[St Charles Owl]

I completely disagree that comedy is sanitised - I think 21st century shows like Peep Show, The Inbetweeners, Monkeydust, Phoenix Nights, 15 Storeys High, some of Ricky Gervais's stuff etc get away with jokes which would have been unbroadcastable in the 1980s or earlier.  (I've also been watching the Greg Davies sitcom Man Down recently, in which he plays an immature middle-aged drama teacher who spends his classes calling the kids tw@ts and d!ckheads; well-crafted comedy which also featured Rik Mayall until his death).  And that's the simple truth; it's not about what taboos you touch on or what standards you subvert, but how well the comedy is written and performed.  "Safe" comedy can sometimes be very funny comedy, and "edgy" comedy can sometimes be absolute shite.

To be fair to me I haven't seen any of those shows you mention as they have been produced since I left the UK.  Maybe I am too immersed in the US comedy market where it has never been as "edgy" as the British version, at least certainly not on the regular channels.  You do get some good stuff on HBO or Starz but they get away with everything due to being "premium" cable networks.