, I will try to keep my lusting after Marguerite Hardiman to a bare minimum. The old Weights Room. Company Credits The fundamental problem with this is obvious, and it doesnt take a great deal of analysis. : She is also helped by supportive friend Laura Lancing (Julia St. John), Brittas's calm and efficient deputy. : 'Penny' did not return in series seven. The 62-year-old also made regular. For all that Brittas is an atypical show full of death and danger and the odd maiming, like any sitcom its all about the characters. Thats not to say that a lot of episodes dont share a formula3. Thanks for this article I couldnt help but be reminded of the legendary finale of Newhart, which did the exact same thing but in a way that the audience absolutely loved. [24] In 2018, a Comic Relief producer worked with Barrie to get a Brittas Empire skit on the programme, but were unsuccessful. She also returned to her comedy roots in the likes of The Wrong Door, Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge and Green Wing, all of which would appeal to Brittas fans. Yes, I do enjoy it. Have started a JSJ LJ community It will act as a companion to the JSJ Online website - which is in the throws of a re-design and new content waiting to be added! Gordon Brittas is the manager of Whitbury-Newtown Leisure Centre, and although he has good intentions more of the schemes he comes up with end up going wrong. And that is the story of how Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent wrote one of my favourite dream sequences of all time. Laura Lancing Mike Burns/Colin Weatherby . Cast alterations in the series: 'Angie' (Andre Bernard), who appears as a main character in the first series, is replaced by 'Julie' from series two onwards. But this one is my favourite not only for its unpredictability, but in its sheer construction. The Brittas Empire (The Complete Brittas Empire Series One to Seven) is available on DVD in the UK From April 14th. Of course they are all great roles but I have always though that Kryten would be the most suitable for me. IMDb's advanced search allows you to run extremely powerful queries over all people and titles in the database. . Non-comedy TV and film credits may be found here: Julia St. John on IMDb. : Robert deserves a medal! Laura 36 episodes, 1991-1994 Stephen Churchett . : They get out the front door and Mother calls. Jill has spent much of her career following Brittas supporting up and coming filmmakers by taking part in a series of short films, as well as feature films including Black Smoke Rising, Dead End, After Melanie, and Finding Fatimah. Its not just something pulled out of a hat to provide some kind of shocking twist it makes sense. He advised "there's so much momentum for it now's the time." I would have to say Ace Rimmer was my favourite. Thorpe has also maintained a film career, with turns in Calendar Girls, The Calling, That's for Me! Actress St John went on to work with Harry Enfield on the comedian's Harry Enfield and Chums show, as well as his follow-up series, Brand Spanking New Show. Laura Farrell (ne Lancing) is the Deputy Manager Dry of Whitbury Leisure Centre. Laura (Julia St. John) looks for a new job at a health center in London, but Helen wants her to stay at Whitbury. Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set. The Brittas Empire - TheTVDB.com The Magazine Premium Theme by bavotasan.com. At the beginning I did not consciously seek out only satiricalwork but clearly if mimicry is part of your act, then youll be considered for satirical shows. . pulls a trick that I doubt anyone would manage to predict, right at the very climax of the episode. His next big role after Brittas was as another titular sitcom character, Gary Prince, in A Prince Among Men (1997-98), which was about an insufferable former football star turned business entrepreneur. Laura 36 episodes, 1991-1994 Stephen Churchett . It just wasn't the same and I think Julia St John leaving was what really caused the show to sink. Chris Barrie interested in reviving Brittas Empire. She also made regular appearances on A Touch of Frost and Casualty. After an episode full of the usual: a gypsy curse, a build-up of marsh gas, Noahs sorry, Colins Ark, yet another scene full of dead birds dropping from the sky, and a ludicrous flying goose prop, we fade through to Brittas waking up on a train. . In all probability, no. Chris Barrie played Brittas again in the short fitness series spin-off, Get Fit with Brittas. The Brittas Empire - Wikipedia Laura Lancing : If you remember, Mr. Brittas, you told the ambulance men to come round to the back in future. I was running out of things to do because I kept getting the sack from various jobs performing was the only thing left to try. It is an ending that is not well regarded by many critics and viewers and is viewed as a poor ending for such a well loved and popular show. Great! She was certainly missed in later series. Helen Brittas ( Pippa Haywood) finds it increasingly difficult to cope with Gordon, and often turns to pills and affairs with other men to maintain her sanity. Probably best known for her role as Julie on The Brittas Empire, Flynn also appeared in a couple of episode of Victoria Wood's sitcom Dinnerladies. Would you like to do more stand up comedy? [9], Tickets for the live recordings were available by writing to the BBC TV Ticket unit - while tickets were free, participants had to be aged 14 and up. Out of all Rimmers alter egos, which was your favourite to play and why? Recently youve been moving towards presenting rather than acting. If you remember, Mr. Brittas, you told the ambulance men to come round to the back in future. From the Manager. MOTHER: In your own little bed. You thought it was better for morale. why did julia st john leave the brittas empire The Grand: The Complete Series; The Brittas Empire - Series 2 [Single Disc] The Grand [1997] More Titles Starring Harriet Thorpe. Chris Barrie played titular character Gordon Brittas, the well-intended but hugely incompetent manager of the fictional Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. This was originally meant to be the end of the show's run. [20] Red Dwarf Smegazine argued in 1993 that while Red Dwarf had been a success, "Chris [Barrie] is perhaps better known by many TV viewers for The Brittas Empire". We did the first series upstairs at the Latchemere pub in Battersea. In Stoke Me a Clipper you returned as Ace Rimmer. find details on thousands of people in BlackBook, Comedy Rewind: Looking back at Sink Or Swim, The making of The Oldest Comedy Club In Britain, First Gig, Worst Gig: Schalk Bezuidenhout, Special - Harry Enfield And Christmas Chums. And Sorry! What was your most/least enjoyable costume in Red Dwarf and why? The Brittas Empire (TV Series 1991-1997) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The moments of attraction between her and Brittas were some of the most emotionally touching in the entire series, but the character also manages the seemingly impossible: the . Because how do you end a show like Brittas? Could you give this to my husband? I associate the time with carefree days of the early 80s, we had a lot of fun doing the show, similar to early Red Dwarf days. When I have some time I am going to compile my top 20 favourite Red Dwarf lines and put them on the site. News . The main concentration at the moment is on a further series. I started impersonating teachers at school and then mimicked various members of staff in early jobs. Gordon Brittas (Chris Barrie) is the well-meaning but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. Tim left the telly industry following Brittas (following a cameo appearance in Doctors), working in theatre before becoming Director of Drama at Eastbourne College. why did julia st john leave the brittas empire. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. After series 5 they left, along with actress Julia St John who played deputy manager Laura. Starring Chris Barrie in one of his most memorable roles as Gordon Brittas in many ways he was the original David Brent, just even more annoying. At the start of the she is quite a normal sane person, but by the final season shes chasing people around the sports centre with an axe, which is one of her more milder moments. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. The Brittas empire. , My main problem with how TCotTW ends is the fact it Hetro-norms Tim and Gavin. just to think it all started started with an 8 year old and 20p that escalated quickly the brittas empire gordon brittas laura lancing chris barrie julia st john 2 notes May 26th, 2017 Open in app The Brittas Empire then returned to BBC1 for three final series, and the cast also performed in the 1996 Royal Variety Performance. The actress appeared on Casualty last year, playing Raquel Kovak. The fact that it lasted for a whole seven seasons may be the biggest surprise of all. . Gordon's obsession with cleanliness and dealing properly with lost property interferes with an elaborate drug deal in the Leisure Centre, making him the target of suspicion and eventually a trial. TIMOTHY: What? General Activities Room. For those that dont, heres the exact sequence of events: and Timothy wakes up in bed. Jill Greenacre/Linda Perkin . why did julia st john leave the brittas empire - neromylos The Brittas Empire - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Demons outfit in Demons and Angels it was a bit tight in many places! I still do what can be termed stand up comedy although it is more of an after dinner speech these days. I do remember someone suggesting that we should all meet up on a cruise ship sometime in 2010 ish with Brittas as the Entertainments Officer. Did I keep the Austin Maestro used in the Brittas Series? Chris Barrie/Gordon Wellesley Brittas (Manager) Tim Marriott/Gavin Featherleigh. Harriett Thorpe/Carol Parkinson. Do the members of the Red Dwarf cast get on well off the set? With some programmes, maybe youd be expecting some kind of twist like this; sometimes it almost feels a surprise when Star Trek goes a bit odd and then it doesnt turn out to be some kind of hallucination. I enjoy them both, that is why Ihave doneeight series of Red Dwarf plus Back to Earth and have now completed five series of engineering related documentariesand why I have just said yes to doing another series of Massive. According to Barrie, Gordon Brittas is well-meaning but insensitive because he has a lofty dream to make the world a better place, but he doesn't know how to execute it on the small-scale. She was certainly missed in later series. Is there going to be another series of The Brittas Empire? Official Sites The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Why not? Are you as irritating as Gordon Brittas in real life? Michael Burns, Julia St . [25], In October 2020, the cast and original writers attended the re-launching the Ringwood Recreation Centre, where the series was filmed, and Barrie hoped the event would be a catalyst for an eighth series. Why wasn't Julia St John in the last series? By the time we reach season five for example the fact he gets out of heaven and comes back in a bionic new body (to get round the fact that he was squashed) seems to be grasping at straws to keep the show going. Helen Brittas | Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Why can't we use the canteen? Laura's Leaving. In 2014, Chris Barrie reprised his role as Gordon Brittas for a brief appearance in the Sport Relief music video, "Word Up!" As not only owner, managing editor and webmaster of the site he is also the owner of Pissed Off Geek sister site Truly Disturbing. Dimension Jump stands out as it was the first time I had the opportunity to play Smeghead Rimmer and Ace together. We all know Timothy wont be leaving his mother this time round; destroying the whole setup of the show at the end of the first series isnt especially likely. Robert Llewellyn has written several novels, do you see yourself writing anything in the future? You thought it was better for morale. Don't lay too much blame at the door of the new actress, though - the writers just don't give her any opportunities to be funny. why did julia st john leave the brittas empire International TV Schedules(Part 1) General Sitcoms News and Discussion The Brittas Empire - The Complete Series 4 [1994] The Brittas Empire - The Complete Series 2 [1992] The Brittas Empire - The Complete Series 1 [1991] More Titles Starring Julia St John. TX: 16th April 1981. Chris Barrie interested in reviving Brittas Empire Digital Spy [citation needed], Episodes of the show were shown at the 1992 Visions convention. From the very first episode, weve been hearing about Gordons metaphorical dream; the final episode reveals hes been having an actual one. However, the show's huge popularity meant the BBC resurrected Brittas and brought on a new team of writers who carried the show on for a further two series and one further Christmas special in 1996. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Contracts, I spoke to one of the forensic scientist, Gavin. He said he's rather take his chances in the snow. Thirdly, Julia St. John had decided to leave the series and its difficult to overstate exactly how crucial a character Laura was. If this wasnt supposed to be the final series, its doing a bloody good impersonation of one. I don't keep in touch with the Brittas cast as much as I would like. Julia St John /Laura Lancing. The show ran for seven series and 52 episodes including two Christmas specials from 1991 to 1997 on BBC1. Making RD was always hard work but always enjoyable. : Where are Emmerdale's missing Bartons now? Outside the centre. Who knows?? The Brittas Empire Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. Colin: Michael . Frankly though, I wouldnt be terribly keen to put on a mask everyday. It would probably be best to ask her. Saying this though the quality is still there in the comedy, if not the actual production values. "Curse of the Tiger Women" is the final episode which aired in 1997. 'Laura' left the show after series five, at the same time as the creators and writers. Im rarely someone who will just decide something in a show didnt happen but I make an exception for this one. Not just that final episode. Produced and Directed by: David Askey | Yes, definitely! : The Brittas Empire: . Chris Barrie plays Gordon Brittas, the well-meaning but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. The Brittas Empire | The Brittas Empire Wiki | Fandom Much like that inappropriate title sequence, genre expectations point you off in entirely the wrong direction. When it comes to the quality of The Brittas Empire it is fair to say that the comedy situations do start at a high quality, then tend to lose their effect as the series goes on. On 6 March 2023, Drama began repeating the series. Filming & Production Find exactly what you're looking for! The will they/won't they set-up with Laura and Brittas had been brilliant and there was. May 21, 2021. It is through well written character like these that kept The Brittas Empire going for so long, you spend half of the time watching feeling sorry for the characters, and the other half realising they are just as bad as Brittas himself. Every character gets their exit, with everyone given a chance of happiness: Laura moving to America to have a family; Carole becoming a governess; Julie marrying into a rich family; Linda accepted into Theological College; Gavin about to become manager of the centre, with Tim cheating his way into being his deputy and Brittas off to Brussels, if he can recover from being dead. Only way they could do it,IMO,is if they showed Brittas had passed the interview he was on his way to. Julia St John . There are some questionable jokes though that are of the times but I did notice that these are used to show the sometimes idiotic nature of Gordon Brittas, and for the most part there really isnt much that could be called offensive. But to figure out what went wrong, we need to skip backwards three years. Hopefully we will have a reunion again soon as it is over 10 years since we finished the last Brittas recording. To be fair, they make a pretty decent stab at it. And all so they can do this line: BRITTAS: I want the job, Helen, because because I have a dream. Release Calendar DVD & Blu-ray Releases Top Rated Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office . You slipped on the stairs. E1 - Episode One; E2 - Episode Two; E3 - Episode Three; E4 - Episode Four; E5 - Episode Five; E6 - Episode Six; Laura Lancing: 1990: Joint Account - Series 2 (as Julia St John) E6 - Episode Six; E7 - Episode Seven; E10 - Episode Ten; Teresa: 1989: Victoria Wood. Technically a deputy manager, he works more efficiently as the centre's caretaker. What character in Red Dwarf, apart from Rimmer, would you most like to play? She played Laura superbly and possibly thought that the character had been just about fully explored. (Though it did help them slip an awful lot of things under the radar.) He was the complete opposite to Arnie and itwas a real release for me to play him. Other Characters. , Excluding Get Fit With Brittas an strange little 610 minute series with Brittas advocating how to live a healthy lifestyle. Do Nike Employees Get Discounts On Jordans, From Brittas being kicked out of heaven, his crazed wife chasing one of her ex-lovers through the sports centre, and of course the centre itself almost being destroyed at the end of every season. In a mainstream BBC family sitcom in 1982, however, I cant imagine anyone would have figured out what was going on before the revelation they may have figured out at some point that this was a dream, but they wouldnt have figured out exactly when or how it started. Laura: Julia St. John. Gordon Brittas Where the hell would any series actually go from there? Both characters were either given fantastic dialogue or brilliant situations or both! Curse of the Dream Sequence - Dirty Feed Future episodes see more traditional dream sequences; Perchance to Dream in Series 2 is stuffed with meaningful dreams involving Timothy at school, and The Big Sleep which ends the third series5 involves an elaborate daydream involving a full military funeral, a mysterious lover in black, and a huge tombstone statue of Timothy himself. Laura, how's the lorry driver? Despite it being easy to understand what would have caused the writers to do it, its difficult to think of a more diabolical way to end the programme. After failing at so many other jobs, (Estate Agent, Retail, Import/Export) I decided that showbiz/TV was the only thing left! Which character would you say you aremost like and why? : nothing that a couple of pints ofbitter couldnt calm. Its a chance to look over the series again and catch up with the cast. | Timothy goes back up the stairs. Certainly, the gloriously tasteless vision of a class of schoolkids being electrocuted whilst roasted peace doves fall from on high is something well worth broadcasting at 8:30pm on BBC1 even if the episode in question had to be postponed due to Dunblane. Do you plan to use your talent as an impressionist in future projects? The Brittas Empire (TV Series 1991-1997) - IMDb I do occasionally use mimicry when I present at corporate events so its altogether a dormant muscle!! | She's also the voice of reason, talking sense into those around her. and City Slacker on her cinematic CV. From the Manager. Gordon Brittas is a Leisure Centre manager with a dream. She is replaced in series six by the character 'Penny' (Anouschka Menzies). Usually that character is a waste of everybodys time but here, its done right. Chris Barrie played titular character Gordon Brittas, the well-intended but hugely incompetent manager of the fictional Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre.. Did you enjoy doing the commentaries for the DVD releases and do you know if you will be contributing to future DVDs on something other than commentaries? I cant find any interview which explicitly supports this story, but certainly Series 5 feels like the series was building to an deliberate conclusion. The Gressley A4 class Pacific. Chris Barrie memainkan karakter tituler Gordon Brittas, manajer yang bermaksud baik tetapi sangat tidak kompeten dari Pusat Hiburan Kota Baru Whitbury yang fiktif. Porter has retired from telly and film, but hopefully he'll be back if Chris Barrie gets his wish and the show's brought back for another series, something he discussed at the MCM Comic Con in 2014, shortly after appearing as the character in a Little Mix video. Helen is often helped by her supportive friend Laura Lancing (Julia St John), Brittas' calm, efficient deputy manager. They really were just a sweet couple whos sexuality is barely touched upon which arguably makes them two of the most positive just-happen-to-be-gay characters on television, then and now. Pippa Haywood/Helen Brittas. Company Credits Her television credits include A Touch of Frost, The Brittas Empire, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Lovejoy, Minder, Harry Enfield and Chums, Lewis, and Victoria Wood, appearing in the episode Over To Pam . She was last seen starring in the short film Beached Whale, about a widow who travels to scatter her husband's ashes, which was screened last year. Copyright 2023 Pissed Off Geek. Hopefully we will have a reunion again soonas it is over10 years since we finished the last Brittas recording. Other Characters. The writing was invariablyof a high standard and I felt that if we werent working at our best we would be letting the show down. Cast confirmed Chris Barrie, Harriet Thorpe, Tim Marriott, Russell Deathridge, Jill Greenacre, Mike Burns, Andre. In many ways you do pity Brittas, as mentioned most of his actions are done with the best intentions, hes just one of the worst managers ever. round and round, never-ending reflects how trapped Timothy is something the repetitious title sequence reinforces. View all posts by Paul Metcalf , Tags:British Comedy Chris Barrie Harriet Thorpe Julia St. John Michael Burns Pippa Haywood The Britass Empire The Complete Brittas Empire. But Haywood didn't just do crime shows. Following her turn as Gordon Brittas' hapless receptionist Carol, Harriet Thorpe stayed in the industry, appearing in boy band sitcom No Sweat immediately after the show ended. Gordon Brittas The Brittas Empire: The Complete Series 1-7 : Chris Barrie, Philippa Haywood, Julia St John, Harriet Thorpe, Judy Flynn, Tim Marriott, Russell Porter, Jill Greenacre . Sorry! Chris Barrie/Gordon Wellesley Brittas (Manager) . New International Trailer for Deliver Us From Evil, Console Obsession Framerate and Resolutions, League of Legends Finally Gets the Honour System Update Fans Have Been Calling for, Technology and the Evolution of Entertainment. St Lucie County Planning And Zoning, It would probably be best to ask her. Please feel free to join up and chat on there about JSJ's work, or post icons, news, etc.