Television series
Not the Nine O'Clock News
A fast, irreverent sketch show that took aim at the week's headlines, spoofed TV formats, and mixed parody songs with proper political bite. It launched Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones and Pamela Stephenson as a genuinely electric ensemble. Watch it for the sense of a whole generation of British comedy finding its voice, live and unafraid of anyone in power.
If you liked this
Monty Python's Flying Circus1969
The blueprint for British sketch comedy's willingness to be silly and clever at once — anarchic, surreal, endlessly quotable, and the reason a show like this one could exist at all.
But More absurdist than satirical, and some sketches now feel dated or run far longer than the joke deserves.
The Fast Show1994
Character-driven catchphrase comedy rather than news satire, but it shares the same love of quick, tightly written sketches and a genuinely brilliant ensemble cast.
But Less political, more character comedy — if you came for topical bite you'll find warmth and daftness instead.
A Bit of Fry and Laurie1987
Two-hander sketch comedy from the generation right after this one, wordier and weirder, obsessed with language games and absurd logic rather than headlines.
But Cerebral and verbal rather than topical — less punchy news satire, more surreal wordplay that can feel slow.
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
That Was the Week That Was1962
This is literally where the format Not the Nine O'Clock News perfected — sketches skewering the week's news, live and unafraid of the establishment — was invented, seventeen years earlier.
The actual ancestor — the BBC show that invented British TV satire in 1962, live, dangerous, and startlingly rude for its time.
But Mostly lost to archive gaps, filmed live in black and white, and its references are now thoroughly historical.
More like this (7)
Alas Smith and Jones1984no page yet
Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones's own spin-off, built on those familiar deadpan two-man dialogues — the most direct continuation of the original chemistry.
But Thinner and less varied without Atkinson and Stephenson; charming but noticeably a smaller show.
The Day Today1994
A ferocious parody of news broadcasting itself, taking the format-mocking instinct of this show and turning it up to a demented, deadpan extreme.
But Its satire is aimed purely at broadcasting conventions, not current events, so it's a narrower, stranger target.
Have I Got News for You1990no page yet
The direct descendant in spirit — a weekly topical news quiz that channels the same appetite for mocking the week's headlines, sharpened into panel-show form.
But Panel-show format rather than sketches, so you lose the songs, filmed parodies, and character work entirely.
French and Saunders1987no page yet
Another brilliant ensemble sketch show from the same BBC lineage, trading news satire for film and celebrity parody with real warmth and daft commitment.
But Softer-edged and less politically pointed — more affectionate spoof than satire with teeth.
That Mitchell and Webb Look2006no page yet
A later-generation sketch show with the same restless mix of silly, dark, and clever, proving the format never really went out of style.
But Feels more like character-based comedy of the 2000s than genuine news satire; the topical edge is mostly gone.
Network1976
Both take aim at the theatre of broadcast news, but where the sketch show mocks it with silly voices, this film mocks it by showing exactly how monstrous it could become.
A ferociously dark satire of television news that predicted rolling-news hysteria decades early, with a performance from Peter Finch that's both hilarious and terrifying.
But This is drama, not comedy — sharp, angry, and bleak rather than silly, with no sketches or songs at all.
South Park1997
Both are rapid-turnaround topical satire made by small ensembles reacting to that week's news, just with cardboard cutouts instead of costumes and a filthier mouth.
The same instinct to turn the week's outrage into fast, disposable, joyfully offensive sketches, just animated and decades later, with no target left unmocked.
But Crude in every sense — animated, scatological, and gleefully tasteless in a way that has nothing to do with British restraint.
People
Cast
Recommended by
Monty Python's Flying Circus, That Was the Week That Was, A Bit of Fry and Laurie