Del's a hit with boys and girls: Classic sitcoms still making kids laugh

2 年前
Bored witless by Bluey? Or is Let It Go starting to sound like nails down a chalkboard? Well, here's some good news - children have much more eclectic telly tastes than we may think. In fact, they're just as happy watching sitcom greats like Only Fools and Horses or Fawlty Towers as they are entranced by Encanto. Lovely Jubbly! The new research - which polled 2,000 British adults and children (aged eight to 16) - was commissioned by the comedy channel GOLD to celebrate its 30th birthday. Results showed that 76% of kids loved watching these kinds of comedies with their mum, dad, or grandparents. On top of that, well over four in five children (83%) found classic clips from the shows to be hilarious. To celebrate this, GOLD has reimagined some of the most iconic moments from the nation's favourite sitcoms for its anniversary... this time starring kids. The hilarious scene where Del Boy falls through the bar in Only Fools and Horses is the nation's top sitcom moment of all time, according to the new poll, nabbing 67% of the vote. Coming in at number two, with 45%, was Geraldine from The Vicar of Dibley falling into a puddle, whilst Captain Mainwaring's Dad's Army "Don't tell him Pike" came in third. Lucky Thomas Aitch, nine, bagged the role of Del Boy in GOLD's reimagining, with Dane Young, joining him as Trigger. The famous scene sees Del Boy falling through an empty bar as he tries to impress a group of women - what a plonker. "I had so much fun doing this scene, I had to fall so many times!" Thomas laughed. "The original is hilarious; I love Only Fools and Horses. I watched it a lot to get into character and I'm really happy I got to take part." Only Fools and Horses was named the nation's favourite sitcom of all time in the research, nabbing 29% of the vote. Del Boy is also Brits' most-loved sitcom character, with 59% of respondents in agreement, closely followed by Basil Fawlty (33%). The moment an irate Basil smashes his car with a tree branch in Fawlty Towers fell to the hands of 13-year-old Conall Turner to recreate. He had some help getting into character - GOLD's new take on the classic moment was shot on location in the very spot where John Cleese made it famous. Finally, Grace Hindle, 12, donned a fetching grey cardigan to get into character as Geraldine Granger, Dawn French's lead character in the Vicar of Dibley. She's seen happily walking down a country lane before vanishing into a massive puddle that engulfs her to the chest as her pal Simon, played by Stanley Potter, looks on. Gerald Casey, GOLD channel director, said: "What better way to celebrate GOLD's 30th anniversary than to bring it back to what the channel is all about - the best of U.K. comedy. We've been the home to the comedy our viewers love for the last 30 years, and the British public knows that they can always find their favourite shows on Gold. It's no surprise that we still find these scenes and characters as funny and iconic as the day they first aired, just proving that great comedy truly is timeless." Timeless is certainly the word - with 92% of Brits agreeing these classic moments will never age. In fact, 89% of respondents said that they believe British sitcoms are funnier than non-British sitcoms. The 1980s also came out top with nearly two-thirds (59%) believing it to be the decade that has produced the funniest comedy ever in the U.K. The newly shot videos will be aired on GOLD on 1st November as part of the channel's 30th celebrations. The Top 10 funniest sitcom moments of all time, according to Brits: 1. Only Fools and Horses - Del Boy falls through bar - 67% 2. Vicar of Dibley - Geraldine falls into a puddle - 45% 3. Dad's Army - "Don't Tell Him Pike" - 42% 4. Fawlty Towers - Basil smashes his car - 32% 5. The Inbetweeners - "Car Friend" - 19% 6. Gavin and Stacey - Smithy's curry order -18% 7. The Office - David Brent's dancing - 17% 8. Ab Fab - Falling out the cab - 15% 9. Blackadder - Lord Flashheart's entrance - 14% 10. Father Ted - Cows and perspective - 12%