JazzO
"Are you being served" is from the '70s. I doubt if any programme being produced today (even in the UK) would be allowed to get away with the salacious 'pussy' references, amongst other things.
"Mr Bean" is from the early and mid-'90s. So is "AbFab". "Red Dwarf" has been going on for over ten years - so you can actually see some of the effects of changing technology through the series.
Acknowledged classics (at least as fas as Brits are concerned):
"Fawlty Towers" - late '70s/early '80s
"Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister" - early/mid '80s
"Blackadder" - mid '80s
Current Britcoms worth seeking out:
"Goodness Gracious Me" - Sketch show (not sitcom) with South Asian immigrant satire
"Have I got news for you" - political/topical 'quiz' show, and still the funniest (and cleverest) thing on television
"The Royle Family" - TV verite, if you will - brilliantly true, flawlessly scripted and acted - but may, because of that, seem to lack the production 'values' of most US sitcoms. (Think of Ken Loach and Harold Pinter collaborating on a TV comedy and you might get a feel for it...)
cheer
the sunshine warrior
