Old British sitcoms. Which do you remember and love?

[galleywest]

Father Ted, people! My phone's ringtone is Pat Mustard's theme. Makes me smile every time.

Father Ted: It's not as if everyone's going to go off and join some mad religious cult just because we go off for a picnic for a couple of hours.
Father Dougal: God, Ted, I heard about those cults. Everyone dressing in black and saying our Lord's gonna come back and judge us all!
Father Ted: No... No, Dougal, that's us. That's Catholicism.

And poor Mrs. Doyle, with her ever-present "cup of tea, Father?":
Mrs Doyle: You'll have some tea... are you sure you don't want any? Aw go on, you'll have some. Go on go on go on go on go on go on go on go on GO ON!


Ahem. Aside from that:
Are You Being Served ("It'll ride up with wear!")
'Allo 'Allo
Fawlty Towers
The Young Ones
Black Adder
Monty Python's Flying Circus

 

[trekkiedane]

^And this little gem:

[yt]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ImMOtQPfCYQ[/yt]​

Se what I did there?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I wouldn't call Python a sitcom, as such. It's sketch comedy, not situation comedy.

I would refer to Red Dwarf as a sitcom, though. And, despite the laugh track (the use of which I normally hate), I did love it. Haven't seen any post-Season 8 RD but I'm working on it.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The only British sitcoms I've ever really gotten into are Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister.

An accurate portrayal of politics with incredible comedic timing.

Other people mentioned Flying Circus though I would categorize that as 'Variety' or 'Sketch comedy' rather than 'Sitcom'.

 

[beamMe]

Blackadder
Fawlty Towers
Keeping up Appearances
Yes, Minister
Yes, Prime Minister
The Thin Blue Line

 

[Tim Walker]

Keeping Up Appearances

Red Dwarf

 

[Velocity]

I liked the Good Life only because of Felicity Kendal. To the Manor Born wasn't bad.

 

[JanewayRulz!]

I loved "To The Manor Born".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-0lz0PIsDo

"Oh Aud!"

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-0lz0PIsDo[/yt]

 

[Push The Button]

A good spinoff thread might be British TV shows that inspired American shows, or American shows that were adaptations/outright copies of British shows, for example how Till Death Us Do Part inspired All in the Family.

 

[Tulin]

"Gimme Gimme Gimme"
I just have it on in the background, can quote whole episodes. It helps that it's REALLY gay friendly - in fact, I don't know any non-gay people who can stand it. Well, there's Luke at work .... but I have some SERIOUS doubts about him!


"Dinnerladies"
Same deal - it's a background show as I've seen it SO MANY times now! I ADORE Victoria Woods and how her writing so easily straddles the line between hard-earned sentiment and down to earth working class/hard knocks of life. EVERY character on this show is brilliantly cast, written and acted with, of course Julie Walters (being her usual FANTASTIC self), still managing to steal every scene she's in! Whenever we meet a particularly gormless person we say to each other in THAT voice. "She's from Ermston!"


"The Royle Family"
Yeah Jim's a fat, lazy, reprehensible slob and the way they treat our Antony is appalling (although I LOVE that it built him character and he ends up being a success and much better than the rest of his chavvy family), but there's something earthy and warm about putting an episode on and just getting caught up with this family. They're always there and getting "back in with them" feels like putting on an old pair of bed socks.



"As Time Goes By"
What can I say? Dame Judi and Geoffrey Palmer. It's like a smooth wine by a crackling fire on a cold night. BEAUTIFUL.



Of course there's the old perenials,
To The Manor Born
Are You Being Served
On The Buses
The Young Ones
A Fine Romance


The older I'm getting, the more I'm going to UK sitcoms and going back to older ones I used to watch. It's the writing, the gentleness (well, not in "The Young Ones") and the fact that the people in it don't look like super models and gym junkies with blinding flashing white teeth. They look like my parents, my grandparents and aunts and uncles I grew up with ..... and who I'm rapidly starting to resemble, myself.

 

[Jax]

Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister just watched the collection on dvd

 

[Captain Shaw]

Only fools and horses
Red Dwarf
Allo allo
Dads army
Would you say phoenix nights is a sitcom?
Also if anyone can get hold of a DVD of Joking apart I highly recommend it, I burned though the two series a few years ago and loved it.