BRITISH SERIES

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF RECOMMENDED SERIES TO IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING COMPREHENSION. YOU CAN EASILY FIND THEM ON THE NET, TO WATCH ONLINE OR DOWNLOAD.

THE NUMBER OF STARS NEXT TO THE TITLE INDICATES THE DIFFICULTY FOR UPPER-INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED STUDENTS. 
* NO SUBTITLES RECOMMENDED
** YOU MAY USE SUBTITLES OR NOT
*** THE LEVEL OF LANGUAGE OR THE ACCENTS MAY REQUIRE SUBTITLES

FEEL FREE TO RECOMMEND ANY SERIES OF YOUR CHOICE FOR ME TO ADD TO THE SELECTION, BY LEAVING A COMMENT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.
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COUPLING (COMEDY) **

A sitcom written by Steven Moffat that aired on BBC2 in May 2000 and ended with the fourth season in June 2004. It centres on the dating life and sexual adventures and mishaps of six British friends in their thirties, often depicting the three women and the three men each talking among themselves about the same events, but in entirely different terms. 

The centre of the story are a couple formed by the main characters Steve and Susan. The four other characters are Steve and Susan's best friends and last ex-relationships (one of each for both Steve and Susan); they represent the extremes of confidence and paranoia between the sexes when it comes to relationships. The two main characters have to negotiate their own relationship surrounded by these extremes. The critical reaction was largely positive, and the show was named "Best TV Comedy" at the 2003 British Comedy Awards.

DOWNTON ABBEY (PERIOD DRAMA) ***

season 1

season 2

season 3

Set in the fictional Downton Abbey, the Yorkshire country house of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, this series follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants during the reign of King George V. 

The first season spans the two years before the Great War beginning with news of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, which sets the story in motion. The second season covers the years 1916 to 1920. Much of the focus is on the need for a male heir to the Grantham estate, and the troubled love life of Lady Mary as she attempts to find a suitable husband. 

Season 2 begins with the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the family has to learn how to live in a new world that's constantly changing. Matthew Crawley, Thomas Barrow, and William Mason must go to fight in the war; Tom Branson, an Irishman, will not fight for the British. Lady Sybil Crawley defies her aristocratic position and joins the Voluntary Aid Detachment. The season ends with a Christmas episode that pictures life in Downton between Christmas 1919 and early 1920.

Series 3 opens in 1920 and covers a year and a half, in which we can see the main characters recovering from the war and adpting to a new order of things and a radical change in society. Academy Award-winning American actress Shirley MacLaine joins the cast as Martha Levinson, Cora's mother.

GAVIN AND STACEY (COMEDY) ***

season 1

season 2

Gavin & Stacey is a sitcom that follows the long-distance relationship of Gavin from Essex, England, and Stacey from the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The series is highly advisable if your level of oral comprehension is quite good as there are some characters with difficult accents.

The writers of the show, actors James Corden and Ruth Jones, also co-star as Gavin and Stacey's friends Smithy and Nessa. Gavin & Stacey was acclaimed as a hit breakthrough show for BBC Three, becoming the most nominated show in the 2007 British Comedy Awards.

SHERLOCK (CRIME INVESTIGATION) **

Sherlock is a British television crime drama that presents a modern approach based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. Six episodes, broadcast since 2010, have been produced, with three more episodes scheduled to begin production in early 2013. 

The show was conceived by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. They wanted to produce a modern-day version of Conan Doyle's stories in which Sherlock uses the technologies that are available to him today in order to find things out and solve crimes.

Sherlock is kind of a "consulting detective", assisting the Metropolitan Police Service, primarily DI Greg Lestrade, in solving various crimes. Holmes is assisted by his flatmate, Dr John Watson, who has returned from military service in Afghanistan. Although the series depicts a variety of crimes and perpetrators, Holmes' conflict with his nemesis Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) is a recurring feature. 

WHITECHAPEL (CRIME INVESTIGATION) **

season 1

season 2

season 3

A fast-tracked inspector, a hardened detective sergeant, and an expert in historical homicides investigate modern crimes with connections to the past in the Whitechapel district of London. 

The first season begins with fast-tracker DI Jospeh Chandler being posted to Whitechapel by Commander Anderson in order to lead the investigation into the murder of a woman, as the final step before promotion. Chandler's superiors are very concerned that London may have a Jack the Ripper copycat. They tell Chandler he is on his own and that he must solve this case quickly. 

The second season begins with a dead body discovered floating in the Thames, and a series of horrific attacks follow which appear to echo the Kray twins' infamous crimes of the 1960's. 

In the third series of Whitechapel, gruesome crimes summon up screaming and restless ghosts of the past and it's up to Chandler's team to decipher their historic relevance in order to piece together the clues of modern day crimes.

SOURCE: Sandra Alvarez's Blog