‘GAVIN FEATHERLY R.I.P.’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
It’s nice to have a ‘Brittas Empire’ episode focus on Gavin for a change. I know he had his assistant deputy manager arc in Series 5, but here’s a Series 7 episode where the focus is mostly on him. And he’s presumed dead at the beginning of the episode before we cut to a flashback on what occurred.
Gavin has been listening to some soothing music on a cassette tape lent to him by Helen Brittas. But Gordon tells him off and makes him confess when it turns out Gavin has recorded a copy of the tape lent to him by Helen so that he can keep and listen to. He makes him confess to a record company. 😦
As the leisure centre staff are about to be dragged to a shaggy sea resort for the annual ‘team building’ event, Gavin receives a letter from the record company as they sue him to pay £10,000. Gavin becomes anxious and depressed over this and he even has a nightmare about the whole thing.
Gavin takes Colin’s experimental spud-powered motorboat to sea (How they took it there isn’t explained. Was Colin’s motorboat inflatable?) and he goes missing for a couple of days. Gordon assumes Gavin’s dead and organises a cheap ‘funeral’ without telling the family there isn’t a body. 😮
It was nice to see Gavin’s parents in this. They include Donald Pickering as Colonel Feathering, who’s been in a few ‘Doctor Who’ stories and an episode of the original ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ series. There’s also Rowena Cooper as Mrs. Featherly, who apparently has done a Lord Peter Wimsey serial.
Tim is very upset about Gavin being presumed dead as he blames himself for writing the letter. It was meant to be a practical joke since Gavin worried over nothing regarding the copyright infringement. He becomes furious later on when he learns Gavin hadn’t told his parents about him.
Meanwhile, French pirates pick up Gavin and they put him for sale as a slave. Gavin tries to phone Tim at the leisure centre. Overjoyed, Tim tries to tell everyone that Gavin is still alive. Brittas and everyone else don’t believe it and he’s left locked up in the leisure centre. That’s so cruel and harsh.
At the funeral, Linda is in charge of the service before Carole plays a piano piece that ends up disastrously. The coffin ends up having a dead dog inside, put there by Colin, which once belonged to Helen. Thankfully, Gavin turns up at the funeral – so surprised to see his family and friends there. 😀
‘Gavin Featherly R.I.P.’ rating – 8/10
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Bradley's Basement 
Hi Tim,
I really enjoyed this episode. It was great to see Gavin in the spotlight, and have his family in the episode. I feel like Brittas was should have been held accountable for what happened to Gavin, even though Tim forged the letter.
It was also great to see a reference to Linda being in theological college and Carole’s piano skills. Colin’s potato-powered lylo was funny in most scenes, especially when he tested it in the pool and fell off. 😆 I assume that they used a stunt double for Mike Burns in that shot, as well as for Tim Marriott when Gavin used the lylo.
I didn’t realise Donald Pickering played Colonel Featherly until his name appeared in the credits. I read up that Gavin’s brother Peter was played by Nick Sampson. As for Rowena Cooper, she was in an episode of ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’. She also had a main role in the BBC series ‘Down to Earth’. Jill Greenacre made a guest appearance in two episodes of that series.
P.s. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on your review of ‘The Romans’ tomorrow.
Xavier
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Hi Xavier,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on ‘Gavin Featherly R.I.P’. Glad you enjoyed Gavin getting the spotlight in the episode. Well, it was Brittas who triggered off the business of Gavin copying Helen’s cassette tape, so it’s fair to say he should be held accountable. Yes, I liked it when Linda’s theological college background is utilised in the episode. I forgot Colin fell off his spud-powered motorboat. Perhaps I should revisit the episode and the series from beginning to end sometime. 😀
Yes, it’s astonishing to believe Donald Pickering is in this ‘Brittas Empire’ episode having done ‘Doctor Who’ stories like ‘The Keys of Marinus’, ‘The Faceless Ones’ and ‘Time and the Rani’ beforehand. I don’t think I’ve seen Nick Sampson in many things, although he has been in ‘Doc Martin’ and ‘Downton Abbey’. I wonder if he’s related to Ryan Sampson who’s been in ‘Doctor Who’ on TV and audio. Thanks for letting me know Rowena Cooper was in ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’. I must reviewed that spin-off series sometime. Rowena Cooper has also done ‘Doctor Who’ audios – both BBC and Big Finish – including the ‘Demon Quest’ story ‘The Demon of Paris’ with Tom Baker.
Thanks for letting me know about ‘Down to Earth’. I’ve checked and only Series 1 seems to be available on DVD. I might check out the series via YouTube on TV Timelord’s channel someday. Interesting Jill Greenacre did two episodes of the series.
Many thanks for your comments. Looking forward to your thoughts on ‘The Romans’.
Best wishes,
Tim 🙂
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