British TV

Apart from my cat - sorry Mum, sorry Dad - there is probably only one other thing that I miss about not living in UK... and that's being able to watch British comedy and drama on the telly.

Since coming to Japan a year ago, I haven't been bothered to buy a television. Cynics amongst you will say that this is because I am lazy and cannot be bothered to learn the language...

Pah, stuff & nonsense I say!

The real reason is that there is nothing on Japanese TV except cookery and health programmes.... However, to be fair us Brits are not immune from crap TV, indeed the majority of programmes on the box these days are either made up of household make-over shows, gardening programmes or reality TV (or in some cases, a lethal combination of the three!)

However, amongst all this muck, there are a few gems, which many people missed, mainly because they were buried in late night scheduling. Here are a few of the shows I enjoyed and would whole-heartedly recommend:

• 15 Storeys High - the ultimate odd couple Vince (a miserable maudline misanthropewith, with no social graces to speak of) and Errol (a naive dreamer) share a bleak London flat. The show is both quirky, cynical and relies on observational humor to take the piss out of British culture (or lack o it). Check out this link for some mp3 downloads of the original radioshow that the TV programme was originally based on.

• Peep Show - in this show we share Jeremyand Mark's innner thoughts from a first person perspective - no matter how cringe making, stupid or banal they are. Hilarious stuff.
  

• Phoenix Nights - life in a northern town from the perspective of a working mens club promoter.
  

• Spaced - a really offbeat series detailing the lives of two underachievers thirtysomethings. Written by and starring Jessica Stevenson and Simon Pegg, who also starred in this year's romantic zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead.
  

• The Adam and Joe Show - zany wacky high jinx and puppetry to boot. What more do you want out of life?
  

Being out of the loop I don't know if there are any shows in particular that I am missing, but a few a few shows in particular have caught my eye such as The Smoking Room and A Cock and Bull Story (a.k.a. Tristem Shandy) by Michael Winterbottom!

If you've seen either of these or have any reccomendations that you'd like to share/ tape for me, then let me know.