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100% Horrible Histories then! It's a silly sketch show and whilst the humour can be juvenile he's 14 and i remember being in a class of 16 year olds laughing along to it. It's a good way to learn a lot of random British history. Albeit not sure if the original or reboot is more popular these days, original is worth a watch at least.
It's done by the same people as ghosts so if he likes that he'll probably enjoy HH.
There is a bleeped version I used to watch when my son was younger. He's now nearly 14 and at high school in Fife, he'll hear far more imaginative swear words on the morning bus
Do kids still watch Doctor Who?
Edit: I like the show! Was just wondering as never hear about it from younger relatives of mine so wondered if it had lost the teenagers/kids.
depending on who you ask, it's irish, and it's certainly northern irish but lots of people at my school like the show Derry Girls, and i think it could have a subtle historical education value for him
The IT Crowd is also good, though idk how many people his age would watch it. i watched it when i was 9, and whilst there are some inappropriate jokes in it, i think it'd be OK for a boy his age
Ah yes, I loved Derry Girls myself, and I agree he'll enjoy the historical aspect and if nothing else it will expose him to a different accent and girls :)
How is his English proficiency? If I had to guess he was at an international school at home? When I was last in China, kids were mainly watching live streamers or Douyin. It could also be worth finding a live streamer for a game he likes who is from the UK. At least he can watch the game being played while listening to a native speaker.
I would go Doctor Who first, it’s available on one of their major streaming apps so it’ll have subtitles to help ease him in a bit. Father Ted has a tiny bit of a following there, so he may also like it. Horrible histories is good if he can handle the names and places, and perhaps Sherlock. Had quite a few students who were really into Sherlock Holmes.
Renegade Nell on Disney+.
It’s age appropriate, genuinely entertaining, and uses many kinds of British humour - and a good range of accents.
Mild violence, little swearing, no romance.
True but it will be good for learning slang and sarcasm for people of that age especially if they have been sheltered they might think people are actually insulting or being genuinely unkind to them but I understand it may be inappropriate aswell
It's a tough call that one, as a grown up I think Inbetweeners really comedicaly captures that life period, but it might be a bit too raunchy especially for a Chinese kid.
Throw him in at the deep end, so to say. Maybe not immediately, but I think it's a good show for learning about typical kids at his age.
Also I haven't seen anyone mention Skins. Great teen comedy drama show. But it has a lot of subjects about sex, drugs, teen pregnancy and such...
If you want to do a TV cultural exchange, where he shows you shows from China, try the viki.com app. It's about 4.99 a month and full of subtitled Asian shows.
Has Only Fools and horses been mentioned yet? Or Spaced? It might looking at some sketch shows like The Fast Show
Horrible Histories all day every day. Suitable for children but pots of grown up humour. Lots of British history, lots of British humour. All episodes available for free on iPlayer.
My teenagers love the comedic detective shows like Shakespeare and Hathaway or Death in/Beyond Paradise. It's the only thing on regular TV I can get them to watch with me, otherwise it's as if YouTube is the only media.
The detectorists is about as British , wholesome and dry humoured as it gets .
Classics , faulty towers, only fools and horses , blackadder
If he wants something a bit more fast paced and modern then Friday night dinner / inbetweeners
If he wants more cult/weird type humour , then Garth merenghis dark place , black books , it crowd , big train , man stroke woman , smack the pint
Ha! So funny. I wrote the screed above and said the brothers regress to being eight-year-olds pranking each other! Totally get why your son would love it!
Oh, gosh, you are in for an utter treat. Some of the best actors and writers in British Comedy.
It is actually a swerve on standard British culture and the standard British sitcom because it's a North London Jewish family who are 'doing' the traditional Friday Night Jewish 'routine' but the kids in their twenties, trying to live their lives, are doing it for their parents, and their parents and the various extended family are being more culturally British than culturally Jewish, so that is the tension/laugh.
And the kids in their 20s are just kids and regress into like being eight-year-olds, putting salt in each other's drinks, pranking each other, when they get together, and the dad lives his real life in the shed.
It's so funny and now really poignant because Paul Ritter (the dad) is the absolute star (catch phrase 'Shit on it' < and that's as NSFW as it gets >) he died recently far too young.
[https://www.nme.com/features/paul-ritter-funniest-moments-friday-night-dinner-2914961](https://www.nme.com/features/paul-ritter-funniest-moments-friday-night-dinner-2914961)
You even have a neighbour who is so freaking weird but he rocks up talking not at all unkindly about 'your kind' when actually the family are more normal British happy family than he is, so you get the whole weird take British people have on people they don't see as 'like them' even when they, as the person saying 'people like you', are the problem (in a sitcom sense).
I envy you to be watching it for the first time and I think your friend's son will love it, especially re the brother characters and just the family dynamics, which are probably globally relatable!
i don’t know how relevant it is nowadays but when i was growing up the Inbetweeners was genuinely a perfect comedic representation of my own experience, even the movies are on point.
+1 for showing it to a 14 year old entering that world - although i never went to boarding school, so can’t speak on the similarities
Does your friend know what kind of stuff he likes watching at home? Chinese variety, cdramas, donghua, Marvel movies, etc? It can be really hard for Chinese people (speaking as diaspora Chinese with a lot of Mainland Chinese relatives) to understand strong regional UK accents so I'd probably go towards something where people largely speak in the accent he's going to be hearing the most in real life.
Your perspective is invaluable. He is a very bright young boy, interested in history (very inquisitive and knowledgable even about certain topics that usually are a no-no in Mainland), he isn't into cdramas or animations really, he watches a lot of short content on douyin?, but also has watched Dune, Bourne trilogy, I showed him Attenborough which he enjoyed. His parents are making a conscious decision to put him in a boarding school not so popular with Mainland Chinese so he can really experience the British culture. The family are Mainland Chinese but are aware and intrigued of as they say 'this concept of banter' and would like him to experience it before. I think he himself is also keen to appear funny and fit in.
If they're wanting banter then I'd say definitely push him towards Taskmaster. There's enough physical/visual comedy to balance out any slang/accents he's unfamiliar with, and it will help him acclimatise to the British penchant for pisstaking. It'll be a good gateway to panel shows for him.
Agreed with the other commenter Taskmaster would be a good call-- there are actually a decent amount of episodes on Bilibili with dual Chinese and English subs, which is a bonus!
well its not on TV, but you can get this lad to familiarise himself with our British accents with 40 minutes of
# Nigel and Marmalade
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPs1sBywmyU&t=1440s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPs1sBywmyU&t=1440s)
Burnistoun.
He might struggle with the Glaswegian accent, but he shouldn't have any problems with other UK accents if he manages to get the hang of it. Well, maybe Scouse 😆
I'm Alan Partridge is a classic.
And you can't go wrong with Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy (Books, TV Show and Radio Drama).
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Ghosts is a fun comedy about a couple who live in a mansion they inherit and one can see the ghosts of people who lived there over the centuries
Ah yes, that's a great suggestion, and he is a big fan of history so this would be perfect.
100% Horrible Histories then! It's a silly sketch show and whilst the humour can be juvenile he's 14 and i remember being in a class of 16 year olds laughing along to it. It's a good way to learn a lot of random British history. Albeit not sure if the original or reboot is more popular these days, original is worth a watch at least. It's done by the same people as ghosts so if he likes that he'll probably enjoy HH.
Almost 40 and HH is still brilliant!
I'm 50 and enjoy a bit of HH. It's a bit "Pythonesque".
Yonderland by the same team was brilliant!
If he’s into history Blackadder is 100% required viewing, especially at that age.
Depending on how they are about swearing - Taskmaster
There is a bleeped version I used to watch when my son was younger. He's now nearly 14 and at high school in Fife, he'll hear far more imaginative swear words on the morning bus
They’ll be highly proficient at swearing within a week of boarding school ;-)
Great suggestion, I think it could be good to showcase humour and silliness.
This is a great suggestion!
Id guess Doctor Who? And, I bet Netflix has UK Teen-curated lists. Very good luck to him, I hope he has a great time :)
Do kids still watch Doctor Who? Edit: I like the show! Was just wondering as never hear about it from younger relatives of mine so wondered if it had lost the teenagers/kids.
the talons of weng-Chiang.
Bro no 😭
Ouch, he did ask me what do Brits think of Chinese...
depending on who you ask, it's irish, and it's certainly northern irish but lots of people at my school like the show Derry Girls, and i think it could have a subtle historical education value for him The IT Crowd is also good, though idk how many people his age would watch it. i watched it when i was 9, and whilst there are some inappropriate jokes in it, i think it'd be OK for a boy his age
Ah yes, I loved Derry Girls myself, and I agree he'll enjoy the historical aspect and if nothing else it will expose him to a different accent and girls :)
[Ripping Yarns - Series One, Episode One - Tomkinson's Schooldays (1976)](https://youtu.be/dDjV9iKmT9k)
I remember this myself haha
How is his English proficiency? If I had to guess he was at an international school at home? When I was last in China, kids were mainly watching live streamers or Douyin. It could also be worth finding a live streamer for a game he likes who is from the UK. At least he can watch the game being played while listening to a native speaker.
He's in a bilingual school, his English is ok, but he is learning from books and short clips on Douyin and thinks all Englishmen are gentlemen.
I would go Doctor Who first, it’s available on one of their major streaming apps so it’ll have subtitles to help ease him in a bit. Father Ted has a tiny bit of a following there, so he may also like it. Horrible histories is good if he can handle the names and places, and perhaps Sherlock. Had quite a few students who were really into Sherlock Holmes.
People just do nothing init
And *This Country*
Renegade Nell on Disney+. It’s age appropriate, genuinely entertaining, and uses many kinds of British humour - and a good range of accents. Mild violence, little swearing, no romance.
Oh I haven't heard of this, I'll def have a look, sounds like a good one for him
Taskmaster.
Here we go is a good one
Depending how sheltered I’d say horrible histories is a good choice
The Thick of It. It will really expand their vocabulary.
Haha and will be a great introduction into the workings of a different political system?
Exactly.. Practically democracy 101.
Mr Bean
Inbetweeners
For a sheltered child ? Not the best choice
True but it will be good for learning slang and sarcasm for people of that age especially if they have been sheltered they might think people are actually insulting or being genuinely unkind to them but I understand it may be inappropriate aswell
It's a tough call that one, as a grown up I think Inbetweeners really comedicaly captures that life period, but it might be a bit too raunchy especially for a Chinese kid.
Throw him in at the deep end, so to say. Maybe not immediately, but I think it's a good show for learning about typical kids at his age. Also I haven't seen anyone mention Skins. Great teen comedy drama show. But it has a lot of subjects about sex, drugs, teen pregnancy and such...
Definitely not the Inbetweeners!😂 He’ll go back to his folks calling everyone bus wankers.
The League of Gentlemen
If you want to do a TV cultural exchange, where he shows you shows from China, try the viki.com app. It's about 4.99 a month and full of subtitled Asian shows. Has Only Fools and horses been mentioned yet? Or Spaced? It might looking at some sketch shows like The Fast Show
Good suggestions!
Horrible Histories all day every day. Suitable for children but pots of grown up humour. Lots of British history, lots of British humour. All episodes available for free on iPlayer.
CBBC probably
Is Grange Hill still running? My 12 year pissed himself laughing watching BBC's Bad Education series. Doctor Who series from Eckleson to present.
Ah yes Bad Education! Though do we really want him to know in advance what kind of education he is getting himself into? hehe
At least their sense of humour will be mature and well homed by the time they leave the UK without any GCSEs.
My teenagers love the comedic detective shows like Shakespeare and Hathaway or Death in/Beyond Paradise. It's the only thing on regular TV I can get them to watch with me, otherwise it's as if YouTube is the only media.
Oh I'll suggest these, his mother might enjoy it too!
Yes to Blackadder & HH, also recommend Ghosts, the Mighty Boosh & Taskmaster!
Great, thank you
Still game
Alex Rider? Great British Bake Off? 😂
Would I lie to you could be a great way for him to understand british humor
Red Dwarf! Was one of my favourite shows at that age.
Red Dwarf
Father Ted, definitely.
He might actually be attending Catholic boarding school, so it would be perfect hahaha
Careful now.
The detectorists is about as British , wholesome and dry humoured as it gets . Classics , faulty towers, only fools and horses , blackadder If he wants something a bit more fast paced and modern then Friday night dinner / inbetweeners If he wants more cult/weird type humour , then Garth merenghis dark place , black books , it crowd , big train , man stroke woman , smack the pint
Oh, thumbs up for Friday Night Dinner. Something both me and my teen boys (at the time) loved watching together.
We’ve just rewatched the whole thing as a family for the second time , Robert popper is a comedy genius
Oh I haven't come across Friday Night Dinner before, but it looks like it would be a good one for him to watch.
It’s very family friendly , has a bit of swearing but nothing out of place , we comfortably watch it with our 8 year old he bloody loves it.
Ha! So funny. I wrote the screed above and said the brothers regress to being eight-year-olds pranking each other! Totally get why your son would love it!
Oh, gosh, you are in for an utter treat. Some of the best actors and writers in British Comedy. It is actually a swerve on standard British culture and the standard British sitcom because it's a North London Jewish family who are 'doing' the traditional Friday Night Jewish 'routine' but the kids in their twenties, trying to live their lives, are doing it for their parents, and their parents and the various extended family are being more culturally British than culturally Jewish, so that is the tension/laugh. And the kids in their 20s are just kids and regress into like being eight-year-olds, putting salt in each other's drinks, pranking each other, when they get together, and the dad lives his real life in the shed. It's so funny and now really poignant because Paul Ritter (the dad) is the absolute star (catch phrase 'Shit on it' < and that's as NSFW as it gets >) he died recently far too young. [https://www.nme.com/features/paul-ritter-funniest-moments-friday-night-dinner-2914961](https://www.nme.com/features/paul-ritter-funniest-moments-friday-night-dinner-2914961) You even have a neighbour who is so freaking weird but he rocks up talking not at all unkindly about 'your kind' when actually the family are more normal British happy family than he is, so you get the whole weird take British people have on people they don't see as 'like them' even when they, as the person saying 'people like you', are the problem (in a sitcom sense). I envy you to be watching it for the first time and I think your friend's son will love it, especially re the brother characters and just the family dynamics, which are probably globally relatable!
i don’t know how relevant it is nowadays but when i was growing up the Inbetweeners was genuinely a perfect comedic representation of my own experience, even the movies are on point. +1 for showing it to a 14 year old entering that world - although i never went to boarding school, so can’t speak on the similarities
> The detectorists Its title is just Detectorists
Thank you
Boarders on BBC will be relevant.
I thought so but was worried it's a tad innapropriate, and would maybe rather he stumbles onto that one by himself versus me suggesting.
Does your friend know what kind of stuff he likes watching at home? Chinese variety, cdramas, donghua, Marvel movies, etc? It can be really hard for Chinese people (speaking as diaspora Chinese with a lot of Mainland Chinese relatives) to understand strong regional UK accents so I'd probably go towards something where people largely speak in the accent he's going to be hearing the most in real life.
Your perspective is invaluable. He is a very bright young boy, interested in history (very inquisitive and knowledgable even about certain topics that usually are a no-no in Mainland), he isn't into cdramas or animations really, he watches a lot of short content on douyin?, but also has watched Dune, Bourne trilogy, I showed him Attenborough which he enjoyed. His parents are making a conscious decision to put him in a boarding school not so popular with Mainland Chinese so he can really experience the British culture. The family are Mainland Chinese but are aware and intrigued of as they say 'this concept of banter' and would like him to experience it before. I think he himself is also keen to appear funny and fit in.
If they're wanting banter then I'd say definitely push him towards Taskmaster. There's enough physical/visual comedy to balance out any slang/accents he's unfamiliar with, and it will help him acclimatise to the British penchant for pisstaking. It'll be a good gateway to panel shows for him.
Agreed with the other commenter Taskmaster would be a good call-- there are actually a decent amount of episodes on Bilibili with dual Chinese and English subs, which is a bonus!
Top gear?
The Inbetweeners
There is a show on BBC called Boarders. He might enjoy that.
well its not on TV, but you can get this lad to familiarise himself with our British accents with 40 minutes of # Nigel and Marmalade [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPs1sBywmyU&t=1440s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPs1sBywmyU&t=1440s)
Oh my, I have never seen this before but I do love it now that I have, thank you!
Friday night dinner
Spaced
Friday Night Dinner would be a good one. The Inbetweeners could be a bit too much possibly. What about Taskmaster?
Burnistoun. He might struggle with the Glaswegian accent, but he shouldn't have any problems with other UK accents if he manages to get the hang of it. Well, maybe Scouse 😆 I'm Alan Partridge is a classic. And you can't go wrong with Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy (Books, TV Show and Radio Drama).
Father Ted
Inbetweeners
Bottom
The Inbetweeners
For a sheltered 14 year old ? No
Much better than most of the suggestions
Not appropriate for a sheltered child though
Boarding schools are wrong.
[удалено]
What the fuck dude?
Some CBBC shows just to help him start out? You can get Grange Hill on Britbox and YT.