For my money, it's Porridge.

Just been reading the scripts again today.

Not a wasted word.

Any more?

Alan Partridge.
Blackadder

Blackadder
The early series of Waiting for God had some great lines - especially the 'Let's burn a bit of rubber' one, referring to the sports car, but the old chap obviously thinking Durex.
Doc Martin - if you can call it sitcom. Probably more comedy drama.

Coupling before they lost Geoff and also a couple of episodes of Black Books.

Blackadder has to be the all-time winner, for me. I have the complete scripts and have read them over and over.

I also have a soft spot for the shortlived but brilliant How Do You Want Me?

The Royle Family was also great. And Black Books. I loved Green Wing, too, but it was definitely much more patchy. It's the sheer consistent brilliance of things like Blackadder, sustained over all the serieses (is that a word?) which is so impressive.

Rosy x

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It's funny, at the time I admired the things that are thought of as classics: Porridge, and Rising Damp, and Fawlty Towers, the original Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (I was SUCH a devotee!), even Dad's Army. But for me they haven't stood the test of time very well; they tend to just make me cringe now. Porridge less than the others, perhaps, but still...

Hubby loved Gavin and Stacey, but I never got round to watching it.

Loved Men Behaving Badly.

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Oh, and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps had it's moments.

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And The Good Life is still one of the classics.

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And Ever Decreasing Circles is an under-rated masterpiece.

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And Just Good Friends had a great script, but the acting's a bit hammy now.

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Ditto My Wife Next Door

sustained over all the serieses

Not sure I agree! (I bought the box set to rewatch...)

Series 1 has way too much story for an episode and so there isn't enough room for the humour. If the same story was spread over an hour long episode, it would have been more than twice as good.

Series 2 was brilliant.

Series 3 lacked lustre and had almost no storyline. It seemed to have degenerated into a gag delivery vehicle.

Series 4 was picking up again and, of course, has the best series ending known to mankind.

I agree, Naomi, Men Behaving Badly would also be up there, for me - but still in my second tier. Again, I think it lacks Blackadder's utter consistency. Not a weak episode among 'em.

At the time, I adored Butterflies, and I've never seen it again since. I wonder if it would seem feeble and cringey and dated now?

Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps

I always thought that was simply "Coupling" rewritten (with the same characters) for a younger audience? I enjoyed some of the early episodes, but it did seem to go off rather quickly.

had almost no storyline

Ah, you see that's what I like. I love stuff where nothing much happens. Think of The Royle Family - total absence of plot, total brilliance!

But humour is so subjective, isn't it? So I love these discussions, but they're never likely to end in concensus!

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What about Dinner Ladies? That made me laugh. And One Foot in the Grave?

Not a weak episode among 'em.

Again, I have to disagree. The third series (with Hugh Laurie as the prince regent) was notably less good than the other three and the best episode of series three was still not as well written as the worst episode of series two... (IMHO).

As a bit of a diversion, Radio 4 did a sitcom called "Clare in the Community" (about a social worker, called Clare).

Simply, and undeniably, brilliant. Though I can't seem to find it anywhere to buy or listen to any more.

Not forgetting:

David Jason and Ronnie Barker's great double act in Open All Hours.

The early series of Only Fools & Horses - which was pretty much flogged to death by the end. That scene at the bar, and the one with the Chandelier = classic




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Oh yes, you're right, One Foot In The Grave.

And, The master of all sitcoms: Fawlty Towers

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Oh, and the classiest of classics: Yes Minister.

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And the early Red Dwarf series.

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AND Vicar of Dibley

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And the early Last of the Summer Wine series

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...although, I appreciate Last of the Summer Wine is more of a shaggy dog story style of sitcom, where each episode gradually builds up to the punchline, often involving Compo rolling downhill in one of Foggy's contraptions.

I didn't like Blackadder much at all. In fact I found it quite annoying, particularly the oh-so-clever wordplay. Tailor-made to be quoted by sixth-formers and students (and wasn't it just...), but too knowingly so, i felt.

But Green Wing - at least the first series - was genius & showed there is much more to comedy writing than wordplay. It's one of the few sitcoms I can think of where the dialogue is often eclipsed by the physical comedy. But I don't think it would have worked so well without Mark Heap and Michelle Gomez.

Peep Show is good, but often makes for intensely uncomfortable viewing. It's very funny, but also has moments of intensely acute zeitgeist-critique ('... modern life, with its meaningless logos and ironic veneration of tyrants. It's all good, my friend. It's all good.'.

I also liked Nighty Night. Jill was a superb creation - there was something oddly refreshing about her total selfishness...

Ooo, yes, Naomi - Yes, Minister. It was kind of stylised, and had basically one joke, but was fabulously written, nonetheless.