Synopsis:
Eric
is 40, and lives in London. He is a middle class single father
(divorced) with two kids and a crippling mortgage. His son is
so dim he’s been kept back at school three years running. His
daughter is a frail, allergy-ridden waif of six. His wife has
left him for a Buddhist and his au-pair is an unreliable waster.
Even the family next door are successful and wealthy, a stressful
reminder of what his life could have been.
At
work too, there is no respite, a series of stress related illnesses
have seen him demoted from Sales through half a dozen offices
to the dark, dank, wastelands of the Data Department next to the
gentlemen’s lavatory.
Each
week Eric faces up to the important issues that concern a single
father today, from, "How do you compensate your children for the
lack of a female role model?" to: "How do you ask for sex in your
forties without getting arrested?"
He
also tries to deal with the stressful paraphernalia of everyday
life such as trying to get the cellophane off a new video and
having to build a flatpack wardrobe without the intstructions.
The
Characters:
Eric---Eric
is 40, and lives in London. He is a middle class single father
(divorced) with two kids and a crippling mortgage.
Brian---Eric’s
son is nine and so dumb he has been kept back at school three
years running. He spends his time wandering aimlessly around,
putting things in his mouth - paper clips, toy cars, and other
peoples fences - a terrible worry for any father. Claire---Eric’s daughter is six. She is frail small and
allergic to everything, a constant source of worry to her dad.
Maria---Maria is eighteen and a complete waster from Portugal.
She is also the children’s au-pair. Liz---Eric’s ex-wife is thirty-six. Liz now lives with
a Buddhist (Caleb), trying to rediscover the ‘real’ Liz who was
buried under the stress of living with Eric. This involves a great
deal of chanting and making crap pottery. Mrs Wilson--MRS WILSON, eighty-six is Eric’s elderly and
kindly neighbour who moves so slowly it takes her a whole day
to reach the post box at the end of the road. This is the extent
of her ambition every episode. The Perfect Family---THE PERFECT FAMILY, are a high-achieving
and wealthy family who live next door to Eric and are a constant
ulcer-growing reminder of what life could be like. The Father,
Ray Perfect is a high-flyer for the same company that employs
the distinctly low flying Eric. They are sadistic, vindictive
snobs who take great delight in rubbing Eric’s nose in it at every
opportunity. Alison---ALISON, twenty-four, is Eric’s secretary. She
talks endlessly to her friends, arrives late, leaves early, and
is no help at all. In fact Eric ends up doing her job as well.
Paul Power---PAUL POWER, fifty, is Eric’s boss, an extremely
short, very loud executive who is constantly nagging Eric to do
better. Paul often cites the outstanding work of Ray Perfect as
a shining example of what can be achieved. The Doctor---THE DOCTOR, forty-eight, is an ageing swinger
who hangs around at night-clubs in a tight white roll-neck sweater
and wet-look trousers. Eric goes to see him at least once a week
and the Doctor prescribes him a huge range of medication none
of which works because Eric’s illnesses are all psychosomatic.
Production
Credits:
Airdates:
The
Episodes:
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