Filbert, you had me until the Mr Bean mention!

That was a great post, Pingüino, thank you. I prefer Amenabar to Almodovar (I never seem to get it with him) and while he isn't a Hitchcock, I think his work can stand alone. Spanish films (like a lot of Continental European films) seem to push the boundaries a bit more. UK cinema has produced some beauties in recent years, such as Full Monty, Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and the excellent Trainspotting and Shallow Grave. American cinema is too full of remakes and formulaic scripts now where everyone has to live happily ever after. I'm not saying there's not some good things, I'm just struggling to think of any recently.

It's not that British TV is good, it's the differences you find when you come to Spain I'm interested in. Like why the politics shows don't start until midnight, and daytime TV lasts all day. But the points about porn (seriously) are interesting. It is bizarre that this strongly Catholic country has porn on every night!

Filbert, I have seen both the titles you mention - not funny. I know that British people like to say that Americans can't understand British humor because our intellect is too low, but really, it ain't funny. Just my 2 centavos though!

Lizziee, there have been a lot of Hollywood remakes this year, but that has not been the case in recent years. And when Hollywood does come out with something original, it is a movie that everyone from the Americas to Asia to Europe wants to see. Not true for UK movies. And although I agree Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is of course a remake, its still good. Certainly much better than Mr. Bean! And yes, it is Hollywood formula to have happy endings, but not all movies follow this formula of course. Have you seen Sin City - certainly not a Hollywood format movie.

Awe, but we are talking about TV shows, right? I haven't seen any Spanish TV shows or British (except Teletubbies - I had forgotten about that show, blocked it out of my memory recall....thanks for bringing it up, now I won't be able to sleep tonight because of the horror!) but I can't imagine anything being better than The Simpsons! Haha... :p

Some British tv shows that have been successfully exported: Weakest Link, Who wants to be a Millionaire, Pop Idol (Operacion Triunfo).

Some v. funny British shows that probably don't transfer so well:
The Office, Have I got News for You, Ab Fab, One foot in the Grave, 'Allo 'Allo

I'm so hurt you don't appreciate the humour of Mr Bean!!!

Well, filbert, I love British TV !!! I am the president of the Belles of St. Trinians Fan Club!!!

My favorite channel here is BCCAmerica, where I can see reruns fron Father Ted, Absolutely Fabulous, Are You Being Served? (my all time favorite, been watching it since the 1970's)and Keeping up appearances to name a few!

It may be because I am an anglofile at heart, but I love the programming that we get to see over here. The mysteries are great.

(You can keep the game shows, I HATE that horrible show that demeans contestants, the Weakest Link! :p )

Booklady, I am interested in your childhood. How about sharing some stories. You work in a library, you call yourself the Booklady and you like the BBCAmerica - it all fits together too smoothely into a bad Benedict Arnold sort of image. Haha...please explain :p

I guess I have seen some British TV after all - I have watched a couple of the programs that Filbert mentioned, but again none of them I have liked. I guess my "palet" is unrefined! Haha...

However, nothing could be as bad as Japanese TV! Haha...I have never seen a culture so obsessed with food preparation shows! Thank God for the Fox Channel, AXN and a few other American programming channels I get here.

Mr. Bean rocks!!!!

I've seen a lot of great british movies, and british TV has always been by far the best at least in Europe. And even though I love spanish cinema, which in my opinion is usually better than british, our TV sucks.

Am I the only one who didn't like Jamon/Jamon? I thought it was stupid - too over-the-top and the gratuitous nudity (of Cruz) made me roll my eyes.

You want to see bad TV?? Canadian TV is the Worst of the Worst.

Two words: "Alla Tu!" Three more words: "Metro a Metro".

I don't know why I got sucked into the game shows during my time in Madrid. I spent 6 months trying to figure out if there was any actual strategy for winning on "Alla Tu!". And "Metro a Metro" was a great way to learn the Metro system in Madrid right after I moved to the city.

As far as smut, I remember watching an unedited version of "Y tu mama tambien" at 7 pm on a Sunday night. Not hard-core smut, but pretty risky for the early evening