A to Z Of British 90s Sitcoms You Probably Don't Remember (90S UK Sitcoms list) 

I must be in the minority but I enjoyed The Brittas Empire

Chris Barrie is amazing! He came to a sci-fi fun day the year I started going out with my soon to be husband, held in Corsham (Wiltshire) Leisure Centre. Obviously, being SF geeks we expected him to talk about Red Dwarf, but he couldn't resist being in a leisure and centre and opening the show in the persona of Gordon Brittas. He and Danny John-Jules did several conventions with that group and I've got photos of us with them up at home. (Hubby unfortunately passed away from cancer a few years ago, so I treasure any memory like that :)). And as a receptionist now I hope I'm not too much like Carol. Thankfully the only babies at reception are those belonging to my colleagues! My favourite 90s comedy has to be Drop the Dead Donkey -- partly for the political comedy, but also because of the workplace comedy being unfortunately rather true to life.

OMG Russ Abbott! I’d forgotten he existed! I used to LOVE watching his sketch show 😃

Watching this reminded me of a mid-90’s sitcom with John Gordon Sinclair as a newspaper columnist called ‘Nelson’s Column’. Just watched an episode and really enjoyed it again. Maybe most remember it.

Before the Hamlet adverts, Baldy Man was a character in Naked Video, a Scottish sketch show which also launched Rab C Nesbit.

I loved Waiting For God. Tom and Diana made a hilarious couple.

Not sure how many episodes of The Brittas Empire I struggled through, but in one episode, it did come up with the genius idea of combining paintball with a safari park. I'm still waiting for that to arrive in real life.

Waiting For God is a masterpiece.

Joking Apart was far better than suggested here. Steven Moffat employs all the narrative tricks he used to great effect later in Coupling. Series 1 is especially funny and definitely deserves much more love.

A good list of obscure sitcoms but Brittas was certainly major and remembered by many I’d have thought. Anyway keep up the good work. Top channel mate.

I actually remember Chelmsford 123 and used to love it 🤣

I remember 'Waiting For God' being one of the shows my biological father was very into…. I remember recognising the main male character being played by the chap who played Mr Clutterbuck in 'The Amazing Mr Blunden' 😆😂🤣

Who remembers "Time After Time", the Brian Conley sitcom?

Richard Herring & Stewart Lee used to take the piss out of “lazy comedy hacks” in their show (TMWRNJ) and I couldn’t help think of that while watching this.

On The Up brought us the phrase, "Just the one Mrs Wembley?" which I hear quoted a lot by people who can't have possibly seen the series :D

A few more 90s ones; The Piglet Files with Nicholas Lyndhurst, Chalk (from the team behind Joking Apartment), Oh Doctor Beeching (from the Hi Di Hi team), Grace and Favour (follow up to Are You Being Served?), Let Them Eat Cake with French and Saunders and Me You and Him with Punt and Dennis and Nick Hancock).

Some really good ones here. I loved Mullberry, great show. Not on this list, but from the nineties. Waiting for God was my favorite that is actually on your list.

I remember the Brittas Empire, in Australia the ABC ran it on weeknights in the 6.00pm timeslot.

Loving your channel and the wave of nostalgia. I've been binge watching. Thank you. Also, you (narrator) remind me strongly of Fine Time Fontayne (Ian Crossley) of the Blackburn Files. It must be the Northern accent.

I loved Terry and Julian, and Sean's Show. Waiting For God was excellent. I think Heil Honey I'm Home showed on one of the cable channels, which were trying to be a bit shocking. I don't think many people saw it. I never watched The Baldy Man but I loved the adverts.

Nice to see this one list finally made Now all that’s left is the 70s and the early 2000s Keep up the great works

Wow.. On The Up.. I’d forgotten it, yet the minute you brought it up the catchphrase ‘Just the one Mrs Wembley?’ came straight to mind

Chemlsford 123 was great, it featured Rory McGrath and Jimmy Mullville from the Channel 4 sketch show Who dares wins, which also featured Baldrick himself Aka Tony Robsinson. Rory McGrath of course went on to star on They think its all over.

I have only heard of Chelmsford 123 and Brighton Bells because of your channel Remember The Brittas Empire and the reception using the filing cabnet to keep her baby in. Must thank you for including a programme which included Richard Lumsden in, didn't know his name but his face has bugged me for months and months. Not his looks but I can remember him being in a programme and not knowing what it or he were called. So I have finally tracked it down. Thank You Loved Sean's Show "By-bye, bye....by-bye..bye...bye...bye"

I used to watch the Brittas Empire when I was little. There were so many scenes that traumatized me! The time they had a crocodile in the pool, when they nearly decapitated a maintenance worker with a welding torch, the horribleness of Brittas's relationship with his depressed wife. There was so much I can't unsee!

Very good thanks 😌

How about Hippies, the "forgotten" sitcom from Graham Linehan and Arthur Matthews of Father Ted and IT Crowd fame? Not as funny as either of the former but still worth a watch with a great cast including the aforementioned Darren Boyd alongside Simon Pegg, Julian Rhind-Tutt and the always utterly gorgeous Sally Phillips. It also featured the wonderful Kevin Eldon in one episode and the spellchecker nightmare that is Peter Serafinowicz I'd also add an honourable mention for The Peter Principle which was hardly groundbreaking stuff but still watchable and worth a chuckle if only for the magnificent Jim Broadbent in the lead role

I loved "Is it Legal". I still do!

I think there was a framing story for Heil Honey I'm Home, that it was supposed to be a lost American sitcom from the 1950s.

I remember watching "Families" and also "Revelations" Both on late at night.

Does anyone remember The Peter Principle with Jim Broadbent as a bank manager? One of my favourite 90's sitcoms.

A couple I'd like to throw in the hat are.. Starting Out (1999), Starring Siobhan Hayes of My Family and Ricci Harnett aka Rise of the footsoldier's Carlton Leach no less. The Dectectives (1993), Starring Jasper Carrot and Robert Powell. Maybe this one isn't obscure enough though.

Some good and bad memories in this video, great stuff!

I really loved the Brittas Empire I also loved Is It Legal and I found it side splittingly hilarious. So our comedy tastes do not match. If I found Is It Legal was on DVD I would have bought it.

Joking apart, absolutely fantastic and Stephen went on to give us in my opinion, the best sitcom ever “coupling“

I grew up in the 90s but I haven't heard of most of these except The Brittas Empire which I quite liked, Waiting For God, Heil Honey I'm Home and Married For Life which I only found out about last year. I also vaguely remember The Baldy Man but it was probably from adverts more than the actual show.

I don't remember the majority of these. However episodes of the Baldy Man were always shown on Britannia Airways flights when we used to go on holiday during that era, funnily enough I don't ever remember seeing it on the TV though.

I LOVED Chelmsford 123. I think It’s available on some service related to Channel 4 as I remember giving it another view a few years ago. I think it was, like most, built of it’s time and wouldn’t be given the time of day now, but I loved it at the time Rory McGrath play Badvoc, the local chieftain, and Jimmy Mulville was Aulus Paulinus, the Roman governor of Britain. I need to see if I can find it again. Loved it

Brittas Empire is a classic, always remember it being on the telly on a Saturday just before the Brian Conley show and the lottery.

Ha. I must've watched too much TV in my teens 'cos I remember pretty much all of these!

I loved waiting for god i used to watch it with my mum on Thursdays. I have the box set now. It was funny with Basil the lady magnet.

I can't imagine a worse idea than a UK version of Married with Children starring Russ Abbot. Jesus.

Great video very informative and interesting. Lol of theses were very crap too

This is why I love your channel I always learn something. I loved is it legal and I own all three series on dvd. Patrick Barlow who played Bob was the shopping channel presenter Bridget Jones's mum had an affair with in case you didn't know. I also loved the Brittas Empire but I have to agree Colin was not for teatime. I was a huge fan of LOS DOS BROS Cavin Clerkin you might remember from IT crowd as the man who coaxed Roy into being a getaway driver and Darren Boyd was in Smack the Pony. I do very much remember Captain Butler...It used to be on late at night.

I loved waiting for god. Stephanie Cole and Graham Cowden were a treat.

In the 90s there was a bit of lifting from the USA. Brighton Belles was a British Golden Girls, Married For Life was Married With Kids and Sean's Show was It's Gary Shandling's Show. The Brittas Empire was well known but what about Chris Barrie's other sitcom from the 90s? A Prince Among Men where he plays retired footballer and NOT a Kevin Keegan clone. Other 90s sitcoms largely forgotten now: So Haunt Me (modern family get haunted by an old Jewish lady ghost), Sitting Pretty and Nightingales.

I live Sean’s show!! Please. Love it. Thanks for the this video. So funny what they got away with them. Love Julian too. X

The Peter Principle staring Jim Broadbent as an incompetent bank manager ran for 2 series and is well worth a watch... very funny and on here.

Thank you for including the chapters with timestamps; very appreciated (even if they may not all be named correctly 15:50) 🙂

I do remember most of these, whether good or bad. I was in my mid to late teens in the early 90's and I remember a few were my favourites like Chelmsford 123 with Rory McGarth as Briton Badvok and Jimmy Mullville as Roman Leader Aulus Paulinus and Philip Pope as sidekick Grasientus, it was generally on after 10 O' clock because it was quite adult humour. Seans Show was one after 10pm on Channel 4 and was funny almost in a Neil from the Young Ones kind of way and I loved the removal of the 'Fourth Wall' concept and the sock on the radiator that never dried! I did love Chris Barrie in The Brittas Empire as he was riding high at the time off the back of being one of the main Spitting Image voices, doing much comedy on Radio and also Red Dwarf - a busy man! I also do remember Gordon Kennedy in Althetico Party but also shouting 'Stoney-Bridge' in the sketch show Absolutely! with Morwiena Banks and it's great to see Gordon quite regually on TV in various programms to this day. I did watch also the super Julian Clary after the sucess of The Joan Colins Fan Club on Channel 4 in the 80's, in Terry and Jullian which itself was a re-hash for C4 again of an old BBC Radio 4 comdey with Kenneth Williams and Hugh paddick called Round the Horne, I just used to love Jullians' outfitts every week and the camp double entendres! Thank you very much for this trip down funny lane. Oh and Gregory Fisher who was the Baldie Man went on to have much sucess for a long time with down-and-out Glaswien alcoholic Rab C Nesbitt but started out with a Baldie Man character in a series of Hamlet Cigar ads in the 80's which was so popular and funny at the time that he got an actual spin-off show but it was sadly not as good. 😊👍❤📺🎬🎥

Sitting Pretty and May to December. These were a couple of my favourites at the time that were not mentioned. I'm not sure how they'd stand up now. 🤔

I wonder if anyone remembers ‘If you see God tell him’? (1993) It starred Richard Briers as a wheelchair bound simpleton, who took all advertisements as factual. It only ran for one series, I remember really enjoying it at the time

You had me at "Heil Honey, I'm Home".

The actress in the clip from Is It Legal starred in the show Coupling. BTW - I liked The Brittas Empire

The Baldy Man actually gave me nightmares as a child!

I remember On the Up. Joan Sim's character, Mrs. Wembley had the catchphrase "Just the One", as she was a bit of a heavy drinker. I'm curious as to how it didn't run longer than it did, as I recall it being fairly successful.

Remember Chelmsford 123 very well and watched all of them. Also had as a guest Philip Pope (Cwying) from their Who Dares Wins team.

Operation Good Guys was actually a funny sit com from the 90's

Don't forget the non-event "Babes In The Wood"

Brittas Empire was really famous. I remember that TB one - weird set up. I liked Is It Legal? I know it wasn't good though.

Loved 'Haggard', 'Waiting For God' and 'No Job For A Lady'. Even my impossible to please father loved them. I also have a virtual pet spider called Elvis! Never watched 'The Brittas Empire'. Not too keen on Chris Barrie, there's something about him I can't warm to.

There was a UK remake of 'That 70's Show' that came out in '99, called 'Days like These'. It lasted one season, and shouldn't even have lasted that.

I loved joking Apart, First season was awesome and enough nerds put pressure on so it was released from the archives so can be bought.

I absolutely loved Fiddlers Three as a youngster - wish they were on DVD. Big fan of Eric Chappell sitcoms.

I remember most of these , loved Haggard ,Waiting For God and The Brittas Empire

8:58 I've never seen the show, but the title made me think of the 2005 movie "Keeping Mum" which I enjoyed very much.

@12:40 the words "write the theme tune, sing the theme tune" came to mind for some reason...

Great video. Does anyone remember Chalk from around 96/97? It was set in a school and centred around the head teacher. I thought it was OK at the time, but if we look back now it was probably terrible.

Love Sean's Show, have the first series on dvd somewhere

15:50 Is that the same set used for the chapel scenes in "The Vicar of Dibley"?

Richard Lumsden played ‘Foggy’ in first of the summer wine

5:33. Didn't Ray Galton and Alan Simpson meet in a TB recovery ward after the war which is how their partnership began and led to Hancock and Steptoe.

Loads to choose from in the 90's. A few I remember: L - Lazarus & Dingwall. 1991, H - I remember Haggard, it was bad. "Home To Roost" also with Reece Dinsdale was far better! N - Nightingales? No one seems to remember this. Brilliant series only ran for 2 though, have the DVD O - Totally agree, On the Up was great. I have the complete 3 series on DVD Baldy Man dates back to the sketch show Naked Video, the Hamlet ad was a direct lift from one of their sketches (Fisher being in Naked Video as well) Good list though!

Joking Apart series 2 was the funniest thing made in Britain in the 90's. It was far more anarchic than the description and just ran its course. I watch the dvd regularly. Seriously, the personified penis episode almost killed me laughing.

Never heard of these either. Captain Butler is what that bloke who was in it loved saying, Bollocks. lol

I have NEVER heard of Captain Butler, and I'm a huge Red Dwarf fan! Craig Charles shouldnt have bothered doing it is what I say!

Brittas empire , Blot on the landscape , black adder goes forth

Chelmsford 123 was a favorite and still is. So was waiting for god ( I think that one still gets repeated on some channels ). Its a shame sitcoms seem to be dying out.

One that everyone seems to miss is the 99 'comedy' called "all along the watchtower". Set in a Scottish RAF early warning base. Only 6 episodes and istr it was shown on Sunday afternoons on BBC1

LOVED BRITTAS EMPIRE

Here's a couple for you hunt down! The Front Line, with Paul Barber & Tony Scoggo (think that's right) Laura & Disorder (Wendy Craig) Oh yeah, also Cowboys - (Peter Learmouth?)

Sean's Show was great!

Will you do another video of forgotten 90’s sitcoms?

A shame Colin's Sandwich didn't get a look in. 2 series from 88-90 and in my opinion, total genius.

I remember Terry and Julian. It was like Mrs. Brown's Boys, before it's time... I liked it, but then I was only nine years old.

I still love chelmsford 123 its a very under estimated show the dvd is still available and worth a watch

chelmsford 123... loved that !

I've just watched Time After Time starring Brian Conley. I think it only did two series in 1993 and 1994 but it was actually quite funny and had potential for more.

Chelmsford 123, the same Guys from Absolutely. C123 is similar to Black Adder. Season 1 Arrivaderci Roma -- 9 March 1988 (played entirely in Latin until Aulus arrives in Britain) What's Your Poison? -- 16 March 1988 The Girl of My Dreams -- 23 March 1988 One For The Road -- 30 March 1988 Vidi Vici Veni -- 6 April 1988 Peeled Grapes and Pedicures -- 13 April 1988 Season 2 Heads You Lose -- 9 January 1990 Get Well Soon -- 16 January 1990 Bird Trouble -- 23 January 1990 Odi, et Amo -- 30 January 1990 The Secret War -- 6 February 1990 Mine's a Double -- 13 February 1990 Something Beginning With 'E' -- 20 February 1990

I saw the first 2 episodes in the studio audience, and the out-takes were better than the comedy bits!

The only thing I can remember from Brighton Belles is their attempt to recreate the Golden Girls joke: "Hello, I'm Blanche Devereaux. That's French for Blanche Devereaux. " Somehow "Hello, I'm Brigit Donelly That's Irish for Brigit Donelly " doesn't have the same ring.

9:25 As soon as I heard of "Keeping Mum" the Australian show "Mother and Son" popped into my mind. If yiu can, watch Mother & Son with Garry McDonald and Ruth Cracknell. It's hilarious.

We got Brittas Empire on public TV in the US. It wasn't great. We also got Waiting for God, which was fantastic.

What about Game On, with the lovely Samantha Janus? Or is that too memorable?

Some of these are bad but I rewatched Brittas Empire and Joking Apart in recent years and really enjoyed them both (I had watched them in the 90s too). Brittas was a lot of crazy fun and Joking Apart is pretty inventive and really well done (being a Moffat show it had some clever writing with elements that would come up in his later shows like Coupling and Doctor Who).

I liked it.

I really loved "The High Life" about Scottish airline stewards. Anyone remember "Bonjour le Class" starring Nigel Planner of Young Ones fame? And more of a sketch show, but "Glam Metal Detectives", anyone? That show was very stylish, but really odd.

Loved Sean's Show. RIP.

LOVED Brittas!

4:08 the brittas empire "that grubby bloke colin used to really put me off my lunch"