All British Comedy Explained

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom SalinskyEpisode 9: Season One ExplainedFor our next set of shows, we’ll be looking at some classic SITCOMS all of which became firm favourites with the public.1.     Fawlty Towers. Still the yardstick by which other sitcoms are measured.2.     The Good Life. By far the best of the “French windows” genre.3.     Absolutely Fabulous. Ripped through the world of fashion and PR like a hurricane and gifted us indelible comedy characters.4.     The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. The Good Life’s weirder, darker suburban cousin, anchored by the majestic Leonard Rossiter.5.     Hancock’s Half Hour. The root of the sitcom family tree, as vital to the form as The Goons was to surreal sketch comedy.6.     The Vicar of Dibley. What’s Saunders without French? And this shows that a sitcom all the family can enjoy doesn’t have to be toothless or timid.7.     Yes (Prime) Minister. Urbane and sharply satirical, but it never forgets to be breathtakingly funny.8.     Dad’s Army. Everybody’s favourite, and the start of the ensemble sitcom.That’s our plan for the next eight episodes. We do hope you can join us. We’ll start with Fawlty Towers from which we’ll watch the fourth episode of the first series “The Hotel Inspectors”, and the fourth episode of the second series “The Kipper and the Corpse”.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcast·      allbritishcomedy@gmail.com·      https://allbritishcomedy.com·      https://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained·      https://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypod·      https://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypod·      https://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.social·      https://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypod·      https://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaun·      https://abigoliah.com·      https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah·      https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah·      https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinsky·      https://tomsalinsky.co.uk·      https://www.facebook.com/tomsalinsky·      https://www.instagram.com/tomsalinsky·      https://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972·      https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.social·      https://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun and Tom SalinskyPippa 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.Pippa’s recommendation for us to watch is Desmond’s.Her charity of choice is Holy Corner Community Playgroup https://holycorner.org/Next time we’ll be wrapping up our coverage of Season One and looking forward to Season Two.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcast·      https://substack.com/@allbritishcomedy·      Mailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56·      allbritishcomedy@gmail.com·      https://allbritishcomedy.com·      https://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained·      https://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypod·      https://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypod·      https://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.social·      https://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypod·      https://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaun·      https://abigoliah.com·      https://www.youtube.com/Abigoliah·      https://www.instagram.com/abigoliah·      https://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinsky·      https://tomsalinsky.co.uk·      https://www.facebook.com/tomsalinsky·      https://www.instagram.com/tomsalinsky·      https://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972·      https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.social·      https://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky1.8: I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. 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.Various episodes of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue can be found all over the Internet, with recent editions usually up on BBC Sounds. We’re listening to one early episode before producer Jon Naismith shook it up (series 6, episode 6), one episode post Willy Rushton but now visiting big regional theatres (series 42, episode 2) and one from last year (series 83, episode 1).Next time we’ll be wrapping up our coverage of Landmarks and looking forward to Season Two.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplainedhttps://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaunhttps://abigoliah.comhttps://www.youtube.com/Abigoliahhttps://www.instagram.com/abigoliahhttps://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinskyhttps://tomsalinsky.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.instagram.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments. 

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun and Tom SalinskyAndrew 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.Andrew’s recommendation for us to watch is Michael Palin and Terry Jones’s anthology series Ripping Yarns.Next time we’ll be listening to selected episodes from various eras of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. The most recent series and a few from the archives are on BBC Sounds.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplainedhttps://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaunhttps://abigoliah.comhttps://www.youtube.com/Abigoliahhttps://www.instagram.com/abigoliahhttps://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinskyhttps://tomsalinsky.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.instagram.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky1.7: The Day Today. 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.Next time we’ll be listening to the incredibly long-running “antidote to panel games” I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. Various episodes are floating around the Internet, sometimes even on BBC Sounds. We’re going to be listening to series six episode six, series 42 episode two and – if Abigoliah can stand it – series 83, episode two.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplainedhttps://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaunhttps://abigoliah.comhttps://www.youtube.com/Abigoliahhttps://www.instagram.com/abigoliahhttps://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinskyhttps://tomsalinsky.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.instagram.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun and Tom Salinsky1.6.5: 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.Emma’s recommendation for us to watch is The Royle Family.Emma’s charity of choice is Phone Credit for Refugees. https://www.pc4r.orgNext time we’ll be watching The Day Today which is not currently streaming but many episodes and dozens of clips can be found on YouTube. There are only six episodes and we’re going to watch the third and the sixth.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplainedhttps://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaunhttps://abigoliah.comhttps://www.youtube.com/Abigoliahhttps://www.instagram.com/abigoliahhttps://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinskyhttps://tomsalinsky.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.instagram.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments. 

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom SalinskyChristmas Specials. 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.Next time we’ll be watching The Day Today which is not currently streaming but many episodes and dozens of clips can be found on YouTube. There are only six episodes and we’re going to watch the third and the sixth.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplainedhttps://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaunhttps://abigoliah.comhttps://www.youtube.com/Abigoliahhttps://www.instagram.com/abigoliahhttps://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinskyhttps://tomsalinsky.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.instagram.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments. 

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky1.6: The Office. 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.Next time we’ll be watching The Day Today which is not currently streaming but many episodes and dozens of clips can be found on YouTube. There are only six episodes and we’re going to watch the third and the sixth.Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.The podcasthttps://substack.com/@allbritishcomedyMailing list: http://eepurl.com/jnPC56allbritishcomedy@gmail.comhttps://allbritishcomedy.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplainedhttps://www.instagram.com/britishcomedypodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@britishcomedypodhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedyAbigoliah Schamaunhttps://abigoliah.comhttps://www.youtube.com/Abigoliahhttps://www.instagram.com/abigoliahhttps://www.tiktok.com/@abigoliahTom Salinskyhttps://tomsalinsky.co.ukhttps://www.facebook.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.instagram.com/tomsalinskyhttps://www.tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972https://bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.socialhttps://www.threads.com/@tomsalinskyAll British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.