Fawlty Towers. the greatest British sitcom ever?

IvaBigWun

Before I make the switch to the American Netflix I decided to take in a few UK classics, first on the list is definitely Fawlty Towers.

The writing is, 90% of the time, perfect and the comic timing impeccable. 38 years on it is still a tour de force and, for me, the best British sitcom ever.

Do you agree?

Poll to follow

Paddy Fields

No... Only Fools and Horses was far superior.

IvaBigWun

Poll added.

Although it has some classic episodes Only Fools & Horses is very much over-rated and it definitely outstayed its welcome

SimonQuinlank

I'd have Father Ted and Blackadder ahead of it.

Sunglasses Ron

IvaBigWun wrote: »

Poll added.

Although it has some classic episodes Only Fools & Horses is very much over-rated and it definitely outstayed its welcome

Maybe the 21st century last of the last ones but the rest were entirely consistently brilliant.

Dr Turk Turkelton

Definitely Fawlty Towers for me.

Paddy Fields

IvaBigWun wrote: »

Poll added.

Although it has some classic episodes Only Fools & Horses is very much over-rated and it definitely outstayed its welcome

Don't agree. Fawlty Towers was all about over-rated Cleese. Only Fools had a vast range of characters.

peewee_44

How do you get American Netflix?

IvaBigWun

peewee_44 wrote: »

How do you get American Netflix?

Im moving to America.

AngeGal

Paddy Fields wrote: »

No... Only Fools and Horses was far superior.

I agree, especially considering OFAH did seven seasons as compared to two of Fawlty Towers.

Cienciano

Peep Show for me.

hidinginthebush

Fawlty Towers by a long shot. Still side-splitting funny today, it has aged impeccably!

peewee_44

hidinginthebush wrote: »

Fawlty Towers by a long shot. Still side-splitting funny today, it has aged impeccably!

The episode with the half deaf woman is the best

hidinginthebush

peewee_44 wrote: »

The episode with the half deaf woman is the best

It's too hard to choose! They're all pure gold. I love the one where he gets the door put in (think it's the first one?)

CrinkElite

The Thick of it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0459159/

Highly recommended!

Paddy Fields

"He?" To counter that in one of my favourite Only Fools episodes "From Prussia with Love" with the pregnant German girl, the lines are spread out and more than one character gets a "star turn" from Del to Rodney to Uncle Albert to Boycie to Marlene. Again not about one central character but spread out and from the pen of one man with an Irish background.

solas111

I always thought that The Royle Family and The Office were more like a toothache than a comedy.

Faulty Towers must be close to the best ever. The hapless Mr Bean was always good for a laugh too and the timeless Last of the Summer Wine will never be equalled.

solas111

The Two Ronnies and Open All Hours would be on my list too.

Sunglasses Ron

Paddy Fields wrote: »

"He?" To counter that in one of my favourite Only Fools episodes "From Prussia with Love" with the pregnant German girl, the lines are spread out and more than one character gets a "star turn" from Del to Rodney to Uncle Albert to Boycie to Marlene. Again not about one central character but spread out and from the pen of one man with an Irish background.

Vorsprung dur technik! :pac::pac::pac:

Boycie: How much this all gonna cost?

Del: Only her airline ticket home, and of course money for the birth certificate and a few quid to cover our petrol and telephone calls...Three grand should cover it :pac:

syklops

Apples and oranges.

You cant really compare OFAH with Fawlty Towers. Fawlty Towers had 2 seasons of 6 episodes that were about 22 minuts long. OFAH initially had 5 seasons of 30 minute episodes of which there were 9 episodes and it then had extended episodes and christmas specials which means it totalled 9 seasons.

Fawlty Towers while almost perfect was a bit formulaic and it couldn't have made much more than the 12 it made.

Blackadder is also truly brilliant, but it can't be compared to OFAH because again it had something of a limited run. 24 episodes in total plus 2-3 specials?

Black Books is in the same category. 3 seasons, 6 episodes a piece so 18 episodes.

Some say OFAH out stayed its welcome, but what else was there?

Also, Garreeeee!

Paddy Fields

If it was a card game then sit me down with an episode of Faulty Towers and I'll match you with an episode of Only Fools.

syklops

solas111 wrote: »

I always thought that The Royle Family and The Office were more like a toothache than a comedy.

Faulty Towers must be close to the best ever. The hapless Mr Bean was always good for a laugh too and the timeless Last of the Summer Wine will never be equalled.

Can't stand Last of the Summer Wine. If anything over stayed its welcome, its that. Why the flip did Howard not just leave Beryl/Pearl/whatever her name was, and move in with Marina instead of all the sneaking around? Never liked the office and while there were a few great moments in the Royle family, it was very bitter-sweet. There was a lot of "waiting for the next joke". in it.

'Allo, 'Allo deserves a mention. Always enjoyed that. Like Fawlty towers it built up to a level of silliness toward the end, but had more than 2 seasons.

I was in Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris about 2 years ago and my case had gone missing so I had to go to the customer care desk. I leaned in to the girl and said "Leesen very carefully, I shall say zees only once". The girl on the desk didnt get it but a brittish guy standing behind me almost lost his sh!t, laughing.

Minderbinder

I can't decide the best but I do think OFAH had some of the best comedy scenes imaginable. My favourite scene has to be when grandad gets arrested in Spain and tells his story of gun smuggling during the civil war.

old_aussie

Only Fools and Horses by a long shot.

After a relatively slow start, the show went on to achieve consistently high ratings, and the 1996 episode "Time On Our Hands" holds the record for the highest UK audience for a sitcom episode, attracting 24.3 million viewers

srfc19

Surely you can't judge a sitcoms quality based on its viewing figures.

Do you know how many people watch Mrs Brownes Boys???

Padraig Mor

Has to be Fawlty Towers. I (and many others I'm sure) have seen every episode multiple times but will still watch it if at a loose end and it's on the TV. That it's still being repeated, often near peak hours, nearly FORTY years after it was made shows how much staying power it has. Whay do stations show it? They know people will watch it!

Close second would be Father Ted. Again, it's on endless repeats as its high quality keeps viewers coming back.

Third, Yes Minister.

sabat

Wow, it's like you people's comic taste died in 1980. Add I'm Alan Partridge to the poll please and watch it run away with the vote as it should. The 12 episodes don't have a single weak moment in them.

syklops

sabat wrote: »

Wow, it's like you people's comic taste died in 1980. Add I'm Alan Partridge to the poll please and watch it run away with the vote as it should. The 12 episodes don't have a single weak moment in them.

Another one I can't stand.

Tipsy McSwagger

The Royle Family (excluding the last 3 Xmas specials).

Paddy Fields

sabat wrote: »

Wow, it's like you people's comic taste died in 1980. Add I'm Alan Partridge to the poll please and watch it run away with the vote as it should. The 12 episodes don't have a single weak moment in them.

Can't stand that twat... As funny as a car crash.

GastroBoy

Yeah, I'd have to agree with Fawlty Towers, timeless genius show!

Honorable mention to "One foot in the grave" though, which is not on the poll.

Howard Juneau

Fawlty towers was as close to comedic perfection as I've ever seen.

brevity

Monty Python anyone?

beakerjoe

sabat wrote: »

Wow, it's like you people's comic taste died in 1980. Add I'm Alan Partridge to the poll please and watch it run away with the vote as it should. The 12 episodes don't have a single weak moment in them.

Butter my arse, Its the perfect comedy IMO. Nearly every line is quotable and hilarious.

was.deevey

Monty Python anyone?

Hilarious: Yes

But really a sketch show rather than a sitcom so non applicable here.

Fawlty & Father Ted are the dead heat Favorites with the In-laws here in the Philippines

FreudianSlipOn

syklops wrote: »

Can't stand Last of the Summer Wine. If anything over stayed its welcome, its that. Why the flip did Howard not just leave Beryl/Pearl/whatever her name was, and move in with Marina instead of all the sneaking around? Never liked the office and while there were a few great moments in the Royle family, it was very bitter-sweet. There was a lot of "waiting for the next joke". in it.

'Allo, 'Allo deserves a mention. Always enjoyed that. Like Fawlty towers it built up to a level of silliness toward the end, but had more than 2 seasons.

I was in Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris about 2 years ago and my case had gone missing so I had to go to the customer care desk. I leaned in to the girl and said "Leesen very carefully, I shall say zees only once". The girl on the desk didnt get it but a brittish guy standing behind me almost lost his sh!t, laughing.

Youuu stuuupid womannn

And the police officer with the bad French. "Good moaning."

Has anyone here seen Bottom?

Paddy Fields

Also thought "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em" was good in the earlier episodes, maybe first 2 series but he seemed to run out of ideas and the hapless fool thing wore a bit thin.

IvySlayer

Sybil and Polly ruin it.

CrinkElite

Anyone mention I'm Alan Partidge? It's only possibly the funniest thing ever.
Also BrassEye or anything Armando Ianucci had a hand in. (apart from his radio pannel shows.)

beakerjoe

Paddy Fields wrote: »

Also thought "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em" was good in the earlier episodes, maybe first 2 series but he seemed to run out of ideas and the hapless fool thing wore a bit thin.

I agree, it was hard to see why poor Betty would stay with such a half wit and how he could keep getting into ludicrous situations without becoming stale. Still loved it

Cienciano

I think Only fools has aged terribly. Every joke you can see coming a mile away. Fawlty Towers only has something like 12 episodes, but it still cracks me up.

DoctorEdgeWild

I'm Alan Partridge - Incredibly rewatchable, no low points/filler in my opinion.

Peep Show - Brilliantly funny and rewatchable. Really well written characters with some decent depth and great acting.

Phoenix Nights - I work in the clubs of Northern England so this is particularly funny to me in that it gets those characters perfectly.

Father Ted - Similar to above, it's how they capture the characters that makes it in my book. Just brilliant.

The Armando Ianucci Shows - My favourite ever piece of television. Unbelievably funny, well written, well acted. Although arguably not strictly a sitcom as it's closer to a sketch show despite having a theme/narrative.


If Ianucci Shows doesn't fit the bill, I'd go for I'm Alan Partridge.

AnonoBoy

VICAR OF DIBLEY!!!!!!!!

FloatingVoter

AnonoBoy wrote: »

VICAR OF DIBLEY!!!!!!!!

I voted Blackadder out of the choices given but I'd definitely rate Vicar of Dibley and Jam and Jerusalem streets ahead of yawnfests like The Office and I'm Ryan Tubridy.
Ricky Gervais is a boring little man. He's Ronnie Corbett lite. Steve Coogan is a talented actor and a one trick pony impressionist. If Dylan Moran looked like he was falling asleep in Black Books, so was I watching it. Difference is - he was getting paid. Being bored and arch is funny in a pub for about five minutes, on prime time telly unless you're Dave Allen - get lost.

As for the 70s shows - Fawlty Towers is becoming dated but still worth a watch. Monty Python was more miss than hit but when it hit...you weren't getting up.
Only Fools is one I still watch on repeat but it went on so long that of course there were dud episodes along with classic ones. Its not a fair comparison.

IvySlayer

I'd have Yes, Minister/Prime Minister ahead of them all personally

I don't like Dad's Army at all

FloatingVoter

IvySlayer wrote: »

I'd have Yes, Minister/Prime Minister ahead of them all personally

They dated heavily -but yup...makes my top 3 no problem. Back when a brain was required to watch a comedy.

Shows how tastes differ, I'd stick Dad's Army in my top three along with Blackadder and the Yes Ministers.

ancapailldorcha

Is the Royle family worth watching? I've watched the first episode and didn't find it funny at all.

rubadub

IvaBigWun wrote: »

Poll added.

Although it has some classic episodes Only Fools & Horses is very much over-rated and it definitely outstayed its welcome

I think fawlty towers is overrated too, simply because it never got the chance to outstay its welcome & run out of ideas. Sort of like some singers who die young, who probably would have gone on to make horrific stuff in the 80's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawlty_Towers#Episodes

The decision by Cleese and Booth to quit before a third series has often been lauded, as it ensured the show's successful status wouldn't be weakened with later, lower-quality work. Subsequently, it has inspired the makers of other shows to do likewise. Most notably, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant refused to make a third series of either The Office or Extras, citing Fawlty Towers' short lifespan. Rik Mayall, Ben Elton and Lise Mayer, the writers behind The Young Ones, which also ran for only two series (each with six episodes), used this explanation too. Elton also took the decision to end his next sitcom, Filthy Rich & Catflap, after only one series, despite its popularity. Victoria Wood also indicated this influenced her decision to limit dinnerladies to just 16 episodes over two series.

AnonoBoy

FloatingVoter wrote: »

I voted Blackadder out of the choices given but I'd definitely rate Vicar of Dibley and Jam and Jerusalem streets ahead of yawnfests like The Office and I'm Ryan Tubridy.

You've got a very old-fashioned sense of humour.

CrinkElite

DoctorEdgeWild wrote: »

If Ianucci Shows doesn't fit the bill, I'd go for I'm Alan Partridge.

I'd have said the same, that show is ball splittingly funny.

I assume you've seen The Thick Of It?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0459159/

It's another one Iannucci's finest.

Peter Capaldi is sensational.

It would definitely appeal to any Yes Minister fans out there. (if you don't mind a little swearing)

AnonoBoy

rubadub wrote: »

I think fawlty towers is overrated too, simply because it never got the chance to outstay its welcome & run out of ideas. Sort of like some singers who die young, who probably would have gone on to make horrific stuff in the 80's.

But that's not a true comparison. Cleese knew it would go stale and so ended it while it was still great. It was his choice to do it and preserve Fawlty Towers as two great seasons instead of letting it wane and go off the boil.

That's another reason to admire him I think.