Last of the Summer Wine

All this week at 7pm
Forecasters have observed gentle breezes of humour blowing across Yorkshire for some time now. And it's all due to the world's longest-running sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine. The title's increasingly misleading, as that plonk seems in no danger of running out anytime soon. Cast members may have come and gone, but this irrepressible epic of cheeky pensioners, crotchety old bats and the odd runaway bathtub remains as spry and lively as ever.

Keeping Up Appearances

All this week at 7.40pm
She's the reigning queen of sitcom snobbery, the suburban equivalent of Basil Fawlty and Captain Mainwaring. She's Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced you-know-how), whose candelight suppers are the stuff of legend. Terrorising her neighbours and making life a misery for her long suffering husband Richard, Hyacinth is an unstoppable monster of pomposity – but with an Achilles heel in the form of her awfully common family. Can she climb the social ladder without being scuppered by her embarrassing clan?

My Family

All this week at 8.20pm
Just when critics were saying the mainstream British sitcom was dead and buried, along came My Family to shut the whingers up. A far cry from previous "family" sitcoms like 2point4 Children, this show gives us lashings of sarcasm and more one-liners than Groucho Marx could shake a cigar at. And then of course there's Robert Lindsay, whose exasperated face is a national treasure in itself. We suggest a massive commemorative sculpture for Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth. That'll scare the tourists.

Only Fools and Horses

Mon 28th to Wed 30th July & Fri 1st August at 9pm
While Funshine is a national phenomenon, some particularly deep belly laughs will be emanating from Peckham and its environs. The twonks to blame are Derek Trotter and his dipstick brother Rodney. They may have become millionaires thanks to the discovery of an antique watch, but the nation will always remember them in their glory days: flogging "crash turbans" for Sikhs, pretending to be yuppies, and destroying the occasional priceless chandelier. All hail a truly triffic sitcom.

Fawlty Towers

Mon 28th to Wed 30th July & Fri 1st August at 9.40pm
Is this the greatest sitcom ever made? We wouldn't want to say, but searing waves of Funshine are reported around Torquay whenever Basil Fawlty loses his temper. Taking irritability to insane levels, the frighteningly volatile Fawlty must deal with a domineering wife, phantom hotel critics, drunken chefs and all kinds of awful riff-raff (aka, the guests). Is it any wonder he's a twitching, shouting maniac? At least he can always take his rage out on his car.

The Worst Week of My Life

Mon 28th to Wed 30th July & Fri 1st August at 10.20pm
Howard Steel sounds a bit like an action hero. Or maybe a cocky estate agent. In fact, he's the accident-prone hero of this sitcom, which charts the week leading up to his wedding. Unfortunately, the week involves a frightening ex, a deceased dog, and a variety of painful pratfalls that would be tragic if they weren't superbly funny. With wafts of hearty laughter blown along by disaster, this show comes with a big fat Funburn alert slapped over it. Think of it as Meet the Parents meets Father of the Bride meets something with dead pets in it. You get the picture.

When Were We Funniest?

Thu 31st July at 9pm
The Office star, Martin Freeman, champions the iconic comedy of the swinging 60s in our comedy clip-packed show. According to Martin, the 60s are where today's comedy has its roots. From political satire to abject silliness, it all began in the capable hands of Tommy Cooper, Morecambe and Wise and That Was The Week That Was – amongst others. At the end of the show, we'll be asking you to vote for your all-time favourite comedy moment from the 60s, right here on the Gold website.

Catherine Tate

All this week at 11pm
From the world's most gutter-mouthed gran to the chavviest teenager this side of Vicky Pollard, Catherine Tate's characters are so dangerously amusing that viewers are advised to slather on some heavy dollops of FunBlock cream. And if you think you're above quoting catchphrases, then bear this in mind: after just one episode, the words "bovvered" and "how very dare you" will be blurting from your helpless, grinning mouth with alarming rapidity. Don't say we didn't warn you.