Hello & What went wrong near the end???

[steveb]

Hi everyone. Firstly I'd like to say hello. I used to watch the Brittas Empire on TV every week. I've only just thought of doing a search on the internet for it. It really does seem to be obscure now doesn't it?!? I haven't seen it since the last series ended.

Can anyone explain exactly what went wrong in the last couple of series please? It went from being a great sit-com to a complete mess very quickly around this point. I even remember a part of one episode where 2 plants had a conversation with each other. What the **** happened there? I've seen a couple of comments about a change in the production or something. It was just one line and a bit vague. Can anyone enlighten me on exactly what happened to the show? Thanks in advance!!!

[Jennifer]

Well, welcome Steve, firstly.

Long story short; the last two series were crapper than the first five because the original writers left after series five, and the series was taken up by eejits with no sense of characterisation, or characters, as it happens. (Penny Bidmead. Nuff Said.)

Then of course, Julia St John (the immortal Laura Lancing) left to do other things, namely a superb ITV sitcom called 'Searching' which ran for one seven-ep series and was consequently dumped by ITV because, well, ITV suck. Had it been on the BBC, it would had been given a chance.

So that's what happened.

[steveb]

Ah, thanks for that Jennifer.

That's one of the things I like about the internet. You can find out stuff that really confused you in the past but no-one could tell you why.

By the way, do you know between which two series the Christmas special where they went on an army survival course was made? If I remember correctly it was in 1995/6. Sowas that with the original writers or the morons? I'm curious because I think that was one of the last episodes I really enjoyed.

[Jennifer]

That was the morons, though, by series seven, the CRAPPEST writers had been binned, and the best were kept on...resulting in seven being a HELL OF A LOT BETTER than six.

Six was diabolical.

Oh - and answering your ACTUAL question ( ;D), That particular Christmas Special - 'Surviving Christmas', was made in 1997, and was part of Series seven.

I'm so helpful tonight.

[Kanna]

G'day Steve, and welcome.

Must defend S7, because I'm very fond of it... so much Gavin and with so much character development for Helen, and some of my absolute favourite episodes. S6, however, is a mess. It's like the new writers picked up on minor themes and thought they defined everything about the characters, and added in random characterisation that made no sense. Tim came off worst, but Gordon was treated horribly, too. He's ghastly in S6, switched from oblivious and officious but generally intelligent and well-meaning to actually callous and stupid.

If I'm understanding rightly, too, S6 was written by distrubting out story ideas that had been discarded for good reasons, while S7 let the writers work on their own ideas, with far better results.

Still, there's no excuse for the alien pot plant, or Tim hitting Colin over the head with a cricket bat in between whining passive-aggressively at Gavin, or Penny even existing...

But persist! Things do get much, much better. ~cuddles S7~ I think this is one case in which people paid attention to what had gone wrong, and tried to fix it. The S7 Christmas special almost seems to deliberately address, point by point, everything that went wrong - although I miss Julie in it. Pregnant!Julie at survival camp would have been fun.

I didn't really miss Laura although that much, even though I quite like her.

[steveb]

Hello again. Thanks for your replies. Interesting. To be honest I can't remember much of the last series very clearly. I think series 6 must have made me lose interest a bit. I'll have to take your words for it that 7 was better.

All this talk of the Brittas Empire is making me quite nostalgic for it. I might invest in some DVDs soon. I'd love to see some of them again. I can't remember which series was best though (can't even remember which was which for most of them). Which would you all recommend for a fan whose memory is a bit rusty?

[Kanna]

You wouldn't be the only one who gave up on S6, Steve. I nearly didn't watch S7 myself - only a lingering crush on Gavin pushed me through. It's the Xena thing all over again... one bad season can kill a show, because by the time it's sorted out, no one cares any longer. But in both cases, having a decent season to go out on makes me feel better about things.

Season to order! I'd vote for S3 or S4, because they're both one brilliant episode after another.

[Jennifer]

I didn't really miss Laura although that much, even though I quite like her.

*screams and runs away*

[Kanna]

I would have prefered a shot of them flinging themselves into each other's arms in the same episode.

They do look cute... but very, very posed.

ETA... posted to wrong thread. Oops. Comment was about the S7 box set shot of Tim and Gavin.

[timandgavin4ever]

I wated a clear ending in series seven but i don't think there was one, was there? it's been so long since i have seen series 7.

i didn't mind the last 2 series, although Penny the sauna woman was a terrible actor.

[inkling]

heh. I actually totally ignore the ending lol. It was the most STUPID ending of a show ever lol

[Zusi]

inkling said:

heh. I actually totally ignore the ending lol. It was the most STUPID ending of a show ever lol

Quite possibly, but my husband reckoned at the time that if fitted with everything else that had happened there over the years!