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The Brittas Empire

7.1IMDb4.2K votes1991 – Ended7 Seasons50 EpisodesComedy

7.1IMDb4.2K votes

6.6TMDB

The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Chris Barrie stars as Gordon Brittas, the well-meaning but inept manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. The show aired for seven series and 53 episodes—including two Christmas specials—from 1991 to 1997 on BBC1. Norriss and Fegen wrote the first five series before departing from the show. The Brittas Empire enjoyed a lengthy and successful run throughout the 1990s, attracting large mainstream audiences. In 2004, the show ranked 47th in the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll, and all series have been released on DVD. Creators Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen often blend farce with surreal or dramatic elements in their episodes. For instance, in the first series, the leisure centre prepares for a royal visit, only for the doors to seal, the boiler room to flood, and a visitor to get electrocuted. Unlike traditional sitcoms, deaths were quite common in The Brittas Empire.