The Brittas Empire
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The Brittas Empire was a British television sitcom, that ran between 1991 and 1997. It starred Chris Barrie as the title character, Gordon Brittas, the petty-minded manager of Whitbury-Newtown Leisure centre. The main adversary was Councillor Drugget.
Cast
- Chris Barrie as Gordon Brittas
- Pippa Haywood as Helen Brittas
- Julia St John as Laura Lancing
- Michael Burns as Colin Weatherby
- Harriet Thorpe as Carole Parkinson
- Russell Porter as Tim Whistler
- Tim Marriot as Gavin Featherly
- Jill Greenacre as Linda Perkin
- Anouschka Menzies as Penny Bidmead
- Andree Bernard as Angie
- Judy Flynn as Julie
Barrie appeared in this series concurrent with his co-starring role on Red Dwarf.
Characters
- Gordon Brittas, the manager of Whitbury-Newtown Leisure centre. Despite having an amazing amount of self-esteem and conviction to his work, Mr. Brittas is completely oblivious to the subtleties of life. This not notwithstanding, the staff still listens to him and puts up with it.... within certain limits.
- Helen Brittas: Gordon's long suffering wife who is constantly popping pills and is slowly driven insane by Gordon. She knows how to handle him even if he is condescending and doesn't always let her speak at all. She tends to have a bit on the side... well, quite a lot on the side, really.
- Laura Lancing: The Deputy Manager (Dry). She is very calm and organised, and is almost the only person who seems to be able to deal with Brittas. During her stay, she pretty much runs the centre.
- Colin: The Deputy Manager (Wet). Colin is grotty, yet is qualified in many things, apparently. He cut his hand the weekend before the first episode started, and it did not heal the entire show.
- Gavin: One of the male staff members. He's fairly quiet and shy, but blossoms (somewhat pompously) on his promotion to Acting Senior Deputy Manager. He has a tendency to be caught in compromising situations with members of either sex.
- Tim: Usually very cheerful, but quite easily reduced to tears and panic attacks. He's confident, yet very clingy to Gavin, his lover. Somehow Mr Brittas never realises this fact, yet all the other staff members know, and support them.
- Carole: The unfortunate and often tearful receptionist. She has a tendency to bring her children to work and keeps them locked inside cupboards and drawers. Gordon always manages to upset her, no matter what the circumstance; for all that, she seems rather a favourite of his, and she becomes quite devoted to him... fortunate, as he is the unknowing father of her twins.
- Linda: The perkiest staff member, a young lady with boundless energy and enthusiasm, who nevertheless always seems to get the short end of the stick. She's interested in alternative therapy and animal rights, and has clerical ambitions.
- Angie: Gordon's first secretary, a young woman who is kind to those in need but mostly contemptuous of "Head Girl".
- Julie: Angie's replacement is a sharp-tongued, incurably insubordinate young woman with contacts in the underworld and a serious disinclination to do any work, and who seems to manage to enjoy herself thoroughly in the chaos of the centre.
Details
- Written by: Richard Fegen, Andrew Norris, Paul Smith, Terry Kyan, Tony Millan, Mike Walling, Ian Davidson, Peter Vincent
- Directed by: Mike Stephens, Christine Gernon
- Produced by: Mike Stephens
- Theme music by: Frank Renton
- 7 series, 52 episodes
- Transmitted: 1991-97
- TV Channel: BBC1, BBC Television
- Filming Location: Ringwood Leisure Centre, Hampshire
Episodes
Series 1 (3 Jan 91 - 14 Feb 91)
- Laying The Foundations (3 Jan 91)
Synopsis: The first episode. Mr Brittas arrives to find a very enthusiastic staff, and a depressed Carole, and promptly makes everyone want to leave. He causes a strike amongst the construction workers, and creates very complicated rosters. He is attacked by a table tennis champion with specially sharpened table tennis raquets.
- Opening Day (10 Jan 91)
Synopsis: The Duchess of Kent is coming to officially open and tour the whitbury newtown leisure centre. He creates a rift in Gavin and Tim's relationship, insists on having a black person in the line up to show that he employs staff of 'all colours and creeds'. The pool is leaking, the boiler man thinks he's on a ship, Helen tries to warn Laura that there will almost certainly be things that go wrong. First it is too cold, then the heaters are on overdrive. And the faulty doors will not open.
- Bye Bye Baby (17 Jan 91)
Synopsis: Carole is still keeping her baby in the drawers of the reception desk. Her husband is coming home. Laura moves Ben to the baby changing area to hide him from Brittas, but Brittas knows the baby is there, so asks Colin to go into the women's toilets and find a baby. Colin gets the wrong one, and Carole discovers the empty drawer and goes crazy with a fireaxe on the search for Brittas.
- Underwater Wedding (24 Jan 91)
Synopsis: An underwater wedding is being held at the leisure centre and the best man is stuck at the bottom of the pool. There is a drunk physically disabled man on the loose, Colin shoots Gavin with a harpoon gun, Tim gets hysterical and threatens Brittas with a screwdriver, chlorine gas is released.
- Stop Thief! (7 Feb 91)
Synopsis: Brittas is convinced there is a thief in their midst.
- Assassin (14 Feb 91)
Synopsis: Someone is out to kill Brittas, injuring Helen by accident, and wants Gavin to help him.
Series 2 (2 Jan 92 - 20 Feb 92)
- Back From The Dead (2 Jan 92)
synopsis
- Temple Of The Body (9 Jan 92)
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- An Inspector Calls (16 Jan 92)
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- Set In Concrete (23 Jan 92)
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- Mums And Dads (30 Jan 92)
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- Safety First (13 Feb 92)
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- New Generations (20 Feb 92)
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Series 3 (7 Jan 93 - 11 Feb 93)
- The Trial (7 Jan 93)
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- That Creeping Feeling (14 Jan 93)
synopsis:
- Laura's Leaving (21 Jan 93)
synopsis:
- Two Little Boys (28 Jan 93)
synopsis:
- Sex, Lies and Red Tape (4 Feb 93)
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- The Stuff of Dreams (11 Feb 93)
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Series 4 (10 Jan 94 - 7 Mar 94)
- Not A Good Day ... (10 Jan 94)
synopsis:
- The Christening (17 Jan 94)
synopsis
- Biggles Tells A Lie (24 Jan 94)
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- Mr Brittas Changes Trains (31 Jan 94)
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- Playing With Fire (7 Feb 94)
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- Shall We Dance? (14 Feb 94)
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- The Chop (28 Feb 94)
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- High Noon (7 Mar 94)
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Series 5 (31 Oct 94 - 19 Dec 94)
- The Old, Old Story (31 Oct 94)
- Blind Devotion (7 Nov 94)
- Brussels Calling (14 Nov 94)
- The Lies Have It (21 Nov 94)
- The Boss (28 Nov 94)
- Pregnant! (5 Dec 94)
- UXB (12 Dec 94)
- The Last Day (19 Dec 94)
Special
- In the Beginning ... (27 Dec 94)
Series 6 (27 Feb 96 - 23 Apr 96)
- Back With A Bang (27 Feb 96)
- Body Language (12 Mar 96)
- At The Double (26 Mar 96)
- A Walk On The Wildside (2 Apr 96)
- We All Fall Down (9 Apr 96)
- Mr Brittas Falls in Love (16 Apr 96)
- Snap Happy (23 Apr 96)
Short special part of Children In Need
- 22 Nov 1996, BBC1 Fri around 10pm
Special
- Surviving Christmas (24 Dec 96)
Series 7 (6 Jan 97 - 24 Feb 97)
- The Elephant's Child (6 Jan 97)
- Reviewing The Situation (13 Jan 97)
- http://etc (20 Jan 97) (this isn't a link, the title was "http://etc")
- Wake Up The Lion Within (27 Jan 97)
- The Disappearing Act (3 Feb 97)
- Gavin Featherly RIP (10 Feb 97)
- Exposed (17 Feb 97)
- Curse Of The Tiger Women (24 Feb 97)
External Links
- British Sitcom Guide (http://www.sitcom.co.uk/brittas_empire/)
- Official Brittas Empire page on BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/b/brittasempirethe_7771020.shtml)