The Brittas Empire
The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Chris Barrie plays Gordon Brittas, the well-meaning but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. The show ran for seven series and 53 episodes — including two Christmas specials — from 1991 to 1997 on BBC1. Norriss and Fegen wrote the first five series, after which they left the show. The Brittas Empire enjoyed a long and successful run throughout the 1990s, and gained itself large mainstream audiences. In 2004 the show came 47th on the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll, and all series have been released on DVD. The creators Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen often combine farce with either surreal or dramatic elements in episodes. 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. Unlike the traditional sitcom, deaths were quite common in The Brittas Empire.
Episodes
1Back with a Bang
30 minFeb 27, 1996
After being crushed to death Gordon has been returned to Earth by St. Peter and rebuilt at a Swiss clinic - with a few side-effects. He returns a day early and misses the red carpet welcome prepared by the staff. Colin suddenly remembers the unexploded bomb, but will he get to tell in time?
2Body Language
30 minMar 12, 1996
Gordon tries to explain the benefits of matching and mirroring body language. Colin suspects alien invasion when a block of ice crashes through the roof, and Helen mistakenly sells the house to a member of the US Air Force.
3At the Double
30 minMar 26, 1996
Gordon invites members of the Ruthenian State Circus to perform at the centre, which he is unaware includes his doppelganger. A group of US evangelists want to baptise "Brightass" in the pool after reading of his coming back from the dead.
4A Walk on the Wild Side
30 minApr 2, 1996
Gordon believes that a private right-of-way goes through the centre. Helen realises that she has two husbands. An outbreak of lethal diseases causes chaos. When Gordon denies the man in the "Face in the Crowd" poster his prize, the claimant goes to extreme lengths to prove it's him.
5We All Fall Down
30 minApr 9, 1996
Whitbury is celebrating World Peace and Hunger Day. Helen plans revenge on a nappy company that didn't use her children in a TV commercial and Tim discovers the rest of the staff earn more than him.
6Mr. Brittas Falls in Love
30 minApr 16, 1996
Gordon organises a "Dolphin Day" at the centre, but a baby tiger shark is delivered instead. A teenage girl arrives for two weeks of work experience, and the staff believe she has been eaten by the shark. Opposed to the use of animals for personal amusement, Linda forms a protest rally outside the centre.
7Snap Happy
30 minApr 23, 1996
The staff prepare for a photograph, but a chain of trivialities delays the event. Acrophobic Helen participates in a parachute jump that goes horribly wrong.
Where to watch The Brittas Empire
Stream
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Availability from JustWatch, via TMDB. Full listing for United States
Series cast
