Fawlty Towers has been named the greatest ever British TV sitcom. This time by a panel of comedy experts in the Radio Times.

The BBC comedy series which ran for two series in the 1970s regularly tops comedy polls. In 2017 comedians voted it the best sitcom.

Cleese told the Radio Times: “What a cast. I’m proud we are up there with Porridge and Only Fools and Ab Fab and Blackadder and The Office and Reggie Perrin and The Thick of It.”

Fawlty Towers co-writer Connie Booth added: “It’s unique in being a farce, with all the plot surprises and precision that the style requires. And it doesn’t hurt that the star of the show is a six–foot-five comic genius; if he was shorter I can’t imagine how it would have worked.”

Here is the lates poll:

1 Fawlty Towers, 1975- 9

2 Father Ted, 1995-8

3 I'm Alan Partridge, 1997-2002

4 Blackadder, 1983-9

5 Dad's Army, 1968-77

6 Only Fools and Horses, 1981-2003

7 Porridge, 1973-8

8 The Royle Family, 1998-2012

9 Absolutely Fabulous, 1992-2012

10 Dinnerladies, 1998-2000

11 The Thick of It, 2005-12

12 The Office, 2001-3

13 Peep Show, 2003-15

14 The Vicar of Dibley, 1994-2007

15 The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, 1976-9

16 The Young Ones, 1982-4

17 Gavin & Stacey, 2007-10

18 The Good Life, 1975-8

19 Detectorists, 2014-17

20 Whatever Happened to The Likely Lads? 1973- 74