Top 5 British Sitcoms of All Time: Best British Comedy Series

Sitcoms - situation comedies - are not only excellent sources of entertainment but also wonderful stress busters. Shows like Seinfeld and Friends, in recent times, have led to a surge in popularity that resulted in many more being created, whether on similar or original lines.

IBTimes UK rounds up the five best British sitcoms of all time

• The Office - An almost universal winner, The Office is a mockumentary of sorts and is centered around a typical working office and all the ego clashes, politics, weird employees and their behaviour you would normally associate with such situations. The sitcom stars Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer. The British series became so famous that remakes were made in the United States and other countries. Created by Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant, the sitcom follows the character of David Brent, who is played by Gervais himself, who thinks he rules the office when the plain truth is he does not. The sitcom was first broadcast on 9 July, 2001 on BBC Two.
• Fawlty Towers - Basil Fawlty is the owner of a hotel and frequently finds himself in comic situations and problems. The principal cast constitutes Fawlty, played by John Cleese, his domineering wife, a Spanish waiter (who cannot speak English) and a chambermaid. The show was aired between 1975 and 1979 and The British Film Institute called it the best television series, of all time, in 2000. It came fifth in BBC's poll of Britain's best sitcom, carried out four years later. Written by Cleese and Connie Booth, the sitcom stars Cleese, Prunella Scales, Andrew Sachs, Booth, Ballard Berkeley, Brian Hall, Gilly Flower and Renee Roberts. According to the British Comedy Guide, Fawlty is a man of infinite capability in impoliteness, caustic intolerance and general rudeness toward guests he views as an unwelcome imposition.
• Only Fools and Horses - When you are out to make easy money, there is generally unlimited comedy guaranteed. Written by John Sullivan, the show was aired on BBC from 1981 to 2003. According to the British Comedy Guide, the sitcom has farce, satire, drama and great jokes to produce something that is both laugh-out-loud funny and packed with pathos. The comedy is about two South Londoners who are on the street trying to make money.
• The Inbetweeners - An interesting comedy about the life of four teenagers, the serial was aired on E4, from 2008 to 2010. The show won best Sitcom at the British Comedy Awards. The movie based on the sitcom was released in August. Starring Simon Bird, James Buckley and Blake Harrison, IMDB describes the series is the story of teenage "jerks".
• Gavin and Stacey - Starring Joanne Page, Mathew Horne and Alison Steadman, Gavin and Stacey is about a boy and girl in love. The series started in 2005. "An Essex boy falls in love with a Welsh girl in a whirlwind romance written by James Corden and Ruth Jones, who play two of the best characters in sitcom history: Smithy and Nessa. The awkwardness and changes in their romance ensures brilliance in all three series of the show," Red Brick Paper reports.