British Comedy rules the (air)waves

It's indisputable that Britain is one of the comedy powerhouses of the world, with such a vast array of comedic styles to choose from:

Be it farcical and downright ridiculous (Monty Python's Flying Circus, Green Wing), anarchic (The Young Ones)
Gentle and sentimental (As Time Goes By)
Or dark, unsettling and tragic (One Foot in the Grave, The League of Gentlemen, Inside No. 9)

Is it any wonder Britcoms are enjoyed so voraciously around the globe?

"British comedy does well in the US because the Brits have a warped, slightly off the wall sense of humour. We find the 'funny' in almost everything." - Karen Bryson, 2013

Even the BBC's biggest-selling export is comedy with Keeping Up Appearances being bought 992 times internationally. Hyacinth's very big in Scandinavia, you know.

Hyacinth & Richard 'Bouquet' in Keeping Up Appearances

Shhh! You can't say that!

But while the UK has had some unforgettable and golden hits with the likes of Fawlty Towers (recently voted the best British comedy of all time), Blackadder and Only Fools and Horses, like everything, it has its dark history.

In between the cracks, there have been a handful of sitcoms that haven't stood the test of time and for good reason.

Touching upon the provocative issues of immigration and race relations, they were groundbreaking in their day. But as diversity and attitudes towards people of colour have improved dramatically, their comedic legacy has grown ever more controversial.

So much so, broadcasters have effectively washed their hands of them and brushed them under the carpet, with BritBox announcing outright that, despite being an archive streaming service, Till Death Us Do Part, Love Thy Neighbour and It Ain't Half Hot Mum would never be available to watch on-demand due to "changing attitudes", effectively consigning them to the televisual dustbin of history.

"I never actively try to offend. That’s churlish, pointless and frankly too easy. But I believe you should say what you mean. Be honest. No one should ever be offended by truth." - Ricky Gervais, 2011

And with the recent Black Lives Matter protests spurring broadcasters to re-evaluate their contemporary comedy offerings, the likes of Little Britain, Come Fly with Me, Bo' Selecta! and The League of Gentlemen have disappeared from streaming services due to their inappropriate use of blackface characters. Something you would have been forgiven for thinking had gone the same way as The Black and White Minstrel Show.

Are You Having a Laugh?

With the societal landscape on race and diversity changing irrevocably, comedy, inevitably is changing with it, meaning there is no better time to explore our comedy history and evaluate just what makes these condemned sitcoms so inappropriate.

How will the modern generation react to them? Will they laugh? Will they gasp? Will they recoil in horror?

Join me as we take a trip through Britain's comedy hall of infamy ("they've all got it in-for-me"). Are you having a laugh? Click below to find out...