What Are Your Favourite Old British Comedies?

[naomi24]

I watched an episode of 'Allo 'Allo the other day and laughed just as much as I did when they were first screened.  Brilliant!  The writing is second to none.  So clever!

[pastafreak]

Hit the button too soon...also Vicar of Dibley. Laugh out loud for me.

[barry1010]

Steptoe still makes me laugh, and sometimes makes me want to cry. Sublime writing, perfectly cast.

Outnumbered was very cleverly done with all the impro.  The funniest episode was the first of the last series.  In the two years since the previous episode Ben had really shot up, his voice had broke and I don't think the writers anticipated the drastic change

[sandyRoe]

Would Minder count?

It was a light hearted comedy drama.

[barry1010]

Yes, and Hustle, I suppose.

[Togo]

Lots of good ones already mentioned and one that I could not tolerate. Nice to see Whisky Galore and The Titchfield Thunderbolt referenced and Will Hay was a master in all that he did. Alistair Simm was another guarantee of perfectly timed comedy. All the Ealing comedy films were a treat. Not mentioned are the early St Trinians films with a very young George Cole training to be Arthur Daly. Brian Rix at the Whitehall Theatre was another childhood favourite. I have also mentioned, on similar threads, a series called The Perils Of Pendragon about a village called Pwsllab in Wales which had the lovely Bethan Morris playing a very promiscuous Myfanwy Magwitch. It was a rather dark comedy and made me laugh like a drain.  

[sandyRoe]

Black Books was transmitted a while ago.  It was very good.

[naomi24]

Pasta, I loved Butterflies.  I always related to Ria.  

[sandyRoe]

The lanky son went on to play Rodney in Only fools...

[hellywelly4]

Me too Naomi.
 

[pastafreak]

As did I...not uncommon I'm sure.

[naomi24]

Haha!  There's a lot of it about, ladies!  😂

[Ken4155]

Has to be Fawlty Towers for me. The 12 episodes were split into 3 per video (i seem to recall, may have been 4) and i regularly rented them out in turn from Blockbusters.

Also really liked Porridge.

I could never get into Allo Allo, LOTSW and Dad's Army - to be honest, i found them quite boring. One man's meat, etc.

[davebro3]

"It ain't half hot mum" - not PC now tho'

[Ellipsis]

In addition to lots above, Blackadder, especially II ...

[barry1010]

I loved Blott on the Landscape although it was a bit disconcerting seeing George Cole dressed as a baby complete with nappy and bonnet, tied to a bed and being spanked by the marvelous Julia McKenzie.  I must dig my DVDs and watch it again

[Togo]

Porterhouse Blue was also a pretty good tv series Barry. But nothing, however well done, could be as hilarious as the books. 

[Ellipsis]

Some others ...

One Foot In The Grave

Red Dwarf

The Brittas Empire

 

 

[barry1010]

Another Tom Sharpe creation, I love all his novels and the tv series, rollicking great fun

[sp1814]

Any comedy with a laughter track now sounds awful - apart from Ab Fab. The last great British sitcom with a laughter track.

[andy-hughes]

Any comedy that can skate the wafer-thin line between comedy and pathos does it for me.

Steptoe and Son were often Pinteresque, when Haroold would go from spitting sarcasm to a face of such silent fear if the thought Harold was going to leave him, it was a masterclass in acting.

One Foot In The Grave, when a fleeting reference was made, only once, and for a few seconds, that the Meldrews referred to their lost child, age not mentioned, pure pathos.

And Butterflies, whe Ben and Ria both left the house at the same time in separate cars, she turned one way at the end of the road and he turned the other, and the camera cut between the two of them and their silent thoughts. Each had The Righteous Brothers' ' You've Lost That Loving Feeling' playing on the car radio, and as the camera moved between them, their faces said it all, as first one, then the other, turned the radio off.

You don't get imagery like that these days.