Dad's Army tops comedy poll

This Dad's Army scene was voted the funniest TV moment

Captain Mainwaring's encounter with a sneering German submarine commander in Dad's Army has been voted the funniest comedy scene of all time by readers of a television magazine.

The survey found that comedy classics such as Dad's Army, Only Fools and Horses and Fawlty Towers dominate the list of the nation's top 100 comedy moments.

In second place was the scene in Only Fools and Horses where Del Boy fell through a bar while trying to act like a cool yuppie, whilst John Cleese's encounter with German guests in Fawlty Towers came third.

Fawlty Towers made it to number three in the poll

Martyn Jackson, editor of Classic Television magazine said: "Rather than simply vote for a whole programme or film, we thought it would be interesting to see which scenes appealed most.

"We were staggered by the variety of suggestions although the popularity of Dad's Army, Only Fools and Horses and Fawlty Towers soon became clear."

The Dad's Army moment that most appealed to the 500 people surveyed was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and taken from an episode called the Deadly Attachment, first shown in October 1973.

The scene is set in Walmington-on-Sea church hall with a U-Boat skipper, played by Philip Madoc, trying to compile a list of those who have offended him.

When he demands the name of the Private wielding a tommy gun, Mainwaring, played by Arthur Lowe orders: "Don't tell him Pike."

But whilst such comedy classic have clearly stood the test of time, most comedies of the nineties failed to make the grade.

Father Ted, rated at number 14, was the first modern comedy to appear on the list.

The 'Suits You Sir' routine from the Fast Show with Paul Whitehouse and Mark Williams made it to number 17, whilst DJs Smashie and Nicey, created by Harry Enfield, went in at number 19.

A spokeswoman for the BBC, which has shown most of the top-rated comedy programmes said: "The survey tells us a lot more about the readership of this magazine than the state of comedy today.

"Programmes like Only Fools and Horses and Dad's Army are on television so often that people are familiar with them," she said, but added that programmes like Men Behaving Badly were still among the nation's favourites.

But such assurances come just a day after BBC Chairman Sir Christopher Bland said the corporation needed to "work harder to find the successors to Basil Fawlty and Victor Meldrew".