Britain's Top 50 Sitcoms (Part 1) Quiz

Answer: Phoebe and Yvonne

Yvonne is his 1990's wife, while Phoebe lives war-torn London. Originally played by Dervla Kirwan, the role of Phoebe Bamford was taken by Liz Carline from series 4, and at the same time Emma Amos took over the role of Yvonne from Michelle Holmes. The part of Ron Wheatcroft was played by Victor McGuire throughout, and Christopher Ettridge played PC Reg Deadman (both past and present!)

Answer: Scottish

Rab was a wonderful slob in a string vest - and very few people could understand a word he said because he had a very thick Scottish accent!

Answer: actor

Linda and Tom share a flat, and the fights between them make for comedy. Tom is not a successful actor, even though his agent does try to get him parts.

Answer: Whitbury Newtown

With attention to detail which is frightening, Brittas organises every single detail of the daily running of the leisure centre. The problem is, he has such a habit of messing things up, even to the extent of blowing up the building or electrocuting the public that most of the time the building is empty but for staff.

This is a wonderful 'comedy of errors' and well worth watching if you have not seen it yet.

Answer: It Ain't Half Hot Mum

Don Estelle had a record in the charts in 1975 with Windsor Davis (who played Sergeant Major 'Shut-Up') - 'Whispering Grass' - it was Number 1 for three weeks. It wasn't a great success, but it did appear on 'Top of the Pops' and was amusing with Davis' talking throughout Estelle's singing.

Answer: Hitler

He was called Eddie Hitler, while Rik Mayall was called Richie Richard. Just eighteen episodes were made - three seasons.

Answer: Seven Dials

There have been many memorable episodes within this sitcom; seeing Rona hanging from the kitchen light fitting in her wedding dress has to be one of the best.

Answer: Paul Nicholas

Vince left Penny at the altar, and they met again by accident five years later, but both were wary of another relationship. The will they/won't they romance finally ended with a quiet wedding in Paris.

Answer: Norfolk

Even though his career is virtually over, Alan still maintains the delusion that he is still a major star and will be rediscovered. 'I'm Alan Partridge' ran for just thirteen episodes in 1997.

Answer: Royston Vasey

All the characters in this sitcom are played by just three actors, Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith (they shared the writing with Jeremy Dyson); they included a psychic, a blind photographer and a homicidal vet.

Answer: Maplins

The fifty eight episodes were spread over eight seasons - eight seasons of Ted Bovis (Paul Shane) plying every fiddle possible, Gladys Pugh (Ruth Madoc) mooning over two Entertainment Managers (Simon Cadell and David Griffin) and Peggy Ollerenshaw (Su Pollard) volunteering for every hair-brained scheme so she could become a yellowcoat. Classic stuff.

Answer: Liverpool

Starring Jean Boht as the long-suffering mother of four sons and one daughter, the Boswell family survive by taking jobs on the side while claiming the dole. Seven series were made altogether, and it lasted 74 episodes.

Answer: Dorien

Sharon and Tracy were sisters whose husbands were in prison, and lived together in the big house Tracy's husband had bought from proceeds of crime. Next door lived Dorien, a man-mad woman who looked upon the sisters as friends, even though she had trouble coming to terms with their lower class attitudes.

Answer: Stephanie Cole

Stephanie played Diana, a cantankerous old woman determined not to let old age take over her life. With the arrival of Tom Ballard (Graham Crowden) in the unit next door, the adventures really begin as Diana found a strange partner in crime in the dotty old man. The theme music for 'Waiting for God' is the 5th movement of Schubert's 'Trout Quintet'.

Answer: Paddy and Max

The Phoenix Club is a working man's club run by Brian Potter (Peter Kay) with help from his staff, Dave Spikey (Jerry St. Clair), Neil Fitzmaurice (Ray Von) and Patrick McGuiness (Paddy). From the little I have seen of this programme, I would say it was worth a try if you ever get the chance. I hope I will get to see it myself.

Answer: Sunshine Desserts

Reginald worked for himself in the second series with a shop, then a chain of shops, called 'Grot' - selling totally useless things. Sadly, by the end of the third series, Reginald was pretty much in the same sorry condition that he was in the very first episode.

Answer: Fowler

I hope that no police force in the country is as that as depicted in 'The Thin Blue Line' - only one of the officers has any idea about policing, and that is Constable Habib (Mina Anwar). Mind you, with the combination of Inspector Fowler, Sergeant Dawkins (Serena Evans), Constable Gladstone (Rudolph Walker) and Constable Kevin Goody (James Dreyfus) as her workmates, it is hardly surprising that she was the only one who could be considered competent!

Answer: Butterflies

Written by Carla Lane, 'Butterflies' is a bitter-sweet comedy romance, where unhappy wife and mother, Ria, meets another man. Nothing ever happens between her and Leonard, but the resulting uncertainty and events at home with her husband Ben (Geoffrey Palmer) and two sons, especially with her atrocious cooking, make for a gentle comedy.

Answer: Rita

Alf Garnett (Warren Mitchell) is a cantankerous old so-and-so who has decided, and racist, opinions on everything and everybody. Dandy Nichols plays Elsie, his wife, who generally ignores him the whole time. Una Stubbs plays Rita, his daughter, who lives with them with her husband, Mike.

Answer: Cliff Richard

'The Young Ones' was, of course, the title of one of Sir Cliff's songs in his younger days; one of the characters in the programme was forever talking about Cliff, and it was a fitting end that they should drive a double decker bus (shades of 'Summer Holiday') off a cliff through a billboard advertising Cliff Richard himself.