My Favorite British Shows that My U.S. Friends Should Be Watching

Since moving to the UK, I've been sampling British TV shows to become more immersed in the British culture. While I'm sure most familiar with greats like Dr. Who (available here), Downton Abbey (available here), and Sherlock (available here), there are so many more British TV shows worthy of an American audience. Lucky for you, you don't have to travel all the way to England to watch some of my favorite shows because many of them are now available in the U.S. on Netflix, Hulu/ Hulu Plus and YouTube. Here are some of my favorites in no particular order:

8. Miranda
http://www.hulu.com/miranda

Written and staring the hilarious Miranda Hart, this show follows clumsy and single Miranda who works in a joke shop, is in love with her friend, Gary, and has a mother who is forever trying to marry her off.

7. Pramface
http://www.hulu.com/pramface

This comedy follows the lives of 16 year old, Jamie, and 18 year old, Laura who becomes pregnant after a drunken one-night stand.

6. Inbetweeners (UK)
http://www.hulu.com/the-inbetweeners and http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Inbetweeners/70157196?trkid=2361637

A hilarious comedy about a group of four high-school aged friends coming of age in suburban England.

5. Spaced
http://www.hulu.com/spaced and
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Spaced/70220281?trkid=2361637

We all know Simon Pegg and Nick Frost from Shawn of the Dead. But before Shawn of the Dead, the duo starred in the TV show, Spaced. This show is about two twenty-somethings who pretend to be a couple so that they can rent a London apartment. This show is filled with pop culture and sci-fi references. A must watch for any Shawn of the Dead fan.

4. Shameless (U.K)
http://www.hulu.com/shameless and http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Shameless/70175669?trkid=2361637

Before James McAvoy was an Oscar winner, he was on the TV show Shameless with his real-life wife, Anne-Marie Duff. Similar to the U.S. adaptation, this show follows the Gallagher family who live in the slums of Manchester.

3. The I.T. Crowd
http://www.hulu.com/the-it-crowd and http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_IT_Crowd/70140450?trkid=2361637

This comedy follows a pair of basement dwelling dweebs and their social climbing 'manager' as they face off against their tech illiterate bosses. This is classic!

2. Call The Midwife
http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Call_the_Midwife/70245163?trkid=8133737

This drama is sent in the 1950s in London's East End and follows the lives of new midwife, Jenny Lee, and the colleagues and nuns she works with (you may also recognize Miranda Hart from Miranda in this cast).

1. The Great British Sewing Bee
Episode 1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF1O0W5TDuE

In this reality series amateur sewers complete challenges in order to be named Britain's best home sewer. The show also features brief mini-tutorials to encourage it's audience to complete their own sewing projects. Amongst the cast is Tilly of the blog Tilly and the Buttons.
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Also worth mentioning:

Land Girls (I haven't watched this yet, but it's in my Instant Queue) http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Land_Girls/70221085?trkid=1457044

The Fall (Ever wonder what happened to Gillian Anderson since the X-Files? Here she is.) http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Fall/70272726?trkid=7115812

Luther (I've heard good things) http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Luther/70175633?trkid=7036048

Being Human (UK) (I watched the first 2 seasons before I felt that this show 'jumped the shark'.) http://www.hulu.com/being-human-uk

Coming Soon:

Moone Boy http://www.hulu.com/moone-boy