Britcoms FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Our Favorite Sophisticated, Outrageous British Television Comedies

by Dave Thompson

Britcoms FAQ is a sweeping survey of the very best in British television comedy, from the early days of 1950s television, and the rise of Tony Hancock, through the golden age of Monty Python , Are You Being Served? , and Steptoe and Son featuring the madcap comic geniuses of the 1980s to the modern age of Absolutely Fabulous , Coupling , Red Dwarf , and more. Written with both a deep love and cultural understanding of the shows, highlighting the finest performances and resurrecting the greatest jokes, Britcoms FAQ also visits the medium's transition from radio to television, its history on vinyl and compact disc, and its thematic shift from straight-forward humor to a sometimes biting force for political and social commentary. Included are chapters spotlighting the sitcoms' fascination with dysfunctional families, their rebellion against conventional society, and the changing face of the media itself. The legacy of Monty Python is explored in depth, but so are such themes as class warfare, censorship, and even suicide. Britcoms long ago determined that very little is sacred when there's laughter to be had and Britcoms FAQ proves it!