Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em

BBC comedy classics go on display

Much-loved British comedians and sitcom stars are being celebrated in a new exhibition. Comedy faces from Frankie Howerd to Ricky Gervais are on display at the Compton Verney art gallery in Warwickshire from 9 July. BBC Faces of Comedy is showing 100 pictures ranging from the 1950s to the present day. Leading comics have curated the exhibition - including Have I Got News For You panellist Paul Merton and the star of Citizen Khan, Adil Ray. Here they talk about some of their favourite comedy moments.

John Lloyd critical of 'impertinent' sitcom remakes

Blackadder mastermind John Lloyd has insisted that his iconic sitcom will not follow the likes of Porridge, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em and Are You Being Served? in being remade by the BBC.

The danger of constantly celebrating the past

Nostalgia. Easy promotability. A blend of old and new. Low risk. Lots of press. And a brand new half hour to be written by Clement and Frenais, writers of the near-perfect Porridge. What's not to like? As a consumer of comedy, I'm fine with all of the above obviously. As a writer of comedy, my feelings are slightly more mixed.

Raymond Allen interview

As a special episode of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em is filmed, the show's creator reveals why Norman Wisdom turned down the lead and the story behind that famous raincoat.

In what looks decidedly like a sod-it capitulation to the bigger networks, Channel 5 continues its retro repeats. First, that means Frank Spencer trying to pass his driving test. Rubbish in 1975, still rubbish now. Far better is Butterflies (9pm) from 1979, Carla Lane's bittersweet dissection of middle-class life, at its best like a Margaret Drabble novel played for laughs. Finally, there's an episode of Terry and June (9.45pm), nominally from 1982 but actually existing in its own timeless suburban realm of double entendres and cheesy gags. That's not a criticism, by the way.