Empty (TV series)

Last updated

Empty
Genre Situation comedy
Directed by Colin Gilbert
Starring Gregor Fisher
Billy Boyd
Tom Urie
Opening theme"In the City" by The Jam
Ending theme"In the City" by The Jam
Country of originScotland
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Producers Iain Davidson
The Comedy Unit
Production location Greater Glasgow
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original network BBC Two
Original release28 February (2008-02-28) 
3 April 2008 (2008-04-03)

Empty is a six-episode BBC Two sitcom first broadcast on 28 February 2008. It stars Gregor Fisher and Billy Boyd as Jacky Allen and Tony MacBryan respectively, two men who work for a property maintenance company 'Greater Glasgow Building Services'. [1]

Contents

Situation and plot

Each episode mostly revolves around the dialogue of the two main characters as they discuss their lives (and unseen wives) and the things they find in the houses they clear. Jacky and Tony are also given to re-enacting silent comedy and music hall routines, and always take a polaroid photo of themselves which they date and hide in a crevice somewhere. The pair also like to guess what they will find behind each door before they open it. As befits their personalities, Jacky's guesses are usually amusing and fanciful, while Tony's are often gruesome, even macabre.

Although the main duo interact with various other characters over the course of the series, the only supporting character to appear in more than one episode is Barry, a plumber who dresses like Super Mario and is nicknamed "Super Barrio" by Jacky and Tony (though he has never heard of the character and doesn't understand the joke). Barry is played by Tom Urie.

The series is written by Robert Florence and Iain Connell, who wrote the series Burnistoun , Legit and sketches for Chewin' the Fat , also produced by BBC Scotland.

Episode list

  1. "Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors" – Tony and Jacky clear a house in which they discover a room full of elegant hand-crafted models of sailing ships, and are shocked by the callous attitude of a woman to comes to "collect" one.
  2. "Is is" – The duo clear a house in which they find a number of curious objects, including a dada mural and a motorcycle in the bath, prompting a competition to provide the best explanation of what had been going on in there. There is a cameo appearance by writer Iain Connell.
  3. "Happiness" – Tony and Jacky do repairs at the home of an elderly woman and become concerned that her dementia may put her in danger, but cannot agree on whether to tell her son.
  4. "Protection" – The pair are sent to clear a crime scene, but are surprised to find it has been taken over by squatters.
  5. "Night Moves" – Tony and Jacky spend the night in the office, setting practical jokes on their new boss.
  6. "Ghosties" – While carrying out repairs in an old theatre, Tony tries to persuade Jacky that they should leave the company and go into business together.

Theme changes

The show signature theme by The Jam was changed for syndication, but when the show was uploaded to popular broadcasting platform Netflix it was noted to be a generic theme which merely sounded similar to the original, somewhat akin to how the Still Game main theme was changed to avoid royalties issues.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Blackadder</i> British television comedy series, 1983–89

Blackadder is a series of four period British sitcoms, plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC One from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick. Each series was set in a different historical period, with the two protagonists accompanied by different characters, though several reappear in one series or another, e.g., Melchett, Lord Flashheart and George.

<i>Father Ted</i> British sitcom set in Ireland (1995–1998)

Father Ted is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for British television channel Channel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May 1998, including a Christmas special, for a total of 25 episodes. It aired on Nine Network and ABC Television in Australia, and on TV2 in New Zealand.

A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television.

<i>Dinnerladies</i> (TV series) British television sitcom

Dinnerladies is a British television sitcom created, written and co-produced by Victoria Wood. Two series were broadcast on BBC One from 1998 to 2000, with sixteen episodes in total. The programme is repeated on Gold, and Drama. The complete series was released on DVD in November 2004, and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

<i>Bottom</i> (TV series) British sitcom television series

Bottom is a British sitcom created by Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson that ran for three series on BBC2 from 1991 to 1995. It focuses on Richard "Richie" Richard (Mayall) and Edward Elizabeth "Eddie" Hitler (Edmondson), two unemployed, crude, and perverted flatmates living in Hammersmith, London, who aspire to better themselves. Bottom became known for its chaotic, nihilistic humour and violent slapstick comedy. In 2004, Bottom was ranked 45th in a BBC poll for Britain's Best Sitcom.

<i>Porridge</i> (1974 TV series) British 1970s TV sitcom

Porridge is a British sitcom, starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale, written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977. The programme ran for three series and two Christmas specials. A feature film of the same name based on the series was released in 1979.

<i>The Two Ronnies</i> British television comedy sketch show

The Two Ronnies is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from 10 April 1971 to 25 December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, serial stories and musical finales.

<i>Blackadder Goes Forth</i> Fourth series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder

Blackadder Goes Forth is the fourth series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989 on BBC1. The series placed the recurring characters of Blackadder, Baldrick, and George in a trench in Flanders during World War I, and followed their various doomed attempts to escape from the trenches to avoid death under the misguided command of General Melchett. The series references famous people of the time and criticises the British Army's leadership during the campaign, culminating in the ending of its final episode, in which the soldiers are ordered to carry out a lethal charge of enemy lines.

<i>Blackadder the Third</i> Third series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder

Blackadder the Third  is the third series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September to 22 October 1987. The series is set during the Georgian Era, and sees the principal character, Mr. E. Blackadder, serve as butler to the Prince Regent and have to contend with, or cash in on, the fads of the age embraced by his master.

<i>2point4 Children</i> British television sitcom

2point4 Children is a BBC Television sitcom that was created and written by Andrew Marshall. It follows the lives of the Porters, a seemingly average, working-class London family whose world is frequently turned upside-down by bad luck and bizarre occurrences.

<i>Joking Apart</i> BBC TV series, 1993–1995

Joking Apart is a BBC television sitcom written by Steven Moffat about the rise and fall of a relationship. It juxtaposes a couple, Mark and Becky, who fall in love and marry, before getting separated and finally divorced. The twelve episodes, broadcast between 1993 and 1995, were directed by Bob Spiers and produced by Andre Ptaszynski for independent production company Pola Jones.

<i>Peep Show</i> (British TV series) British sitcom television series

Peep Show is a British television sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. It was written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb, among others. It was broadcast on Channel 4 from 19 September 2003 to 16 December 2015. In 2010, it became the longest-running comedy in Channel 4 history in terms of years on air.

<i>Extras</i> (TV series) British sitcom

Extras is a British sitcom about extras working in television, film, and theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and was written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom starred in it. Extras follows the lives of Andy Millman (Gervais), his friend Maggie Jacobs and Andy's substandard agent and part-time retail employee Darren Lamb (Merchant) as Millman muddles through life as an anonymous "background performer" who eventually finds success as a B-list sitcom star.

<i>Hardware</i> (TV series) British sitcom television series

Hardware is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 2003 to 2004. Starring Martin Freeman, it was written and created by Simon Nye, the creator of Men Behaving Badly and directed by Ben Kellett.

<i>Bang, Bang, Its Reeves and Mortimer</i> British TV series or programme

Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer is a British comedy television series, the third by comedy double act Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer and their second in a sketch show format. Directed by Mark Mylod and produced by Alan Marke, it first aired in 1999 on BBC2.

<i>Gavin & Stacey</i> British Barry/Essex comedy television series

Gavin & Stacey is a British sitcom written by James Corden and Ruth Jones about two families: one in Billericay, Essex; one in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan. Mathew Horne and Joanna Page play the eponymous characters Gavin and Stacey, while Corden and Jones star as Smithy and Nessa. Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb star as Gavin's parents, and Melanie Walters (Gwen) is Stacey's mother and Rob Brydon (Bryn) is Stacey's uncle.

Legit is a Scottish sitcom produced by The Comedy Unit, written by Robert Florence and Iain Connell and broadcast on BBC One Scotland. The pilot episode aired on 16 September 2006 to much critical acclaim and positive reviews. The first series started on 7 September 2007 with the pilot episode being aired first and then the remaining episodes. The show was shown every Friday night at 9:30pm. In May 2008, the BBC made the decision not to renew the show for a second series. Instead Dear Green Place was renewed.

Burnistoun is a Scottish comedy sketch show broadcast by BBC Scotland, written by comedians Iain Connell and Robert Florence. The show was produced by The Comedy Unit.

<i>House of Fools</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

House of Fools is a British comedy television series that was first broadcast on BBC Two on 14 January 2014. The series features Bob Mortimer and Vic Reeves, who are also the writers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nana's Party</span> 5th episode of the 2nd series of Inside No. 9

"Nana's Party" is the fifth episode of the second series of the British dark comedy anthology television programme Inside No. 9. It was first broadcast on 23 April 2015 on BBC Two. Written and directed by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, the episode starred Claire Skinner as the obsessive-compulsive and aspirational Angela, who is hosting a party for the 79th birthday of her mother Maggie, played by Elsie Kelly. Angela's husband Jim, played by Pemberton, is keen to play a prank on Pat, Angela's brother-in-law, who is a practical joker. Pat is played by Shearsmith, while Carol, a recovering alcoholic who is Pat's wife and Angela's sister, is played by Lorraine Ashbourne. The episode also features Eve Gordon as Katie, Angela and Jim's teenage daughter, and Christopher Whitlow as a paramedic seen at the beginning and end of the episode.

References

  1. "News – Details on the new BBC2 sitcoms for 2008". British Sitcom Guide. 20 November 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2007.