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How the Sitcom Kept Britain Smiling in the ‘80s
Still Laughing is a lively, deeply nostalgic exploration of a golden age of the 1980s British sitcom. From Only Fools and Horses, Blackadder and Yes Minister to Red Dwarf and The Young Ones, Robert Sellers revisits the comedies that defined a turbulent decade shaped by Thatcherism, social change and the arrival of Channel 4.
As politics grew sharper, so too did sitcom. Bread and Desmond’s captured working-class and Black British life with new confidence, while Executive Stress, Girls on Top and Birds of a Feather showcased complex, ambitious roles for women. Alternative comedy broke through, reshaping the tone of television humour for good.
Still Laughing explores these famous shows, bringing back a host of memories in the process. It also spotlights the shows we’ve forgotten – in most cases for good reason. Rich with behind-the-scenes insight and sharp commentary, it is a joyful appraisal of a transformative era in British comedy.
This is Nostalgia with a capital N: an oral history, the last word, but also a slice of TV history and an affectionate salute to those shows that so many of us grew up with.
'Sellers canters with helter-skelter speed and economy, year by year, through every sitcom made'
Sinclair McKay, The Spectator,
