Top 10 Hilarious TV Outtakes

A twenty-first century sitcom, and one which throws up plenty of memorable mistakes, mostly thanks to the close proximity between the characters. So, when Reece Shearsmith hitches a ride, Peter Kay and Sian Gibson find it suddenly impossible to keep a straight face. Shearsmith plays Ray the fishmonger, who’s apparently fluent in Japanese and mid-90s rap music – if he could only get his words out in time!

This “Blue Peter” blunder had everybody cringing, as Ayo Akinwolere’s clumsiness caused a brief festive fuss. For a feature on the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree, the kids’ TV presenter had one job – and he failed spectacularly. Still, the star was patched up, and Andy was even given a second chance to place it – plus, it inspired a Clarkson joke on “Have I Got News for You”. So, it wasn’t all bad.

A show stacked with brilliant bloopers, you can count on all four seasons of “Blackadder” for some top notch behind the scenes tomfoolery – including set malfunctions and turnip troubles. But Stephen Fry’s mangling of Melchett’s handling of Blackadder’s court case is one to remember. Stumbling over his words when Hugh Laurie puts him off, we’re not sure where Melchett’s laugh ends and Stephen’s chuckle begins.

What makes “Bottom” outtakes just a bit better than most sitcom screw-ups is that Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson barely break character whenever anything goes wrong. As each episode was filmed in front of a live audience, there’s a fair few fluffed lines to choose from… But the fortune teller scene carries particular charm, especially as Liz Smith follows Mayall’s mishaps with one of her own.

Staying in the ‘90s, and a rare example of slurred words on “Ab Fab” that aren’t the result of Eddy and Patsy’s binge drinking. This kitchen table scene took multiple reshoots, all thanks to a tricky turn of phrase for Jennifer Saunders’ character. A gaffe made even greater by the whingey way in which she says it, Joanna Lumley watches on looking gloriously unimpressed.

Craig Cash’s Dave carries off an awkward charm throughout “The Royle Family”, but the actor struggled to keep it together for the Christmas special in 2010. With the Royle’s around the table to pay their respects to their dearly departed next-door neighbour, Dave breaks the silence with some ill-timed toilet humour. And when talk turns to trumps, Cash can’t help but laugh – and Ralph Little’s in hysterics, too.

While Nicholas Lyndhurst is best known for playing Rodney in “Only Fools and Horses” – another show that’s overflowing with outtakes – his best blooper comes in the often-forgotten ‘80s sitcom, “The Two of Us”. As co-star Janet Dibley heads fridge-wards, a simple case of forgetting the lines triggers Lyndhurst to lay on an impromptu impersonation. In fairness, he’s pretty convincing.

Bradley Walsh is well-versed in on-set silliness, with dodgy questions and awkward answers regularly causing chaos on “The Chase”. And most awkward moments make it onto the show. But some contestants can’t even pass their intro without the shenanigans setting in. This guy’s prize money plans sound innocent at first, but then the thinly-veiled innuendos take over, and Bradley’s just not buying it. It’s a tea time show, after all.

The stag and hen dos on “Gavin & Stacey” did threaten to get out of hand, but nothing compared to this. The James Corden and Ruth Jones comedy throws up plenty of entertaining outtakes, and seeing Corden switch from Sisquo to Smithy is something to behold. But we couldn’t not pick Stacey and Nessa’s off-the-cuff adult movie. It’s not really suitable for work, so apologies if you’re on your lunchbreak.

Ricky Gervais puts more emphasis on his outtakes than other comedians, and with good reason – because they’re bloody funny. We might’ve featured the scenes inside Kev’s caravan in “Derek”, but nothing tops Keith’s deadpan delivery in “The Office”. Played by Ewen MacIntosh, the guy’s a goldmine for cringey one-liners, ready to catch his colleagues off-guard at any given moment. And the one-word weirdness of the appraisal scene just gets better every time you watch it.