Planet Skaro's Favourite British Sitcom: Round 1

[Pip Madeley]

In the style of the Target covers thread, this will be a competition to see what our favourite British sitcom is (perhaps we can do one with American shows in the future). Six sitcoms a week, usually one from each decade (1950s-2000s) picked totally at random, the two with the most votes go through to the next round...



The Army Game (1957-1961)
starring William Hartnell, Alfie Bass, Geoffery Sumner



Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? (1973-1974)
starring Rodney Bewes, James Bolam, Bridget Forsyth



Only When I Laugh (1979-1982)
starring James Bolam, Peter Bowles and Richard Wilson



The New Statesman (1987-1994)
starring Rik Mayall and David Troughton



Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999-2001)
starring Kathy Burke and James Dreyfuss



The Worst Week Of My Life (2004-2006)
starring Ben Miller, Sarah Alexander, Alison Steadman

Remember, you can vote for 2 of the six but make sure you don't vote for more than two! And your votes will be public to make sure.

[Andrew Curnow]

My goodness me, there must be hundreds of sitcoms, this could take some time!!

The Army Game - I think I've seen it once, but to be honest only because I knew William Hartnell was in it.

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads - One of the true greats (I'd say it's probably better than The Likely Lads in fact) and the end title sequence & music always makes me very nostalgic. The 'trying not to find out who won the football episode' is one of the simplest ideas for a sitcom episode ever, but is done just so well. Even knowing that Bewes & Bolam didn't get on doesn't take the shine off it. So that's getting vote number 1!!!

Only When I Laugh - It seemed to be on all the time when I was a kid, although my main memory of it now is the opening sequence. It was well-written though, and managed to do a lot with what may have seemed a fairly restricted premise.

The New Statesman - It may be the best sitcom ever made, but I'm afraid I never watched it because I just cannot stand Rik Mayall, I think he's awful.

Gimme Gimme Gimme - The trailers were enough for me, with Kathy Burke going OTT. Sorry, nope.

WWOMLife - A modern great, it sort of follows in the Frank Spencer & Fawlty Towers tradition of a series of events. It could have been a disaster, but because it's played so well, and made so lavishly, it succeeds brilliantly. Ben Miller is just so darned likeable, and it gets vote number 2.

[Jonno]

I used to like Only When I Laugh at the time - particularly the theme music which I used to sing along to!

Haven't seen any of the others except Worst Week, which I only got into by a happy accident thanks to my parents wanting to watch the very first episode on a visit and I reluctantly watched it only to find it quite superb and I was hooked! Having bought the two series on DVD, they will be much rewatched from now on and is probably the only new sitcom of the last decade or more that I really like. I bought the Christmas trilogy DVD the other day as it's now reduced to a fiver at HMV.

Worst Week gets my vote. Since when can we vote twice on a poll?

[Pip Madeley]

The Army Game - I've seen a few episodes, mainly to catch Hartnell in action pre-Who and I wasn't particularly taken with it despite the appearances of Bernard Bresslaw and Charles Hawtrey.

Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? - this gets my first vote, what a series! I agree with you Andrew that it's funnier than it's predecessor. The fact that it was two sets of 13 episodes - unusual for a sitcom at the time - gave it a good sense of continuity and I particularly liked the episode "The Old Magic" when they attempt to see if they can still "pull the birds"

Only When I Laugh - despite a good cast I never found it that funny, certainly not as good as Eric Chappell's other great success, Rising Damp.

The New Statesman - tempting to vote for this series as I've been revisiting it lately and unlike Andrew I love Rik Mayall (and that daft scene where he tortutes Piers' teddy) but there's a worthier sitcom here...

Gimme Gimme Gimme - I thought it was hilarious! Camp, rude, stupid, very funny. Kathy Burke's finest character to date. Suze was hot too (she's married to Gene Hunt you know). The episode with Su Pollard is hilarious

WWOMLife - I never really bothered with it much, seemed to pass me by.

[Pip Madeley]

Since when can we vote twice on a poll?

Since always, nobody's used it that's all.

And I can't believe you've not seen most of those, Jonno!

[Stephen Morgan]

I've gone for Army Game 'cos I loved it when I ws little, and Only When I Laugh 'cos I used to enjoy that one back in the mid seventies, Richard Wilson was pretty good in it too.
I can't comment on those others as I never ever watched an episode of them.

[Jonno]

Oh right, didn't realise that about the polls. Though in most polls, you'd only want to vote once.

Anyway, to answer your other points, GGG is not my thing at all, neither is New Statesman. I don't like politics so I was never going to watch that! I was too young to appreciate Likely Lads and don't remember it anyway. As for The Army Game, I've never noticed it on TV and only tend to buy DVDs of things I already know I like.

[Stephen Morgan]

As for The Army Game, I've never noticed it on TV and only tend to buy DVDs of things I already know I like.

The episodes of Army Game that I have are off airs from Granada Plus a few years ago. prior to that it was a dim and distant memory from my years in junior school, but I see there's a DVD of all existing episodes now, I may get that one .

[Alex]

This is a great idea for a thread Pip, I could ramble on about comedy all day, though I'll try not to rant and rave too much...Anyhoo, as for this week's lot:

The Army Game - Fraid I haven't seen it.

Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? - Shamefully I haven't seen this in years, I don't think I've watched it since I was really young, and whilst I have fondish memories of it, I've no idea what I'd think of it now. So for that reason I can't give it my vote.

Only When I Laugh - Hmmm, okayish stuff that used to entertain well enough, but I never thought it was particularly great.

The New Statesman - I haven't seen this in a fair old while too, but the teenage me really loved it, I'd cite it as one of the best comedies of the time, and I loved it's bleak edge. It got a bit too silly towards the end, but at it's best I think this is a classic, and it's the one I've voted for.

Gimme Gimme Gimme - Gah, sorry, but I just don't like this. It's too bright, garish, and OTT, with a lot of the humour being too repetitively (and lazily) smutty. I know it was a big hit, but personally it's just not for me.

WWOMLife - As 'Cringe Comedy' goes, I just find this a bit too painful to watch. It's nicely acted and shot, but I find you can see where it's all going to inevitably go wrong from a mile off, and it rarely surprises. Curb Your Enthusiasm does this sort of thing masterfully, but WWOMLife all too often is a bit of a pale immitation of it.

[WhiteCrow]

Since always, nobody's used it that's all.

And I can't believe you've not seen most of those, Jonno!

I've used it in some of my polls - i just dont advertise

You can always tell a multi choice poll cos of a glitch in the graphics.

[Wayne]

Voted WHTTLL.
Full answer to come later.

[Pip Madeley]

Don't forget, you're allowed 2 votes (1 per sitcom).

[Milky Tears]

Two votes is for ditherererering losers. I'm hardcore!

[Logo Polish]

As is often the case, the ones with James Bolam in are the best ones here, at least out of those I've watched.

[WhiteCrow]

What an uninspiring choice to get the ball rolling? Where is Porridge, Dads Army, Spaced, Steptoe and Son?

[Wayne]

Don't forget, you're allowed 2 votes (1 per sitcom).

Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 11. You have already voted on this poll

Too late, it seems.
Anyway to be honest, none of the others inspire me that much.

The Army Game - Seen clips that's all, so can't really judge it.

Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? - Love this show. Watched it when i was a kid, so there's a lot of nostalgia there. Gotta agree with the previous comments about this being much better than the original show. The dynamic of Bob being married, & Terry still being single made for much more cleverly written scripts than when they were just two single lads on the pull, & Thelma provided a lot of comedy too. A great show with some classic eps.

Only When I Laugh - I agree with Pip that it wasn't a patch on 'Rising Damp', but even so, this would get my second vote if i hadn't screwed up the poll.

The New Statesman - Gotta agree with Andrew to an extent about Rik Mayall. I liked him in 'The Young Ones' because i saw him as playing the character of Rik, but in all the other shows that came after 'The Young Ones' he just seemed to be more of the same, & i kinda realized he was just playing a variation of the same character over & again, which is all Rik Mayall seems to do. Bit of a one trick pony really.

Gimme Gimme Gimme - Seen a couple of eps, but it just never grabbed me. Meh.

WWOMLife - Never heard of it!

[Pip Madeley]

What an uninspiring choice to get the ball rolling? Where is Porridge, Dads Army, Spaced, Steptoe and Son?

Are you the sort of man that blows his load after the first minute? Patience!

[SiHart]

I don't particularly like any of these. I've never seen The Army Game or The New Statesman or The Worst week of My Life. I didn't like either version of The Likely Lads, Only When I laugh was funny when i was 6 but isn't now, so by default, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme wins, but that's not much good either.

Si xx

[Ralph]

Likely Lads and New Statesmen, the rest are crap

[Milky Tears]

Are you the sort of man that blows his load after the first minute? Patience!

First minute!? More like fifteen seconds!





* well aware that I'm setting up a punchline...

[WhiteCrow]

Are you the sort of man that blows his load after the first minute? Patience!

Shhh - that was supposed to be just between you and me!

[Dirk Gently]

I've gone for GGG & in second place, OWIL.

[Lord President]

The New Statesman - A stunning critique of Thatcherism!

[Dave Tudor]

My first vote goes to Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? - one of the best sitcoms ever, and one of those rare sequels which actauuly surpasses the original. Incidentally, will The Likely Lads get its own entry?

As for my second vote, well I was torn between Only When I Laugh and The New Statesman, two of ITV's better sitcoms over the years, but in the end I went for the hilarious Worst Week Of My Life, in my opinion one of the best comedies in recent times.

[Pip Madeley]

Incidentally, will The Likely Lads get its own entry?

Of course