12 British Comedy Shows You Absolutely Had To Watch In The '90s

12. The Mrs Merton Show

Mrs Merton looked like an archetypal granny, but not far beneath the benevolent smile lay a mocking tongue which feared no celebrity. Caroline Aherne's clever disguise gave an almost maternal charm to the kind of questions stars hated Dennis Pennis for asking. Masked as Mrs M, Aherne was able to lure bona fide guests into the studio: which made it a real chat show even if the host was a spoof. And this was the key to the success of the programme. Even though (most) of the celebrities realised what they had let themselves in for, there was great joy to be had in watching someone famous suffer ego-crushing insults at the hands of a little old lady. The incongruity between Mrs M's demeanor and the intent of her words was a trick which appealed to adults who favoured a more subtle form of roasting, and kids who thought it was funny to see a pensioner misbehaving. Classic moment: When Debbie McGee was asked "So, what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?"