The Sitcoms Directory
The shows that madeBritain laugh
Full reviews, memorable episodes, and complete cast files. Every sitcom cross-referenced with the comedians who made it. Follow the threads from a favourite performer to the shows they defined.
7 shows in the archive
Featured Reviews
Essential viewing
BBC Two · 2001–2003
The Office
David Brent
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's mockumentary about a Slough paper merchant redefined the British sitcom and exported cringe comedy to the world.
Channel 4 · 2001–2002
Phoenix Nights
Brian Potter
Peter Kay's love letter to the northern working men's club: a warm, filthy, riotously funny ensemble comedy that made a nation quote 'garlic bread?!' for a decade.
BBC One · 1998–2000
dinnerladies
Bren
Victoria Wood's ensemble sitcom set in a factory canteen: beautifully written, quietly moving, and packed with the sort of dialogue only Wood could write.
BBC Two / BBC One · 1998–2012
The Royle Family
Denise Royle
Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash's Manchester-set masterpiece: a family sitcom filmed almost entirely in the living room, in front of the telly, with a cup of tea and a fag on the go.
BBC One · 1981–2003
Only Fools and Horses
Del Boy
John Sullivan's Peckham masterpiece: the Trotter brothers' get-rich-quick schemes, a yellow three-wheeler van, and one of the most loved sitcoms in British television history.
All Sitcoms
The full directory
BBC Two · 2001–2003
The Office
David Brent
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's mockumentary about a Slough paper merchant redefined the British sitcom and exported cringe comedy to the world.
Channel 4 · 2001–2002
Phoenix Nights
Brian Potter
Peter Kay's love letter to the northern working men's club: a warm, filthy, riotously funny ensemble comedy that made a nation quote 'garlic bread?!' for a decade.
BBC One · 1998–2000
dinnerladies
Bren
Victoria Wood's ensemble sitcom set in a factory canteen: beautifully written, quietly moving, and packed with the sort of dialogue only Wood could write.
BBC Two / BBC One · 1998–2012
The Royle Family
Denise Royle
Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash's Manchester-set masterpiece: a family sitcom filmed almost entirely in the living room, in front of the telly, with a cup of tea and a fag on the go.
BBC One · 1981–2003
Only Fools and Horses
Del Boy
John Sullivan's Peckham masterpiece: the Trotter brothers' get-rich-quick schemes, a yellow three-wheeler van, and one of the most loved sitcoms in British television history.
BBC Two · 2005–2007
Extras
Andy Millman
Gervais and Merchant's follow-up to The Office, a series about a background actor climbing greasy poles and the celebrities who guest-star as horrible versions of themselves.
BBC One · 1985–1987
Acorn Antiques
Writer
Victoria Wood's affectionate spoof of low-budget daytime soaps, a recurring sketch on As Seen on TV that later became a West End musical.