JOLLY WOT! Seven Cult-Classic BBC Shows In Need of Toys

Shows like Sherlock and Doctor Who have recently nudged their way into the American mainstream, but in-the-know viewers have been enjoying British television for decades. While the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has produced hundreds of television shows since its inception in 1922, it has precious little in the way of action figure representation. No, I’m not talking about a complete set of Are You Being Served? figures, I’m talking about action, sci-fi, and comedy properties that have long-established cult followings. Put the teapot on, grab your jumper, and join us as we take a look at Seven Cult-Classic BBC Shows In Need of Toys!

7. Fawlty Towers

The other show John Cleese was on. Fueled by Cleese’s manic energy and a top-notch ensemble cast, Fawlty Towers remains one of the BBC’s most memorable exports. This high-energy farce satirized modern society, tackling issues like elitism, infidelity, and bigotry with a savage wit and insight, all within the confines of a small seaside hotel. Though the show only aired for two seasons, its influence can still be felt in comedy today. While the hotel’s guests came and went every week, it’s only the core four we really need in figure form: cheeky Chambermaid Polly, long-suffering waiter Manuel, acerbic wife Sybil, and tortured everyman Basil Fawlty. Just think, they can run a hotel for your other action figures.

6. Blackadder

Hey, it’s that show your roommate tried to get you to watch back in college. Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) plays Edmund Blackadder, an opportunistic rake no matter what time period he finds himself in. Along with his manservant Baldrick, he works his way from the Middles Ages to the first World War, always with an eye towards easy conquests, material gain, and personal safety. With four iterations to choose from and appearances by BBC stalwarts Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, and a pre-HOUSE Hugh Laurie, this is a franchise that could go the distance … if it could manage those pesky licensing rights. To quote Lord Flasheart: “C’mon, NECA — ‘Let’s do-oo-ooooo it!'”

5. Red Dwarf

Set on board a mining spaceship, Red Dwarf tells the story of Dave Lister, the last surviving human in the universe. Forced into suspended animation for three million years, Lister awakens to discover he is alone in the galaxy — save for ship’s hologram Rimmer; service mechanoid Kryten; and Cat, the last living descendant of a race of humanoid felines descended from Lister’s cat. Lister and crew struggle to stay alive as they slowly work their way back to Earth, driving each other crazy in the process. This fan favorite has recently returned after a ten-year hiatus, so now’s the perfect time for figures.

4. The Avengers

The first leather-clad super-spy! This would certainly be an easy enough set to pull off — unlike Marvel Comics’ effort, there were never more than three Avengers — at least, at any one time. Patrick MacNee played dapper British war hero turned secret agent John Steed. Each week he battled a spectacularly over-the-top villain with the aid of “talented amateurs” Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman in the second season) Emma Peel (Dianna Rigg in the third and fourth seasons) and Tara King (Linda Thorson in the final season). In The New Avengers, Steed teamed with the high-kicking blonde bombshell Purdey (Joanna Lumley), as well as male agent Mike Gambit.

Out-Bonding 007 came easy to a show that relied more on wit and charm then real-world espionage, and The Avengers went on to spawn a sequel (The New Avengers), a 1998 big-budget film adaption, and a number of books, comics, and radio plays. While most action figure collectors would be fine with a single John Steed in his signature bowler, it’s clear multiple variations of the ladies would be called for, as well as legendary villains like the Cybernauts.

3. The Young Ones

The closest thing your TV can have to a party, The Young Ones redefined television in the 1980s. Irreverent, brash, and inventive, it not only broke the fourth wall, it smashed it to bits and set it on fire. This modern-day comedy of manners flouted contemporary social conventions and mocked authority figures on every level: from Margret Thatcher to Cliff Richard, no one was safe. A set of action figures would allow fans to play “Murder In The Dark” with cool person Mike, the very metal Vyvian, student activist and self-proclaimed “People’s Poet” Rik, and hippy Neal, as well as landlord/mobster/South African vampire Jerzei Balowski. Now who’s been gobbing in my lentils?

2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Yes, we’ve all seen the craptastic 2005 film, but let’s put that behind us. It’s the BBC version that fans seem to want to remember. In 1981, Douglas Adams’ radio play-turned novel-turned stage show was adapted into a six-part television series for BBC Two, and its take on Adams’ characters and situations would quickly become iconic. Subsequent attempts to adapt the material have been well-intentioned, but they lack the quirky charm and tone of the original series. While the movie had a few figures, it’s the TV show that has the most memorable designs. Fans would most certainly panic at the thought of a line without Arthur Dent and his towel, Ford Prefect with the Guide, Zaphod Beeblebrox with a Pan-Galactic Gargle-Blaster, and Trillian with her mice. The set would be incomplete without Marvin the Paranoid Android, a Vogon to spout bad poetry, and a microscopic space fleet.

1. Monty Python’s Flying Circus

So you think your latest romantic fling is “the one” huh? Well, how are you going to know until they laugh at “Confuse-A-Cat'” from episode five? How can you truly say they are are made for you until you see their reaction to the “Spanish Inquisition” sketch? This isn’t a show, people, it’s a litmus test! If your significant other can’t crack a smile at the Fish-Slapping Dance, then return to the pet shop and exchange them for a dead parrot named Eric.

Monty Python’s Flying Circus featured some memorable costuming from Hazel Pethig, whose wild and colorful designs are perfectly suited to the toy shelf. The first series needs to include all six Pythons in iconic show personas: Graham Chapman as “The Colonel,” John Cleese from the “Ministry of Silly Walks” sketch, Eric Idle as “Mister Cheeky” (nudge, nudge!), Michael Palin as a “Gumby,” Terry Jones as the “It’s” Man, and Terry Gilliam as “Man With a Stoat Through His Head.” If series one does well, expand into box sets of the Spanish Inquisition, Upperclass Twit of the Year, The Lumberjack Song, Bicycle-Repair Men …

Hey, at least the shade of blue is right.

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Jason R Mink is the Man in the Anthill