...says the man behind Birds Of A Feather

British comedy isn't funny anymore, one of our most successful sitcom writers has claimed.

Laurence Marks says that show are technically brilliant, but lacking in laughs.

And he blames it on political correctness and a "tyranny of cool" among writers.

"It's well structured, beautifully cast, with costumes to die for, but it ain't funny," he claims.

"The introduction of political correctness has been the penultimate nail in the coffin," he says. "If you're frightened to offend, you have no place in comedy."

Marks, who with Maurice Gran, created such shows as Goodnight Sweetheart and Birds Of A Feather, was speaking to The Independent to promote their new sitcom, Believe Nothing, which starts on ITV1 on Sunday.

"I don't think you can teach someone to be funny, but I think you can explain why things are," he said. "Comedy is like music. It's scansion.

"Certain words are funny and certain words aren't. Words with a 'k' sound are funny. Ilminster ­ no laugh; Ilfracombe will knock 'em dead. Odd numbers are funny. 'That's the 71st time you told me that,' will get a laugh. 'That's the 72nd time...' won't."

And they certainly practise what they preach - Rik Mayall's lead character in Believe Nothing is called Dr Cnut - though the gag probably doesn't lie in the K sound - and his love interest is Dr Awkward, which also happens to be a palindrome, like her first name, Hannah.

Published: 9 Jul 2002