One Foot in the Grave

One of the greatest British sitcoms ever. One Foot in the Grave was thoroughly entertaining for its decade run from 1990-2000. Who could ever forget Victor Meldrew and his constant whinging and run of bad luck. I loved this show and wished it was still going. Richard Wilson is a fantastic actor and the shows guests like Mrs Warboys were hilarious also. Watch the telemovie they made in 1993 its a laugh a second. Congratulations to everyone involved in this one. Pure gold in every sense of the word, many sitcoms today you laugh at how unfunny it is, not One Foot in the Grave, a jewel in BBC's television schedule. Gone but in my mind never ever forgotten.

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.

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.

I happened across this show quite by accident whilst channel surfing on Christmas Eve a couple of years back. I came across this show featuring a couple in their sixties: him a catankerous old codger who seemed to be a magnet for misfortune and trouble; her, his wife who suffered his constant moanings and groanings. Through the plot, which involved all manner of mayhem, I simply could not stop laughing. Unfortunately, it was only a one-off to fill time on the night: I did not hear of more episodes of this show until six months or more later. However, it again disappeared after only a handful of episodes, until six weeks ago it returned to my television screen. However, tonight I have just watched the final episode (ever), which leads me to believe its seasons were very short indeed.

Anyone who has not seen this show will do well to find videos of it. And those who have not seen the finale for the show, watch it. From the first time you hear Victor Meldrew's famous signature quote, "I do not BELIEVE this!", you'll be hooked. 10/10