Im looking after you. [24] In 2018, a Comic Relief producer worked with Barrie to get a Brittas Empire skit on the programme, but were unsuccessful. Prior to these DVD releases, the BBC brought episodes to VHS in the 1990s. (No disrespect to all Maestro Owners). Now you stay here. St Lucie County Planning And Zoning, Company Credits Much like that inappropriate title sequence, genre expectations point you off in entirely the wrong direction. Fallback Function Is Not Defined, The Brittas empire. Laura Lancing | The 62-year-old also made regular. Chris Barrie played titular character Gordon Brittas, the well-intended but hugely incompetent manager of the fictional Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre.. When you are riding your motorcycle and shooting a pistol using your throttle hand, how is the bike still moving? [Brittas thinks Carole is putting on too much weight] The Brittas Empire; The Brittas Empire - Series 4 - Complete [1994] More Titles Starring Russell Porter. [23] In 2017, Digital Spy wrote, that the show "arguably inspired Ricky Gervais' The Office in the early noughties, which went on to have huge success so it's only natural The Brittas Empire may be in for a reboot". 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. Laura Lancing : If you remember, Mr. Brittas, you told the ambulance men to come round to the back in future. : Menu. MOTHER: Yes. All our investment in the characters over the past seven series was all pointless, because it wasnt real. But to figure out what went wrong, we need to skip backwards three years. Believe me, you wouldn't want to touch it. [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. Judy Flynn/Julie Porter. : Pippa Haywood as Hellen Brittas the neurotic wife also puts in an interesting performance. The moments of attraction between her and Brittas were some of the most emotionally touching in the entire series, but the character also manages the seemingly impossible: the . I would, however, argue the show deserves to be remembered rather more fondly than it seems to be. The Brittas empire. Worst of all, we come back to that final episode of Series 5. Do you keep in touch with the Brittas cast? But this one is my favourite not only for its unpredictability, but in its sheer construction. Chris Barrie interested in reviving Brittas Empire. . The cast also performed in the 1996 Royal Variety Performance. Was this a conscious decision on your part or were they simply the jobs offered to you? . And that is the story of how Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent wrote one of my favourite dream sequences of all time. Laura Lancing I had a ball doing Ace (what hair!) The Brittas Empire: Curse of the Tiger Women No! [repeated line, every time Mr. Brittas asks for an explanation] The Staff Room. Julia St John /Laura Lancing. All of these were just magnificent pieces of kit and to have a job actually spending a day on them is, for me, simply paradise! Why can't we use the canteen? Dimension Jump stands out as it was the first time I had the opportunity to play Smeghead Rimmer and Ace together. Laura, how's the lorry driver? 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. Company Credits 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. | He trained at the fictional Aldershot Leisure Centre. Where am I? By the time we reach season five for example the fact he gets out of heaven and comes back in a bionic new body (to get round the fact that he was squashed) seems to be grasping at straws to keep the show going. Whilst the oft-quoted only six episodes a year for British sitcoms is overstated check out Keeping Up Appearances or Drop the Dead Donkey seventeen episodes was still pretty unusual. From this point on, things get increasingly strange: a taxi magically appears, driven by his friend Frank; Mother and Father race after them in the car (. It just wasn't the same and I think Julia St John leaving was what really caused the show to sink. I would have to say Ace Rimmer was my favourite. This was originally meant to be the end of the show's run. Cast confirmed Chris Barrie, Harriet Thorpe, Tim Marriott, Russell Deathridge, Jill Greenacre, Mike Burns, Andre. Outside the centre. You fell right down and broke your crown. Release Dates Laura is usually warm and understanding, and has peoples' best interests at heart. The old Weights Room. Laura's Leaving. In 2022, the series was described by Daily Mirror as "fondly-remembered". Only way they could do it,IMO,is if they showed Brittas had passed the interview he was on his way to. Every character gets their exit, with everyone given a chance of happiness: Laura moving to America to have a family; Carole becoming a governess; Julie marrying into a rich family; Linda accepted into Theological College; Gavin about to become manager of the centre, with Tim cheating his way into being his deputy and Brittas off to Brussels, if he can recover from being dead. For those that dont, heres the exact sequence of events: and Timothy wakes up in bed. Hopefully we will have a reunion again soonas it is over10 years since we finished the last Brittas recording. The much-missed Julia St John is replaced by a bland new character, Penny Bidmead (Anouschka Menzies), who has taken over the Sauna and Solarium complex with a view to privatisation. Probably Gordon Brittas he would sort everything out and would never be short of anything to say! Probably best known for her role as Julie on The Brittas Empire, Flynn also appeared in a couple of episode of Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies. : Curse of the Mummy He forgot the spoon, the daft bastard. When it comes to the quality of The Brittas Empire it is fair to say that the comedy situations do start at a high quality, then tend to lose their effect as the series goes on. Early on you were involved in satirical shows e.g, Spitting Image, Son of Clich. The Magazine Premium Theme by bavotasan.com. : Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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 . The show ran for seven series and 53 episodes including two Christmas specials from 1991 to 1997 on BBC1. He can be contacted by emailing here. Laura Farrell (ne Lancing) is the Deputy Manager Dry of Whitbury Leisure Centre. Like favourite episodes of Red Dwarf, there were so many favourite machines we have filmed in my documentary work. Julie 45 episodes, 1992-1997 Julia St John . Colin (Michael Burns) for example as the Brittas idolising employee with questionable hygiene is a good sidekick character for Barrie to work off. The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Its not about whether the status quo will or wont be changed its how cleverly the writers manage to keep it. Menu. What happened next is uncertain. Pippa Haywood/Helen Brittas. People would have taken the fall down the stairs as just another bit of comic business. I don't keep in touch with the Brittas cast as much as I would like. Queen Charlotte review: A Bridgerton triumph, Michelle Yeoh stars in trailer for new Poirot film, EastEnders announces eating disorder story for Ben, I'm a Celebrity airs trial twist for new campers. She is replaced in series six by the character 'Penny' (Anouschka Menzies). She played Laura superbly and possibly thought that the character had been just about fully explored. This content is imported from Twitter. Barrie returned as Arnold Rimmer in Red Dwarf series 12 last year. The interesting bit, though, is how he fails. 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. Thirdly, Julia St. John had decided to leave the series - and it's difficult to overstate exactly how crucial a character Laura was. I enjoyed making thethree Massive series and indeed the two series of Britains Greatest Machines. The generally accepted sequence of events is that writers Richard Fegen and Andrew Norriss intended Series 5 to be the last series, the BBC recommissioned the show due to good viewing figures, Fegen/Norriss werent interested in returning, and so the BBC hired in new writers and told them to get working. Gordon Brittas In 2017, Haywood fans saw the actress turn up in period drama Henry IX and comedy series Loaded. The Brittas Empire was broadcast for 52 episodes between 1991 and 1997, spanning seven series and two Christmas Specials, along with one short episode for Children in Need. It would probably be best to ask her. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Julia St John is an English actress. May 21, 2021. Its an amazing sequence one of the most audacious in sitcom history but it partly works because it has a sense of finality to it. and the scenes between the two Rimmers were great fun. She's also the voice of reason, talking sense into those around her. Brittas is on the way to his interview for the job of manager at Whitbury Newtown Leisure Centre and everything was all a dream. Did I keep the Austin Maestro used in the Brittas Series? Filming & Production The Staff Room. Usually that character is a waste of everybodys time but here, its done right. Where the hell would any series actually go from there? Haywood has made one-off appearances in a wide range of British crime shows, including Jonathan Creek, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Agatha Christie's Marple, Agatha Christie's Poirot, and Inspector Lewis. Hopefully we will have a reunion again soon as it is over 10 years since we finished the last Brittas recording. 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. : His 'loyal' staff have stories of their own, like . Laura Lancing The Brittas Empire: . (It has to be pointed out here that this is not a frequently asked question, in fact it is possibly the one and only time it will ever be asked!). [22] In a 2021 reunion, the cast mentioned that they were still keen to revive the show, though the hiccup was finding a broadcaster to pick it up. 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! 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. Brittas' faithful (but useless) friend / caretaker, Colin was played by Michael Burns, who stayed in the industry, appearing in British mainstays, including Emmerdale, Heartbeat, Casualty and Hollyoaks. If this wasnt supposed to be the final series, its doing a bloody good impersonation of one. 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. Between 1983 and 1990, I provided the voices for Ronald Reagan, Michael Foot, Prince Charles, David Coleman, Paul Daniels, Sir John Gielgud and quite a few others. Yes, yes, ho fucking ho. This was originally meant to be the end of the show's run. 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. Where are the cast of Attack the Block now? Laura is calm and extremely efficient at management, often bringing normality back to the centre after a disaster has escalated. along with actress Julia St John who played Laura. The Brittas Empire (The Complete Brittas Empire Series One to Seven) is available on DVD in the UK From April 14th. Julie Do Polyunsaturated Fats Raise Hdl, 'Laura' left the show after series five, at the same time as the creators and writers. Laura Lancing Michael Burns, Julia St . why did julia st john leave the brittas empire International TV Schedules(Part 1) General Sitcoms News and Discussion The Brittas Empire - The Complete Series 4 [1994] The Brittas Empire - The Complete Series 2 [1992] The Brittas Empire - The Complete Series 1 [1991] More Titles Starring Julia St John. What is it like working with Angelina Jolie? is the tragic tale of Timothy Lumsden, trapped in the family home, practically married to his mother all wrapped up in the guise of BBC light entertainment. His next big role after Brittas was as another titular sitcom character, Gary Prince, in A Prince Among Men (1997-98), which was about an insufferable former football star turned business entrepreneur. Angelina is a super actress, a very intelligent and decent person and dare I say it, damn gorgeous! : What character in Red Dwarf, apart from Rimmer, would you most like to play? 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. The Brittas Empire Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Councillor Jack Drugget 8 episodes, 1994-1997 Anouschka Menzies . Em-Con - The wonderful cast of "The Brittas Empire . The other core members of the team are Carole (Harriet Thorpe) the unfortunate, often tearful receptionist, who keeps her three children in the reception drawers and cupboards; the gentle-hearted Gavin (Tim Marriott) who becomes Deputy Manager in Series 5; his paranoid, sometimes-manic partner Tim (Russell Porter); lively, principled Linda (Jill Greenacre); and Julie (Judy Flynn), Brittas' sarcastic secretary, who hates her boss and refuses to do any work for him. [1], The Brittas Empire enjoyed a long and successful run throughout the 1990s, and gained large mainstream audiences. (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. The series peaked at 10 million viewers. Yes, of course. General Activities Room. High Tide Avalon Nj Today, datasets for linear discriminant analysis, Do Nike Employees Get Discounts On Jordans. Laura: Julia St. John. I was running out of things to do because I kept getting the sack from various jobs performing was the only thing left to try. Outside the core staff is Councillor Jack Drugett (Stephen Churchett), who is unable to sack Brittas despite numerous attempts. For all that Brittas is an atypical show full of death and danger and the odd maiming, like any sitcom its all about the characters. This shows a certain kind of care which is not always taken when a show is handed over to other writers. It takes half an hour for the pills to work. General Chat. Julia St John /Laura Lancing. The show ran for seven series and 52 episodes including two Christmas specials from 1991 to 1997 on BBC1. Laura is calm and extremely efficient at management, often bringing normality back to the centre after a disaster has escalated. Barrie described the humour as "straightfoward, slapstick, very accessible characters, larger-than-life abnormal things happening in a very normal situation". View all posts by Paul Metcalf , Tags:British Comedy Chris Barrie Harriet Thorpe Julia St. John Michael Burns Pippa Haywood The Britass Empire The Complete Brittas Empire. Do you plan to embark on a stand-up or any other stage based shows in the future? Series 4 ends with blowing up the leisure centre; Series 5 ends with the aforementioned death and resurrection of the lead character. It is an ending that is not well regarded by many critics and viewers and is viewed as a poor ending for such a well loved and popular show. 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). Chris Barrie plays Gordon Brittas, the well-meaning but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. Out of all Rimmers alter egos, which was your favourite to play and why? Did I keep the Austin Maestro used in the Brittas Series? Every time we meet there doesnt seem to be enough time to catch up! Nice piece :). , My main problem with how TCotTW ends is the fact it Hetro-norms Tim and Gavin. ", "The Brittas Empire could be in for a revival", "Brittas Empire reboot: Will there be another series of The Brittas Empire? The Managers Office. Even more difficult to answer and for now I am not going to commit myself. What was your most/least enjoyable costume in Red Dwarf and why? Did you enjoy doing the commentaries for the DVD releases and do you know if you will be contributing to future DVDs on something other than commentaries? All until the burial where we hear a knocking from the coffin, as Brittas awakes. Release Calendar DVD & Blu-ray Releases Top Rated Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office . Be sure to follow him on Twitter and on the Pissed Off Geek Facebook page. After an episode full of the usual: a gypsy curse, a build-up of marsh gas, Noahs sorry, Colins Ark, yet another scene full of dead birds dropping from the sky, and a ludicrous flying goose prop, we fade through to Brittas waking up on a train. Although Chris Barrie does arguably hold the show together with Gordon, there are still many more likable roles in the show. He has had some great story lines, scenes and dialogue. Technical Specs, [repeated line, every time Mr. Brittas asks for an explanation], [Brittas thinks Carole is putting on too much weight], [seeing Carole come from behind the desk]. The biography section will cover the early parts of my career and yes it was occasionally nerve racking, but (in those days!) Laura's Leaving. Laura 36 episodes, 1991-1994 Stephen Churchett . Where to Watch Episode 8 High Noon Mon, Mar 7, 1994 30 mins After getting fired, Brittas pays a visit to Whitbury and finds that business is brisk, but the staff is. 'Penny' did not return in series seven. The book Writing Dialogue for Scripts argues that the show's comedy is largely fuelled by the dramatic irony of the audience knowing that the main character is not important, while he believes he is, and compared Brittas to Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army. 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. (Though it did help them slip an awful lot of things under the radar.) Timothy goes back up the stairs, and gives his mother her medicine. And that is the story of how Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent wrote one of my least favourite dream sequences of all time. Get all the latest news and information in your inbox, with our range of email newsletters to meet all interests. Completely tactless, totally annoying, and forever coming up with 'half-baked' ideas (and oblivious to all of his aforementioned faults), Brittas frequently upsets his staff, public, and his frazzled wife Helen (Pippa Haywood), often bringing confusion and chaos into their lives. What made you decide/realise that this was the right career path for you? Laura is usually warm and understanding . Thu, Jan 21, 1993 30 mins. Technically a deputy manager, he works more efficiently as the centre's caretaker. [14] The Shakespeare Library lists it as an example of a TV show that has fun with the idea of a man given a little power and authority that goes to his head. From the Manager. The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Which voices did you do on Spitting Image? 8.3 /10 Rate Top-rated Thu, Jan 23, 1992 S2.E4 Set in Concrete The Brittas Empire - Series 1 View episodes. 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 After series 5 they left, along with actress Julia St John who played deputy manager Laura. MOTHER: In your own little bed. But then, it probably is by people who have better things to do than sit here writing silly articles about it online. The moments of attraction between her and Brittas were some of the most emotionally touching in the entire series, but the character also manages the seemingly impossible: the sensible woman character amongst all the chaos. Are you as irritating as Gordon Brittas in real life? [3], The creators Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen often combined farce with either surreal or dramatic elements in episodes. 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. : The wonderful cast of "The Brittas Empire" together again for their 30 year reunion. 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. No! His other deputy manager is the dim-witted but kind Colin Weatherby (Mike Burns) (credited as Michael Burns in series 1, 2 and 3). Colin: Michael . At the start of the she is quite a normal sane person, but by the final season shes chasing people around the sports centre with an axe, which is one of her more milder moments. However, the show's huge popularity meant the BBC resurrected Brittas and brought on a new team of writers who carried the show on for a further two series and one further Christmas special in 1996. Tim left the telly industry following Brittas (following a cameo appearance in Doctors), working in theatre before becoming Director of Drama at Eastbourne College. Hell, that final episode seems to go out of its way to understand this, by finally resolving the long-standing plotline about the real father of Caroles children and then it just pisses it all away. Very difficult to choose one episode from over eight series I have to say. After failing at so many other jobs, (Estate Agent, Retail, Import/Export) I decided that showbiz/TV was the only thing left! TVGuide has every full episode so you can stay-up-to-date and watch your favorite show The Brittas Empire anytime, anywhere. 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. Secondly, Series 5 was all about sending off the characters to their own happy endings all that had to be cancelled, inevitably rather awkwardly. In 2014, Chris Barrie reprised his role as Gordon Brittas for a brief appearance in the Sport Relief music video, "Word Up!" Would you like to do more stand up comedy? Carole, could you come here a minute? : Ask anyone who knows me! Gordon Brittas is a Leisure Centre manager with a dream. 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. She's also had recurring roles in the likes of Dalziel and Pascoe, Scott & Bailey and Silent Witness.