Past laughing
TV search for the 'funniest decade'
UKTV Gold has commissioned a series of programmes designed to determine the funniest decade for TV comedies.Over the course of the next ten months, 12 two-hour clip shows will be broadcast, each with a celebrity comic explaining why their chosen era was the best.
Viewers will then be asked to vote online for their favourite decade.
Celebrities lined up to state their case in When Were We Funniest? include Jo Brand, Phill Jupitus, Martin Freeman and Meera Syal. Alexander Armstrong will host the studio-based final on December 18.
A launch show spanning all the decades will get the project under way on February 28, then in April, the Sixties will be celebrated. A subsequent decade will be chosen every other month.
The programmes are being made for UKTV by the BBC. Executive producer Caroline Wright said: ‘With the BBC being home to some of the best British comedy, this is a fantastic opportunity to showcase something this country does really well.’
UKTV Gold boss Paul Moreton added: ‘This massive new series will spark a national debate about Britain’s position as the world’s best humorists.’
Published: 17 Jan 2008
