James Cary's top 10 sitcoms, #3 - Porridge

How good and well regarded is Porridge? Here's how. Google it. The TV show comes out ahead of the food.

Writing That Sitcom by James Cary - review

James Cary's book is is slightly mis-titled. Writing That Sitcom is not so much a step-by-step guide to creating a magic script, more a very long way of saying: Writing a sitcom? What the hell are you thinking! It's hard. Really hard. Your genius idea probably never get made and if it does, the process is so awful you'll hate it.

James Cary's top 10 sitcoms, #4: One Foot in the Grave

One Foot In The Grave is a modern classic and the one show that gives me hope for the modern-day, mainstream sitcom. It appeals to all ages with its mix of recognisable situations, absurdities and tapping into the frustrations of modern life and bad service. The show is permanently waving a defiant fist at the universe.

Top ten sitcoms - No. 5 - Hancock's Half Hour

Tony Hancock is the ultimate British sitcom character, almost the original on which all others are based.

James Cary's top 10 sitcoms, #6: Red Dwarf

The first two series undoubtedly showed promise. I'm sure one or two die-hard ardent fans think it went down hill in Series 3. But I've never met anyone who thinks that.

James Cary's Top 10 Sitcoms, #7: Mr Don & Mr George

Mr Don and Mr George is a sitcom spun off from the sketch show, Absolutely. It was completely devoid of bad language and innuendo, and played at 10.30ish on Channel 4 on a Friday night. The show was not a huge success, as you might imagine. It was hardly 'edgy'. It only ran for one series. But I utterly loved it. And still do.

James Cary's Top 10 Sitcoms, #8: Black Books

I don't feel that Father Ted is one of 'my shows'. But I'm more possessive about a show in the same vein: Black Books. When I saw trailer for it, I thought 'Yup, I'm going to love that. Dylan Moran is funny. Bill Bailey is very funny. And that Tamsin lady looks like a find. Hoorah.'

I was not disappointed.

James Cary's Top 10 Sitcoms, #9: Allo Allo

Yes. 'Allo 'Allo!. I loved it. And I still like it.

It's a big, broad, bawdy panto-style comedy. But just think about the show for it minute.

It's a comedy set in Nazi-Occupied France. Two British Airmen need to be smuggled out and anyone caught aiding and abetting them, or working with the French Resistance, will be shot.

It's a comedy.

Book excerpt: Writing That Sitcom by James Cary

Writing the perfect sitcom is the Holy Grail of comedy. Get it right and you will be carried through the city on people's shoulders. Get it wrong and you might as well go and hide under a stone. Look at the brickbats aimed at Ben Elton's The Wright Way. Even the co-writer of Blackadder got it wrong.

James Cary's Top 10 Sitcoms, #10: Bread

Given it moves slowly, takes its time over jokes and has lots of characters, one would imagine Bread was not a great success. And yet its one of the most successful sitcoms in BBC history.