The Best British TV Comedies (of all time)
...in my opinion.
Bound to be ones I forgot or missed.
I'll keep adding as I remember (or discover) more.
"He who doth not laughter with
Be sure to meet with laughter nith"
- B.A. Barararacus (1896-2011)
Bound to be ones I forgot or missed.
I'll keep adding as I remember (or discover) more.
"He who doth not laughter with
Be sure to meet with laughter nith"
- B.A. Barararacus (1896-2011)
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- StarsJohn CleesePrunella ScalesAndrew SachsHotel owner Basil Fawlty's incompetence, short fuse, and arrogance form a combination that ensures accidents and trouble are never far away.
- StarsCaroline AherneCraig CashSue JohnstonA British sitcom about the everyday life of a working-class family in Northwest England: watching telly, smoking, drinking, and bickering.
- CreatorJohn SullivanStarsDavid JasonNicholas LyndhurstRoger Lloyd PackComedy that follows two brothers from London's rough Peckham estate as they wheel and deal through a number of dodgy deals and search for the big score that'll make them millionaires.
- CreatorRicky GervaisStephen MerchantStarsRicky GervaisMartin FreemanMackenzie CrookThe story of an office that faces closure when the company decides to downsize its branches. A documentary film crew follow staff and the manager David Brent as they continue their daily lives.
- StarsSteve CooganSimon GreenallFelicity MontaguA failed television presenter, now presenting a programme on local desperately tries to revive his broadcasting career.
- StarsVictoria WoodJulie WaltersCelia ImrieSketch-based show starring Victoria Wood, Dame Julie Walters, and many others. Included regular items such as "Acorn Antiques" with Julie as Mrs. Overall and a regular advice slot from Agony Aunt Kitty (Patricia Routledge).
- CreatorGraham ChapmanEric IdleTerry JonesStarsGraham ChapmanJohn CleeseTerry GilliamThe original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe.
- StarsRonnie BarkerRonnie CorbettThe Fred Tomlinson SingersThis long-running BBC comedy show consisted of sketches and humourous musical routines.
- StarsRowan AtkinsonMel SmithPamela StephensonBritish sketch comedy starring the likes of Rowan Atkinson and Mel Smith.
- CreatorRichard CurtisStarsRowan AtkinsonBrian BlessedElspet GrayIn the Middle Ages, Prince Edmund the Black Adder constantly schemes and endeavors to seize the crown from his father and brother.
- StarsRowan AtkinsonTony RobinsonTim McInnernyIn the Tudor court of Elizabeth I, Lord Edmund Blackadder strives to win Her Majesty's favour while attempting to avoid a grisly fate should he offend her.
- StarsRowan AtkinsonTony RobinsonHugh LaurieIn the Regency era, Mr E. Blackadder serves as butler to the foppish numskull Prince George amidst the fads and crazes of the time.
- StarsRowan AtkinsonTony RobinsonStephen FryStuck in the middle of World War I, Captain Edmund Blackadder does his best to escape the banality of the war.
- DirectorPaul WeilandStarsRowan AtkinsonTony RobinsonStephen FryAt a New Millennium Eve party, Blackadder and Baldrick test their new time machine and ping pong through history encountering famous characters and changing events rather alarmingly.
- DirectorMike LeighStarsRoger SlomanAlison SteadmanAnthony O'DonnellA middle-class couple go camping in Dorset, but peace and quiet elude them.
- StarsPeter KayDave SpikeyJustin MoorhouseThe misadventures of club owner Brian Potter who is determined to make The Phoenix Club the best working men's club in Greater Manchester.
- CreatorLeon GriffithsStarsGeorge ColeGlynn EdwardsDennis WatermanRoguish comedy drama following the misadventures of small-time crook Arthur Daley. Can his ex-boxer bodyguard Terry stay level-headed whilst working for the King of Dodgy Deals?
- CreatorRicky GervaisStephen MerchantStarsRicky GervaisAshley JensenStephen MerchantAndy Millman is an actor with ambition and a script. Reduced to working as an extra with a useless agent, Andy's attempts to boost his career invariably end in failure and embarrassment.
- StarsRik MayallAdrian EdmondsonNigel PlanerThe crazy and sometimes surreal comedic adventures of four very different students in Thatcher's Britain.
- StarsDermot MorganArdal O'HanlonFrank KellyThree misfit priests and their housekeeper live on Craggy Island, not the peaceful and quiet part of Ireland that it seems to be.Technically Irish but couldn't leave it off the list
- StarsChristopher MorrisSteve CooganPatrick MarberA spoof of the British style of news broadcasting - including ridiculous stories, patronising vox pops, offensively hard-hitting research and a sports presenter clearly struggling for metaphors.
- StarsChristopher MorrisMark HeapKevin EldonControversial spoof of current affairs television, and the role of celebrity in the UK.
- CreatorArmando IannucciStarsChris AddisonJames SmithPeter CapaldiThe Minister for Social Affairs is continually harassed by Number 10's policy enforcer and dependent on his not-so-reliable team of civil servants.
- StarsRonnie BarkerBrian WildeFulton MackayThe prison life of Fletcher, a criminal serving a five-year sentence, as he strives to bide his time, keep his record clean, and refuses to be ground down by the prison system.
- StarsRonnie BarkerDavid JasonLynda BaronArkwright is a miserly and eccentric shopkeeper with a stammer, who longs to marry his lifelong love Nurse Gladys. He runs a small town grocery store along with his errand boy and nephew, Granville and a particularly dangerous till.
- StarsMel SmithGriff Rhys JonesGeoffrey McGivernMel Smith and Griff Rhys-Jones present a series of short (often tasteless, always scathing) sketches about modern life and the stupidity and gullibility of those who believe in it.
- StarsDawn FrenchJennifer SaundersSimon BrintComedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders satirically present aspects of British life, films such as Batman Forever and Pulp Fiction.
- StarsStephen FryHugh LaurieDeborah NortonComedians Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie perform a variety of comedy skits and the occasional musical number.
- CreatorRoy ClarkeStarsPeter SallisJane FreemanKathy StaffThree old men from Yorkshire who have never grown up face the trials of their fellow town citizens and everyday life and stay young by reminiscing about the days of their youth and attempting feats not common to the elderly.
- StarsPeter SerafinowiczNigel LambertRobert PopperA parody of educational programs. Just don't believe anything in the show is true.
- StarsRichard BriersPenelope WiltonPeter EganMartin Bryce lives in a quiet suburban close with his wife Anne. He does his best to "organise" the leisure time of all of the other inhabitants of the close, running umpteen societies and doing "good works".
- StarsLeonard RossiterDon WarringtonFrances de la TourPopular sitcom set in a seedy bedsit lorded over by the mean, vain, boastful, cowardly, racist landlord Rigsby. In each episode, his conceits are debunked by his long-suffering tenants.
- StarsVic ReevesBob MortimerCharlie ChuckBizarre, anarchic and frequently silly comedy sketch show written by and starring double act Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.
- StarsVic ReevesBob MortimerCharlie HigsonThe pair's follow-up to The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, this BBC comedy sketch show features more surreal vignettes, as well as an ongoing mockumentary series called The Club - a parody of popular British series of the time.
- StarsMorwenna BanksMark BentonTim HealyEx soldier Carl Palmer returns home from Cyprus to join his brother Chris who has agreed to help find Carl's son.
- StarsVic ReevesBob MortimerUlrika JonssonComedy panel game show hosted by anarchic surrealist comic duo Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.
- StarsSimon PeggJessica HynesJulia DeakinFriends Tim and Daisy, 20-something North Londoners with uncertain futures, must pretend to be a couple to live in the only apartment they can afford.
- StarsVic ReevesBob MortimerFred AylwardHugely influential, surreal and anarchic parody of the variety show format. Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer introduce a selection of eccentric characters. The show often appears to be completely random, ramshackle and nonsensical.
- StarsCaroline AherneHooky and the BoysThe Patrick TrioMock talk show starring Caroline Aherne as the elderly host Mrs Dorothy Merton who interviews celebrities.
- StarsWilfrid BrambellHarry H. CorbettFrank ThorntonBritish sitcom about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in London. The intergenerational divide between the miserly Steptoe and his ambitious son results in comedy, drama, and tragedy.
- StarsKenny EverettCleo RocosSheila SteafelZany antics and sketches by the anarchic camp comic.
- StarsLenny HenryRobert BathurstCarla MendonçaA sketch show featuring many different characters and spoofs.
- CreatorPeter FluckRoger LawStarsSteve NallonKate RobbinsChris BarrieA satire show using puppets that are caricatures of major public figures.
- StarsPeter RichardsonAdrian EdmondsonJennifer SaundersA series of self contained television movies starring performers from London's "Comic Strip" comedy club and their friends. Noted for a high sense of parody of previous movies, literature, and generally everyone in sight.
- StarsPeter CookDudley MooreChris KaranNot Only...But Also, most famously showcased Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in there so-called 'Dagenham dialogues' in which Pete (a nasal know-all who has utter confidence in his surreal and ill-informed philosophies on life) and Dud (credulous, dim-witted and scruffy) discuss all manner of subjects, bedecked in cloth caps and Macs.
- StarsRob BrydonJulia DavisJoanna ScanlanThis is a series of documentary type comedy it shows a different couple each episode, we see the occasional friend or neighbour.
- StarsJulia DavisAngus DeaytonRebecca FrontAlthough Jill's husband seems to respond well to cancer treatment, she tells him that he's dying. Jill pretends she's already a widow and pursues her next-door neighbor, Don. Jill manipulates and torments Don's wife, who suffers from MS.
- StarsRob BrydonRegina FreedmanStuart MaconieKeith is a taxi driver who records a monologue on his video camera, which relates the story of his failed marriage after his wife Marion left him for her work colleague, Geoff.
- StarsAdrian EdmondsonRik MayallNigel PlanerA satire about three losers: a failed actor, his sleazy agent, and a permanently drunk bodyguard.
- DirectorPatricia MordecaiStarsKen DoddPam AyresFrank CarsonKen Dodd OBE, presents this comedy extravaganza in which he entertains a celebrity audience. Ken tells jokes and answers questions from TV personalities including James Fox, Warren Mitchell, Hannah Gordon, Gordon Kaye and Molly Sugden.
- StarsRichard AyoadeMatt BerryMatthew HolnessThis parody series is an unearthed 80s horror/drama, complete with poor production values, awful dialogue and hilarious violence. The series is set in a Hospital in Romford, which is situated over the gates of Hell.
- StarsPeter SerafinowiczBelinda Stewart-WilsonPaul PutnerA series of sketches by British comedian Peter Serafinowicz
- StarsGraham Fellows
- StarsJennifer SaundersAdrian EdmondsonDawn FrenchGuy Fuddle (Ade Edmondson) lives with his grandmother (Jennifer Saunders). He has four sisters(Saunders) who were sent away from home as small children. Grandmother is now ill and she wants to see her granddaughters before she dies. She sends Guy into the world to find them. Grandmother's real motives are revealed when the family reunites.
- StarsMarc WoottonA contestant has the chance to win £10 000 if they can convince their friends that a grotesque character (all played by Wootton) is actually their best friend. The character is so abhorrent the contestant risks losing their real friends, but if they let any of them in on the secret they lose the money.
- StarsMarc WoottonPatrick StewartChris FrenchComedian Marc Wootton adopts the persona of one Shirley Ghostman, a psychic able to contact dead celebrities.
- CreatorMarc WoottonStarsMarc WoottonRuta LeeEthan StoneLa La Land is a mockumentary about three wannabes seeking fame and fortune in Los Angeles.
- StarsBarry HumphriesEmily PerryRobin HoustonAn arrogant Australian TV host who mocks celebrity guests and abuses her sidekick Madge in a series of comedic talk show parodies.
- StarsNicholas BurnsJulian BarrattClaire KeelanAfter publishing a rant about 'idiots' - frantically hip, ignorant scenesters - Dan Ashcroft finds these same people embracing him as his idol and his nerves constantly tested by his biggest fan, moronic scene personality Nathan Barley.
- CreatorMaurice GranLaurence MarksStarsRik MayallMichael TroughtonMarsha FitzalanThe ultra right-wing Alan B'Stard, the most selfish, greedy, dishonest, sadistic and sociopathic Conservative MP of them all, plots to achieve his meglomaniacal ambitions.
- StarsJohn CleeseGraham ChapmanTim Brooke-TaylorWritten by and starring The Goodies' Tim Brooke-Taylor, Monty Python's Graham Chapman and John Cleese, and comedy legend Marty Feldman, "At Last the 1948 Show" is a groundbreaking, splendidly silly and surreal sketch comedy series.
- StarsMichael CrawfordMichele DotriceJessica ForteAccident-prone Frank Spencer fails to navigate the simplest tasks of daily life, while also trying to look after his wife and baby.
- StarsSean LockBenedict WongDan MershThe lives of two men sharing a flat in South London.
- StarsVictoria WoodJulie WaltersRobert LongdenVarious sketches written by Victoria Wood
- StarsPaul EddingtonNigel HawthorneDerek FowldsThe Right Honorable James Hacker has landed the plum job of Cabinet Minister to the Department of Administration. At last he is in a position of power and can carry out some long-needed reforms, or so he thinks.
- StarsPatricia RoutledgeClive SwiftGeoffrey HughesA snobbish housewife is determined to climb the social ladder, in spite of her family's working class connections and the constant chagrin of her long suffering husband.
- StarsRobin NedwellDiane KeenJack DouglasClassic ITV comedy-drama, set in the fictional village of Shillingbury in Hertfordshire. Londoners Peter (Robin Nedwell) and Sally Higgins (Diane Keen) move to the idyllic English countryside to enjoy the ambiance of fine thatched-roofed cottages, strawberry cream teas, oak-timbered pubs and a collection of eccentric locals, including grumpy farmer Jake (Jack Douglas), his sexy daughter Mandy (Linda Hayden), crafty tramp Cuffy (Bernard Cribbins), old busybody Mrs. Simpkins (Diana King), nosy postman Harvey (Joe Black), and the twittering Reverend Norris (Nigel Lambert).
- StarsPaul EddingtonNigel HawthorneDerek FowldsJames Hacker was propelled along the corridors of power to the very pinnacle of politics - Number 10.
- DirectorColin GilbertStarsRik MayallRobbie ColtraneGwyneth GuthrieA week in the life of Redditch investigative reporter Kevin Turvey. As you would expect, not a lot happens!
- StarsSteve CooganRebecca FrontPatrick MarberAlan Partridge hosts his own chat show on the BBC. He insults and belittles almost all of his guests and is humiliated by the rest.
- StarsRichard WilsonAnnette CrosbieDoreen MantleVictor Meldrew is a retiree who attracts bad luck. If he's not driving his long suffering wife Margaret crazy with his constant moaning, he's fighting with neighbours.
- CreatorSacha Baron CohenStarsSacha Baron CohenT.N.T. CrewSteve EllingtonSacha Baron Cohen provides an inimitable mix of global reportage and celebrity chat via his characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev and Brüno Gehard.
- CreatorJimmy PerryStarsArthur LoweJohn Le MesurierClive DunnA ragtag group of Home Guard volunteers prepare for an imminent German invasion during World War II.
- StarsDawn FrenchJames FleetTrevor PeacockA boisterous female minister comes to serve in an eccentricly conservative small town's church.
- StarsStephen FryHugh LaurieRichard DixonBertram Wooster, a well-intentioned, wealthy layabout, has a habit of getting himself into trouble and it's up to his brilliant valet, Jeeves, to get him out.
- DirectorColin GilbertTom GutteridgeStarsRik MayallThe Mad Kevin Turvey has been hired by the BBC to investigate things but rather than investigate 'norma'l things Kev decides to investigate stupidly bizarre things (like he does) and his rambling rants are a joy to behold The nonsensical mutterings of Turvey will leave you in fits of laughter, and this is another fine example of the comic genius that is 'the great'Rik Mayall (much missed already)
- StarsVictoria WoodThelma BarlowAndrew DunnComedy about the workers in a factory canteen.
- StarsTerry ScottJune WhitfieldReginald MarshTerry and June Medford are a middle aged couple who find the trials of life more difficult as they try to succeed in their daily lives.
- CreatorPeter SpenceStarsPenelope KeithPeter BowlesAngela ThorneFollowing her husband's passing, Audrey fforbes-Hamilton is forced to sell her stately home. While she comes to terms with her downward mobility, she decides to show the new owner a thing or two about "nobility".
- StarsTony HancockSidney JamesJohnny VyvyanTV version of the popular BBC radio show of the same name, with Tony Hancock as the modern man of the world (in his own eyes). Sid James is there to bring him back to earth.
- CreatorJohnny SpeightStarsWarren MitchellAnthony BoothUna StubbsA working-class Cockney bigot with a biased and experienced opinion of everything shares them bluntly and carelessly.
- StarsWendy CraigGeoffrey PalmerBruce MontagueRia, a happily married suburban housewife, reaches the age when she feels like life is passing her by.
- StarsLeonard RossiterPauline YatesJohn BarronHe story concerns a middle-aged middle manager, Reginald "Reggie" Perrin, and is driven to bizarre behaviour by the pointlessness of his job at Sunshine Desserts.
- StarsSteve CooganRob BrydonClaire KeelanSteve is asked to review restaurants for the UK's Observer who is joined on a working road trip by his friend Rob who fills in at the last minute when Coogan's romantic relationship falls apart.
- StarsEric MorecambeErnie WiseAnn HamiltonThe Morecambe & Wise Show was a long running and massively popular sketch series starring British comedy duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, plus a string of top-name international celebrity guests (of a bygone age), like André Prévin.
- StarsRichard BriersFelicity KendalPenelope KeithTom Good quits the rat race, and with wife Barbara turns the garden of their Surbiton house into a smallholding. Their neighbours, snobbish Margo Leadbetter and her conventional husband Jerry, feel variously amused, offended and impressed.
- StarsChristopher MorrisAmelia BullmoreDavid CannA surreal, ambient mix of bleak comedy sketches.
- StarsStewart LeeChristopher MorrisPaul PutnerThe exciting return to television of the comedians comedian Stewart Lee.
- StarsArmando IannucciHugh CecilKaren AscoeObservations of society and life by Armando Iannucci in comedy sketches and narration.
- CreatorGraham LinehanArthur MathewsStarsKevin EldonMark HeapSimon PeggA British sketch comedy show where people in ordinary situations suddenly find themselves in absurd situations.
- StarsJohn HenshawRita MayMark BentonSet in The Grapes, where the daily life of the locals, including jack-the-lads Joe and Duffy, landlord Ken and his police officer cronies Phil and Nige, old git Tommy and single mum Janice - revolves around love, loneliness and urinals.
- StarsPeter KayPaddy McGuinnessLisa HammondHopeless doormen Max and Paddy leave clubland and embark on a series of wild and exciting adventures in their prized motorhome, "Easy Rider" style.
- StarsArmando IannucciRichard AyoadeAdam BuxtonA T.V sketch show set in the future looking back over the beginning of the 21st century, between 2005 and 2030.
- StarsAdam BuxtonJoe CornishNigel BuxtonAdam Buxton + Joe Cornish write, film, act in, edit and host their own home-made TV show which parodies contemporary popular culture.
- StarsHarry HillAl MurrayBarrie GosneyHarry Hill is taking a trip on a hot air balloon when he suddenly leans over the edge to see a duck, on his perilous trip back to earth he learns about truth, honesty and friendship.
- StarsDavid FrostRonnie BarkerRonnie CorbettA comedy show written and staring various comedy pioneers including comedians who would go on to form the Two Ronnies and Monty Python.
- CreatorFranc RoddamStarsTimothy SpallJimmy NailTim HealySeven British construction workers escape Britain's ever-growing dole queues and travel to Germany to work on a site in Düsseldorf. Follow their trials and tribulations of working away from home and away from the women they left behind.
- StarsFiona AllenDoon MackichanSally PhillipsThree female comics perform sketches dealing with a wide variety of topics, from irritating flatmates to workplace issues to people who pretend to be ill to get free things or special treatment.