16. Ali G Da Ali-G Show
Booyakasha. Before Sasha Baron Cohen was appearing in Hollywood musicals such as Sweeney Todd and Les Miserables, his first (and best) comic creation, Ali G, had a home on Channel 4. In my opinion the best of Cohens famous trio of characters (the others being Borat and Bruno), Ali G is a brilliant parody of middle-class suburban Englands attempts to imitate rap culture. Of course, the sections in which he interviews people and lures them into stating outrageous views worked a lot better before the comedian became so famous.
17. Frank Gallagher - Shameless
Frank Gallagher is an unemployed alcoholic father-of-six who shirks all responsibility and even goes so far as to headbutt one of his children. Normally such a character would be wholly unsympathetic, but David Threlfalls performance is so perfectly on-the-money and pathetic that one ends up feeling sorry for Frank. His behaviour is partially explained by the visit of his own abusive father, and he is shown gradually throughout the series as caring, to some extent, for his children. His drunken rants are usually somewhat hilarious, too.
18. Constable Kevin Goody The Thin Blue Line
Another show headlined by Rowan Atkinson, but this time the funniest character plaudit goes to a supporting character. Having joined the police force chiefly to be able to wear a nice uniform, Kevin Goody is an unintelligent, good-natured and unbelievably camp police officer who nonetheless spends most of his time pursuing Constable Maggie Habib (against her wishes). Its no easy task to steal the limelight from Atkinson, but James Dreyfus performance is always perfectly judged and hilarious.
19. Ben Harper My Family
A misanthropic dentist, and patriarch of the Harper family, Ben spends much of his free time trying to annoy his wife or distract his children so that hell be able to read a Tom Clancy novel (which takes him the better part of a year). His apathetic attitude towards his family never comes across as callous, as Robert Lindsey creates a character who is amusing and basically good-natured, even though he spends most of his time complaining.
20. Robert Hiller Twos Company
This transatlantic comedy about the cultural friction between an American authoress (Elaine Stritch) and her English butler (Donald Sinden), is as funny now as it was in 1975. The banter between the two forms the bulk of most episodes, as they discuss cultural differences between their countries and each attempts to gain the upper hand in the relationship.