Ever Decreasing Circles

[neveragain]

See, if it was Richard Ayaode saying that in The IT Crowd, there'd be gifs of it splayed all over Twitter. But Lebor... nothing!

[mjwilson]

It seems like the BBC have gone straight from "The Psychiatrist" to "Manure", but Wikipedia thinks there was a special episode "The Party" in between.

[Alternative Carpark]

It seems like the BBC have gone straight from "The Psychiatrist" to "Manure", but Wikipedia thinks there was a special episode "The Party" in between.

There was, the 1984 Christmas special. First of two such specials that they did.

[gilbertharding]

Nice to see a young Ray Winstone at the end, playing against type as 'unlikely Open University maths student'.

In this episode particularly it's hard to look at Paul and think 'debonair heartbreaker/suave man of the world' when he is frequently dressed like Graham Taylor's idiot half-brother. Different times, I guess.

[Better Midlands]

See, if it was Richard Ayaode saying that in The IT Crowd, there'd be gifs of it splayed all over Twitter. But Lebor... nothing!

For all the Howard fans

[grainger]

In this episode particularly it's hard to look at Paul and think 'debonair heartbreaker/suave man of the world' when he is frequently dressed like Graham Taylor's idiot half-brother. Different times, I guess.

He's a man of the world by Billingshurst standards.

[non capisco]

It seems like the BBC have gone straight from "The Psychiatrist" to "Manure", but Wikipedia thinks there was a special episode "The Party" in between.

The Party is on YouTube in watchable quality, btw.

[mjwilson]

The Party is on YouTube in watchable quality, btw.

Cheers.

[gilbertharding]

Last night's was a crucial point of the 'Paul is good actually' character arc when Kirk St Moritz showed up.

Howard and Hilda's cold fury also fantastic.

[Brundle-Fly]

Enjoying this thread. It's reminded me today that forty years ago I went with the family to see George Bernard Shaw's Arms And The Man at the Lyric. I think the visit to  the theatre was partially because my mum had a thing for Peter Egan. I'm sure my old man was quite happy to gawp at Alice Krige all evening though. Me too, because I believe I had just seen her scare the shit out me in Ghost Story (1981). This was pre-Borg Queen.



I googled the production and lo and behold, somebody has uploaded the C4 recording on You Tube merely a fortnight ago. Might be of peripheral interest to EDC fans?

[mjwilson]

Spoiler alert

"It'll only take five minutes."
"Ah, another English man..."

[close]

Absolute filth.

[non capisco]

Howard and Hilda's cold fury also fantastic.

"And I am dropping my portcullis!"

[mjwilson]

S3E3.

Marrow and ginger jam? Good heavens. This is really an episode which makes you think that Ann and Paul should run away together.

Makes sense that Martin is a referee too. Real CLive Thomas vibes.

[Endicott]

Thing is, my first thought was that maybe that was offside. After a quick replay, I think it's ambiguous.

[neveragain]

What a silly episode that is. How (or why) did the sleepwalking neighbour ring the doorbell?

Also, as we indulge in Series 3, does anyone else feel the set designers have went overboard with colour? The house feels entirely different and not as beige, which is part of the whole show's character.

[mjwilson]

Season 4 episode 6 and Martin is fearmongering about what will happen when Turkey joins the EEC.

[mjwilson]

Season 4 episode 7. Martin is a real shit when he is at work.

[neveragain]

Season 4 episode 7. Martin is a real shit when he is at work.

I'm of the opinion it was a mistake to show Martin's work life. Unnecessary and feels like something from a different show. We can surmise he is unhappy and undervalued at work hence all the clubs and other organising, it doesn't need to be seen (even if it does feature Boycie as a whistling workman).

[Alternative Carpark]

Ann Davies, playing Martin's secretary in that episode, was Richard Briers' real-life wife, btw.

[Glebe]

Moustacheless Challis is unsettling! Looks a bit like Bill Pertwee. Maybe Briers stole it for the dream sequence... speaking of which outtakes of that have been posted. Egan losing it is fantastic, you can virtually see him about to break in the episode itself!

Meanwhile those faces he pulls remind me of someone...

[Glebe]

Michael Stainton as a policeman in an episode on Drama just now.

[badaids]

I remember this being on sundays tv in the grim winters of the 1980s.

It meant only one thing to me then: The weekend is over and you have to go to school tomorrow.

[Glebe]

I remember this being on sundays tv in the grim winters of the 1980s.

It meant only one thing to me then: The weekend is over and you have to go to school tomorrow.

[wrec]

According to Wikipedia, the title was adopted as a result of a meeting to brainstorm a name for the series which ended when someone said "we're just going round in ever decreasing circles."
Shrinking lives? Diminishing opportunities? That's a good theory.

I always thought it was a good title?  It seems that everybody interprets it in their own way.  My interpretation was that Martin was going through life with his little world getting smaller and smaller, and being bothered by increasingly trivial things.

I haven't seen this since I was a kid but whenever I've heard the title since, took it for granted that it referred to reaching middle age and social circles becoming increasingly smaller. In fact I mistakenly thought it was an established phrase that meant that. Interesting (to me) that it's not that cut and dried.

[ShadowRaichu]

On the topic of this sitcom, I think I read somewhere that Ricky Gervais was a fan of this show and would allow the BBC to rerun The Office for free if they reran this series.

[Alternative Carpark]

On the topic of this sitcom, I think I read somewhere that Ricky Gervais was a fan of this show and would allow the BBC to rerun The Office for free if they reran this series.

He is. Richard Briers, IIRC, wasn't particularly keen on The Office as a programme but was quite touched at Gervais' praise for both EDC and his character in it, saying in an interview, "that was very kind of him", which might be why Briers later agreed to do a cameo appearance as himself in Extras.

[non capisco]

I knew about Penelope Wilton as 'inspiring bench woman' or whatever she's called but I see Gervais cast Peter Egan in the latest series of After Life as a character called Paul, although I'm jumping naked onto a fence post anus first before I'm watching it to find out if it's the same Paul.

[neveragain]

Not the same Paul but he does get together with Bench Widow.

[Pink Gregory]

Came to the thread late but if anyone has NowTV for Sky/HBO stuff all of EDC is on the UK Gold offshoot on there if anyone wants

[Pink Gregory]

That's true, but he was still being an arse. He knew the roles were important to Martin, and he went out of his way to take them away from him. Yes, Martin was being a dick, but Paul wasn't even interested in the local group - he just decided to wind Martin up for his own amusement.

I've seen the first two episodes and I haven't exactly gone in blind so I'm somewhat sympathetic to Paul right away, which probably isn't intentional.

Like...Martin made a really bad first impression and while Paul is fairly good natured about it I don't really blame him wanting to mess with Martin a little bit, even if he does get carried away.

It's also left unsaid whether, Martin then having saturday night free now that he doesn't have to do committee stuff and therefore can go to the Royal Festival Hall with Ann, Paul had that in mind when he encouraged the group to take on Martin's adminning.

Might be completely making that up though.