One Foot in the GraveWho would have thought retirement could be so chaotic?
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series. The series features the exploits of Victor Meldrew and his long-suffering wife, Margaret. The programmes invariably deal with Meldrew's battle against the problems he creates for himself. Living in a typical household in an unnamed English suburb, Victor takes involuntary early retirement. His various efforts to keep himself busy, while encountering various misfortunes and misunderstandings are the themes of the sitcom. Despite its traditional production, the series supplants its domestic sitcom setting with elements of black humour and surrealism.
DirectorChristine Gernon
CreatorDavid Renwick
Alive and Buried
Jan 4, 1990
Victor Meldrew, 60 years old, is at last retiring from the rigors of his security guard job at Watson-Mycroft. Replaced by a talking machine, Victor soon discovers that retirement will give him just as many reasons to be grumpy.
The Big Sleep
Jan 11, 1990
As retirement throws more problems for Victor Meldrew's retirement, including a next-door neighbour's noisy party, a disturbing and puzzling rash and an atheist funeral, has Victor bitten the bullet?
The Valley of Fear
Jan 18, 1990
After being mugged whilst photographing badgers, and having his house sprayed with the phrase 'The Man Who Lives Here Is A Turd', Victor decides to hold a crime prevention meeting.
I'll Retire to Bedlam
Jan 25, 1990
After being stuck in the shed for over three hours, then forced to spend an entire day with his eyes closed after a visit to the optometrist, Victor cannot bear the trials of babysitting.
The Eternal Quadrangle
Feb 1, 1990
Although Margaret is glad that Victor finally has a hobby to occupy his time, she is less pleased to discover that it involves painting nudes.
The Return of the Speckled Band
Feb 8, 1990
Following a food poisoning incident and problems with the electricity man, the Meldrews embark on a well-deserved holiday, however this is only the start of their problems.
Peter McGinn
@narrator56
If you are reading this and thinking about watching One Foot in the Grave, stop reading and go watch it immediately! You can always read this later. This is one of a handful of shows that I think of as nearly perfect Brit sitcoms. In fact, thinking about it, I want to create a list on my profile to share them. A person who was around when this show ran but who didn’t watch it can be forgiven if all they remember is fans yelling out character Victor Musgrove’s signature line, “I do not believe it!” Because people did go nuts over that. But there is a lot more to the show. There is black humor here and the plots are rather layered, often building up to an explosive and unexpected crescendo at the end. It is quite a feat for a half-hour show. There are laugh out loud jokes, brilliant sight gags, and comments on society and human nature. This is an ensemble cast, to be sure. One thing I really like is that they make fun of most of the characters (though not Victor’s wife, brilliantly played mostly straight by Annette Crosbie) but they are not turned into two dimensional caricatures. They have some depth and sympathetic moments. It is one of very few series that I have purchased on DVD in order to watch anytime. I have since learned about how the show was produced and I appreciate the amount of work that writer Davis Renwick put into each episode. Don’t miss it.
