Cleese based the series on the Gleneagles Hotel's owner

The list also includes Blackadder, Dad's Army, One Foot In The Grave, Open All Hours, Porridge, The Good Life, The Vicar of Dibley and Yes Minister.

The British public have already voted on their top 50 sitcoms, which were revealed in random order on Saturday.

Voters can ring 09011 986633, text 80024 or go to www.bbc.co.uk/sitcom.  

THE TOP 10 COMEDIES TO VOTE FOR Fawlty Towers - 4/6 Only Fools and Horses - 11/10 Dad's Army - 16/1 Porridge - 16/1 Blackadder - 25/1 One Foot in the Grave - 33/1 Yes Minister - 50/1 The Good Life - 100/1 Open All Hours - 100/1 The Vicar of Dibley - 100/1 Odds supplied by Ladbrokes

The show's presenter, Jonathan Ross, said: "To get to the top 10, we've sifted through the sands of comedy to reveal 10 nuggets of pure gold."

So far Fawlty Towers, starring John Cleese as the dysfunctional hotel owner from Torquay, is odds-on favourite to win, with Ladbrokes putting it at 4/6.

It is followed by John Sullivan's Only Fools and Horses, with David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst playing the wheeler-dealer Trotter brothers, with odds of 11/10.

Ladbrokes spokesman Warren Lush said: "Our initial view was to make Only Fools and Horses favourite but Fawlty Towers gets the nod.

"We question whether the gloss has come off the John Sullivan classic as the latest Christmas special is regarded as disappointing by many."

A new episode of Only Fools and Horses was shown last Christmas

Each show on the list has a celebrity advocate, who will have one hour each to give their top 20 reasons on why their nominated programme is the best one.

Britain's Best Sitcom will be screened on BBC Two each Saturday at 9pm, with the winner of the vote announced live at the end of the series.

Jane Root, Controller of BBC Two, said the list covered "a real range of shows from different eras", adding "It's a credit to British comedy that the competition is so strong."