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Much fuss has been made over how the British mine comedy from the uncomfortable moments that pepper everyday life. There has been equal attention paid to how the stiff-upper-lippedness commonplace amongst the English after World War II affected their comedic sensibilities. Yet one facet of British comedy that never seems to get enough attention is the role that music plays in some of the country's funniest TV exports. Just as John, Paul, George and Ringo changed music; Monty Python -- frequently dubbed "The Beatles of comedy" -- forever altered their countrymen's approach to getting laughs by frequently mixing their trademark absurdity with music. This is a trait that many subsequent Britcoms have thankfully followed. Obviously, American shows have gotten plenty of laughs from featuring goofy songs too. But somehow it seems more inspired when the Brits do it (you know how calling an umbrella a "parasol" seems classier? Same basic premise). So the time has come to analyze which songs from British comedy shows are the funniest, catchiest and overall best. A quick word: In the name of fairness and because so many Britcoms rely heavily on music, only one song per series was allowed (otherwise there's a good chance this list would have been 75% Python songs). Now, let's see if your favorites made the cut...
11) "The A-Theme Theme (Remix)," Spaced
Admittedly this is a bit of a cheat since there's nothing inherently funny about The A-Team's theme song. With Topless Robot being the home for all things nerdy, it would be tragic not to mention this stellar dance version of the tune from the climax of the "Epiphanies" episode of Spaced. Remixed by producer Guy Pratt, the track gave us the chance to revel in the fun as Simon Pegg and Nick Frost attended the world's geekiest rave.
10) "Love Games," The Mighty Boosh
The toughest part of writing lists like this one is just knowing that somebody's favorite song is going to be left off. This is doubly true in the case of a show as music packed as The Mighty Boosh. So while you slag me off for not putting the "Tundra" rap on here in the comments, enjoy Old Gregg's disco-flavored tribute to love that I'm pretty sure Scissor Sisters based their entire career on.
9) "One Track Lover," Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
First gaining attention through his supporting work on The Mighty Boosh, Matt Berry is the world's most talented and charismatic man. At the very least, he can belt out a tune. He ably demonstrated his musical chops in the final episode of the horror spoof Garth Marenghi's Darkplace with this dead-on replica of 1980s power ballads in which he was assisted by special guest rapper Richard Ayoade (who played Dean Learner/Thornton Reed on the series). The sight of Berry in his briefs is just a little something extra for all you ladies out there.
8) "Sexual Christmas Night," The Peter Serafinowicz Show
Peter Serafinowicz is voicing Paul McCartney in Robert Zemeckis upcoming CGI remake of Yellow Submarine. That just feels so perfect. As this video -- a Christmas song from an alternate universe in which Macca is a complete perv -- demonstrates, he could have done vocal chores for Ringo in the flick too.
7) "Outrageous," Peep Show
In the Channel 4 series Peep Show, Robert Webb portrays Jeremy, a perennially unemployed slacker who makes life hell for his stuffy roommate/fellow asshole Mark (David Mitchell). The pilot episode gave is a glimpse at Jeremy's musical stylings, as glimpsed above. How he thinks he's going to become a star by creating warmed-over Utah Saints songs is anyone's guess. Being a shitty musician is least of Jez's flaws, especially given how he once killed then ate a dog belonging to a potential girlfriend. Outrageous indeed.
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