Greatest British Comedy Of All Time

[thetank]

Python was great, a lot of it was hit and miss though, they did tend to flog dead horses a fair bit. Well worth sitting through the dull bits though.

John Cleese was the best of them and his Fawlty Towers were all classics.

Reggy Perrin was crackin. Leonard Rossiter is probably my favourite comic actor (though I can't spell his name).

Apart from 2, all the above that you mentioned are great. Are You Being Served and Dad's Army, they're a bit too catchprase reliant for me. I can't remember laughing at either of them. Each to their own tastes though.

No-one's mentioned Men Behaving Badly or Coupling yet. I think these were top notch.

[Newmanseye]

There was a really good one on sky not long ago based on a colin Butts novel

Is harry on the boat.

This had me in stiches and they made a series which was quite good before they made it all serious.

[Trace]

For all those who can't read, the subject matter is British comedy.

Just thought i'd clear that up.

OI - Can't you read:

Farty Towels
Phoenix Nights

and I know it ain't British but The Simpsons, I don't watch it much, but watching my Dad laughing in hysterics at a cartoon is bizarre!  Sad  git he is!

[Heid]

Green Wing
Spaced
Fawlty Towers
The Fast Show
Spitting Image
2D TV
IQ - Not sposed to be comedy - but funny anyway.

There's more, but I think those are me faves...

[Scottish Dave]

I cant believe no-one has mentioned this:

Vivian, Rick, Neil and Mike were........

The Young Ones!!

[Highstack]

Only Fools, Fawlty Towers, Blackadder.

[Rod Paradise]

Only fools by a mile. I must be the only person who enjoys 2 pints lager and a packet of crisps- juvenile humour at its best.

No Ariston you're not alone... they're on all the time on BBC3 as well

One of the best which you southerners are now getting is Still Game - this is a fantastic comedy.

[Newmanseye]

Only fools by a mile. I must be the only person who enjoys 2 pints lager and a packet of crisps- juvenile humour at its best.

No Ariston you're not alone... they're on all the time on BBC3 as well

One of the best which you southerners are now getting is Still Game - this is a fantastic comedy.

City Lights

Naked Video

Still Game

Chewing the fat

Scotch and rye

[thetank]

One of the best which you southerners are now getting is Still Game - this is a fantastic comedy.

In series one there's a great comeback to being called a bit podgy...

"That's because every time I shag your wife, she makes me a sandwich"

[Rod Paradise]

One of the best which you southerners are now getting is Still Game - this is a fantastic comedy.

In series one there's a great comeback to being called a bit podgy...

"That's because every time I shag your wife, she makes me a sandwich"

John Hartson was alleged to have said similar to Barry Ferguson when he asked why he was so fat in an Old Firm game 

[AndrewT]

One of the best which you southerners are now getting is Still Game - this is a fantastic comedy.

In series one there's a great comeback to being called a bit podgy...

"That's because every time I shag your wife, she makes me a sandwich"

John Hartson was alleged to have said similar to Barry Ferguson when he asked why he was so fat in an Old Firm game 

I think it was originally Glenn McGrath to Zimbabwean Eddo Brandes after Brandes had played and missed at a McGrath delivery: "Oi, Brandes, why are you so fat?" to which Brandes replied: "Cos every time I f*** your wife she gives me a biscuit!" Apparently even the Australian slips were in hysterics.

AS for best British comedy programmes, most of the usual contenders have been mentioned (though anyone who didn't notice the huge decline in Only Fools and Horses once Grandad died needs to watch the early ones again). For real comedy/pathos, OFAH doesn't come close to Steptoe and Son.

I notice our Caledonian friends missed out the almost forgotten Absolutely (which was three sixths Scottish). Chris Morris is also a god amongst men (even Nathan Barley wasn't that awful). AS correctly noted, Spaced was the most innovative new comedy of the past fifteen years - it really tried to be more than 'just a sitcom'. Ironically, the current vogue (thanks to The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm) is comedy which looks under-produced - all handheld cameras and naturalistic acting. Thankfully, this has led to 'the funniest new comedy since Father Ted' (copyright me) - The Thick Of It (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/thickofit/).

This was on BBC4 earlier this year (being repeated this weekend and on BBC2 sometime after the New Year) and it's 'Yes Minister getting mauled by lions' (copyright me, again). A fantastic political satire, which is also roll-around-on-the-floor-laughing funny. It will no doubt lose the Best New Comedy award at tonight's British Comedy Awards to Extras, because the official comedy world's opinion is that Ricky Gervais (and Little Britain) are the funniest things ever, no matter how lazy their current efforts are, and if you disagree you are some kind of horse-fiddler. If you have BBC4, watch it this weekend, else don't miss it when it comes to terrestrial.