What is the greatest modern British TV comedy? Vote in Radio Times' poll

Radio Times is hosting a landmark poll to decide which British TV comedies are destined to become the next generation's classics – and you can make your voice heard right now.

The British sense of humour is world-renowned and, contrary to what some might say, it hasn’t gone anywhere. But it's getting tougher to show it off on TV, with shrinking budgets and fragmenting audiences making it tricky to raise the funds to raise a chuckle.

But that doesn't mean that broadcasters haven't been creating great sitcoms and comedy shows in the last few years, with new classics emerging to take their place alongside Fawlty Towers, The Office and Only Fools and Horses.

RT is looking to shine a spotlight on the newer shows worthy of becoming part of that comedy canon, from the funniest talents working today. With your help, we're looking to crown the best 'modern' comedy of recent years.

Of course, what one defines as 'modern' may vary – for the purpose of this poll, we've drawn a line at the start of the 2010s. After all, only one show from that entire decade (Detectorists) ranked in our previous comedy poll in 2019, which saw Fawlty Towers voted the all-time greatest sitcom.

Seven years later, this vote is not a replacement for that result, but rather a companion to it – your winning shows will sit beside earlier classics to form a snapshot of British comedy's past and present, which could also help point the way towards a bright future.

We’ve curated a shortlist of 25 newer comedies based on the picks of more than a dozen industry experts, including the BBC's director of comedy Jon Petrie, Ghosts co-creator Laurence Rickard, stand-up comic Phil Wang and actor/Taskmaster survivor Emma Sidi (find the full list beneath the poll).

But it’s up to you to make the final call – which one deserves to be known as our best modern comedy? Find more details on each shortlisted show below, including reactions from the creators themselves, and vote for your favourite here:

Thank you to the participants of our expert panel, who curated the shortlist.

• Alex Moody (Sky Studios, head of comedy commissioning)
• Asim Chaudhry (People Just Do Nothing co-creator)
• Charlie Perkins (Channel 4, head of comedy)
• Daniel Lawrence Taylor (Boarders creator)
• Emma Sidi (Starstruck)
• Holly Walsh (Motherland co-creator)
• Jack Rooke (Big Boys creator)
• Jon Mountague (Netflix, scripted comedy content creative)
• Jon Petrie (BBC, director of comedy)
• Laurence Rickard (Ghosts co-creator)
• Mawaan Rizwan (Juice creator)
• Nana Hughes (ITV, head of scripted comedy)
• Phil Wang (Stand-up comedian)

We followed up with the creatives and stars of the shortlisted shows to find out what makes them so special – find out more about each of them below:

After Life

2019–2022, Netflix

Ricky Gervais broke hearts as widowed reporter Tony Johnson, whose suffering manifests in unfiltered observations. "No one talks about grieving," Gervais says. "People want to see themselves on telly – even if it’s something that they’ve never talked about before."

Available on Netflix

Alma’s Not Normal

2020–2024, BBC Two

Sophie Willan was a force of nature in this semi-autobiographical series, about a working-class woman with dreams of becoming a star. Co-star Lorraine Ashbourne, who played grandma Joan, is still impressed. "It takes bravery to be as open as Sophie was when she was making this series," she tells RT.

Available on iPlayer

Big Boys

2022–2025, Channel 4

An unlikely friendship forms in ramshackle university digs. You might think you know what to expect, but Jack Rooke’s scripts will surprise you. "My inspiration was The Royle Family," Rooke says. "The tone of that was dramatic when it needed to be but also silly."

Available on Channel 4 streaming

Brassic

2019–2025, Sky Max

Joe Gilgun and Michelle Keegan led Sky’s flagship comedy, following the lives of Hawley’s petty criminals. Co-creator Danny Brocklehurst credits Brassic’s success to "the mix of good-hearted high jinks with a very potty mouth". He adds: "We dealt with serious themes, but against a backdrop of silliness."

Available on NOW

Catastrophe

2015–2019, Channel 4

An unplanned pregnancy sparked a romance between two (almost) strangers, played by co-writers Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan. "We wrote and spoke about what we wanted," Delaney recalls. "It’s undiluted, and if it hadn’t been, I don’t think it would have been successful."

Available on Netflix

Changing Ends

2023–present, ITVX

Comedian Alan Carr revisits awkward childhood memories for this '80s-set coming-of-age story. "I wanted to push myself and not have a swear word as a punchline," says Carr. "Just good old-fashioned jokes that resonate with people."

Available on ITVX

Chewing Gum

2015–2017, E4

Michaela Coel gives a star-making turn as Tracey Gordon, whose Christian upbringing clashes with her urge for sexual liberation. "Michaela managed to portray life on a London council estate through a completely different lens," says executive producer Nana Hughes.

Available on Channel 4 streaming

Derry Girls

2018–2022, Channel 4

An exemplary ensemble plays misfit Northern Irish schoolgirls (and boy), to whom the "real Troubles" are the indignities of teen life. "To be able to put my people on screen is a joy," says creator Lisa McGee.

Available on Channel 4 streaming

Detectorists

2014–2022, BBC Four

Mackenzie Crook concedes that Detectorists was a “strange idea”, but this unassuming show about metal-detecting hobbyists became a 'comfort watch'. "I was against that [description] at first, but I realise that’s what it is," he says. "It doesn’t mean it can’t be funny if it’s gentle."

Available on iPlayer

Dreaming Whilst Black

2021–present, BBC Three

Struggling screenwriter Kwabena (Adjani Salmon) attempts to launch his career in a blend of showbiz satire, office humour, romance and social commentary. "We aren’t married to the traditional sitcom, but that allows us to subvert the audience at any point," says Salmon.

Available on iPlayer

Fleabag

2016–2019, BBC Three

Phoebe Waller-Bridge achieved stardom with this adaptation of her one-woman show. "It was the biggest cultural phenomenon I’ve experienced," commissioner Shane Allen says. "Phoebe’s personality imbued Fleabag with this huge charisma, and her writing was ground-breaking."

Available on iPlayer

Friday Night Dinner

2011–2020, C4

Family gatherings are rarely more stressful than a night with the Goodmans, but viewers couldn’t get enough of these eccentrics, "loosely" based on Robert Popper’s own relatives. "I like it when things go wrong," he says. "You have your hands over your eyes, thinking ‘Oh, God, what’s going to happen?’"

Available on Channel 4 streaming

Ghosts

2019–2023, BBC One

This crowd-pleaser turned paranormal activity into a party for all ages. "Creating Ghosts was our biggest achievement, and its success was beyond what we could have imagined," says star Martha Howe-Douglas. "But we were just great friends doing our dream job together."

Available on iPlayer

Inside No. 9

2014–2024, BBC Two

It doesn’t always resemble a traditional BBC comedy commission, but this creepy anthology packed enough laughs into nine series to warrant inclusion. "I don’t think there’ll be anything like it again, especially as it was written by just two people," suggests Steve Pemberton, who co-wrote the show with Reece Shearsmith.

Available on iPlayer

Man Like Mobeen

2017–2025, BBC Three

Reformed drug dealer Mobeen (Guz Khan) raises his teenage sister in a sitcom that never shies away from social issues and places "authenticity" above all. "It’s a show about friendship and laughter," Khan says. "You never see male characters from a working class background on British telly showing as much care as these lot."

Available on iPlayer

Mid Morning Matters

2010–2016, Sky Atlantic

Neil and Rob Gibbons revitalised Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) with this window into North Norfolk broadcasting. "It doesn’t have those big, broad set pieces from back in the day, but what it does have is a very dense concentration of jokes of different types," explains Neil. "It’s a dose of neat Alan."

Available on NOW

Motherland

2016–2022, BBC Two

A group of suburban mothers (and one stay-at-home dad) jump through the hoops of child-rearing, in the series that gifted us Lucy Punch’s gloriously pretentious Amanda. "Even rich, beautiful people are unhappy, and that’s something that keeps us all going," says co-creator Holly Walsh.

Available on iPlayer

Mum

2016–2019, BBC Two

Lesley Manville brings warmth to widow Cathy Walker, as she inches towards romance with friend Michael (Peter Mullan). "The show is a slow burn and that’s not an easy thing to get away with," says creator Stefan Golaszewski. "I can’t imagine anyone could predict what it became by the end."

Available on iPlayer

People Just Do Nothing

2014–2018, BBC Three

Cameras followed the deluded crew of a pirate radio station in this hysterical 'cringe comedy'. "The BBC were terrified of us and rightly so, because we weren’t actors or writers," recalls writer/star Asim Chaudhry. "They did back us, and we learnt a lot, but it wasn’t easy."

Available on iPlayer

Peter Kay’s Car Share

2015—2018, BBC One

Peter Kay and Sian Gibson struck gold with their charming commutes to work, which captivated viewers with relatable gags and an unspoken romance. "We knew exactly how to make each other laugh," says Gibson. "The fun we had making the show comes through on the screen."

Stath Lets Flats

2018–2021, Channel 4

Few comedy characters emerge as fully formed as bumbling estate agent Stath Charalambos (Jamie Demetriou). Viewers were quickly sold, but properties were not. "I’m forever flattered that people loved the show," says Demetriou.

Available on Channel 4 streaming

Such Brave Girls

2023–present, BBC Three

A mother and her adult daughters exchange barbs in this brilliantly warped sitcom from Kat Sadler. Executive producer Jack Bayles says: "It’s packed with character and jokes, but with trauma and mental health issues baked into its DNA."

Available on iPlayer

This Country

2017–2020, BBC Three

Siblings Charlie and Daisy May Cooper vividly depict rural life for young adults in one of the best shows to adopt the 'mockumentary' format. "They are comedy geniuses, pure and simple," says BBC comedy commissioner Shane Allen. "It’s a modern classic that’ll be watched by generations."

Available on iPlayer

Toast of London

2012–2020, Channel 4

Matt Berry dreamt up a bizarre world for failing actor Steven Toast. "The show contained material that myself and Arthur [Mathews, co-creator] found funny, and we hoped that Channel 4 would think it was OK," Berry tells RT. "To be fair, they let us do anything we wanted."

Available on NOW

W1A

2014–2017, BBC Two

Workplace politics and public scrutiny collide in the adventures of the BBC’s Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville). Creator John Morton, who first conceived the character for comedy Twenty Twelve, says: "It’s about people trying to organise something important under pressure and stubbing their toe on the details."

Available on iPlayer

Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

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