question about British TV

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I'm a fan of various British comedies, and I'm always looking for something new to watch. When I'm digging around online looking for recommendations I always notice that channel the show originally aired on is listed. I was wanting to ask someone who knows about about the BBC channels. Does each channel air a different type of show? Is one channel more family friendly than another? I guess what I'm trying to ask is, can you say "oh that comedy ran on BBC1, it must be like this," or "those all ran on BBC4 and they're all similar in this respect."

Father Ted, Spaced, IT Crowd, Black Books were on BBC4, but The Mighty Boosh was BBC3. Little Britian was on 2 and 3. Am I looking for a pattern where they may be none at all?

Origionaly when I was small there was only 1 BBC then back in the 60's new UHF/625 line technology arrived and BBC 2 was introduced and soon introduced Colour
BBC1 was and still is the main general BBC channel BBC 2 was more specialised in delivering current affairs and less main stream programs.
Now we have Digital TV and the BBC have introduces BBC 3, 4 CBeeibes & CBBC
The latter 2 being children's programs (CBBC has some good stuff BBC 3 and BBC 4 again show more specialised content than BBC 1 and successful programs on 3 & 4 will often get transferred to BBC1 re-runs of Dr Who, Torchwood and Heroes are on BBC 3

I think you've mistaken Channel 4 for BBC4. The shows you list aired on Channel 4 rather than BBC4.

Channel 4 is a commercial channel, as is Channel 5.

BBC1 & 2 are analogue & digital; BBC3 & 4 are their main solely digital channels. As Iceb mentioned, CBBC & CBeebies are the children's digital channels and are general quite well thought of.

BBC4 is the more cerebral BBC channel and tends to show "deeper shows". BBC3 is more off the wall and tries out new potential "cult" shows. You don't usually see comedies as such on BBC4, though you get the odd funny quiz show on it, but only if it has a brainy aspect to it.

I reckon both BBC3 and BBC4 are used to try out new stuff (though more so BBC3), before they get promoted to the main two BBC channels. If a comedy makes it to BBC1 it has really made it, though if it gets to BBC2 it's not doing bad.

They also use BBC3 for overspill from other programmes on BBC1 & 2. Like when BBC had 24, it ran on BBC1 or 2, but the "chat show" about it ran on BBC3. They then ran the series an episode ahead on BBC3 (I guess that was to encourage people to buy into Digital).

New American comedy is tried on BBC3 first, often as not. Things like Family Guy and American Dad ran there first, before Family Guy made it to BBC2.

I think "The Mighty Boosh" is hovering on the verge of being "promoted to BBC2". Little Britain was upgraded some time ago to BBC2

Ok, I'm beginning to understand a little better. Thanks for the helpful info. I did have some confusion going on there. I wish I could get more of the BBC channels where I live. All we have is BBC America, which is sort of lacking in the variety department. They have different types of shows and all, just not a lot of each. There's not as much comedy as I'd like. I'm a big fan of the Doctor, but I mostly watch him on DVD.

Sounds like you watch a lot of the same stuff as me. As Cernunnos said there's the BBC channels and there's commerical channels (BBC has no adverts). On the BBC already succesful comedy is shown on BBC2 and less well known stuff is usually on BBC3 which not everyone has. As you seem to have worked out channel 4 is the commercial channel that shows the good comedy usually.

I don't have a TV so I have to watch online. Most of it's out there if you look hard enough. Don't know if you're looking for more recommendations but Peep Show is awesome... shown on channel 4 I think.
I'm curious, as an American fan of Spaced, what do you think of a US version?

There are several ways you might go about accomplishing this.

1) get a Slingbox service set up through someone in the UK
2) download programmes from 'various sources'
3) get them on DVD

I'd go for the Slingbox idea if you have good contacts over here and have some money. That way you can watch UK TV over the Internet as if you were here in the UK itself.

If you're looking for comedy, avoid BBC1. I think they're supposed to be crap so that they appeal to the highest number of people, which makes no logical sense.

Mighty Boosh always starts on BBC3 and moves to BBC2, although since it got ruder in series two, they put it on at about 11pm, which is ridiculous.

QI is good, a mixture of comedy and facts. My favourite BBC4 show is The Late Edition with Marcus Brigstocke, who gets in a bit of trouble for his anti-religion rants.

I hardly ever bother with TV these days. Really, what's the point?

I'm beginning to feel the same as well. We have Sky with it's 100s of channels and most nights I'm pushed to find much I want to watch. Most channels just seem to be on a continuous loop of repeats.



I'd generally agree with that - it's usually the naff sit-coms . There's occasionally a gem makes it to BBC1 after the watershed. I like things like "Have I Got News for You" - that's shown on 1, but the unedited cut that's repeated on 2 is far better.

QI is brilliant - should be more!

BBC America should probably be named BBC Trash Bin. I don't think they put much effort into the programming. Most of it seems like dross and filler.

Watch out on those BBC DVD in NTSC format for the US - often times they are edited from American TV censors, even though it's not necessary for DVD. This is particularly irritating given how pricey BBC DVDs tend to be over here. In the case of Doctor Who, it's a money racket. The DX episodes had to been edited to allow for advertising time when thy aired on US TV, and for some damned reason, they didn't bother to put the edited sections on the NTSC DVD. Yet, they'll put all those annoying DW Confidentials which are just long adversting segments to drum up comsumer interest and make the BBC more money off of celebrity and merchandising. I have the first series DVD, and I was so disgusted by what I got from my $70, I hid it away before re-watching all the episodes. It's just one of the many reasons I now hate the new DW.

You don't mind the trouble, you can get the PAL versions of these DVDs from Amazon UK and other UK online retailers, of course, but you'll need a PAL compatible DVD player. You can get those too - a dual NTSC/PAL player runs about $100. Plus, there's more avaiable on PAL than NSTC. Just don't get an "all regions" DVD player - those often aren't really "all regions" and that regularly means they'll play most formats similar to US NTSC yet conveniently not UK PAL.

I wrote to the BBC a couple of weeks ago.

I sent the following, :- In view of the following:-

You reported World Trade Centre 7 collapsing 20 minutes before it actually did on 911

Working with Peter Power of Visor Consulting, (who was running the exact same excercise when and where it actually happened), you accurately gave a preview of the 77 London Tube bombings on your Panorama programe.

You protected the 911 terrorists with your anti-conspiracy theory hit-peice where you reported such pathetic reasons such as N.O.R.A.D. failed to intercept the planes because they thought the Russians where coming and so flew the wrong way.

I can only assume that you are a terrorist organisation and so cannot in all consience contribute money towards your organisation.

My licence will be due for renewal early in the spring which of course I will not be renewing.




So, If Iam found dead in a field with my wrists slashed but no blood, its not suicide ok!

nice! - refuse to fund terrorism!

please let me know if you get a response, my license is up for renewal mid-spring.

i think that technically, you do not need to pay any government fines whatsoever. money is representative of debt, and to pay one debt with another is fraud!

I did get a reply from the BBC as I then went on to ask in my letter if I could still keep my TV to wtch pre-recorded DVDs.

They said I could but would have to write directly to the TV licencing centre to explain why I didnt need a license.

Apart from a standard reply that my comments would go to management etc, they made no reference to my accusation that they where a terrorist organisation.
I think some things, such as that Panorama programme, they would rather people just forget about.

At least its not yet illegal to not watch the TV, I expect though that if it catches on, people who dont watch TV will be accused of being terrorists.

Roll on 1984