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
The Archers on BBC Four on 1 January 2007, focused on "The Archers". It was narrated by Stephen Fry and included interviews with current actors and scriptwriters. The Archers The Archers, having aired over 18,700 episodes, is the world's longest-running radio serial. Broadcast on BBC Radio 4the BBC's main spoken-word channelthis soap opera was initially billed, "an everyday story of country folk" and now, "a contemporary drama in a rural setting". Five pilot episodes were aired in 1950 and the first episode was broadcast nationally on 1 January 1951. A significant show in British popular culture, and with over five million listeners,