ITV axe sitcoms

as mentioned previously The Upper Hand was a transplant of Who's The Boss.

CITV had a bit of success with a sitcom or two, primarily My Parents Are Aliens is the obviously example. unfortunately I can't think of another one but I'm sure there was something. CBBC had Microsoap and probably others.

CBBC had Out Of Tune, which is the only CBBC sitcom I can think of which actually had a laugh track. I can think of a few ITV ones that did- like MPAA in its later series, and Spatz did as well.

Yes, unbelievably most scripts were word for word the same as the US version, with occasional reference changes. Even the set was identical, but it really worked as a British sitcom largely due to a highly talented cast (including a young Kellie Bright).

And of course Mike & Angelo.

Even though Mike & Angelo was only Mike & Angelo in name considering they had I think it was a three year gap where they didn't actually have a Mike (and the last but one series as well) whereas there was always an Angelo.

Lee Pressman and Grant Cathro did a lot of sitcom type stuff for CITV as above Spatz and Mike & Angelo, they also did the T-Bag series which I suppose isn't a sitcom as such though it probably felt like one to an extent.

Days Like These. *shudders*

Wasn't there a contract in place with Fox that halted That 70's Show from airing in the UK?

Kerching and The Basil Brush Show on CBBC had laugh tracks, but not sure you'd class them as sitcoms.

I'd say Barbara was the last interesting ITV sitcom.

I don't recall that long a gap without a Mike. MIchael Benz was in most series after he joined, even after hitting puberty where the character was adapted into an awkward teenager (towering over Angelo by that stage).

A friend of mine, Steven Geller played the new Mike in the final series. Unfortunately he passed away in 2015 of a brain tumour, aged just 30.

Both are after my time as well!

Why not? They seemed like traditional sitcoms to me.


Anyone remember The Crust starring Reggie Yates?

I really enjoyed The Job Lot. That seemed to fizzle off into obscurity via ITV2.

Michael Benz first appeared in 1993 and stayed with the production until 1998. Steven Geller as stated appeared in the final series in 2000 and the original Mike was in it 1989-1991. Having misremembered I've checked it out and there were two series with no Mike - Series 4 in 1992 and Series 11 in 1999.

It was still all guns blazing as late as series 12 though and it was a popular show for CITV, having survived four presentation incarnations (and a franchise change) as it was. The 1990s were a period of really long running series particularly on CITV, most of which would just reach into the next decade.

Basil Brush Show CBBC 2002 onwards is your traditional sitcom format, it effectively predated Mrs Browns Boys with the breaking of the fourth wall on many occasions, shots of the set, the crew and on occasion self referencing itself as an cheap half-arsed production. It was actually quite a good little show I thought, and then Series 5 came along... ah well.

CBBC had a bash at Microsoap for a children's sitcom which lasted four series in the late 1990s and after the success of Tracey Beaker the various Dani Harmer fronted sitcoms came along - Dani's House being the first one, followed by its spin off, the imaginatively named Dani's Castle (which later lost its Dani character).

The Upper Hand and Barbara will always be a favourites of mine as they were both filmed around here (though I'd still like them anyway). I was in the studio audience for the entire last series of Barbara, and I remember waiting for my school bus one day as they prepared to film Gwen Taylor 'parachuting' into an open grave in our village cemetery.



There were 9 episodes with no 'Mike', the first Mike left in the first episode of Series 4 and the remainder of the series had a houseguest Ellie filling the kid role. The second Mike appeared from the beginning of Series 5.

Though yes, technically there was no Mike in the last but one series, but it was a girl named 'Mickey'.

Edit: Apologies, didn't see the latest post