‘BACK WITH A BANG’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
It’s time for a new era in ‘The Brittas Empire’ series, as we begin Series 6 with ‘Back with a Bang’. I can’t say I’m enamoured with the last two seasons of ‘The Brittas Empire’ since the show is under different writers. Also, Laura doesn’t appear in the last two seasons at all. Not even a mention of her!
There is a new character we’re introduced to in Series 6 and that’s Anouschka Menzies as Penny Bidmead, the sauna lady for the leisure centre. Now I imagine Penny was meant to replace Laura in the series, but her character doesn’t work for me. Well, at least she doesn’t for the rest of the series.
She’s fine in the first episode in terms of her introduction, but afterwards she becomes unlikeable. I don’t know what the direction was for Penny in the series, but somehow it got changed. If she was a nicer character like she is in the first episode of Series 6, maybe I would’ve appreciated Penny more.
Sadly not! 🙁 Anyway, in the first episode of Series 6, Gordon has been put back together as a bionic man after his near-death burial. He seems the same as ever and is happy to be back in Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre, despite returning a day early. He mustn’t be told that he died though.
In the end, his wife Helen tells him that he was dead after getting frustrated for not having any sex with him. It comes back to Gordon when he recalls what heaven was like. 😀 Linda sees it as an opportunity to study life after death for theological college. Linda is funnier in the last two seasons.
Gordon also learns some unusual financial revelations from Stephen Churchett as Councillor Jack Drugget when he comes to visit him at the leisure centre. Tim and Gavin have a row with each other, since Gavin seems too nice to Penny. In the end, Tim seems to turn to… Carole as a love interest?! 😐
Okay, first, I think Tim’s a bit too young for Carole. Second, how come it wasn’t Linda instead? Carole also suffers heartbreak and becomes allergic to anything ‘Sound of Music’-related. She was dumped for a nun by Von Trapp of Austria. 🙁 Colin also proposes to Julie after she ‘chucked’ her boyfriend. 😀
That was a bit weird for Colin to propose marriage to Julie, even when she had cravings for coal and such. She turns him down however, which makes sense. Colin also remembers the croquet case with the unexploded bomb from Series 5 too late. Helen also drives a car with Gordon into a lake. What?
‘Back with a Bang’ rating – 8/10
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Hi Tim,
I have a feeling that my thoughts on the last two series of ‘The Brittas Empire’ will be mixed, but we’ll see. That being said, I’m pleased I finally got around to watching an episode of the post-Fegen and Norris era.
Of course Gavin and Tim would return, since Gavin would have become manager and possibly made Tim a deputy. I also think it made sense for Colin, Linda and Julie to still be working at the centre since they never explicably said they were leaving at the end of series 5. I really do however think that the new series did Carole a disservice. Maybe she could have been replaced with a new receptionist , and Harriet Thorpe might have been able to return just as a one-off guest re-appearance.
As for Penny Bidmead, I reckon the writers intended for her to be unlikable, a hate sink so to speak, especially since I heard that the rest of the main cast, expect Helen, feel the same way you do. This was possibly to differentiate Penny from Laura.
I did laugh at quite a few things, like when Gordon told Tim to play with himself. 😂 I did think Julie’s addiction to coal and pencil shavings was rather weird.
Xavier
Hi Xavier,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the first episode of Series 6 of ‘The Brittas Empire’. Yeah, I’m surprised Carole wasn’t replaced in the series, considering the happy ending she was being given at the end of Series 5. It would have been interesting to have a new receptionist in ‘Brittas’. After all, Angie didn’t return in Series 2 and Laura decided not to return in Series 6, so having Carole back doesn’t entirely make sense since she could have had a happy life to wherever she was going by Series 5’s end.
Regarding Penny, I would have preferred her being likeable as opposed to not being considering she didn’t return in Series 7 and she doesn’t provide a reassuring presence that made her a worthy team member at the leisure centre. From the next episode onwards, she becomes snooty and openly insults Brittas, which isn’t how I usually like regular characters to be in a TV series and it’s a contrast compared to how I saw her in her first episode.
Glad you found some moments in the episode funny, including between Gavin and Tim. Yeah, the Julie eating coal and pencil sharpenings moments are wierd indeed.
Many thanks for your comments,
Best wishes,
Tim 🙂
Hi Tim,
Yeah, I can totally see where you’re coming from in regards to Penny. I’ll see exactly what she’s like when watching the rest of series 6.
It was also funny when Linda pestered Gordon about what heaven was like, and when he squeezed Gavin and Tim’s hands too tightly.
P.s. I’d recommend that you check out ‘Red Dwarf’. You’re best I think would be to either buy the entire series on Blu-Ray, or watch the first 8 series on IPlayer and find the ones that aired on Dave on a different streaming service. Rimmer is unlikeable in that series, since he’s basically Brittas without the good intentions. That being said, he’s playing off the other characters, and he often gets karma for his actions, which is what makes the series good.
Xavier
Hi Xavier,
Thanks for recommending ‘Red Dwarf’ to me. When I get a chance, I think I’ll check out the first series on BBC iPlayer to see whether I like it or not and continue from there. I’ve seen one or two episodes of ‘Red Dwarf’ long ago at my friend’s house, but I vaguely recall them. One episode had something about ‘dog’s milk’ and spoiling someone’s tea, I believe. 😆
Many thanks,
Tim 🙂