The BBC Sitcom

Has the BBC lost it's ability to deliver situation comedy ? If you compare some of the classic comedies from years ago to todays meagre offerings from the BBC this is certainly questionable. The BBC have always excelled at comedy, more so than their commercial rivals but what has gone wrong ?

Is it lack of good writers / ideas ? Or has the traditional sitcom fallen out of favour for the fashionable diet of makeover shows, reality TV and docusoaps. Maybe I'm looking through rose tinted spectacles but there is a real dirth of comedy on BBC One at the moment.

I list a few classics below (I'm sure I've missed some):

Only Fools and Horses
Fawlty Towers
Allo Allo
Are You Being Served
The Good Life
Ever Decreasing Circles
One Foot in the Grave
Porridge
Some Mothers Do Ave Em
Hi-De-Hi
Keeping Up Appearances
Blackadder
Yes Minister
Dads Army
Sorry!

And this is what BBC One offers us these days :

My Family
My Hero
All About Me
Eyes Down
Absolutely Fabulous
The Crouches

Hardly clasics, just what will UK Gold rely in a few years time ? Pathetic really.

I'd put Ab Fab in the classics catagory. My Family's not bad either.

how anyone can make a list of classic BBC sitcoms and miss Red Dwarf is a mystery

It's probably one of the better ones from today, but its poor compared to some of those in the top list. I can't see it being repeated on BBC1 in 20 years time like some sitcoms from 20 years ago are today.

I wonder why they've brought back 'All about Me' contractual agreement maybe?

sorry, it wasn't an exhaustive list, no doubt I've missed others as well.

I agree with Lee, Ab Fab is a BBC classic and My Family is pretty good. But sadly yes there are no other decent sitcoms around today.

Shame ITV lost the plot, they also produced some fine classics in their day, well Thames did at least. Barbara was quite funny, yet Carlton dumped it... go figure!

No wonder both the BBC and C4 websites are begging for new comedy talent.

I agree SE. I don't know what is so funny about My Hero. I saw it a few weeks ago. He was much funnier as Dougal Mcquire!

To be quite honest My Hero wouldn't look out of place in CBBC, it's like a kids programme. My Parents Are Aliens is funnier than that.

Now My parents are aliens, that is one of the classics, it's lasted so long, works on so many levels of humour and and is still going strong, if not stronger.

Indeed, do adults really laugh at the old talking baby says something mildly amusing gag every time?

You're right about MPAA as well its probably the best sitcom on TV at the moment and that says a lot!

You've got your rose tinted specs on. Remember that there have always been low points in sitcom history (Bread, anyone?).

However, our current offering of sitcoms is dire. I mean, you just have to wonder how All About Me got commissioned. Oh wait, it's so politically correct, it's the only thing which matches the idents. It's absolutely awful. I wouldn't even expect to see it on Five.

Sadly, Ab Fab hasn't been as good since it returned, and My Family, whilst having its good points is not comedy gold. I enjoy My Hero, but again it's no classic.

Eyes Down was apparently part of a scheme to get new and up coming comedy writers on TV. Wouldn't this type of experiment have been best done without a high profile star, and on BBC Three? Anyone else think it was painful to watch?

The last sitcom I really enjoyed was one shown late at night on BBC Choice. It was set in a hairdressers but I can't for the life of me remember what it was called.

They should have left Ab Fab untouched, according to many Friday's installment was poor.

Now My Family is one of those rare gems and is really good for a domestic sitcom on mainstream TV. I don't think it'll be one of these shows which'll be remembered in 25 Years, but it is very funny. I think the first couple of series got about 10 Million viewers to BBC One and whenever it is on UK Gold it gets a strong 200,000, for something really new to be on UK Gold is good aswell.

My Hero, the first couple of series wern't bad, but now they're awful, God Knows how many episodes they can come with. But Ardal O Hanlon was much more funnier in Father Ted, asssuming that he was far more natural, where as in this he has to be a superhero which has its boundaries. (He has done a Stand Up video, which has been on Channel 4 once and that was extremely funny, shame that part of his career is never mentioned.

All About Me; it doesn't looks bad, but it isn't Jasper Carrott's finest, he's better doing stand-up, though apparently he is doing another stand-up show for the BBC at some time, plus he's going to star in a film, which not suprisingly is set in Birmingham. Though I was very suprised that All About Me got a second run, though I saw a clip of it on Breakfast on Friday and it didn't look bad. BTW: Whatever happened to The Detectives? As that was really funny, but I have to settle to the Bravo repeats.

Talking about BBC sitcoms. why do they never repeat the excellent Rab C Nesbitt?