Britain, Britain, Britain. Land of technological achievement ... We've had running water for over 10 years, an underground tunnel that links us to Peru and we invented the cat. But none of these innovations would have been possible were it not for the people of Britain. And it is these people that we do look at today. Let's do it!'
These words herald a changing of the guard in British comedy - and the beginning of the brilliant series Little Britain (premiering tonight on Star World at 10), a hilarious dissection of British life and its 'curious' inhabitants. Award-winning comedians Matt Lucas and David Walliams are the brains behind the show, which is based on their successful Radio 4 series. They bring to life a variety of characters from around the British Isles, stretching from villages in Scotland and Wales to inner-city council estates and the English countryside.
Some Hong Kong viewers are probably already familiar with Little Britain, having seen it on in-flight entertainment programmes carried by airlines such as Qantas and Cathay Pacific. In fact, Channel Hop has been known to change channels on flights while watching Little Britain because of the loud (read embarrassing) laughter it produced. But the biting insights into British life and the antics of the hapless characters - most of them played by Lucas and Walliams - are too good to miss, so it's a relief we can now watch it in the privacy of our own home.
Which brings us to the characters. Vicky 'No but, yeah but, no but' Pollard is the incoherent teenager from the town of Darkly Noone; Gary lives on a council estate and is (worryingly) attracted to his mate's grandmother; Daffyd is the only gay man in his village (or so he thinks); Marjorie Dawes heads the FatFighters group (keep an eye out for her spelling of chocolate); and Emily 'I'm a lady' Howard is an unconvincing transvestite who runs a seaside guesthouse. Then there's Andy, who takes care of his wheelchair-bound friend Lou, a grumpy, monosyllabic guy who can actually walk, romance novelist Dame Sally Markham and St Tom's Ambulance volunteers April and Neville. Narrator Tom Baker provides an amusing commentary for this day-in-a-life-style show, in which the sketches segue seamlessly into each other.
Lucas and Walliams have taken the classic British comedy to new heights, handling the mantle of the 'new kings of comedy' admirably, especially when you consider their big-name predecessors.
Leaving behind the humour of Little Britain, we head to an island in the middle of nowhere that forms the backdrop for Lost (debuting tonight on TVB Pearl at 9.30). Not be confused with Lost the reality race reviewed last week by Channel Hop, this impressive drama (which kicks off with a double episode) is one of the hottest shows on Earth at the moment, garnering an impressive following in the United States and Australia since its debut last year and spawning thousands of websites, chatrooms and even a magazine based on the show.