One Foot In The Grave. Image shows from L to R: Margaret Meldrew (Annette Crosbie), Victor Meldrew (Richard Wilson). Copyright: BBC
One Foot In The Grave

One Foot In The Grave

  • TV sitcom
  • BBC One
  • 1990 - 2000
  • 42 episodes (6 series)

The grumpy complainer and accident prone Victor Meldrew takes early retirement and finds he has far too much time on his hands. His long suffering wife and neighbours just have to grin and bear it. Stars Richard Wilson, Annette Crosbie, Doreen Mantle, Owen Brenman, Angus Deayton and Janine Duvitski

  • Series 1, Episode 4 repeated at 10pm on Yesterday
  • JustWatch Streaming rank this week: 2,017

Episode menu

Series 1, Episode 4 - I'll Retire To Bedlam

Victor and Margaret are trapped in their garden shed by a swarm of bees. Later, a trip to the eye clinic gives Victor a chance to moan about the NHS. While he's out, Margaret agrees to look after her niece's two children for a day.

Further details

Victor awakes cheerfully! It doesn't last long, as he and Margaret become stuck in the garden shed surrounded by a huge swarm of killer-bees. Victor's niece, Iris, calls by to ask if Victor can baby sit her children, and Margaret says that she'll wait until he's in a good mood before asking. Naturally, this rare event never happens, but Margaret agrees that he'll mind the children anyway. Victor goes to the optician and is left there with his eyes shut and full of eye drops all day long. The cleaner, eventually, attends to him as she does her after-hours work.

Stroppy from the experience, he returns to find a giant bee in the toilet: it's the Monster Raving Loony Party candidate in fancy-dress, who then leaves the house in quite a shaky state! Margaret invites her friend Iris' children over, and after suffering torture from them they get on Victor's nerves so he ties them up in the garage! Whilst waiting to have injuries attended to at Casualty sustained by a mental patient shaving his stomach before supposedly having his appendix out, he shouts support of the Monster Raving Loony Party to the local Conservative candidate after ranting at him.

Broadcast details

Date
Thursday 25th January 1990
Time
9:30pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

  1. Saturday 20th April 2024 at 10:00pm on Yesterday

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Monday 19th September 2011 11:40am Gold
Monday 19th September 2011 4:20pm Gold
Monday 16th January 2012 6:00pm Gold
Tuesday 17th January 2012 2:00pm Gold
Tuesday 3rd April 2012 1:00pm Gold
Tuesday 3rd April 2012 7:00pm Gold
Wednesday 8th August 2012 11:20am Gold
Wednesday 8th August 2012 8:20pm Gold
Saturday 15th September 2012 10:00am Gold
Wednesday 10th April 2013 4:20pm Gold
Thursday 11th April 2013 10:20am Gold
Thursday 5th September 2013 5:35pm Gold
Friday 6th September 2013 11:40am Gold
Wednesday 27th November 2013 5:40pm Drama
Saturday 11th January 2014 1:00pm Gold
Sunday 12th January 2014 7:00am Gold
Thursday 13th March 2014 10:25am Gold
Thursday 13th March 2014 4:55pm Gold
Saturday 10th May 2014 5:30pm Drama
Sunday 11th May 2014 4:45pm Drama
Friday 13th June 2014 9:40pm Yesterday
Saturday 14th June 2014 7:40pm Yesterday
Monday 4th August 2014 4:00pm Gold
Tuesday 5th August 2014 11:00am Gold
Monday 12th January 2015 8:20pm Gold
Tuesday 13th January 2015 2:00am Gold
Wednesday 1st July 2015 10:40am Gold
Saturday 18th July 2015 4:00pm Drama
Friday 4th September 2015 7:30am Gold
Friday 4th September 2015 2:00pm Gold
Saturday 23rd January 2016 5:00pm Gold
Sunday 24th January 2016 10:55am Gold
Thursday 26th May 2016 12:55pm Gold
Thursday 26th May 2016 7:40pm Gold
Saturday 11th June 2016 2:40pm Gold
Sunday 12th June 2016 12:00pm Gold
Monday 8th August 2016 11:35am Gold
Wednesday 9th November 2016 10:40pm Yesterday
Thursday 10th November 2016 8:40pm Yesterday
Saturday 14th January 2017 5:00pm Drama
Friday 24th March 2017 3:00pm Yesterday
Friday 24th March 2017 9:00pm Yesterday
Saturday 3rd June 2017 9:45am Gold
Sunday 4th June 2017 8:50am Gold
Thursday 8th June 2017 8:40am Gold
Thursday 8th June 2017 3:20pm Gold
Friday 5th January 2018 6:00pm Drama
Tuesday 3rd April 2018 11:20am Gold
Tuesday 3rd April 2018 6:40pm Gold
Tuesday 12th June 2018 11:00pm Yesterday
Wednesday 13th June 2018 9:00pm Yesterday
Wednesday 27th June 2018 12:10pm Gold
Thursday 5th July 2018 12:35pm Gold
Friday 6th July 2018 1:15am Gold
Thursday 12th July 2018 12:40pm Gold
Friday 13th July 2018 11:20am Gold
Tuesday 2nd February 2021 11:00pm Yesterday
Wednesday 3rd February 2021 9:00pm Yesterday
Saturday 15th May 2021 9:40pm Yesterday
Sunday 15th August 2021 10:20pm Yesterday
Saturday 18th September 2021 1:00pm Drama
Sunday 10th October 2021 9:00pm Yesterday
Tuesday 26th October 2021 8:30pm BBC4
Saturday 29th January 2022 2:00pm Drama
Saturday 12th February 2022 8:00pm Yesterday
Saturday 26th March 2022 10:00pm Yesterday
Saturday 28th May 2022 4:00pm Drama
Monday 18th July 2022 7:00am Drama
Monday 18th July 2022 6:00pm Drama
Saturday 20th August 2022 10:40pm Yesterday
Sunday 23rd October 2022 6:00pm Drama
Saturday 19th August 2023 11:20pm Yesterday
Saturday 2nd December 2023 10:00pm Yesterday
Saturday 10th February 2024 10:00pm Yesterday

Cast & crew

Cast
Richard Wilson Victor Meldrew
Annette Crosbie Margaret Meldrew
Guest cast
Rebecca Stevens Iris
Roger Hammond Mr. Gillespie
John Bluthal Mr. Jellinek
Cecily Hobbs Eye Clinic Nurse
Norman Lumsden Mr. Parslow
Evie Garratt Old Lady
Victoria Hasted TV Producer
Joolia Cappleman Cleaner
Jim Barclay Mr. Davidson
Edward Harris Dylan
Simon Bright Elliott
John Cassady Hospital Nurse
Heather Canning Hospital Doctor
Tony Mathews Tory MP
Writing team
David Renwick Writer
Production team
Susan Belbin Director
Susan Belbin Producer
Mike Houghton Editor
Chris Wadsworth Editor
Nick Somerville Production Designer
Rebecca Howard Casting Director
Richard Winter Costume Designer
Jean Steward Make-up Designer
Chris Kempton Lighting Designer
Eric Idle Composer
Pete Wane Graphics

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