List of One Foot in the Grave episodes

This is a list of episodes of the British sitcom

British sitcom

A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...

One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven year period, from early 1990 to late 2000...

, written by David Renwick

David Renwick

David Peter Renwick is an English television writer, best known for creation of the sitcom One Foot in the Grave and the mystery series Jonathan Creek....

. The show ran for six series of six episodes each. There were also nine specials including two shorts for Comic Relief

Comic Relief

Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...

, first screened from 4 January 1990 to 20 November 2000 on BBC 1 and subsequently repeated both on the BBC and thereafter on satellite channels such as GOLD. Some of the early episodes were made in 1989.

The series features the exploits of Victor Meldrew, played by Richard Wilson, and his wife, Margaret Meldrew, played by Annette Crosbie

Annette Crosbie

Annette Crosbie, OBE is a Scottish character actor.-Life and career:Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actor. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens...

, in their battle against the trials of modern life. Most episodes were 30 minutes long, though some were several minutes longer. Christmas editions and other specials were generally longer, whereas there were two short specials (under ten minutes in length) for Comic Relief

Comic Relief

, one of which featured Richard Wilson (Victor Meldrew) alone, though it included at one point the voice of Paul Merton

Paul Merton

Paul Merton is a British comedian, writer, actor and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, his humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and sometimes dark comedy...

. Jean Warboys played by Doreen Mantle

Doreen Mantle

Doreen Mantle is a South African-born British actress who is probably best known for her role as Mrs Jean Warboys in One Foot in the Grave ....

starred in over three quarters of all the episodes and Patrick and Pippa Trench played by Angus Deayton

Angus Deayton

Gordon Angus Deayton is an English actor, writer, musician, comedian and broadcaster. He is best known for his role as Victor Meldrew's long-suffering neighbour Patrick Trench in the comedy series One Foot in the Grave...

and Janine Duvitski

Janine Duvitski

Janine Duvitski is an English actress, known for her roles as Jane Edwards in Waiting for God and Pippa Trench in One Foot in the Grave. She also created and played the role of Angela in Mike Leigh's play Abigail's Party.-Personal life:Duvitski was born in Nottingham. Her father was Polish...

starred in at least two thirds of episodes though the couple were not in Series 1, nor were they in the final episode of the final series. The Comic Relief

Comic Relief

special in 2001 was set after Victor's death. Though starring Richard Wilson, Margaret did not interact with Victor's ghost, being unaware of his presence, although she briefly complains about "cold air" beside her.

Series 1 (1990)

#	Title	Original Airdate	Director	Duration	Viewers
1	Alive and Buried	4 January 1990	Susan Belbin Susan Belbin Susan Belbin is a Scottish television director and producer whose work includes One Foot in the Grave, Only Fools and Horses and Jonathan Creek. She often works with David Renwick....	30 minutes	9.28 million.
At the age of 60, Victor Meldrew is retired from his job as a security guard Security guard A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel... to be replaced by a box and a recorded message. As he contemplates his future, he gets a visit from Nick Swainey's charity for the elderly and decides to go for a job interview. NOTE: First appearances of Victor Meldrew, Margaret Meldrew, Mrs Warboys and Nick Swainey.

2	The Big Sleep	11 January 1990	Susan Belbin	30 minutes	7.25 million.
Victor's cousin Geoffrey, who had also just taken early retirement at the age of 60, dies. The Meldrews attend his atheist Atheism Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities... funeral and receive a visit from what Victor calls "the Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual... police". Victor looks after a small bird that regularly perches in his garden. As fog descends on suburbia, Victor wakes up thinking he's dead.

3	The Valley of Fear	18 January 1990	Susan Belbin	30 minutes	9.2 million.
While photographing a sunset, Victor is mugged and graffiti Graffiti Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property.... is sprayed on the Meldrews' house, so he decides to head a Neighbourhood Watch Neighborhood Watch A neighborhood watch or neighbourhood watch , also called a crime watch or neighborhood crime watch, is an organized group of citizens devoted to crime and vandalism prevention within a neighborhood... meeting. Meanwhile: there's a strange smell by the sideboard, a problem with the central heating, an old woman in the loft, and a cat Cat The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests... in the freezer.

4	I'll Retire to Bedlam	25 January 1990	Susan Belbin	30 minutes	8.92 million.
Victor is trapped in his shed for 3 hours thanks to a swarm of belligerent bee Bee Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila... s, stuck in the optician Optician An optician is a person who is trained to fill prescriptions for eye correction in the field of medicine, also known as a dispensing optician or optician, dispensing... 's for a day with his eyes shut, then stuck babysitting some unpleasant children.

5	The Eternal Quadrangle	1 February 1990	Susan Belbin	30 minutes	9.5 million.
Margaret is pleased when Victor takes up painting Painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is... --until she discovers that he has been painting a nude model Model (art) Art models are models who pose for photographers, painters, sculptors, and other artists as part of their work of art. Art models who pose in the nude for life drawing are usually called life models... , Doreen, and driving her home afterwards.

6	The Return of the Speckled Band	8 February 1990	Susan Belbin	30 minutes	8.98 million.
Before the Meldrews can leave for their holiday in Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... , they must cope with Victor's fear of flying Fear of flying A fear of flying is a fear of being on an airplane , or other flying vehicle, such as a helicopter, while in flight. It is also sometimes referred to as aerophobia, aviatophobia, aviophobia or pteromerhanophobia.... , Mrs Warboys' food poisoning Foodborne illness Foodborne illness is any illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as chemical or natural toxins such as poisonous mushrooms.-Causes:Foodborne illness usually arises from improper handling, preparation, or... , having their electricity meter Electricity meter An electricity meter or energy meter is a device that measures the amount of electric energy consumed by a residence, business, or an electrically powered device.... read, and an escaped snake Snake Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales... .

Series 2 (1990)

#	Title	Original Airdate	Director	Duration	Viewers
7	In Luton Airport, No One Can Hear You Scream	4 October 1990	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	8.86 million.
The Meldrews return from their holiday to find that their baggage has been sent to the other side of the world. Their house has also been demolished following a terrible fire but somebody has still managed to aim free-sample packets of HP Spicy Sauce through the letterbox. 6 months later they move into a new house and try to hold a housewarming party.

8	We Have Put Her Living in the Tomb	11 October 1990	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	8.1 million.
While beginning to organise their new house, the Meldrews are entrusted to look after Margaret's goddaughter's tortoise Tortoise Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise... , who might be in danger when Victor decides to burn some garden rubbish. Meanwhile, someone has been using TCP TCP (antiseptic) TCP is a mild antiseptic, produced in France by Laboratoires Chemineau in Vouvray and sold in the United Kingdom by Omega Pharma.The brand name comes from its original chemical name, which was trichlorophenylmethyliodosalicyl... in the Meldrews' new house, so their wallpaper has to be stripped.

9	Dramatic Fever	18 October 1990	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	10.2 million.
Victor writes a script for a new situation comedy Situation comedy A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue... , but nobody else finds it very funny. Margaret also catches dramatic fever: she joins an amateur dramatic society Community theatre Community theatre refers to theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community... and gets invited to local thespian Desiree Gibson's Bergerac Bergerac (TV series) Bergerac was a British television show set on Jersey. Produced by the BBC in association with the Seven Network, and screened on BBC1, it starred John Nettles as the title character Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac, a detective in "Le Bureau des Étrangers" Bergerac was a British television show... party. Meanwhile, Victor feuds with a litterbug.

10	Who Will Buy?	25 October 1990	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	10.66 million.
Victor and Margaret meet their new neighbours, Patrick and Pippa, for the first time. Also: Victor has problems with a toy Toy A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old... dinosaur Dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of... salesman; and Margaret befriends Albert, a lonely elderly blind man (Jimmy Jewel Jimmy Jewel James Arthur Thomas J. Marsh, known as Jimmy Jewel, was a British television and film actor.The son of a comedian and actor who also used the stage name Jimmy Jewel, the youngster made his stage debut in Robinson Crusoe in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, at the age of four, performed with his father... ). A charity concert gives Victor the chance to share his ventriloquist Ventriloquism Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is an act of stagecraft in which a person manipulates his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered "dummy"... skills, only to realise his act is part of a rock Rock music Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music... and death metal Death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes.... variety concert, before being scourned on by the crowd and fellow performers. NOTE: First appearances of Patrick and Pippa

11	Love and Death	1 November 1990	Susan Belbin and Sydney Lotterby Sydney Lotterby Sydney Lotterby OBE is a British television producer and director. He started as a cameraman at the BBC and progressed to becoming technical manager...	30 minutes.	10.24 million.
The Meldrews are on holiday, staying with old friends Vince (Stephen Lewis Stephen Lewis (actor) Stephen Lewis is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake in the LWT Sitcom On the Buses, Clem "Smiler" Hemmingway in the longest running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine and Harry Lambert in BBC Television's Oh, Doctor Beeching!.-Career:Lewis began his... ) and April (Georgina Hale Georgina Hale Georgina Hale is an award-winning English actress notable for many stage, film and television appearances; often in the works of director Ken Russell and writer Simon Gray... ) in their boarding house Boarding house A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed... on the south coast. During the weekend a set of unfortunate coincidences leave each member of the couple thinking the other is being unfaithful, and Victor ends up with a glass of beer super-glued to his head.

12	Timeless Time	8 November 1990	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	10.7 million.
Victor is unable to sleep, so Margaret cannot either. Victor gets desperate enough to open last year's Christmas present from Ronnie and Mildred. This episode is set entirely in the Meldrews' bedroom

Christmas Special (1990)

#	Title	Original Airdate	Director	Duration	Viewers
13	Who's Listening?	27 December 1990	Susan Belbin	60 minutes.	10 million.
Victor's wrong-number entry in a catalogue's order column results in the accidental delivery of 263 3-foot-tall garden gnome Gnome A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature... s. The Meldrews become acquainted with a vicar who thinks he has lost his faith, and Victor learns more about a video-store worker with whom he had a conflict.

Christmas Special (1991)

#	Title	Original Airdate	Director	Duration	Viewers
14	The Man in the Long Black Coat	30 December 1991	Susan Belbin	55 minutes.	10.84 million.
As Victor's feud with Patrick--now an expectant father--continues, they communicate via post-it note Post-it note A Post-it note is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. Although now available in a wide range of colours, shapes, and sizes, Post-it notes are most commonly a square, canary yellow in colour... s. Victor learns that the horse manure he bought for his allotment is radioactive Radioactive decay Radioactive decay is the process by which an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing particles . The emission is spontaneous, in that the atom decays without any physical interaction with another particle from outside the atom... . Pregnant Pippa attends an office party.

Series 3 (1992)

#	Title	Original Airdate	Director	Duration	Viewers
15	Monday Morning Will Be Fine	2 February 1992	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	14.75 million.
Victor and Margaret return from a shopping trip to discover that the house has been burgled—and the neighbours helped. Victor decides not to replace the television Television Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound... to give them more opportunity to get out of the house. However, an evening trip to the pub Public house A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller... results in a disconcerting experience with an old friend.

16	Dreamland	9 February 1992	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	14.5 million.
In a coffee shop, Mrs. Warboys tells the story of how Margaret went missing following a series of haunting dreams in which she murders someone who looks exactly like Victor. Mr. Swainey evades Victor's attempts to nail the fence closed and invites the Meldrews round to see his pigeons Dove Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably... .

17	The Broken Reflection	16 February 1992	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	14.5 million.
Patrick and Pippa fear the worst when they ask Victor and Margaret to look after their house while they're on holiday. They're right to worry, because Victor's absent-minded brother Alfred is visiting, so Victor's nerves are on edge more than usual.

18	The Beast in the Cage	23 February 1992	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	15.6 million.
A day out turns into a nightmare for the Meldrews and Mrs. Warboys when the Bank Holiday Bank Holiday A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract... traffic comes to a standstill on the motorway and they spend 4 hours trapped in their car staring at a horse's backside. Attempting to lighten the mood with some music, Victor makes an unpleasant discovery about his car mechanics. This summer-set episode was actually filmed in winter near Luton--when, ironically, real cars were driving past the Meldrews' when filming. This episode is real time and is entirely set in the Meldrews' car on the motorway.

19	Beware the Trickster on the Roof	1 March 1992	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	16.16 million.
Mr. Swainey returns from holiday with an evil gift in the form of a paperweight Paperweight collecting Fine glass paperweights, are widely produced, collected and appreciated as works of art, and are often exhibited in museums as examples of fine glass art.They are made entirely of glass by sole artisans, or factories, usually in limited editions... . The thieves who burgled the Meldrews' house ring up asking for help in programming their video recorder Videocassette recorder The videocassette recorder , is a type of electro-mechanical device that uses removable videocassettes that contain magnetic tape for recording analog audio and analog video from broadcast television so that the images and sound can be played back at a more convenient time... . Patrick and Pippa attempt to sell their house, but prospective buyers are put off when they encounter Victor.

20	The Worst Horror of All	8 March 1992	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	16.2 million.
Victor is delighted when he finally gets a decent job as the doorman Doorman (profession) A doorman is an individual hired to provide courtesy and security services at a residential building or hotel. They are particularly common in urban luxury highrises. At a residential building, a doorman is responsible for opening doors and screening visitors and deliveries... at an expensive hotel Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms... --until he is insulted by a rich snob in an obvious toupee Toupee A toupée is a hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women also use hairpieces to lengthen existing hair, or cover partially exposed scalp... and can't resist firing back. Meanwhile, Mrs. Warboys organises a trip to the BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... , and the Meldrews try to fend off a visit from Ronnie and Mildred. NOTE: First appearances of Cousin Wilfred and Ronnie and Mildred.

Series 4 (1993)

#	Title	Original airdate	Director	Duration	Viewers
21	The Pit and the Pendulum	31 January 1993	Susan Belbin	30 minutes	17.3 million
Victor decides that Patrick's cherry tree Cherry The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium.... is the cause of his garden Garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has... being dry and enlists a Neanderthal Neanderthal The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia... gardener to cultivate the stray roots. An argument with the gardener then alerts him to an alternate use for the pit. Meanwhile: Patrick adopts a dachshund puppy, and Margaret is stunned by tragic news.

22	Descent into the Maelstrom	7 February 1993	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	16.67 million.
Margaret collapses from nervous exhaustion, which has been building up for the past 35 years. After a few days under Victor's "care," she decides that going to work would be more restful. Mrs. Warboys visits, bringing Andrea Temple (Helen Lederer Helen Lederer Helen Lederer is a Welsh comedienne, writer and actress who emerged as part of the alternative comedy boom at the beginning of the 1980s.-Career:... ), whom Margaret knew as a girl, and Andrea's baby, who has a mysterious fondness for garden gnomes. Victor uncovers the disturbing truth about her, but decides not to tell Margaret.

23	Hearts of Darkness	14 February 1993	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	17.48 million.
The Meldrews, Mrs. Warboys, and Mr. Swainey take a trip into the countryside Rural Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture... , where they end up stranded in a river and play Trivial Pursuit Trivial Pursuit Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports... , Mrs. Warboys ends up concrete Concrete Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word... d to Victor. While going for help, Victor stumbles upon an old people's home where the staff are abusing the residents; he hatches a plot to liberate them. NOTE: This episode was edited after broadcast due to complaints over the elderly abuse scene.

24	Warm Champagne	21 February 1993	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	17 million.
The Meldrews have returned from another "holiday." Victor already has sunburnt feet, and at home he finds a lamppost light through their bedroom window. Margaret's annoyance at his incessant grumbling lures her into considering an affair with Ben, a holiday acquaintance. She meets him for drinks...and returns home to find another woman in her bed.

25	The Trial	28 February 1993	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	18.39 million.
While on call for jury service Jury A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,... , Victor spends a whole day home alone. He receives a letter from a disgruntled Jehovah's Witness, tackles a difficult crossword Crossword A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or rectangular grid of white and shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer... , struggles to save himself from an account of Mrs Warboys' holiday in Cork Cork (city) Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban... , and contemplates his various ailments. NOTE: Victor Meldrew is the only character to appear; only episode not to feature Margaret Meldrew.

26	Secret of the Seven Sorcerers	7 March 1993	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	17.99 million.
The Meldrews invite Patrick and Pippa round for a friendly meal, but Patrick is distinctly worried about what horrors might befall them. Meanwhile, Victor has a new job as a lollipop man, and hoax calls from the fire brigade slow down his preparations for hosting the next meeting of his magicians' club.

Comic Relief Special (1993)

#	Title	Original Airdate	Duration
27	Victor in the Bath	12 March 1993	8 minutes.
Victor muses about life while in the bath Bathing Bathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity.... . NOTE:this special contains original footage from the episode 'The Trial' but the production thought that this made the episode too long so they cut it out

Christmas Special (1993)

#	Title	Original Airdate	Director	Duration	Viewers
28	One Foot in the Algarve	26 December 1993	Susan Belbin	90 minutes.	20.01 million.
The Meldrews and Mrs. Warboys embark upon a hellish holiday to Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... . After an entanglement with the police Police The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force... , they finally arrive at their unpleasant villa. Meanwhile, Mrs Warboys finds love, Victor thinks Mrs Warboys has fallen off a cliff, leading to many mishaps with a young couple and father in the neighbouring villa.

Series 5 (1994 & 1995)

#	Title	Original Airdate	Director	Duration	Viewers
29	The Man Who Blew Away	25 December 1994	Susan Belbin	40 minutes.	15.14 million.
The Meldrews get a surprise visit from Mr. Foskett (Brian Murphy Brian Murphy (actor) Brian Murphy is a British actor.Murphy was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. Although a prolific actor in many films and theatre productions for almost half a century, Murphy's most famous role was as the henpecked husband George Roper in the sitcom Man About the House and spin-off George and... ), whom they know only because they stayed in the same guesthouse 17 years ago. Meanwhile, someone has been tampering with Victor's Christmas cracker Christmas cracker Christmas crackers or bon-bons are an integral part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. They are also popular in Ireland. A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of... s, and the Meldrews are annoyed when their unreliable stolen car is returned. NOTE: This episode is considered to be the 1994 Christmas special.

30	Only a Story	1 January 1995	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	16.34 million.
Mrs. Warboys stays with the Meldrews while her flat dries out after a flood Flood A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water... . Victor tries reflexology Reflexology Reflexology, or zone therapy, is an alternative medicine involving the physical act of applying pressure to the feet, hands, or ears with specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques without the use of oil or lotion... and has a run-in with a chimney sweep Chimney sweep A chimney sweep is a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys may be straight or contain many changes of direction. During... .

31	The Affair of the Hollow Lady	8 January 1995	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	11.17 million.
Mrs. Warboys has a wax model Wax museum A wax museum or waxworks consists of a collection of wax sculptures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses.... of herself made as the prize from a competition. Meanwhile, local greengrocer Greengrocer A greengrocer or fruiterer is a retail trader in fruit and vegetables; that is, in green groceries. Greengrocer is primarily a British and Australian term, and greengrocers' shops were once common in suburbs, towns and villages... Millicent (Barbara Windsor Barbara Windsor Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.... ) takes a fancy to Victor and attempts to lure him to her house when he misses a football match Football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball... .

32	Rearranging the Dust	15 January 1995	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	10.91 million.
In the Meldrews' solicitor's waiting room, they observe the other visitors' bizarre habits. Victor finally attacks a dog with a cake.

33	Hole in the Sky	22 January 1995	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	10.87 million.
Victor and Patrick share an unpleasant experience in an Armenia Armenia Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia... n restaurant Restaurant A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services... , to which their wives had sent them so they could attempt to bury the hatchet. Victor experiments with seafood Seafood Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia... cookery and restores a Dutch Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... marionette Marionette A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms... , which Margaret finds threatening. Meanwhile, the Meldrews have their loft Loft A loft can be an upper story or attic in a building, directly under the roof. Alternatively, a loft apartment refers to large adaptable open space, often converted for residential use from some other use, often light industrial... converted.

34	The Exterminating Angel	29 January 1995	Susan Belbin	30 minutes.	10.39 million.
Mr. Swainey takes a fancy to his mother's nurse, Tania, and Margaret encourages him to ask her out. Victor takes a job as a chauffeur Chauffeur A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide... --only to rapidly destroy his employer's (John Bird John Bird (actor) John Bird is an English satirist, actor and comedian.-Early life:Born in Bulwell, Nottingham, England, and educated at High Pavement Grammar School, Nottingham, Bird briefly joined the Socialist Party of Great Britain, while still at school... ) beloved fleet of expensive cars. NOTE: Final appearance of Mildred.

Christmas Specials (1995 to 1997)

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="background-color: #ffcc99;" | #
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Title
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Original Airdate
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Director
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Duration
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Viewers
|-
|35
|The Wisdom of the Witch
|25 December 1995
|Susan Belbin
|60 minutes.
|17.77 million.
|-
| style="background:white" colspan="6"| When Cousin Ursula dies, Victor and Margaret have to clear out her country house. Before they go, a witch

Witchcraft

Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...

predicts an untimely end for Victor. Meanwhile, Patrick and Pippa prepare to move far away from the Meldrews, but then Patrick gets stuck with Victor while trying to escape his secretary's jealous boyfriend. When the boyfriend finally catches up with them, Victor manages to rescue Patrick by charging at the man, knocking both of them out of the window.
|- style="background:#ffffff; height:1px"
| colspan="6" |
|-
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="background-color: #ffcc99;" | #
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Title
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Original Airdate
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Director
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Duration
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Viewers
|-
|36
|Starbound
|26 December 1996
|Susan Belbin (and Gareth Gwenlan

Gareth Gwenlan

Gareth Gwenlan is a British television producer, best known for his work on shows such as The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, To the Manor Born, Only Fools and Horses, and High Hopes. In 1983 he was appointed Head of Comedy for BBC.-External links:...

Ray Winstone

Raymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...

) living in their shed; he turns out to be a drug

Drug

A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...

-dealer. Victor takes a gardening

Gardening

Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...

job, working for Patrick's new boss, Fenella Fortune (Rula Lenska

Rula Lenska

Rula Lenska is an English actress. Best known for her work in the United Kingdom, she is remembered in the United States for a television advert that presented her as a celebrity, even though she was not widely known in the US at the time the advert was produced.She has appeared extensively on...

) and dealing with very effective herbicide

Herbicide

Herbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...

. Mr. Swainey's mother claims that she is being abducted by aliens

Extraterrestrial life

Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...

every night. Mr. Tambourine Man

Mr. Tambourine Man

"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and...

by The Byrds

The Byrds

The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...

is used in the closing credits.
NOTE: Last episode directed by Susan Belbin, who had to step down during filming due to ill health, and subsequently left the BBC. Gareth Gwenlan directed the remainder of the episode without credit, and Christine Gernon took over as the series' director the following year.
|- style="background:#ffffff; height:1px"
| colspan="6" |
|-
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="background-color: #ffcc99;" | #
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Title
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Original Airdate
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Director
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Duration
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Viewers
|-
|37
|Endgame
|27 December 1997
|Christine Gernon
|70 minutes.
|15.76 million.
|-
| style="background:white" colspan="6"| The Meldrews make an effort to get on with their pleasant new neighbours, Derek (Tim Brooke-Taylor

Tim Brooke-Taylor

Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE is an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footlights revue in 1964...

) and Betty McVitie; the 2 couples go on holiday together. Victor buys a haunted

Ghost

In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...

caravan

Recreational vehicle

Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...

and then accidentally kidnaps the India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n mother of a millionaire

Millionaire

A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...

.
NOTE: Only appearances of Derek and Betty McVitie. Features the song "River Run's Deep" performed by J.J. Cale.
|- style="background:#ffffff; height:1px"
| colspan="6" |
|}

Series 6 (2000)

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="background-color: #cccccc;" | #
! style="background: #cccccc;" | Title
! style="background: #cccccc;" | Original Airdate
! style="background: #cccccc;" | Director
! style="background: #cccccc;" | Duration
! style="background: #cccccc;" | Viewers
|-
|-
|38
|The Executioner's Song
|16 October 2000
|Christine Gernon
|32 minutes 51 seconds
|11.41 million.
|-
| style="background:white" colspan="6"| Victor has a new job as a window-cleaner. Meanwhile, Patrick's plans for a quiet birthday are ruined after an unfortunate misunderstanding involving a modern art

Modern art

Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...

Crazy paving

Crazy paving is a means of hard-surfacing used outdoors, most frequently in gardens. Paving stones of irregular size and shape are laid in a haphazard manner sometimes with mortar filling the gaps between...

. Meanwhile, Victor has a health scare--perhaps due to his portrayal of an amateur-dramatic vampire

Vampire

Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...

--and the Meldrews try to get their new car's obscene number plates

Vehicle registration plate

A vehicle registration plate is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the issuing region's database...

Tattoo

A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...

ed. Meanwhile, a large plastic fly

Fly

True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...

is delivered, and something's going on at the local takeaway

Takeaway

Takeaway can refer to:* Take-out food* The Takeaway , an American public radio morning news show* Turnover * Turnover * Subtraction—an alternative name...

Urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence is any involuntary leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a profound impact on quality of life. Urinary incontinence almost always results from an underlying treatable medical condition but is under-reported to medical practitioners...

visitor (Roy Hudd

Roy Hudd

Roy Hudd, OBE is an English comedian, actor, radio host and author, and an authority on the history of music hall entertainment.- Early life :...

Stopper (plug)

A bung is truncated cylindrical or conical closure to seal a container, such as a bottle, tube or barrel. Unlike a lid which encloses a container from the outside without displacing the inner volume, a bung is partially inserted inside the container to act as a seal...

Hannah Gordon

Hannah Cambell Grant Gordon is a Scottish actress who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television work, including Upstairs, Downstairs, Telford's Change, My Wife Next Door, Joint Account and an appearance in the final episode of One Foot in the Grave.-Early life:Gordon was born in...

). How she handles this is left ambiguous.
NOTE: The song that's played over the ending of the episode is The End Of The Line by The Traveling Wilburys

Traveling Wilburys

The Traveling Wilburys were an English–American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, accompanied by drummer Jim Keltner...

. In the US Release of the DVD the song is replaced by Stock Music

Production music

Production music is the name given to recorded music produced and owned by production music libraries and licensed to customers for use in film, television, radio and other media.-Introduction:...

. The reason for this is presumably the Music clearance rights were not granted for US viewers.
|- style="background:#ffffff; height:1px"
| colspan="6" |
|}

Comic Relief Special (2001)

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="background-color: #ffcc99;" | #
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Title
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Original Airdate
! style="background: #ffcc99;" | Duration
|-
|44
|Visiting Uncle Dick
|16 March 2001
|8 minutes.
|-
| style="background:white" colspan="5"| Margaret is visiting a relative in hospital. Victor is his usual self, complaining about everything; and Margaret is her usual self, pretending not to hear him...or is she?
NOTE: Final appearances of Victor and Margaret Meldrew.
|- style="background:#ffffff; height:1px"
| colspan="5" |
|}

External links

List of One Foot in the Grave episodes at the British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide
The British Comedy Guide or BCG is a British website covering all forms of British comedy, across all media. At the time of writing, the BCG has published guides to more than 1,200 individual British comedies - primarily TV and radio situation comedy, sketch shows, comedy dramas, satire, variety...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.