Shows I love

The shows I've watched can be neatly arranged by provenance, specifically the UK and the US. I've watched very little television that's not made in one of these two places and practically none of those are worth mentioning.

I don't want to do a ranked list of my favourite shows because it's too boring and solemn. So here's a list without numbers (a nifty invention of mine), along with the precise moment I was hooked. The nine I've picked represent my preferences quite well so I hope the odd number doesn't making you tense (1).

Arrested Development: because there's always money in the banana stand. Though I was nearly there from the first time Lucille opened her elegant mouth ('Look what they've done, Michael! Look what these homosexuals have done to me!')

Doctor Who: Matt Smith's ridiculous hand-flail-wiggle-dance when saying hello to Amy Pond in Utah ('Did you see me?' 'Of course' 'Stalker!'). 'The Impossible Astronaut' was the first Who episode I watched. For all of the others shows, I started with the pilot.

Green Wing: How can you say no to opening credits like that? The shortest pitch any show has ever had to make to me.

Misfits: The first scene with the ASBO kids and the community support officer. It's beautifully framed: an unsightly group in bright orange jumpsuits against the dull backdrop of Thamesmead. To say nothing of Nathan's gobbiness.

Modern Family: Q: Why the face? A: It's Phil Dunphy, yo.

The Office (UK): Speaking of faces, David Brent's 'camera face' is genius. And the line? Only that niche genre in the music world of manager-rap: I can make that dream come true, too, AKA, for you.

The Office (US): I didn't like the pilot which is unsurprising because it was a scene-by-scene remake of the UK pilot. But one episode later, Michael Scott had his own camera face and his own dreams ( 'Why don't we go around and everybody, everybody say a race that you are attracted to sexually...')

The Thick of It: 'I can see that you've all got very big stiff hard ons about this...', Teri says about seven and a half minutes into the pilot. A camera sweeps across the men, Glenn squeaks 'Teri!' and we're in the Boys' Club. Chris Langham's masterful delivery soon after of what is basically an MP's whine about his driver, finishes the job.

Yes Minister: It's trademark Humphrey Appleby: a long, confusing speech about private secretaries, private sectaries, under-secretaries. And then trademark Hacker: 'Can they all type?' Pause. 'None of us can type, Minister. Mrs Mackay types: she's the secretary.'

BBC's mini-series Sherlock is the only notable omission; with it's larger scope and budget, it's unfair to compare it with, say, Doctor Who which doesn't even have enough money to make an Atraxi spaceship not look like a crown for Miss Universe (2). Incidentally, Who is the only listed show I haven't watched all the episodes of. It's been on air since the beginning of time (3) and a lot of the 'classic series' is missing or difficult to find. I've watched some of it, though, and everything since the 2005 revival.

So there it is. Six from the UK (Arrested Development, Modern Family and The Office aren't); eight comedies (bar Who); only three currently on air (Who, Misfits, Modern Family). The plan is to write something about each of them at some point. Or will I?

The plot thickens like milk in a plot.