The state of the British sitcom

Three years ago, David Liddiment, BBC trustee and former head of drama for ITV, pronounced the sitcom dead.

But while TV channels may not be showing the kind of sitcoms that filled the schedules in the 1970s - known as the 'golden age' - the TV stalwart still seems to have some life left in it.

CAN THE SITCOM SURVIVE?

The difference is, perhaps, that successes like Peep Show, The Thick Of It and Extras are far from the suburban idyll portrayed in classics such as Open All Hours. With surreal storylines and adult language, they would make Hyacinth Bucket's hair stand on end.

So is the sitcom breathing its last gasp?

FAWLTY TOWERS

The guests at the hotel are typically comic foils to Basil's angry outbursts

Fawlty Towers was first broadcast on BBC Two in 1975. Only 12 episodes were ever produced, but the programme has had a lasting legacy. Set in a fictional hotel called Fawlty Towers, in the seaside town of Torquay, Devon, the show was written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, both of whom played main characters in the show.

The series focuses on the exploits and misadventures of hotelier Basil Fawlty, his wife Sybil and their employees.

The episodes typically revolve around Basil's efforts to succeed in 'raising the tone' of his hotel and his increasing frustration at the numerous complications which prevent him from doing so. Much of the humour comes from Basil's aggressive manner and his angry arguments with guests, staff and his formidable wife.

Memorable quote: Basil: "Don't mention the war! I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it!"

Viewing figures: The first series was considered a flop in 1975 but a Christmas repeat of The Psychiatrist in 1976 was the first episode to break into the top 10 viewing figures of the week. In November 1985, repeats were broadcast to mark the show's tenth anniversary - with 12.5m people tuning in.

THE GOOD LIFE

The first series follows the couple’s first steps to a catastrophic harvest

The Good Life aired on BBC One from 1975 to 1978. The first series is all about Tom and Barbara Good's decision to give up the rat-race and live off the land in Surbiton. On his 40th birthday, Tom gives up his job as a draughtsman in a company that makes plastic toys for breakfast cereal packets. He and his wife Barbara make a decision to live a sustainable, simple and self-sufficient lifestyle.

In pursuit of this good life, they dig up their front and back gardens and convert them into allotments. They keep chickens, pigs, and a goat. They generate their own electricity, using methane from animal waste, and even attempt to make their own clothes. Their actions horrify their conventional and snobbish next-door neighbours, Margo and Jerry Leadbetter. Their relationship with the Goods soon becomes an essential element of every episode.

Memorable quote: Margo: "Did I hear a dinner gong? " Tom: "Not unless the chicken jumped out of the oven and banged one."

Viewing figures: Series one had an average audience of 7.5m but series three proved to be the most popular with average audience figures of 15.7m.

RISING DAMP

Rossiter also took the lead in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin

Rising Damp was first broadcast on ITV from 1974 to 1978 and was essentially a showcase for Leonard Rossiter. He plays Rupert Rigsby, a miserly and vain landlord who rents out shabby rooms in a seedy Victorian town house to a variety of tenants. Richard Beckinsale played Alan George Moore, a long-haired, naive, and good-natured medical student who occupied the top room. Frances de la Tour was Miss Jones - a whimsical spinster who rented another room and to whom Rigsby proposes in the last episode.

Memorable quote: Rigsby [describing the state of the nation]: "It's like being on the Titanic: confused orders from the bridge, water sloshing around in the engine room. At least they had a band."

Viewing figures: Series one had an average audience of 6.5m but by series four this had risen to 18.6m.

EXTRAS

Each episode has at least one celebrity guest star playing themselves

Extras is about Andy Millman, who has given up his day job to be an actor, but finds he is just not getting the big parts. In fact, he has never even had a speaking role, so spends much of his time hanging around on set with fellow extra and best friend Maggie Jacobs.

Andy envies the A-list stars and never misses an opportunity to ingratiate himself with them, hoping it will lead to that first elusive line of dialogue. In the last episode Andy has finally achieved the success he craves in his own sitcom, When the Whistle Blows, but soon grows disillusioned.

The series is co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and is created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom also star in it.

The first series was broadcast in 2005, with Andy and Maggie playing extras in a film Ben Stiller is directing.

Memorable quote: David Bowie [singing about Andy Millman]: "He sold his soul for a shot at fame, catchphrase and wig and the jokes are lame, he's got no style, he's got no grace, he's banal and facile, he's a fat waste of space."

Viewing figures: The first series achieved an average audience of 2.12m.

THE IT CROWD

The first series premiered on Channel 4 in 2006. Written and directed by Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd is set in the offices of a fictitious British corporation in central London. It focuses on the exploits of an IT support team located in a dingy basement - a stark contrast to the modern architecture and stunning London views enjoyed by the rest of the organisation. The obscurity surrounding what this company actually does serves as a running gag throughout the series.

Moss and Roy, the two technicians, are socially inept geeks. Despite the company's dependence on their services, they are despised, ignored, and considered losers by the rest of the staff. Jen, the newest member of the team, is hopelessly non-technical and her attempts at bridging the gulf between the technicians and the business generally have the opposite effect, landing her in ludicrous situations.

Memorable quote: Roy: [singing] "We don't need no education." Moss: "Yes you do; you've just used a double negative."

Viewing figures: The first series achieved an average audience of 1.98m.

GAVIN & STACEY

A comedy about an Essex boy and a Welsh girl who fall in love

Gavin & Stacey originally aired on BBC Three in 2007 and was later shown on BBC Two. It was billed as the story of how a nice boy from Essex and a sweet girl from Barry, South Wales, fell in love and got married.

Written by Ruth Jones and James Corden, who also star as Gavin and Stacey's best friends Smithy and Nessa, the first series chronicles Gavin and Stacey's developing romance, from their initial phone flirtation to their wedding day.

As their ordinary worlds collide, their friends, their family and their differences illustrate that there is no such thing as ordinary after all.

Memorable quote: "Oh, what's occurring."

Viewing figures: The first series achieved an average audience of 1.17m.