Following Victor Meldrew and his long-suffering wife Magaret through the trials of retirement and growing old, One Foot in the Grave revels in its bitter humour. Victor is constantly at war with everything around him from his cheerful neighbours to the general public and everything in between. It's a classic case of grumpy old man comedy but one that embraced the darker side of its comedy to great effect. The laughs come from the fact that everything Victor attempts is a chore, couple that with him being an insufferable complainer and you can pretty much imagine what those around him are dealing with. He believes he has the right to be angry as it's 'everyone's fault but his'. His catchphrase 'I don't be-lieve it!' is universally recognised and manages to be funny every time it's uttered. Even now people who complain about everything are compared to the character of Victor Meldrew. Richard Wilson's performance as Victor is inspired, he really gets under the character's skin and at times humanizes him despite the many, many flaws he has. Kudos also goes to Annette Crosby as Margaret, while she lets him get away with murder sometimes, she's not above putting her husband in his place when needs be. The writers never pulled any punches and this was true right up to and beyond the tragic finale. It's a British treasure that demands to be viewed.
A pop culture mad writer from the North East who loves films, television and debating them with whoever will listen.
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