British comedy cinema has been a mainstay of domestic production since the beginning of the last Century & arguably the most popular & important genre in British film history. This edited volume will offer the first comprehensive account of the rich & popular history of British comedy cinema from silent slapstick & satire to contemporary romantic comedy. Using a loosely chronological approach essays cover successive decades of the 20th & 21st Century with a combination of case studies on key personalities production cycles & studio output along with fresh approaches to issues of class & gender representation. It will present new research on familiar comedy cycles such as the Ealing Comedies & Carry On films as well as the largely undocumented silent period along with the rise of television spin offs from the 1970s & the development of animated comedy from 1915 to the present. Films covered include: St Trinians A Fish Called Wanda Brassed Off Local Hero The Full Monty Four Lions & In the Loop. Contributors: Melanie Bell Alan Burton James Chapman Richard Dacre Ian Hunter James Leggott Sharon Lockyer Andy Medhurst Lawrence Napper Tim OSullivan Laraine Porter Justin Smith Sarah Street Peter Waymark Paul Wells