While the catalogue of comedies isn’t huge on Channel 4, it does have comedy award winners and some of my all time favourites. You’ll find everything from sitcoms to dark comedies to gameshows.
I’ve gathered all the comedy series I think are worth watching. I’ve ranked the comedies in order of how much I laughed, but the star ratings are based on the WYALAN rating for the show or movie as a whole.
WYALAN star rating explained:
- 5 stars – Highly enjoyed and would highly recommend as a must watch
- 4 stars – Enjoyed and would watch again in the future
- 3 stars – Glad I watched it once, but I’ll probably never watch it again
- 2 stars – Watched to the end, but I wouldn’t watch it again
- 1 star – DNF (did not finish)
Click the three dots on the left hand side to open the table of contents and quickly jump to a series or movie you haven’t seen.
You might be interested in my other best comedy lists:
- Best Comedies On Apple TV+
- Best Comedy Series on Netflix
- Best Comedies on Amazon Prime
- Best Comedies on Disney+
Father Ted
Created by: Arthur Mathews (Big Train), Graham Linehan (The IT Crowd, Black Books)
Stars: Dermot Morgan (Scrap Saturday), Ardal O’Hanlon (My Hero), Frank Kelly (Hall’s Pictorial Weekly), Pauline McLynn (Shameless)
WYALAN Rating: 5/5
Father Ted follows Father Ted Crilly, a disgraced Catholic priest banished to the remote Craggy Island for “financial irregularities involving a Lourdes pilgrimage.” He’s joined by the clueless but lovable Father Dougal and the foul-mouthed, alcoholic Father Jack. Together, they navigate bizarre island life, including angry farmers, beauty contests, and absurdly competitive priests, all while Ted desperately dreams of a return to respectability.
Each episode finds the trio wrapped in a new farcical situation – like hosting a rebellious Eurovision entrant, judging a sheep competition, or being trapped in the lingerie section of a department store. Mrs. Doyle, their obsessively tea-offering housekeeper, adds a layer of chaos with her relentless cheeriness.
The humour is a mix of satire and surrealism, poking fun at Irish Catholicism and small-town life. Despite being trapped in a sleepy, backward corner of the world, Ted’s ambitions and Dougal’s daftness create endlessly funny consequences.
Tim’s Take: A comedy series which continues to stand the test of time despite first airing 30 years ago. Making the life of priests humorous shows you just how good the writing is. There are so many memorable scenes and episodes, I watch the Christmas special every year and I still quote its catch phrases like go on when offering tea.
The IT Crowd
Created by: Graham Linehan (Father Ted, Black Books)
Stars: Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids), Richard Ayoade (The Double), Katherine Parkinson (Humans), Matt Berry (Toast of London)
WYALAN Rating: 5/5
Set in the basement of Reynholm Industries, The IT Crowd centres on Roy and Moss, two nerdy IT technicians, and Jen, their manager who knows nothing about computers. Each episode sees them dealing with ungrateful coworkers, absurd company policies, or disasters of their own making – like trying to fix a fire with a polite email or navigating social events that spiral out of control.
Roy is cynical and lazy, often answering tech calls with “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” Moss is a socially awkward genius prone to meltdowns, and Jen constantly pretends to understand tech to climb the corporate ladder. Upstairs, Matt Berry’s Douglas Reynholm runs the company with delusional grandeur and inappropriate pep.
The show is full of madcap set pieces, visual gags, and character-driven chaos. It plays with workplace dynamics and tech stereotypes, but mostly it’s about three outsiders hilariously failing to fit into a world that doesn’t make much sense anyway.
Tim’s Take: The description of an awkward IT department may not scream laughter, but similar to Father Ted in that respect the unlikely absurd situations the characters find themselves in do a lot of the heavy lifting matched with the phenomenal physical comedy of O’Dowd, Ayoade and Parkinson. If you also enjoyed the absurdity of Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place, you’ll probably enjoy The IT Crowd too.
Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace
Created by: Matthew Holness (Man to Man with Dean Learner), Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd)
Stars: Matthew Holness (Year of the Rabbit), Richard Ayoade (Submarine), Matt Berry (Toast of London), Alice Lowe (Prevenge)
WYALAN Rating: 5/5
Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is a fictional 1980s horror show within a modern mockumentary. Supposedly “too radical” for its time, it’s being “re-released” with added cast commentary. In the show, Garth plays Dr. Rick Dagless, a brooding maverick doctor at Darkplace Hospital, where supernatural events – like portals to hell or possessed colleagues – are a daily nuisance.
The series is deliberately shoddy: dubbed lines don’t sync, props wobble, and characters break the fourth wall with unearned gravitas. Between scenes, the fictional cast reflect on the show with exaggerated self-importance, claiming it was censored because it “shone a light too bright.”
Each episode spoofs low-budget horror and sci-fi while exposing the ego of its creator-character. Despite being absurd, the plotlines follow familiar tropes, with Dr. Dagless always heroically confronting ridiculous threats – like a giant eye baby or an epidemic of telekinesis.
Tim’s Take: A cult favourite that wholeheartedly deserves more recognition like other suggestions on this list, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is one of the best spoofs on the horror genre you’ll ever watch – it’s just ridiculous. If Naked Gun did a horror spoof, it would look something like Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace.
Stath Lets Flats
Created by: Jamie Demetriou (Fleabag)
Stars: Jamie Demetriou (Fleabag), Natasia Demetriou (What We Do in the Shadows), Al Roberts (Flowers), Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Ghosts)
WYALAN Rating: 5/5
Stath Lets Flats follows Stath, an incompetent and socially awkward letting agent working at his father’s small North London rental company, Michael & Eagle. His desperate attempts to prove himself result in a trail of failed flat viewings, accidental insults, and baffling client interactions.
Stath’s main rivals are his slick co-worker Carole and his younger sister Sophie, an aspiring musician who’s much more competent. Across the seasons, Stath grapples with being overlooked for promotions, sabotaging viewings, and bumbling his way into a leadership role after a company shake-up.
The show thrives on awkward silences, odd language, and physical comedy. Stath is both maddening and oddly endearing as he tries to impress his father and win back his ex-girlfriend, all while clearly being terrible at his job. His loyalty to Sophie and bizarre friendships with other misfits create emotional depth beneath the absurdity.
Tim’s Take: One of the funniest British comedies to have been released in the last decade, I think Stath Let’s Flats will be considered in the pantheon of The Office and Father Ted in years to come.
Big Boys
Created by: Jack Rooke (Good Grief)
Stars: Dylan Llewellyn (Derry Girls), Jon Pointing (Plebs), Camille Coduri (Doctor Who), Izuka Hoyle (Mary Queen of Scots)
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5
Big Boys centres on Jack, a shy, closeted teenager starting university a year late after the death of his father. He’s paired with Danny, a loud, laddish student with his own secrets, including struggles with depression. As they navigate freshers’ week, coursework, and relationships, their bond becomes the heart of the series.
Jack slowly comes out of his shell through his friendship with Danny, as well as with their eclectic group of friends, including campus feminist Corinne and deadpan uni mum Jules. Together, they experience messy nights out, awkward sexual awakenings, therapy sessions, and tender personal breakthroughs.
Big Boys is a love letter to friendship, vulnerability, and the strange transitional space of early adulthood. Based on Jack Rooke’s real life, it’s as much about grief and identity as it is about growing up and letting go.
Tim’s Take: Big Boys is much more than a comedy. It’s one of the rare entries in this list that will make you happy and sad in equal measure. It takes time to develop the four characters arcs, so you really care about the characters which makes the ending even more emotional.
Peep Show
Created by: Jesse Armstrong (Succession), Sam Bain (Fresh Meat)
Stars: David Mitchell (Would I Lie to You?), Robert Webb (Back), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), Matt King (Bronson)
WYALAN Rating: 5/5
Peep Show follows two deeply mismatched flatmates: Mark, a socially awkward, neurotic office worker, and Jeremy, a lazy, delusional would-be musician. Living together in a flat in Croydon, the pair lurch from one personal and professional disaster to another, often enabled – or exacerbated – by each other.
Told through a first-person perspective, with inner thoughts narrated as voiceovers, viewers get unfiltered access to Mark and Jez’s thoughts, fears, and fantasies. Mark tries to build a respectable life and pursue ill-fated romantic interests like Sophie, while Jez chases fame, money, and sex through increasingly ridiculous schemes.
The show spans nine series, documenting their descent from youth to bleak adult mediocrity. From stag do disasters to Christmas breakdowns, every episode leans into their personal dysfunction, codependency, and moral failures.
Tim’s Take: It might seem a little odd that Jesse Armstrong created both Succession and Peep Show, but the jokes are very similar. If you enjoyed the jibes from Succession, you’ll probably enjoy Peep Show.
Derry Girls
Created by: Lisa McGee (London Irish)
Stars: Saoirse-Monica Jackson (The Doll Factory), Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton), Louisa Harland (The Deceived), Jamie-Lee O’Donnell (Screw)
WYALAN Rating: 4.5/5
Set in 1990s Northern Ireland during The Troubles, Derry Girls follows Erin Quinn and her group of friends – loudmouthed Michelle, anxious Clare, oddball Orla, and token English lad James – as they navigate teenage life at a Catholic girls’ school.
While political unrest simmers in the background, the girls’ main concerns are boys, parties, gossip, and avoiding Sister Michael’s death stares. Erin dreams of being a great writer, Michelle just wants to cause trouble, Clare obsesses over rules, Orla lives in her own world, and James tries to survive constant mockery.
The show expertly balances historical context with relatable coming-of-age chaos, blending slapstick, heartfelt moments, and biting wit. Across three seasons, the gang deals with suspensions, talent shows, first loves, and family tensions, all culminating in the Good Friday Agreement vote.
It’s a comedy about resilience, friendship, and finding joy in the absurd – even in uncertain times. Derry Girls won a Royal Television Society Award and a BAFTA TV Award for Best Scripted Comedy.
Tim’s Take: Similar to Big Boys, Derry Girls is a heartfelt coming of age comedy with a brilliant ensemble cast of oddballs and misfits.
Everyone Else Burns
Created by: Dillon Mapletoft (Newsjack), Oliver Taylor (The Now Show)
Stars: Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners), Kate O’Flynn (Landscapers), Amy James-Kelly (Three Families), Harry Connor (The Trouble with Maggie Cole)
WYALAN Rating: 3.5/5
Everyone Else Burns centres on the Lewis family, devout members of a strict Christian sect who believe the apocalypse is imminent. Patriarch David longs to rise within the church ranks, while his wife Fiona secretly desires a freer life. Their daughter Rachel starts to question the sect’s teachings, and son Aaron is obsessively devout – often to an unsettling degree.
Set in Manchester, the family attempts to live righteously while contending with the secular world. Rachel falls for a boy outside the sect, Fiona considers taking a job (unheard of for women in their church), and David becomes increasingly desperate to control his family’s spiritual purity.
The show is a dark satire of religious extremism and patriarchal control, but also a surprisingly sweet coming-of-age story. The clash between dogma and real life drives much of the tension, especially as Rachel grows more rebellious and independent.
Taskmaster
Created by: Alex Horne (The Horne Section), Greg Davies (Man Down)
Stars: Greg Davies (The Inbetweeners), Alex Horne (8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown)
WYALAN Rating: 5/5
In Taskmaster, five comedians compete in bizarre, creative, and hilarious tasks – like painting a picture blindfolded, making the best noise, or sneaking up on the Taskmaster himself. Greg Davies plays the imposing Taskmaster, arbitrating the contestants’ efforts with ruthless sarcasm, while Alex Horne, the show’s creator, serves as his long-suffering assistant and the deadpan task overseer.
Each series features a new group of comedians over ten episodes, with points awarded for cleverness, chaos, or comedic failure. The unpredictability of the challenges and the unique personalities involved create comedy gold – whether it’s contestants arguing over arbitrary rules or achieving something genuinely brilliant in a deeply stupid way.
Taskmaster won a BAFTA for Best Comedy Entertainment Programme.
Tim’s Take: Series are defined by how well each of the contestants get on with each other I think, but in general it’s fun to see people’s creative ways to solve challenges as well as fail miserably. I think series 1 featuring Frank Skinner, Roisin Conaty, Josh Widdicombe, Romesh Ranganathan, Tim Key is still my favourite. The editing is superb and contributes so much of the comedy.
Green Wing
Created by: Victoria Pile (Smack the Pony), Robert Harley (Campus), Gary Howe (Big Train), Stuart Kenworthy (Chewing the Fat)
Stars: Tamsin Greig (Episodes), Stephen Mangan (Episodes), Mark Heap (Spaced), Michelle Gomez (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)
WYALAN Rating: 4/5
Set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital, Green Wing follows a group of doctors and staff whose lives are far more dysfunctional than their patients’. Dr. Caroline Todd begins her new job hoping for a fresh start, but is immediately entangled in a love triangle with the charming but useless Dr. Guy Secretan and the neurotic Dr. Macartney.
Meanwhile, HR staff pursue power plays and romantic chaos of their own. Sue White, the psychotic staff liaison officer, is in love with Mac and terrorises her colleagues with surreal monologues and bizarre behaviour. Each episode combines lightning-paced dialogue, stylised editing (including sped-up and slowed-down scenes), and an escalating sense of absurdity.
Though set in a hospital, there’s little medicine and lots of mayhem: from hiding corpses to disastrous karaoke nights, the characters are constantly undermining their own attempts at dignity.
Tim’s Take: Green Wing may be a little too weird for you, but if you enjoy absurdist humour like The Mighty Boosh like I do, I think it’s worth watching Green Wing.
Spaced
Created by: Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead), Jessica Hynes (Up the Women), Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz)
Stars: Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz), Jessica Hynes (W1A), Nick Frost (Into the Badlands), Mark Heap (Green Wing)
WYALAN Rating: 3.5/5
Spaced follows Tim, a comic book artist recently dumped, and Daisy, an aspiring writer with no real plan, who pretend to be a professional couple in order to rent a cheap flat. The apartment is in a building owned by landlady Marsha, who drinks wine by the gallon, with Brian, a deeply intense artist, living below.
The series is a love letter to pop culture – each episode is layered with references to sci-fi, video games, horror, and film tropes. Tim struggles to get over his ex and secure a job at a comic shop, while Daisy battles writer’s block and aimlessness. Their bond grows from necessity to real friendship, maybe even love, as they navigate bizarre social situations and their own emotional immaturity.
Meanwhile, best mate Mike (Nick Frost) obsesses over joining the TA and stage elaborate military operations, while Brian wrestles with performance art and an awkward love life. Every episode blends genre parody with surprisingly grounded emotional arcs.
Spaced was revolutionary in its editing style and storytelling – fast cuts, visual gags, and genre pastiche—laying the groundwork for Pegg and Wright’s later film work. It’s a cult classic that shaped early 2000s British comedy and launched multiple major careers.
Tim’s Take: For me, Spaced is one of my least favourite Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg creations next to Hot Fuzz, but the bar is higher than usual. Still, I think it’s worth a watch if you like any of their projects.
Black Books
Created by: Dylan Moran (Calvary), Graham Linehan (Father Ted, The IT Crowd)
Stars: Dylan Moran (Run Fatboy Run), Bill Bailey (Never Mind the Buzzcocks), Tamsin Greig (Episodes)
WYALAN Rating: 3/5
Black Books centres on Bernard Black, a misanthropic, alcoholic bookshop owner who hates customers, work, and personal hygiene. His world revolves around evading responsibility and indulging in wine and cigarettes. He’s joined by Manny, his sweet-natured but stressed-out assistant, and Fran, his equally dysfunctional best friend who runs the shop next door.
Bernard’s utter contempt for the outside world clashes constantly with Manny’s attempts to introduce basic organisation, while Fran’s equally chaotic lifestyle adds fuel to the fire. Episodes involve absurd but grounded storylines: trying to find a wine they once drank, accidentally eating magic mushrooms, or being trapped in a cleaning frenzy.
The humour is anarchic and character-driven, often veering into surreal territory – Bernard once locks a customer in a cupboard for reading too long. It’s a show about people who refuse to grow up – and the weird joy in watching them fail at everything.
Black Books won two BAFTAs for Best Situation Comedy.
Tim’s Take: Black Books was a little too dry for me (who else could play this role so well except Dylan Moran?). I also found Bernard Black to be unlikeable, but there’s still enough here that I can recommend watching it at least once.
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