Overview
Britcoms FAQ is a sweeping survey of the very best in British television
comedy, from the early days of 1950s television, and the rise of Tony
Hancock, through the golden age of Monty Python, Are You Being Served?,
and Steptoe and Son featuring the madcap comic geniuses of the 1980s to
the modern age of Absolutely Fabulous, Coupling, Red Dwarf, and more.
Written with both a deep love and cultural understanding of the shows,
highlighting the finest performances and resurrecting the greatest
jokes, Britcoms FAQ also visits the medium's transition from radio to
television, its history on vinyl and compact disc, and its thematic
shift from straight-forward humour to a sometimes biting force for
political and social commentary. Included are chapters spotlighting the
sitcoms' fascination with dysfunctional families, their rebellion
against conventional society, and the changing face of the media itself.
The legacy of Monty Python is explored in depth, but so are such themes
as class warfare, censorship, and even suicide. Britcoms long ago
determined that very little is sacred when there's laughter to be had
and Britcoms FAQ proves it!