British Sitcoms

A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television.

Most British sitcoms are recorded on studio sets, while some have an element of location filming. A handful are made almost exclusively on location (for example, ''Last of the Summer Wine'') and shown to a studio audience prior to final post-production. A subset of British comedy consciously avoids traditional situation comedy themes, storylines, and home settings to focus on more unusual topics or narrative methods. ''Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and ''Yes Minister'' (1980–1988, 2013) moved what is often a domestic or workplace genre into the corridors of power. A later development was the mockumentary genre exemplified by series such as ''The Office'' (2001–2003).

Early years

;''Pinwright's Progress''
Written by Rodney Hobson, ''Pinwright's Progress'' (1946–1947) was the world's first regular half-hour televised sitcom. Broadcast live by the BBC from Alexandra Palace, it was about J. Pinwright, the proprietor of a small shop. Storylines involved his hated rival and his staff, who only added to his problems by attempting to be helpful. The series featured an ensemble cast including James Hayter as J. Pinwright, Clarence Wright as Aubrey, Sara Gregory as Sally Doolittle, Daphne Maddox as Miss Peasbody, Doris Palmer as Mrs Sigsbee, Leonard Sharp as Ralph, Benita Lydal as Mrs Rackstraw, Charles Irwin as a salesman, and Jill Christie as Pinwright's daughter."Pinwright's Progress"
British Comedy Guide website and produced and directed by John Glyn-Jones. The script editor was Ted Kavanagh, who during the World War II years also wrote the BBC Radio comedy series ''It's That Man Again'' (''ITMA'' ), which according to Foster and Furst was "entirely new, breaking away from the conventions of both radio and music hall comedy".
;''Hancock's Half Hour''
Transferred to television in 1956 after 48 episodes on BBC radio which began in 1954, ''Hancock's Half Hour'' (1956–1961) by Galton and Simpson was It was the first modern TV sitcom. Whilst moving away from audio variety towards character development, the radio series had been influential in the development of TV situation comedy. The radio series continued to be produced alongside the TV version. Tony Hancock played a fictionalised version of himself, a loser whose plans and aspirations are continually ruined by bad luck. Its only other regular cast member was the more worldly sidekick played by Sid James, later of ''Carry On'' fame. Other occasional participants included John Le Mesurier, Kenneth Williams, and Patricia Hayes.Dennis Barker, "Hayes, Patricia Lawlor (1909–1998)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Sept 200
available online
Retrieved 18 June 2020. Hancock's biographer John Fisher dates the first use of the term 'situation comedy' in British broadcasting to a BBC memo dated 31 March 1953 from radio comedy producer Peter Eton, suggesting the format as the ideal vehicle for Hancock's comedic style. "Hancock's persona of the pompous loser out of his depth in an uncomprehending society still informs many programmes today", according to Phil Wickham. The final BBC series of this show was broadcast under the shorter title ''Hancock''. In 1963, Hancock changed his writers and moved to ITV for a further 13-episode series also named ''Hancock''. The series, though relatively well received, has been described as "clearly not up to the standard of ancock'sBBC work".

;''Whack-O!''
Starring Jimmy Edwards in the lead role as Professor James Edwards, ''Whack-O!'' written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, is about the drunken, gambling, devious, cane-swishing headmaster who tyrannised staff and children at the fictitious Chiselbury public school "for the sons of Gentlefolk". From 1956 to 1960 and 1971–1972, it ran for 60 episodes over 8 series. The first six episodes were subtitled "Six of the Best", alluding to the frequent and traditional caning of disobedient pupils in the UK at the time. The series was revived in colour with updated scripts in 1971–72, slightly retitled ''Whacko!''. Other members of the cast included Arthur Howard (series 1–7),
Julian Orchard (series 8),
Kenneth Cope,
Norman Bird,
John Stirling,
Peter Glaze,
Edwin Apps (series 1–7),
Peter Greene (series 8),
David Langford,
Keith Smith,
Brian Rawlinson,
Gordon Phillot, Harold Bennett (series 8),
Frank Raymond,
Gary Warren (series 8), and
Greg Smith (series 8). A feature film, '' Bottoms Up'', was made in 1960.
;''The Army Game''
Peter Eton's series of ''The Army Game'' (1957–1961) was probably British television's most successful sitcom of this period and ran for 154 episodes. Many of its stars went on to become household names. The original cast consisted of William Hartnell, Michael Medwin, Geoffrey Sumner, Alfie Bass, Charles Hawtrey, Bernard Bresslaw and Norman Rossington. The cast of ''The Army Game'' would change over the years with actors such as Geoffrey Palmer, Bill Fraser, Ted Lune, Frank Williams, Harry Fowler and Dick Emery appearing in subsequent series. ''The Army Game'' follows the exploits of Hut 29, a fictional dysfunctional group of conscripted National Service soldiers during the post-war years. Writers included creator Sid Colin, Larry Stephens, Maurice Wiltshire, Lew Schwarz, John Jowett, John Antrobus, John Foley, Marty Feldman, Barry Took, David Climie, David Cumming, Derek Collyer, Brad Ashton, John Junkin, Talbot Rothwell, Sidney Nelson, Stan Mars, Bob Perkins and Alan MacKinnon. At least three episodes are uncredited. In June 1959, a short ''The Army Game'' scene was performed by Michael Medwin, Alfie Bass, Norman Rossington, Bill Fraser and Ted Lune at the Royal Variety Performance in front of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. This was the last Royal Variety Performance that was not televised. This successful series inspired a film spin-off, ''I Only Arsked!'' (1958), and in 1958, just a year after the series debuted, the first ''Carry On'' film, the very similar ''Carry On Sergeant'', was released, also featuring Hawtrey, Rossington and Hartnell.

The 1960s

In the 1960s, the BBC produced a then-rare workplace comedy with ''The Rag Trade'' (1961–1963, 1977–1978) written by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney. The success of the series was due partly to the strength of the female ensemble playing the workforce, who included Sheila Hancock, Barbara Windsor. It also made the earliest of Richard Waring's domestic comedies, ''Marriage Lines'' (1961–1966), starring Richard Briers (later to star in '' The Good Life'') and Prunella Scales (who went on to star in ''Fawlty Towers''), and '' Not in Front of the Children'' (1967–70), starring Wendy Craig.

Women were usually only cast in secondary roles in this period, though several series with Craig in the lead were an exception. Sitcoms developed by Carla Lane, the first successful female writer in the form, began with ''The Liver Birds'' (1969–1979, 1996), initially in collaboration with others.

Another change, with ''Steptoe and Son'' (1962–65, 1970–74) and ''The Likely Lads'' (1964–1966), producers began to cast actors, rather than the comedians around whom earlier series like ''Whack-O!'', with Jimmy Edwards, or ''Hancock's Half Hour'', had been built.
;''Bootsie and Snudge''
As a spin-off sequel to ''The Army Game'' and also starring Bill Fraser and Alfie Bass, ''Bootsie and Snudge'', (1960–1963, 1974) was written by a large team over its 104 episodes. Writers for the 1960–63 episodes included Marty Feldman, Barry Took, John Antrobus, Ray Rigby, David Cumming, Derek Collyer, James Kelly, Peter Lambda, Tom Espie, Jack Rosenthal, Harry Driver, and Doug Eden. The 1974 series was written by David Climie, Ronnie Cass and Lew Schwarz. The series established the reputation of actor Clive Dunn, leading to his role as Corporal Jones in ''Dad's Army''.
;''Marriage Lines''
Running for 43 episodes over 5 series (1963–1966), first titled ''The Marriage Lines'', ''Marriage Lines'' was written by Richard Waring and directed and produced by Robin Nash and Graeme Muir. The traditional domestic comedy about a young couple learning to cope with married life reflected social attitudes of the times, and provided its lead stars Richard Briers and Prunella Scales with a significant boost to their careers. The supporting cast included Edward de Souza, Ronald Hines and Christine Finn.
;''Steptoe and Son''
With its cast of only two regular characters played by Harry H. Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell, airing 1962–65 and 1970–74, ''Steptoe and Son'' was a Galton and Simpson creation and ran for 57 episodes over 8 series. Producers included Duncan Wood, John Howard Davies, Graeme Muir, and Douglas Argent. In 2000, the show was ranked number 44 on the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes compiled by the British Film Institute. In a 2001 Channel 4 poll Albert was ranked 39th on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters, The series was derived from a one-off Galton and Simpson comic play, "The Offer", shown on their BBC series Comedy Playhouse in 1962. It is regularly repeated and gave rise to four feature films.
;''Till Death Us Do Part''
Written by Johnny Speight and broadcast 1965–1968 and 1972–1975, ''Till Death Us Do Part'' featured Warren Mitchell as Alf Garnett and was an instant hit. Centred on the bigoted character of Alf Garnett, it addressed racial and political issues that had been becoming increasingly prevalent in British society. It was criticised by campaigner Mary Whitehouse for its bad language, and due to changing attitudes in political correctness it is seldom repeated.
;''Dad's Army''
Based on a World War II theme, ''Dad's Army'' (1968–1977) by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, was a gentle mockery of Britain's 'finest hour' and the Home Guard. One of the most enduring British sitcoms, it starred Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier, whose interaction with Lowe's character Captain Mainwaring was described by ''The Times'' as "a memorable part of one of television's most popular shows".
It also starred Clive Dunn, John Laurie, Ian Lavender and Arnold Ridley. During its original television run, the show was nominated for multiple British Academy Television Awards, including "Best Situation Comedy" in 1973, 1974 and 1975, although only won "Best Light Entertainment Production Team" in 1971. In 2000, the show was voted 13th in a British Film Institute poll of industry professionals of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes. In 2004, championed by Phill Jupitus, it came fourth in the BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom. As of 2022 it is one of British television's most regularly repeated sitcoms.
;''All Gas and Gaiters''
Bringing the first light-hearted satirical look at the church, during 1966–1971 ''All Gas and Gaiters'' paved the way for ''Bless Me, Father'' (1978–1981) with Arthur Lowe, and farcical ecclesiastical comedies such as ''Father Ted'' and ''The Vicar of Dibley'' in the 1990s. Starring Derek Nimmo with Robertson Hare, William Mervyn, John Barron, Joan Sanderson, and Ernest Clark, it was written by husband-and-wife team Pauline Devaney and Edwin Apps and directed by John Howard Davies and Stuart Allen. The successful series, which after an initial controversy became a favourite of Britain's clergy, was followed by two spin-offs also starring Nimmo: ''Oh, Brother!'' (1968-1970), 19 episodes written by David Climie and Austin Steele, with supporting roles by Sir Felix Aylmer, Patrick McAlinney and Derek Francis, and its sequel '' Oh, Father!'' (1973) with Felix Aylmer, Laurence Naismith, Pearl Hackney and David Kelly, also written by Climie and Steele. ''All Gas and Gaiters'' was produced by Stuart Allen, John Howard Davies, and Robin Nash, and the music was provided by Stanley Myers.
;''Me Mammy''
With Milo O'Shea, and Yootha Joyce in the lead roles, ''Me Mammy'' was written by Hugh Leonard, produced by James Gilbert and Sydney Lotterby for the BBC and aired 1968–1971 for 21 episodes over 3 series. Bunjy Kennefick, played by O'Shea, is an Irish mother's boy living in London. He is a top executive of a company and lives a bachelor lifestyle. However, his old-fashioned Catholic mother often puts a stop to his plans, many of them involving his girlfriend Miss Argyll, played by Joyce.

The 1970s

The 1970s is often regarded as the golden era of British sitcom. Well-remembered series include John Cleese and Connie Booth's farcical ''Fawlty Towers'' (1975, 1979) often cited as the greatest sitcom of all time. John Esmonde and Bob Larbey's self-sufficiency comedy ''The Good Life'' (1975–78) and ''To the Manor Born'' by Peter Spence and Christopher Bond were also highly successful. ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'' (1973–74), a sequel to ''The Likely Lads'', is thought to have surpassed the original, while its writers, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, provided Ronnie Barker with his most significant sitcom vehicle, ''Porridge'' (1974–77). Barker also starred (along with David Jason) in ''Open All Hours'' (1973, 1976–85), written by Roy Clarke, whose ''Last of the Summer Wine'' began in 1973 and ended in 2010, becoming the world's longest running sitcom. The decade also saw the broadcast of ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' (1974–81), which has been criticised for the "stereotypes of its handful of Indian supporting characters as alternately servile, foolish, lazy or devious".

The commercial station ITV had successes with ''Rising Damp'' (1974–78, sometimes called the best of all ITV sitcoms),Phil Wickha
"Rising Damp (1974–78)"
BFI screenonline ''Man About the House'' (1973–76) and ''George and Mildred'' (1976–79). ''Rising Damp'' star Leonard Rossiter also played the lead role in the BBC's ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' (1976–79). The decline in cinema attendance meant that many of these series were turned into cinema films;Matthew Conia
"A Users Guide to the Great British Sitcom Movie"
''Kettering: The Fanzine of Elderly British Comedy'', .d., c.2003No.1, pp. 3–9 the first film version of ''On the Buses'' (1969–73) was the biggest hit at the British box office in 1971."On the Buses"
, Television Heaven website According to Jeff Evans, ''On the Buses'' was a "cheerfully vulgar comedy" in which "leering and innuendo dominate " Some of the network's other ratings successes from this era included ''Love Thy Neighbour'' (1972–76) and ''Mind Your Language'' (1977–79, 1986), which attempted to find humour in racial or ethnic conflict and misunderstandings, but were increasingly criticised over time for "obvious racial name-calling... recurring with distressing regularity" and "offer ngonly the crudest caricatures".

Increasing relaxation in regard to the discussion of sex allowed farce and camp humour to become a familiar form in the 1970s and were used in series like ''Are You Being Served?'' and comedian Frankie Howerd's ''Up Pompeii!'', which ran for 16 episodes (1969–70, 1975, 1991) and starred several female stalwarts from the ''Carry On'' film series, including Barbara Windsor, Wendy Richard and Valerie Leon. A feature of the show which inspired three films was Howerd's frequent breaking of the fourth wall.

Other controversial topics for comedy included series written by Richard Waring and Wendy Craig. '' ...And Mother Makes Three'' (1971–73), and its sequel '' ...And Mother Makes Five'' (1974–76), starred Craig (who also co-wrote) as a widowed mother who eventually remarries a divorced single father. ''My Wife Next Door'' (1972), created by Brian Clemens, concerned a divorced couple who accidentally moved next door to each other, ''Miss Jones and Son'' (1977–78) was about a single mother, and ''Rings on Their Fingers'' (1978–80) was about a young, unmarried couple.
;''On the Buses''
Another creation by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe is ''On the Buses'', starring Reg Varney and Bob Grant. Running 1969–1973 for 74 episodes over 7 series, it was initially rejected by the BBC, who did not see much comedy potential in a bus depot as a setting. It was then commissioned by Frank Muir, then at London Weekend Television who said it was "rather at the baked beans end of my menu". Despite poor critical reception, it gained an audience of up to 20 million. It has been described as cliche-ridden, stereotypical, occasionally racist and totally sexist by today's standards, with Varney's and Grant's characters both lecherous womanisers and ethnic minorities used inappropriately for humour. As David Stubbs wrote for ''The Guardian'' in 2008, Grant and Varney were playing "two conspicuously middle-aged men" (Varney was in his 50s when the series began) pursuing "an endless array of improbably available 'dolly birds' ". The series was made into three films, ''On the Buses'' (1971), ''Mutiny on the Buses'' (1972), and ''Holiday on the Buses'' (1973).
;''Bless This House''
Starring Sid James of ''Carry On'' fame, with Diana Coupland and Sally Geeson, '' Bless This House'' was created by Vince Powell and Harry Driver, but mainly written by others including Dave Freeman and Carla Lane. Running from 1971 to 1976, It marked a departure from James' characteristic bawdy slapstick and famous 'dirty laugh' and ran for 65 episodes over 10 series. The series ended abruptly in 1976, when, just four days after the broadcast of the final episode, James died after collapsing on stage. Ironically, James had told Coupland, "It's such fun and so successful, we'll still be working on ''Bless This House'' till one of us kicks the bucket."
In 2004, it 67th in ''Britain's Best Sitcom''.
;''Clochemerle''
In 1972 the lavish French farce in English based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Gabriel Chevallier, ''Clochemerle'' was adapted into 9 episodes by Galton and Simpson for the BBC. It was a stark contrast to the dark comedy of their ''Steptoe and Son'' and ''Hancock's Half Hour''. Filmed on location in Colombier-le-Vieux, in the department of Ardèche, Wendy Hiller, Cyril Cusack, Kenneth Griffith, Cyd Hayman, Bernard Bresslaw, Hugh Griffith, Micheline Presle, Madeline Smith, Christian Roberts, Nigel Green, Wolfe Morris and Gordon Rollings, with narration by Peter Ustinov. The show was produced by Michael Mills as a co-production between the BBC
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