All About "The Brittas Empire"

Gordon Brittas is the Manager of Whitbury Newtown Leisure Centre: newly built and, for the local Council, full of possibilities. For Brittas, it’s also a further step along the way to fulfilling his dream in life: to help bring people together, and even world peace, through the medium of sport and leisure. How ironic.

This is because all goes well until the very moment when Brittas arrives; this seems to have been a pattern of life for him. He starts to do “helpful” things which inadvertently but always go terribly wrong, and the plot is set for the entire seven series and several specials.

The series was deliberately set in a leisure centre because, according to the team who brought it to us, it was a challenge to create great havoc in such a usually calm setting. But this was managed exceptionally well, and the lead character of Gordon Brittas is the catalyst in almost every instance of it.

You see, a usual episode would include Brittas doing one or both of the following: being “helpful” (in his opinion), and strictly upholding useless and petty rules and regulations. This causes people to be upset and become angry, and take it out on Brittas or the Leisure Centre itself (or sometimes just have a nervous breakdown). In fact, there’s rarely an episode where neither of these happen! Quite often, though, things turn from the sublime to the “cor blimey”: this is the only leisure centre, it seems, which explodes and catches fire regularly; has escaped bears riding tricycles and escaped emus defecating; cows giving birth; and angry, gun-wielding maniacs!

Assisting Brittas in his dream at the Leisure Centre are Laura, his Deputy Manager (Dry), who saves the day with her calm and personal touch. Also helping, but less so, is Colin, the Deputy Manager (Wet) who can’t swim because of his suppurating hand. Outstandingly enthusiastic Linda, and gay couple Gavin and Tim make up the rest of the core team, and continually sobbing Carole the Receptionist and stroppy Julie the Secretary form the support staff. At home, Brittas has an outstandingly neurotic wife, Helen, who eats antidepressants in greater quantities than she does food. I wonder why……?

The Brittas Empire truly is one of the most excellent British situation comedies ever made in my eyes! Whilst full of death and destruction, the way this occurs leaves the viewer in total hysterics. The characters are all easy to empathise with because, well, maybe we all know a Brittas in our daily lives……