List of Lead Balloon episodes

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This is a list of episodes of the British television situation comedy Lead Balloon. The first series of six episodes aired in 2006 and a second series, extended to eight episodes, began in 2007. All episodes are written by Jack Dee and Pete Sinclair, and are directed and produced by Alex Hardcastle.

1 Series 1 (2006)
2 Series 2 (2007)
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Series 1 (2006)

#	Title	Original airdate
1	"Rubbish"	4 October 2006
Rick films an advertisement to promoting recycling and is later invited, with Mel, to a christening by one of her clients, leaving them struggling to devise an excuse not to go. Rick and Marty try to write material for a corporate gig which Rick will be doing for a notorious loans company; Rick rejects all the material as dangerously provocative and later has a frustrating time trying to buy a christening present without being ripped off. Michael has devised a new cake recipe and forces Rick to take a sample home, where it is thrown away. A few days later, a series of articles appears in a tabloid, for which a journalist has gone through the contents of Rick's dustbin.^[1]
2	"Wayne"	11 October 2006
A noisy paperboy (the titular Wayne) is waking Rick early in the mornings, so he ineffectually complains to the newsagent (Vicki Pepperdine). The toaster breaks and Rick takes it back to the shop and lies to the owner (Ewen Macintosh) about when he bought it. He later steals teaspoons from Michael's café to make up for the short supply at home. Rick ends up buying a very expensive new toaster, shamefacedly returning the teaspoons to Michael (who also takes the toaster, presuming Rick bought it to make amends with him), and lying awake all night fretting about being woken up by Wayne.^[1]
3	"£5000"	18 October 2006
Rick has a fight that leaves him with a cut near his eye. Magda recommends vodka, which proves very painful. Michael is doing a sponsored skip for charity. Rick has sponsored him for £5, not realising that this means £5 per skip, for a predicted thousand skips (hence £5000). Rick tries to back out and ends up offering Michael a flat £500, which Michael refuses. Marty is angry with Rick after a failed TV pitch (which is not shown). Shortly after, Rick 'accidentally' hits Michael with his car. Rick belittles the Community Support Officer investigating the accident, who has Rick arrested by a police officer and detained for a few hours.^[1]
4	"Allergic"	25 October 2006
Rick does a corporate gig with 70s comedian Bob Fairchild (Ted Robbins). Bob mentions he has a caffeine allergy. Rick takes a dislike to Bob and gives him caffeinated coffee. The next day Rick hears that Bob suddenly died. Rick worries that he inadvertently killed Bob with the coffee, and Marty winds him up. Bob's daughter Fiona, one of Mel's clients, is reportedly devastated. Rick and Marty work on material for a comedy news quiz, and Rick makes Magda pursue a shopping channel for an undelivered free gift. Eventually, the show goes very well and Rick learns how Bob really died. Rick and Marty return home loudly drunk and happy, only to find Mel in the kitchen comforting poor Fiona. Rick is tactless.^[1]
5	"Pistachio"	1 November 2006
Rick has bought a scooter, "pistachio" in colour (light green). The scooter is the subject of general derision and Rick becomes embarrassed with it. Magda's mother (in her home country) has injured her knee and Magda, believing that she has inherited weak knees, is wallowing in suffering. Rick has an argument with a dry cleaner (Omid Djalili). Rick buys a black leather jacket and later gives it to Magda, who then sells it on eBay. In the final credits, Rick is attempting to paint the scooter black.^[1]
6	"Fatty"	8 November 2006
After a chat show host comments on Rick's weight Mel and the others agree, and Marty taunts him with doughnuts. An elderly neighbour, Doris, has lost a cat, which Rick finds in his garage as he is heading out to the gym. At the gym, another man comments on Rick's weight. Rick angrily claims that his weight is a side-effect of cancer drugs, whereupon the other man reveals that he has colon cancer. An awkward scene results. Magda returns the cat and gets a £100 reward. Rick takes the money off her and donates it to the man's colon cancer charity. Later, Doris' son comes to Rick's house and makes Rick pay the money back. As Rick closes the door, the son comments on his weight.^[1]

[edit] Series 2 (2007)

#	Title	Original airdate
7	"Giraffe"	15 November 2007
Following an incorrect answer Rick gave on a gameshow, the husband of Rick's teammate insists that Rick promised to buy his wife the star prize car if he was wrong. Rick contests this, but is eventually forced to relent and buy a car to the value of his fee for appearing on the show (£2,000). Marty, meanwhile, ridicules the stupidity of Rick's response to the question and delights in telling Michael the tale, who consequentially prints of a list of amusing answers given on gameshows from the internet, which features Rick's in the prominent position of number twelve. Magda objects to Rick's apparent description of her as a dog and threatens to leave, forcing Rick and Mel to plead with her to stay. Due to Magda's absence, Sam and Ben complain that there is no food in the house and in order to replenish their supplies, ask Rick for money which they then waste. Rick attempts to buy a cheap car and pass it off as being worth £2,000, which later leads to trouble from the police, which Rick then fobs off on a car salesman who refused to play ball with him.
8	"Hero"	22 November 2007
Rick talks a jumper down from a building who is later revealed to be a paedophile. He bumps into a man who he believes to be commissioner of drama for ITV and invites him and his wife around for dinner, hoping to discuss a television proposal with him. Magda cooks an unusual delicacy for Rick to serve on the night, which he disposes of over a neighbour's fence. On the night of the dinner Mel reveals to Rick that the man is not ITV's drama chief; rather he is a builder who fixed their roof some years previously. To save face, Rick and Mel pretend they invited him around to discuss plans for a conservatory. The builder is delighted, though Rick later "accidentally" ruins the blueprints.
9	"Points"	29 November 2007
Rick is caught speeding and risks a driving ban if he gets three more point on his driving licence. His attempts to persuade Mel and Marty to admit they were driving his car prove futile and he believes there is no hope, until he learns Magda has recently passed her driving test. Michael convinces Rick to appear at an event to save the local library but later informs him his appearance has been cancelled because Rick refused to pay a £6 fine on a late book and threatened the librarian. As a result of his threats Rick has to attend an anger management class.
10	"Idiot"	6 December 2007
Rick records a short appeal video for a charity helping victims of "HUCCS", a disease that causes victims to burst into flames. The appeal is later revealed to be a hoax and that Rick was the victim of a hidden-camera show (see Brass Eye). Marty is offended when Rick claims he writes all his own jokes in order to impress a man. A client of Mel's records a television pilot for a chat show and Rick is her guest. The woman is an ex-ice dancer and Rick is interviewed inside a giant ice-skate.
11	"Sick"	13 December 2007
The women in Rick's house are sick and he is forced to take over. Rick promises to field Mel's work calls, but does more harm than good. Magda makes matters worse by arriving with her home made soup. All these distractions are stopping Rick from working with Marty on the game show they want to pitch to a broadcaster: 'Lying or Flying'.
12	"Debacle"	20 December 2007
Rick hosts an event for a pharmaceutical company. His stand-up goes down surprisingly well, but some of his ill-advised gags have far-reaching consequences. Meanwhile, one of Mel's clients is presenting a new holiday programme, 'What Not to Pack', and Rick suggests Michael should be on the show. But Rick soon has bigger things to worry about, as he finds himself propelled into the spotlight - as public enemy number one.
13	"Rita"	26 December 2007
Rick lands a cameo role in a film, appearing alongside a Hollywood starlet from the 50s. When it turns out that Michael's father is her biggest fan, Rick promises to get her autograph for him: but it's easier said than done. Mel's work is less glamorous. One of her clients is presenting a new series of Geriatric Ward. At home, Rick has to deal with a lazy electrician.
14	"Lucky"	3 January 2008
Rick is sick of doing endless corporate gigs and accuses Marty of lacking ambition, but a call from Hollywood changes everything. One of Mel's clients is going through a divorce, Ben and Sam start their own dog-walking business and Michael the cafe manager has started going to 'cuddle parties'.