Best tv shows like Are You Being Served?
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Classic comedy set in fading department store Grace Brothers.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 28 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, retro, hilarious, double entendre, realistic, witty, talky, not serious, fun
Best tv shows and movies like Are You Being Served? (1972):
Similar in 80%
Are You Being Served? (1977)
Plot Summary:
The clothing department's floor requires renovation; rather than let the staff sit idle while the area is closed off, the management sends them on a paid holiday in Costa Plonka, a fictional city in Spain. Their hotel and its surroundings prove to be dismal, and the group tries to pass the time by acting on the crushes they have developed for one another in the workplace. This results in disaster, as multiple amorous notes reach the wrong recipients and everyone gets wrong ideas about who fancies whom. Meanwhile, Carlos, the hotel manager receives an unwelcome visit from an old acquaintance, Cesar Rodriguez, who is after Mrs. Slocombe after seeing her passport. He is also plotting a revolutionary uprising and wants to use the hotel as his base.
IMDB Rating: 6.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, witty, talky, not serious, biting, independent film, suspense
Similar in 77%
'Allo 'Allo! (1982)
Plot Summary:
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. The story is set up in a small town café in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army. 'Allo, 'Allo! was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first six seasons. The remaining seasons were written by Lloyd and Paul Adam. In 2004, 'Allo 'Allo came 13th in Britain's Best Sitcom. A reunion special, comprising new material, archive clips and specially recorded interviews, was broadcast on 28 April 2007 on BBC Two.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 27000
Genere: Comedy, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: sitcom, slapstick comedy, parody, humorous, surreal, double entendre, dark comedy, realistic, not serious, black comedy
Similar in 84%
You Rang, M'Lord? (1988)
Plot Summary:
You Rang M'Lord? is a British comedy series written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Hi-de-Hi! It was broadcast between 1990 and 1993 on the BBC. The show was a comedy set in the house of an aristocratic family in the 1920s, contrasting the upper-class family and their servants in a house in London, along the same lines as the popular drama Upstairs, Downstairs. The series featured many actors who had also appeared in their earlier series, notably Paul Shane, Jeffrey Holland and Su Pollard, all of whom had previously been in Perry and Croft's holiday camp sitcom, Hi-de-Hi!. Also featured were Donald Hewlett and Michael Knowles from Perry and Croft's It Ain't Half Hot Mum, and Bill Pertwee and occasionally Frank Williams from Dad's Army. The memorable 1920s-style theme tune was sung by Bob Monkhouse. Episodes of You Rang M'Lord? were fifty minutes long, rather than the usual thirty, and attempted to introduce a more reflective approach and more complex plotting than other Croft and Perry series. There was also less reliance on filmed location sequences.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, not serious, realistic, witty
Similar in 90%
NileCity 105.6 (1995)
Plot Summary:
Nile City is the perfect series to watch if you want to know how the Swedish society looked like in the early 1990's. The show is about a commercial radio-station and commercial radio-stations weren't allowed in Sweden until the period in witch the show takes place.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: Sweden
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: sitcom, dark comedy, offbeat, humorous, realistic, talky, not serious, spoof, parody
Similar in 82%
Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979)
Plot Summary:
Attention, comedy fans: NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS is the real thing. This is scathing, no-holds-barred Brit humor at its best. Rapid-fire skits starring Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) are as politically incorrect as they are side-bustingly funny, sparing no one as they take on the British Royal Family, Margaret Thatcher, Scotland Yard, country music, Christianity, devil worship, punk rock and bathroom etiquette. NOT THE NINE O'CLOCK NEWS is so irreverent that when the pilot was due to air in April 1979, the BBC cancelled it due to its incendiary political content. When at last it aired, the greatest comedy group to hit England since Monty Python's Flying Circus stormed the airwaves and revolutionized British and American television alike. Discover the show that set the standard for the anarchic cynicism that defined the alternative comedy of the 80's.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: sketch comedy, humorous, political, sitcom, parody, realistic, witty, not serious, spoof, vintage
Similar in 82%
Steptoe and Son (1962)
Plot Summary:
Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father and son played by Wilfred Brambell and Harry H. Corbett who deal in selling used items. They live on Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old Ned", was composed by Ron Grainer. The series was voted 15th in a 2004 BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom. It was remade in the US as Sanford and Son, in Sweden as Albert & Herbert and in the Netherlands as Stiefbeen en zoon. In 1972 a movie adaptation of the series, Steptoe and Son, was released in cinemas, with a second Steptoe and Son Ride Again in 1973. The series focussed on the inter-generational conflict of father and son. Albert Steptoe, a "dirty old man", is an old rag and bone man, set in his grimy and grasping ways. By contrast his 37-year-old son Harold is filled with social aspirations, not to say pretensions. The show contained elements of drama and tragedy, as Harold was continually prevented from achieving his ambitions. To this end the show was unusual at the time for casting actors rather than comedians in its lead roles, although both actors were drawn into more comedic roles as a consequence.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: sitcom, dark comedy, clever, touching, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, melancholic
Similar in 89%
Open All Hours (1976)
Plot Summary:
Open All Hours is a BBC sitcom written by Roy Clarke and starring Ronnie Barker as a miserly shop keeper and David Jason as his put-upon nephew who works as his errand boy. It ran for 26 episodes in four series, which premiered in 1976, 1981, 1982 and 1985 respectively. The programme developed from a television pilot broadcast in Barker's comedy anthology series, Seven of One. Open All Hours ranked eighth in the 2004 Britain's Best Sitcom poll.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, realistic, contemplative, semi serious
Similar in 75%
Are You Being Served? Again! (1992)
Plot Summary:
Grace & Favour is a British sitcom sequel to the long-running series Are You Being Served? It aired on BBC1 for two series from 1992 to 1993 and marked the return of Are You Being Served? creators and writers Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 26 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, realistic, semi serious, double entendre, campy
Similar in 90%
Dinnerladies (1998)
Plot Summary:
Dinnerladies is a BBC sitcom written by and starring Victoria Wood that chronicles the antics of a group of workers in a canteen in the north of England. Bren tries to maintain a semblance of order in amongst the chaos, while dealing with the canteen supervisor, slightly sex-obsessed cancer sufferer Tony. Dolly and Jean are the bickering menopausal older women, always at odds but best friends beneath it all. Then there's thick-as-two-short-planks Anita, and the terminally uninterested Twinkle, more concerned with having a good time than anything else. Making up the motley crew are military man handyman Stan, all rules and regulations, and ditzy Philippa, who never seems to get anything right.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 34 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 78%
The Brittas Empire (1991)
Plot Summary:
The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Chris Barrie plays Gordon Brittas, the well-meaning but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. The show ran for seven series and 53 episodes — including two Christmas specials — from 1991 to 1997 on BBC1. Norriss and Fegen wrote the first five series, after which they left the show. The Brittas Empire enjoyed a long and successful run throughout the 1990s, and gained itself large mainstream audiences. In 2004 the show came 47th on the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll, and all series have been released on DVD. The creators Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen often combine farce with either surreal or dramatic elements in episodes. For example in the first series, the leisure centre prepares for a royal visit, only for the doors to seal, the boiler room to flood and a visitor to become electrocuted. Unlike the traditional sitcom, deaths were quite common in The Brittas Empire.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, surprise ending, humorous, realistic, not serious, fun
Similar in 80%
FM (2009)
Plot Summary:
FM is a British sitcom which aired on ITV2, starring Chris O'Dowd, Kevin Bishop and Nina Sosanya. The series followed the lives of two DJs and their producer on their FM radio programme, "Skin 86.5 FM". The show also featured music from real-life artists and guest stars from the music industry. The first episode aired on 25 February 2009 and the series ran for 6 episodes. It broadcast on Wednesdays at 22:30. The series launched with 213,000 viewers. The whole series was re-run on Friday 3 April from 22:00 until 01:00. On 13 April 2009 the series was released on DVD with a BBFC rating of 15. ITV Studios began searching for funding from record companies and radio stations to produce a second series for the show.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 485
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, not serious, sitcom, dark comedy
Similar in 78%
Yes, Prime Minister (1986)
Plot Summary:
James Hacker MP the Government's bumbling minister for Administrative Affairs is propelled along the corridors of power to the very pinnacle of politics - No. 10. Could this have possibly have been managed by his trusted Permanent Private Secretary, the formidably political Sir Humphrey Appleby who must move to the “Top Job” in Downing Street to support him, together with his much put upon PPS Bernard Wolley. What could possibly go wrong?.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, political, political thriller, satirical, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, talky, cynical
Similar in 75%
Yes Minister (1980)
Plot Summary:
Set principally in the private office of a British Cabinet minister in the Department of Administrative Affairs in Whitehall, Yes Minister follows the ministerial career of The Rt Hon Jim Hacker MP, played by Paul Eddington. His various struggles to formulate and enact legislation or effect departmental changes are opposed by the British Civil Service, in particular his Permanent Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, played by Nigel Hawthorne. His Principal Private Secretary Bernard Woolley, played by Derek Fowlds, is usually caught between the two. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, continued with the same cast and followed the events of the premiership of Jim Hacker after his unexpected elevation to Number 10 upon the resignation of the previous PM.
IMDB Rating: 8.7
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, political, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, political thriller, satirical, parody, talky
Similar in 80%
My Family (2000)
Plot Summary:
My Family is a British sitcom created and initially co-written by Fred Barron, which was produced by DLT Entertainment and Rude Boy Productions, and broadcast by BBC One for eleven series between 2000 and 2011, with Christmas specials broadcast from 2002 onwards. My Family was voted 24th in the BBC's "Britain's Best Sitcom" in 2004 and was the most watched sitcom in the United Kingdom in 2008. As of 2011, it is one of only twelve British sitcoms to pass the 100 episode mark. Set in Chiswick in west London, it stars Robert Lindsay as Ben Harper, Zoë Wanamaker as his wife Susan, and Kris Marshall, Daniela Denby-Ashe and Gabriel Thomson as their children; Nick, Janey and Michael, respectively. Since the show’s debut, several characters have left and, equally, several new characters have been introduced. The character of Janey left in 2002; however, she returned in 2004 and remained until the end. Kris Marshall’s character, Nick, left in 2005 and did not return. The character of Abi, as played by Siobhan Hayes, was introduced in 2002 and left in 2008. The characters of Roger and Alfie were introduced in 2003 and 2005, respectively, as played by Keiron Self and Rhodri Meilir.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, not serious, realistic, witty, hilarious, cynical, fun, mad
Similar in 90%
Only Fools and Horses (1981)
Plot Summary:
The misadventures of two wheeler dealer brothers Del Boy and Rodney Trotter of “Trotters Independent Traders PLC” who scrape their living by selling dodgy goods believing that next year they will be millionaires.
IMDB Rating: 9.0
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 95 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, realistic, witty, semi serious, hilarious, psychedelic, deep, cult classic, clever
Similar in 79%
Fawlty Towers (1975)
Plot Summary:
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television that was first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Twelve episodes were made. The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom also starred in the show. The series is set in Fawlty Towers, a fictional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay, on the "English Riviera". The plots centre around tense, rude and put-upon owner Basil Fawlty, his bossy wife Sybil, a comparatively normal chambermaid Polly, and hapless Spanish waiter Manuel and their attempts to run the hotel amidst farcical situations and an array of demanding and eccentric guests. In a list drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted by industry professionals, Fawlty Towers was named the best British television series of all time.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 99000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, hilarious, feel good, witty, not serious, funny, atmospheric, sweet, entertaining
Similar in 84%
Trollied (2011)
Plot Summary:
Set in Valco, a fictional budget supermarket in the north west of England, Trollied finds the funny in one of our most familiar surroundings and focuses on the types of characters we all recognise: bored checkout staff, ineffectual managers and a range of customers, from the irate to the downright bizarre.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 26 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, not serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973)
Plot Summary:
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em is a BBC situation comedy, written by Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice. It was first broadcast in 1973 and ran for three series, ending in 1978. The series follows the accident-prone Frank Spencer and his tolerant, if long-suffering, wife, Betty, through Frank's various attempts to hold down a job, which frequently end in disaster. Noted for its stuntwork, performed by Michael Crawford himself as well as featuring various well-remembered catchphrases, the series was voted #22 in the BBC's poll "Britain's Best Sitcom".
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, not serious, humorous, realistic, melancholic, touching, captivating, atmospheric, offbeat, slapstick
Similar in 89%
The Benny Hill Show (1969)
Plot Summary:
The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show that starred Benny Hill and aired in various incarnations between 15 January 1955 and 30 May 1991 in over 140 countries. The show focused on sketches that were full of slapstick, mime, parody, and double-entendre. Thames Television cancelled production of the show in 1989 due to declining ratings and large production costs at £450,000 per show.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: parody, sketch comedy, sitcom, offbeat, controversial, slapstick, double entendre, naughty, sexy, humorous
Similar in 78%
Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999)
Plot Summary:
Linda La Hughes (Kathy Burke) shares a flat with Tom Farrell (James Dreyfus). Linda is overweight, loudmouthed and not particularly attractive. She thinks she's gorgeous and irrestible, however. She's also sex mad and obsessed with men. Tom is an aspiring actor. He's got an agent, but finds it difficult to get parts. He doesn't like Linda much, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the fact that they share a flat. She isn't completely comfortable with his homosexuality, perhaps because she finds it difficult to live with a man who doesn't find her sexually attractive.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 34 min
Plot tags: sitcom, double entendre, surreal, offbeat, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, neo screwball comedy, campy
Similar in 89%
Siblings (2014)
Plot Summary:
Each week, through their own selfishness and idiocy, we see Hannah and Dan — the worst brother and sister in the world — spectacularly wreck the lives of those around them — old friends, love interests, family members, and the unlucky individuals who just happen to cross their paths.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, not serious, entertaining, captivating, hilarious, realistic
Similar in 82%
Miranda (2009)
Plot Summary:
Socially inept Miranda always gets into awkward situations; working in her joke shop with best friend Stevie, being hounded by her pushy mother, and especially when she's around her crush Gary.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, atmospheric, hilarious, feel good, game show
Similar in 83%
Herman's Head (1991)
Plot Summary:
Herman's Head is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from September 8, 1991 until April 21, 1994. The series was created by Andy Guerdat and Steve Kreinberg, and produced by Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Touchstone Television. William Ragsdale stars as the titular character, Herman Brooks.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, witty, not serious, light, hilarious, psychological, clever
Similar in 85%
The IT Crowd (2006)
Plot Summary:
UK Comedy series about two I.T. nerds and their clueless female manager, who work in the basement of a very successful company. When they are called on for help, they are never treated with any respect at all.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 162000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 25 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, witty, not serious, realistic, funny, controversial, dark comedy, hilarious, clever
Similar in 77%
PhoneShop (2009)
Plot Summary:
PhoneShop is a British sitcom that was first broadcast on Channel 4 as a television pilot on 13 November 2009, as part of the channel's Comedy Showcase season of comedy pilots. It was then followed by a six-episode series that was commissioned on E4 and broadcasting began on 7 October 2010.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, captivating, light, feel good, entertaining, realistic, not serious, fun
Similar in 81%
Reggie Perrin (2009)
Plot Summary:
Reggie Perrin is a modern update of the 1970s BBC sitcom The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, which starred Leonard Rossiter. The revival stars Martin Clunes and was first broadcast on 24 April 2009. Series 1 was released on DVD in Region 2 by 2entertain on 1 June 2009.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 768
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, light, feel good, captivating, realistic, witty, semi serious
Similar in 80%
White Van Man (2011)
Plot Summary:
The incredible misadventures of two handymen on the road and the extraordinary people they meet along the way.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 618
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, captivating, light, feel good, realistic, not serious
Similar in 90%
British Men Behaving Badly (1992)
Plot Summary:
Men Behaving Badly is a British sitcom that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang and his flatmates, Dermot Povey and Tony Smart. It was first broadcast on ITV in 1992. A total of six series were made along with a Christmas special and three final episodes that make up the feature-length "last orders". The series was filmed in and around Ealing in west London and the final scene of series six was filmed at the Cerne Abbas giant. The setting however is implied to be South London and many references are made to Surrey. It was produced by Hartswood Films, and Thames Television co-produced the first two series for ITV. They also assisted with production of the third series onwards that aired on the BBC. After being moved to a post-watershed slot on BBC1, Men Behaving Badly became highly successful. It was voted the best sitcom in the BBC's history at BBC Television's 60th anniversary celebrations in 1996. It also came sixteenth in the Britain's Best Sitcom poll commissioned in 2004 on BBC2. It has also won the Comedy Awards' best ITV comedy, and the first National Television Award for Situation Comedy.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: sitcom, humorous, talky, not serious, realistic, witty, offbeat, sexual, sexy
Similar in 79%
Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge (2010)
Plot Summary:
Famous DJ Alan Partridge gives us an insight into what happens behind the microphone at North Norfolk digital radio.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 23 min
Plot tags: clever, humorous, not serious, realistic, witty, talky, sitcom, offbeat, cynical
Similar in 80%
W1A (2014)
Plot Summary:
The follow-up to 'Twenty Twelve' as Ian Fletcher takes up the position of 'Head of Values' at the BBC. His task is to clarify, define, or re-define the core purpose of the BBC across all its functions and to position it confidently for the future, in particular for Licence Fee Renegotiation and Charter Renewal in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: sitcom, mockumentary, humorous, semi serious, light, feel good, realistic, talky