Granted, this was one of the few, if not the only, example of British television "borrowing" from American television, as it was eerily similar to "Friends", but "Coupling" was much, much, better. The comedy wasn't nearly as infantile as "Friends".

I am, however, a victim of circumstance here. So far, Reginald Perrin is not available on DVD in the States. I think I can order directly from BBC but its a different "Region code" and I don't think it is compatible with my DVD player. <Sigh...>

Yes, it was at its best in the first two or three series with all the original cast. They flogged it to death in the end.

As for the rest, 'The Office' shouldn't even be in the top 200 sitcoms ever, complete tripe, and there are just so many admissions: Filthy Rich and Catflap? Paris? Hardwicke House? This was one of the biggest wastes of licence-payers' money the BBC ever put together, christ. I'd forgotten how angry I was about it at the time.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Ke...

http://www.bowyers.com/meetingPlace...

Most of these are still watchable. Number 6, Yes Minister, was for me the worst long-running sitcom in British history. The Vicar of Dibley was pretty dire as well.

We stated some time ago that the Chess Club at Paris, called Le Cercle de Philidor, challenged the London Chess Club, to play a match at Chess for any sum which the latter Club might name, the moves to be transmitted either by post, or by extraordinary couriers. The London Chess Club accepted the challenge, appointed a Committee of its own members to conduct the moves, and proposed that the stake should be 50 guineas a game. An answer was returned by Mr. Labourdonnaye, the first Chess-player in Paris, who sent the challenge on the part of the French Club, declining the match, on the ground that the Cercle de Philidor was on the point of dissolution. Some time after, the Edinburgh Chess-Club challenged the London Chess-Club to play a match of three games. The London Chess Club accepted the challenge; the chess-players of the North, with a characteristic firmness of purpose, adhered to their own proposition, and the match has actually commenced. Two games are played at the same time; Edinburgh having the move in one, and London in the other; the second move was transmitted from London to Edinburgh yesterday. The stake, at the suggestion of the Edinburgh Club, is a Silver Cup, of the value of Twenty-five Guineas. The moves, for obvious reasons, will not be allowed to transpire until the match is concluded. The following are the names of the London Committee, which comprehend the most distinguished players in England :- Mr. Brande [sic], Mr. Cochrane, Mr. Frazer, Mr. Keen, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Mercier, Mr. Parkinson, Mr. Pratt, Mr. Samuda, Mr. Tomalin, Mr. Wiltshire, Mr. Wood.>

Where did The Young Ones and Chef! rank (two of my personal favorites).

John Brand ; John Cochrane ; William Fraser ; Benjamin Keen ; William Lewis ; Francis Mercier ; Joseph T Parkinson ; <B (?) Pratt> ; Abraham Samuda ; <Obadiah Tomalin> ; <J (?) Wiltshire> ; J Wood

When giants roamed the Earth:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...

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