BBC v ITV Sitcoms

Barrychuckle

Administrator
Staff member
Looking at lists of what is regarded as the best UK sitcoms of all time, I've noticed that the vast majority are from the BBC (Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, OFAH....), On the other hand many of the sitcoms voted the worst, Bottle Boys, Don't Drink the Water, Odd Man Out, Yus My Dear to name a few all seem to be from ITV.

I'm just wondering why this is the case, do you think the commercial break affects the flow or whether ITV simply doesn't seem to attract the best comedy writers. I'm struggling to think of any outstanding ITV comedies which have stood the test of time other than Rising Damp? Also had ITV chosen to broadcast LOTSW in 1973 I suspect it wouldn't have been the comedy we love so much...
 
I could be because the BBC gets the first pick. All writers want their shows to be on the BBC so they pitch to the BBC first. If they're unsuccessful they then try ITV or Channel 4.
 
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I don't know if they paid more but I think the BBC was considered more prestigious than ITV... but I could be wrong.
 
On the Buses was certainly very popular in it's day, but it was panned by most reviewers as being unfunny. I certainly don't think it's in the same league as LOTSW :D
 
A bit of an obscure thought but if you are a prestigious Comedy writer and develop scripts/plots that flow for the duration of an episode would you effectively like to have to write in such a way that it accommodates a three minute commercial break [even more if your show is an hour long instead of the normal 30 mins] . Yes I know that the shows would be shot in a manner that the break points would be defined and not like UK Gold where previous shows like LOTSW are arbitrarily chopped up to accommodate commercials. I assume that the Commercial channels in the heyday of comedy could afford to pay writers far more as they were recouping from selling advertising space so it surely cannot have been money that drew writers to the BBC and explain why the better comedies were produced by Auntie . If the stars of the day were contracted to the BBC would that infer that the writers would be attracted to write for them as it was a guaranteed hit because the top stars would be in it. This of course could be total drivel happy to be shot down in flames.
 
A bit of an obscure thought but if you are a prestigious Comedy writer and develop scripts/plots that flow for the duration of an episode would you effectively like to have to write in such a way that it accommodates a three minute commercial break [even more if your show is an hour long instead of the normal 30 mins] . Yes I know that the shows would be shot in a manner that the break points would be defined and not like UK Gold where previous shows like LOTSW are arbitrarily chopped up to accommodate commercials. I assume that the Commercial channels in the heyday of comedy could afford to pay writers far more as they were recouping from selling advertising space so it surely cannot have been money that drew writers to the BBC and explain why the better comedies were produced by Auntie . If the stars of the day were contracted to the BBC would that infer that the writers would be attracted to write for them as it was a guaranteed hit because the top stars would be in it. This of course could be total drivel happy to be shot down in flames.
Certainly not drivel, you make some very valid points as ever! If you're writing a script for an episode, it must be nigh on impossible to write for the time slot available as you can't factor in the gaps for laughter tracks or comic timing of visual gags etc. I know that many LOTSW episodes had scenes cut for this reason. Which makes me think that if you were writing for ITV you'd aim for a 30m episode and it would be the director/script editors job to cut at the point for the ad break. Therefore I'd be surprised if the ad break was even considered by the writer, however I'm sure they'd have preferred to write for a show which could flow rather than a show which was cut half way through.
 
Well, ITV did have sitcoms I loved such as: Rising Damp; Only When I Laugh; Man About the House; George and Mildred; The Goodies.
 
Well, ITV did have sitcoms I loved such as: Rising Damp; Only When I Laugh; Man About the House; George and Mildred; The Goodies.
George & Mildred, I forgot about that one, a very good sitcom. I always felt Yootha Joyce would have made an amazing 'battleaxe' addition to the LOTSW ladies coffee mornings !
 
Yootha Joyce was born in 1927 , Jean Fergusson was borne in 1944 so casting Yootha as Marina's Mum would have been great and given the character she played in Man About the House and George and Mildred she could rival Marina for Howard's affections if it was written in a tasteful and comedic way .
 
I could be because the BBC gets the first pick. All writers want their shows to be on the BBC so they pitch to the BBC first. If they're unsuccessful they then try ITV or Channel 4.

Summer Wine was actually a request by the BBC comedy department. They actually asked Roy Clarke to write what was, at the time, an idea for a comedy show about "three old men". That's all they told Roy and left it to him to come up with his own ideas on the theme, which he found very difficult to begin with. He was very close to refusing it, but luckily for us, he didn't.
 
Yootha Joyce was born in 1927 , Jean Fergusson was borne in 1944 so casting Yootha as Marina's Mum would have been great and given the character she played in Man About the House and George and Mildred she could rival Marina for Howard's affections if it was written in a tasteful and comedic way .
What perfect casting that would have been, they look similar and dare I say it, they both have a propensity to be erm, wayward!
 
Is it the case that the Beeb could take more of a risk with comedies compared to ITV? The only recent sitcom on any channel that I've watched and enjoyed is Benidorm. Most of my favourites are older.
 
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