Season Two Explained

All British Comedy Explained… to Abigoliah Schamaun, by Tom Salinsky
2.9: Season 2 reviewed. Released 11 June 2026.
Our second season consisted of eight classic BBC sitcoms. Next time, we’re going to finally include some ITV and Channel 4 shows, and we’ll be tackling the thorny question of SATIRE.
1. Spitting Image – the ferociously topical puppet show which taught generations of teenagers who was in the cabinet.
2. That Was the Week That Was – groundbreaking show which said the unsayable and emptied pubs on Saturday nights.
3. Not the Nine O’Clock News – precursor to the alternative comedy boom, this redefined the sketch show when plenty of people thought that Python had had the last word.
4. The Thick of It – Yes Minister in the age of spin, with a star-making turn from Peter Capaldi.
5. The New Statesman – politics from the Westminster side, with a typically powerhouse performance from Rik Mayall.
6. Drop the Dead Donkey – the sitcom with (some) jokes written in the week of production, with the working title “Dead Belgians Don’t Count”.
7. Hot Metal – early success for Renwick and Marshall, with a serialised story and a deft blend of character comedy and absurdity.
8. TBD - Patreons will choose between John Morton's W1A and Chris Morris's Brass Eye.
That’s our plan for the next eight episodes. We do hope you can join us. Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.
Here’s a long list of social media systems where you can find the podcast and us.
The podcast
• JOIN OUR PATREON patreon.com/BritishComedyPod
• substack.com/@allbritishcomedy
• Mailing list: eepurl.com/jnPC56
• allbritishcomedy@gmail.com
• allbritishcomedy.com
• youtube.com/@AllBritishComedyExplained
• instagram.com/britishcomedypod
• tiktok.com/@britishcomedypod
• bsky.app/profile/allbritishcomedy.bsky.social
• threads.com/@britishcomedypod
• facebook.com/groups/allbritishcomedy
Abigoliah Schamaun
• abigoliah.com
• youtube.com/Abigoliah
• instagram.com/abigoliah
• tiktok.com/@abigoliah
Tom Salinsky
• tomsalinsky.co.uk
• facebook.com/tomsalinsky
• instagram.com/tomsalinsky
• tiktok.com/@tomsalinsky1972
• bsky.app/profile/tomsalinsky.bsky.social
• threads.com/@tomsalinsky
All British Comedy Explained is produced by The Spontaneity Shop. If you enjoy this podcast, why not check out The Guilty Feminist with Deborah Frances-White, Tom’s other podcast Best Pick all about movies, or Abigoliah’s other podcast Neurodivergent Moments.
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