Comedy Analysis: British sitcoms

Man about the House

British sitcoms on TV have been around since even before American sitcoms: Pinwright's Progress, was aired from November 1946 till May 1947. This makes it nearly a year older than the first American televised sitcom. Although there are many similarities between American and British sitcoms in that they both focus on a family, workplace or other institution and have largely the same character types, there are distinct differences as well.

The first major difference is the amount of episodes per series. Generally British sitcoms air less than 10 episodes per series or season, whereas in America it is usual for seasons to consist of around 20 episodes. Also many British sitcoms are produced for the BBC, which has no commercial breaks during broadcasts and limited commercials in between programmes. This allows for a full 30 minute run time for sitcoms, whereas American sitcoms generally run for 22 minutes, to accommodate 8 minutes of commercials.

Another key difference is the number of writers. US-made sitcoms are often written by a team of a dozen resident writers, sometimes even more, whereas British sitcoms are generally written by 2 or 3 writers, who are often also the creators and (executive) producers of the show. This results in a different type of show with often a more consistent storyline.

Peter Capaldi in The Thick of It - a modern British sitcom

British comedies often follow a topical storyline which incorporates cultural developments and recent real-world events. Often the sitcom comments on these happenings. A well-known 1970s sitcom is Man about the House, which shows, and comments on, the changing role of women in society. During the 1980s the young generation started revolting and demanding a more equal role in society. This was portrayed by sitcoms, which started the 'alternative comedy' genre. The best example of this is possibly The Young Ones which follows a group of 4 students who share a home and each take the place of the classic sitcom characters: Neil is the mother, Vyvyan and Rick are the teenage children and Mike is the distant father.

With many British sitcoms gaining huge popularity abroad and some being remade for American TV, they are among the most successful types of comedy around. And much like American sitcoms they are here to stay.

"Why isn't my life like a situation comedy? Why don't I have a bunch of friends with nothing better to do but drop by and instigate wacky adventures? Why aren't my conversations peppered with spontaneous witticisms? Why don't my friends demonstrate heartfelt concern for my well being when I have problems? ...I gotta get my life some writers." -  Bill Waterson (Author Calvin and Hobbes)