One Foot in the Grave

if anybody has been set upon by a company, felt hard done by in life, thought as if people aren't as moral as they should be, this is the programme that they should watch. Some people may feel that it is predictable but it does so with intelligence and humour that is such that the viewer doesn't care if they have guessed the ending or not, the programme relies on receiving the empathy of the viewer which I believe, for the most part, this programme achieves extremely well. Very well written, very well acted, and extremely missed.

Forced to retire early from his job as a security guard, Victor Meldrew (Richard Wilson) struggles to cope with the problems that retired life throws his way alongside his long suffering wife, Margaret (played by Annette Crosbie). It is no wonder he is grumpy, if it can go wrong it will.

Annette Crosbie gives a brilliant performance and it is a delight to watch her express the wonderful array of emotions that being married to Victor requires.

Richard Wilson endeared himself to a nation with this role that catapulted him into the minds of every viewer.

One Foot in the Grave is a national treasure that is amongst the very best of British Comedy.

Which of us doesn't know a Victor Meldrew? It's nigh on 15 years since the last episode was transmitted, and I still know many families that refer to their equivalent as 'Victor.'

David Renwick penned some seminal, hilarious, moving, surreal and down right brilliant episodes, he made us fall in love with Victor, and have huge sympathies for his poor wife Margaret. Lots of fun always provided by friends and neighbours, the rather sad Nick, the long suffering Patrick and Pippa, and the star turn that was Mrs Warboys, she definitely had some of the best lines.

This show could have you screaming laughing, then shedding a tear in sorrow, the balance was incredible. Who will ever forget the tough to watch 'Hearts of Darkness' in which Victor liberates a house full of pensioners from an abusive Nursing home, an episode which drew large numbers of complaints. Who could forget Victor and Margaret's holiday in the Algarve, or UK break with Vince and April.

It took me ages to come to terms with this being finished, and to this day I can't look at Hannah Gordon without thinking 'you killed Victor.'

A brave decision from David Renwick and co to end it when they did, but I wish they'd made a few more. A case of quit at the top I guess.

TV doesn't get much better then this, one of the finest examples of bittersweet comedy gold. 10/10

'Not with the Pastry.'

This is just an incredible series. It deals with just about EVERYTHING! Not for the easily offended, though it doesn't go out of its way to offend. It's irreverent and pulls no punches. The series shows what it wants to how it wants to and makes no apologies. Sometimes it can be darkly humorous, but in these cases it usually has a valid point to make and does so quite well.

The best way to describe this series is as follows: Imagine if absolutely everyone and everything on the face of the planet were really as miserable, stupid, loud, obnoxious, belligerent, deceitful, crazy, lazy, greedy, unfair, ironic, annoying, etc., as one sometimes feels them to be. Put a bitter (but not unlikeable) retiree in the middle of this world as the protagonist. Now watch how he interacts with and reacts to the people, places and things in this world. Sometimes he's in the right, sometimes he's in the wrong. Sometimes he gets what he deserves, sometimes he gets what he doesn't deserve. Sometimes he gives others what they deserve, sometimes he gives them what they don't deserve. No matter where a particular episode goes, you will most likely bellow with laughter at some point, usually at many points. There are a few episodes that were created not so much for a laugh as they were for irony; some of that irony being quite bitter or just plain sad. In episodes such as these, one will at least feel something, even if it is not what was expected.

As of this writing, the first season is available in the UK on DVD and the second season will be released there soon. With absolutely every other Britcom available in the United States, it's unfortunate that this series isn't popular enough to be released here. I suppose the fact that public television didn't play it ad nauseum like "Are You Being Served," "Keeping Up Appearances," or "Red Dwarf" (not that they're bad shows) is why. Remember, it's not how good something is that makes it popular and available, it's how visible it is.

Actually, it's kind of fitting that "One Foot in the Grave" isn't receiving the recognition it deserves and is fading into obscurity while being surrounded by so many more popular yet inferior programs. It's exactly the sort of point that one of its own episodes might have made!

Victor Meldrew, retired security guard and human sponge 'soaking up every misery in the world' will surely be remembered in many years to come as one of comedy's greatest creations. Not to say that 'One Foot in the Grave' is strictly 2-D comedy. As with all the best of these kinds of things, it is more of a drama series which just happens to be funny. There is a good cast of genuine characters, all played with believability. Among them are Victor's long-suffering wife Margaret, her friend Mrs Warboys (who always seems to end up on the wrong end of disaster), next-door neighbours Patrick and Pippa (the former a Victor-in-the-making), and the enigmatic Mr Swainey who lives with his mysterious never-seen mother. And the programme certainly manages non-stop hilarity and plenty of genuine belly laughs throughout its six series and various extra-long specials. Well-written,inventive and clever plots involve everything from the everyday to the bizarre. Especially notable are hundreds of garden gnomes turning up on Victor's doorstep, Victor and Mrs Warboys both getting a foot stuck in a bag of plaster and having to heave it along with them as they attempt to find their way out of 'the set from Apocolypse Now', a caravan which contains the ghost of a devil worshipper, a chimpanzee which has a 'thing' for Victor, a scorpion talisman which brings down a plague of bad luck on its owner, and a guest house which is 'more like a wildlife kingdom'. Also memorable are the episodes involving one long scene - Victor stuck in a traffic jam, waiting for a telephone call and sitting in a waiting area. The fact that a half-hour episode in which nothing actually happens can be hilarious, entertaining and meaningful demonstrates the skill and depth of writing and the high quality of acting present throughout the series. Victor himself, despite initially coming across as a grumpy old man, is actually one of the most sympathetic characters ever created. Everybody can relate to the problems he faces on a daily basis, and everyone can cheer him on as he says and does the kinds of things we've all longed to do in certain trying situations. If you're a fan of any kind of comedy then this is unmissable.