Paul Rudd names his favourite British TV shows: “It rocked my world”
At the end of the day, the name of the game will always be making people laugh, but there are nonetheless distinct differences between British and American comedy. Paul Rudd has found great success in the latter, and while he’d be ill-suited to the former based entirely on his persona, he loves it as a viewer.
Even though the two nations are only separated by the Atlantic, the gulf between what tickles funny bones on either side of the pond remains vast. Some things just don’t translate between the two countries, and for every The Office that tries to disprove the rule, the spectre of The Inbetweeners, The IT Crowd, Peep Show, and countless more loom large.
Different strokes for different folks might be an oversimplification, but it’s an accurate one. Some things that have audiences splitting at the sides in Great Britain will leave those in the United States wondering whether or not they’re supposed to be laughing, and it’s the same story when the shoe is placed on the other foot.
For Rudd, he broke out in a major way when he joined Judd Apatow and the rest of his ‘Frat Pack’ associates, giving him plum roles in Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Role Models, I Love You, Man, and more. All of them are distinctly American in flavour, but as it turns out, the former ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ has a very soft spot for a wide array of British favourites.
The short-lived dark comedy Snuff Box was one of them, with Rudd lamenting to The Guardian how “they only made one series, but I love Matt Berry.” The inclusion of Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace underlines that the ageless actor is drawn to the more surreal and offbeat side of British television, even if he did find room for some established classics.
“I grew up watching things like Are You Being Served? and Fawlty Towers,” he said. “I remember going to London as a kid and buying Fawlty Towers on cassette, pre-videotape. When it started airing in the States in the late ’70s, it was a huge deal in my house. It rocked my world. And I loved Monty Python and later Blackadder.”
It’s nothing if not an eclectic collection, with Rudd’s cream of the British episodic crop covering everything from short-lived cult gems to a long-running workplace sitcom and a pair of the most influential comedic creations of their respective decades.
Early on, his eyes were opened to the best of the British, and his adoration for the nation’s top-tier output has kept him engrossed ever since. Berry and Matthew Holness take pride of place alongside legends like John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson.
Paul Rudd’s favourite British TV shows
- Snuff Box (2006)
- Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (2004)
- Are You Being Served? (1972-1985)
- Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969-1974)
- Fawlty Towers (1975-1979)
- Blackadder (1983-1989)
