Let us now praise famous men

It began with a 1950s American sitcom about family life called "The Honeymooners". Then in the 60s the idea was lifted directly into an animation show so popular it became the first cartoon-format show to be broadcast at primetime: "The Flintstones". Two decades later a jobbing cartoonist called Matt Groening developed a very similar idea into "The Simpsons", quite deservedly the most successful cartoon series, and indeed one of the most popular TV shows ever made.

It has made wealthy men out of Groening and his fellow producers as well as the supremely talented cast, and literally billions for the Fox Network who distribute it. I have seen it dubbed into most European languages as well as Arabic and even Mandarin while on my travels abroad, showing its universal penetration.
The Simpsons has achieved its spectacular success, not by luck or clever marketing (though these are always factors in television) but by the skill of its writing (some of the best in American television) and of the voice actors, chief among them the quite wonderful Dan Castellenata. He plays Homer, as well as Apu, Krusty and a host of others. His colleagues, especially Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer underline the depth of quality involved in its production.

Now a new luminary has appeared on the scene, latest in this illustrious line of brilliantly written and voiced animated series: Seth McFarlane. Around the turn of the Millennium he began to produce, write and star in "Family Guy", which has been consistently the funniest thing on British TV since it was introduced here a few years ago. And young master Seth turns out to be almost as talented as Matt Groening and Dan Castellenata put together. A dazzlingly inventive writer, he is also the possessor of a fine baritone singing voice and an amazing ability with voice characterisation that challenges anything to be found in its grand daddy, the Simpsons. I hope he acknowledges his debt to that show. Without its wickedly irreverent take on American life breaking the ground, Family Guy would not have been possible. The Simpsons is suitable for all ages, but Family Guy is aimed at a more adult audience, taking the plot lines and dialogue closer to the edge than ever before, to the dismay of Fox who actually cancelled the show after 3 series, only to be forced to bring it back by popular demand. I doubt if they have regretted their decision. Family Guy, and its successors, "American Dad" and "The Cleveland Show" are now sold around the world.

Shows like the Simpsons and Family Guy usually have only 1 writer credited, but the fact is they are written by a team of some of the best writers in America, and the result is shows packed with one liners, visual gags and sheer cleverness from first frame to last. Never mind a laugh a minute: in these marvellous shows there's a laugh, a smile, a murmur of appreciation every three seconds, sometimes more than that. As the yanks themselves say: what's not to like?