I agree with you entirely. Recently I stumbled across some British sitcom scenes on Youtube that date to may youth - I mean I was VERY young!
Shows like the Doctor series. Here is a classic scene from the first doctor series called Doctor in the House (1972): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Xo9HkzmUQ
The guy who played Loftus was a comic genius! Sadly, the fouth doctor is dead (1999). Another actor who played a doctor in one of the series also died - Barry Evans. He stopped getting work, was forced to take up driving a mini-cab to make a living and then died under very suspicious circumstances. Charges were dropped against the man originally accused of stealing his cab. This brought back memories of things I had long forgotten!
And then there’s the Likely Lads: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12sF0cZD_3A
There are so many other great old British comedies.
I wonder whatever happened to the Likely Lads?:^)