Every Thursday night, my wife checks the local PBS schedule to see if “her guys” are on. She’s referring to Dennis Waterman, James Bolam and Alun Armstrong, the actors who portray retired-and-returned detectives on the BBC show New Tricks. It’s a quirkily engaging hour of television, as funny as it is dark, and driven entirely by this unlikely mix of characters: an aging bad boy and Jack-the-lad skirt chaser, a widower who talks daily to his dead wife at the shrine in the back yard, and a compulsive-obsessive without a trace of social grace. They’re awesome, and my wife loves them. So do I, though I might not be such a fan were it not for the much-needed supervisory figure on the show, played by the utterly-smashing Amanda Redman.
So that’s our favorite BBC offering these days. What’s yours?
Shakesville 
It has been and always will be Father Ted
Rome (joint BBC and HBO effort) was wonderful, and I’m enjoying Robin Hood on BBCA.
Got rid of cable TV so I got nothing.
Well, for me too Father Ted was the first thing that came to mind.
My son and I were mad for Hustle, a BBC con-artist drama that aired on AMC, but it seems to have disappeared.
Torchwood! TorchwoodTorchwoodTorchwood! Mmmmmm.
and Doctor Who.
Interesting storylines, characters with flaws and real personalities, and just plain fun!
The older series of Doctor Who are available on DVD. I’ve heard a rumor that BBCA might show Torchwood, but I have a feeling it will be cut to snippets. 😦
It’s ITV, not BBC, but UNC-TV (North Carolina’s PBS) has been showing a programme (hey, it’s British) called Different Shores, starring Peter Davison (best known as Dr.Who [#5]). ‘Fish out of water’ premise, like Northern Exposure, or Men in Trees, and it’s pretty damn good. Has anyone else even heard of it (other than Brits and NC PBSers, of course)? If so, do you know if it’s still in production? A search of the ITV website returned no hits at all for the show (in fact, the link above is the only pertinent hit to show up on a Google search), although the Wikipedia page shows it to be 2005 – present.
Might you have searched for “Different Shores” instead of Distant Shores? I found this and others here.
Ye gods, I’m an idiot sometimes……..
Years ago I loved Ground Force with Alan Titchhmarsh and I am stil a Changing Rooms devotee. Any and all reality programming works better with British television than crapalistic TLC, HGTV, christianist Discovery Channel, or the networks.
Now I am loving the various Gordon Ramsey shows, like The F word. But, following Silent Witness (or other mysterys series) and Robin Hood are fine as well. Hell, BBC America sucks in similar ways US televisioin sucks, but in a less obnoxious way.
Suckage is based on the relentless advertising and poor quality. Product placement in recent US programs makes me scream at the box.
Damn, Waveflux . . . I had no idea I had a rant inside.
she shakes herself and steps off stage . . .
You know, I’d be able to respond to this question if my #@$!#@ cable company actually carried BBC America. I used to have it with Dish Network and now we’ve got nothing. Every other provider except Cablevision carries them. Damn it all.
OH, where to start?
*Torchwood
*Doctor Who
*Spooks (1st 2 seasons)
*Touching Evil
*Wire in the Blood
*Eleventh Hour
Some of those might be ITV or something non-BBC, but they’re definitely British.
Oh, I heard that rumor, too. I devoutly hope that if Torchwood makes it to BBCA they don’t butcher it. Pretty boys kissing for the WIN.
Black Books. Inspirational drunken absurdity.
My favourite…Bill Bailey becoming a world-class pianist the first time he touches the keys. Or maybe the one when Bill Bailey is trapped overnight in the store and goes into Survivor mode (with wasps and absinthe).
oh yes, esp. the Jack/Jack slow dance and making out…mmmmmmm…
Let us hope!
Little Britain . . . way OTT
Ballykissangel
Doctor Who
The Office
I am also enjoying Robing Hood, as has been mentioned. I also love and will aways love Coupling(ok so not being made anymore but still).
I also really liked Hex when it was being shown last summer and am excited for its return this summer.
I’m old school. I love the Python re-runs, the Fawlty Towers re-runs, the Ab Fab re-runs.
Especially Fawlty.
Don’t mind him–he’s from Barcelona.
Um, Father Ted isn’t a BBC production. It was made by Channel 4. As was Black Books.
Anyway, for an actual BBC programme, I’m going to nominate The Thick Of It, the greatest TV show you’ve never seen (unless you’re a UK political comedy junkie). It’s written by Armando Iannucci, the writer/producer behind The Day Today and the Alan Partridge shows.
Other than that (and that show’s run has ended), the Beeb is looking pretty barren at the moment. The new season of Doctor Who hasn’t got off to a good start, there’s no decent comedy show on and the flagship documentary strands are becoming a joke. I suppose it’s that time of year, though.
No clue if it’s Channel 4 or ITC or BBC who filmed it originally, but I cannot pass up an ep of As Time Goes By even tho I’ve seen them all a gagillion times. Dame Judy and Geoff Palmer at their best. The only “grown-up” sit-com I’ve ever seen. The writers and the actors all loved the characters with all their hearts, you can tell.
But I am a serious Doctor Who and Torchwood addict. Yes, BBCA is expected to slice the latter to bits b/c there’s stuff in there that really should only be shown on HBO or Showtime, but then Sci Fi chops up the former now due to time constraints. But there is one brave, blessed soul in the U.K. who uploads both to YouTube as soon as they air so I’ve seen all of Torchwood uncut (damn, but Barrowman can snog!) and I’m currently watching the new season 3 of Doctor Who as fast as it comes up. This week’s ep isn’t up yet, and I’m waiting rather impatiently. (Don’t tell me about Bittorrent; it and my computer don’t agree.)