TV Genre Analysis - UK Sitcom

Examples;
Not Going Out
Miranda
My Family
Open All Hours
Outnumbered
Bad Education
Red Dwarf

UK Sitcoms are considered classic in British Television, and have a unique style that has remained potent throughout its years being broadcasted.

Format
Commonly, these shows are continually broadcast to its audience; series-splits tend to separate narrative continuity, which UK sitcoms have a tendency to steer away from. (This is not to say that there are not seasons of these shows, however.) These types of shows, depending on the severity of explicit nature, are broadcast throughout the day, covering morning television through evening television. Shows like Bad Education will tend to be seen after the watershed mark due to the overt sexual humour, whereas My Family would be considered family friendly, so likely to broadcast during the day. UK sitcoms are renown for following a different narrative each episode - there is no massively important narrative that would prevent someone from enjoying an episode if they joined half way through the series, only context.

Appeals
I would argue that the most powerful appeal in UK sitcom is how conventional they are - they build up expectations for an audience that are almost always met. As previously stated, the format has been consistent for years, and so the expectations have been maintained, arguably to a high standard. In terms of Uses & Gratifications, the most prominent uses of this genre are likely to be Entertainment and Personal Identity. Audiences take entertainment from the show for its comedic value and very obvious fictional narrative. Personal Identity, however, comes from the fact that these shows tend to exaggerate British culture to an almost satire level. My Family, for example, demonstrates the generic British nuclear family in common circumstances (for example, hating one's neighbours) that have been exaggerated greatly, to the point that they are funny. Another reason UK sitcoms appeal to audiences is due to their simplicity in production, and low production value. One show that thrived off of this was Red Dwarf; even in the modern releases, the visual effects remained obsolete-looking, and often set walls would shake. (This only tended to make scenarios seem funnier.)

Target Audiences
I would say that the main target audience for UK sitcoms would be The Mainstreamers; the relatable aspect, especially so to domestic circumstances, would appeal to people who have experienced these circumstances before. (Mainstreamers have a tendency to maintain a family life.) I would also say that this genre would appeal to Drifters, mainly because of how easy it is to take to different shows within the same genre and not need any prior context; drifting between shows and tuning into random episodes is common and tangible.

Opening Sequence