One Foot In The Grave - Series 2 (DVD)

One Foot in the Grave is a well-known and well-loved British sitcom written by David Renwick that ran for six series’ between the years of 1990 and 2000. In 2004 it was voted as the 10th best British sitcom in a BBC pole, a position I think it well deserves. The series as a whole follows lead character Victor Meldrew as he struggles to find things to fill up his days after he is forced to take early retirement when he is ‘replaced by a box’. Victor ...
...often than not conveyed is one that all be it slightly exaggerated is a situation that a lot of people find themselves in and in that way everything about the storyline and the characters is brought to life.

== The DVD’s ==
The second series of One Foot in the Grave was broadcast between 04/10/1990 and the 15/11/1990. Being only 7 months old at the time of this broadcast I of course never saw the series the first time round ... more

One Foot in the Grave is a well-known and well-loved British sitcom written by David Renwick that ran for six series’ between the years of 1990 and 2000. In 2004 it was voted as the 10th best British sitcom in a BBC pole, a position I think it well deserves. The series as a whole follows lead character Victor Meldrew as he struggles to find things to fill up his days after he is forced to take early retirement when he is ‘replaced by a box’. Victor is a moaner plain and simple. He loves to complain about everything and anything from salesmen, to local yobs and will do quite frequently.

Despite it’s rather elementary premise the series did cause a bit of controversy due to its subversion and its strong black comedy elements. Farce and tragedy are expertly blended however in my opinion and in this way portray a situation that seems more realistic than I think it would otherwise be. More importantly the situation that is more often than not conveyed is one that all be it slightly exaggerated is a situation that a lot of people find themselves in and in that way everything about the storyline and the characters is brought to life.

The DVD’s

The second series of One Foot in the Grave was broadcast between 04/10/1990 and the 15/11/1990. Being only 7 months old at the time of this broadcast I of course never saw the series the first time round and therefore my second series DVD purchase was one I was definitely looking forward to watching. The series DVD comes complete with all six episodes form the second series plus the 1990 Christmas special, which is contained on a second disc. Unfortunately however the discs contain no other special features, which is a bit of a shame. The rating for the series is PG and therefore something young and old alike can watch.

The Episodes

The first episode in this series follow straight on from the final episode of the previous series and sees Margaret and Victor return home from their holiday. The series then goes on to portray the many other trials and tribulations of Victor’s life as a retired man, sorry a man in-between jobs. Everyone and everything seems intent on spoiling everything he sets out to do and a moment peace is guaranteed to be followed by hours of torment.

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Episode 1 – In Luton Airport No-One Can Hear You Scream
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Joining straight on from the last series this episode sees Margaret and Victor return from their holiday only to fond out that a fire has demolished their home and that they have to move.

Opinion – This episode is quite poignant in many respects but Victor’s rants about the small things really do amuse, as well as make you sympathise with him and Margaret.

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Episode 2 – We Have Put Her Living In The Tomb
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Victor and Margaret are entrusted to tortoise sit for a while, which surely can’t be that difficult but this tortoise likes to escape. To make matters worse Victor’s TCP usage seems to be following him around.

Opinion – This is a highly amusing episode in my opinion and the continuous joke about Victor and his TCP is definitely one of the highlights.

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Episode 3 – Dramatic Fever
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For something a little extra to do Margaret decides to join an amateur dramatics society. Meanwhile Victor is writing his own situation comedy or at least trying to, as a litterbug is taking up a lot of his time.

Opinion – Victor’s problems with litter always make for amusing viewing – probably because with sympathise with his situation – but the highlight of the episode is definitely Margaret’s wonderfully ‘realistic’ performance in the play.

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Episode 4 – Who Will Buy?
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Victor is resurrecting Cuthbert the Ventriloquists dummy in this episode as well as trying to fend of a rather persistent dinosaur salesman. In the mean time Margaret, on a flower delivery, visits a blind gentleman who is later murdered.

Opinion – The humour in this episode is a definite mix of slapstick and black comedy, which does mix quite well. The episode also has some extremely poignant moments within it that really make it stand out from the rest.

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Episode 5 – Love and Death
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This episode sees Margaret and Victor spend a weekend with April and Vince, who run a boarding house at a seaside resort. The weekend of course goes nothing like as planned and someone both Margaret and Victor find themselves in difficult positions.

Opinion – The humour in this episode comes thick and fast from the very start but also the moments that really develop the characters with the episode are also extremely well placed and give another dimension to the lead characters – especially Margaret.

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Episode 6 – Timeless Time
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Being unable to sleep Victor very kindly ensures that Margaret also gets no chance to drift away to the land of nod. Frequent trips to the bathroom and an irritating car alarm can’t even relieve the boredom and he even contemplates opening Ronnie and Mildred’s Christmas present from last year.

Opinion – this episode is certainly my favourite from the series because the situation is one that I’m sure many can relate to. Margaret’s clear irritation with Victor is humorous from the outset and of courses Victor’s grumbling and complaining is as amusing as ever.

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The Christmas Special – Who’s Listening
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This special is double the length of a normal episode and sees the ongoing feud between Victor and his neighbour Patrick continue. Christmas is set to be bleak and a population explosion of garden gnomes in the Meldrew’s house does very little to help.

Opinion – This is a highly entertaining piece of situational comedy from the outset and the extended length really gives scope for some longer running gags. The gnome incident is something I will always remember as I’m sure will most other viewers.

The Humour

I have already mentioned that the series blends farce and tragedy in a superb way and the reason that this works so well is because of the different humorous elements within each episode. Parts of the episode are clearly slapstick, other based around word puns and other around facial expressions and final those that work with associations rather than what is actually seen or said.

Generally however the humour works simply because a lot of what Victor expresses in his facial expressions and of course his frequent rants and complaints is actually what we ourselves would like to express. In this way we can associate with him and therefore with the humour that his situations pour upon us.

The Theme Tune

The general content of the episodes isn’t the only thing to generate humour in my opinion, as the opening and closing theme tune is also highly amusing as well as iconic. In many ways it epitomises exactly what the show is all about and also gets across a few points about being old in a style not unlike Victor’s:
“So I'm a wrinkly, crinkly, set in my ways.
It's true my body as seen better days.
But give me half a chance and I can still misbehave.
One foot in the grave.”

The Characters and the Actors

Richard Wilson and Annette Crosbie who play Victor and Margaret respectively are both aptly suited to their roles and therefore comfortable within them. This comfort transcends to the audience and makes you really believe in the characters that they are portraying. Both of a very unique style that makes them come across so naturally in their roles but also they contrast with each other yet simultaneously compliment the work of the other.

The series’ other recurring characters of Mrs Warboys, Patrick and Pippa (the next-door neighbours) and Nick Swainey (the other neighbour) are also very well played. Pippa and Margaret are well suited together and therefore their ‘friendship’ is easily believed. The same in many respects goes for Mrs Warboys and because of her long-term friendship with Margaret her reactions to and quips at Victor are taken much more lightly, and so more humorously, than they would be otherwise.

Patrick and Nick are also wonderful antithesis’s to Victor and are perfectly suited to their roles of annoying next-door neighbours – who Victor believes are simply their to antagonise him. The small things that they do reappear in the episodes and in this way build upon humour and ideas already developed.

Final Comment

I really do love this series and honestly understand why One Foot in the Grave found itself a place in the Best British Sitcom pole. I would whole-heartedly recommend this series to anyone and everyone. It can be purchased quite cheaply for around £5 or £6 and is definitely well worth every penny.  

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