The UK's favourite sitcoms revealed - and No. 1 is American

This year, to celebrate Fawlty Towers' 50th anniversary, members of the British public have had their say about their favourite sitcoms. From classic comedies hailing from the UK to newer ones from across the pond, the list's top five includes shows that first premiered in 1975 and another that hit the screens in 2008. With many generations of viewers, many continue to binge-watch their favourite episodes while others tune into the timeless favourites for the very first time.

Beloved TV fans took to social media in throes after the international opinion polls. YouGov called its 273,000 followers to take part and provide their insight. They asked: "What would you say is your favourite sitcom?" After collecting their results, YouGov revealed that over 100 sitcoms were named. Among the British classics, the ones that didn't make the top five are Blackadder, Mrs Brown's Boys, Vicar of Dibley, and The Royle Family.

5. Faulty Towers (1975)

In fifth place is the iconic BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers, which, since its 1975 debut, has long been hailed as a timeless classic.

The comedy-drama is set in a fictional hotel along the English coast run by its rude and intolerant host, Basil Fawlty (played by John Cleese), and his wife, Sybil (Prunella Scales).

The episodes see him working hard to improve the hotel's reputation, much to his dismay and to the entertainment of viewers, trouble never seems to stray far, which provides big laughs for its long-time fans, who label the show comedy gold.

The TV show marked John Cleese's first post-Monty Python project, and while many likely tuned in out of curiosity, they were drawn in by the hilarious script and stayed until its very last episode, which aired after just two seasons in 1979.

Despite only running for 12 episodes, Fawlty Towers went on to win the Best Scripted Comedy BAFTA in 1976 and 1980.

4. Gavin and Stacey (2007)

Gavin and Stacey is a beloved British sitcom that instantly attracted millions after first airing in 2007. The show focuses on two opposite families: one from Billericay in Essex and the other from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan as two of its titular character plan to meet after their romance online and on the phone for the last six months.

The show follows the key moments in their relationship from their first time meeting, meeting each other's families, getting engaged, marrying, looking for a flat, briefly splitting up, looking for new jobs and trying for children.

The 2024 finale which aired on Christmas Day became the UK's most-watched scripted show across all broadcasters and streamers since records began in 2002, with 19.1 million viewers.

This record smashed the show's own record from the 2019 Christmas special, which reached 18.5 million viewers within the first 28 days.

3. Big Bang Theory (2007)

The American sitcom, Big Bang Theory, followed four socially awkward friends living in California, including Leonard Hofstadter (played by Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), who are both physicists and share an apartment.

However, their lives take a major turn after an aspiring film actress, Penny (Kaley Cuoco), moves into a Pasadena apartment across the hall and introduces them and their other friends Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) to life outside of the lab.

The show achieved enormous success and became one of the highest-rated shows on U.S. television, having attracted tens of millions of viewers and even winning multiple Emmy Awards.

The Big Bang Theory was also developed into a franchise after its prequel spin-off, Young Sheldon, premiered in 2017 and went on for seven successful seasons before its finale in 2024.

2) Only Fools and Horses (1981)

Only Fools and Horses has long been hailed as a beloved British TV classic and was even voted Britain's Best Sitcom in 2004 with over 1.5million votes cast by the public.

Since gracing the small screen back in 1981, the BBC sitcom became a global sensation as fans watched Del Boy (played by David Jason) strive to become a millionaire with his brother Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst) and their granddad (Lennard Pearce) through hilarious and eyebrow-raising choices.

The international show has been dubbed in 13 different countries and languages worldwide and catapulted its stars into fame.

Del finally became a millionaire in 1996, but in true plonker style, lost it in 2001, and the Trotters ended up back on the markets again. The series ran for 20 years, with the last episode airing on Christmas Day back in 2003.

1. Friends (1994)

Taking the top spot is the sensational American comedy sitcom Friends, which is about six 20 to 30-year-old friends living in New York City who navigate the pitfalls of work, life, and love together during the 1990s.

The series catapulted its cast into stardom as viewers indulged in the adventures of Rachel Green (played by Jennifer Aniston), Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) throughout the 10 instalments.

Friends remains widely regarded as a pop culture phenomenon with staggering ratings hits and 62 Emmy nominations.

The show has generated over $1.4 billion (£1 billion) for its stars and creators, and is estimated to be one of the highest-grossing TV shows of all time, surpassing $7 billion (£5 billion) in value.