The Best Classic British TV Comedy
by ivanleonardseo | created - 5 months ago | updated - 5 months ago | PublicThe Best Classic British TV Comedy
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1. Rising Damp (1974–1978)
30 min | Comedy
Popular 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.
Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Don Warrington, Frances de la Tour, Richard Beckinsale
Votes: 2,817
2. Fawlty Towers (1975–1979)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Hotel owner Basil Fawlty's incompetence, short fuse, and arrogance form a combination that ensures accidents and trouble are never far away.
Stars: John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth
Votes: 100,145
3. Are You Being Served? (1972–1985)
TV-PG | 28 min | Comedy
The misadventures of the staff of a retail floor of a major department store.
Stars: Mollie Sugden, John Inman, Frank Thornton, Wendy Richard
Votes: 9,229
4. Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973–1978)
30 min | Comedy
Accident-prone Frank Spencer fails to navigate the simplest tasks of daily life, while also trying to look after his wife and baby.
Stars: Michael Crawford, Michele Dotrice, Jessica Forte, Dick Bentley
Votes: 4,171
5. Open All Hours (1976–1985)
30 min | Comedy
Arkwright 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.
Stars: Ronnie Barker, David Jason, Lynda Baron, Barbara Flynn
Votes: 5,953
6. Hancock's Half Hour (1956–1960)
30 min | Comedy
TV 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.
Stars: Tony Hancock, Sidney James, Johnny Vyvyan, Alec Bregonzi
Votes: 591
7. Hugh and I (1962–1967)
30 min | Comedy
Terry Scott is a youngish bachelor who wants to achieve wealth without putting in any hard work. The scheming Terry lives with his mother at 33, Lobelia Avenue in Tooting, London. They have... See full summary »
Stars: Hugh Lloyd, Terry Scott, Vi Stevens, Mollie Sugden
Votes: 47
8. Meet the Wife (1963–1966)
30 min | Comedy
The humorous ups and downs of a middle-aged married couple.
Stars: Thora Hird, Freddie Frinton, Barbara Miller, David Morrell
Votes: 34
9. Pardon the Expression (1965–1966)
30 min | Comedy
Sitcom spin-off from Coronation Street following Leonard Swindley (Arthur Lowe) and his misadventures as a department store deputy manager.
Stars: Arthur Lowe, Betty Driver, Joy Stewart, Robert Dorning
Votes: 32
10. Dad's Army (1968–1977)
30 min | Comedy, War
A ragtag group of Home Guard volunteers prepare for an imminent German invasion during World War II.
Stars: Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn, John Laurie
Votes: 7,231
11. The Two Ronnies (1971–1987)
Comedy
This long-running BBC comedy show consisted of sketches and humourous musical routines.
Stars: Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, The Fred Tomlinson Singers, John Owens
Votes: 3,583
12. Love Thy Neighbour (1972–1976)
30 min | Comedy
A white working-class socialist has his world turned upside down when an educated black man moves in next door.
Stars: Jack Smethurst, Rudolph Walker, Nina Baden-Semper, Kate Williams
Votes: 783
13. Mind Your Language (1977–1986)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
A diverse group of immigrants and foreigners learn English at an adult education school in London.
Stars: Barry Evans, George Camiller, Jacki Harding, Zara Nutley
Votes: 9,722
14. Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1973–1974)
30 min | Comedy
Returning from the Army, Terry finds his best mate Bob is marrying Thelma, Terry's former partner. Their lives intertwine as Terry reintegrates, challenging the relationships between the three.
Stars: James Bolam, Rodney Bewes, Brigit Forsyth, Sheila Fearn
Votes: 1,285
15. The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976–1979)
30 min | Comedy
He 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.
Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Pauline Yates, John Barron, Sue Nicholls
Votes: 2,176
16. Happy Ever After (1974–1979)
30 min | Comedy
Terry and June Fletcher are a middle-aged, middle-class couple who find themselves alone when their adult daughters Susan and Debbie leave home. But they're not along for long before Aunt ... See full summary »
Stars: Terry Scott, June Whitfield, Beryl Cooke, Caroline Whitaker
Votes: 89
17. Porridge (1974–1977)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, Crime
The 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.
Stars: Ronnie Barker, Brian Wilde, Fulton Mackay, Richard Beckinsale
Votes: 6,837
18. The Good Life (1975–1978)
28 min | Comedy
Tom 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.
Stars: Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith, Paul Eddington
Votes: 4,021
19. George & Mildred (1976–1979)
30 min | Comedy
George and Mildred Roper have just moved into a middle-class neighborhood.
Stars: Yootha Joyce, Brian Murphy, Norman Eshley, Sheila Fearn
Votes: 1,718
20. You're Only Young Twice (1977–1981)
30 min | Comedy
Comedy about the residents of Paradise Lodge, retirement home for Gentle folk.
Stars: Peggy Mount, Pat Coombs, Lally Bowers, Diana King
Votes: 120
21. Citizen Smith (1977–1980)
30 min | Comedy
Wolfie Smith is an unemployed dreamer from Tooting. He leads a small group called the Tooting Popular Front with aspirations to create a communist Britain. However, as a result of being disorganised, his chances range from slim to none.
Stars: Robert Lindsay, Mike Grady, Hilda Braid, Tony Millan
Votes: 1,054
22. To the Manor Born (1979–2007)
Not Rated | 30 min | Comedy, Romance
Following 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".
Stars: Penelope Keith, Peter Bowles, Angela Thorne, Daphne Heard
Votes: 2,724
23. Terry and June (1979–1987)
30 min | Comedy
Terry 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.
Stars: Terry Scott, June Whitfield, Reginald Marsh, Rosemary Frankau
Votes: 466
24. Only When I Laugh (1979–1982)
30 min | Comedy
A rather naive, middle-class man is admitted to a hospital ward and finds that he is sharing it with a working-class layabout and an upper-class hypochondriac. All three of them cause headaches for the hospital staff.
Stars: James Bolam, Peter Bowles, Christopher Strauli, Richard Wilson
Votes: 991
25. Yes Minister (1980–1984)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
The 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.
Stars: Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds, Diana Hoddinott
Votes: 16,546
26. Yes, Prime Minister (1986–1987)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
James Hacker was propelled along the corridors of power to the very pinnacle of politics - Number 10.
Stars: Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds, Diana Hoddinott
Votes: 12,912
27. Never the Twain (1981–1991)
30 min | Comedy
Comedy about two rival antique dealers.
Stars: Donald Sinden, Windsor Davies, Derek Deadman, Teddy Turner
Votes: 461
28. Sorry! (1981–1988)
30 min | Comedy
A 41-year-old man is unable to leave home because of his domineering mother.
Stars: Ronnie Corbett, Barbara Lott, William Moore, Marguerite Hardiman
Votes: 523
29. Only Fools and Horses (1981–2003)
TV-PG | 95 min | Comedy
Comedy 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.
Stars: David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Roger Lloyd Pack, Buster Merryfield
Votes: 56,708
30. That's My Boy (1981–1986)
30 min | Comedy
Ida Willis goes to her employment agency, and finds herself with a new job - that of housekeeper to Robert Price and his wife. She soon discovers the man is her son Shane, whom she gave up for adoption many years earlier.
Stars: Mollie Sugden, Christopher Blake, Jennifer Lonsdale, Harold Goodwin
Votes: 245
31. 'Allo 'Allo! (1982–1992)
45 min | Comedy, History, War
In France during World War II, René Artois runs a small café where Resistance fighters, Gestapo men, German Army officers and escaped Allied POWs interact daily, ignorant of one another's true identity or presence, exasperating René.
Stars: Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Vicki Michelle, Richard Marner
Votes: 27,056
32. Blackadder (1982–1983)
TV-PG | 195 min | Comedy
In the Middle Ages, Prince Edmund the Black Adder constantly schemes and endeavors to seize the crown from his father and brother.
Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Brian Blessed, Elspet Gray, Tim McInnerny
Votes: 41,075
33. A Fine Romance (1981–1984)
30 min | Comedy, Romance
British sitcom about the simple relationship between Mike (Michael Williams) and Laura (Dame Judi Dench), two fairly unlikely individuals who come together and form an unmarried union. ... See full summary »
Stars: Judi Dench, Michael Williams, Susan Penhaligon, Richard Warwick
Votes: 742
34. Don't Wait Up (1983–1990)
30 min | Comedy
Tom Latimer is a young GP, his father Toby is a Harley Street consultant. Tom, in the process of divorcing his wife, sees his newly found bachelor life disrupted when his father leaves his wife, Tom's mother, and moves in with him.
Stars: Nigel Havers, Tony Britton, Dinah Sheridan, Susan Valentine
Votes: 137
35. No Place Like Home (1983–1988)
30 min | Comedy
When Arthur and Beryl Crabtree are set to begin a quiet life at last, their four grown-up children return home one by one. With a son-in-law and neighbours always popping in as well, the quiet life never gets started.
Stars: William Gaunt, Patricia Garwood, Michael Sharvell-Martin, Beverley Adams
Votes: 157
36. Duty Free (1984–1986)
30 min | Comedy
David and Amy are on holiday in Spain, where they meet Robert and Linda, who are also holidaymakers. David and Linda spend their holiday trying to find some time alone together away from their spouses.
Stars: Keith Barron, Gwen Taylor, Joanna Van Gyseghem, Neil Stacy
Votes: 302
37. Ever Decreasing Circles (1984–1989)
30 min | Comedy, Drama
Martin 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".
Stars: Richard Briers, Penelope Wilton, Peter Egan, Stanley Lebor
Votes: 1,344
38. Fresh Fields (1984–1986)
Not Rated | 30 min | Comedy
Popular British sitcom about middle-aged suburban couple William and Hester Fields. Hester is suffering 'empty-nest syndrome' after their two children have left home, so she keeps trying to find new hobbies and interests.
Stars: Julia McKenzie, Anton Rodgers, Ann Beach, Fanny Rowe
Votes: 359
39. Me and My Girl (1984–1988)
30 min | Comedy
Sitcom based around widower Simon, his daughter Samantha and life at his advertising agency - Eyecatchers.
Stars: Richard O'Sullivan, Joanne Ridley, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Joan Sanderson
Votes: 215
40. Just Good Friends (1983–1986)
30 min | Comedy
A bittersweet sitcom about a couple who meet again five years after he jilted her at the altar.
Stars: Paul Nicholas, Jan Francis, Sylvia Kay, John Ringham
Votes: 1,136
41. Chance in a Million (1984–1986)
25 min | Comedy
Tom Chance's life is filled with coincidences, leading to his meeting Alison and frequent wrongful arrests. Despite evidence, the Police Sergeant instructs officers not to arrest him due to the pattern of coincidences.
Stars: Simon Callow, Brenda Blethyn, Bill Pertwee, Deddie Davies
Votes: 289
42. Home to Roost (1985–1990)
25 min | Comedy
John Thaw is Henry Willows, a middle-aged man in middle-management who has been divorced from his wife for seven years and is perfectly happy with the arrangement. Apart from his prudish ... See full summary »
Stars: John Thaw, Reece Dinsdale, Elizabeth Bennett, Joan Blackham
Votes: 311
43. Goodbye, Mr. Kent (1982– )
30 min | Comedy
Richard Briers stars as layabout journalist Travis Kent who weasels his way into lodging at Victoria (Hannah Gordon's) house.
Stars: Richard Briers, Hannah Gordon, Talla Hayes, Hilary Mason
Votes: 14
44. Take a Letter Mr. Jones..... (1981)
30 min | Comedy
Joan Warner, a top executive, deals with sexism at work and incompetent employees while trying to balance being a mom and handling her quirky maid. Her male secretary Graham Jones helps her handle it all.
Stars: John Inman, Rula Lenska, Gina Maher, Joan Blackham
Votes: 90
45. Keep It in the Family (1980–1983)
30 min | Comedy, Family
Dudley Rush is an artist with a difference. Eccentric and childlike, he insists of wearing his large lion ventriloquist glove-puppet on his hand whenever he draws the "Barney, the Bionic ... See full summary »
Stars: Robert Gillespie, Stacy Dorning, Glyn Houston, Pauline Yates
Votes: 106
46. Shelley (1979–1983)
30 min | Comedy
James Shelley, an educated, sardonic, permanently unemployed "professional freelance layabout," has many battles with authority, the tax-man, his landlady, and his girlfriend Fran.
Stars: Hywel Bennett, Belinda Sinclair, Josephine Tewson, Garfield Morgan
Votes: 316
47. Odd Man Out (1977)
30 min | Comedy
Neville Sutcliffe (John Inman) leaves the safety of his Blackpool fish and chip shop to take over his deceased father's seaside rock factory in Littlehampton with his step-sister Dorothy.
Stars: John Inman, Josephine Tewson, Peter Butterworth, Avril Angers
Votes: 87
48. A Sharp Intake of Breath (1977–1981)
30 min | Comedy
British sitcom in which happy-go-lucky character Peter Barnes comically and haphazardly tries to deal with the daily frustrations his life throws at him.
Stars: David Jason, Jacqueline Clarke, Richard Wilson, Alun Armstrong
Votes: 112
49. Miss Jones and Son (1977– )
30 min | Comedy
The tribulations of a young woman who suddenly finds herself a single mother to her son.
Stars: Paula Wilcox, Christopher Beeny, Luke Steensil, Cass Allen
Votes: 38
50. Ripping Yarns (1976–1979)
TV-PG | 30 min | Adventure, Comedy
This show is a collection of tales that make for "ripping good" television. Sir Michael Palin played a different lead character in each yarn.
Stars: Michael Palin, Charles McKeown, Barbara New, David Griffin
Votes: 1,702
51. The Galton & Simpson Playhouse (1977)
30 min | Comedy
A series of seven individual sitcom pilots from writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Stars: Roy Kinnear, Richard Briers, Charles Gray, Leonard Rossiter
Votes: 37
52. ...And Mother Makes Three (1971–1973)
30 min | Comedy
Sally Harrison is a harassed, well-meaning but scatterbrained young widow doing her best to bring up two boisterous sons.
Stars: Wendy Craig, Valerie Lush, Robin Davies, David Parfitt
Votes: 68
53. The Liver Birds (1969–1996)
30 min | Comedy
The lives and loves of Beryl Hennessey (Polly James) and Sandra Hutchinson (Nerys Hughes), two young, single women sharing a flat in Liverpool.
Stars: Nerys Hughes, Polly James, Mollie Sugden, Elizabeth Estensen
Votes: 288
54. Father, Dear Father (1968–1973)
30 min | Comedy
A comedy of the life of a divorced father and his two daughters.
Stars: Patrick Cargill, Natasha Pyne, Ann Holloway, Noel Dyson
Votes: 195
55. George and the Dragon (1966–1968)
30 min | Comedy
Colonel Maynard has a problem when it comes to housekeepers - his chauffeur. George has an eye for the ladies, and his behaviour has seen sixteen housekeepers hand in their resignations. ... See full summary »
Stars: Peggy Mount, Sidney James, John Le Mesurier, Keith Marsh
Votes: 100
56. Dear John.... (1986–1987)
30 min | Comedy
John Lacey comes home one evening to discover a letter from his wife, starting with "Dear John" and informing him that she is leaving him. Lonely and now divorced, John joins a club where lonely divorced people can meet.
Stars: Ralph Bates, Peter Blake, Peter Denyer, Rachel Bell
Votes: 555
57. Bread (1986–1991)
30 min | Comedy
The series set in working-class Liverpool. Meet the Boswells: they're penniless, jobless and with little hope of things improving, but life's never stale.
Stars: Jean Boht, Nick Conway, Jonathon Morris, Kenneth Waller
Votes: 1,541
58. Brush Strokes (1986–1991)
30 min | Comedy
Jacko is a house painter who "appreciates" women. He sees the best in each one of them and they in turn, like him. Will he find true love? Will he settle down as he gets older?
Stars: Karl Howman, Mike Walling, Jackie Lye, Howard Lew Lewis
Votes: 965
59. Executive Stress (1986–1988)
30 min | Comedy
Caroline Fairchild returns to work as an Editorial Director for Oasis Publishing after spending the last 25 years raising her five children. Her husband, Donald Fairchild works for ... See full summary »
Stars: Penelope Keith, Harry Ditson, Elizabeth Counsell, Mark Caven
Votes: 161
60. The Two of Us (1986–1990)
60 min | Comedy
It's about a young couple living in a basement apartment and the funny things that happen to them and their family.
Stars: Nicholas Lyndhurst, Janet Dibley, Tenniel Evans, Paul McDowell
Votes: 199
61. Joint Account (1989–1991)
30 min | Comedy
Bank manager (Hannah Gordon) wants to retire, but her house husband (Peter Egan) likes things the way they are, and doesn't want to go back to work.
Stars: Hannah Gordon, Peter Egan, John Bird, Lill Roughley
Votes: 44
62. My Husband and I (1987–1988)
30 min | Comedy
The high-powered head of personnel at a prestigious advertising agency, finds her professional and personal lives colliding when her husband takes a job as chief doorman for her company. ... See full summary »
Stars: Mollie Sugden, William Moore, Deddie Davies, Carol Hawkins
Votes: 28
63. You Rang, M'Lord? (1988–1993)
50 min | Comedy
Adventures and misadventures of Lord Meldrum, his family and their servants in the 1920s.
Stars: Paul Shane, Jeffrey Holland, Su Pollard, Donald Hewlett
Votes: 3,606
64. Hi-de-Hi! (1980–1988)
60 min | Comedy
Comic goings-on in this series. Ted's the camp comic but is always on the lookout for a way to make money. Gladys has her eye on the boss, and Peggy wants to swap her mop and cleaner's outfit for a 'yellow coat.'
Stars: Paul Shane, Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland, Felix Bowness
Votes: 1,873
65. The Labours of Erica (1989–1990)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
A widowed single mother who's spent her life looking after others. As her 40th birthday approaches she decides to follow through with her childhood list of all the things she wanted to ... See full summary »
Stars: Brenda Blethyn, Clive Merrison, Geoffrey Davies, Paul Spurrier
Votes: 32
66. Steptoe and Son (1962–1974)
TV-PG | 45 min | Comedy
British 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.
Stars: Wilfrid Brambell, Harry H. Corbett, Frank Thornton, Tim Buckland
Votes: 3,422
67. On the Buses (1969–1973)
30 min | Comedy
Jack-the-lad bus driver and conductor Stan and Jack enjoy the female employees more than their work and Inspector Blake is relentless in his attempts to make their lives a misery.
Stars: Anna Karen, Bob Grant, Stephen Lewis, Reg Varney
Votes: 2,654
68. The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968–1977)
Comedy
The 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.
Stars: Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise, Ann Hamilton, Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen
Votes: 1,057
69. Solo (1981–1982)
30 min | Comedy
Gemma Palmer, a woman who changes her life after discovering her live-in boyfriend has had an affair. Excerpt from Wikipedia
Stars: Felicity Kendal, Elspet Gray, Stephen Moore, Michael Howe
Votes: 123
70. The Mistress (1985–1987)
30 min | Comedy
Maxine is the manager of a florist shop, she is also having an affair with married man Luke Carpenter, who's wife Helen, is totally unaware of the affair.
Stars: Felicity Kendal, Jane Asher, Tony Aitken, Jack Galloway
Votes: 64
71. The Likely Lads (1964–1966)
30 min | Comedy
Terry and Bob have been friends since childhood. Bob is the sensible one, trying hard to get on with his job and life. Terry is the wild one, always ready to lead Bob astray.
Stars: James Bolam, Rodney Bewes, Don McKillop, Bartlett Mullins
Votes: 768
72. All Gas and Gaiters (1966–1971)
30 min | Comedy
Clerical comedy centered on hapless curate Mervyn Noote.
Stars: Robertson Hare, William Mervyn, Derek Nimmo, John Barron
Votes: 66
73. Sykes (1972–1979)
30 min | Comedy
Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques portray twins who live together in East Acton and enjoy a slightly surreal life, bothering their snobbish next-door neighbour Mr. Brown and getting into ... See full summary »
Stars: Eric Sykes, Hattie Jacques, Deryck Guyler, Richard Wattis
Votes: 348
74. My Wife Next Door (1972–1973)
30 min | Comedy
Divorced ex-couple George and Suzy Bassett separately move to the country for separate fresh starts, then find out that they have moved into adjoining cottages. One 1973 episode won a British Academy TV Award.
Stars: John Alderton, Hannah Gordon, Tim Barrett, Paddy Frost
Votes: 84
75. Rings on Their Fingers (1978–1980)
30 min | Comedy
Sandy wants to get married, but her boyfriend Oliver is not yet ready to make such a huge step--at first.
Stars: Diane Keen, Martin Jarvis, Tim Barrett, Barbara Lott
Votes: 30
76. Robin's Nest (1977–1981)
30 min | Comedy
Now a qualified chef, Robin from "Man About the House" (1973) sets up home with his girlfriend, and a business with his girlfriend's father.
Stars: Richard O'Sullivan, Tessa Wyatt, Tony Britton, David Kelly
Votes: 814
77. Girls on Top (1985–1986)
30 min | Comedy
Four women who are nothing alike end up living together in a flat in England.
Stars: Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Ruby Wax, Joan Greenwood
Votes: 333
78. French and Saunders (1987–2017)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders satirically present aspects of British life, films such as Batman Forever and Pulp Fiction.
Stars: Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Simon Brint, Rowland Rivron
Votes: 3,747
79. A Bit of Fry and Laurie (1987–1995)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
Comedians Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie perform a variety of comedy skits and the occasional musical number.
Stars: Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Deborah Norton, Geoffrey McGivern
Votes: 9,918
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