Funniest sitcom moment revealed to celebrate Gold channel’s 30th birthday
TV channel Gold has recreated three of the nation’s favourite scenes with children in the lead roles to ‘reflect the timeless nature’ of the shows.
Only Fools And Horses character Del Boy Trotter falling through a bar has been voted the funniest sitcom moment of all time by TV fans.
The scene from the popular BBC comedy series sees Del Boy, played by Sir David Jason, fall sideways to the floor after the bar section he was leaning on is lifted without him noticing while talking to his friend Trigger, played by the late Roger Lloyd Pack.
Two thousand British adults and children voted for their favourite sitcom scene in a poll commissioned by TV channel Gold to celebrate its 30th birthday.
The research also revealed Only Fools And Horses to be the nation’s favourite sitcom of all time, claiming 29% of the vote, and Del Boy the most loved comedy character, with 59% of respondents in agreement.
In second place in the funniest sitcom moments in the Gold poll is the scene in the BBC’s The Vicar Of Dibley when the Rev Geraldine Granger, played by Dawn French, falls into a deep puddle while taking a country walk.
Third is the scene in Dad’s Army where a German officer demands to know the name of Private Pike, played by Ian Lavender, and Captain Mainwaring, portrayed by Arthur Lowe, accidentally says “Don’t tell him, Pike!”
Fourth place went to the moment in Fawlty Towers when Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, attacks his car with a tree branch after he becomes increasingly frustrated by it not starting.
Following the results, Gold recreated three of the nation’s favourite scenes with children in the lead roles to “reflect the timeless nature of these iconic sitcoms”.
Shot in varying locations across London and Hertfordshire, the clips were created by UKTV Creative with a cast of children between the ages of nine and 13.
The first recreation sees nine-year-old Thomas Aitch playing Del Boy with fellow actor Dane Young starring as Trigger to re-enact the top-rated falling through the bar scene.
The final recreation sees Conall Turner, 13, return to the exact location where Basil Fawlty lost his cool with his broken-down car.
The newly-shot videos will be aired on Gold on November 1 as part of the channel’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
“We’ve been the home to the comedy our viewers love for the last 30 years, and the British public know 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.”
– Classic British sitcom episodes will air every night this month at 10pm on Gold.
