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Here's the results from our annual poll which aims to discover what the best and worst comedies of the previous year were. Thanks to everyone who voted - there's no real shock results this year, but the winners and losers do provide an interesting record of the nation's comedy tastes in 2007.
It wasn't the strongest of years for new British sitcoms - many debut entries crashed and burned in the ratings. Outnumbered came close to being your favourite new sitcom of the year, but in the end it was beaten in the voting by...
Best: Gavin and Stacey
Many of you enjoyed BBC Three's multiple award winning new comedy from Ruth Jones and James Corden. Unsurprisingly coming back for a second series in 2008, we can now conclude that Gavin and Stacey was the best new sitcom of 2007. Our Guide 
Forum Thread
Worst: The Life And Times Of Vivienne Vyle
According to our poll, Jennifer Saunders 'comedy' about a daytime TV chat show host was the new 2007 sitcom most disliked. We suspect this was because this show came across as more of a preachy drama than the sitcom it was meant to be. Our Guide Forum Thread
The nominees were: After You've Gone(Series 1), Angelo's, Bash(BBC3 Pilot), Be More Ethnic(BBC3 Pilot), Benidorm, Coming Of Age(BBC3 Pilot), Dear Green Place(BBC Scotland), Fear, Stress and Anger, Free Agents(Comedy Showcase Pilot), Freezing(Tight Spot Pilot), Gavin and Stacey, Green(BBC3 Pilot), HR(Tight Spot Pilot), Ladies and Gentlemen(Comedy Showcase Pilot), Living With Two People You Like Individually... But Not As A Couple(BBC3 Pilot), Moonmonkeys(BBC3 Pilot), Mumbai Calling(ITV Pilot), Other People (Comedy Showcase Pilot), Outnumbered, Plus One(Comedy Showcase Pilot), Roman's Empire, Sound(BBC3 Pilot), Stuck(Tight Spot Pilot), The Abbey(ITV Pilot), The Eejits(Comedy Showcase Pilot), The Folks on the Hill(BBC NI), The Life And Times Of Vivienne Vyle, The Lift(Tight Spot Pilot), The Scum Also Rises(BBC3 Pilot), The Visit, Thieves Like Us
There's currently some very strong established sitcoms going from strength to strength. According to our poll, the 2007 series of The IT Crowd and Not Going Out were clear favourites of yours, but The Mighty Boosh is now falling out of favour after its weak third series. In the end there can only be one winner and loser in this category though...
Best: Peep Show (Series 4)
Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain's cult comedy shows no signs of losing its appeal - you loved the previous series. It's great to know Jeremy and Mark will be back for more socially awkward adventures in 2008. Our Guide Forum Thread
Worst: Hyperdrive (Series 2)
It's very hard to find anyone who likes this space comedy, it therefore doesn't come as much of a surprise to discover it is the sitcom people didn't want back for another series. The one blessing is that the BBC have finally realised it's a dud show and have axed plans for any more adventures aboard Camden Lock. Our Guide Forum Thread
The nominees were: After You've Gone 2, Grownups 2, Hyperdrive 2, Ideal 3, Lead Balloon 2, My Family 7, Not Going Out 2, Peep Show 4, Saxondale 2, Sensitive Skin 2, Still Game 6, Suburban Shootout 2, The Green Green Grass 3, The IT Crowd 2, The Mighty Boosh 3
We thought this year's extended-length sitcom specials were, in the main, excellent. One stood head and shoulders above all others though...
Best: Extras Final
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's final hour and a half long goodbye to Extras has really struck a chord - it gathered four times more votes than any other special. Although the final chapter may have been less a 'sitcom' and more a 'comedy drama', the episode still gained almost universal praise in our forums. Our Guide Forum Thread
Worst: To The Manor Born
The polls tells us the high-profile prime time Christmas Day return of To The Manor Born was actually a bit of a mistake. Much like Only Fools and Horses, it would seem that the BBC should have left the original classic ending intact, rather than try and extend the show in a cheap grab for ratings. Our Guide Forum Thread
The nominees were: After You've Gone: And So This Is Christmas, Extras, Green Wing: Final Special, My Family: Ho Ho No, Not Going Out: Murder at Christmas, Still Game: Plum Number, The Green Green Grass: The Special Relationship, The Thick of It: Spinners and Losers, The Thick of It: The Rise of the Nutters, To The Manor Born
There were over 90 new sketch show episodes broadcast in 2007... three quarters of which were absolutely dire in our opinion. 2007 certainly won't be remembered as a golden year for this genre.
Best: The Armstrong and Miller Show
The return of Armstrong and Miller was a highlight though. Their BBC1 show kept a large number of you happily entertained. Especially the immature RAF pilots, like totally man. Forum Thread
Worst: The Catherine Tate Show
When our computer told us that the third series of Catherine Tate's comedy was the 2007 sketch show you hated the most we made it re-count (as, after all, the series got pretty high viewing figures). But no, it was indeed the show that got the most negative votes in this category - it seems the backlash against her broad characters has begun! Forum Thread
The nominees were: A Bucket o' French & Saunders, Ain't It Funny Being Coloured(Pilot), Biffovision(Pilot), Blowout(Pilot), Comedy Showcase: Kevin Bishop(Pilot), Documental(Pilot), Fonejacker, It's Adam and Shelley, Katy Brand's Big Ass Show, Raging(Pilot), Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul, Rush Hour, Spacehopper(Pilot), Swizzcall(Pilot), The Armstrong and Miller Show, The Catherine Tate Show, The History of the World Backwards, The Omid Djalili Show, The Peter Serafinowicz Show, Tittybangbang, Touch Me, I'm Karen Taylor, Uncle Rubbish(Pilot), Under One Roof(Pilot)
2007 saw all the big panel shows notch up more series. The new entries in this genre were no match for the long-running Have I Got News For You, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week, QI and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. The votes were scattered amongst these shows - but the one which drew the most was:
Best: QI
Series 'E' from this comedy would appear to be the panel show series our voters laughed at most in 2007. It just goes to show that there is a large audience out there for clever, witty and intelligent comedy. Forum Thread
Worst: And Then You Die
'Clever, witty and intelligent' are certainly not words that could be associated with this panel show though. In case you can't remember, And Then You Die was the 'comedy' on Channel Dave that was hosted by a puppet. Calling it cheap and nasty would be kind - it easily wins the title of 'Worst Panel Show of 2007'. Forum Thread
The nominees were: ...And Then You Die, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Have I Got News For You, Mock the Week, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, News Knight with Sir Trevor McDonald, QI, The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, Would I Lie To You?
Our final voted-for category. This is where we asked you to pick your favourite and least favourite comedy of the year (any genre). Lots of shows attracted votes, but there could only be one winner and loser...
Best: The IT Crowd
It seems your favourite comedy of the year was the second series of The IT Crowd. Curiously this comedy didn't win the returning sitcom category as well - we can only put this down to the fact that everyone only had one vote here to use across all the genres. We guess there were more die-hard IT Crowd fans voting than there were Peep Show fans (i.e. many of those that voted for Peep Show in the category above had a different overall favourite?). Whatever the case, it seems C4 have created a much-loved sitcom. Our Guide Forum Thread
Worst: Tittybangbang
A lot of our readers gave this female-led BBC Three sketch show their ultimate thumbs down - how it keeps on being re-commissioned despite the negative reviews, low audiences and general loathing we just don't know! Forum Thread
We keep behind this award each year to hand out to the show, person, channel, or indeed whatever else we think deserves it. The award itself doesn't have a specific topic, but is weighted against various other factors, which again, aren't pre-determined. For example, someone which made a success of something, despite being up against x, y and z.
It didn't take long for the BSG editors to come up with this year's recipient...
Outnumbered
This semi-improvised sitcom about family life made an instant splash when it was broadcast in late August. The praise for it kept flooding our inbox! Why did it generate so much buzz... well, it was the first sitcom for ages to represent what true British middle-class family life with kids is like - it didn't peddle the tired old stereotypical sitcom view, and thus a lot of parents around the country found themselves identifying with the show and laughing along with it.
The great acting from the cast, particularly the kids, is what made the show so watchable. The children's un-scripted questions gave the show some real warmth, reality and humour!
The reason we've giving Outnumbered our Annual Choice Award is that it managed to become this big hit despite the BBC's terrible scheduling of it. As you may remember, the episodes went out on subsequent nights making it all too easy to miss. To add to this, they were scheduled at 10:35pm - not an ideal time for parents to watch. Despite these obstacles, Outnumbered managed to record great ratings every night it was on and it's for this reason we'd like to salute this show.
We'll be back in January 2009 with the much expanded British Comedy Guide Awards!
