Raising Laughter: How the Sitcom Kept Britain Smiling in the '70s

by Robert Sellers

The 1970s were the era of the three-day week, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the winter of discontent, trade union Bolshevism and wildcat strikes. Through sitcoms, Raising Laughter provides a fresh look at one of our most divisive and controversial decades. Aside from providing entertainment to millions of people, the sitcom is a window into the culture of the day.

Many of these sitcoms tapped into the decade's sense of cynicism, failure and alienation, providing much-needed laughter for the masses. Shows like Rising Damp and Fawlty Towers were classic encapsulations of worn-out, run-down Britain, while the likes of Dad's Army looked back sentimentally at a romanticised English past.

For the first time, the stories behind the making of every sitcom from the 1970s are told by the actors, writers, directors and producers who made them all happen. This is nostalgia with a capital N, an oral history, the last word, and an affectionate salute to the kind of comedy programme that just isn't made anymore.

397 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2021

Reviews

[Bookthesp1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an affectionate and well informed book that purports to cover every UK sitcom made and broadcast in the 1970s. Its does this year by year covering popular sitcoms as well as one season duds. There are piquant comments on casting; summaries of plots and a lot of emphasis on the writers. There is usually a comment on audience reception and anecdotes and stories about the programmes. Indeed, the book leans heavily on interviews with those involved. This adds the personal reflection that is needed to draw the reader in and as such its a useful document in the history of television.The inclusion of all sitcoms including the failures makes it especially useful and I found myself racking my brain to recall whether I had seen the duds. The format is somewhat rigidly stuck too and it only just escapes the danger of becoming a list book in its somewhat unrelenting moving on to the next sitcom. useful comments on the personnel as well as the actors.
Where it falls down is the lack of 1970s context.For a book that sets itself up as one that says why we needed this sitcom laughter in this decade, it is woefully inadequate. A few cursory sentences repeating the cliched non nuanced version of 1970s history- strikes; oil crisis; winter of discontent. So far so cliched. What its seriously lacking is any analysis of how some of the sitcoms reflected the times or were products of them (above the 'saucy 70s' sexism and racism,). The bibliography is incredibly short and lists not one history book- no Dominic Sandbrook for Andy Beckett for example. Any alternative view of the 1970s is also unrepresented- the work of John Medhurst for example who argues against the cliches. This is a shame since The Good Life reflected real concerns about the environment and a burgeoning green movement. Reggie Perrin though based on the books by David Nobbs arguably reflected the cliches ( a country having a nervous breakdown as reflected in Exotic ices and Reggies's behaviour) whilst Porridge looked at the male condition as much as incarceration itself. Analysis such as this would have broken up the list format whilst also making it a generally more reflective and useful book. A shame it stuck to safe wikipedia type entries. still, a useful reference and entertaining enough but for five stars-I didn't get where I am today without recognising an opportunity missed.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the surface, this book is an analysis of how the sitcom kept Britain going through the anarchic period of the 1970s. However, at times, it comes off across as more of a brief overview of all the sitcoms of the decade. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it was fun seeing the sitcoms which lasted 5 series or so and were then confined to the sands of time. However, I feel like there should have been a proper conclusion to this analysis - as it stands, the book just ends after an overview of 1979 with no real conclusion.

Still, a pretty fun book.

[A.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge fun. Takes a spry look at all of the greatest and not so great 70s sitcoms with lots of first hand testimony from those involved. I would have liked a little more contextual analysis, especially to end - it just sort of stops at the end of 1979, without any sum up. Nonetheless, you’ll love this if you enjoy British comedy, and especially if like me you grew up with many sitcoms of this era.

[Mark waite · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book about the golden age of the Sitcom particularly interesting were tales of some of the lesser known ones and so called failures
I was particularly impressed that I’m not the only person who thinks “ I didn’t know you cared “ is very underrated

[Alan Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A detailed account slightly lacking an overall narrative.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this book , took me back to my childhood, remembering some of my favourite sitcoms.

[Ann Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book full of memories

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nostalgic look at all of the sitcoms produced in the seventies.Some like my favourite,Dads Army,still going strong.There just seemed to be so much acting and writing about in those days.

[Druss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written account of 70s sitcoms. Informative.

[Laura Mead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative. I was born in the wrong era, sue me

[Martin Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent primer, but would have liked it to have gone a bit more in depth.