Gimme Gimme Gimme

Linda La Hughes shares a flat with Tom Farrell. Linda is overweight, loudmouthed and not particularly attractive. She thinks she's gorgeous and irrestible, however. She's also sex mad and obsessed with men. Tom is an aspiring actor. He's got an agent, but finds it difficult to get parts. He doesn't like Linda much, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the fact that they share a flat. She isn't completely comfortable with his homosexuality, perhaps because she finds it difficult to live with a man who doesn't find her sexually attractive.

Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999-2001) is a British sitcom created by Jonathan Harvey for BBC One and BBC Two. Kathy Burke plays Linda La Hughes, a loud, overweight and sex-mad woman who is convinced she is irresistible, and James Dreyfus plays Tom Farrell, an aspiring actor who is gay and struggles to land parts despite having an agent. The engine of the show is the uneasy friction of their shared London flat: Linda pursues men and vanity schemes while Tom tries to keep his career alive and his patience intact. Each short episode is a self-contained run of misadventures, and the show runs for three seasons with eighteen episodes in total. Its humour is bawdy and camp, built on innuendo, double entendre and sharp put-downs, with a surreal streak in its bolder moments. The tone is brash and affectionate, with an undercurrent of loneliness beneath the bravado. The series sits in the tradition of British flatshare comedy and sharp-tongued sitcom, and fans of Absolutely Fabulous and Men Behaving Badly will find a similar appetite for outrageous, gleefully unlikeable leads.

Praised as a brash, affectionate showcase for Kathy Burke's performance, though its broad characterisation divided critics.

• Absolutely Fabulousshared flatmate sitcom format, sharp sexual humour and camp double entendre
• Men Behaving Badlyshared odd-couple roommate dynamic and broad british sitcom comedy
• Friendsshared london flatshare setting and unlikable self-absorbed lead comedy

Created by

Jonathan Harvey

Release Date

1999-01-08

Episode runtime

25 min

Rating

7.4 / 10 (37)

What is Gimme Gimme Gimme about?

A loudmouthed, sex-obsessed would-be beauty and her gay aspiring actor flatmate squabble through life in a London flat.

What is Gimme Gimme Gimme like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Gimme Gimme Gimme as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Gimme Gimme Gimme violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Gimme Gimme Gimme.

What did critics think of Gimme Gimme Gimme?

Praised as a brash, affectionate showcase for Kathy Burke's performance, though its broad characterisation divided critics.

Which shows are like Gimme Gimme Gimme?

Shows with a similar feel include Absolutely Fabulous, Men Behaving Badly, and Friends.

How long is Gimme Gimme Gimme?

Gimme Gimme Gimme: 3 seasons, 18 episodes.

Is Gimme Gimme Gimme still running?

No, Gimme Gimme Gimme has ended.