One Foot in The Grave Who’s Listening? Re-watch

For the first in a series of four posts covering favourite Christmas specials, I have chosen an hour of comedy from 1990, which made me laugh more than anything else in that decade. Despite excellent specials from Only Fools and Horses, The Royle Family and 2.4 Children, this is the one for me that just shades it on the strength of one particular scene. What is it about ‘Who’s Listening?’ that sets it apart? Let’s find out.

The Programme

It’s easy to forget that One Foot in The Grave was very much a slow burner, much like Only Fools and Horses. The first series gained an enthusiastic core audience including Janet who introduced me to it, but viewing figures were quite low. However, the second series benefitted from very good reviews and word of mouth, building up very good numbers and making a Christmas special a viable option. The fact that this first Christmas special was shown on December 27, 1990 rather than in a prime slot on Christmas Day or Boxing Day perhaps indicated a certain hedging of the bets. Future Christmas specials including One Foot in the Algarve would become Christmas Day staples.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show, it is the story of the misadventures of Victor Meldrew played by Richard Wilson. In the very first episode he is forced into early retirement from his job as a security guard after 26 years and replaced by a box! This leaves him with too much time on his hands to contemplate the irritations of life, of which there are many, and his railing against the world provides the catalyst for the frequently bizarre twists that fate has in store for him. His wife Margaret played by Annette Crosbie is driven to distraction by Victor’s antics, frequently getting annoyed with him as he allows problems to get under his skin and spiral out of control. Despite their rows and frustration, theirs is not an antagonistic relationship, merely one that is prone to storms, and their deep love for each other is frequently shown throughout the series. It’s perhaps best summed up by Margaret’s quote

He’s the most sensitive person I’ve ever met and that’s why I love him and why I constantly want to ram his head through a television screen

Warm Champagne Series 4 Episode 4 (Renwick, 1993)

There are a number of recurring characters who help to give the series its texture. Jean Warboys played by Doreen Mantle is Margaret’s friend who drives Victor to distraction with her muddled thinking, but she has a heart of gold and puts up with Victor’s temper when others would have had enough. Patrick Trench (Angus Deayton) and his wife Pippa (Janine Duvitski) are the Meldrew’s next door neighbours. Although Victor and Patrick are constantly fighting, Margaret and Pippa are very good friends who share their mutual frustration at the juvenile behaviour of their warring husbands. Finally Nick Swainey played by Owen Brenman is the constantly cheerful arranger of old people’s activities in the area, activities he keeps trying to get Victor involved in despite constant abuse.

Who’s Listening

This episode features three threads that are woven through the story. First of all, a woman who works in a video shop gets on Victor’s wrong side and is treated to one of his trademark rants. He talks to the vicar of their local church, who has lost his faith because of what has happened to her, and finds out that one of his comments struck far too close to home. Victor has a problem with a mail order for a gnome to put into his garden, because he has put the catalogue number, 263, into the column for the amount! Finally, Patrick and Pippa order an £800 bottle of wine for her father which gets delivered to the Meldrews as they are out. David Renwick has great fun with the storylines for the latter two stories as he dovetails them with consummate skill. The story of Mrs Burridge, the video shop worker, and her son Adam showcases his skill at incorporating very sad and serious threads into his stories without missing a beat. He even dabbles in philosophy with Reverend Croker who has lost his faith as a result of Mrs Burridge’s experience. The whole episode is as tightly plotted as a farce, but it never loses sight of the humanity that makes this show so good.

The scene that always has me in fits, and had me struggling to take a breath when I first saw it was the gnomes scene. It starts with Victor ranting at someone at the other end of the telephone because he can’t believe they haven’t used enough common sense to realise that no one could possibly want 263 garden gnomes! As the wind gets up and gnomes start breaking, gnomes that need to be returned to the firm before he can get a refund, Margaret and Victor have to take drastic measures.

I still think this is the funniest scene of any Christmas special and indeed any comedy in the last 50 years. It’s so beautifully played, superbly structured and the reveal is timed to perfection as it unfolds. In 1991 Janet and I formed a quiz team with my best friend and his Dad. We called ourselves the 263 Gnomes in honour of this scene!

Final Reflection

It seems amazing that this is nearly 33 years ago, as the memory of first watching it still brings back such clear memories of our first Christmas together. It is a Christmas special for the ages, a perfect mix of pathos, philosophy and farce. If you have never seen it, hunt it down on Brit Box or maybe iPlayer, or buy it on DVD if you feel inclined to treat yourself to one of the most consistently brilliant comedies in British TV history.