Sitcom Showdown

Eric Chappell is the subject of our first 'writer special' in which we talk about his methods and the many sitcoms he penned including Rising Damp, Home to Roost and others. Steve selects an episode of 'Fiddlers Three' to investigate.  

Black Books gets a second nomination from Jeffers for the series 2 epsiode 'Blood', where Bernard's new bookshop restaurant, Manny's high-street ambition and Fran's relatives all go into the cooking pot to make Sitcom Luxury Pie. But will Steve find it tasty enough for the Hall of Fame? Black Books stars Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig. Bllood was written by Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil, with Dylan Moran.

The short-lived 'Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer' is brought in by Steve, to compare this USA-made historical comedy to its earlier UK rival Blackadder. Did Desmond's adventures deserve to be cancelled?  It sure didn't harm the actors' careers much, as Jeffers and Steve find out when they investigate.  Does Niblett hold a candle to Baldrick? Is Desmond as quick-thinking and cunning and vindictive as Edmund? And how good is Booger as a guest star?

The Goodies' classic 1977 Christmas episode 'Earthanasia' is nominated by Jeffers for a Hall of Fame spot. Will the doomsday-scenario adventures of Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor be hilarious enough to convince Steve? And in any case, will the Muppets suffer? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Blackadder the Third gets its inevitable nomination from Steve, who claims that the episode 'Amy and Amiability' is the greatest sitcom episode of all time! It's hard to argue against that when you look at the talents of Rowan Atkinson, Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, Miranda Richardson, Tony Robinson and Hugh Laurie all combining to create a classic masterwork.

The Young Ones 1984 episode 'Nasty' is the Halloween special for 2021 in the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame. We enjoy some scares with Rik, Vyvyan, Neil and Mike, but hold a grudge against Alexei Sayle for crimes against live comedy! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

AP Bio is nominated by Steve for the Hall of Fame. Will this modern school-based sitcom graduate into the big leagues? It all depends on the quality of the teaching! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Ted McGinley is nominated for the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame, giving us a chance to chat about his work in Happy Days, Married With Children, Hope & Faith, The Love Boat and more!

Geoffrey Palmer is inducted into the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame in this 'actor spotlight' special! The star of Butterflies and Executive Stress also had a terrific role in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, which Steve investigates.

Trial and Error, the 2017 sitcom and murder mystery mockumentary, is nominated by Jeffers for the Hall of Fame. Will Judge Steve rule favourably on the case? Any sitcom with John Lithgow and Sherri Shepherd (plus Jayma Mays and Steven Boyer) should be just fine, surely? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Yes Minister gets its second selection, as the listener-nominated episode 'Whisky Priest' is the subject of a Sitcom Showdown inquiry. Thanks to Mrs Natural. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Seinfeld's classic Festivus episode 'The Strike' gets the Christmas nomination from Steve in 2020 for the Sitcom Showdown Hall of Fame. It's a tightly-woven tale of bagels, two-faced dates, Festivus poles and Elaine's Atomic Subs. Pull up a spot at the table with Jerry, Kramer, Elaine and George to see if they get to deck the Hall! Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Hogan's Heroes gets a nomination by Jeffers for the 1965 episode 'German Bridge is Falling Down'. Will he need an elaborate scheme to smuggle Hogan, Klink, Schulz and the boys into the Hall of Fame? Or will Steve let Hogan's Heroes stroll right in? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Wellington Paranormal's spooky second-season opener is nominated by Steve for Halloween month 2020 and his job is to convince Jeffers that the New Zealand comedy cops can save the day. This fresh mockumentary sitcom from the minds of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi has officers Minogue and O'Leary (led by Sgt Maaka) trying to solve some coastal disappearances, and finding the mighty Taniwha ... the 'not Ness monster!'

Dad's Army is nominated by Jeffers for the 1973 classic 'The Deadly Attachment' featuring Philip Madoc in a great guest-star role. Will Steve agree that this much-loved WW2 comedy should enter the Hall of Fame?

Stephanie Cole is the fourth actor to feature in a Sitcom Showdown special, earning a spot in the Hall of Fame for her superb work in Waiting for God (featured), Open All Hours, Keeping Mum and much more!

David Haig becomes the third actor to be chosen for tribute in Sitcom Showdown's Hall of Fame. He is lauded for his all-time hilarious performance as Detective Inspector Grimm in The Thin Blue Line (1995) but in this podcast episode we look into 'Keeping Mum' where David co-starred with Stephanie Cole. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Space Force gets a nomination from Steve who appreciates this brand-new sitcom's quality cast, sumptuous visuals and crafted scripts. But is it funny? And can its ninth episode 'It's Good to be Back on the Moon' get into the Hall of Fame? Let's see if Malkovitch, Carrell and crew have the right stuff. Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Married With Children gets its second nomination for 'Married With Aliens' from its fifth season. Can Al Bundy, Peg, Kelly and Bud (plus aliens) get into the Hall of Fame once again? Jeffers thinks so, but he may be high on the powerful emanations from Al's socks... Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.

Mad About You is the second sitcom to have the dubious honour of being nominated for the Hall of Shame, for the episode 'Bing Bang Boom'. Steve suggests that this really does qualify as an example of a one-star episode from an otherwise much-loved sitcom. Is it possible that Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt laid an egg? Twitter: @SitcomShowdown Theme tune 'Billy Blues' by texasradiofish (c) copyright 2015. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license.