Chewsday innit? Binge the best of British comedy on CBC Gem
If you are pining after some dry British wit, here are some comedy selections you can stream.
While living in North America has its perks, homesickness comes with the territory of being a British person in Canada.
On a fairly constant basis, I find myself pining after all things British.
Beige food notwithstanding (although there are quite a few spots where I've eaten comparable fish and chips in this country), the dry wit and banality of British humour is one thing about my homeland that I miss the most.
Luckily, CBC Gem offers a variety of hilarious British films and TV shows to keep you entertained — and here's just a selection handpicked by yours truly.
Travel Man: 48 Hours In…
For those who missed travelling due to COVID-19 restrictions, this show offers the next best thing. In each episode, film director and comedian Richard Ayoade — who's most known as Moss in The IT Crowd — and a celebrity guest spend 48 hours holidaying in a different country per episode.
Setting his sights mainly on Europe, Ayoade's extremely dry, monosyllabic approach to comedy creates an effortless lampoon of your typical travel show. Particular highlights include an action-packed trip to Copenhagen with fellow The Mighty Boosh alumnus, and Great British Baking Show host, Noel Fielding.
Bridget Jones's Diary
Oh, Richard Curtis. The unrealistic version of Britain in his films, such as Notting Hill, depict an England as North American fantasy — replete with posh accents and endlessly endearing social foibles.
But, it's hard to resist his emotionally saccharine rom-coms — I shed a tear every time I see the opening frame of Love Actually. From Blackadder, The Vicar of Dibley to Four Weddings and a Funeral, the veteran director and writer has done so much for British comedy.
Enter Bridget Jones's Diary, the 2001 adaptation of Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. Sharon Maguire directs while Richard Curtis handles the screenplay. Drawing on Jane Austin's literary classic Pride and Prejudice, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are perfect casting — with Hugh Grant especially scene-stealing as the scandalous Daniel Cleaver. And it goes without saying that Renée Zellweger delivers a career-best performance. She's better at playing British than most British people, and even has an Oscar nomination to show for it.
This Time with Alan Partridge
Since 1991, Steve Coogan has been perhaps best known for his cringe-inducing persona of television host Alan Partridge. A regular fixture of British television, the character has also been the subject of a feature film, as well as several mock biographies. This Time with Alan Partridge — first airing in 2019 — puts the character back in the host's chair, and firmly satirizes light British current affairs television.
It's quite hard to put into words why Partridge is such an eerily accurate character. He reflects a toxic strand of British exceptionalism, while also embodying the total mediocrity that comes with some British comedy creations. Recognizable, yet also totally unique, Coogan's character has had a lasting impact on British comedy. That's if you can continue to watch, as moments in this show are so cringeworthy you'll be wringing your hands.
The Office (U.K.)
Speaking of cringe, The Office (yes, Ricky Gervais's original The Office) takes the prize in terms of being able to make viewers feel uncomfortable. Banality, greyness and wasted fortunes are on the menu, as Gervais's David Brett struggles to manage both his employees at Wernham Hogg paper company and his continual clumsy desire for reverence among his peers.
The Office is one of Britain's most successful comedy exports. Need I even mention the Steve Carrell-led American version? The merits of these two parallel incarnations of the show are hotly debated among myself and my Canadian loved ones. Still, I'll stick with the U.K. version. It is a true masterclass in British comedic nihilism, but also writers Gervais and Stephen Merchant load the series with a touching level of pathos.
Watch for free on CBC Gem
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