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Only Fools and Horses. Blackadder. 'Allo 'Allo. Yes Minister. Red Dwarf. Just some of the classic British sitcoms that graced our television screens in the 1980s.
The 1980s was an even more divisive and controversial decade than the '70s, both culturally and politically. The Conservative government, presided over by Margaret Thatcher, was in power the entire decade, and as a result a lot of sitcoms seemed to be more politically aware and grounded in their tone than they had been previously. Shows such as Bread and Only Fools and Horses are prime examples.
The '80s also saw the creation of a new channel in Channel 4, which produced more socially conscious programming, including its comedy output. For example, there were two sitcoms that focused on black London culture: No Problem! was about a family of Jamaican heritage, and Desmond's was an award-winning sitcom revolving around a barbershop in Peckham that lasted 71 episodes.
There were certainly more substantial roles for women in the '80s sitcom. The Boswells in Bread spring to mind, as does Penelope Keith's businesswoman in Executive Stress and the powerhouse quartet of comediennes who graced Girls on Top, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Ruby Wax and Tracey Ullman, and of course the strong female lead characters in the enormously popular Birds of a Feather.
The 1980s also saw the rise of 'alternative' comedy, which saw expression in several sitcoms, most notably The Young Ones and Red Dwarf.
Still Laughing explores these famous shows, bringing back a host of memories to readers in the process. It will also place a spotlight on the shows we've forgotten, and in most cases for good reason. The failed Adrian Edmonson sitcom Snakes and Ladders, Robert Lindsay as a boxer in Seconds Out, Marjorie and Men, a sitcom that quietly crawled away and died but not without announcing Patricia Routledge as a force to be reckoned with, and Split Ends, a Granada sitcom that was Anita Dobson's first television project after leaving EastEnders in 1988.
This is nostalgia with a capital N, an oral history, the last word, but also a slice of TV history and an affectionate salute to those shows that so many of us grew up with.
