7 Best UK Sitcoms of the 80s, According to Reddit

As the middle ground between the formulaic sitcoms of the 1970s and the experimental 1990s, the ’80s saw an odd mix of tradition and anarchy when it came to comedy.

This list of the best 7 UK sitcoms of the 1980s has a bit of both – but not necessarily in the order you might imagine:

7. Last of the Summer Wine - Score 7.1 (IMDb)

Before it became just 100 ways to send an old man careering down a hill, this slow-paced comedy was a nice bit of Sunday night comedy that assured us all that growing old needn’t mean growing up.

6. Red Dwarf - Score 8.4 (IMDb)

A cult classic that charted the adventures of a hapless and ill-chosen crew aboard a spaceship. Set 3 million years in the future, it’s a hilarious mash-up of sci-fi creativity and proper Britishness. Great characters, great scripting and a show that doesn’t take itself seriously in any way, it's a timeless comedy.

5. Only Fools and Horses – Score 9.0 (IMDb)

The antics of Del Boy, Rodney, Grandad, and (later) Uncle Albert provided some of the finest moments in TV comedy history. But some of the jokes were a bit too obvious, so it doesn’t really stand the test of time in the way you might have expected it to.

4. Blackadder – Score 8.0-8.9 (IMDb)

It scores slightly lower than Only Fools and Horses, but it's my favourite 80s sitcom, so I rank it higher. This should be the template for every comedy show ever. No word is wasted in the script. Every line is either building up to a punchline or delivering it. And when they come, they’re great. Hang your head in shame Rotten Tomatoes.

3. Allo Allo – Score 8.4 (IMDb)

This gentle sitcom based on the Nazi occupation of France is evidence that you can make almost any situation funny - if you target it at the common enemy and make them look foolish. Great characters bring a very funny script to life. And the show made superb use of catchphrases to make the whole thing feel familiar.

2. Yes Minister – 8.7 (IMDb)

Satire wasn’t really the BBC’s thing when this first aired in 1980. But its comical look at the slow-turning wheels of Westminster resonated with the public. One of its biggest success stories has to be that so many of the jokes are still relevant today – which is not something you can say about quite a few comedies from this era.

1. The Young Ones – 8.2 (IMDb)

Very much a young person’s comedy when it landed in 1982. It was surreal, slapstick, political and packed with guest stars. In many ways, this was the show that broke the mould and laid the foundations for what came after. But nothing would have emerged from this anarchical sitcom if, at its heart, it hadn’t just been really, really funny.