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1
Blackadder

BBC (ended 1989)

Welcome to the Black Adder guide. Through four series and a few specials, Edmund Blackadder and his greasy sidekick Baldrick conjure up cunning plans as Edmund tries to take advantage of desperate times. These "situation tragedies" had obvious parallels from the Dark Ages to Elizabethan times, the rule of mad George III, and The Great War. Some character names from the first series are open to debate as they are shown in fancy script on screen, usually against unhelpful backgrounds.moreless
2
The Young Ones

BBC (ended 1984)

The show involves four lunatic students who live in a shared, somwhat derelict, house. There is Rick, the (self-styled) Marxist Anarchist Cliff Richard fan; Vyvian, who is always the experimental scientific one; Neil, the worried hippy and Mike, the ladies man. Each episode usually featured a performance by a band. Each band's name is listed with the guest stars. Most episodes run near 35 min. Repeats in the UK have been edited to 30 min. Several scenes were censored from the MTV airings in the mid-1980s.moreless
3
A Bit of Fry and Laurie

BBC (ended 1995)

A Bit of Fry and Laurie was an English sketch-based comedy. It starred Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, who also doubled as the show's writers. The show aired in 4 separate series on BBC 2 between 1989 and 1995. This show came about due to the success of a special aired at Christmas in 1986. A Bit of Fry and Laurie received excellent reviews for its innovative approach to comedy.moreless
4
All Creatures Great and Small

BBC (ended 1990)

This is a British comedy / drama that revolves around a veterinary practice owned by two brothers. A third vet comes to the practice and frequently finds himself caught up in the feuds between the brothers.moreless
5
Last of the Summer Wine

BBC (ended 2010)

The longest running comedy series in the world started out, as many British comedy successes did, with a 1973 episode of the BBC series "Comedy Playhouse". The basis was simple but complex at the same time, telling the stories of three old men, who in all essence couldn't be more young at heart. The original trio consisted of Bill Owen, as Compo Simmonite, the scruffiest man in Yorkshire, with only two passions in life: his ferrets and Nora Batty (Kathy Staff). The second man of the group, Norman Clegg, played by Peter Sallis, was from the beginning shown as the most timid of the group, and also the one who gets carried away by the crazy ideas and schemes of his companions, which always seem to get him in trouble. Initially the third man of the group was Blamire, played by Michael Bates, but he was soon replaced by Foggy Dewhurst (Brian Wilde) who always seems to have a scheme or a story that somehow leads to his old days as a war hero... or so he says. In 1986 Brian Wilde left the series, to start filming his new sitcom, which proved to be a wrong move, as the show hadn't the success needed to sustain even a second series. during his 4 year absence from last of the summer wine Michael Aldridge played Seymour, the new third man of the trio, until 1990. Brian Wilde returned to do the next seven years of the show. When Brian Wilde left the series for the second time in 1997 Frank Thornton replaced him as the new third man on the trio as Truly Truelove of the Yard, an ex-police officer who's always remembering his past, both in the police force and in his former marriage to the former Mrs Truelove. When Bill Owen passed away, his son Tom joined the series, replacing him for the rest of the season as Compo's long lost son, Tom. Compo's permanent replacement would come the next year when Keith Clifford joined the cast as Billy Hardcastle, a man who fancies himself the descendant of Robin Hood. In 2003, the traditional trio became a quartet with the addition of Brian Murphy as Alvin Smedley, Nora Batty's new next door neigbour. With the addition of Alvin, an element of physical humour missing since Compo's death returned to the series. The quartet once again became a trio when Keith Clifford left the series in 2006. In 2009, the series was once again redesigned to allow Sallis and Thornton a reduced role on the series. A new third man was introduced in the form of Hobbo Hobdyke (Russ Abbott), a former milkman who fancies himself a former MI-5 agent. By combining Hobbo with Alvin and the electrical repairman, Entwistle (Burt Kwouk), a new trio was formed, proving once again the ability of the show to redesign itself over time. The main cast has always been surrounded by some amazing supporting cast throughout the run of the series, who helped to mantain the series as fresh today as it was when it premiered on the BBC.moreless
6
Campion

BBC (ended 1990)

Welcome to the Campion guide at TV.com.

In this series of adaptations of Margery Allingham's detective novels, gentleman sleuth Albert Campion investigates foul play in the stately homes of 1930s England, assisted by his manservant Magersfontein Lugg.moreless
7
Only Fools and Horses

BBC (ended 2003)

For 15 years, Brothers Derek 'Del boy' and Rodney Trotter of 'Trotters Independant Traders PLC' have entertained us both with Del's extreme optimism and scams and, quite simply, Rodney's facial expressions upon hearing those scams. Throughout the years, Grandad died and the equally funny Uncle Albert came to live with them, the brothers married and Del Boy had a son, Damien.moreless
8
Allo! Allo!

BBC (ended 1992)

Meet René, the most wanted man in Occupied France: Women want his body. The Resistance wants his brain. And the Nazis want his sausage! In a small café in occupied France the harassed proprietor, René, is fighting his own war. With the German Army in residence at the bar, René is risking his neck to aid the Resistance by hiding two British airmen and a radio transmitter upstairs. As if this wasn't enough, René has also got involved in hiding a priceless painting in a garlic sausage, which even now is being sniffed out by the Gestapo. But René's real problem is his wife, Edith, and what she will do to him when she finds out about the affairs he is having with two sexy waitresses! (BBC)moreless
9
Are You Being Served?

BBC (ended 1985)

Are You Being Served? is a British Sitcom that ran from 1972-1985. The show revolved around "Grace Brothers Department Store" and in particular the goings on within the "Gentlemen's Ready-To-Wear" and "Ladies' Separates and Underwear" Departments. A store reorganization forced these two departments to share floor space, and the conflicts that this created set the tone for most episodes. Are You Being Served? showcases a bygone period of time in which the class structure was still very much alive. There was a strict heirarchy within Grace Brothers. Everyone knew their "places" and remained in them, unless, of course, there was a chance for advancement and then it was every man and woman for themselves. A spin-off series of Are You Being Served? was released, called Grace and Favour. Although in the U.S, it was named Are You Being Served? Again!moreless
10
Comic Relief

BBC

Comic Relief is the BBCs biennial fund raising event, which raises millions for the charity of the same name. The charity supports people suffering both in the UK and the third world.
Comic Relief began on Christmas Day 1985 with a fund raising event on the BBC's Late, Late Breakfast Show hosted by Noel Edmonds. More live events followed until finally Comic Relief was allowed to take over the BBCs main channel on February 5th 1988 for the first of the 'Red Nose Day' variety shows. The result has been a phenomenal success, gaining national cult status and taking over the normal lifestyles of millions of people who pull out all the stops to do something seriously daft for charity and put their hands in their pockets for a good cause. The most common thing to see in the UK, in the run up to Red Nose day, is the Red Nose itself which has taken on many different forms over the past 20 years.
The effect of Comic Relief's variety show cannot be understated, raising the total raised from £15 million in 1985 to £337 million in 2003 and all of it goes to charity.
Each 6-hour show is an amalgamation of hundreds of TV Celebrities, Comedians and Musicians work, as they all pull together to partly amuse the British public, but most importantly make sure we know exactly why they're doing it. Regular film inserts are featured demonstrating the poor lifestyles people suffer and what we, the viewers can do about it. Celebrities like Lenny Henry, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Billy Connelly, Victoria Wood and Davina McCall deliberately subject themselves to poverty and famine in Ethiopia and other third world countries to create devastatingly real and poignant accounts of what the more unfortunate people around the world have to put up with every day of their lives.
This isn't just a show, it's a national institution and without it, there would be a lot more people a lot worse off around the world today.moreless
11
Monty Python's Flying Circus

BBC (ended 1974)

And now for something completely different: Monty Python's Flying Circus was simply the most influential comedy program television has ever seen. Five Englishmen, all working under the constraints of conventional TV shows such as The Frost Report (for which the five Englishmen wrote), gathered together with an expatriate American in the spring of 1969 to break the rules. The result, first airing on BBC-1 on October 5, 1969, has influenced countless future men and women in the media and comedy since.moreless
12
Happy Families (1985)

BBC (ended 1985)

Welcome to the Happy Families guide at TV.com. British sitcom
13
The New Adventures of Lucky Jim

BBC (ended 1982)

British sitcom
14
The Secret Policeman's Balls

BBC

The Secret Policeman's Balls is the collective name informally used to describe the long-running series of benefit shows staged in England to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. The shows started out in the mid-1970s primarily as comedy galas featuring popular British comedic performers and later expanded to include leading musical performers.moreless
15
I Woke Up One Morning

BBC (ended 1986)

Welcome to the I Woke Up One Morning guide at TV.com. British sitcom
16
Time of My Life

BBC (ended 1980)

Ken Archer goes through a mid life crisis when he is made redundant and on the same day his leaves him for a younger man. His life then goes from bad to worse.moreless