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Fawlty tops worldwide poll

Fawlty Towers has been voted the top British sitcom by foreign viewers, including Germans.

Second was comedy of a very different type - Keeping Up Appearances, with Blackadder Goes Forth a close third, then Absolutely Fabulous.

Yes Minister and The Vicar of Dibley also fared well in the BBC Worldwide poll, although The Office failed to make the top 10.

Some of the sitcoms are altered slightly to appeal to an international audience.

For example, many have different names when broadcast abroad.

In France, Coupling is known as Sexy Six, while in Poland The Vicar of Dibley is called The Vicar in Stilettos.

Meanwhile Absolutely Fabulous translates as Totally Hysterical in Sweden, and in Finland Fawlty Towers is called Pitkan Jussin Majatalo – or  Tall John's Inn.

Spanish waiter Manuel changes nationality when the show is broadcast in Spain. He is Manuel the Mexican in most of the country, while in the Basque region he is an Italian called Manolo.

BBC Worldwide has just signed a deal with South African broadcaster SABC to produce its own version of Keeping Up Appearances.

The show will be made in Sotho, one of South Africa's eleven official languages, and is due to air early next year. It is the first time the BBC has struck such a deal for an African language remake.

Published: 10 Oct 2004

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