British Sitcom History Podcast

Chance in a Million is an early channel 4 sitcom that is today mostly only remembered for the central performance of Simon Callow. Allen says it's idiosyncratic, Gareth says it's a load of old toss. Is there anything to be said for revisiting this bizarre eighties show?

Part 2 of our look at Game on and we continue our analysis of a specific episode and take a look at how the show changed over the three series. And we even have time to do a sidebar on Hat Trick Productions, who have brought us several legendary sitcoms.

It's always more distressing when we delve into the nineties as we have to address what we were up to at the time. This week, we look at Game On, the cult success that plays into the lad culture that was so prevalent at the time. Will it live up to our memories of it and how similar was it to Gareth's mid-nineties London life?

It's part 2 of our look at old school favourite Please Sir! This week, we finish looking at the episode and look at the legacy of the show, which actually split into two sitcoms when the original kids left. We also take a look at what became of the kids from Fenn Street in their later careers.

Today we're going old school. All the way back to 1969 for LWT's Please Sir! Set in a London comprehensive and featuring the roughest bunch of fifteen year olds you've ever seen, has time and cancel culture caught up with the show yet?

In part 2 of our review of Hi-de-Hi!, we have a look at some of the supporting actors, consider the changes that came in the later series, and ask the usual question of, "is it healthy to watch 60 episodes of a show in three weeks?"

Our new series starts with eighties classic Hi-de-Hi!, which means we finally get to deal with Jimmy Perry and David Croft. We also look at the principal actors, including Su Pollard and Ruth Madoc.

Are you smarter than a 47 year old? To round off series 4 of the British Sitcom History Podcast, we have a quiz (loosely) based on the things we've just watched. There is a whole section on Oscar nominated sitcom stars, Coronation Street connections, and stand ups in sitcom. Play along and try and beat Gareth.

BSH takes a field trip to visit The Royal Theatre Haymarket and say its goodbyes to the musical version of Only Fools and Horses. Allen saw it several years ago when it first started and wasn't that impressed, so will he have a better time with an American in tow and sitting in the worst seat in the house?

I Only Arsked! has a special place in sitcom history because it was the first film spin-off ever. After the success of the first series of The Army Game, (most of) the original cast came together to make a film before they all went off to do Carry On films for twenty years. How does it hold up after 55 years?

This week, we're taking a look at the film spin off from Porridge. It's one of the best sitcoms ever and probably one of the better of the film offerings as well but it's not exactly perfect.

Part 2 of our clinical dissection of Miranda and this time we consider the influence of clowning techniques on the show and discuss the degradation of the show in the third series.

For the last show of our series, we're looking at modern classic Miranda, from the mind of Miranda Hart. Can a 21st century audience empathise with a posh protagonist? Can a sitcom that ended eight years ago already feel out of date?

Part 2 of our look at the first series of Blackadder includes closer inspections of Miriam Margolyes and Jim Broadbent as well as the original unaired pilot.

This week we begin an epic journey through centuries of English history with the first series of Blackadder. The Black Adder sees Rowan Atkinson as spare to the throne and we're looking at episode four, where he is forced to marry the Infanta of Spain.

Part 2 of our look at the 80s Jim Davidson vehicle Up the Elephant and Round the Castle and this week we also take a look at the supposed sequel Home James!, even though it was completely different and had no resemblance to the former.

This week we take a look at the oft forgotten 80s sitcom designed as a vehicle for the unbound comic talent of Jim Davidson, Up the Elephant and Round the Castle. It wasn't good then and it's even worse now but is there anything of value to be salvaged from it?

In part 2 of our look at Victoria Wood's dinnerladies, we take a closer look at Julie Walters and Maxine Peake and see how the series came to an end.

This week we start our look at Victoria Wood's dinnerladies. In many ways it is classic sitcom in its purest form but does it also break the rules occasionally?

In part 2 of our look at The Army Game, we focus more on the second generation cast and the spin off success of Bootsie and Snudge. Is this a rare example of a show getting better after a big cast change?

This week we look at ITV's first sitcom, The Army Game. Starting in 1957, the show was a huge hit and made stars of Charles Hawtrey, William Hartnell, Bernard Bresslaw and many others. But how does it hold up in 2023?

This week it's part 2 of our look at Porridge in which we go a bit deeper on Brian Wilde and his wife's gammon steak hawaii. We also continue our look at the episode Just Desserts and then throw cheap shots at Kevin Bishop.

We're back and we're starting the new series with an absolute classic. Clement and La Frenais' Porridge was a vehicle designed for Ronnie Barker but is just as well remembered for its stellar supporting cast. Part one takes a look at the careers of Barker and Fulton Mackay and we start to comb through one of the episodes.

It's Christmas time again and that means all the most reputable people in society are going down the pub. We go back to the pub by the gas works to see how the Pub Landlord is handling Christmas with his mother.

Once again we delve into the world of film spin offs as we take a look at the pretty solid Till Death Us Do Part film and the absolutely woeful The Alf Garnett Saga. As usual, we are joined by film expert Sol Harris from Diminishing Returns Podcast. Having not seen much of the original series, he's coming into the films from an unbiased position, but how will that affect his feelings?