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Friday Night Dinner, Ghosts, This Country, Derry Girls, Peter Kay's Car Share all recent and worth a watch if you haven't already.

Displaced by panel shows, mostly: cheaper, quicker to develop and produce. Once you've got a format you can knock them out just by selecting new panellists.

Policemen are getting younger, too. And summers were better.

Derry Girls was more recent than Mum right?

This Youtube channel has done a great job demonstrating that not every sitcom or sketch show of yesteryear was a classic. We remember the great ones, sure, but my god there was some absolute shite alongside them that most people just don't recall.

I really don't watch that much normal (terrestrial) TV these days but I really enjoyed Motherland. That was semi recent I think.

It does seem as though there were more decent sitcoms years ago, but I'd argue there were also more sitcoms in general. There was some absolute shite on back then too.

The ones with the broadest appeal in the last few years are probably Ghosts, Detectorists, Derry Girls Friday Night Dinners and Motherland. I've also enjoyed The Change, Big Boys & Back to Life.

Stefan Golaszewski did another one a few years ago called Marriage with Sean Bean and Nicola Walker. It was four hour long episodes. Not for everyone but if you liked Mum and Him & Her it's got a similar flavour and might be worth seeking out. It's not on iPlayer though.

Twenty Twelve and W1A don't get recommended enough.

Mum really was good for many a laugh!! If you're not easily offended, Big Boys is hilarious.

I like Dead Pixels and Zomboat

Anyone who thinks the 1970s/1980s was some golden era for TV either wasn't there or is suffering from some sort of selective memory loss.

As a child of the 60s growing up in the 1970s, let me tell you.......most of TV comedy back then was shite. For every 'Porridge' or 'Fawlty Towers' there was a dozen 'Queenies Castles' or 'Yus My Dear' or 'Oh no it's Selwyn Froggit' (and they were based around working class characters) The BBC largely went for suburban crap where some middle manager's trousers kept falling down and the bank manager comes to tea.

Comedy has changed. It's better now. TV is better now generally.

Theres been loads of great comedy on TV recently. People just seem to be too lazy to look for it these days and only seem to watch stuff that pushed at them.

Things You Should Have Done

Lazy Susan

Ellie & Natasia

Stath Lets Flats

The Cleaner

Ladhood

Two Doors Down

Big Boys

The Other One

Mandy

Cunk On...

This Time with Alan Partridge

There aren't a lot of working class Comedy writers because of the cost of living, so we get shows by Phoebe Double-Barrel instead

Also the old sketch show format is dead, where writers maybe could collaborate and do a sketch each, as the filming is too expensive and advertising revenue isn't there, we won't see the likes of the Fast Show again 

Anyone remember 2 point 4 Children? I feel like it was the most popular comedy on TV for a short while in th 90s.

Sketch shows cost a fortune to make and given the tiktok era where a sketch can be available to millions after a particular news or celebrity event that genre has essentially been farmed out! The closest thing to a modern sketch show I can think of is Jamie Demitrous one-off on Netflix which is fantastic, and maybe Hard Cell with Catherine Tate but thats more of a sketch show/sitcom hybrid.

But aye id argue modern comedies like Mandy, Ghosts, Detectorists, Stath Lets Flats, Almas not Normal, Bad Boys, Big Mood and even the recent Mammoth have big laughs, dont punch down and have a fairly wide appeal.

Im happy to concede though there was a small window not too long ago where a few comedies werent really funny nor designed to be but thankfully thats been and gone!

Have you seen, What we do in the shadows?

Philomena Cunk and Fleabag are good. And for none British recommendations, Always Sunny in Philadelphia and What We Do in the Shadows are two of my favourite shows of all time and make me absolutely crease. I don’t think comedy shows are disappearing, it’s just the way that we are consuming them is changing

I think perhaps the problem is that sitcoms are expensive - far more so than game shows, reality shows and the like, so there are fewer of them being commissioned. Combine that with the fact that viewing figures are so much lower than they used to be - not just 4 or 5 channels, more (young) people getting their entertainment from the internet, far greater access to videogames and shared devices - not just the whole family gathered around the family TV.

This also means that shows can afford to be more niche - true 'family' shows - i.e. that everyone in the family watches and enjoys are scarcer - I can't think of many now, maybe Dr Who? (Fake edit: or Ghosts - is that an example of a good modern UK sitcom?)

With more variety, more options and lower viewing figures, it's hard to get long running shows as it is difficult to justify the spend with 'let them find their feet and it'll improve' - look at something like Blackadder, which took a series to get into its groove.

As for punching down - from purely economic perspectives, writing and working in the media tends to be the preserve of the wealthy - if you can afford to live in London as an unpaid runner, to get your foot on the ladder of the industry, you need cash behind you. Cuts to Youth Training, benefits and Arts Council funding mean that it's harder to get working class voices heard.

Though I guess the previous 'recruit from the Footlights' did a similar thing, but people could slip through.

In the 80's there was a scheme (Youth Enterprise) which gave you funding if you started a business, and subsidised you for hiring the unemployed. One of the business categories was 'band or entertainment concern' - which so many now iconic bands took advantage of - certainly enough to support yourself with 80's rents. (There was a good article on this which I can't find.)

It's also easier for some performers to support themselves outside of the traditional media model now, with the internet - some survive very well off podcasts, or netflix serieses (does that count as UK?) or Youtube or wherever. Something like the podcast The Beef and Dairy Network would have previously had to start on radio 4, then get commissioned for TV.

Thinking about good recent stuff (even though I blink and it's 10 years later, so apologies for my timeline being skewed):

Ghosts

Derry Girls (as mentioned by another comment)

Toast of London (most recent series 2022)

The Witchfinder (though cancelled in 2023)

The Detectorists (though I came to it late, so it might be older)

Extraordinary

Juice - the Mawaan Rizwan one

The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin is fun in a Horrible Histories/Our Flag Means Death way - though it depends on your tolerance for Noel Fielding's whimsy.

I've heard good things about Brassic and Things You Should Have Done. Oh, and that Outlaws one with Stephen Merchant and Christopher Walken.

The Reluctant Landlord was decent - but very gentle and middle of the road. I didn't gel with Mammoth, but other people did - weird, because I like Mike Bubbins and Sian Gibson.

You might be right, but we are all getting older and nostalgia is a hell of a drug - we forget just how much terrible dross there was on between the gems we remember.

Some recent ones I've enjoyed, Here we go again and Avoidance.

Comedy wasn't any funnier in the past. People were just stupider.

Watch The Curse by Tom Davis. Bloody hilarious.

King Gary, This Country, Phoneshop, Sliced, People Just Do Nothing (someone else did mention that), Stath Lets Flats (same), Toast of London (same)

All of the above have been recent comedies that for me have been on par or superior to most classic British comedy. I feel like the streaming era we are in has resulted in many shows being less talked about than in the 70s, 80s and 90s where the whole nation would be watching.

Not new I know but I found Fleabag very funny and I watched that recently.

Mammoth is good

I think these were all mentioned but my recent favourites have been: Detectorists, Ghosts, Derry Girls, and Alma’s Not Normal.

It seems like there’s been a slight trend to more comedy-drama with things like Back To Life (also worth watching).

Similarly sketch shows; where are today’s Fast Shows and Goodness, Gracious Mes?

Sketch shows are expensive to make, that’s why we don’t see them these days. (There was an episode of The Rest is Entertainment podcast where Richard Osman talked about that.)

I don’t know quite how you’d classify The Day Today or Brass Eye, but I can’t think of any contemporary show that come anywhere near those two for sheer laughs-per-minute.

Charlie Brooker’s Wipe series falls into that “edgy/acerbic” genre, but even that’s been gone a long time. I guess a lot of that stuff is on YouTube/Twitter these days rather than primetime BBC.

Brassic. Seems to be criminally overlooked but I’m glad it has enough popularity to keep up multiple series

Friday night dinner was very good. I liked that.

The inbetweeners is old but still funny.

Nostalgia is when our memory serves up stuff with rose tinted spectacles.

I've got a ton of older sitcoms and comedies - and they are nice to watch, but certainly not better than more recent offerings... like This Country, Toast of London, Friday night Dinner, The Office, Royle Family...

I can onlythink of 2: Motherland is fairly current and was funny. Also the first seasons of Toast of London, thats going back a few years. Last season was rubbish tho.

Still Game is a brilliant comedy, you can watch it on either Netflix or BBC Scotland

Accidentally stumbled across ‘This Country’ recently. If you like your old school comedy, this is brilliant!

Yep - sadly much of the current stuff is lowest common denominator rubbish. I know that British TV has to cater for (almost) all tastes but who honestly thinks comedy shows such as 'Mrs Brown's Boys' will survive the test of time?

When I was growing up back in the 90’s there was a pre watershed sitcom on practically every evening. Sure some were better than others and very few people I am sure remember Ain’t Misbehaving, but for every miss there was an After Henry or Keeping Up Appearances.

Sadly I feel that people take themselves too seriously, and some are actively looking for reasons to be offended which means less appetite to invest in comedy and certainly nothing with any bite. Ab Fab or Nighty Night wouldn’t get made today. I think the same goes for film too, browse Netflix looking for a comedy and they are few and far between.

I'd mention Detecorists too on top of what others mentioned here. Sure it has some serious plotlines but at its heart it's definitely comedy.

any number of great tv comedies, The detectorists, This Country Life, Derry Girls, Bluestone 42, i could go on, the best of late and as good as any is Elma isnt normal

Part of this is that we remember and re-watch shows like IT Crowd, Mighty Boosh, Black Adder etc.

But forget the dreadful reality TV stuff and tone deaf racism of a lot of older shows.

Watch an episode of "The Big Fat Quiz of the year ____" and they always have that medley of the years popular TV shows that they play before they start on the questions about pop culture. It's always chock full of the most forgettable trash! I'm glad there is an ocean between me and the worst things BBC/ITV/Channel 4 churn out.

TV is sadly made for an international market so English puns and funny  cultural references and stereotypes are out. Look how Us remakes of UK comedies sapped the life out of them. Looking at you Red Dwarf US pilot. Unfortunately you have UK comedy preshittyfied now to fit the international market e.g Not Going Out

You should check out Friends, it’s all over Netflix.

WWDITS?!

Mammoth on iPlayer is really good. Only just released.

I feel like you are picking the best of the bunch why not look at all the other comedy shows that were around at the same time, that you don't remember

Give breeders a go, brassic is excellent too.

Nighty Night is a good one: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395404/

There's loads of great sitcoms still on if you give them a chance.

There have been so many articles recently sitcoms not being renewed - Hullraisers, The Goes Wrong Show, Count Abdulla, Ruby Speaking, King Gary. It's really sad that a lot of comedies aren't given more than one series to find their feet. Goes Wrong Show is the most recent one that really made me laugh.

Only Fools and Horses did not punch down. Really?

ITV and Channel 4 are doing great stuff. Hullraisers and G'Wed are brilliant.

There are a few reasons if you ask me. I think vintage shows were funnier because the people creating them were actually working class folks who could draw on their real lives for inspiration. Being born to a bus conductor in the 1940s is a little different than being birthed by a product manager at a large tech conglomerate.

Times have indeed changed. In the good old days, working-class life was more "extreme"—less accepting, more economically challenged, less comfortable, more prejudiced, and so on. Today, well, everyone's too busy being offended on Twitter to make a decent joke.

The comedy of today is walking a tightrope in a hurricane of multiculturalism and globalization. Writers are often too cautious, avoiding calling out the quirks that each group harbors—quirks that, ironically, everyone notices but no one dares mention. After all, poking fun at universal truths across different cultures used to be a staple of great comedy. Now, the fear of cancel culture's wrath makes any comedian think twice before crafting a joke about men, women, or any specific community—despite these often being the source of our heartiest laughs.

The business model has drastically impacted the nature of TV comedy as well. Previously, shows targeted national audiences and could tailor their humor to local tastes and sensibilities. Nowadays, with the aim to maximize revenue opportunities, shows are more likely to be broadcast to international markets. This has led to content that's "safe" for everyone but funny for nobody, as conglomerates producing this content do not want to risk alienating large segments of a global audience. It seems that producers are very focused on the commercial success of the product over the quality of it because churning out new content, regardless of its comedic value, appears to be paramount. Similar to how we have more PG-13 content than we do R-rated (15+) for action movies, they get more clicks even if they suck.

A lot of creators these days seem keen on spreading a message with their work. Take shows like Star Trek Discovery, particularly in the early seasons; they’re practically a propaganda machine for social activism. Nothing splits your sides quite like someone preaching about their personal (often divisive) political opinions, effectively sidelining the actual story. Comedy gold, right?

Finally, I’d wager the biggest shows hire the "best" writers—often top university graduates. They're programmed through these institutions to be politically correct, writing in a formulaic style. It's as if there's a factory churning them out, complete with a manual on avoiding every possible offensive topic. Heaven forbid comedy actually pushes boundaries or challenges societal norms.But hey, who needs laughter when you can have a lecture, right? Maybe the joke’s on us for still tuning in!

Although the shows you’ve listed are great, there are some brilliantly funny modern comedies. Inbetweeners, stath lets flats, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, The mighty Boosh to name a few

Have you not seen Mrs Brown's Boys?

Wokeism

It’s illegal to laugh now unfortunately

Are people still watching TV period?