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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wish we had more TV like this?

451 replies

SaintlyLady · 17/12/2025 08:19

Last night I watched The Two Ronnies Xmas Special from 1982 and Sorry! from 1988.

i literally laughed out loud at some of the sketches in the Two Ronnies -

and Sorry! is an excellent example of my VERY favourite TV genre -

Home Counties set,
middle class,
middle aged,
middle England, ‘
’middle of the road’
sitcoms 🙌

AIBU to want these programmes back on linear BBC1 and ITV?

OP posts:
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5
Premierinnok · 17/12/2025 08:20

Shudder

KillingEvesbestmate · 17/12/2025 08:22

More recently how about Outnumbered? Very upset there is no Christmas special this year.

JacknDiane · 17/12/2025 08:22

Shudder here too. And im nearly 60.

Nitgel · 17/12/2025 08:23

Theyre always repeated. We do lack something these days though.

Tiredofwhataboutery · 17/12/2025 08:23

Yes minister for me.

SusanChurchouse · 17/12/2025 08:24

To be fair, I’m as far from middle England as you can get but Ever Decreasing Circles was fucking brilliant.

saveforthat · 17/12/2025 08:26

SusanChurchouse · 17/12/2025 08:24

To be fair, I’m as far from middle England as you can get but Ever Decreasing Circles was fucking brilliant.

Yes, one of my favourite ever sitcoms.

Redpeach · 17/12/2025 08:27

They still exist, shows like not going out, here we go, and more recently man v baby? For that british sitcom vibe

Terrier2046 · 17/12/2025 08:28

I’ve been teaching all of One Foot in the Grave. Sublime. It’s rare to get a comedy like that which is surreal, dark, melancholy and silly all in one episode. More of that please.

NormasArse · 17/12/2025 08:28

SusanChurchouse · 17/12/2025 08:24

To be fair, I’m as far from middle England as you can get but Ever Decreasing Circles was fucking brilliant.

I absolutely loved that programme!

shellyleppard · 17/12/2025 08:29

They are showing on most of the Freeview channels at some point in the day

Original poster
SaintlyLady · 17/12/2025 08:31

KillingEvesbestmate · 17/12/2025 08:22

More recently how about Outnumbered? Very upset there is no Christmas special this year.

Yes ! Although 1979 - 1986 is my fav TV era I must admit I do LOVE outnumbered!

and like many others I often wondered why ‘Karen’ was called Karen!!!

OP posts:
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SaintlyLady · 17/12/2025 08:33

Terrier2046 · 17/12/2025 08:28

I’ve been teaching all of One Foot in the Grave. Sublime. It’s rare to get a comedy like that which is surreal, dark, melancholy and silly all in one episode. More of that please.

Ah I must admit because ‘One Foot In The Grave’ was 90s it’s technically

’after my time’ 🤣

OP posts:
Scentmas · 17/12/2025 08:36

Well I didn’t like them but isn’t comedy like Miranda , Gavin and Stacey etc along these lines ?

PistachioTiramisu · 17/12/2025 08:36

I agree OP - it was literally laugh out loud television! I hate the so called comedy these days - it isn't in the slightest bit funny and seems to rely on swearing, sex and discussion of bodily functions. Puts me right off.

NormasArse · 17/12/2025 08:36

I’m not sure what channel it is, but I quite often watch Heatbeat, followed by The Likely Lads, then Rising Damp, on a Friday evening. It’s quite interesting to see how standards have changed
(although much of it is challenging racism by poking fun at the perpetrator, in the style of Alf Garnett- the canned laughter response makes me uncomfortable though ) but it’s also a lovely to go back to my childhood. The episode where the Likely Lads were trying to avoid the football results had my dad crying with laughter, as I remember 😁.

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SaintlyLady · 17/12/2025 08:39

Scentmas · 17/12/2025 08:36

Well I didn’t like them but isn’t comedy like Miranda , Gavin and Stacey etc along these lines ?

Sort of but the humour in those you mention is a bit more ‘sophisticated’ I suppose.

Miranda said in an interview that she drew very heavily on Eric Morcambe - and you can really see his influence in pretty much every scene of her sitcom!

OP posts:
fussychica · 17/12/2025 08:42

SusanChurchouse · 17/12/2025 08:24

To be fair, I’m as far from middle England as you can get but Ever Decreasing Circles was fucking brilliant.

Agreed. We still laugh about Howard and Hilda and DH and I make sure we don't go out together wearing similar clothes😁

PuppyMonkey · 17/12/2025 08:45

The Good Life all the way for me. Haven’t watched the Christmas special yet this year, but I know I will.

MonkeyTennis34 · 17/12/2025 08:48

I watched a Two Ronnies Christmas special from 1986 the other day. Fantastic and it brought back so many memories.
I think it was on UK Gold.

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SaintlyLady · 17/12/2025 08:48

JacknDiane · 17/12/2025 08:22

Shudder here too. And im nearly 60.

Aw come on what’s wrong with you? 🤣😭

1979 - 1986 is the BEST era of TV hands down !!!!!!!

OP posts:
Bikergran · 17/12/2025 08:48

Though brilliant in their day, I think if the Two Ronnies were writing/performing today, the shows would look different. All entertainment is of its era, and reflects the societal norms of those eras, if slightly romanticised and sugar-coated. For instance, in "Rising Damp" and "The Liver Birds" none of the characters actually ever had sex, though they constantly discussed it, whereas IRL, with the advent of the pill, everyone I knew at that time was indiscriminately shagging like a rabbit!!!

Original poster
SaintlyLady · 17/12/2025 08:49

Bikergran · 17/12/2025 08:48

Though brilliant in their day, I think if the Two Ronnies were writing/performing today, the shows would look different. All entertainment is of its era, and reflects the societal norms of those eras, if slightly romanticised and sugar-coated. For instance, in "Rising Damp" and "The Liver Birds" none of the characters actually ever had sex, though they constantly discussed it, whereas IRL, with the advent of the pill, everyone I knew at that time was indiscriminately shagging like a rabbit!!!

Interesting- in what way do you think the 2 Ronnies would look different?

OP posts:
SeaAndStars · 17/12/2025 08:50

How about -
To The Manor Born
Jam and Jerusalem
Detectorists
Mapp and Lucia
Porridge
Open All Hours
Ghosts

ExtraOnions · 17/12/2025 08:50

We have a whole set of Christmas Specials we’ll be watching over the next week: The Good Life, Porridge, The Likely Lads, Steptoe, Rising Damp .. love them all.

For me, it’s the standard of writing that’s declined . We don’t foster that writing talent enough .. it’s like the commissioners being a comic actor, also makes you a good writer, and that’s not always the case. Where is this generations Galton & Simpson, Eddie Braeburn, or, Croft & Perry?

BTW .. on the topic of Ever Decreasing Circles, I’ve seen the series several times, but, there is a final episode I’ve never seen, and can’t seem to find - where they end up moving away.. if anyone could point me in the right direction, it would be appreciated

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