We couldn’t let the month of September pass without making note of this…
This month marks the 39th anniversary that British comedy made its U.S. debut – and it happened right here at KERA.
KERA-TV, Channel 13, became the first television station in the country to air the British comedy series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.” In 1975, cast members Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam appeared live in the KERA studios in a three-hour Monty Python extravaganza.
Check out the clip, including the groovy “11 Great Nights Of Public TV! It's Festival '75!”
British comedies soon became an important part of public TV schedules across the country. KERA 13 airs several of them:
- “Yes, Minister” is on at 11 p.m. Saturday, while “‘Allo ‘Allo!” follows at 11:30 p.m. “Mr. Bean” airs at midnight and 12:30 a.m.
- And on Sundays, there’s “As Time Goes By” at 10 p.m., “Keeping Up Appearances” at 10:30 p.m. (“Appearances” is one of my favorites.) “The Café” is at 11 p.m., followed by “Open All Hours” at 11:30 p.m. “Miranda” airs at midnight, followed by “Red Dwarf” at 12:30 a.m.
Bill Young, vice president of TV programming for KERA, runs the fun site called Tellyspotting, aka Your Brit TV Pub, which highlights the best of British shows.
What's your favorite British show?
