The UKs favourite sitcoms revealed – and No. 1 is | UK News

This 12 months, to have a good time Fawlty Towers‘ fiftieth anniversary, members of the British public have had their say about their favourite sitcoms. From traditional comedies hailing from the UK to newer ones from across the pond, the record’s top 5 contains reveals that first premiered in 1975 and another that hit the screens in 2008. With many generations of viewers, many continue to binge-watch their favourite episodes while others tune into the timeless favourites for the very first time.

Beloved TV followers took to social media in throes after the worldwide opinion polls. YouGov called its 273,000 followers to participate and present their insight. They requested: “What would you say is your favourite sitcom?” After amassing their outcomes, YouGov revealed that over 100 sitcoms have been named. Among the British classics, those that did not make the top 5 are Blackadder, Mrs Brown’s Boys, Vicar of Dibley, and The Royle Family.

5. Faulty Towers (1975)

In fifth place is the enduring BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers, which, since its 1975 debut, has long been hailed as a timeless traditional.

The comedy-drama is set in a fictional resort along the English coast run by its impolite and illiberal host, Basil Fawlty (performed by John Cleese), and his spouse, Sybil (Prunella Scales).

The episodes see him working laborious to improve the resort’s repute, a lot to his dismay and to the leisure of viewers, hassle never appears to stray far, which supplies big laughs for its long-time followers, who label the show comedy gold.

The TV show marked John Cleese’s first post-Monty Python project, and while many seemingly tuned in out of curiosity, they have been drawn in by the hilarious script and stayed until its very last episode, which aired after just two seasons in 1979.

Despite only operating for 12 episodes, Fawlty Towers went on to win the Best Scripted Comedy BAFTA in 1976 and 1980.

4. Gavin and Stacey (2007) 

Gavin and Stacey is a beloved British sitcom that immediately attracted hundreds of thousands after first airing in 2007. The show focuses on two reverse households: one from Billericay in Essex and the other from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan as two of its titular character plan to meet after their romance online and on the telephone for the last six months.

The show follows the key moments in their relationship from their first time assembly, assembly each other’s households, getting engaged, marrying, wanting for a flat, briefly splitting up, wanting for new jobs and making an attempt for kids.

The 2024 finale which aired on Christmas Day turned the UK’s most-watched scripted show across all broadcasters and streamers since data started in 2002, with 19.1 million viewers.

This report smashed the show’s own report from the 2019 Christmas particular, which reached 18.5 million viewers within the first 28 days.

3. Big Bang Theory (2007)

The American sitcom, Big Bang Theory, adopted 4 socially awkward buddies residing in California, including Leonard Hofstadter (performed by Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), who are both physicists and share an condominium.

However, their lives take a major flip after an aspiring movie actress, Penny (Kaley Cuoco), strikes into a Pasadena condominium across the corridor and introduces them and their other buddies Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) to life exterior of the lab.

The show achieved monumental success and turned one of the best-rated reveals on U.S. tv, having attracted tens of hundreds of thousands of viewers and even successful a number of Emmy Awards.

The Big Bang Theory was also developed into a franchise after its prequel spin-off, Young Sheldon, premiered in 2017 and went on for seven profitable seasons before its finale in 2024.

2) Only Fools and Horses (1981)

Only Fools and Horses has long been hailed as a beloved British TV traditional and was even voted Britain’s Best Sitcom in 2004 with over 1.5million votes solid by the public.

Since gracing the small screen back in 1981, the BBC sitcom turned a global sensation as followers watched Del Boy (performed by David Jason) try to develop into a millionaire with his brother Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst) and their granddad (Lennard Pearce) through hilarious and eyebrow-raising decisions.

The worldwide show has been dubbed in 13 different international locations and languages worldwide and catapulted its stars into fame.

Del finally turned a millionaire in 1996, but in true plonker model, misplaced it in 2001, and the Trotters ended up back on the markets again. The sequence ran for 20 years, with the last episode airing on Christmas Day back in 2003.

1. Friends (1994)

Taking the top spot is the sensational American comedy sitcom Friends, which is about six 20 to 30-12 months-previous buddies residing in New York City who navigate the pitfalls of work, life, and love together during the Nineties.

The sequence catapulted its solid into stardom as viewers indulged in the adventures of Rachel Green (performed by Jennifer Aniston), Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) throughout the ten instalments.

Friends stays widely regarded as a popular culture phenomenon with staggering rankings hits and 62 Emmy nominations.

The show has generated over $1.4 billion (£1 billion) for its stars and creators, and is estimated to be one of the best-grossing TV reveals of all time, surpassing $7 billion (£5 billion) in worth.