Ever Decreasing Circles (Series) - TV Tropes Ever Decreasing Circles You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share From left to right: Martin , Paul , and Ann . BBC1 sitcom written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey as a vehicle for Richard Briers , the star of their previous hit The Good Life , which aired for four series between 1984 and 1989. Briers plays neurotic control freak Martin Bryce, a middle manager at a valve manufacturer who organises a wide variety of social and cultural activities for the Close, a housing development in an unnamed London suburb. The lives of Martin and his long-suffering wife Ann (Penelope Wilton) are turned upside-down when laid-back, charismatic hair salon owner Paul Ryman (Peter Egan) moves in next door to them. Martin soon feels his position as "leader" of the Close is under threat from the multi-talented Paul, for whom everything seems to come easy, often courtesy of one of his many casual friends.

Other characters include fellow Close residents Howard and Hilda Hughes (Stanley Lebor and Geraldine Newman), an eccentric middle-aged couple always seen wearing matching jumpers. Much of the series revolves around the one-sided rivalry between Martin and Paul; although Paul is never anything other than friendly toward Martin, Martin resents both the ease with which Paul seems to accomplish everything and the minor changes he suggests to the established routine (such as sitting at a different table to their usual table in the local pub). However, he remains largely oblivious to perhaps the biggest threat of all to his way of life: the unspoken romantic tension between Paul and Ann. In the triple-length series finale, Martin's employer merges with another firm and he is transferred to a new office in Oswestry; though initially reluctant to leave the Close, he is swayed when Ann reveals that she is carrying their child.

Although, as a "sofa sitcom" in the 1980s, it was somewhat at odds with a comedy landscape populated by such series as The Young Ones and Blackadder , it drew audiences of over 12 million at its peak, and Ricky Gervais has named the series as a personal favourite.note When Richard Briers passed away in 2013, Gervais tweeted an offer to the BBC of letting them rerun The Office (UK) for free if they also reran Ever Decreasing Circles. Tropes: AB Negative : In the Series 1 episode "A Strange Woman", Paul is taken away in a police car in the middle of the night. He reveals the next day that he is a registered blood donor with a rare blood type, and had to be fetched to donate to an accident victim. The Ace : Paul. A Cambridge graduate who succeeds almost effortlessly at any job at which he tries his hand, as well as a talented sportsman and musician, and possessing a winning personality that has allowed him to accumulate a friend for every occasion. The only one not overtly won over by Paul is Martin, and even Martin secretly wishes he could be more like Paul.

Alliterative Family : Howard and Hilda Hughes, as well as Dan and Diana Danby from the Series 3 episode "House to Let", and Pam and Peter, Martin and Ann's neighbours before Paul. Annoying Laugh : Howard's high-pitched giggle is clearly intended to be annoying, and often seems to prompt uncomfortable laughter in the live audiences. Babies Ever After : In the series finale, Ann reveals to Martin that she is pregnant, which finally prompts him to accept his promotion and leave the Close. Because You Were Nice to Me : In the Series 2 episode "Boredom", Ann tells Paul that she married Martin because he helped her through a difficult time in her life, and although she finds his obsessive nature vexing at times, she remains as devoted to him as he does to her. Bedmate Reveal : Due to events of which he was unaware, Martin is quite disturbed to wake up next to Paul in Series 2's "The Party" . Howard then pokes his head out from the bedding, playing this twice in one scene.

Brilliant, but Lazy : Paul has shades of this; although he is able to succeed professionally with seemingly minimal effort, he tends to lose interest just as a venture is showing real signs of success, and begins searching for a new challenge. (In the Series 2 episode "A Married Man", Paul's estranged wife Sue explains to Ann that this trait is why she left Paul and ultimately divorced him.) British Brevity : Four series (two in 1984, one each in 1986 and 1987) and a Grand Finale in 1989 for a total of 27 episodes. Butt Monkey : Martin, as the most uptight character in the series, naturally serves as the biggest comic disaster magnet.

Canis Latinicus : In "Manure" from Series 3, Paul manages to persuade the company that plunked a skip at the end of Martin's driveway (after Hilda thought it might be the best way to get rid of the manure that was dumped on it due to a miscommunication with the delivery tractor driver) and refused to move it until it had been there for two days that the terms in their contract outlining this were "de profundis mundi and exctincto crapto". Which, he cheerfully admits to Martin, is complete gibberish, but it gets the desired result and the skip is removed. Catch Phrase : Whatever the situation, at some point Paul will announce, "I've got a mate who [does something relevant and potentially helpful to the situation]." The Charmer : Paul. As well as having a wide enough circle of friends that he seems to have one for every situation, he dates a series of attractive women over the course of the series, and often turns the charm on around Ann. Christmas Episode : Series 2's "The Party", in which Paul hosts an enormous Christmas party and Ann volunteers the Bryces' house to accommodate some of the many guests.

Cool Car : Paul's white vintage MG sports car is admired on multiple occasions by the other characters. Coordinated Clothes : Howard and Hilda Hughes, as part of their characterisation as an eccentric yet very happily married couple, are invariably seen wearing matching hideous homemade jumpers (Hilda is implied to knit them herself). Curb-Stomp Battle : Sporting events in the series often seem to result in this. The under-13 football teams Martin coaches always seem to end up on the receiving end of these; the first episode, "The New Neighbour", opens with a buoyant Martin dropping off his dejected players after a 13-1 loss. In Series 4's "Relaxation", Paul finds a match report from 1981 in which Martin's lads lost 7-0. In the Series 2 episode "The Cricket Match", Martin's cricket team soars to victory thanks to a century from former Cambridge Blue Paul, leading to accusations from the opposing side that he is a ringer .

(Martin, meanwhile, is out for a duck after a bizarre umpire ruling.) Later in Series 2, the episode "Snooker" sees Martin storming to victory over snooker novice Paul in a pub tournament, only to be equally heavily defeated by Howard in the final. Dark Horse Victory : In the Series 2 episode "Snooker", Martin is delighted to discover that, for once, Paul is hopeless at something, and he breezes past him on the way to the final of the local pub snooker tournament, confident in his ultimate victory. However, Howard's anger at being perceived as a loser reaches boiling point after an incident at work, and he proceeds to demolish Martin in the final . Disaster Dominoes : Two noteworthy examples. In the Series 2 episode "Housework", Martin's ambitious attempt to give his house a thorough spring clean while Ann is in hospital quickly turns into this. Although he meticulously schedules both the cleaning and his usual contributions to the social lives of the Close residents, his lack of experience with cooking and cleaning means that the house is soon in complete chaos and his schedule quickly falls by the wayside.

In the Series 4 opener "Relaxation", Martin and Ann have followed Paul's advice and had a long Saturday lie-in... forgetting they are supposed to be driving Howard and Hilda to Heathrow Airport until they hear them knocking at the door. After scrambling to get dressed and struggling to get the van out of the garage, they are delayed by engine trouble, which causes them to get stuck in heavy traffic on the way to Heathrow. By the time they arrive, Howard and Hilda have just minutes to catch their flight, so Martin leaves the van parked in a restricted zone and returns to find it towed away. Finally, a dirty and exhausted Martin and Ann return home to be told by Paul that the Council have shut off the Close's water supply for the afternoon. Driven by Envy : Martin's motivation in his one-sided rivalry with Paul; he is secretly envious of the ease with which Paul both achieves success and wins people over. He therefore takes particular delight at any situation where Paul is clearly out of his element. Drop-In Character : Howard and Hilda drop in on Martin and Ann on a regular basis; we only occasionally see them at their own home.

Fluffy the Terrible : At the beginning of the Series 4 episode "The Footpath", Martin confronts a farmer who chased Howard and Hilda off his land when they walked on what they thought was a public footpath, but the man's Alsatian and gun cause him to lose his nerve. Inevitably, Paul reveals that the farmer, Raymond, is a mate of his, and the "vicious" Alsatian bears the terrifying name... Blossom. Freudian Excuse : As a schoolboy, Martin had a "gang" of friends that fragmented upon the arrival of a talented new boy; Paul's arrival awakens his memories of the experience, leading him to fear that the same thing will happen to his adult social circle. Grand Finale : "Moving On", an 80-minute series finale in which Martin's employer merges with another firm and he is promoted to their branch in Oswestry in Shropshire; though reluctant to leave the life he has built for himself and Ann in the Close, Ann's revelation that she is pregnant finally pushes him to accept the move. In the final scene, Martin and Ann exchange farewells with Howard, Hilda, and Paul in their now empty house.

Happily Married : Although Ann finds Martin's enthusiasm for organisation frustrating at times, they clearly love each other. Howard and Hilda are also happily, if somewhat quirkily, married. Averted with Paul, who is separated from his wife Sue (she appears in Series 2's "A Married Man" to ask for a divorce so that she can remarry). Homemade Sweater from Hell : Howard and Hilda are always seen wearing hideous matching jumpers; it is implied, though not stated, that Hilda knits them herself. Impersonating an Officer : In Series 4's "Neighbourhood Watch", a man Howard and Hilda catch climbing over the back wall of a jeweller's shop claims to be a Detective Inspector in the Metropolitan Police, and, after getting information from Martin about the home security for every house in the Close, invites the members of the watch to a function at the Ritz. However, Paul notices that the function room on the invitation doesn't actually exist and alerts the local police, who are able to arrest the fake policeman and his accomplices before any damage can be done.

I Want My Beloved to Be Happy : In the Series 4 episode "Jumping to Conclusions", Hilda misinterprets an apparent secret meeting between Paul and Ann and relays the news to Martin. Martin decides that Ann would probably be happier with Paul and decides to let her go, telling Ann in his farewell note that he will always love her. Fortunately, Ann and Paul are able to track Martin down and set the record straight before he can make the separation permanent. Man Child : Despite his passion for organisation, Martin comes across as emotionally immature and ill-equipped for adult responsibility in many episodes. Richard Briers commented in an interview that this side of Martin makes the relationship between him and Ann almost more like that of a mother and son than a husband and wife, while Paul becomes a sort of father figure for this strange family. In the Series 1 episode "Taking Over", when Paul remarks that he thinks the pub dinner Martin has booked for the Close's motoring club is overpriced, and that he has a mate who has a pub where they can get a much nicer meal for less, Martin begins sulking and complaining about how hard he has worked, and this is the thanks he gets.

(To Martin's horror, Paul promptly calls his bluff by suggesting that perhaps he does work too hard and that the other Close residents should take over some of the committees.) When Paul tries to help Martin learn to take things a bit easier in Series 4's "Relaxation", the scene where he and Ann help Martin burn several reams' worth of old paperwork for the various Close committees is played as though Martin is a child who is reluctantly letting go of a collection of old toys, and Paul and Ann play the role of the parents trying to re-assure the child that letting go of the past will help him face the future. Mistaken for Cheating : Two examples, one for each of Martin and Ann: In the Series 3 episode "One Night Stand", a practical joke-loving co-worker of Martin's arranges for him to find a strange woman in his bedroom one morning on a business trip. Martin is horrified to discover his "indiscretion" and immediately confesses to Ann, who becomes cold toward him until Paul tricks the joker into admitting the truth in front of her.

In the Series 4 episode "Jumping to Conclusions", Hilda sees Ann climbing over the fence into Paul's garden for a study session for her Open University course. She concludes that Paul and Ann are having an affair, and word works its way back to Martin. Martin decides to leave Ann to what he sees as a happier life with Paul , but is set straight before he can make the separation permanent. Name's the Same : Acknowledged in-universe in the first series; Howard Hughes shares his name with the eccentric tycoon , and another Close resident, Tommy Cooper, shares his name with a popular stage magician and comedian. Paul finds the names much funnier than Martin finds them. Nightmare Sequence : In Series 4's "Half an Office", Martin is convinced he will be sacked after blowing up at his boss for taking away half of his (already small and shabbily-furnished) office, and reacts uncomfortably when Paul offers him a job in his health studio if he should get the sack.

That night, he imagines himself as a corrupt, womanising gangster/brothelkeeper who neglects Ann to the point of starving her; the dream also features Paul as Martin's grovelling doorman, Hilda as one of his tarts, and Howard as Martin's cloth cap-wearing father. Non-Indicative Name : The houses in the Close all have names that evoke images of the countryside (Brooksmead, Hillview, Fircroft), which is at odds with their decidedly suburban setting. To Martin, they are an essential part of the character of the Close; to Paul, they are meaningless nonsense, and in Series 1's "A Strange Woman" he removes the sign with his house's name and burns it. No Sense of Humor : Martin alone among the characters does not find Paul's flippancy amusing. Although said flippancy is occasionally ill-timed, even in lighthearted situations Martin seldom even cracks a smile at Paul's jokes. The closest he gets to telling a joke of his own is describing the neighbourhood as "quite a close Close", a play on words of which he seems very proud.

Not What It Looks Like : In the Series 1 episode "Vicars and Tarts", Martin and Ann are returning home from the eponymous "vicars and tarts" dance when a gloating Martin reveals his underhanded scheme to claim credit for the dance over Paul (the real source of the idea) in the local paper. An outraged Ann orders Martin to stop their van and, still in her tart's costume, storms out. When Martin, still in his vicar costume, gets out and tries to persuade her to return, he exclaims, "Good God, I'm only human!" A passer-by gives them a very disturbed look. Once an Episode : Martin adjusting the direction of the phone receiver in its cradle, sometimes several times in succession. Percussive Maintenance : Paul's "solution" to the lack of water coming out of the taps in "Stuck in a Loft". As he explains to Martin, "When in doubt, give it a clout!" Planet of Steves : The employees at Paul's hair salon are all named Debbie. Poor Communication Kills : The series of misfortunes in Series 3's "Manure" is set in motion by an instance of this.

Paul is away at a Pro-Am golf tournament and has left Martin to receive a delivery of manure, which he asks to be dumped in his driveway. When the tractor arrives, an impatient Martin tells the driver, "Well, I don't want it on my drive, do I!? Put it on Mr. Ryman's!" Unfortunately, he is standing in Paul's driveway as he says this, and as he wanders into Paul's front garden, the tractor dumps the manure in Martin's driveway. Real Song Theme Tune : The opening and closing credits play over a recording of Dmitri Shostakovich 's Prelude in D-flat major, Op.34 No.15. Rules Lawyer : Martin has moments of the Lawful Good variety of this, most notably in the Series 4 episode "The Footpath", in which he discovers that his house was built over a public footpath. He promptly puts a signpost indicating the path in his front garden and a stile over the fence in his back garden.

It is not until a representative from the local Council tells him that only they can put up footpath signs, and that they have no plans to do so since the footpath became defunct when the house was built in the 1970s, that he removes the sign. Schedule Fanatic : Martin is the organiser for dozens of social, sporting, and cultural clubs in the Close, and applies the same mania for scheduling to his home life, much to Ann's frustration. Serious Business : Martin takes his many activities and committees very seriously, and shoots Death Glares at Paul when he tries to make light of them in a bid to get Martin to loosen up a bit. Small Name, Big Ego : Martin becomes one of these in the Series 3 episode "Local Hero" after rescuing a drowning child from a canal and letting the resulting adulation go straight to his head. Hilda makes the mistake of inviting him to speak about his heroics at a Women's Institute meeting, and later tells Howard, Ann, and Paul that Martin just wouldn't stop talking. Stealth Pun : In "Half an Office" from Series 4, we learn that Martin's secretary is named Mrs. Ripper.

He runs into her and her husband Jack in the pub halfway through the episode. Super Ringer : In the Series 2 episode "The Cricket Match", Paul, a former Cambridge Blue, is drafted to replace an injured member of Martin's cricket team. He proceeds to score a century in a partnership with Howard to propel the team to victory, leading their opponents to accuse Martin of bringing in a ringer for what is supposed to be a friendly match. Unresolved Sexual Tension : Between Paul and Ann. Although Paul often flirts with Ann, and she is sometimes tempted to reciprocate, their mutual respect for Martin and his marriage to Ann prevent them from seriously acting on their impulses. Unusual Euphemism : Martin and Ann sometimes use "Kidderminster" to refer to physical intimacy, a reference to one of the few spontaneous things Martin has done in his life: randomly deciding to spend a passionate night with Ann in a hotel in Kidderminster on their way home from a trip to the North. Vacation Episode : Series 4's "Stuck in a Loft" finds the Bryces, the Hugheses, and Paul and his Girl of the Week going on a long weekend to a cottage in the countryside.

Martin proves more adept than Paul at dealing with the cottage's plumbing and fireplace, and finds himself thoroughly enjoying getting the better of his neighbour for once, until he ends up... well, the clue is in the episode title. Verbal Tic : Ann starts repeating phrases three times when she is upset about something but trying to keep it suppressed. Martin's tendency to draw attention to her repetition does not help. Video Inside, Film Outside : Except for the Nightmare Sequence in "Half an Office", which is set indoors but shot on film. Vitriolic Best Buds : Although Martin is often hostile toward Paul for the perceived threat he poses to his position as "leader" of the Close, as well as for his facetious sense of humour, Paul (who has no ambition whatever to replace Martin as "leader" and just wants to contribute where possible) simply shrugs it off and is consistently genial toward Martin. Several episodes reveal that, deep down, Martin wishes he could be more like Paul, and actually does consider him a friend. What Did I Do Last Night?

: In Series 3's "One Night Stand", Martin's prank-loving colleague Rex Tynan gets Martin drunk on a business trip, then arranges for a local girl to be in his room when he wakes up, thanking him for the previous night. A distraught Martin assumes that he has cheated on Ann, but cannot remember the details of his "affair" when asked. :: Indexes :: Ever Decreasing Circles (TV Series 1984–1989) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Martin is a committee man. He has numerous schemes and committees organised around the neighbourhood. He is so obsessive about every detail of everything he does he is driving his long ... See full summary » Stars: Everything looks rosy, despite the big changes. 9.1 The friends rent a country cottage. Martin shines with his practical knowledge. But then he gets a bit stuck. 9.1 Ann is in hospital leaving martin to manage at home by himself.

He plans everything down to the finest detail, but the best laid plans. 8.9 a list of 65 titles created 09 Jun 2014 a list of 23 titles created 31 Jul 2014 a list of 22 titles created 8 months ago a list of 42 titles created 7 months ago a list of 46 titles created 5 months ago Title: Ever Decreasing Circles (1984–1989) 7.4/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Ria, a happily married suburban housewife, reaches the age where she feels as if life is passing her by. Being taken for granted by her butterfly collecting dentist husband doesn't help. So... See full summary » Stars: Wendy Craig, Geoffrey Palmer, Bruce Montague The series followed the wavering relationship between two ex-lovers, Penny Warrender, a secretary for an advertising firm, and Vincent Pinner, an ex ice cream salesman turned turf ...

See full summary » Stars: Paul Nicholas, Jan Francis, Sylvia Kay A rather naive, middle-class man is admitted to a hospital ward and finds that he is sharing it with a working-class layabout and an upper-class hypochondriac. All three of them cause headaches for the hospital staff. Stars: James Bolam, Peter Bowles, Christopher Strauli Wolfie Smith is an unemployed dreamer from Tooting London, a self proclaimed Urban Guerilla who aspires to be like his hero Che Guevara. Leading a small group called the Tooting Popular ... See full summary » Stars: Robert Lindsay, Mike Grady, Hilda Braid The perils of "escaping the rat race" and dropping out of society - to start a farm in Surbiton (and to drive Margo nuts). Stars: Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith Audrey fforbes-Hamilton is sad when her husband dies but is shocked when she realises that she has to leave Grantleigh Manor where her family has lived forever. The new owner is Richard De ... See full summary » Stars: Penelope Keith, Peter Bowles, Angela Thorne Comic goings on in this series set in an English holiday camp called Maplins.

The title comes from the camp's greeting, which the staff are meant to say with enthusiasm but all too often ... See full summary » Stars: Paul Shane, Ruth Madoc, Jeffrey Holland Bless This House centres on life in Birch Avenue, Putney, where travelling stationery salesman Sid Abbott (Sidney James) and his wife Jean (Diana Coupland) live with their teenagers: Mike (... See full summary » Stars: Sidney James, Diana Coupland, Sally Geeson The Liverpool-based Boswell family are experts at exploiting the system to get by in life. Despite the fact that none of the Boswells are officially employed, they manage to live a fairly ... See full summary » Stars: Jean Boht, Nick Conway, Jonathon Morris BBC Television comedy detailing the fortunes of Reginald Iolanthe Perrin. Disillusioned after a long career at Sunshine Desserts, Perrin goes through a mid-life crisis and fakes his own ... See full summary » Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Pauline Yates, John Barron Jacko is a house painter who "appreciates" women, he sees the best in each one of them and they in turn, like him. Will he find true love ?

Will he settle down as he gets older ? Stars: Karl Howman, Mike Walling, Jackie Lye The comic adventures of a group of misfits who form an extremely bad concert party touring the hot and steamy jungles of Burma entertaining the troops during World War II. Stars: Windsor Davies, Melvyn Hayes, Donald Hewlett Edit Storyline Martin is a committee man. He has numerous schemes and committees organised around the neighbourhood. He is so obsessive about every detail of everything he does he is driving his long suffering wife, Anne, slowly crazy. Then the new neighbour Paul arrives. He has a more worldly outlook than those who live under Martin's organisational spell. There is an immediate clash of personalities because Martin treats everything so seriously, but to Paul, life is for enjoying and not to be taken so seriously. Written by Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk> 29 January 1984 (UK) See more » Also Known As: The role of Martin was written with Richard Briers in mind. See more » Quotes Martin Bryce : [describing the road in which he lives, giving a laugh like he's pleased with his joke] We're a very close close.

(United Kingdom) – See all my reviews Apart from Only Fools and Horses there is no better mainstream 80s comedy than this, on the surface it's the usual middle class suburban fare with clichéd characters but is a whole lot deeper, cleverer and funnier than that. Richard Bryers gives his best comedy performance, quality support from Penelope Wilton and Peter Egan is well cast as his foil Paul. Then of course the shows light relief in the form of 'his and hers' outfits, Howard and Hilda. The show exists in very ordinary unspectacular surroundings of a London suburb but no shame there, as thats pretty much the situation most of us live in. Much of the comedy derives from Martin Bryce's (Byrers) insecurity as he see's Paul as the threat to his quiet little corner of England. 3 of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes BFI Screenonline: Ever Decreasing Circles (1984-87) Ever Decreasing Circles (1984-87) 26x30 min episodes in three series plus one special, colour John Esmonde Cast: Richard Briers (Martin Bryce); Penelope Wilton (Ann Bryce); Peter Egan (Paul Ryman); Stanley Lebor (Howard); Geraldine Newman (Hilda) Seven years after the demise of their successful satire of suburban non-conformity, The Good Life John Esmonde and Bob Larbey reunited with its star The character created for Briers , Martin Bryce, is a neighbourhood busybody and chairman of the residents' association, who has transformed his box room into an office with essential duplicating machine. He is also an obsessive-compulsive, who is deeply uncomfortable about change and insists that the telephone receiver is the 'right way round'. Ever Decreasing Circles is full of such acute observations of human behaviour. Though happy to interfere in the lives of his neighbours (in particular Howard and Hilda Hughes, a devoted couple with a penchant for matching sweaters), Martin takes for granted his long suffering wife, Ann, leaving her in a state of perpetual exasperation.

Martin's world is turned upside down by the arrival of next door neighbour Paul, his complete antithesis. A hairdresser and a suave ladies man, Paul has a long list of friends to call on to solve problems, and ingratiates himself into the community with little effort. Martin's inferiority complex kicks in and he becomes obsessed with his own little game of one-upmanship. Frustrated with the emotional inhibitions of her insufferable bore of a husband, Ann strikes up a flirtatious relationship with Paul, leaving the audience wondering if they will embark on an affair. The writers had intended the pair to elope at the end of the first series, but instead Ann remains as faithful, if vexed wife. After a repeat of the first series, more than nine million viewers tuned into the second. The sitcom's success owed much to Briers' characterisation, by turns infuriating and endearing. When Martin briefly leaves Ann at the end of the fourth series, Briers ' performance is poignant and genuinely moving as he wrestles with the character's inner turmoil.

With 'alternative' comedy now almost the mainstream, suburban sitcoms were increasingly unfashionable by the end of the 1980s, and the writers brought the story to a close with an 80-minute special (tx. 24/12/1989), with Martin and Ann's marriage finally finding some openness. Martin is hit by a number of bombshells: his firm, Mole Valley Valves, is relocating and Anne is expecting their first child. Martin's final act as the pair leave for a new life in Oswestry is to place the telephone receiver around the right way. Graham Rinaldi Ever Decreasing Circles | Noise to Signal Login disabled. Ever Decreasing Circles Following the sad death of John Esmonde , I thought I'd dig out this article I wrote for some time ago celebrating perhaps the very best of Esmonde and Larbey's sitcoms, Ever Decreasing Circles. Hopefully I'll be able to prove the obituary writer wrong in their assessment of EDC as 'bland and inoffensive'. They really weren't paying attention...

The BBC used to be terribly good at churning out odd sitcoms that, while looking inoffensive enough, were actually rather subversive and cerebral. Ever Decreasing Circles ran for a compelling four series, and served as a reminder of how fragile marriage and friendship are, especially if you're taking your loved ones for granted. Written by Esmonde and Larbey, the partnership that brought you the ultimate suburban sitcom, The Good Life , the programme focuses on Martin Bryce, a obsessive and uptight man who organised just about every activity bar orgies in his part (in more ways than one) of Horsham, a town in Surrey. Running the lives of the inhabitants of 'the Close' dominates Martin's life, to the point of having his box room as an office, and owning a duplicating machine. His ambition is to buy a photocopier. This sort of drive to be invaluable to the community, although laudable in its own way, does seem to be symbolic of something else missing, and Richard Briers certainly plays Martin in a manner that almost suggests autism in the first series (1984).

Briers later gives a similar performance in the criminally underrated (and just released) The theme tune, an ostensibly twee piano piece (according to alt.fan.shostakovich , the Prelude Op. 34 No. 15 by Dmitri Shostakovich, played by Ronnie Lane), has a curious rhythm about it, which seems to signify a descent into mania on the part of the pianist. Martin also owns a hopelessly rigid and old-fashioned moral code, which causes him to describe Les Dawson as an alternative comedian. As Ann says "I don't think Martin entirely approves of the 20th Century.". Obviously, Martin cannot hold together the community and his marriage at the same time, which is why Ann Bryce epitomises the phrase 'long-suffering', as she tries to grab back her husband from his mania. Ann herself is an unlikely wife for Martin, as she is sociable, kind, thoughtful and open-minded, and this marriage of opposites is highlighted by the arrival in the first episode of their new next-door neighbour, Paul Ryman. Paul runs a hairdressing salon, and is totally at his ease with women, with a naughty glint in his eye.

As Paul is instantly popular with people, has no respect whatsoever for Martin's reverence for tradition, and seems to master anything he puts his mind to, Martin is fearsomely jealous and scared of him. In some respects, he has cause to be scared, as Paul and Ann instantly hit it off, and the saga of whether Ann will give in to Paul's shameless flirting carries on throughout the four series. Martin and Ann's friends (and cohorts), Howard and Hilda, are a blissfully married couple whose contentment lies in wearing the same clothes, and going through the same twee verbal exchanges every day, when Howard leaves and returns from work. Hilda describes Howard's joke on returning from work "As funny today as it was 23 years ago". However, Howard and Hilda should not be underestimated. Hilda particularly shows a passionate soul at times, and clearly fancies Paul rotten, although she adores Howard far too much to ever be tempted. Howard is often browbeaten by Martin into joining in his 'community' schemes, but can stand up to Martin if he feels that his own set of values are being threatened, and will not tolerate Martin's occasional bursts of temper.

Although they are essentially as closed-minded as Martin, Howard and Hilda are really quite fond of Paul, and often find themselves in an awkward position because of Martin's inferiority complex. Martin's inferiority complex comes from a life lived as an outsider, with his great mission being someone who is needed and respected, leading to him often creating his own world in his head when the real one doesn't come up to scratch. To hear him talk about his job (a stock control manager), you would be forgiven for assuming that he played an important role in his organisation, but his real lack of status is shown when he gets his office reduced in size. Martin is forced to stand up for himself, and we get an idea of what has made Martin the person he is when he recalls past humiliations. He is someone always searching for popularity, and fulfills his desire to be needed through his community activities. For Martin, the Close is his patch, which can only be served properly by him, and anyone who threatens that is not to be tolerated. Paul is effortlessly popular, which drives Martin to distraction, but what Martin is too angry to realise is that Paul has his own need to be loved.

There isn't an activity Paul can't sort out by calling on one of his friends, and although his generosity of spirit and charm has clearly served him well throughout his life, it seems obvious to the viewer that he has mainly bought friendship. However, it is undeniable that he has exceptional talent, as he played cricket for Cambridge University, and, as his estranged wife explains, took up ladies' hairdressing on a whim and became better than her very quickly. Martin feels the apparent injustice of this acutely. He is particularly wounded in the local cricket match in series two (1984), where he reluctantly lets Paul play under pressure from Howard and Ann. He has to face an angry captain of the losing team, who accuses him of cheating, as the two teams are made up of enthusiastic amateurs, rather than skilled players. It is difficult not to feel sympathy for Martin, who prizes his value of fairness, something that Paul sidesteps in order to gain in popularity locally. Martin, with less justification, also feels that Paul is not playing fair in other community activities, and is trying to usurp his imaginary position as pillar of the community.

All Paul really does in the early days is show just how boring Martin's efforts to organise things his way are to others, and injects a bit of fun into proceedings. Interestingly, although Paul only shows a desire to wind up Martin at first, he gets more like Martin as the series goes on, to the point where he slips into Martin's place effortlessly. Martin is further humiliated (at least in his eyes) when he spring-cleans the house when Ann is in hospital, imagining that his talents extend to housework, showing just how much he underestimates Ann's contribution to the running of the household. Paul has to step in and save him from the mess he gets himself in, which looks like an opportunity for Martin to revise his opinion of Paul. It doesn't happen, and even in series three (1986), when Paul actually saves Martin's marriage from breaking up from the actions of a truly contemptible colleague, Martin still can't accept that Paul is capable of helping him. For all his faults, Paul represents a voice of sanity in the Close, although Martin sees him as a force for anarchy.

While Martin follows his own moral code to its often destructive conclusion, Paul's more flexible approach means that he is a lot less naïve than Martin, and manages to save Martin's Neighbourhood Watch group from disaster in series four. Martin's self-righteousness is given a rather painful prick in this episode, and serves to remind him that he alone cannot protect the Close from burglars, as those burglars may not confirm to Martin's idea of what a ne'er do well is. Series four also includes the best example of how frighteningly inflexible Martin can be when he is legally, but not necessarily morally, in the right, when his campaign to secure public footpaths uncovers one running right through his back garden. He justifies himself to Ann thus: "I hate the thought (of strangers walking through their garden), love, but right is right. Now if you'll excuse me for a couple of hours, I have to make a stile.". To the relief of both Martin and Ann, a man from the council comes round and tells them that the council and developers redrew the map when the Close was built.

Martin, through prompting by Ann, realises that he is being ordered to take the sign down, and does so, because he will be obeying authority. Martin also imagines that he holds up a certain set of values on behalf of his household, and seeks to control the behaviour of others in an occasionally alarming fashion. From the start, we see that he has developed the habit of not listening to Ann, and that she is often forced to lose her temper in order for him to take notice of her. As a consequence, Martin has imagined that Ann agrees with his outlook on life, so when she becomes a mildly radicalised Open University student, Martin is outraged. Although he is proud of her desire to learn, despite trying to turn it into a point-scoring exercise against Paul, he cannot tolerate her protest against funding being cut for her studies, equating it to a support for communism. Obviously, this is absurd, but Martin is supported in this view by both Howard and Hilda, who nonetheless turns up to accompany Ann in her protest solely so Howard will be forced to drag her back home with him.

Leaving aside Hilda's pre-feminist behaviour, the funniest part of this episode is Paul turning up in a Russian hat with a large placard proclaiming 'Lenin Is a Nice Man'. Although it wouldn't have helped Ann in the slightest, the prospect of annoying Martin was clearly too tempting for Paul to pass up. Howard and Hilda show the same single track of thought when Paul helps out Ann with her Open University studies, as the meetings have to be secret to avoid Martin's jealousy. Hilda catches sight of Ann climbing over her fence into Paul's garden, and her imagination causes just the sort of trouble Ann was trying to avoid. Martin's desire to control the lives of his friends (and Ann) also becomes evident when the four of them are planning to visit the same hotel in Bavaria for the eighth year running, much to Ann's not-quite-so-secret disappointment. Paul offers them the chance of a villa in Spain, and Martin turns him down, for, he thinks, all of them. Howard and Hilda then decide to take the offer, much to Martin's disgust, and Ann is livid when she learns that Martin turned down the offer in her absence.

She decides she will go to Spain, which upsets Martin a great deal, but then changes her mind when she learns Paul will be there too, as she realises the effect it will have on both Martin and herself. She tells a much relieved Martin, who then agrees (after some coaxing) to a holiday in Greece. Martin does soften throughout the programme's run (although he's still uptight and humourless to the end), mostly due to the efforts of Ann and Paul. Paul tries to get Martin to break out of his prison of old match reports and bus tickets when his fussing over undone jobs keeps Ann up all night, although it backfires when Martin gets so relaxed that he forgets that he had promised to take Howard and Hilda to the airport. Ann also tries to persuade Martin to visit a psychiatrist, but he is unable to understand why he should go. Ann's efforts aren't confined to improving Martin's personality, however. Ann is not content as a housewife, regardless of the entertainment Martin provides, and this manifests itself in behaviour which looks like boredom to the average viewer, but is incomprehensible to Martin.

In the first series, Ann often repeats things three times, although the arrival of Paul makes her life a little more interesting, which causes her to stop by the end of the series. By the second series, Ann decides that even life with Paul around is rather too repetitive, and takes off on a day trip to Bourlogne, horrifying Martin when bad weather causes her to stay over for the night. Paul then offers her a job in his salon, but withdraws it when he realises that Ann wants it to spite Martin's pride over her not having to work, showing that he isn't willing to foster bad relations between the Bryces. After a short but unsuccessful job search, Martin suggests the Open University, and so Ann becomes a student. The Christmas special of the second series presents Martin with a challenge when, while he is in bed, Ann and Paul use both houses to house all of Paul's guests for Christmas. To Martin's horror, even Howard and Hilda are having a good time. However, in a very clever piece of reverse psychology, Paul gives Martin the job of organising accommodation and rotas, which Martin throws himself into with glee. "You know, I've worn out three biros already!".

Given that Ann and Martin are often quite different, the viewer could be forgiven for asking why they ever got married in the first place. Esmonde and Larbey show their talent for character development throughout the show's run, giving us scenes suggesting that Martin wasn't always putting community before Ann, with Ann always bringing up the memory of a weekend in Kidderminster to get Martin in the mood. The sight of an aroused Martin is intriguing, and lets us see the Martin that Ann fell in love with. However, that is not the whole story. Despite Martin's old-fashioned ways and obsessions that often result in her exclusion, the storyline with Paul demonstrates just how much Ann really loves Martin, and that her love goes deeper than a dirty weekend in the West Midlands. As she tells Martin later in the series' run, she loves him because of his belief in honesty and integrity, which is under threat due to his unreasonable loathing of Paul. In fact, if Ann had loved Martin any less, their marriage would certainly have broken up, as Martin's inability to come to terms with himself causes rifts between them, but it's fair to say that the real trouble lies only in Martin's head. In effect, he nearly splits up with himself.

The depth of his despair is shown in a scene from the fourth series (1987), where a curious sequence of events leads him to believe that Ann has finally left him for Paul. He breaks down in tears, which is impossible not to be moved by, even when you've been infuriated by his behaviour earlier. He shows how much he really loves Ann by leaving the martial home, leaving Ann a note to wish her luck with Paul, bringing meaning to the phrase 'If you love someone, let them go.'. Their reconciliation, rather aptly in the library when Martin is taking his books back, brings a much-needed openness to their relationship, and sets the scene for the final feature length episode broadcast in 1989, New Horizons . The feature-length episode features a newly promoted Martin, who is content with his life for perhaps the first time, when he is given the news that the company is relocating to Oswestery, and that he has the option of earning a great deal more money if he moves with the company.

Martin tells everyone he knows that he couldn't possibly move, as he feels part of the Close, and the whole episode then shows us, and Martin, that while people may have appreciated his efforts, he is not irreplaceable. It takes an argument with Ann for her to tell him that part of the reason she wants to move is that she is pregnant with their first baby, and the possibility of Martin getting a different job at his age is remote. We see the organisation of the local fete, where Martin recognises that he no longer has the time to devote to it, and finds himself handing over the organisation to Paul, who, with the help of his contacts, does a better job. Although the episode gives us a nice conclusion to the series, it is over-long, and could have been done within 40 minutes. As a consequence, the joke rate is vastly reduced, but it is still well written and serves a useful purpose, as we see the final breakthrough of Martin's character. After almost resenting his unborn child for 'forcing' him to Oswestery, Martin suddenly realises how badly he has behaved, and how his presence in the Close is not essential.

As he explains to Ann: "In order for someone like me to be centre stage, I needed to write the play.". It becomes clear to Martin that the play is not ending, but simply entering the next act. Mark Lewisohn, in the Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy , gives a damning account of Martin, and suggests that Ann should have left him for Paul, but this seems a bit unfair. After all, Martin was simply trying to represent values of honesty, integrity, and caring for others. Ann stays with Martin because she admires these core values: it's just because Martin got so caught up in trying to uphold these values for everyone else that he became so inflexible. The result of such dogmatic thinking is still clearly to be seen in the world today. Ever Decreasing Circles seems to be one of the forgotten jewels in BBC Light Entertainment history, as it is hilarious, witty, touching and intelligent. In fact, it is far superior to the (still excellent) Good Life . In addition to the fine writing and production, the casting is perfect. Richard Briers gives a painfully accurate performance of Martin, with Penelope Wilton showing Ann as a frustrated, but tolerant and loyal wife, who is a well-rounded individual in her own right.

Peter Egan is a charming and compassionate Paul, with the sort of smile that would make a pair of knickers drop at 30 paces, and Stanley Lebor and Geraldine Newman make a perfect Howard and Hilda. It is a wonderfully watchable masterpiece. Ever Decreasing Circles (1984) Cast and Crew, Trivia, Quotes, Photos, News and Videos - FamousFix Photo Credit: lonepine Ever Decreasing Circles is a British situation comedy which ran on BBC1 for four series from 1984 to 1989. It was written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey , and it reunited them with Richard Briers , the star of their previous hit show, The Good Life . It was much less brash than most situation comedies, and was more like a comedy-drama in places. This move into darker areas of comedy was continued with Briers's later series If You See God, Tell Him . Wikipedia Contents From this profile you will find 1 quote , 18 lists , 2 awards , 1 news story , and key facts about Ever Decreasing Circles! Related Lists

Question: Howard and Hilda Hughes are characters in which 1980’s BBC television series?
Answer: Ever Decreasing Circles