by A W Drake

Created on: March 27, 2010

For those of us who remember the golden era of television what is apparent about present day  British sitcoms is that they are very different from their earlier counterparts. A common theme amongst early sitcoms was the middle class household living a comfortable life in leafy suburbia. Shows such as 'Terry and June', 'Bless This House' and 'Home Sweet Home' come to mind.

These kind of shows generally contained an element of farce, showing the protagonists suffering from their own clownish social errors. They were about as funny as being slapped in the face with a wet fish, and yet run for series after series. If there was anything that distinguished these kind of comedy shows from present day sitcoms it was that although they attracted large audiences, the humor was unsophisticated and the jokes often followed a well worn and predictable path.

As well as these stale formats there were some sitcoms that were not as funny as their inflated reputation would suggest. What was really so funny about 'Are You Being Served'? Is watching a blue rinsed middle aged woman talking about her pussy (her pet cat), or a gay man mincing around a shop floor that hilarious? No it is not, and never was. No sitcom that relied on inane sexual innuendo was ever that funny. People laugh at such things because to not laugh appears prurient.

Even though there was a large number of sitcoms on British television during its golden era this does not mean they were of a particularly high standard. However some classics were made. Shows such as 'Dad's Army', 'Steptoe And Son'  and 'Rising Damp' remain classics and still retain some of their humor.

The youngsters who grew up watching the tired old sitcoms about hapless family life formed the next generation of writers and program commissioners who in the 1980's would kick against the entrenched conventions of the British sitcom and create shows that were very new and fresh and genuinely funny.

This is not to say the stereotypical British sitcom formula disappeared. Program makers were not going to easily let go of a well established comedy format that was likely to bring in audiences. The 1980's produced its own wealth of dirge, but also allowed fresh comedy to emerge.

The common element of both the 1970's and 1980's was the limited choice of television channels as well as the absence of the internet, so the average family spent their evenings watching television. This meant that a television show could be quite poor but still draw a

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>