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.

The Brittas Empire (1991-1997) is a British sitcom created by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen for BBC One. Chris Barrie plays Gordon Brittas, the self-important but well-meaning manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre, whose ambitious schemes keep collapsing around him. Michael Burns plays Colin, Julia St. John plays Laura, and Pippa Haywood plays Helen Brittas, the staff members and family who must endure his plans. Each episode follows a workplace comedy engine: a visit, an inspection or a publicity event goes wrong through a chain of mishaps, from flooding and jammed doors to slapstick accidents in the pool and changing rooms. The show runs seven series across roughly fifty episodes, with the first five written by its creators before they departed. Its tone is broad, farcical and affectionate, with occasional surreal or darker turns that give the disasters an unexpected edge. Built on the traditions of British sitcom farce, it sits comfortably beside classics like Fawlty Towers and Keeping Up Appearances. Fans of The Office, Fawlty Towers and Keeping Up Appearances will find the same mix of blundering authority and escalating chaos.

• The Office (UK)workplace sitcom farce built on a well-meaning but incompetent manager, slapstick mishaps
• Keeping Up Appearancesbumbling authority figure in a public-service workplace, broad British farce
• Fawlty Towersincompetent boss farce, escalating workplace disasters

Created by

Andrew Norriss

Release Date

1991-01-03

Episode runtime

30 min

Rating

7.1 / 10 (48)

What is The Brittas Empire about?

A pompous, well-meaning leisure centre manager turns every routine task into a calamity for his long-suffering staff.

What is The Brittas Empire like to watch?

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

Is The Brittas Empire violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Brittas Empire as mild.

Which shows are like The Brittas Empire?

Shows with a similar feel include The Office (UK), Keeping Up Appearances, and Fawlty Towers.

How long is The Brittas Empire?

The Brittas Empire: 7 seasons, 50 episodes.

Is The Brittas Empire still running?

No, The Brittas Empire has ended.

Where can I watch The Brittas Empire?

In United States, The Brittas Empire streams on Britbox Apple TV channel.