Best Sitcom

[kags]

I have just checked the results of the vote for Britains Best Sitcom - now I don't want to argue with a public vote but I am shocked at The Vicar of Dibley being 3rd. Quite honestly I wouldn't have had a problem with any of the other 9 being in the top 3 but I always found The Vicar of Dibley predictable, cliche-ridden and cringeworthy. Would some Dibley fans please tell me what I have been missing, and how it could possibly be ranked above Fawlty Towers? Thank you, you're very nice people....

[jenstar]

Easy. People who like The Vicar Of Dibley are the sort of people who waste money on voting in stupid polls like this one! OK, that's a sweeping generalisation of course, but I'm sure it is more likely that fans of a non-threatening mainstream BBC1 comedy are more likely to vote than fans of some other shows.

[bernardo]

I was shocked that the "big four" didn't fill the top four places (OFAH, Blackadder, Dad's Army and Fawlty Towers). My theory is that votes were cast en masse for TVOD by a vast monstrous regiment of women.

[sft42]

I was chatting about this at length with other people in a comedy chat room and despite some sticking up for some and putting down others everyone agreed that Dibley was shocking...personaly it wouldn't have even made the top twenty for me....The conclusion reached was it must have been the petticoat vote seeing as it was the only show with a female lead...It certainly wasn't in the caliber of any of the other shows in the top ten....I would have replaced it with Father Ted.

[johntheplamf]

And talking of the Top 20, Was I the only person who was shocked that Phoenix Nights didn't even make it?

[sft42]

Just because it's me and I'm pure, dead good an, that there will follow the whole top 100....looking back on it I think Father Ted got bumped to 11 just so that it was all Beeb programs......I can honestly say that there isn't a show in the top 50 that I wouldn't have minded seeing in place of Dibley with the exception of the office.......I mean look people...Red Dwarf....Pheonix Night's (36!!).....Rising Damp....even going up to number 58 Black Books and 60 2 Pints would have been better choices than Dibley...A female vote ....or maybe Richard Curtis used subliminal messages in Vole Actually to get the vote in, either way it's criminal and only goes to show that the public shouldn't be allowed to vote on anything.

[sft42]

In time honoured fashion the Top 100 is:

1 Only Fools and Horses 2 Blackadder 3 The Vicar of Dibley 4 Dad's Army 7 Fawlty Towers 6 Yes Minister 7 Porridge 8 Open All Hours 9 The Good Life 10 One Foot In The Grave 11 Father Ted 12 Keeping Up Appearances 13 'Allo 'Allo! 14 Last of the Summer Wine 15 Steptoe and Son 16 Men Behaving Badly 17 Absolutely Fabulous 18 Red Dwarf 19 The Royle Family 20 Are You Being Served? 21 To the Manor Born 22 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em 23 The Likely Lads 24 My Family 25 The Office 26 Drop the Dead Donkey 27 Rising Damp 28 Dinnerladies 29 As Time Goes By 30 Hancock's Half Hour 31 The Young Ones 32 Till Death Us Do Part 33 Butterflies 34 The Thin Blue Line 35 Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin 36 Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights 37 Waiting for God 38 Birds of a Feather More 39 Bread 40 Hi-De-Hi 41 The League of Gentlemen 42 I'm Alan Partridge 43 Just Good Friends 44 2.4 Children 45 Bottom 46 It Ain't Half Hot Mum 47 The Brittas Empire 48 Gimme Gimme Gimme 49 Rab C. Nesbitt 50 Goodnight Sweetheart

[sft42]

51 Up Pompeii 52 Ever Decreasing Circles 53 On the Buses 54 Coupling 55 George and Mildred 56 A Fine Romance 57 Citizen Smith 58 Black Books 59 The Liver Birds 60 Two Pints of Lager and a packet of crisps 61 The New Statesman 62 Sykes 63 Please, Sir! 64 Dear John 65 Barbara 66 Spaced 67 Bless this House 68 Love Thy Neighbour 69 Man About the House 70 Desmonds 71 Duty Free 72 All Gas and Gaiters 73 Happy Ever After/Terry & June 74 Only When I Laugh 75 Brass 76 The Rag Trade 77 Sorry 78 Kiss Me Kate 79 Doctor in the House 80 I Didn't Know You Cared 81 Shelley More 82 Nearest and Dearest 83 Fresh Fields 84 The Army Game 85 Robin's Nest 86 The Dustbinmen 87 Whoops Apocalypse 88 My Wife Next Door 89 Never the Twain 90 Nightingales 91 Early Doors 92 Agony 93 The Lovers 94 Father Dear Father 95 Hot Metal 96 And Mother Makes... 97 Life With the Lyons 98 Marriage Lines 99 A Sharp Intake of Breath 100 No Problem

[leonard]

Robins Nest only at 85!!!! surely that makes the whole thing void

[andy hughes]

I was determined to rise above the 'Get real!' comments, and just put VOD being 3rd down to bloddy mindedness, then I saw sft's comprehesnive list (thanks for that) and I see that 'Coupling' was placed lower than 'On The Buses' I mean .........GET REAL!!!!!

[Greedyfly]

I HATED father ted - it was terrible. Although I enjoy Only fools & horses, vicar of dibley ..... blah blah....

[Tat]

black books at 58! it's genius. especially the first series. there are too many awful ones above it to mention but i'll use goodnight sweetheart as an example. i mean come on! i despair.

[jjf2003]

I shouldn't be surprised that Only Fools and Horses got to Number 1 because it was popular guff, but it certainly doesn't deserve such high acclaim. I always found OFAH mediocre, predictable and totally lacking in satire or educated wit. 'Lovely Jubbly' indeed - bah!

[darth vader]

whoops apocalypse was a film not a sit-com - this said it was bladdy funny! I am opinionating that VOD got in top 3 (and the whole vote was a bit bizzare) because of the generation gap linked with the people likely to phone in and vote (i.e. younger generation)

[sft42]

It can't be a generation thing...how come Spaced didn't score much higher then? Or Pheonix Nights? I'm telling you it was Richard Curtis and subliminal messaging.

[Grapes]

Have to agree with Jenstar here. If everyone in the country were forced to vote in the poll, the Vicar of Dibley would be in the bottom three. At least that what I tell myself to stop myself hiring a machine gun and a helicopter.

[Uzoma]

What about 'Mixed Blessings'? Does anyone remember 'WILLIAM - Down!'

[henrietta]

Hey don't blame women for VOD coming 3rd, blame Christians! I am convinced that all the votes were from Cliff Richard (and his legions of bible brandishing fans) since apparently he thinks that it's the best thing on telly. I am a woman and I think it's rubbish! And as for Carol Vordeman, eurgh. Should be expelled from womankind! An insult!