BBC Documentaries

Sex and the Sitcom (2011x248)

Air date: Mar 29, 2011

How has the sitcom responded to the sexual revolution? From Hancock's Half Hour in the 50s, through 70s sitcoms like Up Pompeii! and Reggie Perrin to contemporary comedies like Him & Her, this documentary explores sexual frustration as an enduring sitcom theme, the changing role of women and the British love of innuendo. Why did Butterflies cause such a stir in the 80s? Did Men Behaving Badly really capture the sexual politics of the 90s? And how did the permissive society affect Terry and June? The film looks at the changing language of sitcom, contrasts British comedy with its more liberal American counterpart, and asks whether the modern sitcom recognises any taboos at all. Contributors include sitcom stars Leslie Phillips, Leslie Joseph, Wendy Craig, and writers David Nobbs, Simon Nye and Jonathan Harvey