Discussion and Analysis of British Situation Comedy

Dictionary Entry: Sitcom

(Pronunciation Key: s,i,t-k,o,m )

Sit-com (Informal noun, abbreviation)

A situation comedy

Synonyms (Comedy): takeoff, witticism, send-up, slapstick, hoopla, facetiousness, play on, drollness.

Encyclopaedic Definition:

British Sitcom

A British sitcom is a situation comedy (sitcom) produced in the United Kingdom. The genre can be difficult to classify as it covers a wide range of styles and situations. A common factor is the exploration of social mores, often with a healthy dollop of satire or bathos, in contrast to the sometimes-uplifting sentiments of many American sitcoms. British comedies are typically produced in series of six episodes each. In the United States, British sitcoms are rarely seen on the commercial networks, but are often seen on the Public Broadcasting Service and increasingly on cable television, including BBC America. In the U.S., the genre is sometimes referred to as Britcoms, a portmanteau from the words British and comedy and a play on the word sitcom.

Characteristics

As the traditional British situation comedy is produced by just one or two writers its comedy is often of a less exuberant nature than situation comedies produced in other countries. (Sitcoms produced by teams of writers creating jokes in the competitive atmosphere of a writers' room will naturally have a high ratio of punch-lines). Although it may be argued that a sitcom's raison d'être is to pack as many gags as possible into a half hour, the more measured approach engendered by a single writer or a close writing partnership permits greater control over the programme's direction and a more structured approach to character and plot development. The need for rapid-fire jokes can make t...

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...arances

· Last of the Summer Wine

· The League of Gentlemen

· The Likely Lads

· Little Britain

· Men Behaving Badly

· Mr. Bean

· My Family

· My Hero

· The Office

· One Foot in the Grave

· Only Fools and Horses

· Open All Hours

· Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights

· Porridge

· Rab C Nesbitt

· Red Dwarf

· Rising Damp

· The Royle Family

· The Smoking Room

· Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em

· Spaced

· Steptoe and Son

· The Thin Blue Line

· Till Death Us Do Part

· To The Manor Born

· 2point4 children

· Two's Company

· The Vicar of Dibley

· Waiting for God

· Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister

· The Young Ones