As I said previously, the pilot was produced in 1979.
Funniest Comedy Decade Page 3
Quote: Aaron @ January 20, 2008, 3:02 PMYou're all odd in the head! As good as some of the 90s stuff may be, look at the 70s! Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, Steptoe and Son, Dad's Army, Are You Being Served?, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Rising Damp, Porridge, Open All Hours, Sykes, The Goodies, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Two Ronnies, The Morecambe and Wise Show, and many maaaany more. Come on. Just look at some of those titles - and they're almost entirely just TV sitcoms! As good as Jeeves and Wooster, Father Ted et al are, there's really no comparison at all! Nineties are a reasonably close second yes, but come on, just look at some of those titles!
You forgot Mind Your Language!!!!!
And those I listed are only the ones which are reasonably well remembered. Dozens more which were huge at the time but not so trendy now. Mind Your Language, Please Sir!, Only When I Laugh, Terry and June, Father, Dear Father, All Gas and Gaiters, Oh, Brother!, Benny Hill, Oh, Father!, On the Buses, Bless This House, George and Mildred, Man About The House, Robin's Nest, Nearest and Dearest, Not The Nine O'Clock News, and of course the world's longest running sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine.
Quote: Eat_My_Shirts @ January 20, 2008, 3:17 PMYou forgot Mind Your Language!!!!!
Slightly ahead of you there! *points up* ^ 
Quote: Aaron @ January 20, 2008, 3:13 PMAs I said previously, the pilot was produced in 1979.
Hmmm... Interesting. I've just read elsewhere that it was made in 1982. Ok, well since there's some confusion, I'll retract the Blackadder specifically, but raise you The Secret Policeman's Balls, and as it started in early 1980, I reckon I can count Yes Minister in there too. 
All the decades have some amazing output, and yes the 70s produced a lot of sitcoms, but it's not quantity over quality!
The decade that speaks to me personally the most is still the 90s.
As much as people say Vic & Bob were influenced by Morcambe & Wise, I don't really agree, I think they and Lee & Herring feel completely original.
People in their thirties often say the The Young Ones felt like it was made specifically for them, and that's how I feel about the best stuff of the 90s.
Actually thinking about it the best decade will be the 2010's when my stuff gets aired - and everybody else here.
Quote: zooo @ January 20, 2008, 4:22 PMAll the decades have some amazing output, and yes the 70s produced a lot of sitcoms, but it's not quantity over quality!
But in the 70s, quantity came with quality.
Quote: zooo @ January 20, 2008, 4:22 PMAs much as people say Vic & Bob were influenced by Morcambe & Wise, I don't really agree
I'm pretty sure I've heard/seen them say that themselves, but ok.
70s still wins by a mile. A few shows by one or two double acts doesn't come close to what the 70s offered.
Quote: Aaron @ January 20, 2008, 5:22 PMI'm pretty sure I've heard/seen them say that themselves, but ok.
Yeah, I think you're right! I still disagree with them though. What do they know?
Yeah, there are similarities between Vic and Bob and Morcambe and Wise, theyre both classic double acts in one sense, but really Vic and Bobs material is pretty bonkers in comparison and not exactly the sort of thing that appeals to a mass mainstream audience. Plus you could argue that theres no straight man in Vic and Bob, Bob is just as funny and silly and off the wall as Vic, where as Wise is very definitely the straight man. Not to say Wise wasnt funny as well of course, but its Morecambe who was the focus of the laughs and the comedy.
Quote: Aaron @ January 20, 2008, 3:29 PMAnd those I listed are only the ones which are reasonably well remembered. Dozens more which were huge at the time but not so trendy now. Mind Your Language, Please Sir!, Only When I Laugh, Terry and June, Father, Dear Father, All Gas and Gaiters, Oh, Brother!, Benny Hill, Oh, Father!, On the Buses, Bless This House, George and Mildred, Man About The House, Robin's Nest, Nearest and Dearest, Not The Nine O'Clock News, and of course the world's longest running sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine.
A long list there, and plenty of them well known titles, thats for sure; but on a personal level I dont really like any of those series to the same level as I do my favourite nineties shows; I certainly wouldnt pay to own any of them, with perhaps the one exception being Not The Nine O'clock News.
Quote: Aaron @ January 20, 2008, 3:02 PMFawlty Towers, Steptoe and Son, Dad's Army, Are You Being Served?, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, Rising Damp, Porridge, Open All Hours, Sykes, The Goodies, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Two Ronnies, The Morecambe and Wise Show, and many maaaany more.
Fawlty Towers, Steptoe, Porridge, Python, Sykes, Some Mothers, Perrin; all great. But I still reckon the ninties edges it.
Ah, but now I think back to the 70's and think Monty Python, Rising Damp, Porridge, Fawlty Towers, Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads. Also, taking comedy films into account then we have Woody Allen, The Python films.....
I don't think it's possible to choose between the 70's/90's.
Surely it's a draw....
The 60's had Til Death us do part, Likely Lads, Steptoe & Son, Hancock, Sykes, Hugh & I, Please Sir (I think).
Quote: Winterlight @ January 20, 2008, 6:45 PMAh, but now I think back to the 70's and think Monty Python, Rising Damp, Porridge, Fawlty Towers, Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads. Also, taking comedy films into account then we have Woody Allen, The Python films.....
I don't think it's possible to choose between the 70's/90's.
Surely it's a draw....
Maybe, I think its certainly down to those two decades as far as television comedy is concerned.
I'd just like to point out before we go any further that an apostrophe is not required in terms of "60's", "70's", "90's" etc. It's plural, so collective.
00s because I'm laughing now.
I've been thinking about this for a couple of days now and still can't work out what my favourite decade is. The trouble is, there's brilliant stuff from every era.
If I had to choose a decade though I think I'd go with the 1990s - not an obvious choice but those are the shows I grew up with when I was a teenager and just getting into comedy.
That said, apart from some terrible sketch shows, the 00s haven't been too bad! They'll probably be looked back on fondly when people have managed to erase the fresh failures from their mind (every decade had comedies which dragged things down a level - its only over time these can be forgotten about)
Late 80's to early 90's.