Television series
Gimme Gimme Gimme
- Comedy
- Light-hearted
Kathy Burke and James Dreyfus are flatmates in love with the same men in this gloriously filthy 90s sitcom. It's basically pure alchemy: two sharp performers riffing endlessly on desire, desperation, and the elaborate lies we tell ourselves. Crude, clever, relentlessly funny, and genuinely tender underneath. Perfect for anyone who remembers when comedy was allowed to be improper.
If you liked this
Absolutely Fabulous1992
Two chaotic women behaving badly in a chaotic household. Like Gimme Gimme Gimme, it's about desire and delusion, built on perfect comic timing and the chemistry of two actors who know exactly how to kill a joke.
But It's had a second life as a film and a revival, so it carries baggage. The early series are sharper than what followed.
Coupling2000
Another British sitcom about desperate people chasing romance in the city. It's got that same manic energy and willingness to find the pathetic side of lust without being mean about it.
But It ages less well than it thinks it does. Some gags land hard, others make you wince. Second season dips noticeably.
The League of Gentlemen1999
Sketch comedy with a dark, grotesque edge and a real anarchic streak. No laugh track, no safety net, just clever people pushing tone as far as it'll go. Same era, same hunger to transgress.
But It's deliberately unsettling sometimes. Character repetition can feel more mannered than funny if you're not in the right mood.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Gimme Gimme Gimme
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Derry Girls2018
Both are about people on the margins chasing connection and dignity. Both find comedy in the gap between who people want to be and who they are. Where Gimme Gimme Gimme is frantic and adult, Derry Girls is bittersweet and reflective, but the emotional DNA is identical.
Irish sitcom about teenage girls in the 1990s, built on sharp banter and the messy reality of growing up. It's half a generation younger, but it's got the same instinct for comedy rooted in wanting things desperately and failing brilliantly.
But It's more sentimental than Gimme Gimme Gimme and sometimes leans hard into nostalgia. If you want pure chaos without the warmth, this won't be it.
More like this (7)
Spaced1999
Rapid-fire, inventive, stuffed with pop culture and genuinely affectionate about its loser characters. Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg making something that feels alive and slightly dangerous on a BBC budget.
But The reference rate is punishing. If obscure 90s cultural callback comedy sounds exhausting, it will be.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks1996
Improvisational comedy panel show where the banter matters more than the answers. It's got the same loose, anything-goes energy as Gimme Gimme Gimme, and the panellists riff brilliantly.
But Heavy on music knowledge. If you don't know the songs or the bands, half the jokes evaporate.
Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge1994
Armando Iannucci's chat show parody is relentlessly awkward and smart. Every episode builds to something genuinely horrible with perfect comic control. Style-wise, miles away; tonally, closer than you'd think.
But It's very dry and very mean. If you prefer warmth in your comedy, this will feel cold.
French and Saunders1987
Kathy Burke's contemporaries doing sketch and character work with similar energy and willingness to be ugly for a laugh. The sketches about desire and performance share Gimme Gimme Gimme's shamelessness.
But Sketch comedy lives and dies on the strength of individual pieces. You'll sit through duds to get to the gold.
Blackadder1983
British sitcom with killer performances, clever wordplay, and a genuine warmth underneath the cruelty. Like Gimme Gimme Gimme, it proves that comedy can be both vicious and kind.
But The first series has a different tone and cast. It finds its voice in series two, so you need patience to get there.
Father Ted1995
Sitcom about three priests on a remote island, written by Iannucci and Walsh. Character-driven, obsessively rewatchable, absurdist without losing heart. Built on the same foundations of affection and chaos.
But It's very Irish in sensibility. If you're not tuned to that wavelength, the rhythm can feel off.
In the Loop2009
Same director as Knowing Me, Knowing You; same hunger to watch smart people scheme and fail. But where Gimme Gimme Gimme finds pathos in desire, In the Loop finds nihilism in ambition. It's what happens when you take that sitcom sensibility and remove the affection entirely.
Armando Iannucci's film about political chaos, built on improvisation and actors riffing brilliantly around a loose script. It's a masterclass in character comedy and watching intelligent people fail catastrophically. Profoundly, creatively profane.
But It's wall-to-wall swearing and aggressive behaviour. No warmth, no sentiment, purely comic brutalism. If you watch it expecting softness, you'll hate it.
