Introduction and Background on British Sitcoms

British sitcoms have been widely successful for many decades. Audiences have been able to directly relate to the British characters and the embedded social mores. The sitcoms Fawlty Towers, Keeping up Appearances, and The Office epitomize the British sitcom genre. These shows all share a similar formula with their approach, but British sitcoms have changed over time in terms of content. American culture has influenced British television, and the opposite has been true too. According to one source, “America may feast largely on a diet of homegrown culture, but it imports modestly as well: increasingly with British television” (Oxley). Social structure in society, morals/ethics, and gender roles are some aspects of British culture that are touched upon in British sitcoms. By examining each sitcom, it is apparent that parts of British culture are accurately portrayed in sitcoms while others are distorted.

British sitcoms first came into existence in the 1950s via radio. During this time, the BBC choose to use sitcoms as a means of bringing audiences back to BBC programming as opposed to broadcasts by ITV. In the late 60s and 70s British sitcoms greatly expanded on television programming. This period is often referred to as the ‘Golden Age' of British sitcoms because, in retrospect, more acclaimed sitcoms were produced during this time period than at any other time. A large number of the sitcoms made in the 70s are still regularly aired across the world. More radical and less-traditional comedies were created and forced the 'old fashioned' sitcoms off the screen. New sitcoms created in the 1990s continued the trend set in the 70s, as all broke new ground and, in the process, changed what audiences expected of a 'typical' sitcom. By the start of the year 2000, the popular traditional mainstream mass-watched sitcoms were all but dead. Since then, cult sitcoms have taken over. While these series have been praised for being funny and original, there is no sign of the popular mainstream sitcom making a comeback.