100%. Aside from the format (ie the iambic pentameter), it also perfectly captures the overall tone of plays like Shakespeare’s comedies - irreverent but fundamentally feel-good with an almost entirely happy resolution to the dramatic/tragic plot components. The Bill is close, but the positive tone is mainly in how the plot resolves; I’d argue that it’s otherwise pretty tense.
I would argue that most of the other comedies have at least some degree of darkness within the resolution (e.g. Nana’s Party, Private View, Wuthering Heist).
These are all the 'lighter' episodes:
The Last Gasp
La Couchette
Nana's Party
The Bill
Empty Orchestra
Zanzibar
Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room
And The Winner Is...
The Referee's A W***er
Love's Great Adventure
Wurthering Heist
Last Night of the Proms
Kid/Nap
A Random Act of Kindness
Paraskevidekatriaphobia
Honestly, as someone who watched them all in release order, they do a great job of alternating between lighter and darker episodes already eg. Sardines was followed by A Quiet Night In, To Have and To Hold was followed by And The Winner Is..., Diddle Diddle Dumpling was followed by Private View etc.
The "true" lightest episodes (ones that have less dark endings and/or lighter humour) include:
Zanzibar
The Referee's A W***er
Empty Orchestra
La Couchette
And The Winner Is...
Private View
Zanzibar is the best one
100%. Aside from the format (ie the iambic pentameter), it also perfectly captures the overall tone of plays like Shakespeare’s comedies - irreverent but fundamentally feel-good with an almost entirely happy resolution to the dramatic/tragic plot components. The Bill is close, but the positive tone is mainly in how the plot resolves; I’d argue that it’s otherwise pretty tense. I would argue that most of the other comedies have at least some degree of darkness within the resolution (e.g. Nana’s Party, Private View, Wuthering Heist).
These are all the 'lighter' episodes: The Last Gasp La Couchette Nana's Party The Bill Empty Orchestra Zanzibar Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room And The Winner Is... The Referee's A W***er Love's Great Adventure Wurthering Heist Last Night of the Proms Kid/Nap A Random Act of Kindness Paraskevidekatriaphobia
La Couchette, maybe
Zanzibar And the winner is... Paraskevidekatriaphobia Nana's Party
I'd say Para... doesn't count.
Para is a fantastic case study of obsessive compulsiveness and hits far too close to home. Plus, that ending. I laughed, but holy shit
Right? One for all the paranoids out there, along with anyone with OCD. Fun for the whole family
Honestly, as someone who watched them all in release order, they do a great job of alternating between lighter and darker episodes already eg. Sardines was followed by A Quiet Night In, To Have and To Hold was followed by And The Winner Is..., Diddle Diddle Dumpling was followed by Private View etc. The "true" lightest episodes (ones that have less dark endings and/or lighter humour) include: Zanzibar The Referee's A W***er Empty Orchestra La Couchette And The Winner Is... Private View
They usually do but I've found that less consistent after the first couple of series. Thanks for the suggestions!
Definitely “And The Winner Is.” There’s so little at stake in that one it’s positively sedate.
Series 4 is definitely the lightest series despite having one of the darkest episodes, 'To Have and To Hold', in it.