a bad fugu sandwich.

Or bad fugu ice cream.

I liked some of the episodes of ICA that I watched.  Always was an Alton Brown fan...

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

This is how I feel about Iron Chef America compared to the original Japanese show.  I wish upon the Food Channel's producers a bad fugu sandwich.

Could not agree more!  The original Iron Chef rocked. 

[Kelt]

Peep Show.

What was 'The Bad Thing'?

http://youtu.be/gCL-qnBQzUo

[HorrorRetro]

This is how I feel about Iron Chef America compared to the original Japanese show.  I wish upon the Food Channel's producers a bad fugu sandwich.

Yep. I remember the first time I was flipping channels and landed on the original Iron Chef. I was fascinated. I never missed an episode after that. Our family made it an event. This new show is NOT Iron Chef. 

[zeebo]

...Always was an Alton Brown fan...

I'll give you that guy is an amazing storehouse of cooking knowledge.  I just wish I could build a machine, that could extract it all from his head, minus all the little quips and puns and goofy jokes, basically just strip his whole personality out and leave just the info.