British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide
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Radio

Top 20 British radio sitcoms

This page lists the top 20 British radio sitcoms, determined by a combination of the results of previous polls, award wins, and BCG's visitor data.

Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show!. Count Arthur Strong (Steve Delaney). Copyright: Komedia Entertainment

1. Count Arthur Strong's Radio Show!

A radio sitcom based around the day-to-day life of the confused and muddled one-time variety star, Count Arthur Strong.

The cast of the radio series. Copyright: BBC / Above The Title Productions

2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

A science fiction radio comedy series written by Douglas Adams that started off the H2G2 multi-media franchise phenomenon.

Cabin Pressure. Image shows from L to R: Arthur (John Finnemore), Douglas (Roger Allam), Carolyn (Stephanie Cole), Martin (Benedict Cumberbatch). Copyright: Pozzitive Productions

3. Cabin Pressure

Radio sitcom based around a one-plane charter airline. No job is too small, but many jobs are too difficult for pilots Douglas and Martin.

Clare In The Community. Copyright: BBC

4. Clare In The Community

Social worker Clare Barker (Sally Phillips) has a tendancy to find solutions to other people's problems rather than solving her own.

Hancock's Half Hour. Image shows from L to R: Sidney James (Sid James), Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock (Tony Hancock), Bill Kerr (Bill Kerr)

5. Hancock's Half Hour

Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock is a loser whose plans and aspirations are continually ruined by bad luck, Sidney Balmoral James or, more often than not, by his own pomposity and ambition.

Ed Reardon's Week. Ed Reardon (Christopher Douglas). Credit: BBC

6. Ed Reardon's Week

Radio sitcom following curmudgeonly 50-something writer Ed Reardon, and his flawed attempts to escape poverty via literary success.

Old Harry's Game. Image shows from L to R: Satan (Andy Hamilton), Gary (Steven O'Donnell). Copyright: BBC

7. Old Harry's Game

The radio sitcom from Hell - literally. Written by and starring Andy Hamilton as the underworld-weary Satan.

The Goon Show. Image shows from L to R: Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe. Copyright: BBC

8. The Goon Show

Highly surreal radio adventures that helped take British comedy into a new age. Starring Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe.

John Finnemore's Double Acts. John Finnemore. Copyright: Pozzitive Productions

9. John Finnemore's Double Acts

Standalone comedies written by and starring John Finnemore.

The Shuttleworths. John Shuttleworth (Graham Fellows). Copyright: BBC

10. The Shuttleworths

Musings from John Shuttleworth as we eavesdrop on the semi-detached world of the Sheffield based singer and songwriter.

Party. Image shows from L to R: Simon (Tom Basden), Phoebe (Katy Wix), Mel (Anna Crilly), Duncan (Tim Key), Jared (Jonny Sweet). Copyright: BBC

11. Party

Political satire about five young adults who want to change the world but have no idea how, and little idea why.

Fags, Mags And Bags. Image shows from L to R: Sanjay (Omar Raza), Ramesh (Sanjeev Kohli), Dave (Donald Mcleary), Alok (Susheel Kumar). Copyright: The Comedy Unit

12. Fags, Mags And Bags

Radio 4 comedy about a proud Scottish shopkeeper and his tireless quest to please an ungrateful public.

Conversations From A Long Marriage. Image shows from L to R: Roger (Roger Allam), Joanna (Joanna Lumley)

13. Conversations From A Long Marriage

Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam play a couple who have been married for over 40 years.

Dad's Army. Copyright: BBC

14. Dad's Army

Whilst the Walmington-On-Sea Home Guard are most famous for their exploits on television, they did also carry out their duty on the wireless.

Hut 33. Image shows from L to R: Charles (Robert Bathurst), Joshua Fanshawe-Marshall (Alex Macqueen), Archie (Tom Goodman-Hill). Copyright: BBC

15. Hut 33

Radio sitcom set in Bletchley Park in 1941, about code-breakers who are forced to share a draughty wooden hut.

Quanderhorn. Copyright: ABsoLuTeLy Productions

16. Quanderhorn

Radio sitcom set in 1952 that focuses on the experiments of an eccentric scientist.

Reluctant Persuaders. Image shows from L to R: Amanda (Josie Lawrence), Joe (Mathew Baynton), Hardacre (Nigel Havers), Teddy (Rasmus Hardiker). Copyright: ABsoLuTeLy Productions

17. Reluctant Persuaders

Radio 4 sitcom set in London's worst advertising agency.

The Missing Hancocks. Tony Hancock (Kevin McNally)

18. The Missing Hancocks

Lost episodes of the legendary radio sitcom Hancock's Half Hour re-recorded with a new cast.

Time Spanner. Image shows from L to R: Mr Mergatroid (Jeremy Limb), Martin Gaye (Simon Kane), Daniel Kraken (David Mitchell), Laika (John Finnemore), Gabbie (London Hughes), Angel (Belinda Stewart-Wilson). Copyright: BBC

19. Time Spanner

Radio sitcom about time travel.

Alone. Image shows from L to R: Morris (Bennett Arron), Louisa (Kate Isitt), Mitch (Angus Deayton), Ellie (Abigail Cruttenden), Will (Pearce Quigley). Copyright: ABsoLuTeLy Productions

20. Alone

A Radio 4 sitcom about five single, middle aged people living in a converted Victorian house in North London.

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