The Brittas Empire

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The Brittas Empire
Shot of "The Brittas Empire" opening credits
Format	live action/sitcom
Created by	Richard Fegen Andrew Norriss
Directed by	Mike Stephens, Christine Gernon
Starring	Chris Barrie Pippa Haywood Julia St. John Mike Burns Russell Porter Tim Marriott Harriet Thorpe Judy Flynn
Theme music composer	Frank Renton
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	7
No. of episodes	53 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Mike Stephens
Producer(s)	Mike Stephens
Running time	30 mins
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One
Original run	3 January 1991 – 24 February 1997
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom that aired on BBC One from 1991 to 1997. The series focuses on Gordon Brittas, played by Chris Barrie, the well-meaning but obnoxious manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. In 2004, the show came 47th on the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll.^[1]

1 Cast & Characters
- 1.1 Main cast
- 1.2 Recurring cast
2 Plot
3 Episodes
4 Filming locations
5 Reception
6 DVD and VHS releases
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Cast & Characters

Main article: List of The Brittas Empire Characters

[edit] Main cast

Gordon Brittas - Chris Barrie
Helen Brittas - Pippa Haywood
Laura Lancing - Julia St. John (series 1-5)
Colin Weatherby - Michael Burns
Gavin Featherly - Tim Marriott
Tim Whistler - Russell Porter
Carole Parkinson - Harriet Thorpe
Linda Perkin - Jill Greenacre
Julie Porter - Judy Flynn (series 2-7)

[edit] Recurring cast

Angie - Andrée Bernard (series 1)
Pam - Frances Low (series 1)
Councillor Dapping - Jo Kendall (series 1-2)
Horatio Brittas - Richard Braine (series 3-5)
Michael T Farrell III - David Crean (series 3-5)
Councillor Drugget - Stephen Churchett (series 4-7)
Penny Bidmead - Anouschka Menzies (series 6)

[edit] Plot

Gordon Brittas is the petty, tactless and irritating manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. He has a dream, to bring all corners of the world together through sport. Ironically while trying to fulfil this task Brittas only ever achieves the exact opposite. He is forever giving out careless instructions with fatal consequences, and trying to solve small problems creating bigger ones. Thus Brittas unmeaningly brings chaos into the lives of his staff, his public and his neurotic, pill-dependant wife Helen. In addition, Brittas is all too good at rubbing people up the wrong way without meaning to, and is all too bad at working with human beings.

Maniac manager Gordon Brittas, outside the ill-fated Whitbury Leisure Centre

Helen Brittas often turns to affairs with other men and an array of pills to cope with Gordon. She loves her husband, despite only rarely showing affection towards him. She finds it an ever increasing strain to tolerate his eccentric behaviour. Helen often finds herself in need of support from Brittas’s level-headed subordinate Laura Lancing. Laura is the deputy manager [dry] of the centre. She understands Helen, and her boss who she adopts a strong level of tolerance for. It is Laura who picks up the pieces after Brittas's good intentions have led to total chaos at the centre. Laura and Brittas have always had a connection, and Brittas is particularly fond of her. Later in the series, Laura moves to America with her wealthy husband Michel.

Another deputy manager of the centre is Colin Weatherby (deputy manager wet). Colin is a dirt-infested-foul-smelling character, nevertheless his heart is in the right place. He has an infected hand and several skin allergies, one of which makes him allergic to water, hence his pool duties are somewhat limited. He is the only member of the staff to admire Brittas, and like his boss, Colin is prone to accident.

Amongst other members of the staff is the unfortunate and often tearful receptionist Carole Parkinson, who is always struck by bad luck. Brittas tries to help Carole which inevitably makes her even more depressed. Despite her many problems Carole puts on a brave face to greet the public. She is also a loving mother of three children, two of whom are twins. These are kept in the drawers of reception and it is Brittas who is the unknowing father to Carole's twin-children.

Julie is the fiery-tongued secretary who hates her boss, always snapping “I’m busy!” when asked to do any work. Julie is never afraid of telling Brittas what she really thinks of him. A more co-operative member of the team than Julie is Linda Perkins; a shy character, however an enthusiastic one always wearing a smile.

Gavin Featherly (pool attendant), although gentle at heart, develops certain arrogance when promoted to deputy manager. He leads an unstable relationship with the jealous and emotional Tim Whistler, who also has occasional mood swings.

Outside the staff is the man of authority Councillor Jack Drugett. Despite numerous attempts at removing Brittas from his position as manager, he and the council fail miserably, hence the centre remains a disaster zone free from customers. Surprisingly, the Whitbury Leisure Centre does achieve some success later in the series, when Brittas to a degree learns from his ways. However one way or the other, mayhem always manages to persist.

At the end of the final episode, it was revealed that all seven series were, in fact, the dream that Gordon was having that he would later turn into reality. Therefore, we are to assume that everything went on to happen the way he planned. This ending was panned by many critics and viewers.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of The Brittas Empire episodes

The Brittas Empire was broadcast for fifty two episodes, including two Christmas Specials. The show began broadcasting in 1991, and ended in 1997. The cast also performed in the 1996 Royal Variety performance - in character - and in a special short episode for Children in Need.

For the first five series, the show's creators Richard Fegen and Andrew Norriss together co-wrote the show. Series five was the initial ending for show, which sees most of the characters preparing to move on to a new chapter in their lives. However, due to the show still being very popular at the series five mark, the BBC decided to resurrect Brittas and brought on a team of new writers, which carried the show on for a further two series including one further Christmas special. The new writers were: Paul Smith, Terry Kyan, Tony Millan, Mike Walling, Ian Davidson, Peter Vincent.

[edit] Filming locations

The exterior shots of the leisure centre were filmed at Ringwood Leisure Centre, Hampshire.

[edit] Reception

The show enjoyed a long and successful run throughout the 1990s, gaining large mainstream audiences.The show has also appeared on many fan and tribute websites. Additionally, the show is known in Poland as Imperium Brittasa. ^[2]

[edit] DVD and VHS releases

The show has enjoyed an international success; all seven series have been released in the United Kingdom by Eureka Video and also in Australia by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Title	Format	Release date	Publisher	DVD/Video/Series Synopsis
“The Brittas Empire”- The Stuff of Dreams	VHS, PAL format	7 August 1995	BBC Video	This video consists of three episodes: two from series three, “The Christening” and “The stuff of dreams”, along with the first episode of series four, “Not a Good Day”.
“The Brittas Empire”- Laying the Foundations	VHS, PAL format	2 April 1997	BBC Video	It comprises five episodes including the first ever episode of the series, titled “Laying the Foundations”. Three episodes are from series two which are: “Back from the dead”, “Set in Concrete” and “An Inspector Calls”, and the first episode of series three, named “The Trial”.
“The Brittas Empire”- Complete Series one	DVD, PAL format	21 July 2003 ^[3]	Eureka Entertainment	The first six episodes of the series. Brittas arrives at the new leisure centre of Whitbury New Town and quickly turns it into disaster escalating world of a chaos. Pool and chlorine leakages, a wheel chair menace and an assignation attempt are amongst the goings-on at Whitbury Leisure Centre in the first series.
“The Brittas Empire”- Complete Series Two	DVD, PAL format	20 October 2003	Eureka Entertainment	All seven episodes of series two. Carole tries to kill Brittas whose job is threatened by an inspector. A fire breaks out, Carole gives birth and so does a cow on the squash courts, in the second series of the show.
“The Brittas Empire”- Complete Series Three	DVD, PAL format	19 January 2004	Eureka Entertainment	All six episodes of series three. Brittas goes on trial for drug smuggling, murder and theft, Helen fears for the centre's fate when Laura might be leaving, and Brittas's brother Horatio pays a visit to the centre. When oil mixes with fireworks, an explosion is caused.
“The Brittas Empire”- Complete Series four	DVD, PAL format	19 July 2004	Eureka Entertainment	All eight episodes of series four, where chaos reins over Whitbury once more. The leisure centre becomes under attack by vikings, Gavin's unhingedfiancée visits and Brittas loses his job. After a gas leak, the leisure centre burns down.
“The Brittas Empire”- Complete Series five	DVD, PAL format	4 October 2004	Eureka Entertainment	All eight episodes of series five. The final series written by the show's creators and to star Julie St John, in her role as "Laura". In the fifth series the BBC visit the newly re-built Whitbury Leisure Centre, where an ostrich is running loose. Colin becomes temporally blinded, some electricians get a shock, and Brittas packs to leave for his new job in Brussels. Unfortunately, on his last day as manager of Whitbury Leisure Centre, he is crushed to death by a falling water tank.
“The Brittas Empire”- Complete Series six	DVD, PAL format	21 February 2005	Eureka Entertainment	All seven episodes from the sixth series, which sees Brittas returned to Whitbury Leisure Centre as manager, now newly re-built after being crushed to death and rejected from heaven at the end of the last series. A peace and hunger week at the centre leads to children being electrocuted, Helen combats her fear of heights, and a baby tiger shark is placed in the swimming pool.
“The Brittas Empire”- Complete Series seven	DVD, PAL format	23 May 2005	Eureka Entertainment	The final eight episodes of the comedy show. The centre steps closer to modern age as it becomes computer-controlled, Colin finds love, and the staff attend Gavin's funeral, but so does he. A lethal disease breaks out and Brittas has a bizarre dream when being pecked unconscious by a bird.
“The Brittas Empire”- Complete Series one-seven	DVD, PAL format	8 October 2007	Eureka Entertainment	All seven series of the Brittas Empire