The Brittas Empire
The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Chris Barrie plays Gordon Brittas, the well-meaning but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. The show ran for seven series and 53 episodes — including two Christmas specials — from 1991 to 1997 on BBC1. Norriss and Fegen wrote the first five series, after which they left the show. The Brittas Empire enjoyed a long and successful run throughout the 1990s, and gained itself large mainstream audiences. In 2004 the show came 47th on the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll, and all series have been released on DVD. The creators Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen often combine farce with either surreal or dramatic elements in episodes. For example in the first series, the leisure centre prepares for a royal visit, only for the doors to seal, the boiler room to flood and a visitor to become electrocuted. Unlike the traditional sitcom, deaths were quite common in The Brittas Empire.
Episodes
Season 1 — 6 episodes
E1
Laying the Foundations
30m
Gordon Brittas is the manager at Whitbury Leisure Centre. Builders are working in the car-park but Gordon is very rude to one of them and they go on strike. He causes more trouble when he upsets one of the staff and he's in for it when he is having a meeting with the staff.
E2
Opening Day
30m
It's Opening Day at Whitbury Leisure Centre and Gordon is getting ready to meet the Duchess of Kent. But things are going wrong when the electric doors aren't working properly and the water from the swimming pool is disappearing and the temperature rises. Will Gordon sort it all out before the Duchess of Kent arrives?
E3
Bye Bye Baby
30m
Carole has heard that her husband Derek is coming back, after abandoning her. After all these years she will not have to work, Ben will have a father and she will feel much better. Meanwhile her baby goes missing and reception is getting crowded. Gordon tells Colin to find the baby and return it. Unfortunately Colin ends up returning the wrong baby. Then Gordon thinks he's helping a man who has suffered from stress. Will everything go right?
E4
Underwater Wedding
30m
While doing an interview with Beverly, Gordon realises that the best man at the underwater wedding taking place in the pool is in trouble. Gavin is asked to help and then a drunk disabled man in an electric wheelchair is on the loose causing havoc. Gordon is ready to stop the drunkard but ends up sending Gavin to hospital.
E5
Stop Thief!
30m
Things have gone missing and Gordon has closed the centre for the day. He explains that there could be a thief about and sets a trap to catch him. The plan is to hide in a locker and see who takes the bait (his wallet). Meanwhile Helen is suffering more stress then ever and takes Gordon to see the doctor, leaving Colin to hide in the locker. As long as Gordon remembers he's left Colin in there!
E6
Assassin
30m
Someone is out to kill Gordon, injuring Helen by accident after sabotaging Gordon's brakes, and wants Gavin to help him with the foul deed. Gordon and a few others are taken to the hospital's intensive care unit, badly injured by a lorry hitting Gordon as he walked across a zebra crossing.
