An overview of classic British comedy series from the 80s

Introduction

Recently, there have been several friends, acquaintances, and Youtubers who have expressed an interest in classic British comedy series from the 80s. Being a man of that time, I thought I'd share my thoughts on some of the ageless classics. In the past couple of years, I've re-watched these with my eldest son, and he found them hilarious.

The Wikipedia articles for these series are quite comprehensive, so I won't go into much detail about the plot or characters. Instead, I'll just share some of my opinions, the main actors, and share some of the best YouTube clips.

Also, this very interesting video showed up in my feed which mentions a few of the shows below. These tend to be the more mainstream comedies and not cult classics, but are still worth a watch if you haven't seen them. It also illustrates the difference between the ways comedies are made in the various localities. British comedies tend to have seasons of six episodes rather than seemingly endless syndication. They also focus more on distinct characters and storylines rather than the more sketch based approach of American comedies. Finally, there is very rarely any cringe inducing socially conscious messaging in British comedies. Married With Children is a good example of a US show that doesn't do this, and is much better for it.

To my knowledge, all these series are available in high quality on BritBox. Most are also on YouTube, but the video quality can be less than ideal. As a note, if Disney were streaming these, they'd put their 'Maybe unsuitable for Modern Audiences' disclaimer on them.

Black Adder

  • Wikipedia — Four seasons, plus specials
  • Cast: Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Tim McInnerny, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Rik Mayall.
  • Definitely one of the most popular British comedies of all time, and for good reason. The first season is a little rough around the edges, as it used real locations and was still finding its footing. It also quite heavily satirized the works of Shakespeare, but I didn't realise that until rewatching it as an adult. With the benefit of hindsight, I think the first season is my favourite, but the general consensus is the second season is the best. Seasons three and four are also very good, but some of the jokes and catchphrases can get a little repetitive and predictable.
  • Quotes:
    • I have a cunning plan!
    • The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr. Brain has long since departed.
    • I think the phrase rhymes with ‘clucking bell’.
  • Video clips:

Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister

  • Wikipedia — Five seasons, plus specials
  • Cast: Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds.
  • This should be required watching before anyone is allowed to vote — in the UK, US, or anywhere else. In a recent rewatching, it is still very applicable today for both the UK and US governments (and I'd dare every other country). It is a brilliant satire of the inner workings of government, and the way the civil service manipulates the elected officials and illustrates how weak and unprincipled most politicians are. It is also very funny with very well developed characters. The first season is a little slow to get going, but once it does, it is a joy to watch. The financial values mentioned are from the 80s, so multiply by ten to get a rough idea of the current numbers. The writers are former civil servants and have the inside track to the goings on in Whitehall. For example, the 'Communications Room' was actually based on a real event in Pakistan in the 70s.
  • Quotes:
    • It is the law of Inverse Relevance: the less you intend to do about something, the more you have to keep talking about it.
    • He's suffering from Politician's Logic. Something must be done, this is something, therefore we must do it.
    • That's one of those irregular verbs, isn't it? I give confidential security briefings. You leak. He has been charged under section 2a of the Official Secrets Act.
    • The Official Secrets Act is not to protect secrets but to protect officials.
  • Video clips:

Red Dwarf

  • Wikipedia — 12 seasons and a one off
  • Cast: Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules, Robert Llewellyn.
  • The first two seasons develop the characters and set up the world, seasons three through six are peak Red Dwarf, and the remaining seasons are somewhat hit and miss. Rimmer is a key character, and when he's not there in some of the later seasons the humour just isn't the same. Sorry Ms Arnett, but I don't think the writers knew how to write your character to be as funny as Rimmer. It is science fiction, and it does a reasonable job retaining plausible deniability to the realities of science. However, it never lets the science get in the way of the comedy.
  • Quotes:
    • Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
    • Everybody's dead, Dave.
    • Of course, lager! The only thing that can kill a vindaloo!
  • Video clips:

Coupling

  • Wikipedia — Four seasons
  • Cast: Jack Davenport, Sarah Alexander, Richard Coyle, Gina Bellman, Kate Isitt, Ben Miles.
  • This is definitely the most mature comedy in this list; it covers the romance of Steven and Susan and their friends navigating the dating scene in their twenties. It is set in the era of VHS tapes and landlines, and the humour is very much based on the awkwardness of dating and relationships. Jeffrey is the key character, and the last season without him is just not the same. Don't watch the US attempt at a remake, it is a travesty and an insult to the original. It has mostly the same lines, but the delivery is all wrong and it just isn't funny.
  • Concepts:
    • The nudity buffer
    • The sock gap
    • Porn buddies
  • Video clips:

The Young Ones

  • Wikipedia — Two seasons
  • Cast: Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan.
  • Slapstick comedy about four students living in a house with some really bizarre plot twists. Rik Mayall (the British Robin Williams) is as bizarre and manic as ever. There is a regular guest appearance from Alexei Sayle, who is a brilliant comedian in his own right. The show is very surreal and often breaks the fourth wall, with characters talking to the audience or acknowledging that they are in a TV show. Another feature of the series is the musical guests, many of whom were very famous (Madness, Motorhead, Dexys Midnight Runners).
  • Quotes:
    • Five pounds to get in my own bedroom?! Hah! What have you done, turned it into a roller disco?
    • God, I'm bored. Might as well be listening to Genesis.
    • No, this is some kind of misunderstanding! I'm not a vampire! I'm a driving instructor! From Johannesburg!
  • Video clips:

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

  • Wikipedia — One season
  • Cast: Simon Jones, David Dixon, Mark Wing-Davey, Sandra Dickinson, Stephen Moore, Peter Jones.
  • A single season based on Douglas Adams' book of the same name. Covers the entire book, unlike the very poor 2005 movie attempt that covers about half. Very faithful to the book, and all the better for it. The special effects were average for the time, but as the writing and acting are so good, it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the show. The Hitchhiker's Guide is an actual character in the show, and is voiced by Peter Jones. It is a very useful character for providing exposition and background information, and also has some of the best lines in the show.
  • Quotes:
    • Don't Panic.
    • The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't.
    • If there's anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.
    • Fourty-two.
  • Video clips:

Have I Got News for You

  • Wikipedia — 71 seasons since 1990 and still going
  • Cast: Paul Merton, Ian Hislop, a guest host each week.
  • On the nose political satire that pulls no punches. No quarter is offered or taken from the teams or the hosts, and it is always hilarious. Ian Hislop (one of the team captains) is the editor of Private Eye, a publication known for getting sued on a regular basis for libel. His lawyers recommended a slew of ideas to avoid getting sued, but he said they all boiled down to saying 'allegedly' at the end of any accusation, provable or not. Unfortunately, the seasons since about 2015 just aren't funny. I'm really not sure why, it's the same people in the same format of show, but the humour just doesn't land. Watch the old episodes to get the most out of the show, they still work even though the current events mentioned are from over a decade ago.
  • Quotes:
    • Allegedly.
  • Video clips:

Drop the Dead Donkey

  • Wikipedia — Six seasons
  • Cast: Geoffrey Palmer, Ian Dowling, Stephen Tompkinson, Don Warrington.
  • A dysfunctional TV newsroom with a diverse set of characters. The new manager is a font of meaningless manager-speak, such as 'Could we interlock brain spaces in my work area?'. A great example of mocking modern day corporate newsrooms. Sir Royston (the new owner of the show) is a transparent parody of Rupert Murdoch and Robert Maxwell and mocks how the media is controlled by a few wealthy individuals.
  • Quotes:
    • He is like a eunuch's memories, full of bollocks.
    • There is a fourteen million to one chance of hitting the jackpot, and people are flocking round newsagents like Tory MPs round an arms dealer.
    • The teenage masturbators of today are the television executives of tomorrow.
  • Video clips:

Not the Nine O'Clock News

  • Wikipedia — Four seasons
  • Cast:Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones, Pamela Stephenson.
  • Sketch comedy that satirizes current events and popular culture. It is very similar to the US show Saturday Night Live, but with a more British sensibility. The sketches are often very surreal and absurd, and the humour is often very dark. The show was very popular in its time, and it launched the careers of several of the cast members, including Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones (who went on to create the sketch show Alas Smith and Jones), and Rowan Atkinson (who went on to create and star in Black Adder). The BBC were giving the team a lot of grief for comedy that was too edgy and controversial, so as a final goodbye they made sure the BBC would never hire them again by doing the 'Kina Lingers' song. The song title does not do it justice, and needless to say the teenage me did not understand the innuendo at the time.
  • Quotes:
    • I like trucking!
    • Wild? I was absolutely livid!
    • I know he's a jailbird, Savage, he's down in the cells now! We're holding him on a charge of being caught in possession of curly black hair and thick lips!
  • Video clips:

Bottom

  • Wikipedia — Three seasons
  • Cast:Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmonson.
  • More slapstick humour from two of the Young Ones. The show is about two flatmates, Richie and Eddie, who are both unemployed and live in a squalid flat in London. The show is very violent and often involves the characters getting into fights with each other or with other characters. The humour is very dark and often involves the characters getting hurt or killed in various ways. The show is also very surreal and often breaks the fourth wall, with characters talking to the audience or acknowledging that they are in a TV show.
  • Quotes:
    • That's right, me old cockaleeky-mate-flap-sparrow-Cockney-rhyming-bollocks!
    • Don't touch my brick while I'm gone... I said "brick"! Not "penis"!
    • No you bloody well won't! The last one you had has a half-life of five hundred years! We should have your rectum sealed in concrete and dumped in the north sea. Now hurry up and eat your breakfast before Saddam Hussein gets a whiff of your bot and tries to dump you on the Kurds!
  • Video clips:

Fawlty Towers

  • Wikipedia — Two seasons
  • Cast:John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Connie Booth.
  • John Cleese's masterpiece. The show is set in a hotel run by the rude and incompetent Basil Fawlty, his domineering wife Sybil, the hapless waiter Manuel, and the long-suffering chambermaid Polly. The show is very funny and often involves Basil getting into various predicaments with the guests or with his staff. This is a very mainstream comedy, unlike others on this list that have more adult language and themes.
  • Quotes:
    • Don't mention the war!
  • Video clips:

One Foot in the Grave

  • Wikipedia — Six seasons
  • Cast: Richard Wilson, Annette Crosbie, Angus Deayton, Owen Brenman.
  • Victor Meldrew plays the quintessential grumpy old man who is always getting into modern world situations to comic effect. In most cases, a smidgeon of common sense from the people around him would have prevented the entire problem from escalating in the first place - and this makes it all the funnier. This is another very mainstream comedy, and is suitable for all ages. It is also very relatable for anyone who has ever had to deal with the frustrations of modern life, such as technology, bureaucracy, and customer service.
  • Quotes:
    • Unbelievable!
  • Video clips:

Honourable mentions — which I may flesh out in the future.

Keeping up Appearances

The New Statesman

Bluestone 42

Chelmsford 123

Whoops Apocalypse

  • I forgot Rik Mayall was in this — SAS scene