大象传媒

From the dawn of broadcast comedy, women played a vital but largely overlooked role; more in the background rather than the forefront. What impact did the sisters of satire from the 60鈥檚 and 70鈥檚 have on the comedy we know today and what was their cultural influence? In the less enlightened sixties and seventies, women were often the butt of the joke, rather than making them.

Just because they weren鈥檛 the stars of the show didn鈥檛 mean their influence wasn鈥檛 felt. June Whitfield, Eleanor Bron and Miriam Margolyes were all quietly but firmly making their name in comedies such as The Glums, The Establishment Club and The Betty Witherspoon Show. These women paved the way for comedians and actors such as Jan Ravens, Meera Syal and Linda Smith.

In the last of three programmes, Samira Ahmed is joined by actor and director Arabella Weir and former radio producer and novelist Lissa Evans to discuss some of the best sitcoms from the 大象传媒 archives to assess the impact funny women have had on contemporary comedy and the extent of their satirical legacy.

Producer: Belinda Naylor

Made for 大象传媒 Radio 4 Extra and first heard in November 2019.