Paul Whitehouse's epic TV journey concludes with the new millennium – where the arrival of the internet and smartphones did nothing to halt TV comedy's quest to forge new horizons – or push the barriers of taste.
From Catherine Tate's foul-mouthed Nan and ‘Am I bovvered' Lauren, to Little Britain's cast of grotesques, perhaps only outdone by the inhabitants of Royston Vasey, the League of Gentlemen's often disturbing gallery of parochial freaks,TV comedy would never be the same again.
Elsewhere in the 00s, under-rated new talent had barged its way in, courtesy of shows like Little Miss Jocelyn and Tittybangbang, which went a little under the radar, while Oxbridge still provided big hitters like super-smart duos Mitchell & Webb and Armstrong & Miller.
But there was still room for some of the old guard to forge new territory – including our host Paul Whitehouse and long-time, on-off comedy partner Harry Enfield, who enjoyed a renaissance of their own in the new century, with a cast of new, older, but still no wiser comedy caricatures.