British entertainment is very diverse, with TV the technical aspect is a bit confusing. You have the regular 5 terrestrial channels, and then digital satellite, terrestrial digital, and cable providers as well. There is only one cable provider in each area. The quality and types of programs are as varied as they are in the US. You might have had a small sampling on BBC America, or on other networks, but there is some real quality telly here, with a fair amount of US programs in the schedule and more recently some devoted channels such as CBS, ABC and Fox News on cable/satellite.

Soap Operas

British soaps are less glamourous than American soaps, they’re average working class people, and the actors look like average people, and they are much more realistic, ie. hardly anyone comes back from the dead with amnesia. Eastenders and Coronation Street are the top two of the nations soaps. And, instead of airing in the daytime, they’re on in the evening.

9pm Watershed

Adult oriented programs, rated unsuitable for children due to language or topic, may not be shown before 9pm. Be warned, after 9pm, the language and nudity run riot on the most channels (I say for those with children).

Music and Radio

The BBC is the biggest Radio station provider, with a handful of other local stations. You’ll find mostly pop music, but can find a bit more choice on some of the BBC stations, see the Radio Times or the BBC site for schedules.

The UK has it's own music charts, with it's own popular artists that never make the US charts. Likewise some top American acts never make it to the UK. You can listen to many UK radio stations online such as BBC Radio One, Virgin Radio, Kiss FM, Classic FM, and Kerrang.

Dance and Club music are the rage, but you will still find some Country and other music genres available too. You can also listen to the BBC stations on the internet. You’ll also find a huge array of gigs and music festivals all around the country, check the BBC Gig Info.

News Media

The news media, tv and newspapers seem to be quite slanted to one political view or another. The most read papers are the national papers, the local papers carry only local news.

world-newspapers.com provides a good listing of the UK news media along with their political slant.