British sitcom (original) (raw)

A British sitcom is a situation comedy (sitcom) produced in Great Britain. In the United States, they are often called Britcoms, but that term also applies broadly to any British comedy.

The British sitcom forms a distinct subgenre of the sitcom, and can be distinguished from its American cousin in that British situation comedies generally have shorter runs and a distinct style of humour. Also, actors in British comedies tend to appear in a wider range of sitcoms than their American counterparts.

Many British sitcoms can be seen in the United States on stations that are part of the Public Broadcasting Service. Through these, a number of "Britcoms" have gained a cult following in the United States - particularlyFawlty Towers, Mr. Bean, Blackadder and Red Dwarf. Britcoms that have become popular with mainstream US audiences include Yes, Minister, Keeping Up Appearances, As Time Goes By, Father Ted, The Office and Coupling.

Since the 1970s, the Cambridge Footlights club, the London based The Comic Strip club and the Edinburgh Festival have been springboards or breeding grounds for many of the big names in Britcom.

Recurring writers/directors of that era include David Croft, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton and John Lloyd.

Some of the most popular British sitcoms are listed alphabetically below:

The above is just a small list of British Sitcoms - over a thousand have been made. For a list containing over 800 British Sitcoms visit The British Sitcom Guide.

See Also