Brit-Sitcoms: The Good Ones
I was watching Fawlty Towers the other day. In fact, a number of times over the last few days I have
attempted to write this post but then got distracted by another episode of it.
...
...
...
Oops..I did it again.
Uh-oh...
Okay. Today is the day I will finish this. No more distractions!
...
...
...
Apart from that one.
For anyone who doesn't know (in which case, you've probably been living under a rock) Fawlty Towers is one of the best British sitcoms ever created. Ever.
The two series of the sitcom that were made were written by actor and actress John Cleese and Connie Booth, who also starred in both series. These two people, in my opinion, deserve the titles of legends of British comedy, along with the other main cast members, Andrew Sachs and Prunella Scales.
Here's a brief outline for you:
Fawlty Towers is set in a Torquay hotel and follows the happenings and (rather regular) mishaps of life there, including those of the owners, husband and wife Basil and Sybil Fawlty (Cleese and Scales) and the staff, Spanish waiter-come-porter Manuel (Sachs) and waitress Polly (Booth).
If you'd like more info about the background of Fawlty Towers, its origins, cast and all of that side of things, please consult Wikipedia; it is quite an interesting story of how the sitcom was founded!
In terms of the sitcom itself and the comedic workings of it, I think it is genius. The dialogue, the plots, the techniques used - they all work together so well in each of the 12 episodes made and the quality of the acting just adds to the brilliance.
My personal favourite character is Manuel: I think Andrew Sachs is amazing as him, he never fails to make me laugh!
I could list a number of my favourite moments, although you'd be better off watching it for yourself, if you haven't already.
Anyway, to put it simply, I can easily name Fawlty Towers as being one of my favourite Brit-Sitcoms.
NB: Please note that I am a teenager/young adult and that this sitcom was written, filmed and originally aired in the '70s. The classics are the best.
So, watching so much of Fawlty Towers got me thinking about sitcoms in general and how many have been made, and how the genre is changing over the years along with our sense of humour. Admittedly, I haven't seen all of the sitcoms that have been made, but the classics that I have seen, like Only Fools and Horses and Keeping Up Appearances, are all well known and well loved as a part of family television because of their plotlines, the characters and the personal stamp that actors like David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Patricia Routledge put on their roles.
Just as I'm writing this, I'm thinking of a list of sitcoms that I remember seeing at least bits of when I was growing up and which I'd happily spend time watching now.
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, for example, showed us silly Frank Spencer (Michael Crawford) and the trouble he had just getting through the day in a way that made him loveable to a wide audience. Even to this day, I see my older brother creasing up at that programme when it's barely even started. But the beauty of such entertainment is being lost among society.
What I'm wondering is whether the comedy stylings of the writers and performers in such masterpieces will still be appreciated as time goes on and the world continues to change. While we have seen more contemporary sitcoms created like Miranda and My Family which seem to be just as popular with a wide audience as the oldies have been, it seems to me that the art of true Brit-Sitcoms is dying out. Today's generations are becoming obsessed with the too-obvious crude nature of a number of today's TV programmes, which might get a snigger here and a chuckle there, but which have made people forget what it is to laugh properly.
I mention shows like Fawlty Towers to some people and I'm met with blank expressions, which then leads to me demanding that they watch it! It was literally a couple of hours ago that I sent my best friend links to some of the clips on YouTube and he already finds it funny and wants to see more! So I think we should all work to fuel youngsters' interest in the hilarious work of some of the finest comedy writers, directors and actors our country has seen, before the best sitcoms ever made are flung under the bed and forgotten.
I think it's about time we brought back the sitcoms that everyone loves, with Edmund Blackadder (AKA the legend that is Rowan Atkinson) sticking pants on his head and pencils up his nose and making weird noises to try to get out of going over the top; or Frank Spencer sitting in a looong session with a psychiatrist trying to figure out the reason for him feeling like a failure, only to realise that being a failure is the one thing he's good at, which actually makes him quite happy!
Re-runs of these brilliant sitcoms should be put back on our screens for new generations of audiences to watch and enjoy. I for one would sit and watch old episodes of all the timeless classics that the Brit-Sitcom world has to offer - The Vicar of Dibley, Goodnight Sweetheart, Open All Hours - and I wouldn't get bored, because of the feel-good element that they all hold.
The country's become so morbid and miserable lately that we all need lightening up, and I think there's no better way to do it than to have a good old laugh at some good old telly!
...
...
...
Oops..I did it again.
Uh-oh...
Okay. Today is the day I will finish this. No more distractions!
...
...
...
Apart from that one.
For anyone who doesn't know (in which case, you've probably been living under a rock) Fawlty Towers is one of the best British sitcoms ever created. Ever.
The two series of the sitcom that were made were written by actor and actress John Cleese and Connie Booth, who also starred in both series. These two people, in my opinion, deserve the titles of legends of British comedy, along with the other main cast members, Andrew Sachs and Prunella Scales.
Here's a brief outline for you:
Fawlty Towers is set in a Torquay hotel and follows the happenings and (rather regular) mishaps of life there, including those of the owners, husband and wife Basil and Sybil Fawlty (Cleese and Scales) and the staff, Spanish waiter-come-porter Manuel (Sachs) and waitress Polly (Booth).
If you'd like more info about the background of Fawlty Towers, its origins, cast and all of that side of things, please consult Wikipedia; it is quite an interesting story of how the sitcom was founded!
In terms of the sitcom itself and the comedic workings of it, I think it is genius. The dialogue, the plots, the techniques used - they all work together so well in each of the 12 episodes made and the quality of the acting just adds to the brilliance.
My personal favourite character is Manuel: I think Andrew Sachs is amazing as him, he never fails to make me laugh!
I could list a number of my favourite moments, although you'd be better off watching it for yourself, if you haven't already.
Anyway, to put it simply, I can easily name Fawlty Towers as being one of my favourite Brit-Sitcoms.
NB: Please note that I am a teenager/young adult and that this sitcom was written, filmed and originally aired in the '70s. The classics are the best.
So, watching so much of Fawlty Towers got me thinking about sitcoms in general and how many have been made, and how the genre is changing over the years along with our sense of humour. Admittedly, I haven't seen all of the sitcoms that have been made, but the classics that I have seen, like Only Fools and Horses and Keeping Up Appearances, are all well known and well loved as a part of family television because of their plotlines, the characters and the personal stamp that actors like David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and Patricia Routledge put on their roles.
Just as I'm writing this, I'm thinking of a list of sitcoms that I remember seeing at least bits of when I was growing up and which I'd happily spend time watching now.
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, for example, showed us silly Frank Spencer (Michael Crawford) and the trouble he had just getting through the day in a way that made him loveable to a wide audience. Even to this day, I see my older brother creasing up at that programme when it's barely even started. But the beauty of such entertainment is being lost among society.
What I'm wondering is whether the comedy stylings of the writers and performers in such masterpieces will still be appreciated as time goes on and the world continues to change. While we have seen more contemporary sitcoms created like Miranda and My Family which seem to be just as popular with a wide audience as the oldies have been, it seems to me that the art of true Brit-Sitcoms is dying out. Today's generations are becoming obsessed with the too-obvious crude nature of a number of today's TV programmes, which might get a snigger here and a chuckle there, but which have made people forget what it is to laugh properly.
I mention shows like Fawlty Towers to some people and I'm met with blank expressions, which then leads to me demanding that they watch it! It was literally a couple of hours ago that I sent my best friend links to some of the clips on YouTube and he already finds it funny and wants to see more! So I think we should all work to fuel youngsters' interest in the hilarious work of some of the finest comedy writers, directors and actors our country has seen, before the best sitcoms ever made are flung under the bed and forgotten.
I think it's about time we brought back the sitcoms that everyone loves, with Edmund Blackadder (AKA the legend that is Rowan Atkinson) sticking pants on his head and pencils up his nose and making weird noises to try to get out of going over the top; or Frank Spencer sitting in a looong session with a psychiatrist trying to figure out the reason for him feeling like a failure, only to realise that being a failure is the one thing he's good at, which actually makes him quite happy!
Re-runs of these brilliant sitcoms should be put back on our screens for new generations of audiences to watch and enjoy. I for one would sit and watch old episodes of all the timeless classics that the Brit-Sitcom world has to offer - The Vicar of Dibley, Goodnight Sweetheart, Open All Hours - and I wouldn't get bored, because of the feel-good element that they all hold.
The country's become so morbid and miserable lately that we all need lightening up, and I think there's no better way to do it than to have a good old laugh at some good old telly!
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