Dissertation Proposal: Essay Research

Analyse how British society and class is represented and has evolved through the medium comedy, with reference to examples of Only Fools and Horses. 



Ability to make you laugh and tug on you heart strings at the same time.

1996- society at the time post thaturism- local businesses undercut


Best of British: Cinema and Society from 1930 to Present

By Anthony Aldgate, Jeffrey Richards



Only Fools and Horses: The Story of Britain's Favourite Comedy

By Graham McCann


"Recently...too many TV comedies were about middle-class people."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jan/30/danny-cohen-middle-class-comedy


Danny Cohen "wondered where the next Only Fools and Horses, the next Norman Stanley Fletcher, the next working-class comedy hero, was going to come from."

Shameless dark humour but does touch on working class

John Sullivan grew up in similar surroundings to Only Fools. Gambling episode (His dad would have friends over, smoking cigars, playing card games for money). The famous chandelier episode was his dad knew people who experienced the exact scenario. John found it funny but his dad didn't he said "It wasn't funny, men lost their jobs at time of national struggle". Dad watched the episode when it came out and said "you're right it is funny". 

John Sulliven auteur 

Documentary (The Making of Only Fools and Horses)


Del says in episode 'Mother Natures Son' "Please god, let me prove to you that wealth won't spoil me"- it doesn't spoil him, he actually misses being poor


https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/aug/03/theatre.britishidentity

"We have always told ourselves, is our sense of humour. But stand-up comedians and sitcoms are getting increasingly dark, satirical - and, arguably, unfunny."


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