TV & Movies
With rumours of a 2021 Christmas special circulating, we take a look at other classic British mockumentaries to watch in the meantime.
After three perfect, hilarious seasons, BBC mockumentary, This Country came to an end in 2020 and die-hard fans have been trying to fill a scarecrow-shaped hole ever since (if you know, you know). However, with the show’s co-creator and co-star Daisy May Cooper teasing a potential Christmas special earlier this month, signs say viewers will be able to make a return to the sleepy Cotswold village in the future.
Starring real-life siblings Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper as “feral” cousins Kerry and Kurtan, the very British comedy centres on their lives in a very small, very boring village in the English countryside.
For anyone who grew up in a small town, This Country is both hilariously relatable and scarily accurate. The mockumentary boasts a very specific kind of British humour, one that’s deadpan and so subtle you’re laughing before you even really realise why.
In August 2020, This Country fans were greeted with some very exciting news, with Daisy revealing that she and her brother were working on a period comedy. “Charlie and I have started writing our new thing, which is very, very different," she told host Kate Thornton on the White Wine Question podcast. "It’s a period thing and it couldn’t be more different from This Country but it’s funny.”
In other words, there’s good things ahead. But while we wait to get confirmation of that Christmas special and word on the period comedy, we’ve found eight shows that This Country can enjoy in the interim.
Stath Lets Flats
Beginning life as an episode of Comedy Blaps (Channel 4’s series of short sitcoms), Stath Lets Flats now has a third series on its way. The BAFTA-Award-winning comedy stars Jamie Demetriou as an inept Greek-Cypriot letting agent in north London as he and his colleagues go head-to-head with the posh agency next door. Following the success of the UK show, it was announced late last year that there will be an American remake.
Dreaming Whilst Black
This BBC comedy follows Kwabena, a British-Jamaican aspiring filmmaker who’s stuck in a dead-end recruitment job and trying to chase his dream of a career in film. Described as “loosely autobiographical” by the show’s creator, Adjani Salmon, Dreaming Whilst Black highlights what it’s like to be Black or “other” in traditionally white spaces.
Motherland
If you caught Anna Maxwell Martin in Line of Duty, then watch her do something totally different in Motherland. The hit BBC show follows the “Alpha mums,” a group of middle-class mothers (and one stay-at-home dad) going through the trials and traumas of motherhood. Motherland is know to pull no punches, giving us an honest and hilarious portrayal of parenthood without any of the frilly bits.
Alan Partridge: Welcome to the Places of My Life
In this one-off show, Steve Coogan brings his comic creation Alan Partridge to life as he takes viewers on a tour of his home county of Norfolk. Visiting local landmarks and some of his favourites spots, we also get a glimpse into his day-to-day life. It’s a must-see from one of Britain’s best-loved comedy characters.
The Office
Is it OK to say that the UK version is the best? If you’re not convinced, then binge-watch your way through the two seasons – that’s only 14 episodes! With the likes of Ricky Gervais and Martin Freeman on screen and the talents of Stephan Merchant as co-writer and co-director alongside Gervais, you will be left in stitches. The much-loved mockumentary series follows the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company.
Extras
In a similar style to The Office, Extras follows Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais) and his agent, Darren Lamb (Stephan Merchant) as Millman wades through life as a “background performer,” eventually finding success as a B-list sitcom star. Guest stars include Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Ross Kemp, Samuel L. Jackson and Patrick Stewart.
Brassic
With a similar small town format, Brassic, tells the story of Vinnie O’Neil and his friends as they go through life in the fictional northern English town of Hawley. With the third season filming during the pandemic, fans eagerly await this gritty comedy’s return to the small screen.
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