Question on British TV

[Olaf]

I've recently switched cable companies and I'm very ticked off about not being able to get my BBC America. Silly cable has 200+ channels, but no BBC. BBC America has some really good shows on it and I'm going to miss it--my favs are Ground Force and So Grahm Norton (he's nutty). They are telling me that it should show up around Dec; not holding my breath.

Anyway, this got me thinking about American shows broadcast in the UK. I mean do you guys have anything like a BBC America ? I've been to England many times, but I've never really sat down and watched TV while there, although I did see some really funny commercials (much better than ours). Just curious.

 

[UKDEB]

We import hundreds (if not thousands) of shows from the US. Some which immediately spring to mind are:

Friends
Sex and the City
Buffy
X Files
Frasier
Married with Children
Home Improvement
Spin City
The Simpsons
South Park

We tend to get them once the season's at least half way through in the States.

 

[Goofyish]

The two US shoes that I like at the moment are Crime Scene Investigations and Law and Order.

We also get alot of US DIY programmes on the Discovery Channels - Hometime, New Yankee Workshop, This Old House etc. - I love em (sad ).

and the most importtant US import is live baseball every Sunday and Wednesday

 

[Dave Cousins]

We also get....

NBC
Fox News
David Letterman
Becker
Dharma & Greg
The West Wing
ER

To put it simply, we get all of your major TV Shows although we are usually several months behind your broadcast schedule. With the exception of David Letterman, we only are a day behind on that one

Hope that helps,
Dave

 

[lisag1]

Also we get...

The Sopranos
Six feet under
24

Ooh I'll have to get my thinking cap on for any other recent ones.

Lisa

 

[shooter364]

Hello Steph,

I see that you are a fellow fan of BBC America! I am so glad to hear it... when I mention it to pepople I work with, I always get blank stares.

I love a many of the shows on BBC America, and I just found out yesterday that my fav show (Monarch of The Glen) will begin it's next season here on 18th August.

 

[Olaf]

Wow, I had no idea that you got so many American shows over there. Are they all on one channel? Do you have to get cable/dish to receive them. About the only places we can see your programs is on BBC America or PBS (public broadcasting system). Which is really a pity because you do have some good shows.

I had to laugh when I looked at the list. It made me wonder what someone who had never been to the US must think of us and our culture. I mean I hope they don't think that single American girls think/talk about sex non stop, that Al Bundy represents working-class American men, that Americans of Italian descent living in New Jersey aren't all mobsters, etc. Makes one wonder.

I can't imagine why anyone in the UK would be interested in our news (FOX). Do people really watch it?

Goffyish, I'm a Law and Order fan too. I'm also addicted to HGTV (Home & Garden TV), which has a lot of those home shows on it.

Shooter, you'll be happy to know that when I complained to our cable company about the lack of BBC America, they informed me that they are getting tons of calls everyday requesting it. So it sounds as if some people are seeing the light.


Thanks to everyone who replied.

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

Steph - just gotten into Scrubs over here . And I CANNOT miss ER, even the re-runs on the afternoons at present!!

(Is there a theme here, she thinks, with the medical shows - sure, that makes sense as I'm White Coat Phobic . . terrified of anything medical ).

 

[Janice]

Has anyone seen Judge Judy?? That is on ITV2 - she makes me bust! I think she is so funny - I cant work out if it's for real or a set up? Anyone know??

We also get Oprah, Roseanne, Montell something or other, and what about Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! (LOL)

CNN, CBS, Fox too.

Friends is my favourite - along with ER

 

[Olaf]

Oh no! Please tell me you don't get Jerry! How embarrassing! American culture at its finest.

As far as I know Judge Judy is the real thing. We need more like her.

 

[lisag1]

and

Sally Jesse, Montel Williams, Ricki Lake. Then there was that show with the 8 couples who were split up onto two different islands, was it called Temptation Island?

So what other UK shows do you get??

Lisa

 

[Claire Chatts]

Friends!!! Best show going!!

I'm a real fan of the Paramount channel on Sky, get lots of shows including Friends, Frasier, Mad about you, old Roseanne's, Mash etc

Anyone else see *******? Mad americans!!!!

 

[WDWfan uk]

...... Judge Judy - the boys were fascinated with this programme which they saw on our trip to Canada ( just returned) ......... we couldn't believe how many Courtroom Judges have programmes!! They were also glued to Judge Mills Lane ( I must admit, once you start watching it is really fascinating!!) I'll bet his prog makes it's wy here too!

Don't they show Judge Judy really really late here?

BTW, we weren't impressed with the replacement for the Weakest Link!

 

[shooter364]

From the UK we get: Ballykissangel, British Men Behaving Badly, Can't Cook/Won't cook, Monarch of The Glen, The Sins, Jonathan Creek, Parkinson, So Graham Norton, Eastenders, Coupling, Coronation Street, Clocking Off, Glasgow Kiss... all of which were on BBC America.

On other channels we get: Prime Minister's Questions (I try not to miss that), Chef! (I like that one too), Absolutely Fabulous, French and Saunders... and I am sure that there are others.

We like British telly in our house... probably because my mrs lived in the uk for a long time, that and the fact that I watched the Benny Hill show a lot when I was a boy.

 

[UKDEB]

Originally posted by Olaf

I hope they don't think that single American girls think/talk about sex non stop, that Al Bundy represents working-class American men

You mean they don't?!!!!

Love <b>This Old House with Steve and Norm</b>. And surely Norm doesn't really make all that stuff on <b>New Yankee Workshop</b>?! Talk about making you feel totally inadequate!! Mind you, he must have every piece of woodworking equipment in the universe!

Oh, and love Bob Villa - <i>"It's good to have you Home Again!"</i>

 

[Barnsey]

I was quite suprised when I went to Orlando in May, got to the hotel, into the room, crashed on the bed and turned on the telly. Suddenly, i noticed that "keeping up appearences" was on, i thought i had entered the twilight zone. Then I realised that it was a local tv network which showed BBC America programs. I think the channel was called WMFE.

Other programs included "To the Manor born", "are you being served", "my hero" and reallyold repeats of "antiques roadshow".

Just a shame "some mothers do av'e em" wasn't on

 

[lenny l]

deleted

 

[Dimplenose]

We just have the basic 5 channels and we see a lot of American programmes. Just recently there have been a lot of extra cartoons for the school holidays. My DD particularly likes Arthur, but we also get Rugrats, Recess, Superdooper Sumos (you name it we show it to our kids!)

What is irritating is when we are shown them at the wrong time of year. This week we've seen the Christma edition of Fresh Prince of Bel Air and the Christmas Superdooper Sumos. You'd think the TV companies would keep them for 4 months longer!!

Libby

 

[LindseyUK]

Maury....Maury.....Maury
he's the best- I'm watching him on "Living" right now!

 

[Hannahsmom]

I just want to add my personal favorite, Changing Rooms!!! We get it on BBC America and I LOVE this show. It is much better than our version Trading Spaces. The people are so honest when it comes to not liking their re-decorated rooms, I especially like it when they disagree with the designer. Everyone on Trading Spaces are always so nice, and try not to offend anyone.

Hannahsmom