British comedy

British Comedy, in film, radio and television, is known for its consistently quirky characters, plots and settings, and has produced some of the most famous and memorable comic actors and characters in the last fifty years.

Television

Although many popular shows of recent years began life on BBC radio, there have been many successful and influential series which were designed purely for T.V.

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Following the success of Hancock's Half Hour, the sitcom became firmly entrenched in the television schedules. Some of the most successful examples include Steptoe and Son, Dad's Army, The Likely Lads, Porridge, Fawlty Towers, The Good Life, Yes Minister, Only Fools and Horses, Blackadder and The Office.

Related Topics:
Sitcom - Steptoe and Son - Dad's Army - The Likely Lads - Porridge - Fawlty Towers - The Good Life - Yes Minister - Only Fools and Horses - Blackadder - The Office

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The BBC has generally been dominant in television comedy, but the commercial stations have also had some successes. ITV's most successful sitcoms were generally produced in the 1970s, including Rising Damp, On the Buses, George and Mildred and the now terminally unfashionable Love Thy Neighbour.

Related Topics:
ITV's - 1970s - Rising Damp - On the Buses - George and Mildred - Love Thy Neighbour

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Commercial station Channel 4 has been more successful than ITV with situation comedies in recent years. Some of the better-known examples are Chelmsford 123, Chance in a Million, Drop the Dead Donkey, Father Ted and Black Books.

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Channel 4 - Chelmsford 123 - Chance in a Million - Drop the Dead Donkey - Father Ted - Black Books

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Other formats have also been popular, with sketch shows, stand-up comedy, impressionists and even puppet shows finding success. Although impressionists experienced a lull in popularity in the 1990s, the recent success of Dead Ringers (another BBC radio cross-over) has been notable.

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Impressionists - 1990s - Dead Ringers

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The most notable satirical comedies are the ground-breaking 1960s series That Was the Week That Was, ITV's controversial puppet show Spitting Image and the news quiz Have I Got News for You.

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Satirical - 1960s - That Was the Week That Was - ITV's - Spitting Image - Have I Got News for You

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One of the most influential sketch shows was Monty Python's Flying Circus, a comedy from the late 1960s and early seventies that introduced us to such luminaries as John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam. The Pythons went on to produce several feature films and had a profound influence on British comedy. They themselves had been influenced by The Goons and Spike Milligan's Q series. Python found surprising popularity in the United States in the 1970s, as did the less cerebral humour of Benny Hill and his ITV sketch series The Benny Hill Show.

Related Topics:
Monty Python's Flying Circus - 1960s - Seventies - John Cleese - Eric Idle - Michael Palin - Terry Gilliam - The Goons - Spike Milligan's - Q - United States - Benny Hill - The Benny Hill Show

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Other notable sketch-based series include Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnies, French and Saunders, Little Britain and The Fast Show.

Related Topics:
Morecambe and Wise - The Two Ronnies - French and Saunders - Little Britain - The Fast Show

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