All sitcoms take a while to find their feet, characters have to be established and situations gauged according to expectations of their perceived behaviour in order to be funny.
It's said comedy can either have believable characters in unbelievable situations, or vice versa. One of the joys of The Brittas Empire is that it has one exaggerated character in situations that are pretty-well unbelievable, but are made to seem believable.
This first episode of series two is a great example of the ensemble of actors gelling to hilarious effect; Brittas has been on a management course in Bulgaria and is believed to have fallen over a safety rail in a car factory and been flattened - evidence provided by his marriage ring on the only unflattened part of his body.
From a deeply Avengers-like opening of the Centre empty with no customers at all, news of Gordon's demise soon brings customers flocking in; until after his funeral, unflattened, he returns, is thought to be a zombie by Carole, seeking to take over the body of her baby, she then literally tries to flatten him in his car with a JCB.
Meanwhile Helen, having met a new man at his funeral, is about to get married after eight days.
True, some parts don't quite add up: Gordon's explanation of being locked up in the bowels of a Bulgarian hotel, having his clothes stolen - vide the thief being the one flattened wearing his ring - apparently because he complained about the size of the towels.
It's also unlikely his funeral could be arranged so quickly; it's difficult enough arranging them for those in religions that require urgent burials, due to coroners operating a cab-rank system and not giving them the priority bereaved families rightly expect. There's a subject for a black comedy - or a black cab comedy!
Now we know Gordon's foibles, insistence on petty form-filling, lack of commercial acumen or sensitivity and overriding belief in being right, it makes a situation such as this hilarious. The look on the faces of staff as he seemingly returns from the dead is delicious.
The Brittas Empire has frequently been underrated. As it gathers steam, episode by episode, it improves - and thirty years later, has aged well.
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