Upstaged by a Dog

We’re delving into a universally relatable, often humorous, and sometimes painful phase of life: the mid-life crisis. Get ready to meet characters who are questioning everything, making debatable choices, and desperately trying to recapture their youth or find a new purpose. These are the pilots that aimed to capture the messy, funny, and sometimes poignant reality of getting older and realising life hasn’t quite turned out as planned.

This video revisits ITV’s 1977 sitcom ‘Mind Your Language’ and its talented international cast. Though its broad cultural stereotypes sparked debate, the show’s huge ratings owed much to the performers who brought it to life – especially Barry Evans as English teacher, Mr Jeremy Brown. Evans later years were troubled, and his mysterious death left a career cut short. Join me as we remember Barry Evans and the late cast members behind this controversial classic.

A year ago, when I ranked the sitcoms loved by viewers and hated by critics, there was never really any doubt about number one. Mrs. Brown’s Boys wasn’t just near the top of the list. It was number one. The one show that seemed to sum up the whole argument in a single title. Critics have spent more than a decade treating it like the death of comedy itself, but millions of viewers still turned it into a Christmas institution.

But this time, I don’t just want to repeat the case against it. I already made that video. I already covered the basic contradiction: massive ratings, savage reviews, public-voted awards on one side, critical disgust on the other. What makes this follow-up more interesting is that the show now feels like it has reached its endgame. The audience is smaller. The criticism has changed. And the question is no longer simply, “How did this become a hit?” It is, “How did this survive for so long – and what exactly is it now?”

This video features the second- and third-most voted sitcoms that channel viewers Loved or Hated – and the writer behind them.

Carla Lane was a prolific and hugely successful sitcom writer, known for blending comedy with pathos and for exploring the lives of women in particular. Her shows – especially ‘Butterflies’ and ‘Bread’ – drew huge audiences but also sparked fierce debate among viewers and critics.

So how did the writer of the much-loved 1960s sitcom ‘The Liver Birds’ become such a divisive figure through ‘Butterflies’ and ‘Bread’?

Our fourth most-voted Loved or Hated sitcom is ‘Miranda’, starring Miranda Hart, which originally aired on BBC1 between 2009 and 2015.
The debate here is largely about taste and style: do you find its old-fashioned, fourth-wall-breaking slapstick charmingly nostalgic, or completely grating?

‘Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps’ is in fifth place as voted by my channel viewers as their most loved – or hated sitcom, so it’s no surprise that it also featured at number three in my video of sitcoms hated by critics.
In this video we try and find out why it was so loved and what some people hated about the show.

The sitcom ‘On The Buses’ was an instant hit. It centred on the lives of bus driver Stan Butler, his family, and his workmates, attracting audiences of over 16 million and spawning three feature films. Despite the enduring warmth and chemistry of its unforgettable cast, one of the stars eventually took their own life; and another died in a house fire. In this video we look back and pay tribute to the cast of ‘On The Buses’.

In this video we’re looking at more tv sitcom pilots that were made but never broadcast.

We’re focusing on a unique collection of workplace comedies, including; Johnny Vegas as a fireman in a chaotic fire station, a tv version of a radio favourite from Scotland, a geek-centric orbiting data-hub for your cat videos and selfies, plus Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Jamali Maddix open a comic book store with a magical difference!

These are the shows that time forgot. Stick around as we explore and ponder what might have been!