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The latest in the apparently never ending series of BBC top 100 polls is for the best British sit-com ever. I saw some of the introductory program and finally recalled why the famous Donald Rumsfeld quote sounded so familiar. This exchange is from "Yes, Minister". Sir Humphrey: "With Trident we could obliterate the whole of Eastern Europe." Jim Hacker: "I don't want to obliterate the whole of Eastern Europe." Sir Humphrey: "It's a deterrent." Jim Hacker: "It's a bluff. I probably wouldn't use it." Sir Humphrey: "Yes, but they don't know that you probably wouldn't." Jim Hacker: "They probably do." Sir Humphrey: "Yes, they probably know that you probably wouldn't. But they can't certainly know." Jim Hacker: "They probably certainly know that I probably wouldn't." Sir Humphrey: "Yes, but even though they probably certainly know that you probably wouldn't, they don't certainly know that, although you probably wouldn't, there is no probability that you certainly would." Now we know who writes his speeches. Incidentally the top ten from which we can now vote to choose our number one sit-com are, in no particular order, Blackadder Dad's Army Fawlty Towers The Good Life One Foot In The Grave Only Fools And Horses Open All Hours Porridge Vicar of Dibley Yes Minister How many of these have been seen in the US ? Every silver lining has a cloud. Read all about my travels around the world here. Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog. | ||
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Heh. When I first saw the Rumsfeld speech reported I thought to myself that it sounded like something written by Sir Humphrey. Nice to have it confirmed! I watched parts of the introductory programme as well, and I was mildly surprised that the published top ten does not differ greatly from my own top ten, unlike the Big Read. Of course, the order in which the programmes ranked 11-100 were listed differs substantially from my own view. In particular I have always thought that Drop the Dead Donkey was one of the best, whereas it was only ranked at 26. Actually, I was a little surprised that it was ranked as high as it was, knowing the Great British Public's usual preference for the lowest common denominator. I had also thought that the fact it was on Channel Four would count against it; quite a lot of people could not get C4 when it was first launched, and it still has a much smaller audience than the BBC or ITV. If anyone's interested, the BBC's site is at http://www.bbc.co.uk/sitcom/ [This message was edited by arnie on Mon Jan 12th, 2004 at 11:16.] | |||
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To answer B.H.'s question, I logged on to the Top 100 List and the short answer is: Not many, including just two out of the Top Ten. A damn shame! I am someone who will actively seek out British comedy, usually on public television, and I can only claim to have seen 10 of the shows listed as follows: #1 "Blackadder" A brilliant and extremely well-written comedy with the inventive twist of following its hero through several generations. Also not afraid to show some heart. When the crew prepared themselves for going "over the top" in WWI, none of them having much reason to expect survival, I was literally moved to tears. And an almost 20 year run?? I had no idea. #3 "Fawlty Towers" Simply put, the funniest comedy (British, American, Flemish, whatever) in the history of television. I hope our trans-Atlantic Wordcrafters won't mind but I went up on the site and voted for Basil and crew myself. In the block where they asked for what region I was from, since I was born in Connecticut I said North East. When Basil disapprovingly looked through Polly's sketch book (containing nudes which, of course, offended him) and then answered the phone "Fawlty Titties," I nearly choked! What made this gag brilliant was that he simply continued on straight-faced without realizing his error. Well done, Mr. Cleese! #12 "Keeping Up Appearances" A lame one-joke show. Tiresome, annoying. Someone please punch Hyacinth in the snoot for me. And this tripe comes in at #12?? Why?!! WHY?!!! #13 "'Allo, 'Allo" Not a bad little show. A lot of the same characters do the same bits of business over and over but frequently enough hilarious to rate in the top 20 unlike: #20 "Are You Being Served" John (I think) Inman (the short blond fellow) is first rate but most of the rest of the cast should be shot. I know R.E.'s uncle was in this show but, even though I've searched for the past year or so, I don't think I've ever seen him. I'm more than willing to give him high marks on faith alone (after all, R.E. is a hoot) but possibly he was in the very early years? But the show as a whole? Uh-uh. #20 indeed! #18 "Red Dwarf" Slightly out of order here but only #18? A great premise but maybe a few points could be taken off for the last couple of seasons. After the show became successful and there was apparently more money to spend on special effects, it seemed as though the writing wasn't given the care it had once enjoyed. Poor Rimmer is one of the great comic characters of all time and I love the way they transitioned him out of the series as the new Ace Rimmer. Very touching and then, big mistake, some smeg-head decides they had to bring him back. #29 "As Time Goes By" A sweet, charming, very pleasant and likable program. Dame Judi Dench and Geoffrey Whatzisname are perfectly cast. Ditto the "Alistar" character and the two young women and, for that matter, Lionel's parents. And Miss Whoozits, the older woman whose hobby is following the North Sea weather, I love her. I especially like all their reactions to American excesses. All things considered, a first-rate show. #31 "The Young Ones" This is what is known as "Laugh-your-ass-off Funny"! I've had tears running down my face howling at this one. #37 "Waiting for God" I understand this one's popular but, sorry, it's just too lame for me. Far too long between laughs. I say Die, already! (and take Hyacinth with you) #79 "Doctor in the House" Is this the one from the 1960s or 70s about medical students? If so, I remember it being a total stitch (no pun intended) and I seem to remember a series of books that came out as well. In one, an examiner is trying to give a very nervous student a hint towards the correct answer "pressure." He takes off his glasses and asks "What causes the indentations on either side of the bridge of my nose?" and the rattled young intern blurts out "Congenital Syphilis!" My God, I must have laughed for a week! I'm laughing again now just thinking of it. Well, that's it. I didn't include British shows that were Americanized if I hadn't seen the originals. There are quite a few I would love to see simply on the basis of their titles such as "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em" (have what??), "It Ain't Half Hot, Mum," and possibly the best title of the lot "Drop the Dead Donkey." "Monty Python's Flying Circus" doesn't make the list, not being a sit-com, but deserves some sort of Hono(u)rable Mention as well. | |||
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I agree with almost all of that, the sole exception being that I found 'Allo 'Allo repetitive and tedious. As for the three titles you liked. Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was pure Buster Keaton style slapstick. (It often stole Buster Keaton gags whole) Michael Crawford as a totally hopeless incompetent destroying almost everything he touched. Its slapstick set pieces were funny and well staged (he did most of his own stunts) but as a whole I never cared for the show. It Ain't Half Hot Mum followed the formulaic exploits of an Army Concert Party in India. Never shown now because it is incoorectly perceived as racist when in fact the British were the butt of most of the jokes. Again it was enormously popular but it was "catchphrase" humour and I didn't like it much. Drop The Dead Donkey wouldn't really make much sense if you saw it. It was a sit-com set in a cable news room and almost all of the humour was about things that were current in the British News. The script was always tweaked right up to transmission to include the very lates topical gags. For a Brit though it was simply wonderful. One of my all time favourites, though I actually voted for Yes Minister. Every silver lining has a cloud. Read all about my travels around the world here. Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog. | |||
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According to an item in this evening's paper the bookmakers say that the only two of the top ten that have a chance of winning are Fawlty Towers and Only Fools And Horses. The rest are all classed as extreme outsiders. Can anyone (from the UK) suggest a reason why the Vicar of Dibley would make it into the top ten ahead of so many much better shows. For US readers it's a relatively innocuous but also relatively unfunny comedy about a female vicar taking over a country parish. The high brow clip chosen to illustrate it in the program featured a farting duck. Every silver lining has a cloud. Read all about my travels around the world here. Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog. | |||
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He was in probably half the shows - the later ones. He was Mr Harman, the janitor/odd-job man who always wore a brown coat. Incidentally I assume that Dad's Army has never been on US TV - I wouldn't imagine that the Americans would be able to understand it at all (incidentally, my father was in the Home Guard!) Richard English | |||
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quote: That's a bit misleading. You have to keep in mind that the run for a full season of most British sit-coms is six episodes rather than the typical US 24. So, for example, Fawlty Towers ran for a total of two seasons - twelve episodes. Blackadder consists of Season 1 (The Black Adder)- six episodes in 1983 Season 2 (Blackadder II) - six episodes in 1986 Season 3 (Blackadder The Third) - six episodes in 1987 Season 4 (Blackadder Goes Forth) - six episodes in 1989 plus the following one-off specials The Cavalier Years (1988) (Ten minute segment, made for Children In Need) Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988) Blackadder Back And Forth (filmed for transmission in The Milennium Dome in 2000, shown on TV in 2002) So that's it 1983-2002 but totalling only 27 episodes altogether including one made for a telethon and one made for broadcast in the country's most expensive and pointless white elephant project. As I say, a bit misleading. Compare it with Friends, to date 229 episodes in just 11 years. Every silver lining has a cloud. Read all about my travels around the world here. Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog. [This message was edited by BobHale on Tue Jan 13th, 2004 at 13:04.] | |||
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CJ, where are you seeing all these shows. I am very embarrassed  to say that I have seen exactly NONE! I would love to, too. Are they on Channel 11, CJ? That Sir Humphrey bit was hilarious and quite similar to Rumsfeld's "knowns" and "unknowns." | |||
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quote: Of the ones you've listed, I've seen Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, The Good Life, One Foot In The Grave, Vicar of Dibley, and Yes Minister. Yes Minister and The Good Life were two of my favorites. C J mentioned Doctor in the House. That was hilarious! I'd watch it again, if I could. One show I remember seeing in the '70s that I would really like to see again is Private Shultz. It was a series (about 10 shows, if I remember right) on Masterpiece Theater, and was about a German counterfeiter who was let out of prison so he could make fake 5-pound notes that were to be dropped over England. Tinman | |||
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B.H.: Thanks for the explanation regarding "Blackadder" though I'm sad to hear that it's regarded as such a long shot. "Fawlty Towers" not too long ago was named (by who? Sorry, don't recall) as the number one British television program ever produced so my money would be on Basil & company in this more recent poll. Also you can add "The Vicar of Dibley" to my list of shows I've seen. Your description jarred my memory back to a time when I saw one episode of it and then, having seen one episode, I decided that one episode would be more than sufficient. And yes, "'Allo, 'Allo" could be terribly repetitious but from my American viewpoint that seems to be quite common in British sit-coms. I mean, how many times can you laugh at Hyacinth launching herself into the hedges to escape a barking dog? R.E.: Wasn't your uncle's last name "English" as well? I seem to recall the character you refer to but I've never seen your surname in any credits. Kalleh: The channel numbering systems between Chicago and St. Louis are different. Channel 11 down here is a local outlet that shows reruns of popular programs in syndication, a lot of sports, and cheesy late-night dating shows. British comedies are most often found on PBS although you have GOT to immediately drop everything and rush down to your local video rental place to check out "Fawlty Towers." All 12 shows are available on four videos. | |||
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quote: None. I can't stand that show. It wouldn't make it into my top five hundred - and I doubt that I could name five hundred. Every silver lining has a cloud. Read all about my travels around the world here. Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog. | |||
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I agree about Private Schultz. I remember it as an excellent series. I can't ever recall seeing it repeated, while many lesser shows are shown umpteen times. Possibly the main reason for the excellence of the series was Michael Elphick, who played the title role. He was one of Britain's best character actors, with a wonderfully "lived-in" face. UK readers will probably remember him best in the TV series Boon. However, I don't think that Private Schultz should really be included in the list as it was really a comedy drama, rather than a sit-com. | |||
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RE's uncle Arthur played the part of Beverley Harman, the janitor, in series 4-10, from 1976 to 1985. Although he played a number of parts in TV shows and films in his later years, my main memory of him is as a younger man, when he was a stand-up comedian. | |||
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Arthur English (he never used a stage name) was a very popular comedian in the 1950s. He played a lovable spiv (I understand he was considered originally for the park of Pte Walker in Dad's Army, but maybe he was felt to be too old - even though he eventually outlived James Beck). US readers will probably not know what a spiv was, and I would refer them to Michael Quinion who gave a good commentary when I raised the question with him as to the word's origin. Richard English | |||
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quote: It's still shown - I saw it quite recently on UK Gold. The Michael Bates character still seems to be a white man playing and Indian with make and a silly accent. The PC thought police must have been having a day off. They were obviously too busy attacking that nice Mr Kilroy-Silk. | |||
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quote: Sorry, I meant of course on terrestrial TV. The Cable channels have so much airtime to fill they they can't really afford to be picky about content. As for that "nice" Mr. Kilroy-Silk I was amused but not especially surprised to discover that now that he is off the air the audience for the 9-10 a.m. slot has apparently increased dramatically. Every silver lining has a cloud. Read all about my travels around the world here. Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog. | |||
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Talking of UK Gold, Richard Briers was complaining in my paper yeterday about the repeat fees for The Good Life that he gets from them. Apparently he only gets £70 per episode from UK Gold as opposed to the £2,000 per episode he recently picked up when the series was repeated on BBC2. I find I can't summon up much sympathy for him. | |||
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quote: I see no-one has taken up this challenge yet.  Every silver lining has a cloud. Read all about my travels around the world here. Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog. | |||
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