The Brill and the Aggro - The British Invasion

The Office. The Daily Show. Sanford and Son.

What do these three seemingly unrelated shows have to do with each other?

Is it that they're funny? That they deal with important issues like race, bigotry, and ignorance? That funny front men do inappropriate things?

How about they all hail from a small island in the northern Atlantic where the inhabitants drink tea and use proper grammar? Yes, that's right. Your favourite (as the Brits might spell it) television shows have their roots from Merrie Olde England. If it wasn't apparent with the recent super bands (Coldplay, Radiohead, Snow Patrol), then maybe it's the encroaching fashion. In any case, they came. They saw. They inserted their oddball humour.


The craze started as early as the 1960's and '70's when shows like Sanford and Son emerged after the British Steptoe and Son. Both dealt with racial bigotry and socioeconomic class, sure, but there is the whole accent thing to get around.

Big fan of TLC? Then you'd be a fan of the BBC as well; nearly all of TLC's programming has its roots in British television, from Trading Spaces (British alias Trading Places - see what they did there?) to the more famous What Not to Wear. The British version of the aforementioned is not nearly as polite. The brazen co-hosts, Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, have no qualms against breaking into the victim's changing room and pointing out vast amounts of "poodge" that a pair of capri's are causing. Americans Stacy London and Clinton Kelly tend to tone it down and allow their guests to keep as much dignity as possible. Shut up, Stacy! I'm not even kidding!

And those of you who avidly watch the crazy antics of Jim, Pam, and Michael Scott? It started as the crazy antics of Tim, Emma, and David Brent. Only after a few desperate years did the comedy get transposed for American audiences. (And beer me strength, it did). The quirks and comedy was obviously adapted for American audiences, the insane accents, the obscure slang and the like.

So next time you're enjoying one of the Davids singing on American Idol, remember that it was Pop Idol first; Simon Cowell still offered his capriciously thorny criticisms; the only difference is the contestants on Pop Idol could understand him. So crack open a nice cold Magner's hard cider, pop on the BBC, and keep tuned, in a year or two you might be seeing a doppelganger show stateside.

Quote of the Day: "Bears. Britain. Battlestar Galactica."