| Men Behaving Badly | |
|---|---|
Series logo, which appears before the closing credits rolled. Gary and Tony dance badly in the background. |
|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | Simon Nye |
| Written by | Simon Nye |
| Directed by | Martin Dennis |
| Starring | Martin Clunes Leslie Ash Caroline Quentin Neil Morrissey Valerie Minifie Ian Lindsay Harry Enfield |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 42 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Hartswood Films |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV, then BBC1 |
| Picture format | 4:3 (1992–1997) 16:9 (1998) |
| Original run | 18 February 1992 – 28 December 1998 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Men Behaving Badly (US remake) |
Men Behaving Badly is a British comedy that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang (Martin Clunes) and his flatmates, Dermot Povey (Harry Enfield) and Tony Smart (Neil Morrissey). It was first broadcast on ITV in 1992. A total of six series were made along with a Christmas special and three final episodes that make up the feature-length "last orders".
The series was filmed in and around Ealing in West London and the final scene of series six was filmed at the Cerne Abbas giant. The setting however is implied to be South London and many references are made to Surrey.
It was produced by Hartswood Films, and Thames Television co-produced the first two series for ITV. They also assisted with production of the third series onwards that aired on the BBC.
After being moved to a post-watershed slot on BBC1, Men Behaving Badly became highly successful. It was controversially voted the best sitcom in the BBC's history at the corporation's 60th anniversary celebrations in 1996, and it came sixteenth in the Britain's Best Sitcom poll commissioned in 2004 on BBC2. It has also won the Comedy Awards' best ITV comedy, and the first National Television Award for Situation Comedy.[1]
In a BBC article, it is suggested Gary and Tony were "a reaction against the onset of the caring, sharing 'new man'. It appeared to revel in a politically incorrect world of booze, burps and boobs". Nevertheless, critics Jon Lewis and Penny Stempel have stated the show "allowed male viewers to indulge in vicarious laddism, whilst allowing female viewers to ridicule the bad but lovable Tony and Gary". They also commented that "it was also a genuine sitcom in that the humour came from the characters and their context". Simon Nye remarked: "I don't do mad, plot-driven farragoes. You have to allow your characters time to talk".[2]
The show has been repeated on BBC One and G.O.L.D., and all six series are available on DVD. In 2007, Martin Clunes admitted that he had "been watching the Men Behaving Badly repeats on TV, and laughing like a git!"[3]
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Tony and Dermot are similar in character, although Dermot is slightly more introverted and repressed. He is only mentioned twice after his departure, the first to explain that he simply is not coming home, and the second in the first episode of series five, when Dorothy recalls him to which Gary replies "Did I tell you he got a job at Euro-Disney testing the rides?"
Other characters include Clive – a friend of Gary's who never appears on screen. Writer Simon Nye played the minor role of Clive in series 6, wearing a bright green suit. Also, Neville runs the record stall with Tony in series 2.
Gary and Tony are two beer-guzzling flatmates, revelling in a second childhood, hours of TV and mindless talks about women, the kind of behaviour that puts their relationships with Dorothy (Gary's girlfriend) and Deborah (an attractive blonde in the flat above) in jeopardy.
Gary manages an office selling burglar alarms for a dead-end company. His staff are two ageing employees: the hen-pecked George and eternal spinster Anthea, who regularly drive him to exasperation with their old-fashioned ways. Tony stumbles through a range of jobs including modelling, bar work and miming, after his record stall collapsed (somewhat literally).
Dorothy is a quick-witted, sensible nurse. She and Gary frequently split up and are occasionally unfaithful, but always end up back together. Tony has many girlfriends but his true feelings are for Deborah, who he initially just wants to have sex with, but quickly falls in love with.
Tony and Deborah finally end up in a relationship in series 6.
The show is based on Simon Nye's 1989 book of the same title. TV producer Beryl Vertue came across the novel and tracked down Nye, believing it was suited for television adaptation. Harry Enfield was then cast first, and persuaded Martin Clunes that he should join the show.
The first series features Martin Clunes as Gary Strang, and Harry Enfield as his flatmate, Dermot Povey, but Enfield felt out of place in the sitcom and decided to quit. It has also been reported that Enfield has claimed he felt uncomfortable in the programme, and left stating that a "proper actor" would do the job far better. Simon Nye has stated that ITV picked up the series partly because Enfield had agreed to star in it, and his departure influenced ITV's decision to cancel the show after just two series, when audience figures were poor. It has been claimed that this was owing to ITV giving it a poor slot in the schedules, forcing the 'bad behaviour' to be toned down.
In 1994, the show went to the BBC, who aired a further four series. The shift to a new station and a later time-slot meant, as the BBC have stated, the show could indulge in "more colourful language and behaviour". The show became highly successful on BBC One, winning numerous awards for the show, its writer, and its stars.[3]
The first series featuring Enfield has never been repeated on the BBC, although the second ITV series has been shown.[3]
The show aired for six series and forty two episodes, including a Christmas special titled 'Jingle Balls', which was broadcast over Christmas 1997. A final short run of three 45 minute episodes was made in 1998 to conclude the series. These were broadcast over Christmas, like the 'final' three episodes of Only Fools and Horses two years earlier.
Series one was the only series to feature Dermot, played by Harry Enfield, and the only series not to feature Neil Morrissey as Tony. The episodes of the first two series are about 24 minutes long because they were shown on ITV and time was needed for advertisements. When the show began on the BBC, the episodes were about four minutes longer.
All six series are available on region 2 DVD separately, and a complete collection featuring all six series is also available. The 1997 Christmas special and final trilogy are also available on DVD.
Owing to licensing difficulties, the music at the beginning of episode one 'Hair' and the rave in episode five 'Cardigan' had to be changed for the Series 5 DVD.
The DVD of the final trilogy is also only in 4:3 centre cut-out rather than the 16:9 format the episodes were originally made in.
| DVD Title | Disc # | Year | Episode # | DVD release dates | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||||
| Complete Series 1 | 1 | 1992 | 6 | 25 January 2005 | 8 May 2000 | 14 August 2000 | |
| Complete Series 2 | 1 | 1992 | 6 | 25 January 2005 | 5 June 2000 | 14 August 2000 | |
| Complete Series 3 | 1 | 1994 | 6 | 10 January 2006 | 5 June 2000 | 14 August 2000 | |
| Complete Series 4 | 1 | 1995 | 7 | 10 January 2006 | 3 July 2000 | 14 August 2000 | |
| Complete Series 5 | 1 | 1996 | 7 | 7 November 2006 | 3 July 2000 | 14 August 2000 | |
| Complete Series 6 | 1 | 1997 | 6 | 7 November 2006 | 20 November 2000 | 14 August 2000 | |
| Jingle Balls! | 1 | 1997 | 1 | On "Last Orders" DVD | 1 January 2008 | N/A | |
| Last Orders | 1 | 1998 | 3 | 7 November 2006 | 1 September 2003 | 14 August 2000 | |
| Complete Series 1–6 | 6 | 1992–1997 | 38 | N/A | 22 September 2003 | N/A | |
| Complete Series 1–LO | 7 | 1992–1998 | 42 | 7 November 2006 | N/A | 8 August 2001 | |
The series was remade for US television, broadcast on NBC 1996–1997, starred Rob Schneider, Ken Marino, Ron Eldard and Justine Bateman, and took place in Indianapolis, Indiana.[4] As a result, the original series was eventually screened in the US on BBC America as British Men Behaving Badly. In Australia, where the British version was screened under it's original title on the ABC, the US series was broadcast as It's a Man's World on the Seven Network.