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A comment on Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide over "heroes". Parent comment

Re:Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide ove... by amiga386 on Thursday January 22, 2026 @09:34AM (#46719714)
As in surreal British sketch comedy? You'd like

- The Goon Show (it's this 1950s radio serial that inspired the Pythons... it's surprising how many tropes the Pythons borrowed from it)

- The Goodies

- The Kenny Everett Television Show

- Absolutely!

- The Mighty Boosh / Unnatural Acts / Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy

- Vic Reeves' Big Night Out / The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer / Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer

- Big Train

- The League of Gentlemen

- On the Hour / The Day Today / Brass Eye

- Jam / Blue Jam

- The Armando Iannucci Shows

- Limmy's Show

Also, to throw in a US programme, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson was pretty good

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Re:Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide ove... by internet_points on Thursday January 22, 2026 @09:50AM (#46719926)
- A Bit of Fry and Laurie

with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry

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Re:Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide ove... by jacquesm on Thursday January 22, 2026 @10:25AM (#46720478)
Can we fit in 'Not the nine O'clock news'?

And what about 'Spitting Image'?

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Re:Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide ove... by amiga386 on Friday January 23, 2026 @06:59AM (#46731467)
They're both fine shows, but I'd say Spitting Image is satire, spoofing current affairs of the time, rather than surreal.

Although, that said, Monty Python also threw in a number of current affairs references, e.g. references to Reginald Maudling, and spoofing other TV programmes and BBC continuity.

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Re:Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide ove... by technothrasher on Thursday January 22, 2026 @09:39AM (#46719786)
> The Goon Show

I had the opportunity to meet and talk to Harry Secombe just a couple years before he died. He was quite surprised to run into an American who knew who he was. Most American's only know Peter Sellers.

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Re:Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide ove... by sanderjd on Thursday January 22, 2026 @10:34AM (#46720597)
I was looking for I Think You Should Leave, which I think is great. But it might be the exception that proves the rule, at least for newish shows in the US.

Key and Peele and Chappelle's Show were also this kind of show, but are pretty old now.

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Re:Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide ove... by gizajob on Thursday January 22, 2026 @10:02AM (#46720088)
I feel like Jam/Blue Jam was about the zenith of British surreal and nihilistic comedy.
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Re:Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide ove... by RickJWagner on Thursday January 22, 2026 @02:38PM (#46724138)
Thank you!
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Re:Douglas Adams on the English–American cultural divide ove... by UncleSlacky on Thursday January 22, 2026 @02:40PM (#46724168)
Also:

- Monkey Dust

- The Fast Show

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