British [[SitCom situation comedy]] series, or "Britcoms", differ from other countries' sitcoms by being much, ''much'' [[ShapedLikeItself more British]].

Britcoms are often quite bawdy, playing against the stereotype of BritishStuffiness. The typical Britcom takes a negative worldview, with the lead characters usually [[LoserProtagonist lonely, miserable, doomed to failure]], just plain weird, or [[UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist flat-out unlikable]].

The standard length for a UK TV "season" (called a "series" in the UK) is [[BritishBrevity 6 to 8 episodes]]. British shows tend to be written by just one or two people, often long term collaborators such as [[Series/SteptoeAndSon Galton and Simpson]] or [[Series/TheOfficeUK Gervais and Merchant]].

UK production companies will usually let a show end when it's over, rather than [[FranchiseZombie running successful franchises well into the ground]]. Thus, ''Series/FawltyTowers'' was a major hit and still ended in two series. There are exceptions such as ''Series/LastOfTheSummerWine'', which lasted for 37 years, [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10218448.stm ending in 2010]].

Some British sitcoms have also become popular in Ireland, [[http://obritanada.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/the-comforting-sound-of-british-sitcoms/ Canada]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_sitcom#Australia Australia]], [[http://www.comedycentral.co.nz/shows/british-block/ New Zealand]] or [[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1581253/BBCs-Allo-Allo-TV-sitcom-sold-to-Germany.html mainland Europe]]. There have been several [[ForeignRemake American remakes]] of Britcoms, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_sitcom#United_States including a few successful ones:]] ''Series/SanfordAndSon'', ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' and ''Series/{{The Office|US}}''. Americans can sometimes see UK sitcoms on Creator/{{PBS}} stations, Creator/AdultSwim, Creator/{{HBO}}, [[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] America or Creator/{{IFC}}.

Expect to see a lot of BlackComedy, DoubleEntendre, {{Understatement}}, CringeComedy, TheComicallySerious, {{Surrealism}}, {{Deadpan Snarker}}s, RefugeInAudacity and BritishHumour.

Examples are, naturally, numerous:
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!!Examples:
[[index]]
* ''Series/TwoPointFourChildren''
* ''Series/FifteenStoreysHigh''
* ''Series/AbsolutelyFabulous''
* ''Series/AbsolutePowerBBC''
* ''Series/AfterLife2019''
* ''Series/AfterYouveGone''
* ''Series/AllAboutMe''
* ''Series/AllGasAndGaiters''
* ''Series/AlloAllo''
* ''Series/AlmasNotNormal''
* ''Series/{{Ambassadors}}''
* ''Series/AnnuallyRetentive''
* ''Series/AreYouBeingServed''
* ''Series/TheArmyGame''
* ''Series/AsTimeGoesBy''
* ''Series/BabesInTheWood''
* ''Series/{{Babylon|2014}}''
* ''Series/{{Back}}''
* ''Series/BackToLife''
* ''Series/BadEducation''
* ''Series/{{Barbara}}''
* ''[[Series/BoSelecta The Bear's Tail]]''
* ''Series/TheBennyHillShow''
* ''Series/BestOfFriends1963''
* ''Series/BigTop''
* ''Series/BirdsOfAFeather''
* ''Series/BirdsOnTheWing''
* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}''
* ''Series/BlackBooks''
* ''Series/BlessMeFather''
* ''Series/BlessThisHouse''
* ''Series/{{Bluestone 42}}''
* ''Series/{{Boarders}}''
* ''Series/TheBookGroup''
* ''Series/{{Borderline}}''
* ''Series/{{Bottom}}''
* ''Series/BoyMeetsGirl''
* ''Series/{{Brass}}''
* ''Series/{{Bread|1986}}''
* ''Series/{{Breeders}}''
* ''Series/BrianPern''
* ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire''
* ''Series/{{Bull|2015}}''
* ''Series/{{Butterflies}}''
* ''Radio/CabinPressure''
* ''Series/CarryOnLaughing''
* ''Series/CarShare''
* ''Series/{{Catastrophe}}''
* ''Series/CharleysGrants''
* ''[[Series/Chef1993 Chef!]]''
* ''Series/{{Chelmsford123}}''
* ''Series/ChewingGum''
* ''Series/{{Chickens}}''
* ''Series/CitizenSmith''
* ''Series/{{Clarence}}''
* ''Series/TheCleanerUK''
* ''Series/{{Clone}}''
* ''Series/CmonMidffild''
* ''Series/{{Cockroaches}}''
* ''Series/ComeBackMrsNoah''
* ''Series/TheCompletelyMadeUpAdventuresOfDickTurpin''
* ''Series/CoogansRun''
* ''Series/CoppersEnd''
* ''Series/{{Coupling}}''
* ''Series/TheCreatives''
* ''Series/{{Cuckoo}}''
* ''Series/TheCultureVultures''
* ''Series/DadsArmy''
* ''Series/DearJohn''
* ''Radio/DeepTrouble''
* ''Series/DefendingTheGuilty''
* ''Series/DerryGirls''
* ''Series/{{Desmonds}}''
* ''Series/{{Detectorists}}''
* ''Series/DoctorInTheHouse''
* ''Series/DontHugMeImScared"
* ''Series/{{Drifters}}''
* ''Series/DropTheDeadDonkey''
* ''Series/EarlyDoors''
* ''Series/EverDecreasingCircles''
* ''Series/Extraordinary2023''
* ''Series/{{Extras}}''
* ''Series/TheFallAndRiseOfReginaldPerrin''
* ''Series/FatherTed'' (set in Ireland and created by Irish people, but produced by Channel 4)
* ''Series/FawltyTowers''
* ''Series/FiddlersThree''
* ''Series/FilthyRichAndCatflap''
* ''Series/AFineRomance''
* ''Series/{{Fleabag}}''
* ''Series/ForeignAffairs1966''
* ''Series/{{Fortysomething}}''
* ''Series/FreshMeat''
* ''Series/FridayNightDinner''
* ''Series/FriendsAndNeighbours1954''
* ''WesternAnimation/FullEnglish''
* ''Series/GameOn''
* ''Series/GavinAndStacey''
* ''Series/GeorgeAndMildred''
* ''Series/GetSomeIn''
* ''Series/GettingOn''
* ''Series/{{Ghosts|UK}}''
* ''Series/GimmeGimmeGimme''
* ''Series/GirlsOnTop''
* ''Series/TheGnomesOfDulwich''
* ''Series/TheGoodLife''
* Half of ''Series/TheGoodies''
* ''Series/GoodnightSweetheart''
* ''Radio/GoodnessGraciousMe''
* ''Series/GrandmasHouse''
* ''Radio/TheGoonShow''
* ''Series/TheGreatOutdoors''
* ''Series/GreenWing''
* ''Series/TheHappyApple''
* ''Series/HiDeHi''
* ''Radio/HancocksHalfHour''
* ''Series/Hardware2003''
* ''Series/HelpImATeenageOutlaw''
* ''Series/HimAndHer''
* ''Series/HoldTheSunset''
* ''Series/{{Hounded}}''
* ''Series/HowDoYouWantMe''
* ''Series/HowNotToLiveYourLife''
* ''Series/{{Hyperdrive}}''
* ''Series/IfItMovesFileIt''
* ''Series/ImAlanPartridge''
* ''Radio/InAndOutOfTheKitchen''
* ''Series/InForAPenny''
* ''Series/TheInbetweeners''
* ''Series/InsideGeorgeWebley''
* ''Series/InsideNo9''
* ''Series/TheIrishRM''
* ''Series/IsItLegal''
* ''Series/TheITCrowd''
* ''Series/ItAintHalfHotMum''
* ''Series/ItsAwfullyBadForYourEyesDarling''
* ''Series/JamAndJerusalem''
* ''Series/JustAGigolo''
* ''Series/JustGoodFriends''
* ''Series/KeepingUpAppearances''
* ''Series/{{KYTV}}''
* ''Series/{{Ladhood}}''
* ''Series/TheLastOfTheBaskets''
* ''Series/LastOfTheSummerWine''
* ''Series/LeadBalloon''
* ''Series/TheLeagueOfGentlemen''
* ''Series/LetThemEatCake''
* ''Series/LoveThyNeighbour''
* ''Series/MadAboutAlice''
* ''Series/ManAboutTheHouse''
* ''Series/{{Mandy}}''
* ''Series/MarleysGhosts''
* ''Series/MaxAndPaddysRoadToNowhere''
* ''Series/MayToDecember''
* ''Series/MenBehavingBadly''
* ''Radio/TheMenFromTheMinistry''
* ''Series/MindYourLanguage''
* ''Series/Miranda2009''
* ''Series/MissJonesAndSon''
* ''Series/{{Mongrels}}''
* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus''
* ''Series/{{Motherland}}''
* ''Series/MrBean''
* ''Radio/MyFirstPlanet''
* ''Series/MySpyFamily''
* ''Radio/{{Newfangle}}''
* ''Series/TheNewStatesman''
* ''Series/NextOfKin''
* ''Series/{{Nightingales}}''
* ''Series/NoAppointmentNecessary1977''
* ''Series/NoHeroics''
* ''Series/NotGoingOut''
* ''Series/{{The Office|UK}}''
* ''Series/OhDoctorBeeching''
* ''Series/TheOldGuys''
* ''Series/OnTheBuses''
* ''Series/OnTheHouse''
* ''Series/OneFootInTheGrave''
* ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses''
* ''Series/OpenAllHours''
* ''Series/{{Outnumbered}}''
* ''{{Radio/Party}}''
* ''Series/PeepShow''
* ''Series/{{Pets}}''
* ''Series/PhoneShop''
* ''Series/{{Plebs}}''
* ''Series/PleaseSir''
* ''Series/{{Porridge}}''
* ''Series/{{Pramface}}''
* ''Series/APrinceAmongMen''
* ''Series/PrivateSchulz''
* ''Series/QueenOfOz''
* ''Series/RabCNesbitt''
* ''Series/RaisedByWolves2013''
* ''Series/RedDwarf''
* ''Series/ReggiePerrin''
* ''Series/{{Rev}}''
* ''Series/RisingDamp''
* ''Series/TheRobinsons''
* ''Series/RogerAndValHaveJustGotIn''
* ''Series/RoomAtTheBottom1967''
* ''Series/RootIntoEurope''
* ''Series/TheRoyleFamily''
* ''Series/Sally4Ever''
* ''Series/SamsGame''
* ''Series/TheScotts''
* ''Series/{{Searching}}''
* ''Series/SemiDetached''
* ''Series/SexEducation''
* ''Series/ShineALight''
* ''Series/SirensUK''
* ''Series/SoHauntMe''
* ''Series/SomeGirls''
* ''Series/SomeMothersDoAveEm''
* ''Series/{{Sorry}}''
* ''Series/{{Spaced}}''
* ''Series/StateOfTheUnion''
* ''Series/SteptoeAndSon''
* ''Series/SuburbanShootout''
* ''Series/SurgicalSpirit''
* ''Series/{{Sykes}}''
* ''Series/TerryAndJune''
* ''Series/TheThickOfIt''
* ''Series/TheThinBlueLine''
* ''Series/ThisCountry''
* ''Series/ThisWayUp''
* ''Series/TillDeathUsDoPart''
* ''Series/TimeGentlemenPlease''
* ''Radio/TimeSpanner''
* ''Series/{{Timewasters}}''
* ''Series/ToastOfLondon'' / ''Series/ToastOfTinseltown''
* ''Series/ToTheManorBorn''
* ''Series/TheTrainNowStanding''
* ''Series/TheTrip''
* ''Series/{{Trollied}}''
* ''Series/TheTroubleWithYouLilian''
* ''Series/TwoPintsOfLagerAndAPacketOfCrisps''
* ''Series/TwoUpTwoDown''
* ''Series/UncleBBC''
* ''Series/UpPompeii''
* ''Series/TheUpperCrusts''
* ''Series/UpstartCrow''
* ''Series/UpTheWomen''
* ''Series/TheVicarOfDibley''
* ''Series/{{Vicious}}''
* ''Series/WaitingForGod''
* ''Series/{{Watching}}''
* ''Series/WeAreLadyParts''
* ''Series/{{Whites}}''
* ''Series/TheWindsors''
* ''Podcast/WoodenOvercoats''
* ''Series/TheWrongMans''
* ''Series/YesMinister''
* ''Series/YouMeAndThem''
* ''Series/YouRangMLord''
* ''Series/{{Youngers}}''
* ''Series/TheYoungOnes''
* ''Series/YoureOnlyYoungTwice1971''
[[/index]]

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