Britain's Best Sitcom

"Britain's Best Sitcom" was a poll conducted in 2004 by the BBC to identify the United Kingdom's best situation comedy. The winner by over 60,000 votes was "Only Fools and Horses".

Out of a list of 100 sitcoms, viewers were asked to vote for their favourite by phone, text message and on the web. The top ten went forward to a final round of voting. Ten special programmes were made before the final round, each about one of the Top 10, the programmes consisting of a celebrity speaking on behalf of their chosen sitcom as well as interviews with the stars and people that made it. For example, Johnny Vaughan spoke on behalf of Porridge, while Armando Iannucci represented Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister.

#"Only Fools and Horses" — 342,426 votes
#"Blackadder" — 282,106 votes
#"The Vicar of Dibley" — 212,927 votes
#"Dad's Army" — 174,138 votes
#"Fawlty Towers" — 172,066 votes
#"Yes Minister / Yes, Prime Minister" — 123,502 votes
#"Porridge" — 93,902 votes
#"Open All Hours" — 67,237 votes
#"The Good Life" — 40,803 votes
#"One Foot in the Grave" — 31,410 votes
#"Father Ted"
#"Keeping Up Appearances"
#"'Allo 'Allo!"
#"Last of the Summer Wine"
#"Steptoe and Son"
#"Men Behaving Badly"
#"Absolutely Fabulous"
#"Red Dwarf"
#"The Royle Family"
#"Are You Being Served?"
#"To the Manor Born"
#"Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em"
#"The Likely Lads"
#"My Family"
#"The Office"
#"Drop the Dead Donkey"
#"Rising Damp"
#"dinnerladies"
#"As Time Goes By"
#"Hancock's Half Hour"
#"The Young Ones"
#"Till Death Us Do Part"
#"Butterflies"
#"The Thin Blue Line"
#"The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin"
#"Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights"
#"Waiting for God"
#"Birds of a Feather"
#"Bread"
#"Hi-de-Hi!"
#"The League of Gentlemen"
#"I'm Alan Partridge"
#"Just Good Friends"
#"2point4 children"
#"Bottom"
#"It Ain't Half Hot Mum"
#"The Brittas Empire"
#"Gimme Gimme Gimme"
#"Rab C. Nesbitt"
#"Goodnight Sweetheart"
#"Up Pompeii!"
#"Ever Decreasing Circles"
#"On the Buses"
#"Coupling"
#"George and Mildred"
#"A Fine Romance"
#"Citizen Smith"
#"Black Books"
#"The Liver Birds"
#"Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps"
#"The New Statesman"
#"Sykes"
#"Please, Sir!"
#"Dear John"
#"Barbara"
#"Spaced"
#"Bless This House"
#"Love Thy Neighbour"
#"Man About the House"
#"Desmond's"
#"Duty Free"
#"All Gas and Gaiters"
#"Happy Ever After"/"Terry & June"
#"Only When I Laugh"
#"Brass"
#"The Rag Trade"
#"Sorry"
#"Kiss Me Kate"
#"Doctor in the House"
#"I Didn't Know You Cared"
#"Shelley"
#"Nearest and Dearest"
#"Fresh Fields"
#"The Army Game"
#"Robin's Nest"
#"The Dustbinmen"
#"Whoops Apocalypse"
#"My Wife Next Door"
#"Never the Twain"
#"Nightingales"
#"Early Doors"
#"Agony"
#"The Lovers"
#"Father, Dear Father"
#"Hot Metal"
#"...And Mother Makes Three"/"...And Mother Makes Five"
#"Life With The Lyons"
#"Marriage Lines"
#"A Sharp Intake of Breath"
#"No Problem!"

Further reading

* Lewisohn, Mark (2003) "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy". 2nd Ed. Revised — BBC Consumer Publishing. ISBN 0-563-48755-0

External links

* [http://www.classicsitcoms.co.uk Classic British Sitcoms Forum]
*bbc.co.uk|id=sitcom|title="Britain's Best Sitcom"
* [http://www.sitcom.co.uk/bbc2_show.shtml "Britain's Best Sitcom"] at the British Sitcom Guide