Episodes - All British Comedy Explained

Rev Sara Chesterfield-Terry Explains The Vicar of Dibley

Released 7 May 2026

Our guest today is the person Abigoliah describes as the most interesting person she’s ever met. Sara is a Church of England vicar and lifelong British comedy. With a background that includes policing and civil engineering alongside ministry, Sara offers a unique perspective on faith, laughter, and the delightful quirks of church life.

2.6 The Vicar of Dibley Explained

Released 30 April 2026

With the powerhouse combo of Richard Curtis writing and Dawn French leading an ensemble cast, this one couldn’t really miss. We’ll watch the second episode of the first series, “Songs of Praise” and the 2004 Christmas special just called “Merry Christmas”.

2.5 Hancock's Half Hour Explained

Released 16 April 2026

The ur-text for countless sitcoms that followed, the brilliance of Hancock’s acting and the deftness of Galton and Simpson’s writing paved the way for comedy borne of character and situation not wordplay and silliness. We’ll watch series 5 episode 1, “The Economy Drive” and series 7 episode 5 “The Blood Donor”.

David Tennant Explains The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin

Released 9 April 2026

We normally try and sit down for a chat with someone who was involved in the making of the show we're watching, but very nearly everyone who worked on this show is long dead, and so we've made do with popular actor and comedy fan David Tennant. Hope that's okay.

2.4 The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin Explained

Released 2 April 2026

The dark flipside to the sunny optimism of The Good Life, this is definitely one of the weirder offerings to go out on the BBC in the mid-1970s, but the prevalence of easily-remembered catchphrases would have no doubt helped it catch on.

James Lance Explains Absolutely Fabulous

Released 26 March 2026

James Lance is one of British television’s most recognisable faces, not least for his scene-stealing appearance as Trent Crimm in the global hit Ted Lasso. But did you also know that 18-year-old James Lance made one of his first television appearances in the first series of Absolutely Fabulous. James tells us how to fall in love with Joanna Lumley, how to learn lines for a Chekhov play, and of course, how to say “Trent Crimm, The Independent” in this fascinating interview.

SNL UK Explained (Patreon bonus extract)

Released 22 March 2026

If you want the full episode including our breakdown of the first SNL UK show you can find it here:

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2.3 Absolutely Fabulous Explained

Released 19 March 2026

Jennifer Saunders’s wild hedonistic comedy series hit television screens like a tidal wave and made instant stars of Jane Horrocks and Julia Sawalha while introducing legends Joanna Lumley and June Whitfield to whole new generations. We watched series 1 episode 4 “Iso Tank”, and series 5 episode 3 “Panickin’”.

2.2 The Good Life Explained

Released 5 March 2026

In many ways the quintessential domestic BBC sitcom from the 1970s, but there’s a richness to the characters and a snap to the performances which elevates this one. There’s a reason it keeps being repeated. We watched “Say Little Hen” from the first series and the classic “The Wind-Break War” from the third series.

2.1 Fawlty Towers Explained

Released 19 February 2026

Still casting an enormously long shadow over the British sitcom landscape, John Cleese and Connie Booth’s even dozen of frenetic farces have been delighting audiences since their first transmission in the late 1970s. We watched “The Hotel Inspectors” from the first series and “The Kipper and the Corpse” from the second series. If you want to watch them, episodes pop up on iPlayer from time to time, as well as on YouTube.

1.9 Season One Explained

Released 5 February 2026

For our next set of shows, we’ll be looking at some classic SITCOMS all of which became firm favourites with the public.

Pippa Evans Explains I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue

Released 29 January 2026

Pippa Evans is also known as country singer Loretta Maine, she’s a mainstay of Showstopper The Improvised Musical and a frequent guest of The Comedy Store Players. She’s also made 26 appearances on I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, and is now one of the series regulars.

1.8 I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue Explained

Released 22 January 2026

After writing and rehearsing actual sketches started to look like too much work for too little pay (this is radio after all), Graeme Garden wondered if there was some way of keeping the I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again team together but just having them be silly for half an hour. Luckily for him, and us, there was.

Andrew Gillman Explains The Day Today

Released 15 January 2026

Andrew Gillman’s comedy CV is hugely extensive, from early work with Ruby Wax to That Peter Kay Thing and countless others, but possibly the highlight is The Day Today which asked an awful lot of him, all of which he was able to deliver.

1.7 The Day Today Explained

Released 8 January 2026

A big tradition in British comedy used to be that of shows getting an early experimental (and inexpensive) radio outing before being let loose on a bigger (more expensive) television stage. After twelve episodes of bizarre news spoof On The Hour had been transmitted on BBC Radio 4, a television version seemed inevitable. There were only six episodes of The Day Today but from them flowed award winning plays, more sketch comedy, defining modern political satire, questions in the House of Commons about made up drugs, and of course Alan Partridge.

Emma Manton Explains The Office

Released 1 January 2026

One of a number of people who filled out the world of Wernham Hogg, Emma Manton has used her earlier experience making an iconic television show as a springboard to an incredible career which has encompassed music, theatre, puppetry, circus and we can only assume firewalking and basejumping are just around the corner.

The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show Explained

Released 25 December 2025

What is Christmas without Eric and Ernie? Of course we’re watching the 1971 Morecambe and Wise Christmas special which includes Shirley Bassey singing Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Ernie’s Robin Hood play starring Glenda Jackson and most famously of all, Andre Previn conducting Grieg’s Piano Concerto.

1.6 The Office Explained

Released 18 December 2025

Despite having hardly any experience in television, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant created an indelible series which not only set the stage for a couple of decades of mockumentary and/or cringe comedy but which inspired versions in countries all over the world. We’re watching the first two episodes since this is an ongoing story. If you’d like to watch along, everything is available now on iPlayer.

Geoff Posner Explains Victoria Wood As Seen on TV

Released 11 December 2025

Geoff Posner has worked with some of the all-time greats of British comedy, from working alongside Paul Jackson on The Young Ones, to helping Steve Coogan give birth to Paul and Pauline Calf, he was there at the birth of Blackadder and he directed every episode of Victoria Wood As Seen on TV. We chatted to him about life, television, comedy and role models.

1.5 Victoria Wood As Seen on TV

Released 4 December 2025

With no female role models at all, Victoria Wood just focused on what she found funny. Her second attempt at bringing her style of humour to television is still among her most successful and enduring, and she wrote every word of these 13 episodes herself – highly unusual for a sketch show. We had planned to watch the fifth episode of the first series and the first episode of the second series, but we ended up watching the sixth episode of the second series by mistake.

Ben Elton Explains The Young Ones

Released 27 November 2025

Ben Elton is one of the most significant voices in the British comedy landscape and has been for over forty years. We spoke to him largely because of The Young Ones but his list of TV writing credits is incredible and that’s before you get into his stand-up, novels, plays and other work besides.

1.4 The Goon Show Explained

Released 20 November 2025

The one British comedy show to which all roads ultimately lead. Spike Milligan’s lunatic flights of fancy changed the game and he found ideal comrades in Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers. The show ran for ten years and hundreds of episodes. We listened to The Lost Gold Mine from the fifth series and The Mysterious Punch Up the Conker from the seventh series.

1.3 Not Only But Also Explained

Released 6 November 2025

Following the success of Beyond the Fringe, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore came to television with three series in a more whimsical tone than the biting stage show which shot them to fame, but still infused with Cook’s astonishing wordplay and Moore’s immense charm. We watched a selection of favourite sketches.

1.2 The Young Ones Explained

Released 23 October 2025

The first full expression of the anarchic style of alternative comedy was BBC2’s The Young Ones. 12 episodes were broadcast between 1982 and 1984 and they’re all currently available on iPlayer. The show made stars of Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson and kickstarted Ben Elton’s career as a comedy writer.

1.1 Monty Python's Flying Circus Explained

Released 9 October 2025

The seminal comedy show which ran for 45 episodes between 1969 and 1974 on BBC1 (first three series) and BBC2 (final series). It made stars of writer-performers Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and animator Terry Gilliam. We watched series two, episode two and series three, episode ten.