Birds Of A Feather Series 12, Episode 1 - Knocking On Heaven's Door - British Comedy Guide (original) (raw)
Tracey's ex-husband dies and she has to decide what kind of a send-off to give him. Sharon wants it to be nice for the boys, Dorien has got the perfect outfit, and Chigwell's criminal fraternity want to make it special.
Further details
Darryl, Tracey's ex-husband and father to Travis and Garth, has died whilst doing what he loved - burglary.
Darryl's passing brings the ladies together with some undesirable local characters, including Sharon's would-be suitor, Lenny, for a big Essex funeral.
Meanwhile gangster Vince catches Dorien's eye.
Broadcast details
Date
Thursday 7th January 2016
Time
8:30pm
Channel
Length
30 minutes
Cast & crew
Cast
Pauline Quirke | Sharon Theodopolopodous |
---|---|
Linda Robson | Tracey Stubbs |
Lesley Joseph | Dorien Green |
Charlie Quirke | Travis Stubbs |
Samuel James | Garth Stubbs |
Guest cast
Jamie Foreman | Lenny |
---|---|
Mark Powley | D.S. Barry Farmer |
Martin Kemp | Vince |
Seun Shote | Vicar |
Writing team
Laurence Marks | Writer |
---|---|
Maurice Gran | Writer |
Gary Lawson | Writer (Additional Material) |
John Phelps | Writer (Additional Material) |
Production team
Martin Dennis | Director |
---|---|
Humphrey Barclay | Producer |
Jon Rolph | Executive Producer |
Steve Sheen | Executive Producer |
Jon Blow | Editor |
Heather Gibson | Production Designer |
Irving Berlin | Composer |
David Arch | Composer |
Ian Masterson | Composer |
Press
The resuscitated comedy commences its 12th series, which begins with Tracey receiving news that her ex-husband has left this mortal coil. A send-off paid for and attended by "every dodgy geezer in east London" follows. A very traditional sitcom, but well crafted and far more snappily scripted than when it first returned. To wit, Dorien spots a handsome silver fox of a gangster (Spandau Ballet's Martin Kemp) and asks: "Is that a gun in his pocket? Or ..." Sharon: "It's a gun, keep walking." Boom, boom!
Jonathan Wright, The Guardian, 7th January 2016
Radio Times review
The First Ladies of Essex return with their panto style of comedy. Gags and situations are set up with as much subtlety as Dorien's outfits (in this episode she sports a supremely tasteless funeral frock), but there are some good lines as well as guest appearances from former EastEnders Jamie Foreman and Martin Kemp.
Sharon, Tracey and Dorien are at a funeral attended by what they describe as the "Don Corleone Appreciation Society" and featuring a spectacularly decorated hearse. Plus as Dorien's publisher has described her latest bonkbuster Eighty Yards of Ecstasy as "more like 70 yards of yawn", she seizes the opportunity to do some erotic research.
Jane Rackham, Radio Times, 7th January 2016