Thanks to the rise of online streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney Plus, it has never been easier to watch movies and television shows from different parts of the world. This can be particularly useful for those who have had their fill of American comedy shows and are now keen to explore what the rest of the world has to offer. Although sometimes misunderstood, the wonderful world of British comedy is an excellent place for those people to start.

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Over the years there have been some truly fantastic British comedy series, many of which can now be viewed online with relative ease. The humor that they provide may be a little different than what some viewers have become accustomed to, but, over time, these shows will likely replace the likes of The Big Bang Theory and Friends in their regular viewing schedules. At the very least, they're worth checking out just to see what the general British population finds funny.

10 Father Ted

Father Ted

Father Ted may be more than a quarter of a century old at this point, but the escapades of the titular priest and the rest of the Craggy Island locals are still every bit as funny today as they were when they were first broadcast back in the nineties. Unfortunately, there are only three seasons and an excellent Christmas special due to the untimely death of the show's lead Dermot Morgan, although each one of its episodes is filled to the brim with comedy gold.

The idea of three priests living together on a small island may not sound too funny on paper, but their shenanigans will have viewers in hysterics from start to finish. Each one of them brings something different to the table, but it's perhaps Ted's tendency to put his foot in his mouth that will yield the most laughs from first-time viewers. That said, Jack, Dougal and Mrs. Doyle also have their moments, even though they can at times lack the same level of subtlety.

9 The Inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners

The Inbetweeners chronicles the struggles of a group of misfits as they try their best to fit in at a run of the mill sixth form college. They're driven together by their shared need for acceptance, although it's their differences that really make the show work. Each one of them conforms to a different high school stereotype and this in turn allows the show's writers to provide viewers with a variety of types of humor rather than one single style.

Will typically provides sarcasm and high brown one-liners while Simon offers up awkwardness on a regular basis. These qualities are perfectly balanced out by Jay's blatant and ridiculous lies and Neil's all around weirdness. Their parents and the head of the sixth form, Mr. Gilbert, fill in any gaps and help to punctuate the group's ridiculous adventures whenever needed. There are also a couple of movies and a terrible American adaptation, although none of these really compare to the show's original three season run; especially not the latter.

8 Peep Show

Peep Show

Peep Show is another British comedy that American broadcasters attempted to adapt for an American audience, although thankfully, it never made it past the pilot episode stage. It was a real mess when compared to the original series, which ran for an impressive nine seasons and features some of the best writing and characters to ever feature in a British comedy series.

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Mark and Jeremy are two middle-aged men who share a flat together in central London. The show's narrative is largely explored through their eyes, with internal monologues often used to inject humor into their ridiculous antics. This isn't really needed though, as the actions of the El Dude brothers are usually hilarious enough on their own. There's a great mixture of subtle and overt humor to be found here, although those who prefer the latter may be better served checking out the lead actors' sketch show series, That Mitchell and Webb Look.

7 Black Books

Black Books

It may not have received the same level of acclaim as some of the other great British comedy shows of its era, but Black Books is arguably every bit as funny as its esteemed contemporaries. It's a dark comedy centered around a second hand bookstore and follows the lives of the store's owner, his assistant and their best friend Fran. For as excellent as the show's writing is, it would be nowhere near as effective were it not for the talents of the show's three leads.

Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig each deliver their lines masterfully and this in turn helps the humor to land with near-perfect precision. Those expecting a laugh a minute experience may find themselves a little disappointed by what the show has to offer, but there should be more than enough humor peppered across each episode to keep the average viewer satisfied.

6 The IT Crowd

The IT Crowd

There were quite a few notable comedy sitcoms developed in the UK around the turn of the century, but few set themselves apart quite as well as The IT Crowd. With its unique brand of cringe comedy, it offers a nice mixture of blunt and high-brow comedy and garnered a fairly sizable cult following as a result. This also led to NBC attempting to adapt the show for American audiences on multiple occasions, although despite a cast being secured and a pilot episode being made, The IT Crowd US never made it to air.

The British version is set in the IT department of a fictional London based company and primarily focuses on three of the technicians who work there. Roy, Maurice and Jen have very little in common for the most part, but their shared hatred of the other employees at Reynholm Industries and the ridiculous problems that they're bombarded with bonds them together. It's these technical troubles that also provide many of the series' funniest moments and they'll likely be incredibly relatable for any tech-savvy viewers who've ever had to help a clueless coworker or family member with their computer or smartphone.

5 Extras

Extras

Although many consider The Office to be Ricky Gervais' crowning achievement, it's arguably a bit of an acquired taste; as evidenced by how much of the show was altered for the hugely successful American adaptation. Extras, on the other hand, is a show that is hard not to like, thanks largely to its fairly straightforward humor and brilliant writing.

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The show also features plenty of celebrity cameos and these are one of the many things that make it such a great watch. Not because it's nice to see celebrities or anything like that, but because Gervais and Merchant somehow managed to convince many of them to belittle themselves on screen for the sake of the show. The relationship between Andy and Maggie and the overarching narrative are also fairly compelling, while the antics of Darren and Barry help to keep things from ever getting too heavy.

4 Fawlty Towers

Fawlty Towers

It's a little crazy to think that Fawlty Towers is almost 50 years old, but this shouldn't deter potential viewers from checking it out if they ever get the chance. Created by and starring Connie Booth and former Monty Python member John Cleese, the show is set in the seaside town of Torquay and and centers around a fictional hotel from which the series takes its name.

Cleese plays the hotel's rude and unreasonable owner and is supported by an excellent cast of colorful and carefully crafted characters. Their interactions with each other are hilarious in and of themselves, but it's how they engage with the hotel's guests that really makes the show work. The season 1 finale, The Germans, just might be the best ever episode of any British comedy show and is crammed full of unforgettable and uproarious moments.

3 I'm Alan Partridge

I'm Alan Partridge

Steve Coogan's Allan Partridge persona serves as a pitch-perfect parody of British radio and television presenters and has now been around for three decades. Though the times may have changed quite a bit since he first hit the airwaves, very little about the character has. He was funny in 1991 and remains so to this day, even if his relevance has faded a little over the last ten years or so.

Partridge has appeared in a number of shows, specials and movies over the years, but it's perhaps I'm Alan Partridge that best captures his brilliance. He's not a particularly nice person, nor is he especially smart and these things contribute a lot towards the show's overall humor. In some ways, he's also a fairly relatable character, which in turn makes him feel very real rather than just another over the top caricature.

2 Spaced

Spaced

Before Simon Pegg shot to stardom following the release of the excellent zombie movie spoof Shaun of the Dead, he and Jessica Stevenson co-created and starred in a comedy sitcom called Spaced. It's a somewhat bizarre series that was directed by Edgar Wright and drew a lot of its humor from the strange and unusual situations that the show's characters so regularly found themselves in.

While Pegg and Stevenson are responsible for many of the show's finest moments, their efforts would be nowhere near as effective were it not for the talents of their supporting cast. With its occasional sci-fi elements and some heavy spatterings of satire, it's a very singular type of comedy that not everyone will enjoy. Those willing to look past these differences will soon come to discover, however, that they're actually a big part of the show's charm and the reason why everything works quite as well as it does.

1 Only Fools And Horses

Only Fools And Horses

2021 marks the fortieth anniversary of the very first episode of Only Fools and Horses. It's definitely starting to show its age visually, as too are its actors, but the characters portrayed by David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst and the quality of the show's writing are truly timeless. Much like Friends, it's the kind of show that viewers can dip in and out of whenever they please and they'll likely come away with a smile on their face whenever they choose to do so.

While there is an overarching plot tying everything together, each episode works as a standalone piece of television and is seasoned with a healthy amount of humor. Del Boy's dreams of hitting the big time result in plenty of funny moments, while Rodney's cynicism helps keep both his brother and the show grounded most of the time. There's also a strong supporting cast of characters, with the likes of Trigger and Boycie offering up different styles of humor to keep things feeling fresh.

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