Britain's Best Sitcom

[sharoma]

In 2003, a contest was held by the BBC to determine Britain's best situation comedy (this excludes comedy dramas, such as Auf Wiedersehen, Pet). The public was polled and from these votes 100 selections were drawn up. The BBC then picked ten sitcoms to showcase, which they did in 2004, and they chose only BBC ones! Below is the (biased) Top Ten they came up with:

1. Only Fools and Horses
2. Blackadder
3. The Vicar of Dibley
4. Dad's Army
5. Fawlty Towers
6. Yes Minister
7. Porridge
8. Open All Hours
9. The Good Life
10. One Foot in the Grave

I think this list is quite flawed. Although I have always loved Only Fools’, I don’t think it deserves to be in the prime position of such an esteemed list. I don’t think ‘Dibley or Fawlty Towers belong anywhere near the top ten. Here is my own personal top ten, which includes a show made since 2004:

1. Dad's Army
2. Porridge
3. The Royle Family
4. Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? / The Likely Lads
5. Red Dwarf
6. Plebs
7. The League of Gentlemen
8. Only Fools and Horses
9. Father Ted
10. Yes Minister / Yes, Prime Minister

Here are my honourable mentions:

-Steptoe and Son
-Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
-Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights / That Peter Kay Thing
-On the Buses
-Spaced
-One Foot in the Grave
-Alma's Not Normal

Regarding my perhaps controversial choice of Dad’s Army as ‘best ever’, first read this Guardian article by Jane Graham, which proves that an apparently esteemed BBC producer can fail miserably at detecting the warmth, humour, and flawless characterization in Dad’s Army. My reasons are a blend of nostalgia for the bygone days the show represents, not merely the past but also my own personal past, wrapped up as it is in my Grandma’s love of the show; also an appreciation of Arthur Lowe’s portrayal of Captain Mainwaring, which I think is the greatest comic portrayal of them all, and one of the most complex. Many have written of his relationship with Sergeant Wilson and the class conflict this represents. Further to this, the poignancy of the final shot of series 4 episode 9 “Mum’s Army”, when we see an absolutely devastated Mainwaring, broken-hearted after revealing that he actually doesn’t care about the bank, or his reputation, or any of it. Having built him up as such a cold, unfeeling, pompous fool previously, this reveal ranks above any other scene in terms of emotive power.

Now, here is 11-100 of the 2004 list:

11 Father Ted
12 Keeping Up Appearances
13 'Allo 'Allo!
14 Last of the Summer Wine
15 Steptoe and Son
16 Men Behaving Badly
17 Absolutely Fabulous
18 Red Dwarf
19 The Royle Family
20 Are You Being Served?
21 To the Manor Born
22 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
23 The Likely Lads
24 My Family
25 The Office
26 Drop the Dead Donkey
27 Rising Damp
28 Dinnerladies
29 As Time Goes By
30 Hancock's Half Hour
31 The Young Ones
32 Till Death Us Do Part
33 Butterflies
34 The Thin Blue Line
35 Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
36 Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights
37 Waiting for God
38 Birds of a Feather
39 Bread
40 Hi-De-Hi
41 The League of Gentlemen
42 I'm Alan Partridge
43 Just Good Friends
44 2.4 Children
45 Bottom
46 It Ain't Half Hot Mum
47 The Brittas Empire
48 Gimme Gimme Gimme
49 Rab C. Nesbitt
50 Goodnight Sweetheart
51 Up Pompeii
52 Ever Decreasing Circles
53 On the Buses
54 Coupling
55 George and Mildred
56 A Fine Romance
57 Citizen Smith
58 Black Books
59 The Liver Birds
60 Two Pints of Lager and...
61 The New Statesman
62 Sykes
63 Please, Sir!
64 Dear John
65 Barbara
66 Spaced
67 Bless this House
68 Love Thy Neighbour
69 Man About the House
70 Desmonds
71 Duty Free
72 All Gas and Gaiters
73 Happy Ever After/Terry & June
74 Only When I Laugh
75 Brass
76 The Rag Trade
77 Sorry
78 Kiss Me Kate
79 Doctor in the House
80 I Didn't Know You Cared
81 Shelley
82 Nearest and Dearest
83 Fresh Fields
84 The Army Game
85 Robin's Nest
86 The Dustbinmen
87 Whoops Apocalypse
88 My Wife Next Door
89 Never the Twain
90 Nightingales
91 Early Doors
92 Agony
93 The Lovers
94 Father Dear Father
95 Hot Metal
96 And Mother Makes...
97 Life With the Lyons
98 Marriage Lines
99 A Sharp Intake of Breath
100 No Problem