Men Behaving Badly - Series 4 BBC [1992] [DVD]

Amazon.co.uk Review The ultimate small-screen representation of Loaded-era lad culture--albeit a culture constantly being undermined by its usually sharper female counterpart--there seems little argument that Men Behaving Badly was one of 1990s' definitive sitcoms. Certainly the booze-oriented, birds-obsessed antics of Martin Clunes' Gary and Neil Morrissey's Tony have become every bit as connected to Britain's collective funny bone as Basil Fawlty's inept hostelry or Ernie Wise's short, hairy legs. Yet, the series could easily have been cancelled when ITV viewers failed to respond to the original version, which featured Clunes sharing his flat with someone named Dermot, played by Harry Enfield. Indeed, it was only when the third series moved to the BBC and was then broadcast in a post-watershed slot--allowing writer Simon Nye greater freedom to explore his characters' saucier ruminations--that the show began to gain a significant audience. By then, of course, Morrissey had become firmly ensconced on the collective pizza-stained sofa, while more screen time was allocated to the boys' respective foils, Caroline Quentin and Leslie Ash. Often glibly dismissed as a lame-brained succession of gags about sex and flatulence, the later series not only featured great performances and sharp-as-nails writing but also sported a contemporary attitude that dared to go where angels, and certainly most other sitcoms, feared to tread. Or, as Gary was once moved to comment about soft-porn lesbian epic Love in a Women's Prison: "It's a serious study of repressed sexuality in a pressure-cooker environment." Series 4 includes: "Babies" in which Dorothy gets broody. ("I suppose the big question is do I really want children with a man who still has a Fungus the Bogeyman pillowcase."; "Infidelity" in which Gary thinks Dorothy may be having an affair; "Pornography" in which Deborah invites Dorothy and her new boyfriend to a dinner party, much to Gary's chagrin; "3 Girlfriends" in which Dorothy has some unpleasant news for Gary; "Drunk" in which Gary's fresh start with Dorothy is put at risk by his local's extensive range of guest lagers; "In Bed with Dorothy" in which Dorothy's recuperative powers are tested following an appendectomy when Gary "shoulders the burden of caring for her". Meanwhile Tony discovers he needs glasses ("No one in our family wears glasses. We just go from brilliant eyesight to ... dead."); "Playing Away" in which Gary harbours hopes that a creative-writing course he is attending with Deborah will turn into a dirty one. --Clark Collis Product Description Entire fourth series of Simon Nye's popular sitcom. In 'Babies', Gary (Martin Clunes) and Dorothy decide to have children, but it isn't long before they are reconsidering. 'Infidelity' sees Gary convinced that Dorothy is being unfaithful, while in 'Pornography', Tony's (Neil Morrissey) latest girlfriend is put off by his collection of dirty mags. 'Three Girlfriends' finds Gary disconsolate that Tony has a trio of ladies on the go while he is single and unloved, and in 'Drunk' the lads find themselves unavoidably detained in the pub. 'In Bed with Dorothy' sees Gary forced to care for his lady love while she recovers from a serious operation, while Tony feels a bit of a git in his new spectacles. Finally, in 'Playing Away', Dorothy and Tony discover an irresistible (and alcohol-fuelled) mutual attraction while Gary and Deborah are away on a writing weekend.