When I did my Media Studies GCSE, we certainly didn't know the questions beforehand!
Anyway. Development of the sitcom. Currently two competing fields; realistic 'single-camera' stuff (
The Thick of It,
The Office,
Peep Show, etc.), and the more traditional format. Recent xamples of the latter include
After You've Gone,
Not Going Out, and of course
My Family.
The former of the two types has been extremely popular over the past few years, almost entirely due to
The Office, but the more 'traditional', filmed-in-a-studio-in-front-of-a-live-audience shows have always been far more popular, more sellable overseas, have greater longevity, and so are what channels and production companies are actively looking to make right now. They're making a proper fightback against the recent crop.
I think, in the short term, we'll see a blend of the two, but ultimately, the traditional style will win out.
Probably.
Aaron
BSG Forums & DVDs Editor
(Half man, half Internet, half TV.)
(Loyal follower of The Magical Aura of Laura.)
And now single.
