Who are you top 5 TV characters of all time?

[Beefheart]

1. Omar Little- The Wire
2. Malcolm Tucker-The Thick of it
3. Tony Soprano-The Soprano's
4. Major Winters- Band of Brothers
5. Simon Quinlank- Fist of Fun

[TANGODANCER]

Surprised nobody mentioned Monkey or The Water Margins.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

You just did.

[CrazyHorse]

Kenny Senior.

[hi there, i'm chris]

The canned laughter doesn't bother me at all. I grew up with it and just got used to it. It is pretty weird though when you think about it. Most new comedies don't tend to use it now. It definitely doesn't get in the way of me enjoying a good show though, it's easy to block out and it's the content that matters.

[Bijou Bob]

1. Regan - The Sweeney
2. Tony Soprano
3. Peter Griffen )surprised myself with that one)
4. Egg - This Life
5. Niles Crane - Frasier

With honourable mentions for the cast of Are You Being Served, Jack Bower and Dixon of Dock Green

[Little Green Man]

Can I chuck Yosser Hughes and Francis Urquhart into the melting pot?

[CrazyHorse]

1. Regan - The Sweeney

Ooof, that's a good shout too.

[TANGODANCER]

How could I forget Morse and Lewis?

[Wandering Willy]

And Jane Tennison.

[Harry Genshaw]

The canned laughter doesn't bother me at all. I grew up with it and just got used to it. It is pretty weird though when you think about it. Most new comedies don't tend to use it now. It definitely doesn't get in the way of me enjoying a good show though, it's easy to block out and it's the content that matters.

Canned laughter . I've got 7 series on Dvd and never noticed that. I thought it was recorded in front of a live TV audience like Friends or summat

[hi there, i'm chris]

The canned laughter doesn't bother me at all. I grew up with it and just got used to it. It is pretty weird though when you think about it. Most new comedies don't tend to use it now. It definitely doesn't get in the way of me enjoying a good show though, it's easy to block out and it's the content that matters.

Canned laughter . I've got 7 series on Dvd and never noticed that. I thought it was recorded in front of a live TV audience like Friends or summat

It's pretty much the same thing I think. I'd imagine live TV audience have cues telling them when to laugh and it gets edited later. Pretty much all American comedies are filmed infront of a live audience.

[Harry Genshaw]

Ah right. I always thought canned laughter was laughter taped somewhere else and played over the bits the Director thought was funny. Seinfeld & Friends strikes me as real laughter from the audience watching the studio performance but perhaps with the volume turned up & down on the edit?

[bobo the clown]

Ah right. I always thought canned laughter was laughter taped somewhere else and played over the bits the Director thought was funny.

Seinfeld & Friends strikes me as real laughter from the audience watching the studio performance but perhaps with the volume turned up & down on the edit?

I can't answer for Seinfeld, but "canned laughter" is as described above.

Where "this programme is filmed before I live studio audience" it's usually cheer-leadered by floor managers and sometimes signs saying "applause" ... they tend not to say "laugh" as that'd be weird.

Afterwards the laughter can be doctored & edited.

Take a peep at UK & US M*A*S*H* sometime ... I imagine there are YouTubes. It's maybe improved over time but the difference is stunning.

[TANGODANCER]

Mrs Bown's Boys is a good example of live audience.

[BWFC76]

In no particular order :

Dr Who (particulary Tom Baker & David Tennant)
"Wolfie" Smith
Inspector Morse
Norman Stanley "Fletch" Fletcher
Eddie Shoestring

[plymouth wanderer]

Del boy - David Jason
James Conway - Robert De Niro
Jack Torrance - Jack Nicholson
Derek Vinyard - Edward Norton
Martin Riggs - Mel Gibson

Some great performances there especially Edward Norton's role

[CAPSLOCK]

Gene Hunt
Huggie Bear
Jack Regan
Jack Frost
Steve MacDonald

[Wandering Willy]

Tony Hill.

[Bijou Bob]

I missed Steptoe....................and son!