ABSTRACT
Comedy is the most popular of all genres in British cinema, sustaining the film industry in times of economic slump in the 1920s and 1970s, and drawing mass audiences when other genres fail. From adaptations of Oscar Wilde to showcasing Northern comedians, from sex comedies to ‘rom-coms’, the comedy film has dominated production, created major stars such as Peter Sellers and Hugh Grant, and often reached an international audience with cult hits like Withnail and I (1987) as well as slapstick blockbusters like Bean (1997). Along with horror, it is the genre that has created the most dissonance between critics and public, particularly in terms of personalities like Gracie Fields and George Formby, series such as the Carry Ons and popular TV spin-offs like On the Buses (1971), but also Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Love Actually (2003), which inspired a good deal of critical bile. Distaste for populism and the sheer vulgarity of much British comedy arguably misses the point. The strength of British comedy lies in its continuing appeal to niche markets and tastes. Whether Northern or Southern, intellectual or bawdy, verbal or visual, British comedy has nimbly adapted itself to a diverse range of cultural identities.
