Top 10 Modern British Sitcoms

Top 10 Modern British Sitcoms

Set your smiles to permanent. Welcome to WatchMojo UK and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 modern British sitcoms!

For this list, we’ve gathered the finest, funniest, most iconic and most important British sitcoms. As this is a countdown of the modern greats, to be in contention at least one series of the show’s original run must have aired in the year 2000 or later.

For a countdown of the classics, be sure to check out our Top 10 Greatest British Sitcoms: Classic video, and if cult comedy is more your thing then we’ve got you covered with another clip as well.

#10: “Him & Her” (2010-13)

Introducing Steve and Becky, an unconventional cute couple who rarely leave the modest comfort of their London flat. Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani take starring roles in “Him & Her”, loveably berating each other to pass the time in between watching episodes of Inspector Morse. A Best Sitcom winner at the 2014 BAFTAs, this show’s charm lies with the little things, and the everyday humour which most couples see but most comedies steer clear of. Annoying habits, awkward neighbours and oral sex gags; it’s all here. A true to life triumph, it had everyone aiming to emulate the show’s central characters – minus the constant spot-popping, perhaps.

#9: “Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps” (2001-11)

“Two Pints” follows the lives of five post-millennium twenty-somethings all trying to find their way through the trials, tribulations and triumphs of early adulthood – mostly from the relative comfort of their trusty local, The Archer. The show became a flagship programme for BBC Three throughout the 2000s, and although some say it ran for longer that it should’ve done (with nine series in total), at its prime it was must-watch TV. Writer and series creator Susan Nickson, who was just 18 herself when commissioned by the Beeb, always kept her audience at the heart of the show too – with viewer votes even shaping some of the most major storylines.

#8: “The Inbetweeners” (2008-10)

Has there ever been a more loveable lot of social anomalies than “The Inbetweeners”? We think not. Will, Jay, Simon and Neil are the ultimate high school underdogs in this E4 extravaganza of cringeworthy comedy. It falls to recently relocated Will to narrate us through the daily exploits of he and his friends, including but not limited to punching a fish to death on a field trip, trading a tramp his shoes to go clubbing, and trying and failing to get off with Charlotte Hinchcliffe. In fact, the foursome found themselves thrown into enough chaos to warrant two post-series feature films, sparking a mini-world tour and even more outrageous antics. Bumders, bus wankers and football friends unite!

#7: “Gavin & Stacey” (2007-10)

To TV’s best-loved long distance relationship and a comedy that leaves you laughing and crying in almost equal measure. “Gavin & Stacey” sees the title characters struggle to make their budding romance work, as Gav lives in Billericay but Stacey is based in the Welsh seaside town of Barry. Through the pair’s efforts to see each another, their families and friends meet and become close – leading to hilarious, heart-warming and heart-breaking subplots. From the Smithy/Nessa saga to the parents’ pains at seeing their children fly the nest and Uncle Bryn’s unexpected gym habit, it’s the proverbial rollercoaster of real emotion with a classic Christmas special to boot.

#6: “Phoenix Nights” (2001-02)

As with many of today’s top ten, sitcoms can prove the springboard for a celebrated comedy career. And that’s certainly the case for Bolton’s own Peter Kay with “Phoenix Nights”. A spin-off from an earlier spoof documentary series, “That Peter Kay Thing”, the show sees Kay take on a variety of roles for a look inside The Phoenix Club, a working men’s club in Farnworth. With the story driven by club owner Brian Potter’s various plans to outdo his rival, Den Perry at The Banana Grove, “Phoenix Nights” also proved a breakthrough moment for Paddy McGuiness. All in all, it’s two series and twelve episodes of endlessly quotable comedy gold.

#5: “Bad Education” (2012-14)

We head back to class for today’s fifth-placer, and a Jack Whitehall comedy which took the schoolroom by storm. The award-winning funny man, otherwise known for “Fresh Meat” and “A League of Their Own”, created and co-wrote “Bad Education”, while also starring in the series. Whitehall is Alfie Wickers (or Dickers, depending on who you speak to) a history teacher tasked with delivering lessons to an especially unruly crop of kids. And while he’s by no means a born leader, his style strikes a chord with some of the students at least. A sitcom straight out of the staff room top drawer, the education’s bad but the entertainment’s brilliant.

#4: “The IT Crowd” (2006-13)

Meet Roy Trenneman, Maurice Moss and Jen Barber, the brainy, not so brawny, and belligerent team in charge of IT at Reynholm Industries, a fictional and largely ambiguous London corporation. Chris O’Dowd’s Roy is computer literate, but he’s otherwise lacking in other aspects of life, while Richard Ayoade’s Maurice Moss takes geek chic to a whole new level, although his intellect rarely translates to everyday problems. And Katherine Parkinson’s Jen, well, she’d struggle to tell a mouse from a monitor, but has bluffed her way to the top all the same. Together they’re “The IT Crowd”, subject for one of Channel 4’s most successful sitcoms. You can try turning it off, but you’ll simply have to turn it on again.

#3: “Peep Show” (2003-15)

For Channel 4’s longest-running comedy David Mitchell and Robert Webb star as Mark and Jeremy, two dysfunctional flatmates with an uncanny attraction to awkward situations. “Peep Show” sets itself apart with a POV style, inviting us into the most intimate thoughts of its two central characters. As such, Mark and Jez leave it all on the table – or should that be the ball pit? The blundering pair are polar opposites in most ways, but it’s all but impossible to imagine one without the other. From Mark’s weird nuts to Jeremy’s even weirder wedding, their friendship is far more than just a Christmas joke. They’re in it for the long haul, whether they like it or not.

#2: “The Royle Family” (1998-2000)

Our runner-up is also the oldest of today’s entries, with our first look inside the Royle household coming in 1998. Three series followed, including two acclaimed Christmas editions, as well as a string of celebrated specials from 2006 to 2012. A TV show based around a TV set, it saw Ricky Tomlinson, Sue Johnston and Ralf Little star alongside Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, the show creators. Jim, Barbara, Anthony, Denise and David do precious little with their lives besides channel hop and chat – but what more could we want? A frank, funny and poignant telling of late-90s working class life, it turns the mundane into the magnificent.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.

“Outnumbered” (2007-14)

“My Family” (2000-11)

“Derek” (2012-14)

#1: ““The Office” (2001-03)

We’re at Wernham Hogg Paper Company for today’s winner, and a monumental mockumentary. “The Office” takes the often dull daily trudge of an uninspiring workplace, and turns it into the best British sitcom this side of the millennium. Ricky Gervais’ David Brent is the standout star, always on hand with unwanted advice, dodgy dance moves and laughable lyrics. But the likes of ‘where’s my stapler?’ Gareth Keenan and the perpetually unsure Keith ensure that this is no one-man show. And then there’s the Tim and Dawn love story routinely making mincemeat of our emotions. “Extras” was also great, but it couldn’t topple this. Tapping into all the little things which make people tick, it’s uncomfortable, annoying and pure, pure genius.