Britcoms:

As I mentioned in the Doctor Who edition of this column, when I was five, my parents let me stay up late with them on Sunday nights to watch the block of Dave Allen at Large, Monty Python's Flying Circus, and, obviously, Doctor Who, on PBS.

Of course, at five years old, much of the adult humour was rather over my head, but when you're that age, all that really matters is that you get to stay up late. And I did get enough of it to laugh at least half the time.

Dave Allen at Large (1971-'79) featured the stand-up stylings of Irish comedian Dave Allen (real name David Tynan O'Mahoney), as well as sketch comedy. Susie Baker, Rowan Brody, Ian Buford, Jacqueline Clarke, Robert East, Doran Goodwin, Peter Hawkins, Paul McDowell, Chris Serle, Micheal Sharvell-Martin, and Ralph Watson also appeared in the sketches. This was my first real exposure to both stand-up and sketch-style comedy, even before seeing Saturday Night Live. Alas, since it's been many a year since I've seen Dave Allen, my memory of it is hazy. I do remember there being a great number of Catholic jokes. I remember one skit where a ballerina had died, and her casket had split legs. I've found a few clips online that, once I started watching them, I remembered them as if I'd only seen them yesterday, including a joke about how he lost the top part of his index finger. (It was always a bit distracting to watch him raise his drink — I suspect he did it on purpose, using the distraction like a magician to lull the audience and then shock them with the punchline!) My favourite skit was one where Allen went through a long, agonizing transformation into a werewolf. He then crept into the room of a lovely woman in bed — and she promptly started playing with him like he was a puppy! *Grin* The series apparently has been released on DVD.

After Dave Allen came Python (1969-1974), a series performed by sketch comedians John Cleese (who also starred in Fawlty Towers, A Fish Called Wanda, and the first two Harry Potter films as Nearly Headless Nick), Eric Idle (who now produces the stage show Spamalot, was the voice of Wreck Gar in Transformers: The Movie, and has written the sci-fi novel Road to Mars), Terry Jones, Michael Palin (who hosted his own travel series), and the late Graham Chapman (Yellowbeard). Oh, and don’t forget the American animator Terry Gilliam (director of Time Bandits, Brazil, The Adventures of Baron Von Munchausen — which also featured Idle — and 12 Monkeys), who sometimes appeared in skits. The series also sometimes included Carol Cleveland, Connie Booth (Cleese's ex-wife), and Lyn Ashley (Eric Idle's ex-wife), but the part of a woman would just as often be played by one of the guys in drag. Award-winning sci-fi humourist Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) even contributed to the writing a bit.

The sketches themselves were often dream-like in their bizarreness, segueing into each other in a non-sequitur-ish fashion, or with the bumper "And now for something ... completely different."

And now for some of my favourite sketches. There's "Dead Parrot", in which Cleese tries to return a parrot to a pet shop upon realizing it's stuffed, only to have shopkeeper Palin insist otherwise. There's "The Cheese Shop", in which Cleese wants to buy some cheese from Idle, but there's none to be had. There's "The Ministry of Silly Walks", in which Palin tries to get a grant to develop his Silly Walk from Cleese, whose own walk is immeasurably sillier. There's "Spam", where an Idle in drag wants to order something without Spam at a diner, while Vikings sing the praises of that pseudo-ham. There's "Climbing the North Face of the Uxbridge Road", where men are being interviewed as they "climb" the pavement (what's known as a sidewalk in America) as if it were a cliff-face (one even "falls", sliding down the pavement in the opposite direction from the climbers). There's an animated skit where a detective chases a criminal through the inside of a person's body. There's the "Confuse-a-Cat" service, which offers to liven up your listless cat. Who doesn't love "The Lumberjack Song"? Or any Village Idiot skit? Or the "Hell's Grannies"? There was an ep where people kept getting horribly maimed throughout, and were bleeding all over the place — my folks hated that one but I loved it!

And then of course there were movies made by the "Python Players". My folks aren’t fond of The Meaning of Life(1983), which is a string of skits, but I love it, especially the "Office Pirates" bit, where an office is raided by, well, pirates, bringing new meaning to the phrase "Corporate Raiders". I also love the song "The Bright Side of Life". I'm not all that fond of The Life of Brian (1979), a parody of the life of Jesus — not because it's heretical, mind, just because it's simply not that funny to me. I do adore their most famous work, though: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Sharon and I saw it together at the fine arts theatre with some other friends for the anniversary release, though we all had seen it before. It was so much fun! My favourite bits: "Bring Out Your Dead", where one man in the pile of plague victims keeps saying "I'm not dead yet!"; "The Black Knight", where the enemy knight gets one limb after another chopped off but still eggs on his competition; "The Ballad of Brave Sir Robin" who wasn't brave at all, and grew less so as his song went on; the bit at the bridge where a man insists you must correctly answer three questions to cross, and one knight gets the answer to "What's your favourite colour?" wrong; and, of course, the killer bunny (as I've had rabbits for years, I can assure you, yes, they can be very vicious!).

The Python Players have long been a happy mainstay of my life. I like to check out their non-Python works. I have a comedy CD of Idle's, and my family did indeed buy Callard and Bowser's toffees at Cleese's behest. Sharon got to see Spamalot, the lucky girl! And, of course, one tends to bond with other Python fans, where quoting skits is almost a new language! I've been drooling over the DVD box set for years — one of these days ....

Moving along .... When I was in high school, my mother started letting me stay up late enough to watch The Benny Hill Show (1969-1989) with her, which until then I had only seen sporadically growing up. It's another sketch series, most of it filled with buxom women, slapstick, and innuendos. In any other context, I think I would have been offended, but Hill (real name Alfred Hawthorne Hill) was just so cheeky and charming, and his elderly sidekick (Henry McGee, who passed away just last year) was brilliant as a straight-man. And of course anything is funny when you speed up the film! It's been so long, my memory is hazy, alas. I know I got a kick out of Hill's songs. I loved the skit where he dated an inflatable sex doll (which he bought from a balloon vendor, outside!), which he later found cheating on him with another doll (I think the doll was supposed to be of a milkman or something). I was sad when Hill passed away in '92.

Also while I was in high school, Comedy Central began airing The Young Ones (1982-1984), a more traditional sitcom (well, at least in that it wasn't sketch comedy) about four very different men, each of them students, living in the same apartment. There was the anarchist, Rick (Rik Mayall), the con artist, Mike (Christopher Ryan), the hippy, Neil (Nigel Planner), and my favourite, Vyvyan, the punk rocker (Adrian Edmonson). Alexie Sayle also starred in it, as an assortment of characters, including their Russian landlord. The show, written by Mayall, Ben Elton (of Blackadder fame), and Lise Mayer, was sadly short-lived for such a funny series, lasting only two seasons (and with only six episodes in each!!) Like Benny Hill, it was full of slapstick, though far more surreal (and much less chauvinistic). This is another series where I wish I remembered it better than I do — I just know I laughed hard.

I met Sharon in college, and there she introduced me to one of my all-time fave comedies, Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft's Are You Being Served (1972-85), which portrays the life of a group of cheeky retail clerks in a department store called Grace Brothers. The cast was brimming with fun, quirky characters. There's the floorwalker, the aptly-named Captain Peacock (Frank Thornton), who has an air of propriety that isn’t entirely sincere (he's sometimes a rather "Do as I say and not as I do" sort of fellow). There's the head of the Ladies' Department, the cranky, bossy Mrs. Slocombe (the irrepressible Mollie Sugden), who's always complaining about her pussy (cat) being neglected, as well as always colouring her white hair in all sorts of funky shades. There's the junior sales clerk, the vivacious, Cockney-accented Miss Brahms (Wendy Richard). There's the head of the Men's Department, the cantankerous, deaf old Mr. Grainger (Arthur Braugh, who passed away in season five). There's his second, the dapper, effeminate Mr. Humphries (John Inman, who passed away this year), whose sexual orientation was never confirmed. There's the junior sales clerk, the poor, put-upon, sarcastic Mr. Lucas (Trevor Bannister), who was often after Miss Brahms. There's the manager, the oft-oblivious and somewhat confused Mr. Rumbold (Nicholas Smith). There's the owner-brothers, Old Mr. Grace and Young Mr. Grace (both men being somewhere in their nineties, I reckon), who always have some hot young thing for a secretary. There's the janitors, Mr. Mash (Larry Martyn) and his replacement, Mr. Harman (Arthur English). There's Mr. Grainger's successor, Mr. Tebbs, and Mr. Lucas' successor, Mr. Spooner, but I'm afraid neither of those characters ever appealed to me as much as their predecessors. While I loved all the staff, Mr. Lucas is my fave, with Mrs. Slocombe and Mr. Humphries tied for a close second.

My fave eps are mostly the earlier ones. I have a tape of some of them, including "Dear Sexy Knickers", in which Mrs. Slocombe accidentally gets a letter from Mr. Lucas intended for Miss Brahms! The tape also includes "Camping In", where the staff is stranded at the store because of a rail strike, and spend the night camping in the Sports Department. I love "The Think Tank", where the staff comes up with the idea to have a fashion show in order to boost sales. "German Week", where the staff is forced to learn about German culture (including dressing up in lederhosen and dancing) is a lot of fun. "Shoulder to Shoulder" sees the staff squabbling for space when the Ladies' Department is closed for renovation. Really, though, I can’t think of any episodes that aren't good — the box set of the series is definitely on my wishlist!

The sequel series, Grace and Favour, aka Are You Being Served Again? in the US (1992-1993) had its charm but was somewhat different from the original series in tone and atmosphere (part of this being because it wasn't filmed in front of a live studio audience, I think). It featured the staff living together in Millstone Manor, which was left to all of them by Young Mr. Grace. They decide to profit from their inheritance by making the manor into an inn, with the help of the Manor's Farm Manager, Mr. Moulterd. Much of the series focused on the attentions his daughter, Mavis (Fleur Bennett), showered upon a reluctant Mr. Humphries. I can't say that I really have any fave eps from this series, though I liked it well enough.

Sharon also introduced me to Roy Clarke's Keeping Up Appearances (1990-1995), which follows the life of one overly-etiquette-and-propriety-minded social snob named Hyacinth Bucket-pronounced-"Bouquet" (Patricia Routlege) and her much put-upon husband, Richard. The show also features Hyacinth's sisters, the excitable Daisy (Judy Cornwell), the wealthy Violet (Anna Dawson), the white-trashy Rose (Shirley Stelfox, then Mary Miller), and Daisy's husband, the even-more-white-trashy but oh-so-savvy Onslow (Geoffrey Hughes), whom Hyacinth is always butting heads with. Oh, and let's not forget "The General", Hyacinth's much-loved "Daddy" (George Webb), or her even-more-loved son, Sheridan, whom the audience knows has been conning his mother out of money for years! Alas, I haven't seen enough of the show to name fave eps, though a disastrous visit to The General in a nursing home comes to mind (if I recall, he steals the Bucket's car and goes joy-riding). The bulk of the show is Hyacinth trying to make herself seem far more important and well-bred than she is, but she's always being thwarted by her own family. The show is an oddity in that Hyacinth is the main character, yet she's the one to dislike!

My Graphic Design teacher introduced Sharon and me to Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean (1990-1995) with the Christmas special. Mr. Bean is a bumbling fool who rarely says anything, mostly just muttering his way through life. I've only seen a few episodes of the series since then, alas. I did see the theatrical movie, and I nearly asphyxiated, I was laughing so hard, even at the bit where he got his hand stuck in a turkey, which was actually taken from the aforementioned Chrsitmas special — it was just as funny the second time around! Apparently there's an animated series — I would dearly love to see that!

My parents discovered Red Dwarf while I was away at school, and my local PBS didn’t carry it. Much of my phone conversations with them at the time included them telling me all about what happened on the most recent episode. Happily, when I came home on break, there was a marathon, so I was able to see a lot of it right off the bat.

Red Dwarf (1988-1999), a sci-fi comedy by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor (aka "Grant Naylor"), tells the story of a man, Dave Lister (Craig Charles), who, having committed some indiscretion, was, as punishment, cryogenically frozen on a space-faring mining vessel (the Red Dwarf) and not awoken until 300 million years later. Thanks to a radiation leak that killed the rest of the crew, his only companions are: Kryten (Robert Llwellyn), a sycophantic robot who adores Lister to the point of near-worship and practically mothers him to death; Arnold J Rimmer (Chris Barrie), a hologram version of another crewman — a rather un-liked one with an ego bigger than the ship (it's exceeded only by his sense of self-pity); The Cat (Danny John-Jules), an evolved descendant of Lister's pregnant cat who has an even bigger ego than Rimmer and an overdeveloped fashion sense; and Holly (Norman Lovett and Hattie Hayridge), the ship's computer who, for a time, becomes a woman. The show follows their adventures as they hunt for supplies, attempt to make repairs, and encounter dangerous alien races. It includes a hefty chunk of time spent on a shuttle known as Starbug. Later in the series, Lister's old crush, Kristine Kochanski (Chloe Annette), joins the crew — albeit she's from an alternate universe. Kryten is very jealous of her.

We have several tapes of the series (again, this is a DVD box-set that's on my wishlist), including the blooper reels Smeg-Ups and Smeg-Outs ("smeg" being the series' version of f*ck). They're the funniest gag reals I've ever seen, and they include snips from interviews at conventions and the song "Tongue Tied", sung by The Cat. Some of my fave eps all happen to be on the same tape: "Backwards", in which Kryten and Rimmer get stuck on an Earth in a reality where everyone lives their life backwards, from death to birth; "Marooned", in which Lister and Rimmer get trapped on an ice planet and spend some not-so-quality time together; and "Polymorph", where the crew is terrorised by a creature that can shapeshift into anything and eats emotions. My very fave ep, though, is "Blue" in which Lister inexplicably finds himself missing Rimmer (there's a faboo slashy daydream of him with Armold's later ego, the dashing "Ace"); to cure him, Kryten make a ride of sorts where images of Rimmer sing the very catchy "Arnold Rimmer Song", reminding Lister of what a smarmy, arrogant smeg-head Rimmer is.

I have one of the novels, Better than Life, touches of which can be seen as influence throughout the TV series — though admittedly in many ways the stories are very different. If you're a fan of the series, I highly recommend reading the novels as a fresh approach to the plot points of the show — sort of a "what-if". There are some aspects I like even better than the show!

I've caught a couple of episodes of Richard Curtis' The Vicar of Dibley (1994-2007), about the trials and tribulations of a female Vicar, Geraldine Granger (Dawn French, "The Fat Lady" in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). I liked what I saw of it! Apparently Fox is going to be airing an American version — I'm skeptical, as I understand the very-short-lived American remake of Red Dwarf wasn't very good.

Sharon also introduced me to the sweet As Time Goes By, which I'll leave Patti Martinson to tell you about, and Father Ted, which I'll leave Sharon herself to tell you about.

As Time Goes By (1992-2002)

This sweet Britcom is about Lionel Hardcastle (Geoffrey Palmer) and Jean Pargeter (Dame Judi Dench). Lionel and Jean are former wartime sweethearts who had an three-month affair. They go their separate ways, and lose touch with each other. At the start of the series, Lionel and Jean finally meet each other, albeit 38 years later. This comedy follows their tentative steps to get re-acquainted with each other, through their marriage and beyond.

The other main characters of the show are Jean's daughter Judy (Moira Brooker), Judy's friend Sandy (Jenny Funnel) and Lionel's publicist/publisher/annoyance Alistair (Philp Bretherton).

This show ran for nine seasons. I fell in love with Lionel and Jean and loved their stumbling efforts to get to know each other again, despite having such an intense affair when they were young. They have both loved and lost their marriage partners and it was nice to see the natural progression of their relationship and their eventual marriage. My favorite character was Alistair, who is a difficult character to describe, but is the main comic relief of the show. Always coming up with wacky schemes to sell Lionel's book, giving people pet names, and being such an odd character in general. I think this show lost a bit of its steam not too long after Lionel and Jean get married, which was about season four. After that, it became sort of a wacky neighbors type show, with more focus given to the other characters rather than Lionel and Jean. Not bad, mind you, but not what charmed me about the show in the first place.

A pleasant, joyful sitcom that is still enjoyable today.

Blackadder (1983-1989, four series, plus several one-shot specials)
Starring: Rowan Atkinson as Edmund, the Blackadder, Tony Robinson as Baldrick, Tim McInnerney as Lord Percy Percy/Captain Darling, Stephen Fry as Lord Melchett/General Melchett, Hugh Laurie as Prince George/Lieutenant George

Edmund Blackadder is the anti-hero of four different generations of Blackadders, each becoming more cynical and devious as the years pass. Along with his dim-witted dogsbody (servant), Baldrick, they forge plans more and more cunning than before! The first series takes place in 1400s medieval England, the second series at the time of Queen Elizabeth I, the third in the 1700s period at the time of King George, and the fourth during World War I in 1917. First written and created by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, the first series Edmund Blackadder was rather snively and stupid. It was funny, but was dropped by the BBC. It wasn’t until three years later when the series was continued by the BBC, and viewers finally saw the potential (not to mention the laugh-out loud humour!) of the Blackadder series. This was due to writer Ben Elton, who was specifically brought in for the second series. Edmund then became the cunning, cynical, and intelligent character that we’re more familiar with.

I first saw this show through my husband, who, knowing that I was both a history geek and loved British comedy, played a video of Blackadder: Back and Forth for me. I had heard of Blackadder before, but never had a chance to see it in the States. What happened next in that mere one hour of viewing made me a Blackadder fan for life! Soon after, I purchased the Blackadder box set, devouring and savouring its comedic genius. Blackadder is without a doubt one of the funniest sitcoms ever. Period.

Favourite Episodes:

"Bells": From the second series. A distressed Edmund thinks that he has fallen in love with his servant boy, Bob (Gabrielle Glaister, who went to school with Ben Elton). To his relief, he soon finds out that Bob is actually a girl. Wedding plans are made, but will his rival, Lord Flashheart, steal the woman of his dreams? Will Lord Percy ever become Edmund’s best man?

"Beer": Second series. Edmund’s extremely religious aunt, who has promised him a large inheritance, has come to visit, on the very same night he’s to have a booze-up with his friends. Hugh Laurie appears as one of Edmund’s drunken friends.

"Ink and Incapability": Third series. Edmund, the butler to dimwit Prince George (Hugh Laurie), is appalled to learn that stupid George is set upon patronising Dr. Samuel Johnson’s (Robbie Coltrane) new dictionary. He’s disgusted and jealous because Dr. Johnson never published Edmund’s novel, Edmund, A Butler’s Tale.

"Amy and Amiability": Edmund and the Prince are both flat broke. In an attempt to marry money, Edmund sets him up to court an industrialist’s daughter (Miranda Richardson), with unforeseen consequences!

"Goodbyeee…": The final episode in series four. It’s WWI and the final push looms for the British lads. Edmund will do anything to stay alive, which includes pretending to be mad-as-a-hatter! The very last scene is more poignant that funny, and has been voted as one if the greatest moments of British television.

The Thin Blue Line (1995-1996)
Starring: Rowan Atkinson as Inspector Fowler, James Dreyfus as Constable Goody, Mina Anwar as Constable Habib, David Haig as Detective Inspector Grim

After his stint as the popular Mr. Bean, Rowan Atkinson moved on to writer Ben Elton’s newest sitcom in 1995, The Thin Blue Line. He plays Inspector Fowler, an uptight, by-the-book, though somewhat clueless, police inspector. Along with his uniformed team, they keep the fictional small town of Gasforth in lawful order, despite the constant haranguing between them and the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) detective squad.

I first caught A Thin Blue Line back in 1996 on PBS. As I was already a big fan of Rowan Atkinson, so it was easy to watch a new show where he was featured, especially since all the laughs and drama happened inside a police station. The fact that a South Asian actor (Mina Anwar) played a big role also caught my attention. And hey, anything written by Ben Elton is funny and brilliant!

Favourite Episodes:

"The Queen’s Birthday Present": First episode of the series. Sergeant Dawkins is upset and jealous that her live-in boyfriend, Inspector Fowler, has remembered the Queen’s Official Birthday, but has utterly forgotten about their anniversary.

"Kids Today": Constable Goody punches a racist skinhead who insults Constable Habib.

"Yuletide Spirit": Misunderstandings and accidents occurr when a Christmas gift of lingerie is given to the wrong person.

"Fly on the Wall": BBC comes to Gasforth Police Station to film a documentary about Gasforth’s finest, but their presence causes everyone to believe they’ll all become famous TV stars. This is probably my favourite out of the Series Two episodes (due to my gushing laughter), and also because Mark Addy, who plays Detective Boyle in CID, is especially funny in it.

"Alternative Culture": CID issues a big drug bust, but is Constable Habib’s little sister mixed up in it?

Father Ted (1995-1998)
Starring: Dermot Morgan as Father Ted Crilly, Ardal O’Hanlon as Father Dougal McGuire, Frank Kelly as Father Jack Hackett, and Pauline Mclynn as Mrs. Doyle.

Who’d have thought that three Irish priests cast by the Catholic Church to a backwater parish on a small island off Ireland’s coast could cause so much laughter? After catching a BBC commercial of this hilarious series, I immediately rented the first disc, laughed silly, then bought the box set. The unofficial “leader” of the lot is the Vegas-loving, penny-pinching Father Ted, who must put up with the child-like simplemindedness of Father Dougal, along with the drunken, foul-mouthed outbursts of retired priest, Father Jack. Amidst them is the dowdy housekeeper, Mrs. Doyle, who’s intent on serving everyone tea at all hours of the day, even in the most inappropriate moments!

Favourite Episodes:

"And God Created Woman": First season. A pretty novelist is staying at the parochial house and Ted is eager for “book talk”, but will a squad of visiting nuns spoil his romantic plans?

"Tentacles of Doom": Second season. Three prominent bishops visit Craggy Island to bless the Holy Stone of Clonrichert, but the result is disastrous.

"Song for Europe": Second season. Ted and Dougal join the Eurosong competition, but will their song, “My Lovely Horse”, make it to the finals?

"Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Rollerblading": Second season. It’s Lent and the priests must give something up until Easter — it’s up to a nun to straighten them out!

"Kicking Bishop Brennan Up the Arse": Third season. Ted makes a bet with his rival, Father Dick Byrne, to win a football match. He loses, and the forfeit is to kick the dreaded (and much feared) Bishop Brennan up the arse!

Absolutely Fabulous (1992-2004)
Starring: Jennifer Saunders as Edina “Eddy” Monsoon, Joanna Lumley as Patsy Stone, Julia Sawalha as Saffron “Saffy” Monsoon, Jane Horrocks as Bubble/Katy Grin

A series spin-off from the French and Saunders sketch, “Modern Mother and Daughter”, Absolutely Fabulous has become on of the most popular British sitcoms all over the world. An silly, selfish mother, Eddy always seems to butt heads with her upright and moralistic daughter, Saffy, who doesn’t approve of her mother’s fashion-fad obsessions and immature behaviour. It doesn’t help Saffy that Eddy’s thin best friend, the promiscuous, chain-smoking, and drug-loving Patsy (who’s just as immature), is always set on encouraging Eddy in these hedonistic activities!