Fawlty Towers, Father Ted and Fast Show

John Cleese Sitcom Leads a List of British TV Comedy Greats

Aug 19, 2009

A selection of the most important and influential British TV shows beginning with the letter F including the best sitcom ever made, Fawlty Towers.

Just as Shows Beginning with E was populated entirely by drama, the F outing hands over the reigns to comedy. Sort of, there is a bit of drama thrown in for good measure but it’s playing second fiddle to some of the best TV comedies of all time.

This article is all about why Fawlty Towers is the best sitcom ever made, how Johnny Depp turned up in The Fast Show, the eejits living in the world of Father Ted, when alternative comedy was given a female voice with French & Saunders and a breakthrough in television with Fabian of Scotland Yard.

Where to start with Fawlty Towers? How about by saying that it is the greatest sitcom ever made? It might be enough to end it there but Fawlty Towers is one of those shows that is not only a joy to watch but also to talk about. Written by former Python John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth it set the template for British sitcoms craving similar success by only running for two series and a total of 12 episodes meaning it remained top quality even if it took a bit of time to find an audience.

Sniffy hotel owner Basil Fawlty, an archetype cringing snobbery that is somehow omniscient in British society, is the show’s best achievement but his wife Cybil (Prunella Scales) and Spanish waiter Manuel (Andrew Sachs) are essential supporting characters. ‘The Germans’, the most famous episode featuring Cleese’s much admired Adolf Hitler impression, is the single greatest half hour of comedy that’s ever been on TV.

A sitcom about three priests living together in a parish on a remote island off the coast of Ireland doesn’t exactly scream funny, exciting or groundbreaking, then again that’s all part of the charm of being peculiar. The series followed the strange happenings in the parochial house and the inhabitants - vain but well meaning Father Ted Crilly (Dermot Morgan), idiot Dougal McGuire (Ardal O'Hanlon), inebriated Jack Hackett (Frank Kelly) and tea obsessed housekeeper Mrs Doyle (Pauline McLynn).

Although technically this was an Irish comedy but it had such a huge impact on Britain and was first broadcast on Channel 4 so it deserves its spot. Most comedies fail to mix great gags, sitcom narrative and surrealist humour but the writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews had honed their skills working with Harry Enfield and Smith and Jones. The show’s run was cut short following the unfortunate and sudden death of lead star Morgan in 1998.

The brainchild of Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson, The Fast Show featured many repeated sketches, long running gags and dreaded catchphrases but as the name implied everything moved along at such speed that the joke-per-minute count was exceptionally high. Unlike most modern sketch shows which take five minutes to build up a punch line everyone knows is coming The Fast Show got to the point quickly with routines that actually built up over the series.

But ultimately what made The Fast Show so good was an impressive cast (Simon Day, Caroline Aherne, Mark Williams), an efficient writing team and genuinely funny characters that entered the public consciousness. Johnny Depp is a huge fan and the actor even made an appearance in a ‘Suit You’ sketch during the last episode. Catherine Tate on the other hand got Tony Blair.

Taking inspiration from real life, Fabian of Scotland Yard was not only one of the first police dramas to be shown on the BBC but also shot on film and on location instead of being beamed live from a studio set.

The series even did quite well in the US, under the name of Patrol Car. Fabian of Scotland Yard had two spin-off films (more accurately amalgamation of several TV episodes) and spawned another popular show Dixon of Dock Green. The real Chief Detective Inspector Robert Fabian, from whom the show was based on, would often make cameo appearances at the end of each episode to address the viewer about the story.

Okay, technically it’s another sketch show but like The Fast Show this happens to be rather good and, no surprises, funny. Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French were two of the biggest names to emerge from the 80s alternative comedy scene and after working with each other several times created their own platform on BBC Two.

Although parodies played a major part in the show’s history French & Saunders would become famous for its film spoofs including Titantic, Silence of the Lambs and Lord of the Rings. The duo moved away from the cliché of anti-men jokes, were never afraid to poke fun at themselves and like Fry and Laurie they would break character for laughs.

The copyright of the article Fawlty Towers, Father Ted and Fast Show in British TV is owned by Steven Cookson. Permission to republish Fawlty Towers, Father Ted and Fast Show in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.