Collections: The Election Collection

At the time of writing, on the eve of the 2010 General Election, we're reminded that politics has always been ripe for satire; such is the scope for scandal and subterfuge. So, we've rigged the vote and come up with some of our favourite clips.

One of the longest-running comedy shows on television, The Two Ronnies featured sketches written by John Cleese, Spike Milligan and the elusive Gerald Wiley (a pseudonym of Ronnie Barker's). Here the Minister for Cuts makes some bizarre decisions.

The Election Night Armistice hosted by Armando Iannucci, ran alongside BBC1's main election night programme for the 1997 General Election. BBC2's three-hour live event was a satirical look at political party campaigns, including Tony Blair and John Major in a serious blinking contest and some not all together legitimate election campaign posters. Look, kittens!

It wasn't until series two that Edmund Blackadder transmogrified from a slimy coward into the cynical, dastardly character that we all adore. By series three, in his latest guise as the Prince Regent's butler, Blackadder was dipping his toes (or rather, Baldrick's) in the murky water of politics to save the Prince's money from parliament.

Carrott Confidential, the BBC stand-up and sketch show starring Jasper Carrot (naturally), was first broadcast in 1990 and introduced the talents of Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis, who in the 1987 Election Special explained political clichés such as "this was always a difficult seat for us."

Smashie and Nicey were two of the most quoted comedy characters of the early '90s. The DJs, part of BBC2's Harry Enfield's Television Programme and loosely based on the likes of Tony Blackburn, discuss just how difficult it can be deciding who to vote for.

Matt Lucas and David Walliams' Little Britain preferred to mine the seedier side of modern life. So where better than an MP's apologetic press conference, following an indiscretion in King's Cross? Well worth watching for the worst ever screen kiss.

As pioneers of the burgeoning 'alternative' comedy scene of the early '80s, the Not the Nine O'clock News team discovered that pure comedy gold could be mined from the Conservative government of the era, as Rowan Atkinson demonstrates in this speech on immigration.

Rory Bremner's position as a master of mimicry is without question, but his early material lacked a satirical edge until the involvement of John Bird and John Fortune for his eponymous BBC2 series. In this clip, Bird reveals what really happens on the back benches.

When Not the Nine O'clock News ended in 1982, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones struck out together, creating Alas Smith and Jones. The show ran until 1989, famously featuring a weekly head-to-head chat, which was possibly where they decided upon the far less unwieldy title of, well, Smith & Jones, for their return in the '90s. In addition to the duologues as themselves, the pair appeared as recurring sketch characters such as the two politicans seen here.

Alf Garnett was intended to appall people with his bigoted, right-wing views on the state of the nation, yet he was often cheered as much as derided. This rant from Till Death Us Do Part was just part of a decade's worth of bitter vitriol.

Since That Was the Week That Was kick-started political satire on the BBC in the Sixties, numerous comedians have passed comment on the politics of the day. Yes Minister, which began in 1980, perfectly captured the beaurocracy of government and was a favourite of Margaret Thatcher's.

When the Right Honourable James Hacker MP became Prime Minister and Yes, Prime Minister broadcast in 1986, the show had certainly lost none of its satirical wit; Hacker's explanation of the country's newspaper readership a brilliantly played case in point.

So that's the current state of the nation as far as political comedy is concerned. If you don't feel this poll reflects all your favourites, please get in touch and let us know which clips get your vote.