6. The Inbetweeners - "Home Alone" (3.5)
After Peep Show comes the other greatest modern British sitcom, The Inbetweeners. Focusing on academic Will, hopeless-in-love Simon, sex pest Jay and lovably stupid Neil, the show was that rare combination - intelligent, outrageously funny and a huge hit with audiences and critics. The third series was a little weaker than the previous two, maybe lacking their freshness, but overall it was still the funniest show on television. Apart from Home Alone. The very premise of this episode - that Will's mum is away so the boys all take up residence in his house - already puts it at a disadvantage humour-wise. The best episodes of The Inbetweeners are the ones that throw the lads into settings that are alien to them and then mine the ludicrous situations for comedy - think of the work experience, clubbing in London and caravan club episodes. By restricting the action to Will's house, it feels like a step down for the series. Also: the moments I most identified with personally were the ones that took place in and around school - the third series unfortunately was light on these, and this episode was no exception. The four main players are funny yes, but have them interact with the likes of Mr Gilbert and school bully Donovan and it's comedy gold - leaving the side characters out feels like a missed opportunity. Another common criticism of series three was that it relied more heavily on shock value and gross-out American Pie style humour than previous episodes. Unfortunately this was hugely evident in Home Alone. At the risk of sounding a bit wussy - animals getting hurt or killed is something I never ever find particularly funny, and the scene in which Jay and Neil drive over a squirrel just feels a bit cheap for such a typically well-written show. Fortunately, the minds behind the show redeemed themselves with the outstanding 2011 feature film, and The Inbetweeners 2, released later this year, promises to be a huge cultural event for a certain generation in the UK.