1. Blackadder
And so we come to the top position and this well and truly deserves the top place. Though its lesser-known first series was not a sign of things to come, the three other series of Blackadder were a classic example of ensemble comedy at its best, telling the tale of the Blackadder and Baldrick families through the ages as one got lower down in station through life and the other family stupider, supported by such well-written characters as the Percy's and the Melchett's, plus Queen Elizabeth 1st and Darling.
There's too many highlights to name from Blackadder - which also included a hilarious reverse-take on Dicken's 'A Christmas Carol' and a surprisingly good modern interpretation from the turn of the Millennium, amongst other one-offs - but include the dictionary episode from series three and *that* ending to the fourth series, a masterclass in going from humour to sadness in a very few lines of script.
Credit goes to Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Stephen Fry and Tim McInnerney, plus all the supporting cast and, of course, Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, for making the most enduring sitcoms of all time.
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