20 Best British TV Comedy Characters Of All Time
Get the kettle on: it's time to relive the best of the best British gems.
Not to blow our own horn too loudly but British people have the best sense of humour and that’s just a fact. Our politics may be a mess, we might not excel in sporting events and our weather is 90% rain but don’t be fooled, we know how to do comedy. British humour works so well because it’s varied and doesn’t rely on just one kind of gimmick.
And this collection of characters rooted from British television just proves that our humour is diverse and appealing to many different demographics, replete with satire, black comedy, sarcasm and being able to poke fun at our own culture.
It’s hard to narrow them all down, but here are the some of the greatest British TV characters, ones who have truly shaped our reputation for the world's best comedy. Ranging from the classics (Porridge) to the innovative (The Inbetweeners), all these TV shows may differ in their set ups but one thing is for sure: they’ve got at least one hilarious character which became part of British pop culture through their absolute brilliance.
20. Patsy - Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, or Ab Fab, has gotten better with age as fans find themselves identifying more and more with Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) because of their fun-loving lifestyles. Although they may be of an older age, it doesn’t stop Edina and Patsy from living a constant life of drunken shenanigans, reminiscent of their youthful years. The crises caused by their reckless behaviour is often solved by Eddy’s daughter, Saffron Monsoon, which have developed her into a bitter, depressed woman.
Not tethered down by the responsibility of family, it’s alcoholic Patsy who is the main drive of all recreational drugs and partaking in the latest fads. She is an iconic character, one that many audiences relate to. You can tell Joanna Lumley was loving her time as the care-free, sassy Patsy. Furthermore, the catty exchanges between her and Eddy’s daughter Saffron were the stuff of comedy brilliance. Ab Fab may have been created by Saunders but Lumley truly brought life to it.