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Classic 1980s British TV comedy
Only When I Laugh: Series 2Only When I Laugh: Series 2
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Eric Chappell's hilarious hospital comedy. Deliberately absurd and deliberately over-acted in parts, it has aged very well indeed.
Duty Free - The Complete SeriesDuty Free - The Complete Series
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Chappell again: Classic English farce, set on a Spanish holiday. Writing and acting of a very high standard.
Only Fools and Horses - The Complete Series 3 [1983] [1981]Only Fools and Horses - The Complete Series 3 [1983] [1981]
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I believe the first five series to be the best of this rightly lauded BBC comedy.
Home To Roost - Series 1-4 - CompleteHome To Roost - Series 1-4 - Complete
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Strangely somewhat underrated nowadays, Eric Chappell's comedy featured John Thaw proving he was every bit as skilled as a comedy actor as he was a dramatic one.
Open All Hours - Series Four [1985]Open All Hours - Series Four [1985]
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Not a single bad episode in four full series of this Roy Clarke comedy. Ronnie Barker at his very best, and that is high praise indeed.
Blackadder 2 - The Entire Second Series [1986]Blackadder 2 - The Entire Second Series [1986]
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This and Series 3 were the best Blackadders in my opinion.
Allo Allo - BBC Series 1 & 2 Box Set [1982]Allo Allo - BBC Series 1 & 2 Box Set [1982]
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A show which seemed to run for ever! Double-Entendres, ludicrous plots, it never seemed to get boring. These early series feauture Francesca Gonshaw as Maria. Phwoar!
Ever Decreasing Circles - The Complete CollectionEver Decreasing Circles - The Complete Collection
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Gentle, strangely poignant, featuring a Shostakovich piano prelude as its theme tune. Sunday nights have never been quite the same since it finished.
Hi-De-Hi! - Series 1 & 2 [1980]Hi-De-Hi! - Series 1 & 2 [1980]
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1950s holiday camp shenanigans.
Never The Twain - The Complete Series 1 [1981]Never The Twain - The Complete Series 1 [1981]
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Surprisingly brilliant. It has aged better than one would expect. The principal actors are first rate, the supporting ones, alas, are not.
Sorry! - Series 1Sorry! - Series 1 by Ronnie Corbett
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"Language Timothy". This has aged quite badly, but it remains an enjoyable trip down memory-lane.
Minder - Series 3Minder - Series 3 by Minder
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More of a drama than a comedy, but at times it was hilarious. It also remains perhaps the finest series ever to grace British television.