* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: The ShowWithinAShow film in ''The Strike'' is intended as and largely seen as a merciless satire on how Hollywood takes real stories and removes any hint of truth or honesty from them for profit margins, cynical politics and just general ArtisticLicense-based dumbing down for general audiences. However, on the ''Rule of Three'' podcast, the hosts and guest -- while acknowledging all of the above -- point out that the original film that Alexei Sayle's character wrote, while true to the actual events, nevertheless sounds like it would have been insufferably boring to actually watch, and that the ridiculous changes introduced by the producers actually made it a better film.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: ''GLC: The Carnage Continues'' features songs and an original score by the one and only Music/KateBush, including "Ken", a hilarious parody of Music/IsaacHayes' ''Film/{{Shaft}}'' theme.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** ''Five Go Mad on Mescalin'' features a location called Series/LoveIsland.
** In ''Dirty Movie'', Creator/AdrianEdmondson plays a character called Series/MrBean.
** ''Detectives on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' features a parody of 90s cop shows called "The Gourmet Detective", featuring a main character who was a chef turned sleuth and a parody of Keith Floyd. A Year after ''Detectives'' was broadcast, ''Series/PieInTheSky'', a show with a nearly identical premise played straight (or largely at least -- the show was fairly light-hearted and comedic in nature), aired its first series.
** Even better is that also in the year after "The Gourmet Detective" parody, a book series ''with the exact name and premise played straight'' was published, and later turned into a series in 2015. LifeImitatesArt indeed.
** ''Gino: Full Story and Pics'' opens with the titular protagonist sprinting down the road being chased by police while punk music plays on the soundtrack. This oddly predicts the opening of ''Film/{{Trainspotting}}'', which Keith Allen also appeared in.
** Creator/PeterWyngarde makes a guest appearance in ''The Yob''. Years later, ''Detectives on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' featured a parody of his Series/JasonKing character.
** ''Space Virgins from Planet Sex'' features a Film/JamesBond parody with Creator/RobbieColtrane as an M parody two years before the series was revived with ''Film/GoldenEye'' (Coltrane also appeared in ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough''. [[spoiler:The film ends with the Bond parody getting a baby, something that happens in ''Film/NoTimeToDie'']].
* HoYay:
** Parodied in ''The Bullshitters'' (a send up of ''Series/TheProfessionals''), when Bonehead and Foyle resolve their burning sexual tension before the final shootout by getting shirtless and snogging each other while rolling around in a pile of gravel.
** Two handsome, athletic men running around in tight jeans, with a GirlOfTheWeek attitude towards women as opposed to their intimate friendship forged in battle...no wonder it's a SlashFic favorite.
* NewerThanTheyThink: The line "Lashings of ginger beer" doesn't appear in any of Creator/EnidBlyton's writings. It was invented for ''Five Go Mad in Dorset'', yet it's still associated with Blyton.
* OlderThanTheyThink:
** ''Bad News on Tour'' is a {{rockumentary}} about a British heavy metal band going a tour that goes disastrously wrong that predates ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap'' by a year.
** Creator/AdrianEdmondson wrote and starred in ''Eddie Monsoon - A Life?'' Years later, his wife Creator/JenniferSaunders would use the name for her character in ''Series/AbsolutelyFabulous''.
* PoorMansSubstitute:
** Had ''Queen of the Wild Froniter'' been made earlier in the series, it would have starred Creator/DawnFrench and Creator/JenniferSaunders. Julie T. Wallace and Josie Lawrence are fine, but they just aren't the same.
** Likewise, Doon Mackichan as the [[Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs Clarice Starling]] {{expy}} in ''Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase'', which is just the kind of role that Saunders would have excelled at (for proof, watch the ''Series/FrenchAndSaunders'' parody of the film).
* ReplacementScrappy: As the series progressed and moved to Creator/TheBBC, many of the original cast started to appear less frequently, as they were busy with their own projects (Creator/RikMayall was doing ''Series/TheNewStatesman'', Creator/DawnFrench and Creator/JenniferSaunders had [[Series/FrenchAndSaunders their own show]] and Alexei Sayle had various shows). As a result, a "next generation" of performers appeared - Phil Cornwall, Gary Beadle, Doon Mackichan and Creator/SaraStockbridge. As a rule, the fewer Comic Strip regulars a film has, the less good it is.
* RetroactiveRecognition:
** Creator/AnthonyStewartHead appears in ''Slags'' as rival gang leader Ricki, while Creator/EmmaThompson is the young mother who gets terrorised. Head also plays a roadie in ''More Bad News''.
** Creator/EddieMarsan appears briefly in ''The Yob'' and ''Didn't You Kill My Brother?''
** Creator/DexterFletcher is one of the kids in ''Didn't You Kill My Brother?''
** Creator/PeterCapaldi appears in ''Jealousy''.
** Barbie in ''The Crying Game'' is played by Creator/AndreeBernard, who would later be best known for playing Liz Burton in ''Series/{{Hollyoaks}}''.
** A café owner in ''A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques'' and a brother-in-law in ''Les Dogs'' are played by Creator/ChristopherMalcolm, who would later be best known for playing Justin in ''Series/AbsolutelyFabulous''.
* SpiritualSuccessor: Played with. The early "Four" installments were particularly inspired by ''Series/RippingYarns'', a British anthology comedy series where each episode is a different story lampooning tropes typically found in Victorian / Edwardian era adventure stories featuring (mostly) the same cast. However, the series gradually moved away from doing straight parodies, though movie homages tended to pop up from time to time.
* TheWoobie: The bridegroom in ''Les Dogs''. He's left wandering about aimlessly, heartbroken, shut out of his hotel room on his wedding night while the doctor is seducing his bride.
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