British sit- coms
only fools and horses
The Inbetweeners
faulty towers
the royal family
the office
allo allo!
father ted
Black adder
peep show
dads army










Format 

The Inbetweeners is a British sitcom that originally aired on E4 from 2008 to 2010. the show was ran in 3 series the first series consisted of 6 episodes that was aired in 2008, followed by series 2 in 2009, and the 3rd seres in 2010.

This genre of show is usually scheduled to be shown at the peak television time from 7 o'clock however some of the shows of this genre would be saves until after the 9pm watershed due to the fact they have vulgar language that wouldn't  be appropriate to a younger viewing audience.

The show its self followers a very stereotypical format and it followers the story of a group of friends getting through their final year of high school and the challenges they face along the way being very stereotypical teenagers. it unfolds over the 3 series and gets closer to a resolution which was finding them selves as people and where they are going to go next after high school. 

Appeals 

There are many appeals for this genre as it takes a very simplified version of your everyday life and makes it appeal to everyone. it appeals the the uses and gratification of entertainment as it takes stereotypes and hightens them in order to create relatable comedy.  it could also be suggested  to appeal to personal identification as it is just a normal group of teenagers tackling public school.

Sitcoms

          TV Research - Sitcoms

List of Sit-coms:

Gavin and Stacey

Brooklyn Nine Nine

The Big Bang Theory

Fawlty Towers

Frasier

The Inbetweeners

Keeping Up Appearances

Red Dwarf

One Foot In The Grave

Only Fools and Horses

Examples of a sit-com:

Gavin and Stacey Series 1 Episode 1 Opening Scene

Gavin and Stacey Series 2 Episode 2 Clip



Gavin and Stacey Series 2 Clip




Sit-coms run in series instead of running all the time like soap operas. They are usually yearly like shows such as Brooklyn Nine Nine and The Big Bang Theory. They can also be aired years apart such as shows like Faulty Towers which had series 1 in 1975 and series 2 in 1979. This can be due to popularity of a show with its audience who want it brought back for another series. Sit-coms usually air between the hours of 5 to 6pm, week days. This is usually around the time people are back from work and about to have their tea. This allows more people to be able to watch them whilst they are on the TV. Depending on the nature of the sit-com they can air later at night so that younger people are not able to watch them if they are inappropriate. During the series of a sit-com there can be a bit of a difference in the way they use the episodes. For example shows like Fawlty Towers have each episode as a separate episode from the rest of the series. Like a reset button is pressed every episode so that everything can go wrong again. However shows like Gavin and Stacey have all their episodes connected so that they can tell an entire story in only 3 series. There are always hints for later episodes and episodes can start straight after one another. The most popular format for a series though is having each episode separate like Fawlty Towers, Red Dwarf and Keeping Up Appearances.

The appeals of sit-coms are identity. Sit-coms are often based on and reflect the current society of the time. This means that the audience can then identify with the characters in the show because the way the characters act and talk can be very similar to themselves or who they would like to be. The characters in the shows can be considered role models for the audience because they reflect the current times so they can see what the current society is like from all angles of it. They are also there to entertain. They provide escapism for the audience so that the audience can temporally forget about the worries of modern day life and what is to come. This is done through the use of comedy to make people laugh to forget the stresses of life. The productions of sit-coms have changed over time. An example of this is the sit-com Red Dwarf. Over time as sit-coms grew in popularity the budgets were higher. When the series started in 1988 the sets and production of the show was very limited which is clear when watching it now. The series is still going however and has a much higher production value 39 years later were the seta are very large and more detailed and the production looks better and feels better as a result.

The target audience for sit-coms are varied. For example older sit-coms such as Only Fools and Horses and Keeping Up Appearances are aimed at older people such as 30+. Newer sit-coms however are aimed at a younger audience such as teenagers and people in their 20s. This is shown through the feel of the different types of sit-coms because the newer sit-coms have a younger feel to them and the jokes are more aimed at the younger audience and a lot of joke made are related to things only younger people would find funny. Over time the jokes have been adapted to fit a younger audience.

Sitcoms

Examples of TV

Gavin and Stacey
The Inbetweeners
The Office
Bad education
Fresh Meat
Mrs Browns Boys



Fresh Meat

Format

Fresh meat is an example of a British sitcom which is part of the comedy genre. It is labelled a sitcom because it is focus' on a fixed set of people. This show runs in a series of four and it is no longer being made. I would say as the show has strong language and sexual scenes it was most probably broadcasted after nine o'clock. The format of the series tends to have a new story every few episodes so it is like typical sitcoms where there is a new topic so it doesn't require a resolution.

Appeals

The appeals of the genre is humour this makes the audience to continue to tune in and watch the next episode it makes the show more satisfying and more memorable to the consumer. Another appeal of the show is the use of stereotypes they are a group of university students and they live up to the stereotype of being drunk, loud etc. The characters also live up the to the stereotypes as they have the 'geek' who lives up to the stereotype as he conforms to the typical role of a geek being a bit strange. Also Jack Whitehall who is a well known British comedian could be the reason why people tune in to watch as he is known to be a funny person, this is an example of the use of elite persons so if the audience admires the person in the show they are more likely to watch. This show is conventional as it meets most expectations of a sitcom as it is humorous, it is focused on a fixed set of people. they have limited places to go for example, they have there house where they all live a pub and their university which helps set the tone of the sitcom. However, it can be argued that this isn't as conventional as it doesn't have things such as, canned laughter which i don't think would necessarily work with a show like this because it focus' more on realism.

Target Audience

i would say the typical target of this show would be young adults because the characters in the show  are  in university so i think it would appeal to people who are around the same age because they can relate to the

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

TV: Genre Analysis - British Sit-Com

Opening Sequence - 'Peep Show'

The Peep Show's main quirk and unique selling point comes from the fact that the camera is used in an unconventional and creative; opting to go with almost eery single shot in POV. The title sequence reflects this by utilising POV shots itself as well as a graphic overlay in the form of an eye. Furthermore, the symbol changes colours back and forth between red and black - not only does this signify the alternating shift in perspective between the characters, it also hints at the comedic nature of the contrast and conflict of such opposing characters living together. Whilst the camera work is unconventional in its persistent and heavy use of POV shots, the themes and character archetypes of the show are conventional; particularly of British Sitcoms. Mark and Jeremy both play social failures, Mark being a stickler for the rules yet not progressing in life whereas Jeremy is a hothead, cocky musician with failed dreams. However, instead of looking down upon these characters we are encouraged to identify with and to a degree partake in their awkwardness as social failures - this is encouraged through the use of technical codes such Voice Over as well as the notable use of POV shots. Arguably, this appeals to British ideals, British media in general is awkward to a comedic degree regarding sex and drugs.


is that a lot of the shots in the film come from the point of view of characters. This is represented visually through the use of both POV shots as well as a graphic overlay that is both a symbol of an eye (to represent POV shots). The graphic overlay also changes colours to represent the differences between characters POV.