General Activities Room. After series 5 they left, along with actress Julia St John who played deputy manager Laura. I don't keep in touch with the Brittas cast as much as I would like. Gordon Brittas Starring Chris Barrie in one of his most memorable roles as Gordon Brittas in many ways he was the original David Brent, just even more annoying. : Probably Gordon Brittas he would sort everything out and would never be short of anything to say! Brittas Empire Talk. Release Calendar DVD & Blu-ray Releases Top Rated Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets In Theaters Coming Soon Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Following Brittas, Julia St John collaborated with Harry Enfield on the comedian's Harry Enfield and Chums as well as his follow-up series, Brand Spanking New Show. I associate the time with carefree days of the early 80s, we had a lot of fun doing the show, similar to early Red Dwarf days. Gun Men of the Apocalypse is also superb. More recently, Flynn provided several voices for iconic kids' TV show Peppa Pig and fairly astonishingly she's played not one, not two, but five separate characters on the long-running hospital soap Doctors over a 10-year period (from 2007 to 2017) appearing on the show roughly once every two years to play someone different. , Lets forget about the bizarre final episode of Series 4, Collapse of a Small Party, where Timothy gets mixed up in saving a circus from bailiffs. What was your most/least enjoyable costume in Red Dwarf and why? Colin is the ticket inspector; Julie is in charge of refreshments, Linda is a nun all the regular cast are merely passengers. She's also the voice of reason, talking sense into those around her. : You do pity her at times, but she also gets her own back on him by making his life hell through her own insane schemes. Laura 36 episodes, 1991-1994 Stephen Churchett . Though she is fully aware of his incompetence and the annoyance he causes his colleagues and customers, Laura has a grudging admiration for Brittas, regarding him as honest and decent. The Brittas Empire: The Complete Series One to Seven - DVD review : This shows a certain kind of care which is not always taken when a show is handed over to other writers. The biography section will cover the early parts of my career and yes it was occasionally nerve racking, but (in those days!) But if there's food in there . They get out the front door and Mother calls. We hit the (metaphorical) treadmill to find out Chris had already starred in Red Dwarf before Brittas, and continued to appear as Arnold Rimmer long after Gordon packed away his gym kit. The Brittas empire. Councillor Jack Drugget 8 episodes, 1994-1997 Anouschka Menzies . Julia St John Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family , Excluding Get Fit With Brittas an strange little 610 minute series with Brittas advocating how to live a healthy lifestyle. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Written by: Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent Im rarely someone who will just decide something in a show didnt happen but I make an exception for this one. Prior to these DVD releases, the BBC brought episodes to VHS in the 1990s. The Brittas Empire is what I would call typical British comedy that was output in the late eighties and nineties (it ran from 1991-1997). Laura 36 episodes, 1991-1994 Stephen Churchett . Yes, of course. I think Carole is expecting a baby, Mr. Brittas. She was last seen starring in the short film Beached Whale, about a widow who travels to scatter her husband's ashes, which was screened last year. Tim left the telly industry following Brittas (following a cameo appearance in Doctors), working in theatre before becoming Director of Drama at Eastbourne College. Produced and Directed by: David Askey Both characters were either given fantastic dialogue or brilliant situations or both! Her television credits include A Touch of Frost, The Brittas Empire, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Lovejoy, Minder, Harry Enfield and Chums, Lewis, and . (No disrespect to all Maestro Owners) He forgot the spoon, the daft bastard. I have to admit though having watched the show as a whole Im surprised at just how crazy the show went. The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Porter has retired from telly and film, but hopefully he'll be back if Chris Barrie gets his wish and the show's brought back for another series, something he discussed at the MCM Comic Con in 2014, shortly after appearing as the character in a Little Mix video. Barrie described the humour as "straightfoward, slapstick, very accessible characters, larger-than-life abnormal things happening in a very normal situation". Helen Brittas His 'loyal' staff have stories of their own, like . When I have some time I am going to compile my top 20 favourite Red Dwarf lines and put them on the site. The cast also performed in the 1996 Royal Variety Performance. Release Dates She was certainly missed in later series. Sorry! Have started a JSJ LJ community It will act as a companion to the JSJ Online website - which is in the throws of a re-design and new content waiting to be added! They thought I would be a worthwhile member of the team alongside Nick Wilton and Nick Maloney. Where are Hollyoaks' missing McQueens now? The Brittas Empire: . Yeah, I gave him your message about staying, Mr. Brittas. At the beginning I did not consciously seek out only satiricalwork but clearly if mimicry is part of your act, then youll be considered for satirical shows. Series 1-5 are currently available to subscribers of BritBox in both the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Following her turn as Gordon Brittas' hapless receptionist Carol, Harriet Thorpe stayed in the industry, appearing in boy band sitcom No Sweat immediately after the show ended. I can't see him till ten, can I? | It would probably be best to ask her. Directed by: Christine Gernon General Activities Room. All until the burial where we hear a knocking from the coffin, as Brittas awakes. In many ways you do pity Brittas, as mentioned most of his actions are done with the best intentions, hes just one of the worst managers ever. [13] Critics John Lewis and Penny Stempel noted the series' theme of "an incompetent in charge of others" in the vein of TV humour from Dad's Army to Are You Being Served?, coupled with an element of absurdism. The Complete Brittas Empire' Review - Pissed Off Geek Gordon Brittas is the manager of Whitbury-Newtown Leisure Centre, and although he has good intentions more of the schemes he comes up with end up going wrong. She is replaced in series six by the character 'Penny' (Anouschka Menzies). Future episodes see more traditional dream sequences; Perchance to Dream in Series 2 is stuffed with meaningful dreams involving Timothy at school, and The Big Sleep which ends the third series5 involves an elaborate daydream involving a full military funeral, a mysterious lover in black, and a huge tombstone statue of Timothy himself. Whatever the faults of the last two series, taming it down into a normal sitcom is not one of them. Creators Norriss and Fegen co-wrote the first five series. Secondly, Series 5 was all about sending off the characters to their own happy endings all that had to be cancelled, inevitably rather awkwardly. Well Helen Brittas Even more difficult to answer and for now I am not going to commit myself. : Laura Lancing Series five was originally meant to be the final series, and Norriss and Fegen killed . Helen, that's fantastic! I spoke to one of the forensic scientist, Gavin. [21], Talks of a Christmas special or a revival were raised in 2015, though ultimately neither project were picked up. Be sure to follow him on Twitter and on the Pissed Off Geek Facebook page. The Brittas Empire: Curse of the Tiger Women At this stage, original writers, Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen, were working on a new script. I enjoyed making thethree Massive series and indeed the two series of Britains Greatest Machines. TVGuide has every full episode so you can stay-up-to-date and watch your favorite show The Brittas Empire anytime, anywhere. (The reason for Brittas failing the medical for Brussels is especially amusing: He was dead!) Its also worth noting that the first episode of Series 6 even takes the unresolved plot point of an bomb from the penultimate episode of the previous series, and resolves it in the usual Brittas manner. Join us in our mission to support and promote British comedy across the decades. Do the members of the Red Dwarf cast get on well off the set? What is the best show to work on, Machine Documentariesor Red Dwarf? 2010-2023 John J. Hoare | ISSN 2754-2807, always the biggest strength of Fegen and Norriss. General Chat. As its our first glimpse of his sister Muriel4, the plot is even simpler than usual: she comes to visit, tries to persuade Timothy to leave the family home and come to London with her, and he completely and abjectly fails to do so. In all probability, no. [25], In October 2020, the cast and original writers attended the re-launching the Ringwood Recreation Centre, where the series was filmed, and Barrie hoped the event would be a catalyst for an eighth series. On 6 March 2023, Drama began repeating the series. We know he is a disaster, but Chris Barrie manages to keep the character likable man even if we end up groaning at some of the stuff that he does. The interesting bit, though, is how he fails. | Her television credits include A Touch of Frost, The Brittas Empire, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Lovejoy, Minder, Harry Enfield and Chums, Lewis, and Victoria Wood, appearing in the episode Over To Pam . Julia St John /Laura Lancing. Timothy starts the episode trapped, Timothy gets a chance of happiness, Timothys mother ruins it, Timothy ends the episode still trapped. There are some quality issues in the production, especially in later seasons but this does not get in the way of the stories that still hold up and are at times laugh out loud funny. And that is the story of how Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent wrote one of my favourite dream sequences of all time. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Don't lay too much blame at the door of the new actress, though - the writers just don't give her any opportunities to be funny. Because how do you end a show like Brittas? The Demons outfit in Demons and Angels it was a bit tight in many places! The fact that it lasted for a whole seven seasons may be the biggest surprise of all. Laura Lancing : If you remember, Mr. Brittas, you told the ambulance men to come round to the back in future. Laura Lancing The show ran for seven series and 52 episodes including two Christmas specials from 1991 to 1997 on BBC1. Laura is usually warm and understanding . Im not totally new to presenting work, however no attractive jobs were coming in so I decided that presenting a show dealing with subjects close to my heart was a way forward. Laura Lancing Post author: Post published: July 1, 2022 Post category: why is jade carey going to oregon state Post comments: difference between post oak and oak for smoking difference between post oak and oak for smoking Yes, definitely! From the Manager. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. just to think it all started started with an 8 year old and 20p that escalated quickly the brittas empire gordon brittas laura lancing chris barrie julia st john 2 notes May 26th, 2017 Open in app The Grand: The Complete Series; The Brittas Empire . All seven series were released on DVD in the United Kingdom by Eureka Video, and also in Australia by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Who knows?? Laura Lancing The clues are there in plain view, yet theres no chance youll work it out before youre told. Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? The show ran for seven series and 53 episodes including two Christmas specials from 1991 to 1997 on BBC1. [19] British Cultural Identities felt the series successful critiqued contemporary British pretensions. [4] The Encyclopedia of TV Science Fiction wrote that the series saw Barrie achieve more mainstream success. Laura Farrell (ne Lancing) is the Deputy Manager Dry of Whitbury Leisure Centre. Julia St John /Laura Lancing. When you are riding your motorcycle and shooting a pistol using your throttle hand, how is the bike still moving? And that is the story of how Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent wrote one of my least favourite dream sequences of all time. Last year he appeared in a one-off role on Doctors, where he played Donald Slater, a drunk man in a bin. Outside the centre. Laura Farrell (ne Lancing) is the Deputy Manager Dry of Whitbury Leisure Centre. Although Chris Barrie does arguably hold the show together with Gordon, there are still many more likable roles in the show. Laura Lancing - Julia St. John srie 1-5 Carole Parkinson - Harriet Thorpe Tim Whistler - Russell Porter Gavin Featherly - Tim Marriott Helen Brittas - Pippa Haywood Colin Weatherby - Michael Burns Gordon Brittas - Chris Barrie Linda Perkin - Jill Greenacre Julie Porter - Judy Flynn srie 2-7 Movies. No plans at the moment to do anything but commentaries although we all do an interview which is hopefully worthwhile. : The whole show, from the very first episode. [16], British Comedy Guide writes in 2021 that "Thirty years since its debut on television screens and The Brittas Empire has aged very well. Chris Barrie played titular character Gordon Brittas, the well-intended but hugely incompetent manager of the fictional Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. He can be contacted by emailing here. I do remember someone suggesting that we should all meet up on a cruise ship sometime in 2010 ish with Brittas as the Entertainments Officer. Official Sites Please feel free to join up and chat on there about JSJ's work, or post icons, news, etc. DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. Helen Brittas : Early on you were involved in satirical shows e.g, Spitting Image, Son of Clich. TV Shows. As writing assignments go, it has to be said this was a pretty thankless task. Yes, The Brittas Empire is over two decades old and the team met up just this week to have a good natter over the watercooler. Menu. Where are Emmerdale's missing Bartons now? Thu, Jan 21, 1993 30 mins. There are some questionable jokes though that are of the times but I did notice that these are used to show the sometimes idiotic nature of Gordon Brittas, and for the most part there really isnt much that could be called offensive. Early morning, and Muriel and Timothy leave the house to catch their train. | Get all the latest news and information in your inbox, with our range of email newsletters to meet all interests. Laura (Julia St. John) looks for a new job at a health center in London, but Helen wants her to stay at Whitbury. . Where are the original Loose Women hosts now? Just as the music for Ever Decreasing Circles reflects Martins swirling insanity, the music for Sorry! : Julia St John /Laura Lancing. She also made regular. . [seeing Carole come from behind the desk] Sadly, St John hasn't acted for a while now her last on-screen appearance was in 2012, in the Bollywood movie Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Thorpe returned to her Absolutely Fabulous role (Fleur) for the recent movie version of the series, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. Both characters had similar personality flaws (although Brittas always attempted to be friendly to those around him while Rimmer treated everyone with nothing but contempt) and even some of their history matched; for instance both characters had brief and unsuccessful stints at the Samaritans. For a start, The Brittas Empire always had a very specific voice that is hard to suddenly get other writers to imitate the programme title never sold how unusual the programme really was. Ah ha, you clearly havent noticed the special foot throttle inboard of the brake pedal (operated by the inner right heel) which, in such eventualities, overrides the hand throttle. "Curse of the Tiger Women" is the final episode which aired in 1997. After successfully working together for so long it is difficult not to get on well. Copyright 2023 Pissed Off Geek. And all so they can do this line: BRITTAS: I want the job, Helen, because because I have a dream. Now you stay here.