The Top Secret Life of Edgar Briggs

With the obvious exception of Fools & Horses, this was in my opinion David Jason's finest series.

Coming straight after his TV debut on 'Do Not Adjust Your Set!', these 13 episodes revealed a mastery of comic timing not seen since the old silent movie days. By comparison, Porridge, Open All Hours and that awful series 'Lucky Man' did not come close.

I believe Jason banned the series being repeated because it showed him at his rawest. Shame on him. A new generation deserves to enjoy this. The series actually flopped in the ratings but that is most likely because it was shown against 'The Brothers' which aired on BBC at the same time, before VCRs were commonplace.

BTW, I have only just noticed that his long suffering assistant, Spencer, was played by Mark Eden ; Alan Bradley off Coronation Street. I am amazed he didn't try to murder Edgar Briggs!!!!

this comedy is the very best tv-series i´ve ever watched. a smal and stupid secret service agent solves difficult problems wihout logic. he himself even doesen´t understand anything about the problems. the dialogues are fantastic and david jason (alias edgar briggs) is brilliant. the other actors fit in very well and so the whole series is full with slapstick, noise and surprise. 13 top- episodes are edited. i hope it will be available on video or dvd soon.

I was ten years old when this show first aired and it made a lasting impression on me. In particular the lead star David Jason. He dominated the show with a mixture of slapstick comedy and sharp one liners I would cry with laughter, and often wondered why it didn't get more series. It turned out it was up against the Brothers on BBC and lost out in the ratings. A real shame as it was way better than some of it's contemporaries from that era. Also Jason refused for the show to be repeated in later years which could have introduced the show to a new audience. Its from a time when comedies would entertain the whole family and they are a rare breed these days. Catch it if you can!

Much of the 1970s were spent in TV-land trying to find a starring vehicle for David Jason. Everyone agreed he was very talented and versatile, and he excelled in particular as a foil for Ronnie Barker. But that leading role escaped him. Pathos didn't work with Lucky Feller, and slapstick didn't work with Edgar Briggs.

Not that Briggs wasn't funny. Some of the stunts are wonderful, the timing excellent. The pratfalls and verbal tics come at you bam-bam-bam, Airplane-style. If there is a drink, Briggs will spill it; if there is a telephone, Briggs will get himself tangled in the wires; if there is a hat, Briggs will cram it down ludicrously on his head; if someone else has a line, Briggs will misinterpret it.

The gags are more miss than hit, but most scenes have one or two splendid moments. The verbal jousting is less effective; situations can't build up slowly and hilariously, because Briggs gets absolutely everything wrong. He forgets who he is talking to, he forgets the orders he has just given. A typical scene might involve Briggs ordering Spencer to conceal his identity and pretend to be Smith; Spencer introduces himself as Smith, and Briggs will immediately call him Spencer loudly, and wonder who Smith is.

So it's not, as some reviewers have suggested, a work of genius. Neither is it, as other reviewers have suggested, a childish load of nonsense. In style, it's probably closest to the Piggy Malone and Charley Farley strand in the Two Ronnies. It is easier to enjoy this if you're not feeling sophisticated. Its very amateurishness is quite endearing. I can certainly understand why David Jason was embarrassed to let it out. But it's fun.

I do like David Jason. He's done some very entertaining work. This is not some of this best, or even good work. The comedy is not clever; it is stupid. Clearly others disagree with me here, looking at other reviews and the overall score. This would be barely funny to a 6-year old. Part of the failing is that Jason is the only one with anything resembling anything that could be called funny. He is acting against 5-straight characters. I would say this is at the exact opposite end of the comedy spectrum to Black Adder. I have watched the first 8-episodes, and I would say it is more frustrating to watch than anything. There are so many truly brilliant British comedies to watch before this one. I would suggest not bothering with Edgar Briggs.