The British are known for their unique sense of humour and as a nation we take great pride in the comedy we produce. The small screen has provided a specially illustrious roll call of comedy triumphs throughout the last fifty years, with British sitcoms winning the hearts of television viewers across the world.

Perhaps the number one British comedy in recent history is Only Fools and Horses, as our nation loves nothing more than to follow the trials and tribulations of cockney Derek Trotter and his long-suffering brother Rodney as they get into various scrapes during their continual quest to earn a fortune.

However, no top five list is complete without mentioning the UK comedy scene’s tour de force, Richard Curtis. Although not his most famous comic creation, The Vicar of Dibley – starring Dawn French as a priest on a quest to win community support and find the perfect man – has a timeless enduring quality make it a continuing family favorite.

Curtis’ most well-known offering, Blackadder, also deserves an inclusion as the comic capers of Baldric et al remain as laughable today as when first produced – whether in the middle ages or the trenches of World War One.

The enticement is frequently to stick to ‘tried and tested’ comedy classics that have been repeated on British screens over the past couple of decades. However, Britain has a new generation of cult comedy shows that deserve equal celebration.

One of the most sharply witted offerings of recent years is the The Inbetweeners, which follows nerdy schoolboy Simon and his friends as they navigate their way through the challenges of growing up. Another advanced comedy that worthily rounds out the top five list is Gavin and Stacey, whose colourful blend of Welsh and Essex characters absolutely straddle the balance between humour, prominent emotion and slight surrealism.