Danny Dyer Takes Aim at 'Only Fools and Horses' and the Sitcom Status Quo
Comedian and actor Danny Dyer isn’t one for mincing words, and his latest swipe at classic British comedy proves it. At a time when nostalgia for old-school TV runs high, Dyer waded into controversy by arguing that beloved sitcoms like 'Only Fools and Horses' just don’t land with viewers anymore. For Dyer, the days of obvious jokes and canned laughter are behind us—and so should be the traditional sitcom format.
According to Dyer, modern audiences have outgrown the laugh tracks, cue-card punchlines, and formulaic gags that defined shows like 'Only Fools.' He suggests these comedies feel dated, calling out the studio audience's forced reactions as something viewers can now see right through. Dyer claims, "You watch back and you think, this doesn't really resonate,” hinting at a wider gap between comedy’s past and its future. If you've ever felt a secondhand cringe from an over-eager studio crowd, you’re probably nodding along.
Dyer’s Own Shift: The 'Mr Bigstuff' Era
Dyer isn’t just talking—he’s putting his beliefs into action. His newest project, the Sky Max series 'Mr Bigstuff', flips the script on the gentle, predictable humor of sitcoms like 'Only Fools.' Dyer plays Lee, the chaos agent brother to Glen (Ryan Sampson), whose quiet life is turned upside down by Lee’s wild antics. The first season’s blend of sharp dialogue and uncomfortable truths already set it apart from old-school fare, but the second season cranks it up another notch.
Season two picks up with the brothers on a madcap trip to Tenerife, not just for fun, but to track down their father—long presumed dead. That wild premise alone signals a willingness to go where classic sitcoms never did. Tension keeps rising at home, too, as Glen’s fiancée Kirsty (Harriet Webb) juggles her own mess: she’s being blackmailed over incriminating photos with Lee, pulling the family drama in an even darker direction while keeping the laughs uneven and raw.
The fresh edge in 'Mr Bigstuff' hasn’t gone unnoticed. In fact, Dyer’s profile seems higher than ever, but not just because of the show. His Bafta acceptance speech became instantly infamous: loaded with expletives and swagger, it almost drowned out his series win. Critics couldn’t help but notice his speech drew more chatter than the series itself. Some claim the award recognized Dyer’s larger-than-life cultural status and his 'everyman' appeal, rather than purely the show’s quality. Even so, fans argue that’s exactly the point—he’s shaken up the stuffy world of British comedy by sheer willpower.
What’s next for Dyer? With other roles like his solid performance in the BBC’s 'Rivals,' he’s got more opportunities than ever to push British TV out of its comfort zone. Whether you agree with his anti-nostalgia stance or not, you can’t deny that Dyer's shaking up the conversation about what comedy really means today. It's not just about joking around—it's about finding something honest, something new, and making us all a little uncomfortable along the way.
