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

  • JustWatch Streaming rank this week: 743

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Series 5, Episode 5 - The Exterminating Angel

Margaret tries to organise an unlikely love affair after Victor takes to the road, and a disaster of truly biblical proportions descends when the Meldrews are invited to Ronnie and Mildred's for the evening. In addition, a visit to the dentist goes horribly wrong.

Further details

Nick hires a nurse to help him cope with his mother, and he finds the nurse very attractive and she also flirts with him. The nurse drops by to aid Margaret when Victor scalds himself on their new but unpredictable shower, but is more excited about ready-minted frozen peas then Victor's scald.

Victor mentions to the nurse that he's been looking for a job as a driver, and her partner hires him. Unfortunately typically all doesn't go smoothly: Victor's employer has three lovely shiny and brand-new cars (at the start of his employment) but one by one each is destroyed by different unfortunate catastrophes. Firstly Victor argues with some rugby players who parked across two parking spaces, so they take revenge by turning his car over after Victor first just managed to rescue it from being wrecked in a carwash! The second car suffers an accident at Ronnie and Mildred's when Victor drives into the garage which has been dug out to cure the house's subsidence. Then Victor narrowly avoids a crash when a wasp escapes from his dental dressing (yes!); he runs the car off the road but it's safe and well until an army tank flattens it...

Broadcast details

Date
Sunday 29th January 1995
Time
9pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
30 minutes

Cast & crew

Cast
Richard Wilson Victor Meldrew
Annette Crosbie Margaret Meldrew
Owen Brenman Nick Swainey
Guest cast
Gordon Peters Ronnie
Anita Chellamah Tania
John Bird Lewis Atterbury
Barbara Ashcroft Mildred
Ronald Leigh-Hunt Roy
Annette Kerr Ruth
Jennie Stoller Dentist
Writing team
David Renwick Writer
Production team
Susan Belbin Director
Susan Belbin Producer
Mike Houghton Editor
Mark Lawrence Editor
Linda Conoboy Production Designer
Laurence Williams Production Designer
Richard Winter Costume Designer
Vanessa White Make-up Designer
Chris Kempton (as Christopher Kempton) Lighting Designer
Eric Idle Composer
Ed Welch Composer

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