Del Boy falling through bar voted funniest sitcom scene
- A poll has named the moment Del Boy falls through the bar in Only Fools And Horses as the funniest British sitcom scene
- The puddle in The Vicar Of Dibley, "Don't tell him Pike" and Basil Fawlty hitting his car are also amongst the top 10
- The survey was by Gold, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. They've recreated 3 of the scenes with child actors
A poll run by TV channel Gold has named moments from Only Fools And Horses, The Vicar Of Dibley, Dad's Army and Fawlty Towers as the funniest British sitcom scenes.
The top 10 are:
1. Only Fools And Horses - Del Boy falls through bar
2. The Vicar Of Dibley - Geraldine falls into a puddle
3. Dad's Army - Don't tell him Pike
4. Fawlty Towers - Basil smashes his car
5. The Inbetweeners - Car friend
6. Gavin & Stacey - Smithy's curry order
7. The Office - David Brent's dancing
8. Ab Fab - Falling out the cab
9. Blackadder - Flashheart's entrance
10. Father Ted - Cows and perspective
The research, which polled 2,000 British adults and children, was specially commissioned by Gold to celebrate its 30th birthday.
Of those surveyed, eight in ten (83%) children said they thought classic sitcom clips were still funny today, and three-quarters (76%) of children said they enjoyed watching comedies like Only Fools And Horses and Fawlty Towers with their parents or grandparents.
89% of respondents said that they believe British sitcoms are funnier than non-British sitcoms, and over half (59%) voted the 1980s as the decade that produced the best TV comedy.
Following the research, the TV channel recreated three of the nation's favourite scenes with children in the lead roles, "reflecting the timeless nature of these iconic sitcoms"...
Only Fools And Horses recreated
The first scene recreation shows 9-year-old Thomas Aitch playing Del Boy. The cheeky chap is joined by Dane Young as Trigger, where Del Boy falls through an open bar when trying to impress a group of women.
Thomas says: "I had so much fun doing this scene, I had to fall so many times! The original is hilarious, I love Only Fools And Horses. I watched it a lot to get into character and I'm really happy I got to take part."
The Vicar Of Dibley recreated
Grace Hindle stars as Geraldine Granger. The 12-year-old takes a walk along a country lane before falling chest-deep into an unseen puddle, with Stanley Potter playing Simon who helps her out of this side-splitting situation.
Fawlty Towers recreated
Shot on location in the very spot where John Cleese made it famous, the recreated Fawlty Towers scene sees 13-year-old Conall Turner starring as Basil as he gets increasingly frustrated by his car not starting, resulting in him hitting the car over and over with a tree branch found nearby.
These videos will be broadcast on Gold on 1st November as part of the channel's 30th anniversary celebrations.
Gerald Casey, Gold's channel director, says: "What better way to celebrate Gold's 30th birthday than to demonstrate what the channel is all about - the best of the UK's comedy. We've been the home to the comedy our viewers love for the last 30 years, and the British public know that they can always find their favourite shows on Gold. It's no surprise that we still find these scenes and characters as funny and iconic as the day they first aired, just proving that great comedy truly is timeless."