Gimme Gimme Gimme
Encyclopedia
Gimme Gimme Gimme is a BBC
television
sitcom by Tiger Aspect Productions
that ran for three series between 1999 and 2001. It was written by Jonathan Harvey
, who developed the series with Kathy Burke
.
The theme song was a cover of ABBA
's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
". The first series was shown on BBC Two
, being deemed successful enough for the second and third series to be shown on BBC One
. A fourth series was to be produced for 2002, but the BBC decided to drop the programme and cancelled production.
and director
Kathy Burke
as loudmouthed London
er Linda La Hughes
and James Dreyfus
as her gay
flatmate, Tom. A modern twist on the traditional 'odd couple' format, much of Gimme Gimme Gimmes humour springs from its lubricious innuendo
subplot, which springs from the mouths of both Tom and Linda.
Linda is characterised by her red perm
, white glasses, and plump, lycra-clad figure. Boorish, unattractive Linda is convinced she is a "stunner"; in series three she is finally diagnosed with reversed body dysmorphic disorder
. Linda shares a flat with homosexual actor
Tom Farrell
, played by James Dreyfus
. It is suggested that Linda and Tom first met at a night club, bonded instantly (due to both being on ecstasy), and decided to live together. What follows is, as writer Jonathan Harvey describes, "one long come-down." Linda often tells humorous anecdotes about her family and childhood which suggest abuse or neglect (such as how she apparently slept on a doormat as a baby, lived in a kennel as a child, and was left in a car-boot for the two weeks her aunt went on holiday), but she always thinks of these as positive experiences. She also claims that her Daddy now lives in an iron lung
, although the only proof she has is a photo of a sideboard. Linda also lived in a convent
and a borstal
as a teenager. She has crushes on Liam Gallagher
(in whom she lost interest after series one as she "couldn't bring up another bird's child"), Robbie Williams
, and both male members of Hear'Say
. She also imagines having sex with Dale Winton
in a toilet cubicle.
Tom is melodramatic yet fails in his desire to get acting roles. He believes himself to be truly gifted in the art of acting, and often blames his failures on his agent or society itself. He did appear in one episode of EastEnders
and often brags about it, delaying for as long as he can the fact that he was in one scene, had one line, and did nothing but buy a cagoule from Bianca Jackson
's market stall. He also appeared in Daylight Robbery as an extra
, standing in a queue in the background. He had one line but it was cut due to timekeeping. He insists that the entire series was ruined due to the axing of his line. Tom has an obsession with appearing to be middle-class even though he hails from a working-class background, possibly because he also has a hatred of his parents. It is often suggested that Tom has no friends whatsoever (apart from Linda and his housemates) but unlike Linda he usually tries to pretend he is popular. Tom is in love with the actor Simon Shepherd
.
Although they appear to loathe each other, Tom and Linda are beholden to each other due to the simple fact that nobody else can tolerate them. They are in many ways alike: selfish, unsuccessful, and physically and personally unattractive. The hapless duo live in a Kentish Town
flat
(69 Paradise Passage, Kentish Town) rented from elderly ex-prostitute Beryl Merit (Rosalind Knight
). Other regular characters are the middle-class and horny married couple Jez (Brian Bovell
) and Suze (Beth Goddard). Many of the storylines revolve around the fact that Tom and Linda find Jez sexually attractive while both (particularly Linda) despise the oblivious Suze. Another recurring character is Sugar Walls (Elaine Lordan
), Linda's celebrity sister. Many of the other characters can be just as hapless as Tom and Linda; Beryl still engages in sexual activities such as S&M and picking up young and married men, while Jez and Suze generally lack common sense. For example, they once cancelled their holiday to the Algarve and paid £500 to stay in their own back garden after Linda opens it up as a camp site.
Guest appearances have been made by Simon Shepherd
, Su Pollard
, Charlie Condou
and Rose Keegan
. When Su Pollard (playing Heidi Honeycombe) made her appearance, it led to a pun where Linda greeted her with the words "Heidi! Hi!" (a reference to Pollard's character in the sitcom Hi-de-Hi!
).
At the end of series three, Tom finally got his big break in TV soap opera
Crossroads. The last episode ended with Tom leaving the flat and Linda taking off her hair (revealing it to be a wig) and sitting in the flat alone.
- Linda is an unattractive middle-aged woman who usually wears flamboyant clothing. Linda grabs any opportunity to bluntly flirt with any man she sees. She is delusional about her appearance; in the Series 3 episode "Trauma," she's finally diagnosed with reversed body dysmorphic disorder. Her age is uncertain but has given herself many young ages e.g. 16, 18, 19, 23 and 28. In the Series 2 episode "Dirty Thirty," her birth certificate reveals that she's 39—but in the Series 3 episode "Secrets and Flies," she's unexpectedly reunited with her 28-year-old son; she says she was 15 when she gave birth to him, meaning she must be 43. Her own Mummy died when she was a child, and her Daddy hides from her, although she thinks he's in an iron lung
.
Burke's stunt double throughout the show is Gemma Gould.
Thomas Thessalonius "Tom" Farrell
- Tom is a 30-year-old wannabe (but bad) actor who has only had small roles on TV and on stage. Tom is openly gay and seizes every possible opportunity to get a boyfriend. Throughout Series 1 he often refers to using Ecstasy while out clubbing, and at one point he actually trips after taking Ecstasy at a club on a night out. He also tends to exaggerate a lot. Series 3 concludes with him moving to Nottingham to join the cast of Crossroads.
Beryl Merit
- Beryl is the elderly landlady of 69 Paradise Passage. She is a retired prostitute but stays involved in criminal activities such a shoplifting and bootlegging; in the Series 2 episode "Glad to be Gay?" she's seen to be an escort. Her best friend is Reenie, a fellow former prostitute whom she often mentions and is seen chatting to on the phone, but who never appears.
Jez Littlewood - Jez is Tom and Linda's hunky middle-class neighbour. When Tom and Linda first meet Jez, they think one of them has slept with him, but actually he had just slept on the sofa. Both Tom and Linda constantly lust after him; whilst Tom tends to be subtle about his feelings, Linda boorishly propositions Jez at every opportunity—even in Suze's presence. However, Jez is devoted to his wife.
Suze Littlewood - Suze is Jez's ditzy wife. She can sometimes be nice but on other occasions she can be hyper-active and slightly bitchy. Tom and Linda loathe Suze for standing in the way of their pursuit of Jez. Linda, especially, showers her with vicious insults, most of which fly straight over her oblivious head. She and Jez have a voracious - often vociferous - sex life. In the Series 3 episode "Secrets and Flies" (featuring Linda's own long-lost son), she gives birth to their baby boy, Lee-on-Solent "Lee" Littlewood. Suze has also stated that she is a "committed vegetarian", with a liking for spinach pie and quorn placenta.
Sugar Walls - Sugar (Birthname Sharon La Hughes) is Linda's famous sister. She appears once in series 1 and again in series 2.
, South Bank, London
, England
.
Writer Jonathan Harvey appeared in three episodes; as a guest at the series 1 wedding, once as make-up artist Louis, and then as a customer in a sofa store.
All 3 series are available in the UK on region 2 DVD. They can either be bought separately or all together as part of the complete collection box-set.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sitcom by Tiger Aspect Productions
Tiger Aspect Productions
Tiger Aspect Productions is a British television production company, particularly noted for its situation comedies. Co-founded by producer Peter Bennett-Jones, its productions have included popular hits such as The Vicar of Dibley and Mr. Bean...
that ran for three series between 1999 and 2001. It was written by Jonathan Harvey
Jonathan Harvey (playwright)
Jonathan Harvey is a British playwright whose work has earned multiple awards. He is also a former secondary school English teacher.-Life and works:...
, who developed the series with Kathy Burke
Kathy Burke
Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke is an English actress, comedienne, playwright and theatre director. She is best known for her portrayals of Perry in the Harry Enfield film Kevin and Perry Go Large, and of Linda La Hughes in the British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme...
.
The theme song was a cover of ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! ", originally titled "Been and Gone and Done It", is one of Swedish pop group ABBA's biggest disco hits. It was recorded and released in 1979 with "The King Has Lost His Crown" as the B-side. It appears on ABBA's Greatest Hits Vol...
". The first series was shown on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, being deemed successful enough for the second and third series to be shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
. A fourth series was to be produced for 2002, but the BBC decided to drop the programme and cancelled production.
Premise
Gimme Gimme Gimme stars comedienneComedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
and director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
Kathy Burke
Kathy Burke
Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke is an English actress, comedienne, playwright and theatre director. She is best known for her portrayals of Perry in the Harry Enfield film Kevin and Perry Go Large, and of Linda La Hughes in the British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme...
as loudmouthed London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
er Linda La Hughes
Linda La Hughes
Linda Lolita Lulu La Hughes nicknamed "Olive" is a fictional character who appeared in the 1999-2001 British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme...
and James Dreyfus
James Dreyfus
- Early life and career :Born in London, Dreyfus was educated at Harrow School and then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His parents divorced when he was very young. He is openly gay....
as her gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
flatmate, Tom. A modern twist on the traditional 'odd couple' format, much of Gimme Gimme Gimmes humour springs from its lubricious innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
subplot, which springs from the mouths of both Tom and Linda.
Linda is characterised by her red perm
Permanent wave
A permanent wave, commonly called a perm, involves the use of chemicals to break and reform the bonds of the hair. The hair is washed and wrapped on a perm rod and waving lotion is applied with a base. This solution creates a chemical reaction that softens the inner structure of the hair by...
, white glasses, and plump, lycra-clad figure. Boorish, unattractive Linda is convinced she is a "stunner"; in series three she is finally diagnosed with reversed body dysmorphic disorder
Body dysmorphic disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a type of mental illness, a somatoform disorder, wherein the affected person is exclusively concerned with body image, manifested as excessive concern about and preoccupation with a perceived defect of his or her physical features...
. Linda shares a flat with homosexual actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Tom Farrell
Tom Farrell (Gimme Gimme Gimme)
Thomas Thessolonius "Tom" Farrell, played by James Dreyfus, is the gay flat mate of Linda La Hughes in Gimme Gimme Gimme. Unemployed actor Tom Farrell has a vague ambition to become the British Tom Cruise, but his career is going nowhere, and his love life isn't too hot either.Tom is a constantly...
, played by James Dreyfus
James Dreyfus
- Early life and career :Born in London, Dreyfus was educated at Harrow School and then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His parents divorced when he was very young. He is openly gay....
. It is suggested that Linda and Tom first met at a night club, bonded instantly (due to both being on ecstasy), and decided to live together. What follows is, as writer Jonathan Harvey describes, "one long come-down." Linda often tells humorous anecdotes about her family and childhood which suggest abuse or neglect (such as how she apparently slept on a doormat as a baby, lived in a kennel as a child, and was left in a car-boot for the two weeks her aunt went on holiday), but she always thinks of these as positive experiences. She also claims that her Daddy now lives in an iron lung
Iron lung
A negative pressure ventilator is a form of medical ventilator that enables a person to breathe when normal muscle control has been lost or the work of breathing exceeds the person's ability....
, although the only proof she has is a photo of a sideboard. Linda also lived in a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
and a borstal
Borstal
A borstal was a type of youth prison in the United Kingdom, run by the Prison Service and intended to reform seriously delinquent young people. The word is sometimes used loosely to apply to other kinds of youth institution or reformatory, such as Approved Schools and Detention Centres. The court...
as a teenager. She has crushes on Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher
William John Paul "Liam" Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, the former frontman of the English rock band Oasis and currently of the band Beady Eye. Gallagher's erratic behaviour, distinctive singing style, and abrasive attitude have been the subject of commentary in the press...
(in whom she lost interest after series one as she "couldn't bring up another bird's child"), Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
, and both male members of Hear'Say
Hear'Say
Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
. She also imagines having sex with Dale Winton
Dale Winton
Dale Winton is an English radio DJ and television presenter.-Early life:Winton's father, Gary, was "domineering" and died when Winton was 13. Winton was brought up by his mother, actress Sheree Winton...
in a toilet cubicle.
Tom is melodramatic yet fails in his desire to get acting roles. He believes himself to be truly gifted in the art of acting, and often blames his failures on his agent or society itself. He did appear in one episode of EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and often brags about it, delaying for as long as he can the fact that he was in one scene, had one line, and did nothing but buy a cagoule from Bianca Jackson
Bianca Jackson
Bianca Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted to leave. In 2002 executive producer John Yorke brought the character...
's market stall. He also appeared in Daylight Robbery as an extra
Extra (actor)
A background actor or extra is a performer in a film, television show, stage, musical, opera or ballet production, who appears in a nonspeaking, nonsinging or nondancing capacity, usually in the background...
, standing in a queue in the background. He had one line but it was cut due to timekeeping. He insists that the entire series was ruined due to the axing of his line. Tom has an obsession with appearing to be middle-class even though he hails from a working-class background, possibly because he also has a hatred of his parents. It is often suggested that Tom has no friends whatsoever (apart from Linda and his housemates) but unlike Linda he usually tries to pretend he is popular. Tom is in love with the actor Simon Shepherd
Simon Shepherd
Simon Shepherd is a British actor. He is well known to TV audiences from many appearances, including Dr Will Preston in five series of ITV's Peak Practice....
.
Although they appear to loathe each other, Tom and Linda are beholden to each other due to the simple fact that nobody else can tolerate them. They are in many ways alike: selfish, unsuccessful, and physically and personally unattractive. The hapless duo live in a Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
flat
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
(69 Paradise Passage, Kentish Town) rented from elderly ex-prostitute Beryl Merit (Rosalind Knight
Rosalind Knight
Rosalind Knight is an English actress. She was the daughter of actor Esmond Knight and his first wife, Frances Clare and the stepdaughter of actress Nora Swinburne....
). Other regular characters are the middle-class and horny married couple Jez (Brian Bovell
Brian Bovell
Brian Bovell is an English actor.He has appeared regularly on television since 1980, as well as featuring in the cult film Babylon released the same year. He has also appeared in the play Where There Is Darkness in 1981, winning the 1982 London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Supporting...
) and Suze (Beth Goddard). Many of the storylines revolve around the fact that Tom and Linda find Jez sexually attractive while both (particularly Linda) despise the oblivious Suze. Another recurring character is Sugar Walls (Elaine Lordan
Elaine Lordan
Elaine Lordan is a British actress.Lordan is most famous for her role as Lynne Hobbs in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, which she appeared in from 2000 until 2004...
), Linda's celebrity sister. Many of the other characters can be just as hapless as Tom and Linda; Beryl still engages in sexual activities such as S&M and picking up young and married men, while Jez and Suze generally lack common sense. For example, they once cancelled their holiday to the Algarve and paid £500 to stay in their own back garden after Linda opens it up as a camp site.
Guest appearances have been made by Simon Shepherd
Simon Shepherd
Simon Shepherd is a British actor. He is well known to TV audiences from many appearances, including Dr Will Preston in five series of ITV's Peak Practice....
, Su Pollard
Su Pollard
Susan Georgina "Su" Pollard, 7 November 1949, Nottingham) is an English comedy actress, most famous for her roles in the sitcoms Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord?. She is also well known for her unusual and flamboyant dress sense and her abrupt voice....
, Charlie Condou
Charlie Condou
Charlie Lomax David Condou is an English actor and Guardian columnist who is best known for his role as Marcus Dent in the British soap opera, Coronation Street....
and Rose Keegan
Rose Keegan
Rose Keegan is an English actress of stage, film and television. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She is the daughter of the military historian Sir John Keegan, and grew up at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst....
. When Su Pollard (playing Heidi Honeycombe) made her appearance, it led to a pun where Linda greeted her with the words "Heidi! Hi!" (a reference to Pollard's character in the sitcom Hi-de-Hi!
Hi-de-Hi!
Hi-de-Hi! is a British sitcom that aired on the BBC from 1980-1988. It was set in a holiday camp during the 1950s and 1960s and was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who had written Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum. The title was the phrase used to greet the campers and in early episodes...
).
At the end of series three, Tom finally got his big break in TV soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Crossroads. The last episode ended with Tom leaving the flat and Linda taking off her hair (revealing it to be a wig) and sitting in the flat alone.
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Kathy Burke Kathy Burke Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke is an English actress, comedienne, playwright and theatre director. She is best known for her portrayals of Perry in the Harry Enfield film Kevin and Perry Go Large, and of Linda La Hughes in the British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme... |
Linda La Hughes Linda La Hughes Linda Lolita Lulu La Hughes nicknamed "Olive" is a fictional character who appeared in the 1999-2001 British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme... |
| James Dreyfus James Dreyfus - Early life and career :Born in London, Dreyfus was educated at Harrow School and then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His parents divorced when he was very young. He is openly gay.... |
Tom Farrell Tom Farrell (Gimme Gimme Gimme) Thomas Thessolonius "Tom" Farrell, played by James Dreyfus, is the gay flat mate of Linda La Hughes in Gimme Gimme Gimme. Unemployed actor Tom Farrell has a vague ambition to become the British Tom Cruise, but his career is going nowhere, and his love life isn't too hot either.Tom is a constantly... |
| Brian Bovell Brian Bovell Brian Bovell is an English actor.He has appeared regularly on television since 1980, as well as featuring in the cult film Babylon released the same year. He has also appeared in the play Where There Is Darkness in 1981, winning the 1982 London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Supporting... |
Jez Littlewood |
| Beth Goddard | Suze Littlewood |
| Rosalind Knight Rosalind Knight Rosalind Knight is an English actress. She was the daughter of actor Esmond Knight and his first wife, Frances Clare and the stepdaughter of actress Nora Swinburne.... |
Beryl Merit Beryl Merit Beryl Merit is fictional character From the British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme. She was played by Rosalind Knight.-Background:Beryl is the elderly landlady of Tom and Linda. She has worked in the sex industry for most of her life... |
Regular
Linda La HughesLinda La Hughes
Linda Lolita Lulu La Hughes nicknamed "Olive" is a fictional character who appeared in the 1999-2001 British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme...
- Linda is an unattractive middle-aged woman who usually wears flamboyant clothing. Linda grabs any opportunity to bluntly flirt with any man she sees. She is delusional about her appearance; in the Series 3 episode "Trauma," she's finally diagnosed with reversed body dysmorphic disorder. Her age is uncertain but has given herself many young ages e.g. 16, 18, 19, 23 and 28. In the Series 2 episode "Dirty Thirty," her birth certificate reveals that she's 39—but in the Series 3 episode "Secrets and Flies," she's unexpectedly reunited with her 28-year-old son; she says she was 15 when she gave birth to him, meaning she must be 43. Her own Mummy died when she was a child, and her Daddy hides from her, although she thinks he's in an iron lung
Iron lung
A negative pressure ventilator is a form of medical ventilator that enables a person to breathe when normal muscle control has been lost or the work of breathing exceeds the person's ability....
.
Burke's stunt double throughout the show is Gemma Gould.
Thomas Thessalonius "Tom" Farrell
Tom Farrell (Gimme Gimme Gimme)
Thomas Thessolonius "Tom" Farrell, played by James Dreyfus, is the gay flat mate of Linda La Hughes in Gimme Gimme Gimme. Unemployed actor Tom Farrell has a vague ambition to become the British Tom Cruise, but his career is going nowhere, and his love life isn't too hot either.Tom is a constantly...
- Tom is a 30-year-old wannabe (but bad) actor who has only had small roles on TV and on stage. Tom is openly gay and seizes every possible opportunity to get a boyfriend. Throughout Series 1 he often refers to using Ecstasy while out clubbing, and at one point he actually trips after taking Ecstasy at a club on a night out. He also tends to exaggerate a lot. Series 3 concludes with him moving to Nottingham to join the cast of Crossroads.
Beryl Merit
Beryl Merit
Beryl Merit is fictional character From the British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme. She was played by Rosalind Knight.-Background:Beryl is the elderly landlady of Tom and Linda. She has worked in the sex industry for most of her life...
- Beryl is the elderly landlady of 69 Paradise Passage. She is a retired prostitute but stays involved in criminal activities such a shoplifting and bootlegging; in the Series 2 episode "Glad to be Gay?" she's seen to be an escort. Her best friend is Reenie, a fellow former prostitute whom she often mentions and is seen chatting to on the phone, but who never appears.
Jez Littlewood - Jez is Tom and Linda's hunky middle-class neighbour. When Tom and Linda first meet Jez, they think one of them has slept with him, but actually he had just slept on the sofa. Both Tom and Linda constantly lust after him; whilst Tom tends to be subtle about his feelings, Linda boorishly propositions Jez at every opportunity—even in Suze's presence. However, Jez is devoted to his wife.
Suze Littlewood - Suze is Jez's ditzy wife. She can sometimes be nice but on other occasions she can be hyper-active and slightly bitchy. Tom and Linda loathe Suze for standing in the way of their pursuit of Jez. Linda, especially, showers her with vicious insults, most of which fly straight over her oblivious head. She and Jez have a voracious - often vociferous - sex life. In the Series 3 episode "Secrets and Flies" (featuring Linda's own long-lost son), she gives birth to their baby boy, Lee-on-Solent "Lee" Littlewood. Suze has also stated that she is a "committed vegetarian", with a liking for spinach pie and quorn placenta.
Recurring
Norma - Norma is Tom's agent and appears throughout all three of the series.Sugar Walls - Sugar (Birthname Sharon La Hughes) is Linda's famous sister. She appears once in series 1 and again in series 2.
Production
The series was filmed in front of a live studio audience in Studio 2 at The London StudiosThe London Studios
The London Studios is a television studio complex which is owned by London Weekend Television and has been home to the London Weekend ITV provider since 1972...
, South Bank, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Writer Jonathan Harvey appeared in three episodes; as a guest at the series 1 wedding, once as make-up artist Louis, and then as a customer in a sofa store.
DVD releases
The First and second series are available in Australia. Series 2 was released 6 years after the first series. Series 3 is yet to be released.- Gimme Gimme Gimme - The Complete 1st Series - 22 April 2003
- Gimme Gimme Gimme - The Complete 2nd Series (2 Disc Set) - 2 June 2009
All 3 series are available in the UK on region 2 DVD. They can either be bought separately or all together as part of the complete collection box-set.
Series 1: 1999
| # | |Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|
| # | Title | |Production code |
Series 2: 2000
| # | |Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|
| # | Title | |Production code |
Series 3: 2001
| # | Title | |Production code |
|---|