One Foot In The Grave

Victor is dogged by the practical jokes of a pair of local children, but having been recently stolen he is at least finally rid of the albatross that is their car. A long-forgotten holiday acquaintance, Mr Foskett, comes to visit the Meldrews and his unconventional behaviour causes problems for Patrick.

Victor is reading the erotic classifieds in the local newspaper with a mix of incredulity and hilarity, and for once he has every right to be in a good mood as their rusty old car has been stolen, meaning a handsome payout from the insurance company! Until, that is, the unwelcome news that after three months it has suddenly been found. In Finland.

His mood is soured further by the continued hi-jinks of some local children who keep playing pranks on him. A particular favourite of late has been to leave false limbs outside the house, much to the horror of neighbours who assume the worst!

Patrick is in a much better mood than usual as he prepares to meet with the bosses of a profitable company and offer his services to them with what he believes is a winning business plan ... until he realises he's put on a pair of Mr Meldrew's underpants by mistake.

After failing to sleep almost all night due to a particularly loud, inconsiderate party being held across the road, Margaret and Victor are looking forward to a long Sunday lie-in when the phone rings and they are alarmed to find it's Mr. Foskett, a holiday acquaintance from some seventeen years previously, who has turned up out of the blue and is right outside the house to visit! Begrudgingly and hurriedly getting dressed they invite him and his two boys in, feed them, and endure an endless stream of tedious stories.

Late, preparing to leave, Foskett rings his wife and is broken to discover she's left him. The Meldrews are forced to put him up in their spare bedroom, but a longer than expected soak in the bath turns out to be a suicide attempt - that sees him dangling, stark naked, from the roof - just as Patrick brings his potential business partners home to examine some paperwork in detail...