One Foot in the Grave Complete Series 1 - 6 Plus Christmas Specials Box Set [DVD] [1990]

Description

Every episode from all six series (including Christmas Specials) of the TV comedy starring Richard Wilson as Victor Meldrew, the archetypal grumpy old man, who has been forced into early retirement and is perpetually enraged by seemingly every aspect of modern life. Series 1 episodes are: 'Alive and Buried', 'The Big Sleep', 'The Valley of Fear', 'I'll Retire to Bedlam', 'The Eternal Quadrangle' and 'The Return of the Speckled Band' Series 2 episodes are: 'In Luton Airport No-One Can Hear You Scream', 'We Have Put Her Living in the Tomb', 'Dramatic Fever', 'Who Will Buy?', 'Love and Death' and 'Timeless Time' Series 3 episodes are: 'Monday Morning Will Be Fine', 'Dreamland', 'The Broken Reflection', 'The Beast in the Cage', 'Beware the Trickster On the Roof' and 'The Worst Horror of All' Series 4 episodes are: 'The Pit and the Pendulum', 'Descent Into the Maelstrom', 'Hearts of Darkness', 'Warm Champagne', 'The Trail' and 'Secret of the Seven Sorcerers' Series 5 episodes are: 'The Man Who Blew Away', 'Only a Story', 'The Affair of the Hollow Lady', 'Rearranging the Dust', 'Hole in the Sky' and 'The Exterminating Angel' Series 6 episodes are: 'The Executioner's Song', 'Tales of Terror', 'The Futility of the Fly', 'Threatening Weather', 'The Dawn of Man' and 'Things Aren't Simple Any More' Review: 4291 - I had never watched One Foot In The Grave before buying this box set. A trusted friend recommended the show to me so I just took a chance on it......and loved it. I agree with some of the other reviews that say it does have a little dark side. But apart from that it's a really awesome show. The only mistake I made was to watch the full box set within a few days so each time the phone rings I have a urge to pick it up & say "4291" lol. My least fave episode is the Christmas special when they go on holiday to Portugal. Don't get me wrong, I loved Mrs. Warboys along with the Meldrews, it just didn't feel the same. As for my fave episodes, they have to be the ones set in "real time", like The Trial, The Beast in the Cage, & Timeless Time. All in all a very nice & very funny show. I have posted below everything you get in this set. Series 1: Series 1 – Episode 1 – Alive and Buried, 4 January 1990 Series 1 – Episode 2 – The Big Sleep, 11 January 1990 Series 1 – Episode 3 – The Valley of Fear, 18 January 1990 Series 1 – Episode 4 – I'll Retire to Bedlam, 25 January 1990 Series 1 – Episode 5 – The Eternal Quadrangle, 1 February 1990 Series 1 – Episode 6 – The Return of the Speckled Band, 8 February 1990 Series 2: Disk 1: Series 2 – Episode 1 – In Luton Airport, No One Can Hear You Scream, 4 October 1990 Series 2 – Episode 2 – We Have Put Her Living in the Tomb, 11 October 1990 Series 2 – Episode 3 – Dramatic Fever, 18 October 1990 Series 2 – Episode 4 – Who Will Buy?, 25 October 1990 Series 2 – Episode 5 – Love and Death, 8 November 1990 Series 2 – Episode 6 – Timeless Time, 15 November 1990 Disk 2: 1990 Christmas Special - Who's Listening?, 27 December 1990 Series 3: Disk 1: Series 3 – Episode 1 – Monday Morning Will Be Fine, 2 February 1992 Series 3 – Episode 2 – Dreamland, 9 February 1992 Series 3 – Episode 3 – The Broken Reflection, 16 February 1992 Series 3 – Episode 4 – The Beast in the Cage, 23 February 1992 Series 3 – Episode 5 – Beware the Trickster on the Roof, 1 March 1992 Series 3 – Episode 6 – The Worst Horror of All, 8 March 1992 Disk 2: 1991 Christmas Special – The Man in the Long Black Coat, 30 December 1991 Series 4: Disk 1: Series 4 – Episode 1 – The Pit and the Pendulum, 31 January 1993 Series 4 – Episode 2 – Descent into the Maelstrom, 7 February 1993 Series 4 – Episode 3 – Hearts of Darkness, 14 February 1993 Series 4 – Episode 4 – Warm Champagne, 21 February 1993 Series 4 – Episode 5 – The Trial, 28 February 1993 Series 4 – Episode 6 – Secret of the Seven Sorcerers, 7 March 1993 Disk 2: 1993 Christmas Special – One Foot in the Algarve, 26 December 1993 Series 5: Disk 1: Series 5 – Episode 1 – The Man Who Blew Away, 25 December 1994 Series 5 – Episode 2 – Only a Story, 1 January 1995 Series 5 – Episode 3 – The Affair of the Hollow Lady, 8 January 1995 Series 5 – Episode 4 – Rearranging the Dust, 15 January 1995 Series 5 – Episode 5 – Hole in the Sky, 22 January 1995 Series 5 – Episode 6 – The Exterminating Angel, 29 January 1995 Disk 2: 1995 Christmas Special –The Wisdom of the Witch, 25 December 1995 Series 6: Disk 1: Series 6 – Episode 1 – The Executioner's Song, 16 October 2000 Series 6 – Episode 2 – Tales of Terror, 23 October 2000 Series 6 – Episode 3 – The Futility of the Fly, 30 October 2000 Series 6 – Episode 4 – Threatening Weather, 6 November 2000 Series 6 – Episode 5 – The Dawn of Man, 13 November 2000 Series 6 – Episode 6 – Things Aren't Simple Any More, 20 November 2000 Disk 2: I Don't Believe It!: The One Foot in the Grave Story, 20 November 2000 Christmas Specials Disk: 1996 Christmas Special – Starbound, 26 December 1996 1997 Christmas Special – Endgame, 25 December 1997 Review: “Send more bees?!!” - Back in 2004, One Foot in the Grave came just 10th in a series that set out to find ‘Britain’s Best Sitcom’. I remember being surprised by this, as what we have here is without doubt one of the cleverest, funniest and downright surreal pieces of programming ever. The only possible explanation for One Foot not being ranked at no. 1 is a style of humour perhaps of a more challenging kind when compared to something like Only Fools. Victor Meldrew is a man in his 60s, ousted from his job and thrown onto the ‘scrapheap of life’, the shadow of mortality now looming ever more presciently over him. The strange and hilarious situations he finds himself in, struggling to find meaning in his new life of retirement, are a reflection of the absurdity of our own small lives. Anyone of any age can relate to the trials and tribulations of Victor and his wife Margaret, as writer David Renwick explores to the fullest the maxim ‘hell is other people’. Tedious characters like Nick Swainey along with the ‘gibbering old bat’ Mrs Warboys are not dissimilar to the sort of people we all have to put up with every day. Meldrew’s moaning about them is a very human catharsis, and a delight for the audience, as he says the things we all want to say. One of the most distinctive features of One Foot in the Grave is it’s much talked about ‘dark’ humour. When a dead cat shows up in the freezer as early as episode 3, it is hard to disagree that this may be an edgier affair than your average sitcom. The utterly maddening bit-part characters Ronnie & Mildred are later used to stark shock effect during a particularly morbid scene. This black comedy is made all the more effective by the sharp scripts, but the other masterstroke is the amount of visual humour deployed. From grumpy snowmen to ‘grinning’ television aerials, Renwick makes the most of the televised format, creating a unique and bizarre world – and all this right in the middle of quaint English suburbia. It is a sublime mix of the mundane alongside the absurd, and it gives the programme a depth that is rare in this genre. I received this set as a gift a couple of years ago, and was laughing for about the next two weeks as I made my way through each series chronologically. One Foot in the Grave is excellent from the very beginning, right through to the final episode with its inevitable conclusion. Other sitcoms are sullied by inconsistent quality or naff specials – but not so here. Every step of Victor Meldrew’s journey to the grave has been mapped to be savoured again and again.