As it is three months since the most recent in this occasional series it seems about time for another. For this one I’m concentrating on some of my favourite sitcoms from this side of the pond – there are plenty from the UK and Ireland to choose from, so I don’t need to go further afield. Another time, maybe.

I’m starting with one which has become apposite in recent days, with all of the stories coming out about maltreatment of celebrity partners by the professional dancers on Strictly Come Dancing (that’s Dancing With The Stars in American terms). This is an extract from a classic UK sitcom, and is another time where the dance tuition didn’t go quite as well as it might have done:

That was from an episode of Steptoe And Son, which was first broadcast in November 1970, and was reworked into a radio version in 1974. I don’t recall ever hearing them on the radio, but had long followed the TV series, which were always fun to watch. For those who don’t know it, Albert Steptoe and his son Harold ran a scrap metal business and lived among the shop, as it were. The characterisations were brilliant, and the lead actors were great: Wilfred Brambell played Albert (and also appeared in the Beatles movie A Hard Day’s Night), and Harry H. Corbett was Harold – the ‘H’ was important, as it differentiated him from the guy with the same name who had his hands in Sooty and Sweep.

One of the best ever UK series only ran for twelve episodes, in two sets of six, but has become a classic. This is one of my favourite parts, and one of the most famous:

This was from Gourmet Night, an episode of series one of Fawlty Towers, first broadcast in October 1975. The plot was based on Basil Fawlty’s desire to uplift his rundown hotel into something more upmarket, and deciding that an evening with a gourmet meal would be a good way to do it. As usual, things didn’t go to plan, starting with his alcoholic chef being too pissed to cook the meal, necessitating a favour being called on from a friend. Mayhem ensued!

I’ve shared a couple of clips from this next series before. It is pretty divisive – what we over here call a ‘Marmite’ thing, i.e. you either love or hate it. It has gone downhill a fair bit in recent years but some of the early ones were hysterically funny. This is typical, but be warned if you are of a delicate disposition:

Mrs Brown’s Boys has run for a total of 49 episodes, across four series and numerous annual Christmas/New Year specials. This is from Mammy’s Merchandise, from series 1, which was first broadcast in March 2011. It’s rude, crude, and I love it. I’ve seen this clip many times and it still makes me laugh, which for me is the mark of something good.

I’ve also played something from another great Irish series before, and as this piece is about the best sitcoms we have enjoyed here it would be remiss of me not to include something. This is one of the cleaner sketches:

Father Ted ran for twenty five episodes – three series and a Christmas Special. This clip is from Escape From Victory, which was broadcast in April 1998 as part of series three. The star of the show was Dermot Morgan, who played Father Ted. The day after the final episode of this series was recorded he had a heart attack and died at his home, at the age of just 45, so this series was shown posthumously. It was a wonderful show – one of the best ever – and he was a tragic loss. I think Gareth Southgate may have been a fan, as some of this is reminiscent of England’s recent performances at Euro 2024.

For my money, though, the best ever UK sitcom was Only Fools And Horses, which ran for seven series and a number of Christmas specials from 1981 to 2003. This is from one of my favourite episodes – one among many. This first clip is the set up, explained by Philip Pope, the actor who starred in the scene:

Next comes the actual performance:

This was in the episode Stage Fright, broadcast in January 1991 as part of the final series. A further clip gives more of the story:

As that first clip showed, Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter has – by his usual sleight of hand – contracted a singer to appear with his wife at a birthday party for the mother of a local gangland villain. Luckily, all turns out well when it transpires that the lady thought it was hysterical – which indeed it was. Some might argue that it wouldn’t be acceptable today, but I think the opportunity given to ‘Tony’ in the final clip to explain the ‘-ism’ gives it context. And it is still screamingly funny, even when you’ve watched it loads of times and know what’s coming.

That’s all for today, and I hope I’ve given you a smile or several. That would be a good way to ease into the weekend, I think. Take care, have fun, and I’ll see you again for Song Lyric Sunday 😊