Editing British sitcom (section)

==The 1990s==
{{see also|Category:1990s British sitcoms}}
The new [[Channel 4]] began to have successful long-running situation comedies. ''[[Desmond's]]'' (1989–94) was the first British sitcom with a black cast set in the workplace,<ref>Ali Jaafar [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/490845/index.html "Desmond's (1988-94)"], BFI screenonline</ref> and ''[[Drop the Dead Donkey]]'' (1990–98) brought topicality to the form as it was recorded close to transmission. ''[[Oh, Doctor Beeching]]'' (1995–1997) was the last of many sitcoms by producer David Croft.

Some of the biggest hits of the 1990s were ''[[Men Behaving Badly]]'', ''[[2point4 Children]]'', ''[[I'm Alan Partridge]]'', ''[[Goodnight Sweetheart (TV series)|Goodnight Sweetheart]]'', ''[[Bottom (TV series)|Bottom]]'', ''[[The Brittas Empire]]'', ''[[The Thin Blue Line (British TV series)|The Thin Blue Line]]'', ''[[Mr. Bean]]'' and ''[[One Foot in the Grave]]''.

===''Jeeves and Wooster''===
The [[Jeeves#Jeeves canon|"Jeeves" stories]] by novelist [[P. G. Wodehouse]] were made into ''[[Jeeves and Wooster]]'' (1990–1993),  a [[comedy-drama]] series in sitcom style. Twenty-three episodes in 4 series were adapted by [[Clive Exton]] for ITV, starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, already well known writers and [[double act]] stars of their own [[sketch comedy]] television series ''[[A Bit of Fry & Laurie]]''. The productions were well received. The third series won a British Academy Television Award for Best Design for [[Eileen Diss]]. The final series won a British Academy Television Award for Best Graphics for Derek W. Hayes and was nominated for a [[British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series]]; it also earned a British Academy Television Award for Best Original Television Music for [[Anne Dudley]],<ref name=dudley>{{cite web|access-date=3 December 2009|url=http://www.annedudley.co.uk/Default.aspx?page=29&node=42|publisher=annedudley.co.uk|title=The World of Jeeves & Wooster – Original Soundtrack|archive-date=1 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301100632/http://www.annedudley.co.uk/Default.aspx?page=29&node=42|url-status=dead}}</ref> and a British Academy Television Award for Best Costume Design for Dany Everett.<ref name="imdbaward">[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098833/awards Awards for ''Jeeves and Wooster'' (1990)] from [[Internet Movie Database]]</ref> In retrospect, Michael Brooke of [[BFI Screenonline]] called screenwriter Exton "the series' real star", saying his "[[Literary adaptation|adaptations]] come surprisingly close to capturing the flavour of the originals" by "retaining many of Wodehouse's most inspired literary similes."<ref name="bfiscreen">{{Screenonline TV title|1060579}}</ref>

===''Waiting for God''===
Written by [[Michael Aitkens]], produced by [[Gareth Gwenlan]], and directed by Gwenlan and Sue Bysh, ''[[Waiting for God (TV series)|Waiting for God]]'' (1990–1994) ran on [[BBC1]] for 47 episodes over 5 series and was a major success.  It starred [[Stephanie Cole]] as Diana Trent and [[Graham Crowden]] as Tom Ballard, two elderly but spirited residents of Bournemouth's fictional Bayview Retirement Home, who are determined not to grow old gracefully, and spend their time running rings around the home's oppressive management and their own families.<ref name="BCGgod2"/> With [[Janine Duvitski]] in the main supporting role and a regular cast including Andrew Tourell, [[Sandra Payne (actress)|Sandra Payne]], [[Michael Bilton]] and Paddy Ward, much of the humour was derived from flying in the face of expectations about how the elderly ought to behave.<ref name="BCGgod2"/> The show became very successful,<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/waitingforgod/ ''Waiting for God'']. BBC Comedy website. "Very quietly, ''Waiting For God'' became a huge success...",</ref><ref name="BCGgod2">{{cite web
|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/waiting_for_god/
|title=Waiting For God
|work=British Comedy Guide
|access-date=3 January 2022}}</ref> and came 37th in the 2004 poll to find ''Britain's Best Sitcom''. It is frequently repeated on the Drama and Gold channels.<ref name="BCGgod1">{{cite web
|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/waiting_for_god/repeats/
|title=All repeats of Waiting For God
|work=British Comedy Guide
|access-date=3 January 2022}}</ref>

===''Keeping Up Appearances''===
The frequently repeated and highly successful series ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'' (1990–1995, 1997, 2008), was written by Roy Clarke. The show, which comprised five series and 44 episodes, including four Christmas specials, starred [[Patricia Routledge]] as the snobbish [[Hyacinth Bucket|Hyacinth 'Bouquet' Bucket]], [[Clive Swift]], playing her husband, and [[Josephine Tewson]], playing her neighbour, with [[Judy Cornwell]], [[Mary Millar]] and [[Geoffrey Hughes (actor)|Geoffrey Hughes]] as her working class relatives. The theme music was composed by [[Nick Ingman]]. It is the BBC's most exported television programme, having been sold nearly 1,000 times to overseas broadcasters.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/bbcs-most-popular-show-overseas-is-keeping-up-appearances-a6880806.html|title=BBC's most popular show overseas is...Keeping Up Appearances |newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=18 February 2016|access-date=2 March 2016}}</ref> As of 2016 ''Keeping Up Appearances'' is the most-bought BBC and has outsold every other show to international broadcasters in the past 40 years. According to Roy Clarke : "...the secret to her wide fan base is that everyone knows a Hyacinth"<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/2029/keeping_up_appearances_bbc_most_successful_world/
|title=eeping Up Appearances is the BBC's most successful programme
|date=16 February 2016
|work=British Comedy Guide
|access-date=2 January 2022}}</ref> In a 2004 BBC poll it placed 12th in Britain's Best Sitcom and in a 2001 Channel 4 poll, Hyacinth Bucket was ranked 52nd on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters.<ref name="GreatestTVcharacters">{{cite web |url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/tv_characters/results.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531160558/http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/tv_characters/results.html |archive-date=31 May 2009 |title=100 Greatest TV Characters |access-date=26 May 2019 |publisher=[[Channel 4]]}}</ref> Production ended after Routledge decided to move on to other projects.

===''Absolutely Fabulous''===
Written by [[Jennifer Saunders]] and starring herself and [[Joanna Lumley]], with [[Julia Sawalha]] and [[June Whitfield]] in supporting roles, ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' (1992–1995) was based on the ''[[French and Saunders]]'' sketch "[[Modern Mother and Daughter]]".  It ran for 39 episodes with the first three series airing on BBC, followed a two-part special finale entitled ''The Last Shout'' in 1996. Saunders played [[Edina Monsoon]], a heavy-drinking, drug-abusing [[public relations|PR agent]] who spends her time in a desperate attempt to stay young and "hip", and Lumley played fashion magazine director [[Patsy Stone]], whose drug abuse and alcohol consumption far eclipsed Edina's. It returned for two more series and two one-hour specials from 2001 to 2004. In 1997, the pilot episode, "Fashion", was ranked #47 on [[TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time|''TV Guide''{{'}}s "100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time"]] list.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=28 June – 4 July 1997|title=Special Collectors' Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time|magazine=TV Guide}}</ref> A scene from the show was included in the ''[[100 Greatest (TV series)|TV's 100 Greatest Moments]]'' programme broadcast by [[Channel 4]] in 1999.<ref>{{cite episode|title=TV's 100 Greatest Moments|series=100 Greatest|series-link=100 Greatest (TV series)|number=1|airdate=11 September 1999|network=[[Channel 4]]}}</ref> In 2000, the show was ranked 17th in the [[BFI TV 100|greatest British television show of all time]] by the BFI.<ref>{{cite web|date=5 September 2000|title=Fawlty Towers tops TV hits|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/911085.stm|access-date=27 July 2020|work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> In 2004 and 2007, the show was ranked 24th and 29th on ''TV Guide''{{'}}s "Top Cult Shows Ever" list.<ref name="TopCultShows">{{cite web|date=29 June 2007|title=TV Guide Names the Top Cult Shows Ever|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/top-cult-shows-40239.aspx|access-date=10 October 2011|work=TV Guide}}</ref> In 2019, the series ranked 9th in ''Radio Times''<nowiki/>' top 20 British sitcoms.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rosseinsky|first=Katie|date=8 April 2019|title=Best British sitcom of all time revealed: From Fawlty Towers to Absolutely Fabulous here's the Top 20|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/fawlty-towers-named-as-best-british-sitcom-of-all-time-a4112321.html|access-date=25 February 2021|website=Evening Standard}}</ref> The series has a 96% rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]],<ref>{{cite web |date=25 February 2021|title=Absolutely Fabulous|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/absolutely_fabulous|access-date=25 February 2021|website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> and ''[[Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie]]'', was released in 2016.

===''If You See God, Tell Him''===
The BBC1 mini-series of ''[[If You See God, Tell Him]]'' (1993), broadcast in four 45-minute episodes written by [[Andrew Marshall (screenwriter)|Andrew Marshall]] and [[David Renwick]], stars [[Richard Briers]], [[Ade Edmondson|Adrian Edmondson]], [[Imelda Staunton]] and [[Martin Clunes]]. The humour concerns a man who bumps his head and starts believing he must do everything adverts tell him, with catastrophic results. ''[[The Independent]]'' wrote: "It's not really a disaster but there's something decidedly uneven underfoot here, a feeling that this is the working model for a new type of comedy rather than the finished product. [...] while it's sustained with considerable energy by the actors and direction you have to doubt whether it really stands up for one episode, let alone four."<ref>{{cite news |last=Sutcliffe |first=Thomas |date=12 November 1993 |title=REVIEW / A Gormless Advert for Situation Comedy |newspaper=[[The Independent]]|location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/review-a-gormless-advert-for-situation-comedy-1503736.html |access-date=4 January 2022}}</ref> Conversely, a retrospective review in ''The Guardian'' highlighted the series as "a gem from an era when the BBC took its black comedy seriously", praising both its dark content and humour, "a Richard Briers sitcom that's the opposite of The Good Life."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bass |first1=George |title=If You See God, Tell Him review: a Richard Briers sitcom that's the opposite of ''The Good Life'' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jun/09/sitcom-richard-briers-if-you-see-god-box-set-review |website=The Guardian |access-date=4 January 2022 |date=9 June 2016}}</ref> The series was only broadcast once and never repeated; according to ''The Guardian'', this was "possibly because it was too much of a leap for fans of ''The Good Life'', but it has grown in cult status over the years."<ref name="GUARDRB">{{cite web
|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2013/feb/18/richard-briars-a-life-in-clips
|title=Richard Briers: a life in clips
|last=Heritage
|first=Heritage
|date=18 February 2013
|work=The Guardian
|publisher=Guardian News & Media Limited
|access-date=4 January 2022}}</ref>

===''The Vicar of Dibley''===
In terms of ratings, ''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'' (1994–2007) starring [[Dawn French]], is among the most successful British programmes of the digital era. The main character, [[Geraldine Granger]], was invented by [[Richard Curtis]], but he and French extensively consulted [[Joy Carroll]], one of the first female Anglican priests.<ref>{{cite book|title=Beneath the Cassock: The Real-life Vicar of Dibley|first=Joy|last=Carroll|author-link=Joy Carroll|isbn= 0-00-712207-1<!-- 978-0007122073 -->|publisher= HarperCollins|date=September 2002}}</ref>
The series exploited the 1992 [[Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993|changes in the Church of England]] that permitted the ordination of women. The show included [[Cameo appearance|cameos]] from many actors and celebrities, many appearing as themselves, and including [[Sarah, Duchess of York]], [[Hugh Bonneville]], [[Mel Giedroyc]], [[Richard Griffiths]], [[Miranda Hart]], [[Alistair McGowan]], [[Geraldine McNulty]], [[Philip Whitchurch]], [[Nicholas Le Prevost]], [[Brian Perkins]] and [[Roger Sloman]], [[Pam Rhodes]], [[Kylie Minogue]], [[Rachel Hunter]], [[Terry Wogan]], [[Jeremy Paxman]], [[Martyn Lewis]], [[Darcey Bussell]], [[Sean Bean]], [[Richard Ayoade]], [[Orla Brady]], [[Fiona Bruce]], [[Annette Crosbie]], [[Johnny Depp]], [[Ruth Jones (actress)|Ruth Jones]], [[Hilary Kay]], [[Damian Lewis]], [[Maureen Lipman]], [[Jennifer Saunders]], [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] and his wife [[Trudie Styler]], [[Stephen Tompkinson]], [[Dervla Kirwan]], and [[Emma Watson]]. Dibley received multiple [[British Comedy Awards]], two [[List of International Emmy Award winners|International Emmys]], and was a multiple [[British Academy Television Awards]] nominee. In 2004, it was placed third in a BBC poll to find ''Britain's Best Sitcom''. In addition to the twenty main episodes between 1994 and 2007, the series included numerous shorter charity specials, as well as 'lockdown' episodes produced during the 2020-2021 [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/bbc-big-night-in-vicar-of-dibley-dawn-french-nhs-a9481056.html
|title=BBC Big Night In: Vicar of Dibley urges viewers to 'praise the lord and praise the NHS' as Dawn French reprises iconic role
|last=White
|first=Adam
|date=23 April 2020
|work=The Independent
|access-date=31 December 2021}}</ref> The theme music was a setting of [[Psalm 23]] composed by [[Howard Goodall]] as a serious piece of church choral music, and performed by the choir of [[Christ Church, Oxford|Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford]], with George Humphreys singing the solo.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/classic/daily/stories/s631456.htm |title=ABC Classic FM Music Details: Saturday 10 June 2000 |publisher= Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=27 April 2011}}</ref> The conductor was [[Stephen Darlington]].

===''Hamish Macbeth''===
The 20 episode [[comedy drama]] series ''[[Hamish Macbeth (TV series)|Hamish Macbeth]]'' (1995–1997), by Scottish screenwriter [[Daniel Boyle (writer)|Daniel Boyle]], was filmed mainly on location in the [[Scottish Highlands]], in a departure from the convention that sitcoms are filmed in studio and accompanied by a laugh track.<ref name="telegraphobit">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/12/31/mc-beaton-prolific-author-created-phlegmatic-pc-hamish-macbeth/|title=MC Beaton, prolific author who created the phlegmatic PC Hamish Macbeth and the amateur sleuth Agatha Raisin – obituary|first=Telegraph|last=Obituaries|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=31 December 2019|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>  It was loosely adapted from the mystery novels by M. C. Beaton ([[Marion Chesney]]) by [[Daniel Boyle (writer)|Daniel Boyle]] and starred [[Robert Carlyle]] as a police officer.<ref name="telegraphobit"/>

===''Father Ted''===
The highly successful ''[[Father Ted]]'' (1995–1998) series created by Irish writers [[Graham Linehan]] and [[Arthur Mathews (writer)|Arthur Mathews]], produced by British [[Hat Trick Productions]] for [[Channel 4]] aired over three series, including a Christmas special, for 25 episodes. Set on the fictional [[Craggy Island]], off Ireland's west coast, it starred [[Dermot Morgan]] as [[Father Ted Crilly]], [[Ardal O'Hanlon]] as [[Father Dougal McGuire]] and [[Frank Kelly]] as [[Father Jack Hackett]]. Exiled to the island by [[Bishop Leonard Brennan]], played by [[Jim Norton (Irish actor)|Jim Norton]], the priests live together in the [[parochial house]] with their housekeeper [[Mrs Doyle]], played by [[Pauline McLynn]]. The show subverts parodies of [[Low comedy|low-brow humour]] as it portrays nuanced themes of [[loneliness]], [[agnosticism]], [[existentialism]] and [[purgatory]] experienced by its title character; this deeper meaning of the show has been much acclaimed.<ref>{{cite journal |last=McGonigle|first=Lisa|date=30 June 2012|title="Doesn't Mary Have a Lovely Bottom?": Gender, Sexuality and Catholic Ideology in Father Ted|url=https://journals.openedition.org/etudesirlandaises/2999|journal=Études irlandaises|language=en|issue=37–1|pages=89–102|doi=10.4000/etudesirlandaises.2999|issn=0183-973X|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Power|first=Ed|title=Careful now: Will we ever stop talking about Father Ted?|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/careful-now-will-we-ever-stop-talking-about-father-ted-1.3357384|access-date=6 December 2021|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=29 October 2019|title=Ardal O'Hanlon: 'Comedy never used to be a career – it was for slackers with ukuleles'|url=http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/oct/29/ardal-ohanlon-interview-father-ted-death-in-paradise-standup-comedy-tour|access-date=6 December 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> The series won several BAFTA awards, twice winning for [[British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy (Programme or Series)|Best Comedy Series]]. In a 2001 poll by [[Channel 4]], Father Dougal was ranked fifth on a list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters.<ref name="GreatestTVcharacters"/> In 2019, ''Father Ted'' was named the second-greatest British sitcom (after ''Fawlty Towers'') by a panel of comedy experts for the ''Radio Times''.<ref>[https://www.itv.com/news/2019-04-09/fawlty-towers-and-father-ted-top-list-of-britains-favourite-sitcoms/ "Fawlty Towers and Father Ted top list of Britain's favourite sitcoms"]. ITV. Retrieved 24 May 2019</ref>

===''dinnerladies''===
A winner of many awards, including "Best New TV Comedy" at the 1999 [[British Comedy Awards]],<ref name=bca1999>{{cite web|title=Past Winners 1999|url=http://www.britishcomedyawards.com/past-winners/1999.aspx|publisher=British Comedy Awards|access-date=28 August 2012}}</ref> and "Best TV Comedy" in 2000.<ref name=bca2000>{{cite web|title=Past Winners 2000|url=http://www.britishcomedyawards.com/past-winners/2000.aspx|publisher=British Comedy Awards|access-date=28 August 2012}}</ref><ref name=bafta>{{cite web|title=Awards Database: Search Results for "Dinnerladies"|url=http://www.bafta.org/awards-database.html?sq=Dinnerladies|publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts|access-date=29 August 2012}}</ref><ref name=bestsitcom>{{cite web|title=Britain's Best Sitcom: Top 11–100 Sitcoms|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sitcom/top11to100.shtml|publisher=BBC|access-date=31 August 2012|archive-date=1 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201111334/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sitcom/top11to100.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=imdbawards>{{cite web|title=Awards for "Dinnerladies"|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161140/awards|work=IMDb|access-date=28 August 2012}}</ref> Created, written and co-produced by [[Victoria Wood]], who also starred as the main character, Brenda Furlong, ''[[Dinnerladies (TV series)|dinnerladies]]'' is based on the lives and interactions of the employees of a works canteen and ran for a total of 16 episodes during 1998 and 2000.  The permanent cast occasionally featured guest actors, including [[Joanne Froggatt]], [[Tina Malone]], [[Dora Bryan|Dora Bryan OBE]], [[Lynda Baron]], [[Elspet Gray]], Janette Tough, [[Simon Williams (actor)|Simon Williams]], [[Kenny Doughty]] and [[Eric Sykes|Eric Sykes CBE]],<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09yhs79
|title=dinnerladies
|year=2021
|work=BBC One
|publisher=BBC
|access-date=28 December 2021}}</ref>
and [[Thora Hird|Dame Thora Hird DBE]]. Involving only one set throughout its run (with the exception of quiz show and hospital sets which are both seen on a television screen in the last two episodes), ''dinnerladies'' was entirely filmed at the London [[Television Centre, London|BBC Television Centre]] in front of a live [[studio audience]] employing a [[multiple-camera setup]].<ref name=independent>{{cite news|last=Walker|first=Tim|title=The return of the sitcom|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/the-return-of-the-sitcom-2201279.html|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=28 August 2012|location=London|date=2 February 2011}}</ref><ref name=rt>{{cite magazine|last=Rees|first=Jasper|title=Dinnerladies is served|url=http://www2.prestel.co.uk/cello/Dinnerladiesisserved.htm|magazine=Radio Times|access-date=28 August 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608014242/http://www2.prestel.co.uk/cello/Dinnerladiesisserved.htm|archive-date=8 June 2011}}</ref> The theme music was composed by Victoria Wood.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dinnerladies |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0161140/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm |website=IMDB |publisher=IMDb.com, Inc |access-date=7 August 2024}}</ref>