Rural Comedy

Best British Countryside Comedy Films

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Some of my favourite films reviewed in this article Holy Grail, Clockwise to name just 2 …..

The great outdoors and a hearty chuckle are two of our favourite things. So what better way to enjoy both than with our top countryside comedy films, from old corkers to new chortlers?

We’ve rounded up our favourites below, reliving some wonderful moments in the process and giving details of locations so you can visit and do the same. Why not head up to Glen Coe on your next trip to Scotland and trace the path of iconic Holy Grail scenes, including the multi-purpose Castle Doune and the ‘Bridge of Death’ at the River Coe? Or practise some tai chi near the Yorkshire village of Kettlewell, where Calendar Girls was based?

Failing that, you can always tuck yourself away on a rainy Sunday afternoon, hunker down with a cuppa and enjoy some serious comfort viewing in the British countryside.

David Croft, genius behind nearly 50 years of TV comedy, dies at 89

“Now settle down” poor old David Croft after a really good innings has finally gone to the green room in the sky. Of his genius this article reports: “There is a strong case for arguing that the classic English sitcom has revolved around the 3 Cs – character, catchphrase and class – and the Croft franchises were the apotheosis of this approach. The shows tended to give a well-respected British actor a new level of national celebrity: Arthur Lowe’s Captain Mainwaring in Dad’s Army, Mollie Sugden’s Mrs Slocombe in AYBS?, Gorden Kaye as Rene in ‘Allo, ‘Allo. The main comedy would generally come from a stand-off between a snob and a member of the lower orders. And these central figures would have signature sayings that still spool through the head of any viewer who grew up watching them: stupid boy!, are you free?”

Rural Coastal issues are my “bag” and I often think of real people I deal with who would have not been out of place in Walmington on Sea or the Hi-de-Hi holiday camp. Indeed if the world were really more like these places I suspect it would be a better place!!