Laugh tracks - C or D?

If programme makers must put on laugh tracks, I prefer it if the audience reaction is mostly real (or in other words, recorded at the making of the show), however even with proper audience reaction they can be fiddled about with in the edit suite - some sections being "sweetened" (I think that's the term) by adding a "wash" of fake laughter to boost the original reaction. (Incidentally, these laughter washes are also used to help patch over what would be ugly edits.)

Does anyone remember those Hanna Barbera/Ruby Spears cartoons that featured laugh tracks (particularly Scooby Doo)? I was always amused at the way that they just used one single five second section of one single laughter track and just looped it over and over again when something inane happened.

You've not seen the jam DVD then? The 'I was bloody raping her' horrorfest (and two or three other sketches - I don't remember which now) with alternate uproarious laff-track.

The audience reaction at the taping of various mediocre 70s and 80s BBC sitcoms has to be heard to be believed - it borders on the pathological. Presumably your ticket entitled you to four pints of Double Diamond and a fistful of whatever pills could be gathered from Television Centre's sick bay. You can see the look on Havers' face in Don't Wait Up - "Christ, I must be a genius. That line didn't raise a titter in rehearsal."