Hancock's Half Hour (Transferred to TV from radio) created a British version of the US sit-coms, just out of WW2 rationing. .
British comedy was very creative in the sixties and subsequently created such classic programmes like Step toe and son', Are you being served', Fawlty Towers' and Only fools and horses'. These programmes were not only a hit in Britain but also around the world. Recently these shows appeared in a poll by the BBC of the 50 greatest British sitcoms.
While many sitcoms conform to an aesthetic of realism and are naturalistic, there are some that break this mould and fit into an alternative group of their own. Programmes such as The Young Ones' written by Ben Elton and Channel 4's Father Ted' gave sitcoms a new non-realist approach. They seem to follow a different set of rules to most shows but are still hilarious. More recently programmes like The league of Gentlemen', a surreal comedy/horror show which is about a strange village named Roysten Vasey where you get to meet all its sick', perverted' characters, has attracted a strong cult following.
Red Dwarf' is a sitcom on this definition. However, unlike most British sitcoms, which are set in modern day British life, it explores the world of Science Fiction. .
The Science fiction genre is an exploration of the world of technology, aliens and the dangers of science and the future. As a speculative genre it shows what life could really be like if current scientific and technological trends continue. This is a reason why the sci-fi genre has become so diverse as it has many issues to explore. From the threat of mad scientists to aliens, artificial intelligence and androids, space travel and space wars! .
For decades the genre did not have mass appeal because the aim in most stories was to make us believe in the impossible, most audiences just did not find the movies credible. This could be partly due to early film making techniques.