I like to think I am like neither of the main characters I have played. | She played Laura superbly and possibly thought that the character had been just about fully explored. When I have some time I am going to compile my top 20 favourite Red Dwarf lines and put them on the site. 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. Gavin Featherly Do you plan to embark on a stand-up or any other stage based shows in the future? Chris Barrie played titular character Gordon Brittas, the well-intended but hugely incompetent manager of the fictional Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. But what are the cast actually up to now? TVGuide has every full episode so you can stay-up-to-date and watch your favorite show The Brittas Empire anytime, anywhere. She was certainly missed in later series. 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. 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. Do Polyunsaturated Fats Raise Hdl, Laura is calm and extremely efficient at management, often bringing normality back to the centre after a disaster has escalated. Julia St John . along with actress Julia St John who played Laura. (Julia St. John), Brittas's calm and efficient deputy. : The Britass Empire is a show that many people probably remember nostalgically as being good, and Im happy to say that for me personally revisiting the show as a whole confirms its comedy still works. 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. : and the scenes between the two Rimmers were great fun. In 1981, when it was suggested that I do it professionally, I began working up a few voices of famous people, starting with the late Kenneth Williams. 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. Julia St John /Laura Lancing. Laura Farrell (ne Lancing) is the Deputy Manager Dry of Whitbury Leisure Centre. 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. I dont keep in touch with the Brittas cast as much as I would like. The exterior shots and interior swimming pools of 'Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre' were filmed at Ringwood Leisure Centre, Hampshire. | Thu, Jan 21, 1993 30 mins. But then, it probably is by people who have better things to do than sit here writing silly articles about it online. She appears in the first five series and is portrayed by Julia St. John. : Release Dates Laura Lancing : Yeah, I gave him your message about staying, Mr. Brittas. , I will try to keep my lusting after Marguerite Hardiman to a bare minimum. 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. The Gressley A4 class Pacific. The Brittas Empire (The Complete Brittas Empire Series One to Seven) is available on DVD in the UK From April 14th. 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. Chris Barrie/Gordon Wellesley Brittas (Manager) . All until the burial where we hear a knocking from the coffin, as Brittas awakes. [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 Brittas again in the short fitness series spin-off, Get Fit with Brittas. [6] Unlocking your potential describes Colin as a habitual 'yes' man, who seeks validation through compliance. Outside the core staff is Councillor Jack Drugett (Stephen Churchett), who is unable to sack Brittas despite numerous attempts. 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. I still do what can be termed stand up comedy although it is more of an after dinner speech these days. | The fundamental problem with this is obvious, and it doesnt take a great deal of analysis. [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". With some programmes, maybe youd be expecting some kind of twist like this; sometimes it almost feels a surprise when Star Trek goes a bit odd and then it doesnt turn out to be some kind of hallucination. 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. Was this a conscious decision on your part or were they simply the jobs offered to you? 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? Gordon Brittas The Brittas Empire: Curse of the Tiger Women The cast of That '70s Show where are they now? Its easy to see how Fegen and Norriss might have decided further series really werent such a good idea. [1], The Brittas Empire enjoyed a long and successful run throughout the 1990s, and gained large mainstream audiences. 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. Looking to watch The Brittas Empire? Yes, yes, ho fucking ho. [4] The Encyclopedia of TV Science Fiction wrote that the series saw Barrie achieve more mainstream success. The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Chris Barrie plays Gordon Brittas, the well-meaning but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. Did you enjoy makingRed Dwarfand playing Rimmer? : 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. She's also the voice of reason, talking sense into those around her. Fallback Function Is Not Defined, : He said he's rather take his chances in the snow. I don't keep in touch with the Brittas cast as much as I would like. You thought it was better for morale. 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. It would probably be best to ask her. : Curse of the Mummy . For example, in the first series, the leisure centre prepares for a royal visit, only for the doors to seal, the boiler room to flood and a visitor to become electrocuted. The series peaked at 10 million viewers. I would, however, argue the show deserves to be remembered rather more fondly than it seems to be. : Helen Brittas For those that dont, heres the exact sequence of events: and Timothy wakes up in bed. 'Laura' left the show after series five, at the same time as the creators and writers. I would not rule out ever writing a book but I have always though of myself as the person who stares at the screen forfour hours wondering whether hell ever improve on the 10 wordshes written! I would have to say it is a tie between Arnie Rimmer and Mr Brittas. 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. Laura 36 episodes, 1991-1994 Stephen Churchett . Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder, "Jefferson's Garden Theatre Watford Palace Theatre", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Julia_St_John&oldid=1148499078, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 April 2023, at 14:59. He trained at the fictional Aldershot Leisure Centre. Other Characters. In other words: everything we see after Timothy falls down the stairs is a dream. You slipped on the stairs. He forgot the spoon, the daft bastard. . Jill has spent much of her career following Brittas supporting up and coming filmmakers by taking part in a series of short films, as well as feature films including Black Smoke Rising, Dead End, After Melanie, and Finding Fatimah. Do you plan to use your talent as an impressionist in future projects? The Brittas empire. Why not? , Excluding Get Fit With Brittas an strange little 610 minute series with Brittas advocating how to live a healthy lifestyle. Carole, could you come here a minute? But if there's food in there . Do Nike Employees Get Discounts On Jordans, Colin has several medical problems including skin allergies, a constantly bandaged infected hand, and a sizeable boil on his face. No less than seventeen episodes were broadcast1, across two series and amongst those seventeen were some of the shows very best episodes. Difficult to compare the two in terms of actually making them. Judy Flynn/Julie Porter. 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. In 2017, Haywood fans saw the actress turn up in period drama Henry IX and comedy series Loaded. Secondly, Series 5 was all about sending off the characters to their own happy endings all that had to be cancelled, inevitably rather awkwardly. Hopefully we will have a reunion again soon as it is over 10 years since we finished the last Brittas recording. On 6 March 2023, Drama began repeating the series. To their credit, the doomed writers Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent realise that Brittas cant have a normal ending, and so they decide to try for something memorable. Ask anyone who knows me! Both characters were either given fantastic dialogue or brilliant situations or both! If you remember, Mr. Brittas, you told the ambulance men to come round to the back in future. 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. 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. 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. 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. Jill Greenacre/Linda Perkin . Julie 45 episodes, 1992-1997 Julia St John . , My main problem with how TCotTW ends is the fact it Hetro-norms Tim and Gavin. The Brittas Empire: . Barrie described the humour as "straightfoward, slapstick, very accessible characters, larger-than-life abnormal things happening in a very normal situation". Tim is returning to the screen though he's currently filming the drama The Real Thing. E3 - Over To Pam; Caroline: 1988: The . [seeing Carole come from behind the desk] | The Brittas Empire - Series 1 View episodes. : The clues are there in plain view, yet theres no chance youll work it out before youre told. According to Barrie, Gordon Brittas is well-meaning but insensitive because he has a lofty dream to make the world a better place, but he doesn't know how to execute it on the small-scale. Chris Barrie interested in reviving Brittas Empire. Outside the centre. 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. I spoke to one of the forensic scientist, Gavin. What prompted this move and what are your plans for the future? : Mike Burns/Colin Weatherby . Are you as irritating as Gordon Brittas in real life? We see him go up to heaven, just scraping past the gates (115 separate acts of manslaughter cause of four people committing suicide and 23 driven clinically insane) and then being sent back down to earth for being an annoying little shit (You take my word for it Peter, 2000 years is not too old to start playing seven-a-side!) Meanwhile, the scenes on earth are played absolutely real this is not treated as a comedy death. [22] On a revival, The Guardian wrote that while the original run "never really entered the fabric of popular culturearguably, tastes have advanced enough for people to warm to a mainstream sitcom that includes the chainsaw dismemberment of several innocent people".
