Sitcom Report

Sitcoms have become an important part of British popular culture. A Lot of the ideas for some of the most successful sitcoms stem from absolutely nowhere and are often from the simplest of ideas. Most sitcoms are down to the observation and past experience of everyday life and are made to portray the reality of life. However, most sitcoms are made to show important issues and concepts within society, and often have a deeper meaning. For example a sitcom I will later go on to talk about deals with the issue of having a lack of funding for rural communities within the UK, but still portrays a humorous element. On the basis of sitcoms stemming from simple ideas, one sitcom that cherishes the art of simplicity so well is the Inbertweeners. A sitcom based on four teenagers and their experiences growing up in an English sixth form. The reason this series did so well was because the characters, (Will, Simon, Jay, and Niel) are incredibly relatable and have depicted the stereotypes of twenty-first century teenagers so accurately, from the language that they would use to the types of things they would get up to. The show is also very funny, both immature and witty, the humor is one of key aspects of the show which helps it to reach its target audience so well. The producers have obviously spent a long time thinking through the roles of each character, as each character adds their own element to the show, mostly by the language that they would use, acting heavily on their stereotype, and running with it, on the most extreme level. The producers have created this strong character dynamic between the main characters to target their audience, in a way that is so relatable, even though each character is so different.

This Country is a documentary style sitcom based in a rural village in the cotswolds, England. It follows two main characters , (Kerry and Kurtan Mucklowe), as they tackle everyday life in the countryside. The sitcom deals with the issue of poverty and lack of funding in rural England, however does so in a way that is comical to an audience. The sitcom being in the style of a documentary is very clever and has only recently in the past few years, become a trend with new comedy's in the UK. It is a way to reinforce the escalating problems people are facing in society, but brought into an entertaining setting. The sitcom is clearly targeted at people who have lived or live in villages of any scale, and still could relate to people in cities where there is a strong sense of community. What this sitcom does that is one of the reasons it's most successful is that it breaks down society into its simplest form, so anyone can understand and relate to it. The setting is also easy to follow and uses, like most villages do, the church as a main hub for the community and where a lot of new characters are introduced and where a lot of the filming is done. Almost fifteen-percent of the United Kingdom still attend church and average is a lot higher in rural communities. This is the reason the producers have chosen it as a centre point location within the sitcom. Kerry and Kurtan Mucklowe are portrayed in the sitcom as being almost the village idiots. But extremely likeable and by the end of each episode you end up feeling empathy for them. Which I feel is the main goal of the sitcom. Because as a viewer you see no hope for them in society, however, everyone in the sitcom in some way helps them to find hope in themselves. This concept is deeply relatable with a lot of people and is one of the reasons this documentary style sitcom is so popular.

Gavin and Stacey has become one of the most loved sitcoms in the United Kingdom, for its clever writing and often deeply emotional scenes, it handles family life like no other sitcom. The premise of the sitcom is about a young couple (Gavin and Stacey), who meet each other online and become very close when they finally get the chance to meet each other. Both have a very strong family unit split in different parts of the country, (Essex and Wales). The sitcom follows the pair as they both bring their families closer together and the challenges they face while trying to settle down and start a family of their own. Even though the title is called Gavin and Stacey, the sitcom shows a large cast that share the time of focus on the programme. This being a contributing factor as to why the sitcom is so popular. Each character has their own role and stereotype within each family. Each family member and their characteristics could directly relate to any member of a family, because a very high percentage of the population are lucky enough to be a part of a family. Whether you are a brother, auntie, mother, or cousin there is every type of family member that is portrayed in this programme. Even one character ‘Smithy’ who is not related to any of the family members but is known to be Gavin’s best friend in the comedy, still has a very important role within the sitcom. However, he still is portrayed to have a relationship with his sister in the show. On the basis of the portrayal of the family unit and the deep connections that are formed between both families in the show is the reason as to why this sitcom is so successful within the UK population.