The List

Should you not know why this is here (and who could blame you) you will find an explanation in my last post, The List Thing.

10.   I Didn’t Know You Cared – Written by Peter Tinniswood and based on a trilogy of his own novels, this is the story of a permanently morose, extended Yorkshire family, to which little happens, and always slowly.  As with almost all great comedy – and certainly the majority on this list – there is a sizeable dollop of pathos which heightens the humour.  The main character (Carter Brandon) spends most of his time simultaneously appeasing and resisting his mega-aspirational wife, whilst the languidly depressive Uncle Mort steals every episode with his bleakly existential view of life.  The series did offer a ‘catchphrase’, uttered by the slightly senile Uncle Staveley (who was always seen carrying the ashes of his World War One comrade in a cardboard box): ‘I heard that!  Pardon?’ which, when you think about it, doesn’t quite have the glint of comedy gold, does it?  Perhaps you had to be there.

9.     Game On by Andrew and Bernadette Davies.  Ran for three series.  No plot really and just a single ‘situation’.  A slight change of cast and character after series one, by which time three school friends (two males: one delusional, aggressive agoraphobic, one hapless, passive ginger – yup, always wildly funny that one – and one sex-addicted female with a super-high IQ, but an empty head) shared a flat and… well, that was about it really.  It was weirdly fixated on sex and innuendo, spiky and yet, at times, clichéd, but none-the-less brilliant.  Please don’t ask me to explain, because I don’t believe I can.

8.     Still Game written by and starring Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill.  A superb insight into the joys and struggles of growing old (almost Getting On in sit-com form) based around the lives of two ageing pals, Jack and Victor – pretty much the blueprint for my own Frankie & Benny – and their neighbourhood friends.  The show ran for 9 series over 17 years, with a break of over 9 years in the middle and is a rare example of a comedy coming back better than ever.  Like others in this list the comedy became heightened – as did the pathos – as you got to ‘know’ the characters.  It is impossible not to become invested in the lives of this little community and the final episode of series 9 may well be the greatest ‘last episode’ of a comedy series ever.  Beautifully written and played.     

7.     Father Ted by Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews.  The frankly barking mad mis-adventures of three catholic priests and their housekeeper on Craggy Island.  A relatively small audience due to being broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK – a channel which seldom drew in enough viewers to constitute a milk round – this show is none-the-less loved and revered by all sit-com fans.  Too many brilliant set-pieces to mention although everyone remembers ‘My Lovely Horse’ and Ted getting trapped in the lingerie department of a big-town store.  It is a legal requirement to be told ‘Ah you will, you will, you will…’ in a Mrs Doyle voice, if you ever say you won’t have a cup of tea.  Pick any episode you can find, it doesn’t matter, I guarantee that you will laugh.

6.     Early Doors by Craig Cash and Phil Mealey, who also starred.  A pub, populated by the kind of boring people we all know – and possibly are – doing nothing at all.  Craig Cash continued to successfully pull off the amazing feat of wringing comedy out of the totally banal, as he had (co)-done in ‘The Royle Family’.  A joy of a comedy with just the right amount of tragedy to make it work.

5.     Marion and Geoff – Written by Rob Brydon and Hugo Blick.  A series of monologues delivered by Brydon who plays a cuckolded taxi driver whose wife, Marion, is divorcing him after having a long-term affair with her workmate, Geoff (neither of whom appear in the series).  Unbearably sad at times, this is a true tragi-comedy, relying solely on the naïve innocence of the non-titular character, Keith Barrett, which generally left you feeling guilty for having laughed.  I felt guilty from beginning to end.

4.     Just Good Friends – superlative comedy written by John Sullivan (The Two Ronnies, Citizen Smith, Only Fools and Horses, Dear John, and Roger Roger) in which the chemistry between the two leads – each knowingly smart yet vulnerable – is brilliantly exploited.  Simply very, very funny with few (although haunting) trips into pathos.  Everybody who watched it invested in the fate of Vince and Penny.  If I’m honest, this actually was a UK mega-hit at the time, but it’s time was concurrent with ‘Only Fools and Horses’ and nobody ever thinks about it as being on the same level.  In my opinion it is John Sullivan’s very best writing.

3.     Rev – written by Tom Hollander and James Wood and starring Tom Hollander and Olivia Coleman – explores the problems of a small town vicar dropped into a big city parish.  A superbly acted, bitter-sweet comedy (you’re beginning to see the common denominator aren’t you) that considered the problems facing a good (but fallible) man in the modern world and discovered that, quite often, he was overwhelmed by them.  I’m never quite sure of where the laughs came from, but they never clashed with the story.  Quite brilliant.

2.     Mum – written by Stefan Golaszewski and starring Lesley Manville and Peter Mullan – is without question my favourite comedy – if not my favourite everything –  of recent years.  A single story, told over three series, of a woman overcoming grief and finding love despite the combined efforts of her close family.  Like a number of these favourites the laughs come from the absurdity of actions set against a wholly unhappy situation.  Lesley Manville is flawless in the title role, as the mouse who eventually roars, and the moment in the very final episode where her character tells the overbearing sister-in-law, Pauline, to ‘Go fuck yourself’ had both my wife and I up on our feet and cheering.  Perhaps, again, you had to be there, but if you weren’t, then you really should do something about it.  This is a true gem.  Watch from beginning to end – it starts well and gets consistently better by the episode.  Make a weekend of it.  Absolutely flawless.

1.     Dinnerladies – written by and starring the wonderful Victoria Wood at the heart of a proper ensemble cast – is the whopping great diamond in the crown of British sit-com.  This is without doubt (and I include all of the mega-hits) the greatest sit-com of all time – I will brook no argument.  A poignant central relationship between Bren and Tony that you really care about, underlined by loneliness but counterpointed by true affection and dialogue that sparkled with more brilliant comedy lines than you could shake a slapstick at.  Wood fretted over every single word and, boy, was it worth it.  Pure comedy genius.

There you go.  If you can sample any of these (should you not have seen them before) I could not recommend doing so more highly.  Oddly I have just realised how much each of these series (with the possible exception of Father Ted which is just funny for funny’s sake) relies on a developing relationship between viewer and character to really work, so give them some time, watch them in order if you can.  I did exactly that with all 62 episodes of Still Game during lockdown.  I’d watched them all before, but watching them like that heightened the comedy – and deepened the sense of loss when it stopped.  I suppose that’s another thing none of these series did: went on too long.  I realise that most of you, unlike me, have a life and the opportunities offered by Covid19 have passed, so watching hundreds of hours of TV is not on the agenda, but if you’re going to give it a go, you might as well know what to try…