My top ten British sitcoms

A few months ago, I counted down to my top British sitcom. Here, I present my top ten list in full. Click on the links to go to the post for each of the sitcoms.

10. The Vicar of Dibley – The traditional English village of Dibley is assigned a woman vicar.

9. Father Ted – Three priests of the Roman Catholic Church living together with their housekeeper on a remote island.

8. The Office – A fictional documentary about the employees working in the office of Wernham Hogg Paper Company.

7. Yes Minister – A look into the political career of Jim Hacker, the minster for the Department for Administrative Affairs.

6. Peep Show – Peeping into the eyes and minds of Mark Corrigan and Jeremy Usbourne, two very different flatmates.

5. Only Fools and Horses – Two brothers making a living selling dodgy goods on the mean streets of London.

4. Fawlty Towers – Basil Fawlty is a snob in charge of a hotel.

3. Red Dwarf – The last human, a humanoid evolved from a cat, a mechanoid and a hologram are lost in deep space.

2. Blackadder – A journey through English history with the cunning Edmund Blackadder.

1. One Foot in the Grave – Following his retirement, whatever can go wrong, does go wrong for Victor Meldrew.

Campus

It has been a while since I have posted on here. Now I am a bit less busy than I was so I think it is high time for a bit of blogging.

I may (or perhaps may not) have mentioned on this blog last summer that there was a film crew on my university campus, filming a new sitcom called… Campus. Anyway, after months of waiting, Campus has finally arrived on the small screen. You can see the first two episodes on 4oD here. Since I walked through a few scenes during filming, there is a chance that I may feature in an episode. Please let me know if you spot me!

My top ten British sitcoms – number one

So here we are. After nine weeks of counting down through some of the very best British sitcoms, it is almost time to reveal my number one. It has been a long journey, but an enjoyable one all the same. Researching and writing about these programmes has made me appreciate British sitcoms even more than I did before I started this list. Click below to find out which British sitcom has claimed the top spot.

My top ten British sitcoms – number two

I have to admit, since I came up with the idea for this list, I have been torn as to which order my top two British sitcoms would be in. Whilst it was very close, I have finally made up my mind.

Number two – Blackadder

As a series, Blackadder is set across six centuries of British History. The first series depicts the end of the Middle Ages, the fourth (and final) series depicts the trenches of the First World War. Along the way we get the chance to visit a number of other notable periods in history, including the Elizabethan era and the Regency period. Despite the vast timescale over which this sitcom is set, the two central characters (Edmund Blackadder and Baldrick) remain the same. As the series progress, these two characters represent the descendants of the ones that have gone before. In each series, Edmond Blackadder is a member of the ruling class and associates himself with some very notable figures in British history. From the second series onwards (which is when I started watching), his sole focus is to improve his own lot in life. To do this he will use any means, no matter how deceitful or cowardly. Baldrick on the other hand is Blackadder’s servant. Whilst Blackadder is clever and cunning, Baldrick is incredibly stupid (the roles are somewhat reversed in the first series). Also accompanying Blackadder in each series is an aristocrat whose pomposity far outweighs their intelligence.

I think perhaps that of all the British sitcoms on this list, Blackadder is the one that would get onto most other people’s top ten list. The reason for this is that unlike many of the sitcoms I have listed, Blackadder has an almost universal appeal. The star of the show is of course Blackadder himself and it is from him that most of the laughs (usually via some desperate attempt to gain riches or avoid death) come. A wealth of remarkable supporting characters including Queen Elizabeth I, Melchett and Lord Flashheart make this a truly complete comedy package.

You can buy all four series of Blackadder here.

My top ten British sitcoms – number three

At number three is a cult comedy that I have loved since I was about twelve years old.

Number three – Red Dwarf

Red Dwarf is set on a mining spaceship in deep space 3,000,000 years in the future. The main character is Dave Lister who, due to a radiation accident on board the spaceship (from which he was protected), is the last remaining human in the universe. Accompanying Lister is a bunch of eccentric misfits. Arnold Rimmer was responsible for the radiation accident that killed the rest of the crew; including himself. Rimmer was resurrected as a hologram by the ship’s onboard computer (Holly) to keep Lister sane. This is despite the fact both men despise each other. Cat is a humanoid that, over 3,ooo,ooo years, has evolved from the cat that Listed illegally stowed onto the spaceship. Kryten is a mechanoid who is rescued by the crew in Series Two from a crashed spaceship upon which he served. Finally is Kristine Kochanski, a navigation officer originally killed in the radiation accident who was found in an alternative dimension in Series Seven.

Like all good comedies, Red Dwarf is all about the main characters and the relationships between them. What really makes Red Dwarf stand out from other British comedies however, are the unique situations in which the crew often find themselves. The science fiction setting (which is taken very seriously by the show) allows Red Dwarf to explore such themes as time travel, artificial realities and parallel universes. Perhaps the only real criticism that I can level at Red Dwarf are the inconsistencies between series, with the Eighth Series perhaps not as funny as the rest. I am pleased to hear that recently, another series (the first full series since the Eighth Series in 1999) has recently been announced for 2012.

You can buy all eight series of Red Dwarf here.

My top ten British sitcoms – number four

Straight in at number four is the oldest entry in my list.

Number four – Fawlty Towers

Inspired by an incredibly rude hotel owner, the main character is Basil Fawlty. Basil is a snob, regarding himself to belong to the upper class of British society. Thus, whilst he pampers to the every whim of the hotels more discernible guests, he is very rude to just about everyone else. Sybil Fawlty is Basil’s wife. Being the only person Basil is afraid of, it is often up to her to keep him under control. In stark contrast to her husband, Sybil is good at dealing with customers and at making sure things get done around the hotel. The other two main characters are Polly the maid and Manual the waiter (from Barcelona!).

First made over 35 years ago, Fawlty Towers is the oldest sitcom on my list. It is also the shortest, lasting just 12 episodes (six hours). Sure, it has aged and of course, I wish there had been more of it. However, despite its age and brevity, Fawlty Towers remains a classic to this day. Most importantly, it is still as funny as it ever was. I have perhaps watched each episode more times than any other sitcom. That has got to say something.

You can buy both series of Fawlty Towers here.

My top ten British sitcoms – number nine

Last week, I started off my list counting down my top ten British sitcoms with The Vicar of Dibley. Today, I continue the list with another religious themed comedy.

Number nine – Father Ted

Father Ted follows the adventures of three priests of the Roman Catholic Church: Father Ted Crilly, Father Dougal McGuire and Father Jack Hackett. All three priests live together, with their housekeeper Mrs Doyle, in a house on Craggy Island. Their assignment to this extremely isolated island off the coast of Ireland is the result of past misdemeanors committed by the three priests; Ted’s involving money, Dougal’s involving something only refered to as the “Blackrock Incident” and Jack’s involving women and booze.

While Father Ted may at first seem to be along the same lines as the Vicar of Dibley, the two programmes could not be more different. Whilst the Vicar of Dibley is a feel good comedy with wide appeal, Father Ted’s cast of seriously flawed characters and often disturbed plots has earned it a cult following. My favourite episode is ‘A Song for Europe’ in which Ted and Dougal enter a song into ‘Eurosong 96′. Here is a clip from that episode:

You can watch full episodes of Father Ted on the 4oD channel on YouTube here or on 4oD here. I’m not sure if these can be viewed outside of the UK. You can also purchase the Father Ted collection at Amazon.co.uk.

My top ten British sitcoms – number ten

Working in postgraduate accommodation at my university, I often get asked to recommend different aspects of British culture. One of the first things I will recommend is British comedy. To my constant dismay however, most of the international students have only ever heard of American comedies like Friends. Whilst I enjoy these too, I think there is something unique and special about British sitcoms. For this reason, I wanted to share with you my top ten British sitcoms. I will list one every Monday (starting with my tenth favourite) for the next ten weeks.

Number ten – The Vicar of Dibley

I kick off this list at number ten with a programme I have known and watched for many many years. The Vicar of Dibley is set in a traditional rural village. In the first episode, the vicar of the church dies in the middle of the service. This leads to the recruitment of a new vicar, Geraldine Granger.

Upon her arrival, the councillor of the village, David Horton, is outraged that they have been assigned a woman as their vicar. Traditionally, The Church of England only appointed men as vicars. This sets the tone for the constant struggle between these two characters. This conflict is heightened by Geraldine’s fun-loving attitude to being a vicar which clashes with David’s traditional conservative values.

What really makes the programme special however is the wide assortment of crazy characters that inhabit the village, from Letitia “parsnip brownies” Cropley to Owen “flatulence” Newitt. It is this mix of characters that make the regular parish meetings one of the highlights of the show. Despite the characters’ rather annoying habits, Geraldine does her best to help them out… often to her own detriment. In my favourite episode ‘The Christmas Lunch Incident’ she accepts three different Christmas lunch invitations due to not having the heart to reject anyone.

The Vicar of Dibley is a great feel good comedy suitable for just about anyone. I think however, that because of this, it can lack the cutting edge that prevents it being higher on my top ten list.

You can purchase every episode ever made for under £15 from Amazon.co.uk.