Best Britcom of all time....

[Riftaxe]

I can't do polls, and it's been ages since the lounge has argued about this one this one.


I am torn, but I would have to go with either:

1) Black Adder
2) Are you being served (includes Grace & favor)
3) Keeping up appearances (i find hyacinth quite sexy, but that might be for another thread...)
4) Men behaving badly
5) Only Fools & Horses (only a Tibetan monk could not giggle at one point in an episode...)
6) I abuse Ellipses to much...
7)...
8) Red Dwarf
9) Good Neighbors (I kind of include "to the manor born", or anything else Felicity kendall has done here, to me she is the face of a britcom ;))
10) well, here is where you tell me what is best, and what i have missed....(5 dots...so not an ellipses with a period...)


Missing list (or at least ones that i know of):
Queenie
steptoe and son
dad's army
last of the summer wine
'ello again
Fawlty Towers
and so many more that i might have missed :)

[JCMach1]

1. What? no AbFab? or Monty Python?

[Riftaxe]

5. heh i bought ab fab on VHS the day it was released

but that dates me a bit..then again who else would :)

[Riftaxe]

9. One foot in the grave or father ted

I have forgotten so many...

[MiddleFingerMom]

2. Fawlty Towers and Absolutely Fabulous...

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.
.
...and a COOKING show called "Floyd on Fish" where Floyd, absolutely smashed,
would go on fishing vessels and cook in the galley for the crew (I remember
a tugboat in particular). Always knocking back wine and encouraging the TV
audience to join him. Theme music that was bizarre and wonderful -- Primus'
theme for South Park reminded me of it.
.
.
.
Special... SPECIAL mention of "Good Neighbors" -- almost exclusively because
I had a HUGE crush on Felicity Kendal and thought her character was one of
the cutest human beings in recorded (or otherwise) history.
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.

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[Riftaxe]

7. Grrr on the edge of my mind

but there is another cooking show, 15 minute segments that is hilarious...

[MilesColtrane]

38. Posh Nosh

[Riftaxe]

11. It;'s the dimples....upper and...

nt :P

[Skittles]

3. Till Death Do Us Part

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Till_Death_Us_Do_Part_%28British_TV_series%29

[Riftaxe]

4. I knew i would forget a few

but excellent one!

[jobycom]

6. Of course, Felecity Kendall wasn't actually in "To the manor born..."

It's a trifle (see me talking British?) ambiguous whether that's what you meant to say, or whether you were combining her with Penelope Keith.

I'd probably go with "The Good Neighbors" because that's always the first one I think of when that question is asked, but I'll toss out "Waiting for God" and "The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin" as a couple of possibles.

[Riftaxe]

8. I think i was thinking of Penelope

but felicity was i am sure voted best fitting jeans...or should have been :)

[Riftaxe]

10. ooh diana from waiting for god,

soul mates i tell ya. ornery just for the sake of it :)

[eShirl]

36. definitely Waiting for God

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. To comment from a British point of view

Blackadder for sure, and Fawlty Towers. They'd get at the top of any objective list. I loved Red Dwarf, but then I'm a sci-fi fan, so I appreciate what it's spoofing as well, but I think if you weren't a Star Trek/Doctor Who etc. watcher, it wasn't that good.

One or two of your titles actually need translation for us in the UK - 'Good Neighbors' must be 'The Good Life', from the Felicity Kendall reference (though she wasn't in 'To the Manor Born' - that was Penelope Keith, ie Margot). And that brings me on the the first major omission from your list:

'Yes, (Prime) Minister', of which one of the stars was Paul Eddington (Jerry from The Good Life). 'Yes Minister' was political satire that was so relevant that it is still referenced in political life today. 'Sir Humphrey' is an entry in the Oxford English Dictionary. "The Thick Of It" is its modern equivalent (TV series on which "In The Loop" was loosely based) which is very good - far more savage, but less subtle.

I have no idea at all what 'Queenie' was. Another changed title for the US, I presume.

"'ello again" - I'm not sure what this is either. "Allo Allo", perhaps? That was a spoof of the French resistance in WW2, with everyone using exaggerated accents. It had its moments, but I found that the writing was a bit predictable.

"Are you Being Served" and "Keeping up Appearances". Sigh. Mediocre sitcoms that PBS bought, and have been strangely adopted by Americans. I've never felt the desire to see a repeat, and the same goes for "Last of the Summer Wine".

"Only Fools & Horses". Not bad, but the hype in the UK about it went over the top, I think. I'd like to see a few repeats of "Citizen Smith", the previous sitcom by that writer, which I enjoyed more - perhaps just because I was younger and was more easily impressed.

"Men Behaving Badly" - very good, as far as I'm concerned, once it got into its groove, but eventually they did it just a bit too long.

"Steptoe & Son" - more or less the founding British sitcom (that, or the Hancock stuff, from the same writers) which has survived very well. Not often 'hilarious', but there's pathos there too. Which can be said of "The Office", which perhaps should be on the list.

"Dad's Army" - from roughly the same team as "Are You Being Served", but better, IMO - the characters are interesting, and better acted, though it did at times suffer from the same "predictable plot/next line" problems.

Others that have to be added:

"Porridge" - funny and with occasional pathos too. Very well acted by the leads, and written (Clement and Le Frenais, who earlier did "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads" - another good one - and who then moved to the US, wrote for Tracy Ullman and others, and apparently make lots of money quietly rewriting film scripts that are going wrong and need anonymously rescuing just before filming starts).

Of other recent stuff: "The IT Crowd", "Black Books" and "Father Ted", all at least part written by Graham Linehan (Irish, but British-made series). If you can count it as a sitcom, "Green Wing" (hour long surreal hospital comedy).

[Riftaxe]

13. so many i missed :)

huge sci-fan as well here...all started back when Dr who was a cheap buy for PBS...i admit it :)

anyone who has enjoyed a good curry and beer would defiantly (definately i meant, but rimmer flashback) put red dwarf up higher.

I completely forgot Yes, minister :( a cold war favorite!

[jobycom]

14. Oh, I'm changing my vote! How did I forget "Yes, Minister"? nt

[Riftaxe]

15. we both forgot thin blue line...

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. I'm glad I forgot "The Thin Blue Line" ...

sub-standard for everyone involved in it. But I should have included "Waiting for God" and "One Foot in the Grave". And probably "The Young Ones" - at its best, brilliant (sample appropriate line, when trying to persuade an animate washing machine to open up and accept a pile of filthy student washing: "oh look what I've got - Felicity Kendall's underwear, and it needs a jolly good wash!" - followed by dirty expectant laugh from the washing machine).

[Riftaxe]

17. i not quite so erudite...

it impedes laughing :)

although i do agree on young ones...i need to work on that, heh found it a bit vulgar.

lol on edit, men behaving badly is probably worse but it is newer...ahh well humor is in the heart

[WinkyDink]

18. Hands down: FAWLTY TOWERS. Second; RISING DAMP.

[Misskittycat]

19. Definitely, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister -- especially for us at DU.

If you have a chance to get a hold of copies of either or both series, please do. You won't regret it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. Yes, government as you hope it doesn't work but fear that it does

Brilliant political satire, something the Brits are especially good at (along with mysteries).

[Misskittycat]

34. I love British mysteries, too. n/t

[WCGreen]

20. Ab Fab abd Black Adder are my all time favorite sit coms period...

[HipChick]

21. Hands down..No problem..and Love Thy Neighbor

[LeftinOH]

22. The Young Ones: It was short-lived, but hilarious -and twisted.

[PassingFair]

23. Black Adder; Ab Fab; CHEF

No love for "Chef"?

[MorningGlow]

24. My stock post to favprite britcom threads

Doctor in the House. :loveya:

[Tripper11]

25. On the Buses

Old timey Brit comedy.
We used to watch it regularly back in the 70's growing up in Ontario, I used to love that program!



Also love the original The Office

[Supply Side Jesus]

26. SPACED!!!

an over looked masterpiece!

Edagr Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost.....the guys who did Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz

classic

[blueamy66]

27. Ab Fab and Young Ones

get my votes.

Also like Keeping Up Appearances

[GoCubsGo]

28. Ummmm...Benny Hill n/t

[auntAgonist]

29. Steptoe and Son .. I watched it when I was a kid in

Scotland.

Sanford and Son very similar.

aA

[ceile]

31. Coupling, Father Ted, As Time Goes By

are my favorites. I grew up watching Good Neighbors, so it will always have a place in my heart. I find Doc Martin to be funny in a "black comedy" sort of way.

[lutefisk]

Coupling never fails to make me laugh out loud. Very funny!...n/t

[lutefisk]

37. .

edit... somehow, I managed to post the same message twice.

[LibertyLover]

32. Monty Python, Ab Fab and the Vicar of Dibley

I love Dawn French! And the episode with Sean Bean was to die for.

On edit - how could I have forgotten Doctor in the House? That was priceless. Thank you for reminding me. And of course Black Adder.

[Rambis]

33. Good Neighbours or "The good life"

great show- Men Behaving Badly was a lot of mindless fun as well. Netflix is a great way for anyone to see a lot of these shows. I am re-watching all creatures great and small right now, good memories.

[eShirl]

35. does Father Ted qualify as a Britcom?

if so, I nominate it

[MilesColtrane]

39. Flowery Twats

[KamaAina]

40. Agreed on Hyacinth

:evilgrin:

[edbermac]

41. Monty Python, you twit!

[tigereye]

42. Black Adder or Python for me, although my husband would say Fawlty Twrs

or The Young Ones.


Also Red Dwarf was pretty funny.

[avaistheone1]

43. also Poldark, Doc Martin, Keeping Up Appearances, Mr Bean

all rock in my book.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

44. I especially liked Fawlty Towers and Red Dwarf.

But I enjoy just about all of them except Benny Hill, which was crude and sexist and not very funny at all.

[book lady]

45. I liked Dinnerladies with Victoria Wood

I also enjoyed Goodness Gracious Me and its spinoff The Kumars at No.42

[Mojambo]

46. Fawlty Towers. n/t

[frogmarch]

47. Father Ted is my favorite. nt

[flvegan]

48. Fawlty Towers and The Young Ones.

[Bucky]

49. You forgot "Frasier"

[JackDragna]

50. The IT Crowd.

It's on Netflix if you haven't seen it. Gold, Jerry, Gold!

[Mojambo]

55. It's very good. Not sure it's even the best modern britcom though

I'd give that to Peep Show.

I do like IT crowd though.

[Orsino]

51. Blackadder is so Britcom...

...it has a degree in Britcomming from Britcom University, Britcomshire.

[elleng]

52. Rumpole of the Bailey!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0691351/quotes

[Homer Wells]

53. My Family!!!

No contest!!

[6000eliot]

54. The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin

[struggle4progress]

56. "Yes, Minister" and "Vicar of Dibley"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_Minister
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIXH3-A8zMI

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicar_of_dibley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MsbvGmLaU4

[HEyHEY]

57. Peep Show

[Mojambo]

58. Seconded.

Very impressed with the first couple of episodes of series 7.

[Lucinda]

59. Good Neighbors, Coupling, and Keen Eddie for me...though your list rocks!

Though some may not see Keen Eddie as strictly comedy since its a cop show.:)

I just re-watched the entire run of Good Neighbors again recently...so much heart and so much fun! Coupling was smart, sexy and brilliant. And Keen Eddie was a great fish out of show.

[underpants]

60. The Young Ones

Dear THATCHER!

We have the bomb! If you don't do something for THE KIDS by three o'clock this afternoon we will set it off.

Signed,

Rick
The People's Poet

[TheMightyFavog]

61. No Father Ted? Shame on you.

DRINK!! FECK!! ARSE!! GIRLS!!

[freestyle]

62. AbFab of course

That's mainly because my mom has some Edina traits, although I rarely tell her that.