The first episode of Eric Chappell's 1991 sitcom 'Fiddlers Three', based on his 70's hit 'The Squirrels'.
As in most first episodes, this is something of a character introducing half hour. It tells the story of the stressed office worker Ralph West (Peter Davidson) who works in an office where little work is done, due to the laziness of West's colleagues Harvey (Peter Blake) and Osborne (Tyler Butterworth). The lack of work sees profits fall, leading to eccentric boss JJ Morley (Charles Kay) telling Ralph somebody has to go and it's Ralph's choice...
Having scored big in many classic sitcoms such as 'Rising Damp' 'The Bounder' and 'Only When I Laugh', it is fair to say 'Fiddlers Three' is not as fondly remembered as these previous Chappell sitcoms and it is easy to see why if this first episode is anything to go by, it is simply just not in the same league. But it was mildly entertaining all the same. These kind of sitcoms of which there have been many down the years are not thought provoking nor hilarious, but laughs are to be found throughout the episode. JJ Morley is a carbon copy of CJ from 'The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin', eccentric and power-mad (instead of CJ it was JJ).
Having watched only the first episode, I will watch the second. However, whether I will have the patience to watch all fourteen episodes will remain to be seen, at the minute, I see it unlikely. However, some funny moments are there and it is much better than the recent office/domestic based sitcom that is probably the worst sitcom I have ever seen, Ben Elton's 'The Wright Way'. Don't even get me started on that.
As in most first episodes, this is something of a character introducing half hour. It tells the story of the stressed office worker Ralph West (Peter Davidson) who works in an office where little work is done, due to the laziness of West's colleagues Harvey (Peter Blake) and Osborne (Tyler Butterworth). The lack of work sees profits fall, leading to eccentric boss JJ Morley (Charles Kay) telling Ralph somebody has to go and it's Ralph's choice...
Having scored big in many classic sitcoms such as 'Rising Damp' 'The Bounder' and 'Only When I Laugh', it is fair to say 'Fiddlers Three' is not as fondly remembered as these previous Chappell sitcoms and it is easy to see why if this first episode is anything to go by, it is simply just not in the same league. But it was mildly entertaining all the same. These kind of sitcoms of which there have been many down the years are not thought provoking nor hilarious, but laughs are to be found throughout the episode. JJ Morley is a carbon copy of CJ from 'The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin', eccentric and power-mad (instead of CJ it was JJ).
Having watched only the first episode, I will watch the second. However, whether I will have the patience to watch all fourteen episodes will remain to be seen, at the minute, I see it unlikely. However, some funny moments are there and it is much better than the recent office/domestic based sitcom that is probably the worst sitcom I have ever seen, Ben Elton's 'The Wright Way'. Don't even get me started on that.