Garlic bread: It’s the tastiest one-liner

PETER KAY’S line in Phoenix Nights — “Garlic bread — it’s the future, I’ve tasted it” — has been named the greatest one-liner in television comedy history.

Uttered by wheelchair-bound nightclub owner Brian Potter, it beat other British favourites from the likes of Only Fools and Horses, Blackadder and Fawlty Towers.

The Mrs Merton Show, where the acid-tongued pensioner played by Caroline Aherne asks Debbie McGee: “So, what first attracted you to millionaire Paul Daniels?” takes second place.

Next is The Office, where Ricky Gervais’ creation David Brent launches another desperate attempt to boost his credentials as a cool boss.

He tells his employees: “If you were to ask me to name three geniuses, I probably wouldn’t say Einstein, Newton...I’d go Milligan, Cleese, Everett, Sessions...”

Fourth in the poll, commissioned by UKTV Gold, is Father Ted, where actor Dermot Morgan utters the line: “I’m not a fascist. I’m a priest. Fascists dress up in black and tell people what to do. Whereas priests... more drink?”

The survey put Rowan Atkinson’s Edmund Blackadder in fifth place, with the vitriolic butler uttering: “He’s mad! He’s mad. He’s madder than Mad Jack McMad, the winner of this year’s Mr Madman competition.”

In sixth place is Only Fools And Horses, where street cleaner Trigger (Roger Lloyd-Pack) speculates on the name of Del Boy’s new baby and continues a lifelong habit of thinking Rodney’s name is Dave.

“If it’s a girl they’re gonna name it Sigourney after an actress, and if it’s a boy they’re gonna name him Rodney after Dave,” he says.

Absolutely Fabulous, and PR woman Patsy’s (Joanna Lumley) typically catty remark: “One more facelift on this one and she’ll have a beard” is seventh.

Fawlty Towers takes eighth place, with John Cleese’s hotel proprietor Basil Fawlty responding to two guests speaking to him in German by saying: “Oh, German. I’m sorry, I thought there was something wrong with you.”

I’m Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan) is ninth with his message relayed to his downtrodden secretary over his hands-free kit while he aimlessly drives: “I’m going nowhere, Lynn. Quite literally, I’m on the ring road.”

The Vicar of Dibley takes the last spot in the top 10, with Geraldine Granger (Dawn French) making her village debut as new priest, by announcing: “You were expecting a bloke with a beard, a bible and bad breath. You’ve got a babe with a bob cut and a magnificent bosom.”

UKTV Gold’s channel head James Newton said: “The poll shows that lines from more recent comedy series are just as fondly remembered and quoted by members of the public as those from years ago.

“The one-liners on this list come from a real mix of characters and are memorable for being sharp and utterly hilarious.”

The poll of 4,000 people was commissioned to celebrate UKTV Gold’s Britcom Season.

Voters were asked to choose their favourite one-liners from a shortlist of 50 picked from the cream of comedy.

Each one-liner had to be able to stand alone without being introduced by another character’s dialogue, and not be a comedy catchphrase.