Review for Room at the Bottom - The Complete Series

Before the wonderfully acerbic ‘W1A’ highlighted the worst pretentions and absurdities of the BBC last year, there had been very few programmes that dared take such an obvious gnash at the hand that feeds. Perhaps ‘Room at the Bottom’ was the first. That may well be, but it certainly isn’t the best.


Whilst ‘W1A’ was very overt about it being send up of the BBC specifically, ‘Room at the Bottom’ was more of a send up of the industry as a whole. Airing for two series (13 half hour episodes in total) between 1986 and 1988, it featured a group of cynical producers, writers and technical crew at a fictional TV production company called ‘Megla TV’.


The two main characters are a megalomaniacal boss, Kevin Hughs (played by Keith Barron) and a ‘former drama producer’ who has now been demoted to a game show producer (Nesbitt Gunn played by James Bolam) – the indignity of it! Each episode takes the collective cynicism of the industry a step higher as farce after farce unfolds.


With some surprisingly over the top performances with the cast hamming it for their lives (the heady influence of a contemporary Rik Mayall and co perhaps?) it really surprised me to note that it was co-scripted by Ray Galton – he of Galton and Simpson fame. It certainly lacks any of the brilliance of Hancock or Steptoe and Son but it’s suffering from a lack of Alan Simpson’s eye for comedic detail and subtlety. The concept for the series is credited to John Atntrobus (he then co-wrote it with Galton) who had written a number of ‘The Goon Show’ episodes with Spike Milligan, among other programmes.


The series opens with a less than sparkling episode that sees the hapless Gunn locking himself in his office and refusing to move when he learns that he is to be moved from drama to ‘light entertainment’. Acting like a five year old child with a tantrum, it’s a highly unconvincing portrayal – a world away from the subtleties of W1a. But once you get the measure of the series, you kind of settle into the groove and with expectations suitably lowered it does become watchable, if not particularly sparkling. (I know that this is extremely subjective of course, as is all humour, but as a reviewer what can I do? I know folk who love ‘Bottom’ or ‘Red Dwarf’ for example, whereas I can’t stand either.)


There are clearly nods to Murdoch in Baronn’s portrayal as the channel’s boss and elements which I’m sure, back in the late eighties, seemed very contemporary but the series looks and feels a bit tired through today’s lens. Much is made of the endless politics, back-biting and competition in the industry, as well as its intrinsic unfairness to those with talent. In this series, people rise to the level of their own incompetency, viewed with incredulity by their talented and put-upon peers.


Worthy of mention is a pre-Victor Meldrew Richard Wilson as the stations resident Chaplain, who is by far the funniest role in the series.

A couple of episodes betray the era in which it was made and would almost certainly not get past the start gate these days – notably ‘The German Visitor’ which is full of all the usual period stereotypes, if not quite as pantomime as ‘Allo Allo’. In it, Gunn has to try and sell a quiz show format to a visiting German – and naturally puts his foot in it repeatedly.


‘The Theatre Ticket’ was relatively amusing as Gunn promises theatre tickets to his boss which he then discovers are sold out – a classic sit-com style farce. Another, where Gunn has to arrange a surprise birthday party for his boss is equally farcical.


Then there’s an episode where Gunn’s Italian girlfriend is determined to win a car on one of Gunn’s shows, with all the difficulties that apparent self-interest might bring. The last episode of the two series shows all the staff aboard ‘The Orient Express’ where its business (and trouble) as usual.
Image quality is fine throughout for a programme filmed, for the most part, on analogue video tape.


‘Room at the Bottom’ isn’t a bad series by any means – it’s just not all that good. Which is a shame because its credentials (with a great writer and cast aboard) look great on paper. However, if you remember it with fondness and can watch it in the spirit intended (that of the mid to late eighties) then you may well enjoy it well enough. Whatever the case, we should be grateful to Network for its release.