The Brittas Empire
Seen it?1991 | 7 seasons | 30 min | Comedy
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Solid across the board without standing out anywhere. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved Cheers, start here.
- The mood
- Light and funny.
- The pace
- 7 seasons, but most episodes stand on their own, so you can dip in anywhere (about 30 minutes each).
- What might put you off
- Nothing much: an easy pick for most people.
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.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsSolid
Generally positive reviews
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
Awards data unavailable, so this isn't counted
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Ran for 7 seasons and reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 57K people sought it out in the past year
Season by season
The show overall is a Sunday Safe Bet. Here's how each season stacks up; Series 3 is the high point.
Series 11991 · 6 episodes · 8.0 out of 10Saturday- Series 21992 · 7 episodes · 7.7 out of 10Saturday
- Series 31993 · 6 episodes · 8.2 out of 10Saturday
- Series 41994 · 8 episodesNot rated yet
Series 51994 · 8 episodes · 1.0 out of 10Monday- Series 61996 · 7 episodesNot rated yet
- Series 71997 · 8 episodesNot rated yet
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Created by Andrew Norriss
- Chris BarrieGordon Brittas
- Michael BurnsColin
- Julia St. JohnLaura
- Pippa HaywoodHelen Brittas
- Tim MarriottGavin
- Harriet ThorpeCarole
- Russell PorterTim
- Judy FlynnJulie