She tops Radio Times poll

Victoria Wood has been named as the best stand-up to appear on TV.

She topped the poll of Radio Times readers, narrowly beating runner-up Jasper Carrott. They also voted her show As Seen On TV the best TV sketch show.

Victor Meldrew's cry of 'I don't believe it!' was voted best catchphrase in the same poll, with twice as many votes as the runner-up, Del Boy's 'Lovely Jubbly!'

However, David Jason's Only Fools and Horses character was named best male sitcom character, with The Good Life's Margo Leadbetter winning the female category.

Have I Got News For You presenter Angus Deayton was judged the funniest presenter by the 2,500 people who voted, while The Mrs Merton Show was named best satirical show.

But there were brickbats for Lenny Henry, whose show Chef! was voted the worst sitcom, followed by You Rang, M'Lord, On the Buses and Mind Your Language.

And Lee Evan's sitcom So What Now? Named biggest comedy disappointment.

The poll, in which readers chose from a predetermined shortlist, coincides with a comedy season on UK Gold sponsored by Radio Times.

The results:

Best Sitcom: 1950s and 1960s

Steptoe and Son: 34.4%
Hancock's Half Hour: 25.0%
The Likely Lads: 19.7%
Till Death Us Do Part: 15.6%
Please Sir!: 5.3%

Best Sitcom: 1970s

Fawlty Towers: 35.8%
Dad's Army: 33.2%
Porridge: 19.1%
Rising Damp: 8.6%
Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?: 3.3%

Best Sitcom: 1980s

Only Fools and Horses: 48.6%
Yes Minister: 38.7%
The Young Ones: 6.8%
Just Good Friends: 4.0%
The New Statesman: 2.0%

Best Sitcom: 1990s

One Foot In The Grave: 40.9%
The Vicar of Dibley: 32.1%
Men Behaving Badly: 11.5%
The Royle Family: 8.9%
The League of Gentlemen: 6.7%

Best Sitcom: 2000/2001

My Hero: 46.4%
My Family: 22.3%
Black Books: 16.4%
That Peter Kay Thing: 14.9%

Best Sketch Show

Victoria Wood: as Seen on TV: 31.2%
Monty Python's Flying Circus: 26.4%
Not The Nine O'Clock News: 16.8%
That Was The Week That Was: 16.0%
The Fast Show: 9.7%

Best Sketch

Fork Handles, The Two Ronnies: 61.4%
Dead Parrot, Monty Python's Flying Circus: 23.3%
Cleopatra, Morecambe and Wise: 9.1%
Gerald the Gorilla, Not the Nine O'Clock News: 6.3%

Best Male Sitcom Character

Derek `Del Boy' Trotter (Only Fools and Horses): 34.5%
Basil Fawlty (Fawlty Towers): 25.5%
Captain Mainwaring (Dad's Army): 20.2%
Victor Meldrew (One Foot In The Grave): 12.5%
Norman Stanley Fletcher (Porridge): 7.3%

Best Female Sitcom Character

Margo Leadbetter (The Good Life): 38.9%
Hyacinth Bucket (Keeping Up Appearances): 36.8%
Edina Monsoon (Absolutely Fabulous): 10.4%
Mrs Slocombe (Are You Being Served): 8.4%
Denise Royle (The Royle Family): 5.5%

Best Sitcom Double Act

Harold and Albert Steptoe (Steptoe and Son): 46.2%
Gary and Tony (Men Behaving Badly): 15.9%
Terry and June Medford (Terry and June): 15.5%
George and Mildred Roper (George and Mildred): 12.1
Linda La Hughes and Tom Farrell (Gimme, Gimme, Gimme): 10.3%

Best Satire/Spoof

The Mrs Merton Show: 41.2%
I'm Alan Partridge: 28.4%
People Like Us: 16.3%
The Day Today: 10.7%
That Peter Kay Thing: 3.5%

Worst Ever Sitcom

Chef: 27.8%
You Rang M'Lord: 22.8%
On the Buses: 19.4%
Mind Your Language: 16.3%
Love Thy Neighbour: 13.7%

Funniest Presenter

Angus Deayton (Have I Got News For You): 47.0%
Graham Norton (So Graham Norton): 22.6%
Clive Anderson (Whose Line Is It Anyway?): 11.8%
Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer (Shooting Stars): 10.1%
Nick Hancock (They Think It's All Over): 8.4%

Best TV stand-up comedian

Victoria Wood: 36.9%
Jasper Carrot: 32.1%
Rory Bremner: 13.5%
Jack Dee: 10.7%
Ben Elton: 6.9%

Best Catchphrase

I Don't Believe It (Victor Meldrew): 45.2%
Lovely Jubbly (Del Boy): 22.6%
You Dirty Old Man (Harold Steptoe): 19.6%
Are You Local? (The League of Gentlemen): 7.0%
... Which Was Nice (The Fast Show): 5.6%

Biggest Comedy Letdown

Lee Evans (So What Now?): 33.8%
James Bolam (Pay and Display): 21.9%
Eddie Izzard (Cows): 17.8%
Emma Thompson (Thompson): 17.5%
John Gordon Sinclair (Nelson's Column): 9.0%

Best American Sitcom

M*A*S*H: 40.7%
The Phil Silvers Show: 22.1%
Frasier: 19.0%
Friends: 15.7%
Seinfeld: 2.5%

Best Slapstick Sitcom Moment

Basil Fawlty's duck a l'orange disguised as blancmange: 25.2%
Frank Specer dangling over a cliff in Some Mother's Do `Av `Em: 23.6%
Margo toppling over in the mud in The Good Life: 20.0%
Hyacinth Bucket falling off a cruiser in Keeping Up Appearances: 19.6%
A drunken Edina falling in a flower bed in Absolutely Fabulous: 11.5%

Published: 21 Aug 2001