Raising Laughter

How the Sitcom Kept Britain Smiling in the ‘70s

Robert Sellers

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Paperback

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English

The History Press Ltd
07 September 2023

Television; British & Irish history; Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000; Social & cultural history; Oral history

The 1970s were the era of the three-day week, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the winter of discontent, trade union Bolshevism and wildcat strikes. Through sitcoms, Raising Laughter provides a fresh look at one of our most divisive and controversial decades. Aside from providing entertainment to millions of people, the sitcom is a window into the culture of the day.

Many of these sitcoms tapped into the decade's sense of cynicism, failure and alienation, providing much-needed laughter for the masses. Shows like Rising Damp and Fawlty Towers were classic encapsulations of worn-out, run-down Britain, while the likes of Dad's Army looked back sentimentally at a romanticised English past.

For the first time, the stories behind the making of every sitcom from the 1970s are told by the actors, writers, directors and producers who made them all happen. This is nostalgia with a capital N, an oral history, the last word, and an affectionate salute to the kind of comedy programme that just isn't made anymore.

AUTHOR: Robert Sellers is an author and journalist. He is the author of the bestselling Hellraisers (Preface, 2009), What Fresh Lunacy is This: The Authorised Biography of Oliver Reed (Constable, 2014) and When Harry Met Cubby (THP, 2019). He writes for Empire film magazine, the Daily Mail and The Guardian.

15 b/w illustrations

By: Robert Sellers
Imprint: The History Press Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9781803993683
ISBN 10: 1803993685
Pages: 382
Publication Date: 07 September 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

ROBERT SELLERS was born in Leeds in 1965. Following graduation from drama school, he dreamt of a career on stage and screen. Alas, despite a few walk-on roles, the world has been spared his acting, which is perhaps all for the best. Instead, he turned to film journalism - why not write about the medium he loves if he couldn't appear in it. Since the early 90s, he has written numerous biographies, books on film and TV and popular culture including the bestselling Hellraisers (Preface, 2009). His book The Battle for Bond was the subject of controversial litigation and for a time was banned in Britain.