Derek Trotter
Just what is wrong with 'Del Boy' Trotter? A bit of analysis this week, discussing the comic flaw of Only Fools and Horses' legendary lead.
https://funny-history.com/the-comic-flaw-of-derek-trotter/
#comedy #sitcoms #bbc
24.10.2025 13:09 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Red Dwarf logo
This week's article looks at the rocky launch of sitcom Red Dwarf and learns a lesson. Just as Jaws wasn't about a shark, Red Dwarf isn't really about space at all.
https://funny-history.com/red-dwarfs-rocky-launch/
#comedy #sitcoms #RedDwarf
10.10.2025 13:34 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The Golden Girls
This week, A Funny Sort of History delves deeper into what makes The Golden Girls such a solid sitcom.
https://funny-history.com/the-golden-girls-no-gimmicks-part-2/
#comedy #sitcoms
03.10.2025 08:22 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
The Golden Girls
This week on A Funny Sort of History, I profile a sitcom that should be used the teach sitcom writing. Why? Find out in my article about The Golden Girls.
https://funny-history.com/the-golden-girls-no-gimmicks-part-1/
#comedy #sitcoms
27.09.2025 17:15 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Fawlty Towers
This week, A Funny Sort of History moves onto sitcoms. What are they? How do they work? If you positively must know the answer, read this:
https://funny-history.com/sitcoms/
#comedy #sitcoms
19.09.2025 08:51 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Black Jeopardy
This week, I'm using one of my favourite skits of all time as an example of how comedy sketches work: SNL's Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks as Doug.
https://funny-history.com/snl-black-jeopardy-with-tom-hanks-joyfully-making-a-point/
#snl #comedy #sketch
05.09.2025 10:14 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Two people, one with a megaphone
This week, topical comedy sketches. I argue for the virtues of being subtle rather than overt.
https://funny-history.com/satirical-sketches-obvious-vs-subtle/
#comedy #sketch #snl #spittingimage
30.08.2025 11:28 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Just how far did Monty Python bend the rules of sketch comedy? This week's article on A Funny Sort of History looks closer at the development of the Flying Circus.
https://funny-history.com/monty-pythons-flying-circus-flouting-the-rules-part-2/
#monty #python #comedy #sketch
23.08.2025 08:16 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Original post on mastodon.social
New post on A Funny Sort of History: Monty Python's Flying Circus - Flouting the Rules? (Part 1)
Just how inexperienced were the Pythons when they created their iconic sketch show, and did they throw out the rulebook completely? […]
16.08.2025 17:35 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A new article at A Funny Sort of History.
Not the Nine O'Clock News: Shockingly Conventional.
The 1980s sketch show hailed by some as the heirs to Monty Python. Did it really break all the rules?
https://funny-history.com/not-the-nine-oclock-news-shockingly-conventional/
#comedy #sketches #bbc
08.08.2025 14:00 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A Funny Sort of History – Stories from the history of comedy
My new blog, A Funny Sort of History, has just gone live. It my space on the web where I write articles about comedy.
The first post covers comedy sketches.
https://funny-history.com
01.08.2025 10:26 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
