British TV is known for its irreverent comedy shows, viral news moments and relatable sitcoms, so it’s no surprise that there are plenty of hilarious moments to choose from when listing the funniest in British small-screen history.
Only Fools and Horses, Fawlty Towers, Gavin and Stacey, The Inbetweeners… British television lovers are spoiled for choice when it comes to iconic situational comedies. Not only this, but the spontaneous nature of reality TV shows such as Celebrity Big Brother and live programmes like This Morning and BBC News provides ripe ground for humorous, often completely shocking bloopers, gags, and viral moments.
We’ve rounded up our favourite funny moments from decades of British TV below.
The most hilarious moments in British TV, ever
Celebrity Big Brother - “David’s dead”
This memorable Celebrity Big Brother moment is one of the most bizarre and unfortunately hilarious in British TV history. During the 2016 season, the iconic singer David Bowie sadly passed away, and his first wife Angie Bowie was given the news off-screen. When she returned to the house and told fellow contestant Tiffany Pollard, “David’s dead”, Pollard reacted in a comically over-the-top manner, as it soon became clear that, justly, she believed Angie was referring to the contestant David Guest, who was napping at the time.
Pollard’s hysterical reaction, Angie’s irritated response of “Not David! My ex-husband!”, Guest’s confused expression upon being woken up, and the amount of time it takes for the misunderstanding to be revealed; the moment was the perfect storm of heightened emotions and unfortunate timing.
This Morning – Gino D’Acampo “If my grandmother had wheels she would’ve been a bike”
Coming in at number 13 on the official Sky list of memorable British TV moments, no compilation of hilarious British television would be complete without this much-quoted moment. After Italian celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo made This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield an authentic Italian mac and cheese dish, Holly noted that if the dish had ham in it, it would be closer to a carbonara; to which an unimpressed DiCampo quipped “and if my grandmother had wheels, she would’ve been a bike”. Willoughby and Schofield, and seemingly everyone on the set, burst into uncontrollable laughter, and the moment was immortalised as one of the best comebacks of all time.
EastEnders - “You ain’t my muvva!”
The iconic "You ain't my muvva!" scene from EastEnders features a dramatic confrontation between Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) and Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan), where Zoe, believing Kat to be her sister, angrily yells, "You can't tell me what to do! You ain't my muvva!" - to which Kat emotionally responds, "Yes I am!" This revelation that Kat is actually Zoe's mother is a major plot twist, and the scene has become one of the most memorable in the show's history, often quoted and referenced in British popular culture.
Only Fools and Horses – Del Boy falls through the bar
Only Fools and Horses is a beloved British sitcom that aired from 1981 to 2003. One of its most iconic scenes features the character Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter, played by David Jason, falling through an open bar counter, and it’s widely regarded as one of the funniest in British television history, winning the top spot in both a Sky TV study of the most memorable British TV moments and in a poll of the top sitcom moments by comedy channel GOLD, in which the moment got 67% of the vote.
"Bubby’s in the fridge"
This EastEnders moment is so iconic that a well-known meme, ‘Angry White Woman’ has since been made out of it. The scene occurred during a 2011 episode, after character Vanessa discovered an affair between her partner Max and his ex-wife Tanya. After finding a scrunched-up note from Max to Tanya informing her that “bubbly’s in the fridge”, Vanessa has what can only be described as a meltdown, angrily repeating the phrase over and over while destroying Max’s living room. The moment became one of the most quoted and memorable of the show, and began trending on social media before becoming a viral meme.
The Inbetweeners - "bus w***ers"
The term ‘bus w***ers’ originates from iconic British sitcom The Inbetweeners, specifically from the first episode of the second series, which aired in 2009. In this episode, the character Jay Cartwright, known for his brash and often inappropriate behaviour, shouts the term at a group of people waiting at a bus stop as he drives past in his friend Simon's new car, which breaks down moments afterwards. The insult quickly became one of the show's most memorable catchphrases and entered popular culture, often used to mock those using public transport.
Amy Winehouse on Katie Melua
Singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse had her share of hilarious TV moments - her brash, bold demeanour and quick wit made for some truly iconic one-liners and panel show appearances. The early 2000s era of British television saw plenty of appearances from Amy, including on the Simon Amstell-led Never Mind the Buzzcocks, where Amstell proposed that she collaborate with fellow singer Katie Melua. Amy's reply? "I’d rather have cat AIDS, thank you”.
Lily Allen and Arctic Monkeys at T in the Park
The early 2000s era of pop culture television saw regular appearances from the then-up-and-coming Lily Allen, who soon became known for her tendency to speak her mind and her unique prom-dress-and-sneakers style. One of the best interviews of Allen sees her sitting with the members of Arctic Monkeys backstage at T in the Park, where she admits the only way to get through her performance was “to get hammered”. She goes on to swear on the daytime TV slot and repeatedly interrupt the line of questioning to frontman Alex Turner.
This Morning - Alison Hammond pushes sailor into the Albert Dock
During a live weather report on the British daytime television show This Morning, presenter Alison Hammond accidentally pushed a sailor into the Albert Dock in Liverpool. This unexpected incident occurred as part of a light-hearted segment where Alison was reporting from a floating map of the UK. As she chatted to the sailor, she lost her balance and inadvertently knocked him into the water. The moment became instantly memorable and the clip quickly went viral.
Fleabag’s restaurant scene
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag, a dark comedy-drama led by an unnamed protagonist who breaks the fourth wall to show her true colours to the audience, had plenty of hilarious moments alongside the truly devastating ones. Waller-Bridge made the bold decision to set the opening episode of the second season entirely in one restaurant, where an awkward birthday dinner becomes more and more hilarious and unbearably tense.
BBC interview of Guy Goma
Sometimes live TV - especially news broadcasts - goes wrong, but the Guy Goma incident is quite possibly the most well-known and hilarious example of this. Goma, a Congolese business graduate, came to the BBC for a job interview but was accidentally brought into the live studio and introduced as Guy Kewney, an IT expert, and asked about the Apple Computers vs Apple Corps business dispute. Despite his initial shock, Goma responded to questions about internet music downloads with remarkable composure, even though he had no expertise on the topic.
Gavin and Stacey – Smithy’s curry order
In the beloved British sitcom Gavin and Stacey, one of the funniest and most memorable moments occurs when Smithy, played by James Corden, passionately delivers his elaborate curry order over the phone in the third episode of the first season. His meticulous listing of items and quips about the perils of making group food orders made this an iconic and oft-quoted moment in the show.
Educating Yorkshire - Safiyyah and Hadiqa
An unexpectedly viral moment came out of the Channel 4 documentary series Educating Yorkshire, which documented the everyday lives of a secondary school in West Yorkshire. Speaking to her former best friend, student Safiyyah delivers an impassioned and fervently-spoken monologue to Hadiqa about no longer wanting to be her friend despite the fact that her grandma has passed away. The breathless speed of her words along with their possible insincerity made this moment incredibly quotable, and it's often noted as one of the funniest moments of British television.
James Acaster on the Great British Bake Off
Comedian James Acaster's memorable line "Started making it. Had a breakdown. Bon appétit" is an iconic moment from his appearance on the show The Great British Bake Off. During the show, contestants are expected to explain their baking process and showcase their creations to the judges. Acaster's deadpan remark became a viral sensation as he hilariously summarised his baking experience.
X Factor - Nicole stealing Jahmene's mic
One of the funniest moments of the 2012 season of The X Factor came in the final, when softly-spoken singer Jahmene dueted a performance of Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love” with mentor Nicole Sherzinger. However, when Sherzinger walked onto the stage, it seemed her microphone was not working properly, and in an attempt to stay professional, she took Jahmene’s mic in order to sing her lines of the song. They went on to share the single mic for the rest of the rendition, but her momentary snatching of her mentee’s microphone and his awkward expression in response made for one of the best X Factor moments.
Dad’s Army - ‘don’t tell him Pike’
In the classic British sitcom Dad's Army, the iconic "Don't tell him, Pike" moment occurs during a scene where Captain Mainwaring, played by Arthur Lowe, is captured by a German U-Boat crew. As the Germans interrogate Mainwaring about the location of a British secret weapon, he attempts to protect his subordinate, Pike, played by Ian Lavender. When the German officer demands to know Pike’s name, Mainwaring accidentally yells out “don’t tell him, Pike!” - the hilarious moment came in third in comedy channel GOLD’s poll of the funniest sitcom scenes of all time.
"What a sad little life, Jane"
This Come Dine With Me moment is so ingrained into British culture that just the words “what a sad little life, Jane” are immediately recognisable. Contestant Peter Marsh, after losing the competition, directed his frustration towards fellow contestant Jane, who had won. In a bitter and memorable rant, Peter criticised Jane's victory, accusing her of having "all the grace and decorum of a reversing dump truck without any tires on." He concluded his tirade with the now-famous line, "what a sad little life, Jane," suggesting she use the prize money to buy some lessons in grace and decorum, while Jane and the rest of the group sat and smirked awkwardly.
Love Island - barista Curtis
In the fifth series of Love Island, airing in 2019, contestant Curtis Pritchard delivered one of the show's most memorable and unintentionally hilarious moments when he prioritised making coffee for fellow islanders over his newfound relationship. During a heartfelt conversation with girlfriend Amy Hart, Curtis confessed that he had realised he couldn't see a future with her. In an awkward and oddly detailed explanation of his priorities, Curtis mentioned that making everyone in the villa a coffee each morning was very important to him. The comment led to widespread amusement among viewers.
AbLisa punch on X Factor
British talent-reality show The X Factor has resulted in a fair share of absurd, surreal and hilarious moments. One of these came in season seven, where singing duo AbLisa gave a terrible audition that ended in disaster. After being criticised by Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia, Lisa responded, “Who are you, may I ask?”, to a shocked and gasping audience. The other half of the duo, Abbey, was similarly horrified, and ended up shoving her friend in the face with her elbow before storming off stage - Lisa flipped off the audience as she followed suit, with the girls’ confrontation continuing backstage.
Hungover Holly and Phil on This Morning
On a 2016 episode of This Morning, hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby famously appeared visibly hungover and wearing the same clothes from the night before, after spending the evening celebrating their win at the National Television Awards. The duo's dishevelled appearance and admission of their post-party state led to Holly trying to stifle uncontrollable laughter and Phillip's struggle to maintain composure.
‘Sharon’ Thunberg
The hilarious ‘Sharon Thunberg’ moment occurred in a 2020 episode of BBC's Celebrity Mastermind. When asked by host John Humphrys to name the teenage climate activist who addressed the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference, actor Amanda Henderson mistakenly responded with ‘Sharon’, instead of Greta, Thunberg. The moment quickly went viral, with Thunberg herself joining in by briefly changing her Twitter bio to Sharon.
The Chase - an unfortunate name
One of the most well-known and hilarious moments on British TV was over a decade ago, when The Chase host Bradley Walsh lost his composure over a particularly unfortunate name. Known for its witty questions, the show incorporated the name of a famous German skier, Fanny Chmelar, into a quiz query, prompting a ripple of laughter among viewers and the contestant answering the question. No-one found it quite as funny as Walsh, though, who struggled to compose himself as he uncontrollably giggled over the name.
“Who is she? Where did you find her?!”
In the seventh series of Celebrity Big Brother, aired in 2006, contestant Nikki Grahame delivered one of reality TV's most memorable rants when she furiously exclaimed, "Who is she? Who is she? Where did you find her?" whilst talking to the camera in the diary room. The outburst was directed at fellow housemate Susie Verrico, who had just nominated Nikki for eviction. Nikki's dramatic and emotional reaction quickly became an iconic moment, helping to make her a standout and much-loved character on the show.
"What rollers?"
A news item from Glastonbury Festival went viral in 2023 when a Liverpudlian festival-goer was interviewed as she made her way onto the site. When journalist Colin Paterson asked the woman about the huge rollers in her hair, she launched into a story about the suitcase she was carrying onto Worthy Farm - when he asked again, the woman innocently asked “what rollers?”, which, coupled with the inescapable size of the accessories in her hair, made for a humorous and soon-to-be viral moment.
Robert Kelly’s BBC interview is interrupted by his kids
In March 2017, a live BBC interview with Professor Robert Kelly became a viral sensation when his children hilariously interrupted the broadcast. Kelly, an expert on South Korea, was discussing the country's political situation when his young daughter marched into the room, followed by his baby in a walker, before his wife rushed in to frantically retrieve them. The hilarious moment went viral again in 2020, when lockdowns and mass working from home made the occurrence all the more relatable.
The Great British Bake Off - Baked Alaska in the bin controversy
The ‘Baked Alaska in the bin’ controversy occurred during the 2014 series of The Great British Bake Off in an episode dubbed 'Bingate'. Contestant Iain Watters, attempting to make a Baked Alaska, discovered his ice cream had melted after fellow contestant Diana Beard removed it from the freezer for supposedly just 40 seconds. Frustrated and believing his dessert was ruined, Iain threw his Baked Alaska into the bin and presented the judges with the empty container. The incident sparked a massive public reaction, with viewers divided over whether Diana had sabotaged Iain's dish; it has since gone down as one of the most memorably funny (if tense) moments of the series.
Rylan getting through to the next round
Beloved TV presenter Rylan Clark first entered the spotlight as the bleached-blonde, confident Essex boy auditioning for a spot in season nine of The X Factor. At the ‘judge’s houses’ stage of the series, pop star Nicole Scherzinger sat Rylan down and revealed whether or not she would be taking him through to the live shows. As she stated “Rylan, it’s such a big risk… but I have to take it”, the contestant burst into uncontrollable tears of happiness, dropping to his knees and shouting “you’re lying!” Made all the better by the shots of Scherzinger’s subtly concerned expression, Rylan’s hysterical reaction went down in history as one of the funniest moments in TV history.
Ab Fab - falling out the cab
At number eight in GOLD’s poll of the most hilarious sitcom moments is a scene from the 90s classic Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab. As Eddy (Jennifer Saunders) exits the cab in her typically chaotic and fashionably dishevelled manner, she loses her balance and tumbles onto the pavement, much to the embarrassment of her straight-laced daughter, Saffron (Julia Sawalha).
Tiffany Pollard’s diary room read of Gemma Collins
In another so-horrific-it’s-hilarious moment from Celebrity Big Brother, Tiffany Pollard’s savage take-down of fellow contestant and The Only Way is Essex star Gemma Collins would become one of the most memorable and iconic moments from the reality show, and British TV in general. From Pollard’s calm demeanour to her unique choice of verbiage - particularly the talk of "old maiden type of shoes" - the moment is truly astounding and unforgettable.
John Torodes’ kitchen going up in flames on This Morning
In October 2019, during a live cooking segment on This Morning, celebrity chef John Torode experienced an unexpected mishap when his kitchen caught fire. Torode was demonstrating a cooking technique involving a dish that was meant to be flambeed. However, the flame unexpectedly spread beyond control, causing a small fire in his kitchen studio. Torode and the show's hosts, Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, reacted quickly as smoke filled the room and the fire alarm went off.
Fawlty Towers - The Germans
“The Germans” is frequently cited as one of the best and most hilarious episodes of British sitcom Fawlty Towers. Due to a visit to the hotel from some German tourists, the flamboyant hotel manager Basil Fawlty becomes more and more erratic, resulting in some shocking physical comedy gags and now much-quoted lines. Though a favourite episode amongst plenty of the show’s fans, “The Germans” also made for one of the most controversial moments in British TV, and was later often edited or banned completely for fear of offending German viewers.
Gemma Collins falling through stage
In December 2017, during the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards, reality TV star Gemma Collins suffered an unfortunate mishap when she accidentally fell through a trapdoor on stage. Collins was supposed to announce the winner of a category when she inadvertently stepped backwards into an open trapdoor, causing her to plummet several feet below the stage.
