Be sure to follow him on Twitter and on the Pissed Off Geek Facebook page. Not even just the final series. What was you favourite/the most impressive machine to work with on the Massive series? Yes, of course. The whole show, from the very first episode. From the very first episode, weve been hearing about Gordons metaphorical dream; the final episode reveals hes been having an actual one. Following her turn as Gordon Brittas' hapless receptionist Carol, Harriet Thorpe stayed in the industry, appearing in boy band sitcom No Sweat immediately after the show ended. "Curse of the Tiger Women" is the final episode which aired in 1997. Discover Julia St John's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Of course they are all great roles but I have always though that Kryten would be the most suitable for me. General Activities Room. This content is imported from YouTube. Will A Sagittarius Woman Chase You, We hit the (metaphorical) treadmill to find out Chris had already starred in Red Dwarf before Brittas, and continued to appear as Arnold Rimmer long after Gordon packed away his gym kit. Julia St John was born on 4 January, 1960 in England, United Kingdom, is an Actress. All our investment in the characters over the past seven series was all pointless, because it wasnt real. Every character gets their exit, with everyone given a chance of happiness: Laura moving to America to have a family; Carole becoming a governess; Julie marrying into a rich family; Linda accepted into Theological College; Gavin about to become manager of the centre, with Tim cheating his way into being his deputy and Brittas off to Brussels, if he can recover from being dead. In Stoke Me a Clipper you returned as Ace Rimmer. [15] I'm Too Busy to be Stressed described Gordon as a classic example of an over-compensating individual who exhibits a sense of authority to camouflage the inferiority beneath. Colin has several medical problems including skin allergies, a constantly bandaged infected hand, and a sizeable boil on his face. She played Laura superbly and possibly thought that the character had been just about fully explored. Gavin Featherly 'Laura' left the show after series five, at the same time as the creators and writers. Timothy goes back up the stairs, and gives his mother her medicine. Pippa Haywood/Helen Brittas. Both characters were either given fantastic dialogue or brilliant situations or both! Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Pada tahun 2004 pertunjukan ini muncul di tangga ke 47 di BBC Sitkom Terbaik Britain tinjauan pendapat, dan semua siri telah dikeluarkan dalam DVD secara berasingan sebagai siri dan sebagai set kotak lengkap. Non-comedy TV and film credits may be found here: Julia St. John on IMDb. [19] British Cultural Identities felt the series successful critiqued contemporary British pretensions. . It would probably be best to ask her. Gordon Brittas After an episode full of the usual: a gypsy curse, a build-up of marsh gas, Noahs sorry, Colins Ark, yet another scene full of dead birds dropping from the sky, and a ludicrous flying goose prop, we fade through to Brittas waking up on a train. She's also had recurring roles in the likes of Dalziel and Pascoe, Scott & Bailey and Silent Witness. Do you plan to use your talent as an impressionist in future projects? We see him go up to heaven, just scraping past the gates (115 separate acts of manslaughter cause of four people committing suicide and 23 driven clinically insane) and then being sent back down to earth for being an annoying little shit (You take my word for it Peter, 2000 years is not too old to start playing seven-a-side!) Meanwhile, the scenes on earth are played absolutely real this is not treated as a comedy death. [23] In 2017, Digital Spy wrote, that the show "arguably inspired Ricky Gervais' The Office in the early noughties, which went on to have huge success so it's only natural The Brittas Empire may be in for a reboot". Laura is calm and extremely efficient at management, often bringing normality back to the centre after a disaster has escalated. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Brittas_Empire&oldid=1147502882, 1990s British black comedy television series, 1990s British satirical television series, 1990s British workplace comedy television series, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Articles with dead YouTube links from February 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, From 2003, Eureka Video began bringing the entire series to, This page was last edited on 31 March 2023, at 11:26. Julie 45 episodes, 1992-1997 Julia St John . Helen Brittas Helen, that's fantastic! If you had to pick a character you have played and live as them for a month, who would you choose? Stage Ludmilla in Alasdair Gray 's McGrotty and Ludmilla at Tron Theatre (1986) [2] (It has to be pointed out here that this is not a frequently asked question, in fact it is possibly the one and only time it will ever be asked!). The Gressley A4 class Pacific. They get out the front door and Mother calls. Putting his centre staff through hell, sending his wife crazy and terrorising the public each episode inevitably ends up in chaos, whether its rodent invasions, explosions or just general chaos. The Grand: The Complete Series; The Brittas Empire - Series 2 [Single Disc] The Grand [1997] More Titles Starring Harriet Thorpe. If this wasnt supposed to be the final series, its doing a bloody good impersonation of one. . Its a chance to look over the series again and catch up with the cast. From the Manager. (Yes, a big explosion.) He has had some great story lines, scenes and dialogue. The Grand: The Complete Series; The Brittas Empire . Where are Emmerdale's missing Bartons now? Laura Lancing : If you remember, Mr. Brittas, you told the ambulance men to come round to the back in future. At the beginning I did not consciously seek out only satiricalwork but clearly if mimicry is part of your act, then youll be considered for satirical shows. Looking to watch The Brittas Empire? The 62-year-old also made regular. She also returned to her comedy roots in the likes of The Wrong Door, Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge and Green Wing, all of which would appeal to Brittas fans. The 13 record books at the end of this series contain predominantly publishing and statistical information on street and smith weeklies and books-in-series publications between 1864 and 1936 (the date range indicated for each record book is approximate). [25], In October 2020, the cast and original writers attended the re-launching the Ringwood Recreation Centre, where the series was filmed, and Barrie hoped the event would be a catalyst for an eighth series. Technically a deputy manager, he works more efficiently as the centre's caretaker. Laura Lancing Because how do you end a show like Brittas? Other Characters. Its easy to see how Fegen and Norriss might have decided further series really werent such a good idea. Would you like to do more stand up comedy? From the Manager. The interesting bit, though, is how he fails. Brittas: Chris Barrie. Outside the core staff is Councillor Jack Drugett (Stephen Churchett), who is unable to sack Brittas despite numerous attempts. [26], The show has been credited with having an influence on Alan Partridge and The Office.[27]. Like favourite episodes of Red Dwarf, there were so many favourite machines we have filmed in my documentary work. Directed by: Christine Gernon In 2014, Chris Barrie reprised his role as Gordon Brittas for a brief appearance in the Sport Relief music video, "Word Up!" She was certainly missed in later series. E1 - Episode One; E2 - Episode Two; E3 - Episode Three; E4 - Episode Four; E5 - Episode Five; E6 - Episode Six; Laura Lancing: 1990: Joint Account - Series 2 (as Julia St John) E6 - Episode Six; E7 - Episode Seven; E10 - Episode Ten; Teresa: 1989: Victoria Wood. Do Polyunsaturated Fats Raise Hdl, The Brittas Empire is what I would call typical British comedy that was output in the late eighties and nineties (it ran from 1991-1997). Examples include High Noon, where the leisure centre is blown up on a sitcom budget (and largely convincingly, to boot); the audacious The Last Day, where they kill Brittas off, send him to heaven, and then resurrect him during his burial; and Not A Good Day, where they chain Sebastian Coe to a railing and watch him suffer for half an hour. Yes, I do enjoy it. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. I would have to say Ace Rimmer was my favourite. Although Chris Barrie does arguably hold the show together with Gordon, there are still many more likable roles in the show. along with actress Julia St John who played Laura. After successfully working together for so long it is difficult not to get on well. (A wry smile and a wink will get you further than relentless exasperation.). Timothy starts the episode trapped, Timothy gets a chance of happiness, Timothys mother ruins it, Timothy ends the episode still trapped. We did the first series upstairs at the Latchemere pub in Battersea. We all know Timothy wont be leaving his mother this time round; destroying the whole setup of the show at the end of the first series isnt especially likely. Paul can often be found on Twitter talking about his favourite movies, games, technology and books when he is not reviewing them and adding news to Pissed Off Geek. I was offered the job by Rob Grant & Doug Naylor after working with them on the Jasper Carrot Show. May 21, 2021. Sure, the Laura replacement Penny is dreadful (and dropped for the final series), and the back-tracking on the fates of the characters is inevitably disappointing (with Caroles being the worst) but at least they bother to try, rather than just ignoring everybodys fates and resetting things back to normal with no explanation. TX: 16th April 1981. I enjoy them both, that is why Ihave doneeight series of Red Dwarf plus Back to Earth and have now completed five series of engineering related documentariesand why I have just said yes to doing another series of Massive. I would, however, argue the show deserves to be remembered rather more fondly than it seems to be. Only way they could do it,IMO,is if they showed Brittas had passed the interview he was on his way to. Whilst the oft-quoted only six episodes a year for British sitcoms is overstated check out Keeping Up Appearances or Drop the Dead Donkey seventeen episodes was still pretty unusual. : Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Helen is often helped by her supportive friend Laura Lancing (Julia St John), Brittas' calm, efficient deputy manager. Hell, that final episode seems to go out of its way to understand this, by finally resolving the long-standing plotline about the real father of Caroles children and then it just pisses it all away. I keep wanting to call the series underrated, but perhaps that isnt the right word when it ran for seven series throughout much of the 80s in a primetime slot on BBC1. [20] Red Dwarf Smegazine argued in 1993 that while Red Dwarf had been a success, "Chris [Barrie] is perhaps better known by many TV viewers for The Brittas Empire". Laura's Leaving. Julia St John . by Little Mix. What was your most/least enjoyable costume in Red Dwarf and why? The Brittas Empire was broadcast for 52 episodes between 1991 and 1997, spanning seven series and two Christmas Specials, along with one short episode for Children in Need. and City Slacker on her cinematic CV. I don't keep in touch with the Brittas cast as much as I would like. Though she is fully aware of his incompetence and the annoyance he causes his colleagues and customers, Laura has a grudging admiration for Brittas, regarding him as honest and decent. The Britass Empire is a show that many people probably remember nostalgically as being good, and Im happy to say that for me personally revisiting the show as a whole confirms its comedy still works. [10], The series was rerun on Gold in 2009.[11]. Im rarely someone who will just decide something in a show didnt happen but I make an exception for this one. : Why wasn't Julia St John in the last series? Gun Men of the Apocalypse is also superb. TIMOTHY: What? "[17] The character has been described by critics as a popular portrayal of an Aspergers character along with Mr Bean, as they both demonstrate inappropriate social behaviour. Artemis And Apollo Relationship, Jill Greenacre/Linda Perkin . All Rights Reserved. What happened next is uncertain. Prior to these DVD releases, the BBC brought episodes to VHS in the 1990s. She also made regular. Was this a conscious decision on your part or were they simply the jobs offered to you? The biography section will cover the early parts of my career and yes it was occasionally nerve racking, but (in those days!) The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Thats not to say that a lot of episodes dont share a formula3. In other words: everything we see after Timothy falls down the stairs is a dream. Its not about whether the status quo will or wont be changed its how cleverly the writers manage to keep it. Unlike many traditional sitcoms, deaths were quite commonplace in The Brittas Empire. Yes, definitely! To their credit, the doomed writers Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent realise that Brittas cant have a normal ending, and so they decide to try for something memorable. View all posts by Paul Metcalf , Tags:British Comedy Chris Barrie Harriet Thorpe Julia St. John Michael Burns Pippa Haywood The Britass Empire The Complete Brittas Empire. But Haywood didn't just do crime shows. I would have to say it is a tie between Arnie Rimmer and Mr Brittas. , Lets forget about the bizarre final episode of Series 4, Collapse of a Small Party, where Timothy gets mixed up in saving a circus from bailiffs. Hopefully we will have a reunion again soon as it is over 10 years since we finished the last Brittas recording. In an extraordinary sequence, Brittas gets squashed by a falling water tank (in some of the best effects work the series ever did), whilst saving Caroles life. Release Dates | Chris Barrie played titular character Gordon Brittas, the well-intended but hugely incompetent manager of the fictional Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. The wonderful cast of "The Brittas Empire" together again for their 30 year reunion. His 'loyal' staff have stories of their own, like . Im not totally new to presenting work, however no attractive jobs were coming in so I decided that presenting a show dealing with subjects close to my heart was a way forward. Thorpe has also maintained a film career, with turns in Calendar Girls, The Calling, That's for Me! Find exactly what you're looking for! E3 - Over To Pam; Caroline: 1988: The . | . For some reason. Thirdly, Julia St. John had decided to leave the series and its difficult to overstate exactly how crucial a character Laura was. [16], British Comedy Guide writes in 2021 that "Thirty years since its debut on television screens and The Brittas Empire has aged very well. . I started impersonating teachers at school and then mimicked various members of staff in early jobs. [1], The Brittas Empire enjoyed a long and successful run throughout the 1990s, and gained large mainstream audiences. After series 5 they left, along with actress Julia St John who played deputy manager Laura. No plans at the moment to do anything but commentaries although we all do an interview which is hopefully worthwhile. Do you plan to embark on a stand-up or any other stage based shows in the future? : Helen Brittas Making RD was always hard work but always enjoyable. Julia St John /Laura Lancing. [Brittas thinks Carole is putting on too much weight] . I associate the time with carefree days of the early 80s, we had a lot of fun doing the show, similar to early Red Dwarf days. The old Weights Room. [6] Unlocking your potential describes Colin as a habitual 'yes' man, who seeks validation through compliance. Find out where to watch The Brittas Empire from Season 3 at TV Guide The show ran for seven series and 52 episodes - including two Christmas specials - from 1991 to 1997 on BBC1. Did you enjoy makingRed Dwarfand playing Rimmer? Julia St John /Laura Lancing. And that is the story of how Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent wrote one of my favourite dream sequences of all time. Copyright 2023 Pissed Off Geek. [4], The Brittas Empire was "quietly revolutionary" for featuring two gay male characters, "neither remotely camp yet both very funny", which was a first for a television comedy.[5]. After failing at so many other jobs, (Estate Agent, Retail, Import/Export) I decided that showbiz/TV was the only thing left! The Brittas Empire: Curse of the Tiger Women The clues are there in plain view, yet theres no chance youll work it out before youre told. Her television credits include A Touch of Frost, The Brittas Empire, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Lovejoy, Minder, Harry Enfield and Chums, Lewis, and . But what are the cast actually up to now? Curse of the Mummy, the final episode of the first series, is a fairly typical episode in that regard. Mike Burns/Colin Weatherby . Do you keep in touch with the Brittas cast? In 1994, The Brittas Empire had a pretty incredible run. In 2017, Haywood fans saw the actress turn up in period drama Henry IX and comedy series Loaded. If you happen to have the episode to hand, I advise you sit down and give it a watch. The book Writing Dialogue for Scripts argues that the show's comedy is largely fuelled by the dramatic irony of the audience knowing that the main character is not important, while he believes he is, and compared Brittas to Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army. Laura Farrell (ne Lancing) is the Deputy Manager Dry of Whitbury Leisure Centre. He can be contacted by emailing here. Helen Brittas 51 episodes, 1991-1997 Jill Greenacre.Linda 50 episodes, 1991-1997 Judy Flynn . Jill Greenacre/Linda Perkin . Cast alterations in the series: 'Angie' (Andre Bernard), who appears as a main character in the first series, is replaced by 'Julie' from series two onwards. You thought it was better for morale. : Do you keep in touch with the Brittas cast? Judy Flynn/Julie Porter. (Though it did help them slip an awful lot of things under the radar.) . Chris Barrie/Gordon Wellesley Brittas (Manager) Tim Marriott/Gavin Featherleigh. 8.3 /10 Rate Top-rated Thu, Jan 23, 1992 S2.E4 Set in Concrete The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. The Demons outfit in Demons and Angels it was a bit tight in many places! Where are the cast of Attack the Block now? Yes, The Brittas Empire is over two decades old and the team met up just this week to have a good natter over the watercooler. Where are the original Loose Women hosts now? For those that dont, heres the exact sequence of events: and Timothy wakes up in bed. He tries to go back down, trips over Father, and falls down the stairs. Did I keep the Austin Maestro used in the Brittas Series? Which voices did you do on Spitting Image? The Brittas Empire - Series 1 View episodes. Whether its his strict regime that scares customers away, ordering his staff into doing actions with disastrous consequences or just being simply unlucky everything ends up in chaos. Don't lay too much blame at the door of the new actress, though - the writers just don't give her any opportunities to be funny. It's just to tell him it's fish cakes for supper and I'm pregnant. Every time we meet there doesnt seem to be enough time to catch up! Robert Llewellyn has written several novels, do you see yourself writing anything in the future? St Lucie County Planning And Zoning, The emotional beats arent as good, the lines arent as sharp, and the plots arent half as well constructed always the biggest strength of Fegen and Norriss but those last two series perhaps work better than they could have done. It just wasn't the same and I think Julia St John leaving was what really caused the show to sink. I think Carole is expecting a baby, Mr. Brittas. He said he's rather take his chances in the snow. Which character would you say you aremost like and why? and the scenes between the two Rimmers were great fun. So the last two series, whilst still produced by Mike Stephens (who had been there from the very beginning), were by other writers: Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent, Tony Millan and Mike Walling, Terry Kyan, and Paul Smith. Series 1-5 are currently available to subscribers of BritBox in both the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The Managers Office. The cast of That '70s Show where are they now? Could you give this to my husband? : Filming & Production The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Despite it being easy to understand what would have caused the writers to do it, its difficult to think of a more diabolical way to end the programme. When you are riding your motorcycle and shooting a pistol using your throttle hand, how is the bike still moving? None of the series happened. Why wasn't Julia St John in the last series? Was this foreshadowing for her growing affection for Brittas - or did she simply not want to leave her garden? TX: 24th February 1997, This is the story of one of my least favourite endings to a sitcom ever. All seven series were released on DVD in the United Kingdom by Eureka Video, and also in Australia by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Angelina is a super actress, a very intelligent and decent person and dare I say it, damn gorgeous! When I have some time I am going to compile my top 20 favourite Red Dwarf lines and put them on the site. Julia St John /Laura Lancing. You do pity her at times, but she also gets her own back on him by making his life hell through her own insane schemes. Outside the centre. Did you enjoy doing the commentaries for the DVD releases and do you know if you will be contributing to future DVDs on something other than commentaries? Michael Burns, Julia St . I would not rule out ever writing a book but I have always though of myself as the person who stares at the screen forfour hours wondering whether hell ever improve on the 10 wordshes written! | Colin is the ticket inspector; Julie is in charge of refreshments, Linda is a nun all the regular cast are merely passengers. No! Menu. I have to admit though having watched the show as a whole Im surprised at just how crazy the show went. Laura is usually warm and understanding, and has peoples' best interests at heart. : Curse of the Mummy Menu. Helen Brittas ( Pippa Haywood) finds it increasingly difficult to cope with Gordon, and often turns to pills and affairs with other men to maintain her sanity. Written by: Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent In a mainstream BBC family sitcom in 1982, however, I cant imagine anyone would have figured out what was going on before the revelation they may have figured out at some point that this was a dream, but they wouldnt have figured out exactly when or how it started. The moments of attraction between her and Brittas were some of the most emotionally touching in the entire series, but the character also manages the seemingly impossible: the . Great! The Brittas Empire. , My main problem with how TCotTW ends is the fact it Hetro-norms Tim and Gavin. Recently youve been moving towards presenting rather than acting. Laura Lancing Our characters are genuinely in mourning. Thanks for this article I couldnt help but be reminded of the legendary finale of Newhart, which did the exact same thing but in a way that the audience absolutely loved. Harriett Thorpe/Carol Parkinson. Believe me, you wouldn't want to touch it. Why not? (This version is going to be called Massive Speed.). Tim left the telly industry following Brittas (following a cameo appearance in Doctors), working in theatre before becoming Director of Drama at Eastbourne College. There are some questionable jokes though that are of the times but I did notice that these are used to show the sometimes idiotic nature of Gordon Brittas, and for the most part there really isnt much that could be called offensive. Laura Farrell (ne Lancing) is the Deputy Manager Dry of Whitbury Leisure Centre. : The Brittas Empire - Series 2 [Single Disc] The Brittas Empire - The Complete Series 3 [1993] More Titles Starring Julia St John. Release Dates Mike Burns/Colin Weatherby . @bbccomedy @BBCOne #BrittasEmpire #BackTogether #Reunion #HappyDays pic.twitter.com/cDcnS6QJtJ. Company Credits Why can't we use the canteen? I cant find any interview which explicitly supports this story, but certainly Series 5 feels like the series was building to an deliberate conclusion. High Tide Avalon Nj Today, datasets for linear discriminant analysis, Do Nike Employees Get Discounts On Jordans. These writers were: Paul Smith (who also wrote the series seven episode "Malcolm ex" for Andrew Marshall's 2point4 Children), Terry Kyan, Tony Millan, Mike Walling, Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent. From Brittas being kicked out of heaven, his crazed wife chasing one of her ex-lovers through the sports centre, and of course the centre itself almost being destroyed at the end of every season. With some programmes, maybe youd be expecting some kind of twist like this; sometimes it almost feels a surprise when Star Trek goes a bit odd and then it doesnt turn out to be some kind of hallucination. Russell Porter/Tim Whistler. Sorry! Produced and Directed by: David Askey Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder, "Jefferson's Garden Theatre Watford Palace Theatre", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Julia_St_John&oldid=1148499078, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 April 2023, at 14:59. Also it presents the logic flaw of, if Gordon didnt know about them, why would he Dream them that way? The Eureka releases are now out of print. Do the members of the Red Dwarf cast get on well off the set? Last year he appeared in a one-off role on Doctors, where he played Donald Slater, a drunk man in a bin. (No disrespect to all Maestro Owners). just to think it all started started with an 8 year old and 20p that escalated quickly the brittas empire gordon brittas laura lancing chris barrie julia st john 2 notes May 26th, 2017 Open in app The Brittas Empire then returned to BBC1 for three final series, and the cast also performed in the 1996 Royal Variety Performance. Helen Brittas finds coping with Gordon increasingly difficult and often turns to medication and affairs with other men to maintain her sanity. For the first five series the show's creators Richard Fegen and Andrew Norriss co-wrote every episode. , I will try to keep my lusting after Marguerite Hardiman to a bare minimum. The other core members of the team are Carole (Harriet Thorpe) the unfortunate, often tearful receptionist, who keeps her three children in the reception drawers and cupboards; the gentle-hearted Gavin (Tim Marriott) who becomes Deputy Manager in Series 5; his paranoid, sometimes-manic partner Tim (Russell Porter); lively, principled Linda (Jill Greenacre); and Julie (Judy Flynn), Brittas' sarcastic secretary, who hates her boss and refuses to do any work for him. The Brittas empire. How did your role in Son of Clich come about & what memories do you have working on this show?

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