Radio show Little Britain initially appeared as a radio show produced by Edward Flinn, which ran on
BBC Radio 4 from 2000 until 2002. Radio 4 began a
rerun of all nine episodes in February 2004 (which were slightly edited for content to suit the 6:30 pm timeslot). Unusually, this overlapped with a rerun, beginning in mid-March, of the first five programmes on the
digital radio channel
BBC 7. In June–July 2004, BBC 7 broadcast the remaining four. It was announced in October 2019 that the series would return for a one-off radio special, titled
Little Brexit, on BBC Radio 4 on 31 October 2019.
Television series , recurring
characters in the series Like several other BBC comedies (such as
Dead Ringers and
The Mighty Boosh),
Little Britain made the transition from radio to television. All the episodes for the series were filmed at
Pinewood Studios. Much of the TV material was adapted from the radio version but with more emphasis on recurring characters and catchphrases. ;Series One, 2003 The first TV series was one of the new programmes in the launch line-up for digital channel
BBC Three, the replacement for BBC Choice, which launched in February 2003. As a result of its success, the first series was repeated on the more widely available
BBC Two. Although reactions were mixed, many critics were enthusiastic, and the programme was commissioned for another run. Part of the series was filmed at
Herne Bay in
Kent: Emily Howard the Lady, and the Lou and Andy sketches. Every episode of the series ended with a failed world record attempt. ;Series Two, 2004 The second series, featuring several new characters, began on BBC Three on 19 October 2004. Its continued popularity meant the repeats moved to
BBC One, starting 3 December 2004. The episodes were edited for their BBC One run to remove any material that might have been too offensive for the more mainstream BBC One audience. Every episode of this series ended with a Lou and Andy sketch. ;Series Three, 2005 A third series began on 17 November 2005, for the first time on BBC One rather than BBC Three, and ended six weeks later. After its transmission, it was unclear whether there would be another, as many sketches were given dramatic twists and "wrapped up" (see individual character articles for more information). Lucas and Walliams were reportedly in talks for a fourth series with the BBC. Furthermore, they admitted in an interview they preferred to "kill off" certain characters to make way for new ones. Again, Lou and Andy appeared in the last sketch at the end of each episode, bar one. ;
Little, Little Britain, 2005 In 2005, to raise money for
Comic Relief, Walliams and Lucas made a special edition of the show, dubbed
Little, Little Britain. The episode included a variety of sketches with celebrities, including
George Michael,
Robbie Williams and
Sir Elton John. This was released on a limited edition DVD and was released in the United States as
Little, Little Britain on the Region 1 version of the
Little Britain: Series 2 DVD. ;
Little Britain Abroad, 2006 In 2006, a two-part
Christmas special was released, in which characters from the programme were depicted as visiting other countries.
Little Britain Live As a success of the television series, Lucas and Walliams created a travelling stage show based on their series. ;
Comic Relief Does Little Britain Live, 2007 A special live version featuring appearances from celebrities such as
Russell Brand and
Dennis Waterman was filmed in 2006 and appeared on 2007's Comic Relief show.
Little Britain USA In 2007, Lucas and Walliams announced that there would be no more of the British
Little Britain, but they taped an American continuation of the programme entitled
Little Britain USA, which featured both returning characters from the British series and new American characters. According to Walliams, the new show was "effectively
Little Britain series four". The show debuted on
HBO at 10:30 pm EST Sunday 28 September 2008, then the following week on
BBC One in Britain. It also started airing on The Comedy Network in Canada in January 2010.
Specials Little Britain Comic Relief Special, 2005 This was the first Little Britain Comic Relief special, with the usual cast and guest appearances from
George Michael,
Elton John, and
Robbie Williams.
Comic Relief Does Little Britain Live, 2007 The Little Britain cast returned for a second Comic Relief Special, this time live and with special guests:
Russell Brand,
Kate Moss,
Patsy Kensit,
Jonathan Ross,
Kate Thornton,
Chris Moyles,
Dennis Waterman,
Peter Kay,
David Baddiel,
Jeremy Edwards, and
Dawn French.
Little Britain Comic Relief Special, 2009 A crossover between the UK and USA versions, this featured guest appearances by
Catherine Tate and
Robbie Williams.
Little Britain Comic Relief Sketch, 2015 Walliams reprises the role of Lou Todd for Comic Relief. Guest stars included
Stephen Hawking and
Catherine Tate. However, Lucas does not feature.
Little Britain Does Sport Relief, 2016 This featured Walliams reprising the role of Emily Howard. Lucas did not feature.
Little Brexit, 2019 This one-off special was broadcast on 31 October 2019 on
BBC Radio 4. The concept was created due to
Brexit, the UK's withdrawal from the EU. Lucas and Walliams both returned for this episode.
The Big Night In, 2020 The concept was revived for
The Big Night In, a 23 April 2020
telethon held during the
COVID-19 pandemic, in a skit which had the pair revisiting several characters.
Social distancing requirements meant that they appeared in separate video feeds from their own homes, and used improvised costumes. ==Cast and characters==