Television series
Come Fly with Me
- Comedy
- Light-hearted
A sketch show disguised as an airport comedy. Matt Lucas and David Walliams play dozens of characters—harried staff, delusional passengers, bureaucrats, weirdos—all orbiting a departure lounge. Half the fun is spotting the absurdity in ordinary travel chaos; the other half is watching two extremely game performers throw themselves at every ridiculous situation. It's silly and warm.
If you liked this
Little Britain2003
The spiritual predecessor: Lucas and Walliams doing sketch comedy with recurring characters and a strong regional British flavour. Same performers, same anarchic energy, same gift for finding the grotesque in the everyday.
But Sketch shows can feel episodic and uneven. Some characters outstay their welcome; others land better on repeat than on first viewing.
The League of Gentlemen1999
Darkly funny ensemble sketch show built around a returning cast of deranged locals. Shares Come Fly's love of grotesque character work and finds humour in the deeply uncomfortable places people go.
But Considerably darker and more disturbing. Some sketches aim for horror-comedy rather than warmth, which can feel mean-spirited if it doesn't land.
Snuff Box2006
Matt Lucas collaborates with Noel Fielding on a brilliantly warped sketch show. Weirder and more abstract than Come Fly, but shares the same commitment to full-bodied character performance and surreal logic.
But Deliberately obscure and self-sabotaging. If you want sketch comedy that adds up to something, this actively resists that satisfaction.
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The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Satantango1994
Both find profound comedy in the gap between what institutions demand and what humans actually do in response—the machinery versus the soul.
Seven hours of Hungarian allegory about a community grappling with moral reckoning. Sounds antithetical to Come Fly, but both are obsessed with how ordinary people navigate impossible systems with black humour and dignity intact.
But Extremely slow, entirely bleak, in Hungarian with subtitles, and requires you to meet it halfway intellectually. This is not a comfortable watch.
More like this (5)
French and Saunders1987
Sketch show royalty. Character-driven, ensemble-minded, generous with running jokes and callbacks. Proves the format works best when performers know their characters' bones deeply.
But Very of its era. The pop culture references have dated, and some pacing choices feel slack by modern standards.
Saxondale2006
Steve Buscemi-adjacent comedy about a fussy, exacting man navigating ordinary life. Same deadpan love of human eccentricity and minor grievance that drives Come Fly's character work.
But Slower burn than sketch comedy. If you want constant laughs rather than comedic atmosphere, the pacing will feel like dragging an anchor.
Limmy's Show2009
Sketch show with a genuinely novel format: short, sharp bursts of surrealism and character work. Limmy's one-man show proves you can get the same mileage from less and still feel generous.
But Extremely Scottish and hermetic. If you're not in the wavelength early, the humour can feel private and impenetrable.
Ugly Americans2010
Animated sketch show with a similar beat: ordinary people in extraordinary situations, absurdist logic, character-driven jokes. Proves the comedy works across formats if the performers commit.
But Animation is distractingly crude. The visual style does active work against some sketches, and some humour lands softer than it should.
The Fast Show1994
Sprint-paced sketch show that proves brevity breeds brilliance. Running gags, recurring characters, jokes that earn themselves in under a minute. Influenced everything that came after.
But So fast it sometimes feels like you're missing punchlines. Rewatches required, which isn't for everyone.
People
Cast
Lindsay DuncanNarrator
Matt LucasVarious Characters
David WalliamsVarious Characters
Writing
- David WalliamsCreator
- Matt LucasCreator