Bottom

Bottom (1991-95) 

Bottom is a showcase for bawdy rudeness and slapstick. But the backbone of the humor is more often in the language, specifically Richie's malaprops and double entendres. 
Half the fun of the show is watching people so stupid, they don't realize the language mistakes they're making. Even without the vocabulary and cultural familiarity, it's quite fun to watch two characters who're such obvious imbeciles. Interestingly I found through research that any number of the slang words in BOTTOM originated from around 1927-35.


Here's a Clever Americans vocab brushup:

S2 Ep.1 - DIGGER:
Wriggle: generally means 'hurry up', but in Richard's case - any form of making contact with his genitals
Wazzo: large (breasts). One of the many Richardisms in the show. Maybe based on a female comic book character of old named Tinya Wazzo.
Sarson's: a brand of vinegar
Tizer: a brand of 'citrus & red fruit' soft drink (sold with the slogan 'Tizer the Appetizer')
Ta: thanks
Polo: mints with a hole in the middle (similar design to Lifesavers candy)
Pomme de Terre: another Richardism. Actually means fruit of the earth, potato or potato pie. Likely used because it 'sounds' aristocratic.
Berk-shire: a play on the word berk - meaning stupid person. (Berkshire is an actual county in England)
Twat-shire: twat, being an obnoxiously stupid person (not an actual place)
Hors d'oeuvre: mispronounced so Richard thinks Eddie is calling the lady a whore
Snog: passionate kiss
Wolf: to gorge on all the food and bevs in sight (which Natasha actually does during the fight)
Pork: rude word for sexual intercourse
Portion: slang for sexual intercourse, popularized by Cornish comedian 'Jethro' (Geoffrey J Rowe)
Have It Off: have sex
Atmos: short for: atmosphere
Mo: short for: moment
A Bientot: 'see you soon' in French
Bein Toe: another Richardism. What he imagines is a kinky sex technique.
Saucy: sexy
On The Make: 1) Aggressively striving for financial or social improvement 2) eagerly seeking a sexual partner.
Whippet: a miniature breed of a greyhound; known to move absurdly fast
Hotting Up: same as: heating up
Flick the V's: to give someone a V sign using two fingers indicating 'Up Yours'
Back To Front: in the wrong order; the wrong way around

S2 Ep.3 - BURGLARY:

Car-swapping Party: Eddie is conflating two things together: the more antiquated wife-swapping party where car keys are put into a bowl, then blindly selected to determine who they're going home with / and the more modern practice of dogging where women in parked cars have sex with random men who hang around the car park. Though Eddie's knowledge is often lacking and he is entirely drunk in this scene - it becomes apparent he's lying to Richard to see if he can get away with his indiscretion.

Banter: playfully witty chat, good-naturedly make fun of someone

Bereft of Ribs: lacking ribs. In this case, as a result of a good ribbing - being made fun of

Dally (with the truth): wasting time (with the truth)

Lamb & Flag: a pub in Covent Garden

Bang (next to): immediately, smack or right (next to)

Neptune's Pantry: a food truck that serves Fish & Chips

Squirreling Around: erratic behavior

I'm Off Out: going out, but not to the place you would normally go

Ta-ra: good-bye (considered more of Northern phrase, as Ta-ta is generally more Southern UK)

Effing: originally a censored way to say 'fucking', in modern usage has achieved popularity in it's own right

Cleared the Decks: prepared for action

Hoovered: vacuumed

Had a Go: tried or attempted (Have a Go At: to strongly criticize someone)

Righty-ho: gladly, certainly (a variant on 'righty-o')

Do Your Balls Hang Low: Richie does The Sailor's Hornpipe song and dance, whose steps imitate the life and duties of a sailor (as he's about to hoist Eddie)

Selina: most likely refers to TV presenter Selina Scott, a major figure in the launch of breakfast TV (since the boys seem to be obsessed with TV presenters)

Do Your Worst: bring it on; literally - do the worst you can 

Slanty-eyed Fiend: likely refers to the British campaign in Burma during WWII, and being captured and tortured

"Good evening your majesty. I can see you pants from here": likely a reference to Michael Fagan breaking into the Queen's bedroom in 1982; she was wearing a knee-length nightie at the time. Important to note that Brits call your undergarments 'pants' and the top layer 'trousers'.

Drawing Room: is a Victorian term for what is now a reception room, in modern usage; day room or lounge. The term originates from 'Withdrawing Room' which was where the ladies went when the gentlemen wanted to smoke and drink. (recurrently made light of: sketching room, colouring-in room)

Lounge: see Drawing Room (above). Richie's other suggestions 'snug' and 'saloon' both refer to places on would drink. 

That's That Sorted: taken care of, finished and done

Cricket: a ball, bat and running game whose origins precede American baseball by about 200 years

Love truncheon: 1880s slang for penis

Wickets: wicket being the bat used to play Cricket.

Chesterfield: Richie language again, in that he says "…it sounded like the Chesterfield" and Eddie understands him to mean that the sound came from the small town in Derbyshire ("No, it's not that far away"). Of course, 'Chesterfield' is mainly used in Canada, while 'sofa' or 'settee' are the terms used in England, but then what Richie is identifying sounds nothing like a sofa - so he's not even getting that right. Then followed by a joke incorporating Sheffield as the name of a type of furniture (which it isn't)

Chuck: toss, throw

Lempsip: a hot lemon cold and flu remedy

Snowballing Heroin: Richie again, trying to say 'eight-balling' but getting one of the terms for Cocaine (snow) mixed up in the phrase

Bisodol:  indigestion relief tablets ("...should get them on the move")

Leicester: a city in the Midlands of England

Carrycot: a type of portable baby bassinet that can be attached to wheels (replaced today by the baby car seat)
Buggered: sodomized

Sounds like the Sheffield: a continuation of the boys misnaming furniture after locations (might have double meaning since Sheffield have some of the more notoriously loud football fans)

Hammersmith Hard Men - another in a list of cities in this episode, 'hard men' are tough guys who don't back down from fights

Big Bottom: refers to his ass, buttocks - the name of the show; which is itself referring to their place in the bottom (lowest) class, as well as conjuring up the idea of buttocks.

My Medicine: is Richie misunderstanding the phrase "give him a bit of his own medicine"

Blu-Tack (instead of rope): a reusable adhesive putty, generally not useful for holding up anything heavier than a poster of your favorite band

Crap Idea: bullshit, a stupid idea

Joshing: kidding, fooling

Chief: can be both respectful of someone or mean they're overly bossy

Punky: Richie gets it wrong again - the term he was aiming for was 'punk'

Sellotape: a Uk brand of cellophane tape, sticky tape, transparent plastic tape

Make him Sweat: an interrogation technique involving psychological pressure - but Eddie thinks it means the physical discomfort of feeling hot

Ritchie's 'slapping about a bit' looks like 'tossing off' to Eddie

Turned Up: arrived

Brookside kind of Man: Brookside was a UK soap opera that pursued gritty, realistic storylines

Git-faced: annoying

Scarredy-cat: easily frightened

Turnips: a 'turnip' is slang for idiot, but of course Richie pluralized it (showing he's not entirely certain what he's saying) 

Flog it Off: get rid of something by selling it, pawn it

Dusky: a term originating in the 1820s referring to someone with darker skin tones. Can be used to be racist, but Richie is using it to mean 'sultry'

Young Maidens: ancient term meaning young unmarried women

Slap-Up Grill: an especially large and delicious meal

The old Fish Fingers: this has any number of possible meanings: a misunderstood  'drink with the fishes reference', referring to the horrible frozen fish fingers from another episode of the show, there's even a sexual connotation

Lost three Stone: Eddie means he lost a specific amount of weight, but Richie could be misunderstanding it as slang for testicles

Bunged Up: means blocked (like your nose when you have a cold), also means to damage in a fight

Bogies: Richie is referring to the police, but the term originates - as evil spirits from a bog (bogie is also slang for boogers and cigarettes)

I've got Nothing In: appears Richie means he has no food in the house / oven / fridge for guests

Oh, Bugger: oh shit, oh fuck (bugger is a very flexible word with many meanings)

Popping Round: going for a short visit

Birmingham Six: a group tortured and wrongly convicted for an IRA bombing

Filth, Pigs, Narks: rude slang for 'police'

Mousetrap: means a trap for rodents, but it's also slang for a hard inferior cheese used as bait on mousetraps

Sue Carpenter: a female television presenter (newsreader, newscaster, sportscaster); the boys favorite object of desire (running joke)

S2 Ep.4 - PARADE:
Identity Parade: police lineup
Fraternizing: interacting; getting to know someone better
Eddie's IRA joke: refers to the GFA (Good Friday Agreement) in which peace was sought in Ireland through disarming and releasing prisoners.
Bag: 'old bag' means 'elderly prostitute'
Drubbing: give someone a beating
Timotei: a brand of natural hair care products
Page 3 Girl: topless models seen on page three of the tabloid, The Sun - from 1970-2015.
Bunged Out: a bribe or deal sweetener. Which Richard misconstrues as a sexual term.
Shagging: sexual intercourse
Holiday: vacation
Veteran: someone who served in the military. Which Richard misconstrues to mean the Royal Army Veterinary Corp.
Bore: a boring person The 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment
2 Para: The 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment
Busbies: aka: Bearskins. Quite tall furry black hats with brightly colored feather. What most Americans would know as the hat of the Queen's Royal Guard outside Buckingham Palace. (originally a Hungarian Hussar hat)
Argies: short for: Argentinians
Do It: generally means to accomplish something; slang for having sex
Guilford: large town about 25 miles outside London (no where near The Falkland Islands)
Yomp: Royal Marines slang for a long distance march carrying full gear
Lavs: short for lavatories: bathrooms
Bollocks: bullshit
George Cross: second highest award of the UK honours system; medal for gallantry
Dole: unemployment benefit (derives from 'doling out charity')
Bolshie: uncooperative (originates from Bolshevik, but hasn't held much of a political context in quite some time). Of course Richard would mean both the modern and less common usage.
Pinko: left-leaning, quasi-communist
Muck In: do your share of the work
Scrap: a fight
The Practical: the actual doing of something as opposed to an intellectual version. A UK school term differentiating between something like a written chemistry test, and a hands-on chem lab test.
Tesco: a grocery store chain
Prince Andrew's undercarriage: refers to Prince Andrew's Naval service in the Falkland War; however the undercarriage of the helicopter he flew was never 'shot off' and neither was his crotch - which is the slang meaning of undercarriage.
Hopalong: implies the man is acting like a cowboy (referencing Hopalong Cassidy); and cowboy in the Uk, means someone who is reckless, wild or unreliable.
Bloke: a man
Bird: a woman
Barricade: a barrier that obstructs people or things from entering or passing through an area
Dripping Casualty: dripping means pathetic, but as usual Richard is also using it in a situation where one might end up bloodied from a beating (so dripping with blood is also implied) & the casualty department of a hospital would be an emergency room in a stateside hospital
Oh, Lor: the same as 'oh, lord'; meaning you're worried or concerned
Dead Cert: absolute certainty (in this case a certain bet)
Chepstow: a town in Wales, in this case: specific horse racing track in that town
Bloody Hell: an exclamation of surprise that adds intensity to your sentiment; similar to: Holy Shit
Saucy Bit Of Alright: sexy attractive person; similar to: bit of a dish
Huge Wad: in this case referring to both shooting your wad (ejaculation) and a large amount of money
Arse-head: butt-head
Stumped: baffled
Giggle: laugh / Anything for a giggle: anything for a laugh
Righty-dokey, matey, bloke, flap, old salty seadog, amigo, skip, jack, jockstrap, piano tuner: Okay mate
Falsie: normally means fake breasts, but of course Richard uses it incorrectly to mean; a false leg
Best Foot Forward: make a good impression (also used as a pun)
Leg It: to hurry or run (also used as a pun)
Bugger Off: fuck off
Health & Efficiency: a magazine for nudists
Telly: television
Bob's Full House: a quiz show based on the ancient game of Bingo
Gran: short for a grandparent
Get Your Leg Over: to have sex with someone (also used as a pun)
Saucy Sod: sexy and vulgar man (sod originating from sodomite)
Objet d'art: French for an object whose value lies in it's decorative appearance
Harry The Bastard: a reference to a character in The Young Ones (which Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson & Christopher Ryan all starred in from 1982-84).
Chippendale: male stripper
Swarfega: a citrus hand cleaning gel; known stateside as GOOP
Git: annoyingly childish person
Malibu: a coconut flavored liquor with low alcohol content, usually thought of as a women's drink
Put Away: to eat or drink large quantities. Of course Richard is using it incorrectly in a manner more like 'put it about' - which means to be promiscuous
Legless: to be so drunk you lose your balance (also used as a pun)
Pay Tax on a Bet: when betting shops first opened in the UK in 1961, there was a 6.75% tax for bookmakers to the government. This was passed on by the bookmakers to their customers as a 9% tax - which you could pay on the amount of the bet you placed, or on the winnings. This could be quite significant if winnings were high, so most people elect to pay on the stake/bet.
Budgerigars: pet birds. Small parakeets more frequently called Budgies (this joke keeps the alliteration of Birds and Booze rolling - and implies that Dave Hedgehog is passionate about pet birds).
Loot: money gotten illicitly
Bastard: a despicable person

Nip Down: run, rush or dash somewhere

Tickity Boo: just fine, satisfactory, in good order (from the 1930s, so Richard is out of date again)

Emmerdale: the UK's 2nd longest running soap opera (1972-present)

Ep.7 ???:

SPACED

There seems to be a trend for certain BrtitComs to only last 2 Seasons, and SPACED is no exception. This one is tailored for 20-somethings facing the pressures of being out on their own. You know; boyfriends, girlfirends, pets, jobs, video games, parties, paintball, fear of failure, self-doubt, spit-takes, friendship, being uncomfortable in your own skin, handling unemployment, clubbing, battlebots, comic books, Sci Fi movies, problems with authority, etc. The intimate feel of a show centered around two people who start off posing as a 'professional' couple in order to score a flat, makes for a great sitcom with nifty fantasy, slow-motion, flashback and other fresh visuals. Each episode has at least one musical montage that evokes either an actual scene from a famous film or the feel of one. The charm of people in north London fantasizing bits from American films. SPACED was one of the great sitcoms from the 90s which should have run for more seasons. The stars were Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson, Julia Deakin, Mark Heap, Nick Frost and guest like Bill Bailey, Reece Shearsmith and Clive Russell. Those looking for a Simon Pegg, SHAUN OF THE DEAD connection; the third episode has plenty of him playing zombie video games. Not that this will really spoil anything; but I love how BritComs like to end on a really mushy nostalgia note.

On the Clever American Ears scale, this one rates 1 out of 5. When excited there is a tendency to speak fast and furiously, but aside from one character Brian (who's a bit daft and speaks in fractured riddles) and a few bit parts (like Irishman Tyus); there's little overlapping talk, minor slang and better than average enunciation.

THE YOUNG ONES

THE YOUNG ONES (1982-84) is another British show picked up by an American broadcaster (Comedy Central), to popular effect. The simple foundation of four college students living in a dump, left the show open to many asides. In fact, with it's musical interludes and unexplained asides with minor characters, THE YOUNG ONES bears elements of a variety show - or at least the imprint of THE BENNY HILL SHOW. The classic characters of Neil the dim Hippy, Rick the clueless nerd, Vyvyan the sadomasochistic Punk and Mike the unflappable con-artist are all too dumb to live, and supplemented by many of British comedy's finest stars in cameo appearances. The surrealistic bent of the humor, inside jokes between the characters, subliminal images, portals to other dimensions and number of episodes where everyone dies at the end can be a bit odd for the stateside audience; but that's part of the charm. "BASTARD!", "Brilliant!" and "heavy" are the catch-phrases, but if you’re not British, watching with subtitles isn’t a bad idea. A great primer for a variety of British styles of humor, this influential series only lasted two seasons!

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS is undoubtedly one of a handful of comedies to make the jump across the pond with flying colors. It centers around the dysfunctional and hedonistic extended family of PR dilettante Edina; who is reluctantly watched over by cautious daughter Saffron, while being goaded to egotistical escapades by her carousing partner in crime, Patsy. AB FAB serves as a satire of all things self-centered; whether they be charity, fashion, marketing campaigns, celebrity, fad diets, or new age schemes. This potentially heavy social satire is cut through with such a shameless brand of camp that nearly all trace of moralizing are erased. Each character is damaged in some way but copes with their flaws through biting putdowns and aimless self-abuse.

Spawned from a skit on the FRENCH & SAUNDERS show, it has run for 5 seasons, with many occasions when series creator Jennifer Saunders thought the well dry, only to return with numerous special episodes; still being made into 2012. Arguably, much of it's stateside success had to do with Comedy Central picking it up for broadcast, but this show seems to have taken on a life of it's own over the last 20 years. Nearly every cast member has met with continued success outside the show, though few have eclipsed it.

THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN is a window into the bizarre denizens of an ominous and remote township in the North of England, known as Royston Vasey. A lurid and uninviting place for strangers, where everyone seems to have an appalling secret. Full of unforgettable characters and absurd catch-phrases, even today; THE LEAGUE is undoubtedly the most uniquely twisted dark comedy to have graced the BBC.


The lead roles are played by three members of a quartet of writers who began on the stage in 1994, graduated to BBC Radio 4 and won a number of awards before being turned into a television programme. The series lasted 3 seasons (1999-2002), with an additional Christmas Special and even a movie in 2005. The only programme in recent years that's made the jump to the big screen. It straddled the line between the sketch and sitcom formats and contained numerous Horror film elements and references. Two of the members went on to create the 2009 series PSYCHOVILLE, but have only reunited as a full cast for a series of sketches in the fourth series of a children's programme called HORRIBLE HISTORIES (2012). All the members have gone on to successful careers apart from one another, as detailed in this article in the Radio Times. The entire first season of THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN was posted by BBCWorldwideTV on Youtube. Due to violence, nudity and sexuality, you will be required to sign in.

American fans of UK Comedy

Upon realizing that my friend Jimi and I were always private messaging about British Comedy shows we were finally stumbling upon, it occurred to me; if this is difficult for us (huge fans) how much harder would it be for the average person in America to find out about great UK Comedy? So, here it is. The first post on our Blog for Americans wanting to know about British Comedy they might not be aware of. There are so many classic British shows we could have started off with for our launch; THE GOON SHOW (1951-60), BEYOND THE FRINGE (1960-66), MONTY PYTHON (1969-74) - being just a few obvious ones. But somehow this clip of Stephen Fry (A BIT OF FRY & LAURIE, JEEVES & WOOSTER, BLACK ADDER, QI, etc) speaking on the difference in the social foundations of our two country's Comedy styles seems equally appropriate. And if that slew of references I just made is unfamiliar to you, have no fear; all these shows will be covered here soon enough. enjoy!