Cultural Matters: British television

To me, one of the most enjoyable aspects of travel is to immerse oneself into the culture before arriving at your destination. And for Britain, there are so many ways to do this – through books, magazines, radio (all BBC Radio programs are free on the web for Americans), films, and especially television. Much of British TV is available on DVD, Netflix, BBC America, or Youtube. The following are a few of the more popular shows currently enjoyed throughout Great Britain.

Preview of Winter 2010/11 Drama shows on BBC (including several from Scotland)

Winter BBC preview

Gavin and Stacey
This is a show about the romance between a young man (Gavin, played by Matthew Horne) from a middle class family in Essex (near London) and a working class girl (Stacey, played by Joana Page ) from Barry Island, Wales. Both sweet and darkly humorous, the show deals not only with their growing relationship, but the inevitable cultural clashes between their families and friends. Not only has this been a smash hit, but several Welsh slang terms (“Tidy”, Cracking,” and “What’s occurring?”) have become hip catch phrases in England. Rob Brydon (as Stacey's Welsh uncle Bryn), James Corden (as Gavin’s best friend Smithy) and Ruth Jones (as Stacey’s best friend Nessa) have become cult heroes, complete with a number 1 hit song last Spring. The show just completed its third (and final) season this past year. (In Britain, a season is called a series, and usually run from 6 to 13 shows). The first two seasons have been released in the U.S. on DVD.

Doctor Who
While the U.S. may have Star Trek and Star Wars, the British have Doctor Who, which in terms of longevity and fandom (if not always in budget or special effects) has us Yanks beat in spades. The cult show originally ran on the BBC (Britain’s premiere television channel) from 1963 to 1989, it was then revived in 2005 (and is still going strong) with better effects, larger budgets, and has become even more popular. The basic premise is that The Doctor (the title is in fact a question, as no one knows his real name) is a Time Lord, and pops around the universe in different time periods in his Tardis (disguised as a old English Police Call Box, several of which we will see in Edinburgh) to “fix” things. Along the way, he picks up companions and fights off enemies such as the Cybermen or the Daleks. And if mortally wounded, can regenerate into someone else (a nifty trick whenever they need to change actors.) One recent performer to play The Doctor was Scottish actor David Tennant (pictured above), who just ended his run on New Years Day 2010. This past year, Scottish writer and producer Stephen Moffat has taken over. Any American hoping to fit in with Scotland’s pop culture should know their Doctor Who.

Clip 1: His Name is the Doctor

Clip 2: The Lonely Angel (Doctor Who tribute video)

Clip 3: The very first opening theme (1963)

Life on Mars (followed by sequel Ashes to Ashes)
Named after a David Bowie song (as was its sequel), this police drama is about a police officer, Sam Tyler, (played by John Simm) who gets hit by a car in 2006 then wakes ups in 1973. In a world without cell phones, computers, DNA or the internet, he has to maneuver his way around Manchester’s police station while pleasing his boss, the wonderfully political incorrect Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). A fun show, with a sequel that takes place in the eighties.

Clip 1: First 3 minutes of first show

Clip 2: Funny moments from Life on Mars

Clip 3: Ashes to Ashes intro