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Britain's Greatest TV Comedy Moments
British TV comedy in its glorious forms—from sitcom to sketch shows—is a much-loved highlight of the small-screen schedules. In this must-have collection, Louis Barfe has selected the very best of British television's comedy classics. Unforgettable moments from The Morecambe and Wise Show, Blackadder, and Fawlty Towers rub shoulders with classic sketches including Monty Python's "Dead Parrot" and Hancock's "The Blood Donor." Generation-defining examples from That Was the Week That Was and Not the Nine O'Clock News appear alongside relishable offcuts from more recent triumphs including The Office, The Thick of It, and Outnumbered. Showcasing our funniest TV comedy stars, their shows and their writers, Britain's Greatest TV Comedy Moments is a hilarious trip down memory lane.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2012
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 6, 2014
A fantastic selection of comedy that features obvious things such as The Blood Donor, A Touch Of Glass and the Parrot Sketch alongside some much lesser known items from Marty Feldman, Chance In A Million, Bird and Fortune, The Goodies, Alexei Sayle's Stuff, End Of Part One, Absolutely and many more. Mr Barfe has chosen very well indeed.
September 24, 2025
Did Not Finish: got to page 76.
On the face of it, this collection of the very best moments from BBC TV comedy up to 2012 is a great idea - and it *is*. But unfortunately, I actually found it rather dull.
I've awarded the book 2 stars because it includes some terrific sketches and moments from, amongst others, Hancock, Acorn Antiques, Father Ted, Porridge, Only Fools and Horses (The chandelier scene from A Touch of Glass), Steptoe and Son, and TW3. There's also a Les Dawson Cissie and Ada sketch by Terry Ravenscroft, The Vet's Waiting Room from Marty Feldman's 1968 BBC2 show, Monty Python's Dead Parrot Sketch, and the sublime Grieg's Piano Concerto sketch, written by Eddie Braben for André Previn and - well, do I really need to say who else?
So there's quite a range of comedy moments here, but a lot of the later examples are from shows I didn't watch and/or didn't like, so they're lost on me. The other thing I found was that on the page, the sketches and scenes lacked something, unless I'd already seen them performed; stripped of their televisual elements, they were rather dry and unengaging.
Barfe's writing and research are excellent, and he explains how and why he's often chosen lesser-known examples from particular shows. I'm surprised, though, at some of the omissions, such as there being nothing from Dad's Army: there's more to that series than "Don't tell him, Pike!" But then, this is Barfe's book and not mine.
I think this book may be more for comedy enthusiasts than the general reader.
On the face of it, this collection of the very best moments from BBC TV comedy up to 2012 is a great idea - and it *is*. But unfortunately, I actually found it rather dull.
I've awarded the book 2 stars because it includes some terrific sketches and moments from, amongst others, Hancock, Acorn Antiques, Father Ted, Porridge, Only Fools and Horses (The chandelier scene from A Touch of Glass), Steptoe and Son, and TW3. There's also a Les Dawson Cissie and Ada sketch by Terry Ravenscroft, The Vet's Waiting Room from Marty Feldman's 1968 BBC2 show, Monty Python's Dead Parrot Sketch, and the sublime Grieg's Piano Concerto sketch, written by Eddie Braben for André Previn and - well, do I really need to say who else?
So there's quite a range of comedy moments here, but a lot of the later examples are from shows I didn't watch and/or didn't like, so they're lost on me. The other thing I found was that on the page, the sketches and scenes lacked something, unless I'd already seen them performed; stripped of their televisual elements, they were rather dry and unengaging.
Barfe's writing and research are excellent, and he explains how and why he's often chosen lesser-known examples from particular shows. I'm surprised, though, at some of the omissions, such as there being nothing from Dad's Army: there's more to that series than "Don't tell him, Pike!" But then, this is Barfe's book and not mine.
I think this book may be more for comedy enthusiasts than the general reader.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews