British sitcom of British sitcom. Well-remembered series include John Cleese and Connie Booth's farcical "Fawlty Towers" (1975, 1979), John Esmonde and Bob Larbey's self-sufficiency comedy "The Good Life" (1975–78). "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?" (1973–74), a sequel to the earlier show, surpassed the original, while the same writers (Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais) provided Ronnie Barker with his most successful sitcom vehicle, "Porridge" (1974–77). Barker also starred (along with David Jason) in the very popular "Open All Hours" (1973, 1976–85), written by Roy Clarke. Clarke's long-running "Last of the Summer Wine" began in 1973 and ended in 2010, becoming the
Television comedy is true to say that certain genres of comedy transfer to the small screen more successfully than others. The "situation comedy", or sitcom, has been the most common, successful and culturally significant type of television comedy. As the name suggests, these programs feature recurring characters placed in humorous situations. The first television sitcom was "Pinwright's Progress", ten episodes being broadcast on the BBC between 1946 - 1947. Since the early 1950s with "Hancock's Half Hour" in the UK, (derived from a radio show) and I Love Lucy and spin-offs The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy in the United States, sitcoms