Many prospective students ask us how they can improve their English vocabulary. Our answer? Simply watch more TV!
The best TV shows for this task, in my opinion, always include legendary accents and subtle humour!
So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are our favourite television series to watch to improve vocabulary!
1 Doctor Who. Few people are indifferent about the famous blue police box, which is disguising a time travelling machine that can take its owner, the Doctor, through time and space. If your English level is intermediate or upper-intermediate — then this is the series for you. Remember to include subtitles and then relax.
2 Vicious. I accidentally stumbled upon the series and viewed it on a whim. The show is permeated with British humour throughout and follows about life of two fictional elderly homosexual gentlemen in England. The main character is Ian McKellen (known by most non-British cinema goers as Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings franchise). I advise this show for the upper-intermediate level English learners.
3 Downtown Abbey. This show is a beautiful engagement of the life of English aristocracy and their servants in the early 20th century. You will feel immersed with the social atmosphere of this time! Level: intermediate (but depending on the series).
4 Pride and Prejudice (BBC 1995). A series of 6 episodes on one of Jane Austen’s most famous novels of the same title. The series is quintessentially English and in my opinion the best adaptation of Pride and Prejudice to date! Upper-intermediate or intermediate with subtitles.
5 For fans of cutting (sometimes dark) humour, there is an excellent series called Black Books, which is about the owner of an antique book shop in England whose struggling to find customers and what he is trying (or not trying to hard to do) to keep the business afloat. The series is pure class. Upper-intermediate level.
