History is littered of examples of comedy shows that have been lost in translation, or have faltered when moving too far away from home. But Little Britain USA is different. And the key reason is that its creators, writers and performers--David Walliams and Matt Lucas--went along for the ride, too. Enlisting the services of Tom Baker to do the voice overs as well, Little Britain USA thus allows itself to play heavily on fish out of water gags where necessary, but effectively transplant the humour of the show to a fresh context. This allows Lucas and Walliams to reintroduce Vicky Pollard, Margery Dawes, Lou and Andy and a few other favourites from the UK series, as well as introducing a new clutch of characters, too (an ex-astronaut is a particular favourite).
There’s a fair amount of introducing the show to a new audience with Little Britain USA, which does mean that some of the material will have a familiar, almost-recap feel to it. And it does tend to be quite bumpy, too, taking a few episodes to find its feet and its confidence. But when it does get firing, then it delivers the rude, funny jokes that the Little Britain team are rightly renowned for. In short, a successful export, and one that should develop as further series are made. --Jon Foster