Little Britain (Seasons 1–3)

Little Britain (2003–2006) is a BBC sketch comedy series you can watch online on iFILM. David Walliams and Matt Lucas wrote and performed dozens of recurring characters across three series — Carol Beer, the council worker whose answer to everything is "the computer says no"; Vicky Pollard, who responds to any question with an avalanche of unrelated information; Daffyd Thomas, the self-proclaimed only gay man in his Welsh village. Tom Baker narrates with the kind of grave solemnity that makes the absurdity land harder.

The show functions as a love letter to British eccentricity, province by province. Walliams and Lucas switch between characters, genders, ages and social classes within a single episode, and the sketches are short enough that even the ones that don't quite land are over before they outstay their welcome. Rob Brydon and Ruth Jones appear in supporting roles; it was that era of British comedy, and most of the scene turned up at some point.

For anyone who grew up with it, the characters have genuinely entered the language — phrases from the show still get quoted. For a first-time viewer, three series at roughly six episodes each is a manageable commitment, and the best sketches hold up. Stream all series of Little Britain (2003) online on iFILM.