The quintessential quickfire stand-up comedy show, The Comedians is one of the great successes of ITV1 - lasting from 1971 until 1993 and making household names of many of its stars. With routines that were honed to perfection in the hard-knock territory of Northern working men's clubs, Frank Carson, Charlie Williams, Bernard Manning, Colin Crompton and Ken Goodwin all became masters of the one-liner and the knowing wink.

The Comedians was immediately popular with the viewing public scoring high ratings and gaining a BAFTA nomination for Best Light Entertainment Programme. It lasted for eleven series and several specials over twenty-two years. This specially-created compilation from its early years contains some of the best moments from series one.