British Comedy Guide
One Foot In The Grave. Image shows from L to R: Margaret Meldrew (Annette Crosbie), Victor Meldrew (Richard Wilson). Copyright: BBC
One Foot In The Grave

One Foot In The Grave

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC One
  • 1990 - 2000
  • 42 episodes (6 series)

The grumpy complainer and accident prone Victor Meldrew takes early retirement and finds he has far too much time on his hands. His long suffering wife and neighbours just have to grin and bear it. Stars Richard Wilson, Annette Crosbie, Doreen Mantle, Owen Brenman, Angus Deayton and Janine Duvitski

F
X
R
W
E

Episode menu

Series 3, Episode 3 - The Broken Reflection

Victor's brother, Alfred, pays a visit from New Zealand. Pippa and Patrick ask the Meldrews to take care of their plants while they're away on holiday.

Further details

Victor picks up his Chinese takeaway meal from a restaurant riddled with prostitutes and notices another customer returning a dish of rice that jumps up and walks around. Worrying what he'll find in his own rice, when he arrives home he cages his boiled rice in a chip pan and prods at it; Patrick looks on, worried and horrified. Victor gives a lecture to a couple of prostitutes who drop litter on his front lawn, but they quickly take offence and plot their rather creative form of revenge.

Victor clears the garden and cuts the grass, which blows through the open window into the lounge, so, taking his gardening equipment, he promptly rakes it up as Patrick walks in to talk to the Meldrews about looking after the house whilst he and Pippa are on holiday. Seeing Victor raking grass from the floor makes him a bit worried about leaving Victor in charge of their house. Finally, one of the prostitutes' partners puts the hosepipe in Patrick's letterbox by mistake when plotting revenge on Victor, as he's watched him enter the house to water the plants. Needless to say, Patrick is fuming when he returns to a drenched house!

Broadcast details

Date
Sunday 16th February 1992
Time
9:05pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
30 minutes

Upcoming repeats

  1. Sunday 5th January 2025 at 9:20pm on U&Yesterday

Cast & crew

Cast
Richard Wilson Victor Meldrew
Annette Crosbie Margaret Meldrew
Angus Deayton Patrick Trench
Janine Duvitski Pippa Trench
Guest cast
Paul Courtenay Hyu (as Paul Courtenay Hugh) Chinese Youth
John Shin Chinese Customer
Su Lin Looi (as Sulin Looi) Chinese Girl
Vincent Wong Chinese Chef
Jim Sweeney Sales Representative
Michael Jones Toddler
Ruth Burton Young Mother
Peter Heppelthwaite Workman
Richard Pearson Alfred
Writing team
David Renwick Writer
Production team
Susan Belbin Director
Susan Belbin Producer
Chris Wadsworth Editor
John Dunstan Editor
John Bristow Production Designer
Richard Winter Costume Designer
Jean Steward Make-up Designer
Chris Kempton (as Christopher Kempton) Lighting Designer
Eric Idle Composer
Ed Welch Composer

Share this page