One Foot In The Grave is arguably the most tightly written sitcom of all-time, only Fawlty Towers could really contest that. And whilst John Cleese and Connie Booth could 'only' conjure up twelve immaculate gems, David Renwick managed an entire six series' worth, plus a number of Christmas specials, on his own. The only relatively disposable offerings were the Children in Need/Comic Relief specials, but those were 5-10 minute shorts hastily drafted for a very good cause.
We kid ourselves as the viewer that everything Victor Meldrew finds hilariously irritating about the world - from littering to vandals, car mechanics to madcap neighbours - relates mostly to curmudgeonly pensioners, yet the truth is anybody from their 20s onwards can relate.
It's a dark, occasionally surreal comedy posing as a traditional suburban sitcom, groundbreaking for its' time.
The final episode - NO SPOILERS - polarised opinion, but then finales often do and in my view, fits the tone that One Foot always chased.
Richard Wilson still hears regular "I DON'T BELIEVE IT"s during stage performances and walks down the street, almost 20 years after he last portrayed Victor. That was the level of impact One Foot had on British culture.
We kid ourselves as the viewer that everything Victor Meldrew finds hilariously irritating about the world - from littering to vandals, car mechanics to madcap neighbours - relates mostly to curmudgeonly pensioners, yet the truth is anybody from their 20s onwards can relate.
It's a dark, occasionally surreal comedy posing as a traditional suburban sitcom, groundbreaking for its' time.
The final episode - NO SPOILERS - polarised opinion, but then finales often do and in my view, fits the tone that One Foot always chased.
Richard Wilson still hears regular "I DON'T BELIEVE IT"s during stage performances and walks down the street, almost 20 years after he last portrayed Victor. That was the level of impact One Foot had on British culture.