Little Britain

A zany comedy show with Matt Lucas and David Walliams, featuring characters from all over Little Britain.

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.

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.

• The Fast Showshared sketch comedy format, character-driven recurring personas, british satirical tone
• Monty Python's Flying Circusshared british sketch comedy, grotesque recurring characters, cringe comedy tone
• The Mighty Booshshared british satirical sketch comedy with recurring characters and absurd escalation

Created by

Matt Lucas, David Walliams

Release Date

2003-09-16

Episode runtime

30 min

Rating

7.7 / 10 (266)

What is Little Britain about?

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

What is Little Britain like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Little Britain as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.

Is Little Britain violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Little Britain as mild.

What did critics think of Little Britain?

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.

Which shows are like Little Britain?

Shows with a similar feel include The Fast Show, Monty Python's Flying Circus, and The Mighty Boosh.

How long is Little Britain?

Little Britain: 3 seasons, 20 episodes.

Is Little Britain still running?

No, Little Britain has ended.