Quote: Jack Massey @ March 8 2009, 7:52 PM GMTI finally got down to watching the first two episodes in the first series.
The first few epsiodes are indeed shite, but it certainly picks up.
The Brittas Empire Page 3
Quote: Griff @ December 14 2008, 10:23 PM GMTThey did a spinoff program in the 90s called Get Fit With Brittas. I know this because my wife's claim to fame is that she was on telly doing aerobics with Chris Barrie and Lesley Joseph in this show. I know, it might as well be "I was Mollie Sugden's bridesmaid".
Quote: zooo @ December 14 2008, 10:45 PM GMTAnd don't forget his health and safety video for Co-op staff to watch!
Ah, there was a Thomas Cook staff video from when I used to work there which 'starred' Lesley Joseph - she played an irrate customer in glasses and raincoat if memory serves. Still have it somewhere I think...might be something YouTube. 
With regards to watching firts few episodes...In my opinon the first series of shows are often the worst as they rely too heavily on establishing characters and relationships. When a show over establishes them in first series that's when they kill the series. Once series reach series 2 and beyond more often then not the characters and relationships tend to feel more natural and less forced. I understand why relationships/charcters have to be established but sometimes they can be done so awfully in the initial stages that you end up thinking why on earth should I care about these?
Some series can establish characters/stories easily within first few episodes and use the reamin episodes to just continue the flow. IMO prime examples are Benidorm, The Smoking Room whilst some stil struggle to get the point even in the dying seconds of the last episode of debut series and seem messy and all over the place (Life Of Riley).
Sorry for that slight out burst of opinon. lol
Quote: sootyj @ December 16 2008, 3:40 PM GMTBritass always made me smile, in a simple minded pantomime sort of way.
It had lots of gags, decent sitcom plot and Chris Barrie was a sort of untramelled comedy power house.
Get out of my head sooty!
I remember when it was first broadcast and it got sneered at, but it was very funny (except the last ones with the different writers).
The thing that stuck in my mind is when the receptionist revealed a hidden talent as a genius concert pianist, but said her mother persuaded her to give it up in favour of a Max Factor beauty course...
One episode I can recall, is someone was being baptised in the leisure centre pool and one of the lights fell in the water (think it was something like hat).
Edited by Aaron.
After reading these posts I may buy the first series on DVD as I've not watched TBE in ages.
AhHA!! (cheers zooo)
Well as you can see from my sig. "I love Chris Barrie" so I may be a tad biased about it. But it really was a great show. I liked how a lot of the humour was quite slapstick if not a little surreal at times. Pippa Heywood was great in it too. She's equally fantastic in Green Wing.
I still like watching the repeats on... whatever channel it's currently on.
Dave?
Sadly they haven't put it Dave. It seems almost forgotten about. :-(
It's on something... ah, GOLD probably.
This week end between going out for walks, the wife and me and our ten year old have been having a bit of a Brittas marathon, we just watched seven eps. Right after all the eps of Lab Rats. I have to admit to enjoying both but undoubtedly Brittas is much better. They both however build to a spiralling out of control situation and achieve their best laughs in the last five mins. Both "stars" are good hearted though overpowered in the end. Even Brittas's wife has to admit that, and turn his life support machine back on after hes injured on a zebra crossing by a treacle lorry!.
Liked the episode where Sebastian Coe guested as the celebrity to officially re-open the leisure centre (it was always re-opening IIRC. 
The actress who played Gemma in Neighbours back in the day was in it once too, played niece of Colin. Thought he was a great character, Manuel to Brittas's Fawlty.
BE is one of the 'up there' sitcoms for me. And I personally like all the series including the final ones not written by the original writers. I like the dream ending as was the ultimate silly climax to an increasingly silly show (as Brittas was considered dead at least twice before he actually 'woke up'). 'I have a dream'in more ways than one. Any inconsistencies in the show (which arise from the original ending conflicting with later ideas) can just be explained away from the dream ending. I think it was brilliant.
BE reminds me quite a bit of Fawlty Towers in that both Gordon and Basil created chaos without realising they were doing it and several episodes ended in (I repeat myself) chaos. Another paralell of course is the staff and client/guest situation and the struggle not to be closed down.
I would have quite liked to have seen Gordon be put in different settings - eg manager of a supermarket or shopping mall, a zoo, an old people's home, a hotel, captain of the home guard, etc. You could maybe do a Brittas through time a bit like Blackadder. Or specials. Maybe they could bring Gordon back with a new dream.
In fact writing this has inspired me to watch it again I think.
Quote: peter gazzard @ August 8 2010, 10:29 PM BSTLiked the episode where Sebastian Coe guested as the celebrity to officially re-open the leisure centre
I must have missed that one when originally broadcast.. of scrubbed it from my mind. Coe was out MP for a term, I met him on the door step where he told me the Pol tax was a wonderful idea and most unemployed people didn't want to work...I am looking forwards to the one with the drug dealer war in the leisure centre, I remember Brittas having to defend the fact that he cut the head off a guy with a chainsaw!My son (10) I though wouldn't get Brittas, but he seems to really enjoy it.