Top 10 Greatest BBC Shows of All Time

Ask anyone you know who’s worked retail at some point in their lives, and they’ll likely have a ton of weird and wild stories. This is what makes the setting of a department store so much fun for a sitcom, and there are few programs that feature this sort of setting quite as beloved or iconic as “Are You Being Served?” The show was unafraid to go broad with their comedy, employing everything from eyebrow-raising sexual puns to over-the-top examples of slapstick and physical comedy. Sight gags were the norm, and “Are You Being Served?” revelled in being both silly and hilarious. So hilarious, in fact, that the show crossed over to countries all around the world, including the United States and Canada.

Fans are often very passionate about which version of “The Office” they prefer, so we’ll leave that debate for another day. What’s NOT up for debate, however, is how the original BBC iteration of “The Office” set the stage early on, and ended up becoming extremely popular after its initial run. Ricky Gervais’ and Stephen Merchant’s original vision may have only aired two series, but they remain imminently rewatchable slices of classic BBC television. Gervais is brilliant as David Brent, while the romance between Martin Freeman’s Tim and Lucy Davis’ Dawn is one that we still love to watch blossom so many years after “The Office” has its initial run.

The BBC possesses a rich history of outstanding science fiction programming, but “Red Dwarf” has to stand out among some of its best. Actually, what makes “Red Dwarf” so compelling isn’t so much the typical “monster-of-the-week” sci-fi tropes or any heavy action set-pieces, but rather the placing of traditional sitcom settings within the very UN-traditional setting of space. Additionally, the main plot of one David Lister being the last human left alive after spending three million years in stasis is a dark one, for sure, yet “Red Dwarf” still manages to retain so much humanity with its cast of holograms, mutants and clones.

The BBC version of “Sherlock” does so much right with its updating and modernizing of a classic character, while at the same time retaining one very important aspect of why we love Sherlock Holmes: figuring out his thought process. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman (hello, again!) are spectacular as Holmes and Watson, while “Sherlock” the series is this timeless sort of mystery program that keeps audiences compelled and enthralled the whole way. We also love how “Sherlock” balances respect for the history of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, while at the same time ensuring that the series never feels like a retread, and always remains fresh.

In the world of sketch comedy, there’s “Monty Python’s Flying Circus…” and then there’s everybody else. There was just nothing like this BBC show’s surreal and anarchic style of outlaw humour during this time, a bold and forward-thinking approach for each episode that somehow never became stale. “Monty Python” was art for art’s sake, sure, but at the same time it was also intentionally crass and simultaneously intellectual. It may sound like a contradiction, but the chaotic structure of each episode, combined with Terry Gilliam’s outlandish visuals, somehow made it all work. “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” was an assembly of bawdy sight-gags, high-brow ideals and imminently quotable dialogue. And we just love it to pieces.

It doesn’t matter whether you prefer the OG “Top Gear” that started back in the 1970s, or the updated iteration that airs today, “Top Gear” is absolutely a BBC institution. There’s a legacy of informative content that dates back decades with “Top Gear,” whether that be the car reviews and analysis of old, or the timed races that are filmed today. “Top Gear” has also featured its share of memorable and popular hosts over the years, consistently bringing its style of vehicular journalism, entertainment and humour to an audience at home and abroad.

Let’s be honest: all four series of “Blackadder” are brilliant, we admit we’re just a wee bit partial to the final series, “Blackadder Goes Forth.” We think you all know why, as well…because of that iconic finale. Balancing madcap humour, political commentary and the occasional dramatic scene can be difficult even for the most capable show writers, but there was something truly special about how this World War I tale finished things up. “Blackadder” jumped around throughout history during its run, but when the final episode, “Goodbyeee,” sees Captain Blackadder and crew going over the top and into battle, presumably to their deaths…well, they actually made history in the process.

Whereas “Are You Being Served?” would commonly show up in reruns on American Public Television, “Only Fools and Horses” seemed to be one of those quintessentially British shows that proved to be something of a cultural touchstone, something uniquely ours. The show was so popular that booster clubs were formed for fans who met, oftentimes with cast members, to celebrate their favourite show. Additionally, the slang used in “Only Fools and Horses,” like “plonker” and “lovely jubbly,” would wind up becoming so popular that it entered the cultural lexicon. Not too shabby for a humble little sitcom, eh?

Speaking of “Monty Python,” the troupe’s own John Cleese actually co-wrote our next entry with his first wife, Connie Booth. We’re speaking about “Fawlty Towers,” one of the BBC’s ultimate sitcom classics, and another crossover success across the pond in America. Cleese was reportedly inspired to write and star in the show after an experience visiting a hotel where the owner, in the words of one of his own staff, acted “as if he didn’t want the guests to be there.” The effect was sort of similar to the more modern British series “Black Books,” with the same occasionally dark humour, albeit tempered with a heavy dose of slapstick and farcical misunderstandings. We just loved seeing Cleese’s Basil Fawlty get his by the end of each episode.

Admit it: you all knew this was coming. Because what other BBC show could possibly take our top spot? “Doctor Who” isn’t only a BBC institution, it’s a British institution, a show that’s transcended the science fiction genre to become a subculture unto itself. Every Whovian has their own favourite iterations of The Doctor, their favourite companion and their favourite enemy. This is what helps make “Doctor Who” such a wondrous show in which to invest one’s time; the level of history and folklore associated with our favourite Time Lord and his journeys throughout the universe. Although, if we’re being honest? Tom Baker all the way!