# Little Britain (2003)

> A British sketch comedy show whose recurring grotesque characters and satirical vignettes skewer everyday British life.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/354

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 20
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Matt Lucas, David Walliams
- Network: BBC One, BBC Three
- Cast: David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Tom Baker, Paul Putner, Ruth Jones, Joann Condon, Rob Brydon, Charu Bala Chokshi
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358856/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: irreverent, cringe-inducing, deadpan, satirical, absurd

## What critics say

Critics and audiences widely regard the sketch show as a hilarious, sharply observed satire of British social types, with its recurring grotesque characters earning strong acclaim across its run.

## Synopsis

Little Britain (2003-2005) is a British sketch comedy series created by Matt Lucas and David Walliams for BBC Three and BBC One. Across three seasons and twenty half-hour episodes, Lucas and Walliams play a rotating cast of grotesque, exaggerated personas, each recurring character anchored to a single comic premise and a catchphrase that viewers quickly learn to anticipate. Narrator Tom Baker, the Doctor Who star, frames the sketches with a deadpan voice, while Ruth Jones and Joann Condon appear among the supporting players in recurring bits. The engine of each episode is escalating awkwardness: a character persists in a ridiculous self-image or a petty bureaucratic demand until the situation collapses into humiliation. Each episode is a stack of short vignettes rather than a continuing plot, so the show plays well in any order. The tone is sharp, irreverent and often cringe-inducing, with satire aimed squarely at British class, snobbery and small-town life. Fans of The Fast Show, Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Mighty Boosh will find a familiar lineage of British absurdist comedy here, delivered with a broad, unapologetic appetite for the grotesque.

## Shows like Little Britain

- [Nighty Night (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/185)
- [Come Fly with Me (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/31843)
- [The Fast Show (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/2410)
- [Jam (2000)](https://ember.film/tv/2083)
- [Big Train (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/1356)
- [Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/576)
- [Little Britain USA (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/13873)
- [Peep Show (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/773)
- [French & Saunders (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/854)
- [Horrible Histories (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/29836)

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