Editing Laugh track (section)

===United Kingdom===
In the second half of the 20th century, most sitcoms in the [[United Kingdom]] were taped before live audiences to provide natural laughter. Scenes recorded outdoors, traditionally recorded in advance of studio work, are played back to the studio audience, and their laughter is recorded for the broadcast episode (occasionally, entire shows have been recorded in this fashion, for example, the later series of ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'' and ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]''). 

One notable exception to the use of a live audience was [[Thames Television]]'s ''[[The Kenny Everett Video Show]]'', whose laugh track consisted of spontaneous reactions to sketches from the studio production crew. This technique was maintained throughout its four-year run, even as the show moved to larger studio facilities and its emphasis switched from music to comedy. Everett's later series for the BBC (''[[The Kenny Everett Television Show]]'') were recorded in front of live studio audiences.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

In the early 1980s it was BBC policy that comedy programmes be broadcast with a laugh track, though producers did not always agree this suited their programmes.<ref name=MotHHGttG>{{cite AV media | people = Davies, Kevin (Director) | title = The Making of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | medium = Video | publisher = BBC | date = 1993 }}</ref> As a result, a laugh track for ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (TV series)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' was recorded for the first episode, but dropped before transmission.<ref name=MotHHGttG /> ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]'' was originally broadcast with a laugh track, but this was dropped after the programme's second series.<ref>[http://www.filmfocus.co.uk/review.asp?ReviewID=270] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216162847/http://www.filmfocus.co.uk/review.asp?ReviewID=270|date=December 16, 2013}}</ref>

The pilot episode of the satirical series ''[[Spitting Image]]'' was also broadcast with a laugh track, apparently at the insistence of [[ITV Central|Central Television]]. This idea was dropped as the show's producers felt that the show worked better without one. Some later editions, in 1992 (Election Special) and 1993 (two episodes) did use a laughter track, as these were performed live in front of a studio audience and included a spoof ''[[Question Time]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://broken-tv.blogspot.com/2009/11/latex-lampoonery-spitting-image.html |title=BrokenTV: Latex Lampoonery (Spitting Image Giveaway Special, Part 1) |date=5 November 2009 |publisher=Broken-tv.blogspot.com |access-date=2013-07-09}}</ref>

Most episodes of ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'' feature a studio audience; the exceptions, which featured no laughter at all, were all Christmas specials, "[[To Hull and Back]]", "[[A Royal Flush]]" and the second part of "[[Miami Twice]]". For their DVD releases, "A Royal Flush" (which was edited to remove over 20 minutes of footage) had an added laughter track, as did the second part of "Miami Twice" (which was merged with the first part to make ''Miami Twice: The Movie'').{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Beginning in the late 1990s, comedies such as ''[[The Royle Family]]'' and ''[[The Office (UK)|The Office]]'' pioneered a [[cinéma vérité]] style without audience laughter.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} This largely continued into 21st century sitcoms. Although ''[[Green Wing]]'' does not feature audience laughter, partly because of its surreal nature, it does feature unusual [[lazzi]] techniques, where the film of the episode is slowed down immediately following a joke. ''[[Mrs Brown's Boys]]'' and ''[[Still Open All Hours]]'' are notable reversions to the older format with a studio audience.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}