It Takes a Worried Man

Peter Tilbury is not unlike a (very, very) British version of Woody Allen, endlessly complaining about life, death, the universe, his love-life, his boring job and vanishing hair. Nicholas Le Provost is his alleged therapist, who doesn't listen but instead complains to him about his own love-life and his other patients. Christopher Benjamin is his boss, who ought to sack him but grudgingly admires his lack of work-ethic and complains to him about the modern world and his daughter's awful boyfriend.

Struck by memories of people quoting lines at school I've just watched the first series and found it hilarious. I don't know why; it just has an alchemy. The dialogue is great and Tilbury, Benjamin and Le Provost are brilliant in delivery but I still can't say why often relatively ordinary lines cracked me up quite as much as they did. Somewhere online I once found someone who'd worked on the show reminiscing about the very cameramen cracking up, the only time he'd seen professionals do that, so it isn't just me.

It shouldn't work! It's just people sitting around yakking! But it does.

The good news is that Network DVD are planning to issue all 3 series of "It Takes A Worried Man" on DVD, with Series 1 already available. The even better news is that - having just watched Series 1 again for the first time since it was broadcast - it's still as witty and as literate as I remember it being. Peter Tilbury never dumbs down his writing, paying his audience the compliment of assuming that they're intelligent and cultured enough to enjoy even the cleverest of his characters' witticisms, much as he did when he wrote the marvellous early episodes of "Shelley".

I just wish someone could explain to me why a comedy show as brilliant as "It Takes A Worried Man" currently only has an IMDb rating of 3.8/10. An injustice that inexplicable ought to be enough to make worried men and women of us all!

In reply to another posting, no you are not on your own remembering this series, As well as starring Peter Tilbury, it was written by him as was the dead pan humour of "Shelley" with Hywel Benett.

The last series saw him find a soul mate in Sue Holderness who also fitted just perfectly with the idea that everyday, everything was going to go wrong

Brilliant Sitcom with good old British sense of humour and I wish that someone would release this and the early Shelly on DVD or Video as I would love to see them again, comedies like these were always shown at varying times as sport etc would always take precedence over a good laugh, so much for English producers sense of entertainment.

Am I the only one who seems to remember this vague series? As I recall, it was about a married/bored/husband/dad, played by Peter Tilbury, who seemed to moan and groan about life and everything in general. Sounds like good material for a sitcom eh? The title sequence was excellent, and featured an animated picture of Mr Tilbury, which rapidly split and fell apart.

Hmmm?

This series was incredibly literate and funny. It's a tragedy that it hasn't been seen since. With so many tired repeats aired, surely it can't be difficult to get the necessary clearances for this to be seen again.

Peter Tilbury is impressive as the intelligent worker who'd rather not (work that is ) and whose intelligence prevents him from taking his desk bound duties seriously, Christopher Benjamin compelling as the boss who's unable to do more than harbour the suspicion that his employee does as little work as possible. A gem of eighties comedy based on disengagement from society.