Come on chummy (Ever Decreasing Circles)

Member Name: dave27

Product:	Ever Decreasing Circles
Date:	15/02/04 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very funny

Disadvantages: A tad bland

After the gentle touch of The Good Life, an enormously popular BBC sitcom starring Paul Eddington, Penelope Keith and Felicity Kendal, writers John Esmond and Bob Larbey took its main star Richard Briers with them when they established their next comedy series, the marvellous Ever Decreasing Circles in the late 1980's.

This time Briers was cast as Martin Bryce, a straight laced and anally retentive pillar of the community. Married to Ann, played by the wonderful Penelope Wilton, Martin is a buyer at the nearby Mole Valley Valves, and is keen on proving himself to be the rock upon whom the entire Close depends.

For many years, he manages to lord it over all he surveys and bind the entire population of his leafy London suburb together. But then, a very smooth and extremely disruptive element arrives on the Close in the shape of the owner of a hairdressing business, Paul Ryman, played by Peter Egan, and life is never quite the same again, much to Martin's utter dismay.

Everyone loves Paul, as the man who is good at everything and knows everyone there is to know, and Martin sees Paul very much as the Antichrist, his arch enemy, whose sole intention is to wreak havoc on his very ordered little world. The smugly smirking Paul sees it all as a very big joke and delights in poking holes in Martin's very comfortable life.

The other main characters in this marvellous little masterpiece are Howard and Hilda Hughes - "not THE Howard Hughes" - played by the excellent Stanley Lebor and Geraldine Newman. This is a stereotypical little couple who are constantly in each other's company and always seen to wear matching outfits.

The main character
s are all expertly played and they combine together for some of the most wonderful gentle situation comedy of all time. Briers in particular is first class as the harrassed and put upon Martin, who just loves taking command in a crisis, but Egan too is wonderful as the elegantly smooth and smug Paul.

There was one particular episode which brought out the best qualities of the show and that's the one where Martin has taken it upon himself to organise a neighbourhood watch programme. He has invited a policeman round to give him the full details of the programme, and as usual Martin is terribly focused: ?I am the only one who?s allowed to contact the police aren?t I?? He also keeps referring to himself as the Commandant, although the policeman keeps correcting him, ?Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator, sir."

Martin is soon in his element in his office, which doubles up as operations centre, and he?s got a map of the area laid out on the table, with model cars and mocked up model neighbours and burglars everywhere. ?Why has Paul got glasses and a moustache?? asks Ann. ?Just doodling.?

Howard and Hilda catch a suspicious guy poking around and effect a citizen?s arrest and take him back to the operations centre for Martin to carry out his inquisition. This is chummy, you know the ne?er do well, the bandit, the chummy. The guy tells Martin he is in fact a policeman, much to his embarrassment. A few days later, the cop comes back and invites Martin and all his neighbours to a special dinner at the Ritz. Luckily, Paul susses that there is something phoney about the whole thing and a major burglary is thwarted, much to Martin?s annoyance and embarrassment.

It?s all so gentle and comfortable and predictable, but it?s gloriously played. You have to check this one out.

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