Itchy York article

Underrated comedy programs

Underappreciated comedy gems

Britain has produced so many great comedy shows over the years: Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, Little Britain, Not The Nine O'Clock News, Spitting Image...the list is pretty endless really. But what don't get noticed are those superb shows that barely anyone has even heard of. The following are all definitely worth a look, if not an immediate DVD purchase.

Do you remember all those naff videos you had to watch in science class? Those cheesy 1980s kind of jobs with boring experiments and some patronising voiceover? Well, Look Around You is the most brilliantly realised satirical take on it of all time. The 1st series is notably better than the 2nd, but both are worth a look. If you don't laugh at the 1st series, you probably have something wrong with you.

For sketch shows, Big Train is the undisputed master of surreal and alternative comedy sketches. Simon Pegg, Kevin Eldon and Mark Heap, all superb comedy actors, deliver some of the most memorable sketches you'll ever see. Actually, it's quite possibly the best sketch show of all time. So many quotable moments and 'laugh till you cry' sketches, make sure you get hold of a copy.

For a satirical news program, Brasseye is the obvious choice, and with good reason. Absolutely hilarious, and most famous for its controversial Paedophilia episode. Smart, witty, surreal, brilliantly observed, it's Chris Morris at its best. For another Chris Morris gem, try Jam. Some of it is quite possibly too weird to be funny, but when it hits the mark it's ingenius. You'll never hear the word 'Gush' the same way again.

One of the best series of all time is The Armando Ianucci Shows. It's quite obscure and there's no DVD available to date, but if you can download it...legally of course, then it's absolutely superb.

Then there's The Simpsons' undervalued co-creation, Futurama. An absolutely brilliant cartoon which is hilarious, conceptually interesting, touching, and innovative. Simply put there isn't a more clever cartoon out there, and scarcely a more clever show full stop. Give it more than one episode before you write it off, it takes a while to get going...

Now go, watch these amazing shows and salute Itchy for bettering your life.

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Comments

I think you should also include these works of genius: - Dr Katz - The fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin - Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Isaac from manchester on 28/04/2007 -

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