Other Britains

Little Britain is a character-based sketch show first appearing on BBC radio and then television. It was written by and stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams. more...

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Its title is an amalgamation of the terms 'Little England' and 'Great Britain', and is also the name of a Victorian neighbourhood and modern street in London (and is also the name of a street in Dublin). An American version of the series will be made for HBO by Lucas and Walliams in 2008.

Many of the characters on the show have their own often-repeated catchphrases. Many have become well-known in the United Kingdom, and the show has gained a mainstream following.

History

Most of the TV material was adapted from the radio version, but with more emphasis on recurring characters and catchphrases. As a result of its success, the first television series was repeated on the more mainstream channel BBC Two. Although reactions were mixed, many critics were enthusiastic, and the show was commissioned for another run.

The second TV series, featuring several new characters, began on BBC Three October 19, 2004. Because of its popularity, the scheduled repeats were "promoted" to BBC One, starting December 3, 2004, which guaranteed higher ratings. However, the episodes were edited for their BBC One run, as the material was deemed too offensive for the BBC One audience.

A third series began on November 17, 2005 on BBC One, and ended six weeks later. After its transmission, it was unclear whether there would be another, as so many sketches were given dramatic twists and "wrapped up" — (see individual character articles). Lucas and Walliams were reportedly in talks for a fourth series with the BBC. Furthermore, they admitted in an interview they preferred to "kill off" certain characters in order to make way for new ones. As part of Red Nose Day 2007, BBC One broadcast sketches recorded at the live stage show version featuring the real Dennis Waterman as well as supermodel Kate Moss in sketches.

Radio 4 began a rerun of all nine episodes in February 2004. Unusually, this overlapped with a rerun on digital radio channel BBC 7 of the first five, which began in mid-March. In June–July 2004, BBC 7 broadcast the remaining four.

All the episodes for the series were filmed at Pinewood Studios.

Style and content

The format of the show is a compilation of short sketches featuring recurring characters, linked by narration from Tom Baker (most famous as the Fourth Doctor on Doctor Who). The voiceovers take a wry look at Britain, with comically absurd statements on the nation's character, such as, "Britain.... We've had running water for over 10 years, an underground tunnel linking us to Peru, and we invented the cat", or "Unlike other countries, Britain has people of two genders: women and men."

Read more at Wikipedia.org