In this classic bittersweet sitcom from award-winning writer David Renwick, Richard Wilson plays the short-tempered Victor Meldrew, a man who doesn't suffer fools gladly, and to his misery frequently encounters them as well as enduring endless misfortune. His long-suffering wife Margaret (Annette Crosbie) struggles to cope with his rants against the world and the bad luck that befalls them. The hilarity that ensures is underpinned by a poignant, often darker edge little seen in most sitcoms. Written by Robert McElwaine

Lionel Hardcastle and Jean Pargetter were lovers many years ago at the time of the Korean War. They are separated by a misunderstanding but meet again by chance when Lionel needs a secretary from Jean's firm. He takes her daughter, Judith, out on a date and discovers she is Jean's daughter. The two reunite and fall back in love. Written by Christopher Rothbauer

Hyacinth Bucket (whose name she insists is pronounced "bouquet") continually looks for opportunities to climb the social ladder, though shes wedged on a rung just below her sister Violet (whose house has a swimming pool, sauna, and room for a pony) and just above her working class sisters Daisy and Rose. Hyacinths passion for flawless entertaining unnerves her neighbor Elizabeth, who is often invited to the Bucket home for coffee. Elizabeths divorced brother Emmet, who also lives next door to the Buckets, tries to avoid Hyacinth because she breaks into song in his presence in the hope hell cast her in one of his "little theater" musical productions. Written by Dennis Lewis

Following her husband's passing, Audrey fforbes-Hamilton is forced to sell her stately home. While she comes to terms with her downward mobility, she decides to show the new owner a thing or two about "nobility".

This quintessentially British sitcom is set at Grace Brothers, a department store in London which is owned and kept traditional, almost pre-war (e.g. precise dress code for ladies frills and gentlemens hats according to rank), by two brothers who look old enough to have fought in the Boer war but rarely appear, as most scenes play on one floor where Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold is the executive (meaning he enjoys an endless parade of foxy but stupid secretaries) in charge of management while his dignified floor walker, Captain Stephen Peacock, has daily charge over two small sales teams. The bossy, implicitly man-hungry divorcee Mrs. Betty Slocombe supervises the attractive Miss Shirley Brahms (with a terribly common Cockney accent) -with first choice of customers, on commission- the sale of womens clothes and accessories; the sales star at the gentlemans side is Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humpries, an implied closet-gay true gentleman, whose successive superiors are first obviously nearly retired Mr. Ernest Grainger (and succeeded by a succession of elder salesman) while the successive cheeky juniors are Mr. Dick Lucas and Mr. Bert Spooner. A regular visitor, and the only manual laborer but apparently best paid, is union representative Mr. Mash (later replaced by the slightly more affable Mr. Harman). Their interaction with each-other and the customers is quite formal in principle, but turns out comical in practice. Written by KGF Vissers

In order to make ends meet, and to stop a local teenage runaway from becoming a juvenile delinquent, Hetty Wainthropp, a sprightly and intelligent 60-year-old pensioner looking for a new challenge, decides to become a private investigator much to the chagrin of her unemployed husband. Once she makes up her mind, she becomes an unstoppable force, and, led by Hetty, the three set forth to investigate crimes of less interest to the local police force in and around their little village in the beautiful Lancashire countryside. Written by Mark Smith

Tom and Barbara Good's dream is to live completely self-sufficiently. This means, among other things, raising their own vegetables and animals for food. Trouble is, they live in the suburbs. Their very conservative neighbors, the Leadbetters, look on, horrified, at this bold experiment. Written by George S. Davis

Arkwright is a tight-fisted shop owner in Doncaster, who will stop at nothing to keep his profits high and his overheads low, even if this means harassing his nephew Granville. Arkwright's only weakness is his love for Nurse Gladys Emanuel. Written by Roy Clarke

Gordon Brittas is the manager of the Whitbury-Newtown Leisure Centre. Despite his good intentions, everything seems to go wrong when he's around, despite the best efforts of the center staff and his long-suffering wife, Helen.

Disillusioned after a long career at Sunshine Desserts, Perrin goes through a mid-life crisis and fakes his own death. Returning in disguise after various attempts at finding a 'new life', he gets his old job back and finds nothing has changed. He is eventually found out, and in the second series has success with a chain of shops selling useless junk. That becomes so successful that he feels he has created a monster and decides to destroy it. In the third and final series he has a dream of forming a commune which his long suffering colleagues help bring to reality. Unfortunately that also fails and he finds himself back in a job not unlike the one he originally had at Sunshine Desserts. Written by D.Giddings

A boisterous female minister comes to serve in an eccentricly conservative small town's church.

Three old men from Yorkshire who have never grown up face the trials of their fellow town citizens and everyday life and stay young by reminiscing about the days of their youth and attempting feats not common to the elderly.