When you're talking Classic British Comedy, you're talking the BBC. Of course, they did have a programming monopoly for quite awhile, and public funding, but there's no denying the sheer magnitude of uproarious comic spectacles they've been responsible for over the decades. Over at beeb.com they've got a modest little section devoted to a couple of handfuls of classic comedy programs. A few of my personal faves are:
Up Pompeii: "Titter ye not!" Frankie Howard was a genius. A wonderfully silly genius whose effortless timeline convinced viewers he was the master of the ad lib when nothing could have been farther from the truth. Just as Monty Python's lunacy was carefully planned and seldom deviated from the script, so too are Howard's frequent gaffes, flubs and audience asides all part of a well rehearsed plan. On TV, Frankie did his best work in his variety series and this Carry On inspired comedy. Set in Ancient Pompeii, naturally, the series followed the rib-tickling adventures of Lurcio, slave about town getting in and out of various, often slightly ribald jams. Best bit: My personal favorite Ancient Roman (Britain) sitcom gets name checked. All Hail Chelmsford 123!
Butterflies: Okay, this isn't exactly a favorite show of mine, the main storyline of a self-obsessed woman's middle age crisis tends to make the going grim at times, not EastEnders grim mind you, but not the sort of series you turn to for a cheery chuckle. I include it here because the real star turns belonged to the supporting cast. which included the indispensable Nicolas Lyndhurst (Only Fools and Horses, Goodnight Sweetheart, Piglet Files), the marvelous Geoffrey Palmer (Fairly Secret Army, As Time Goes By, Reggie Perrin) and one of my favorite character actors Michael Ripper.
Round the Horne & I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again: Wait a moment, I hear you say, these aren't telly programs at all - they're radio shows!. Right in one! But they are classic comedies and they featured folk who would go on to make big waves in TV.
Round the Horne was Kenneth Horne's follow-up to his earlier Not of this Ken and featured much of the same cast. Through sketches featuring a slew now classic re-occurring characters, Round the Horne entertained millions and still proves popular on cassette decades after Horne's untimely death... Who can forget Kenneth Williams and Hugh Paddick's many flamboyant turns as Sandy and Julian, or Williams as Rambling folksinger Sid Rumpo, or Kenneth Williams as virtually everyone else - in fact Williams basically stole the show more often than not. Best Bits: Finally learning the correct spelling
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