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Our alphabetical list of favourite Britcoms continues with C (defined in Baldrick’s dictionary as “big blue wobbly thing that mermaids live in”) and D. If you’ve yet to see one of the excellent comedies we’ve selected below, do check them out!
“Do you know what would be the best way to wipe out all of human kind?... Make all women telepathic because if they suddenly found out about the kind of stuff that goes on in our heads they'd kill us all on the spot. Men are not people. We are disgustoids in human form!”
Synopsis: Coupling is a uniquely British take on the “group of friends” sitcom. In the middle of the group we have the relatively normal Steve (Jack Davenport) and Susan (Sarah Alexander), whose relationship forms the backbone of the sitcom. Amongst their friends, we have the uber-self assured Jane (Gina Bellman) and Patrick (Ben Miles) at one end of the spectrum, and the completely insecure Sally (Kate Isitt) and Jeff (Richard Coyle) at the other. Their romantic trials and tribulations are all filtered through the sharp wit of writer Steven Moffat, whose own experiences with wife and producer of the show Sue Vertue are the inspiration for the central couple.
This programme became well-known for its portrayal of the very different takes men and women can have on the same subject, as well as its explanations of terms such as “giggle loop”, “melty man” and my personal favourite “sock gap”. Often the lead characters get a bit swamped by the friends, but Davenport and Alexander hold their own as the central pair. And as they get together in the first episode, Coupling clearly proves that you don’t need a good “will-they-won’t-they” to make a sitcom about romance and sex work.
Best character: Sally
I always had a soft spot for poor, neurotic Sally. Unmarried in her thirties and unhealthily obsessed with ageing, Sally’s wit managed to temper her bitterness, delivering lines such as, “You've always got to send a man a book when you split up, to prove how you're a caring, giving person, and how they're going to die in a pit of their own filth.”
Best episode: ‘The Girl With Two Breasts’
Towards the end of the first series came ‘The Girl With Two Breasts’, a brilliantly clever and funny episode that marked the first of Coupling’s experimentations with perspective, although ‘Remember This’ in series three gives an unexpectedly touching twist on the Sally and Patrick dynamic.
Best moment:
See also: Campus
“Don’t panic, don’t panic!”
Without getting too sappily patriotic, there probably aren’t many people in Britain who wouldn’t recognize the Dad’s Army theme tune. Okay, that might be because it’s used by a certain supermarket for their advertising campaign, but that just goes to show how iconic this show is. Yet another classic created by David Lloyd and Jimmy Perry (seriously, when did those two have time to sleep?!), Dad’s Army was broadcast between 1968 and 1977, clocking up a mahoosive 80 episodes.
Synopsis: A comedy and a history lesson all in one, Dad’s Army took an affectionate look at the Home Guard during World War Two, as a group of, er, mature, men waited for a Nazi invasion. Key characters included the pompous and ridiculous Captain Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe); the exasperated Sergeant Wilson (John le Mesurier); the eccentric and enthusiastic Lance Corporal Jack Jones (Clive Dunn); and the young, naive Private Frank Pike (Ian Lavender) to name but a few.
Favourite character: Sergeant Wilson
One of the politest and nicest sergeants television has ever seen and able to remain sane whilst in the company of Captain Mainwaring, which is a huge achievement in itself. How John le Mesurier managed to keep a straight face opposite Arthur Lowe’s farcical talents is astonishing.
Favourite episode: ‘The Deadly Attachment’
In which German U-Boat officers are captured and brought before Captain Mainwaring and his men. The Germans are cool, calm and collected and the Brits… not so much.
Best moment:
See also: Dinnerladies
Entries for A & B are here.
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