Bad News
The Junior Gazette is still struggling to get by, as is Lynda now that Spike has gone back to America and Kenny has immigrated to Australia. In order to promote the Gazette, Lynda agrees to appear on Crazy Stuff � a kids TV show where the Junior Gazette�s old Head of Graphics, Julie Craig, is now working � but her interview is far from a success after Lynda lets riot on the childish presenter and walks off the set.
Lynda soon finds her week getting worse when the boss of the Junior Gazette
suddenly and the paper finds itself now owned by the deceased�s nephew � a businessman who decides to shut down the
Junior Gazette following its slim profits. Needing to enhance the paper�s profile if there is any chance of survival,
Lynda agrees to go back on Crazy Stuff after her bluntness made her an overnight success � but instead of getting the
chance to plug the paper Lynda has a surprise in store when she is reunited with a newly returned Spike. Instantly
launching into an argument the two are soon creating havoc on the show, resulting in a slapping match and a kiss that
makes them big news amongst the press and overnight sensations. While Colin uses the pair�s celebrity status
to give the Gazette�s sales their much needed boost to stay on the shelves, Julie finds herself out of job at Crazy Stuff,
promoting Lynda to offer her the job of assistant editor.
Notes:
The opening episode of the series once again features pre-sequence titles.
Since the last episode of the third series, Kenny has left to go to Australia.
One of the big in-jokes in this episode is Colin's reference to getting a 'real' American to play Spike in the potential
TV show of his relationship with Lynda, as Dexter Fletcher who plays Spike, is British in real life.
Continuity:
Colin and Lynda refer to Lynda's tendency to throw ashtrays in important meetings as first mentioned in The Last Word -
Part One.
Many references are made to Sam, as Lynda spends the whole episode pretending to get mixed up between Julie and
her predecessor.
Spike reveals Lynda's actions regarding Zoe and the tape in Holding On to the viewers of Crazy Stuff.
Colin's Scam:
Promoting Spike and Lynda's argument.
Quotes:
Lynda: "Strangely enough, I don't particularly feel like taking advice from a man who spends his time behind a
sofa with his arm up an artificial cat!"
Colin: "Can I just say concerning your uncle�s death � bummer. When you�re talking about David Campbell
you�re talking about my favourite dead guy."
Bobby: "Thank you."
Colin: "I mean David Campbell, he was much more than us to a signature on a pile of checks and I really mean that.
He was dad to the whole news team. He was pop, he was the old man. Your uncle, Bobby - was my father."
Bobby: "Can I make a point here."
Colin: "Yeah sure...we�re cousins."
Frazz: [on Lynda and Spike's TV appearance] "Sex and violence - I love children's television."
Full Cast:
Lynda Day � Julia Sawalha
Spike Thomson � Dexter Fletcher
Julie Craig � Lucy Benjamin
Sarah Jackson � Kelda Holmes
Frazz Davis � Mmoloki Chrystie
Colin Matthews � Paul Reynolds
Tiddler � Joanna Dukes
Matt Kerr � Clive Wood
Zack � Henry Naylor
Bobby Campbell � Kevin Allen
Mrs. Campbell � Carolyn Pertwee
Newscaster � Sarah Heenahan
Breakfast TV Man � Paul Raffield
Points of View Woman � Alwynne Taylor
Pompous Man � Roger Leach
Cool Cat Puppeteer � Paul Fulton
Cool Cat � Andy Parsons
Director:
Bob Spiers
Written By:
Steven Moffat
First Transmitted:
7th January 1992
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UnXpected
As part of an anniversary feature on the old popular children television show Colonel X, Frazz is unenthusiastically
watching old re-runs of the show. When Frazz is mugged and knocked out on his way to the Junior Gazette later that day,
he starts seeing visions of Colonel X himself � a big worry considering that the actor who played Colonel
X � John England � died in a car crash years earlier. Convincing himself that the images of Colonel X are just
a side effect of the knock to the head, Frazz begins to worry even more when he still continues to get visits
from him days later. However his worries turn to confusion when he discovers that he isn�t seeing things and that others can see the fictional character too. A visit from a doctor finally helps him solve the puzzle when it turns out that John England survived the car crash that killed his wife but began to lose it following his wife�s death and ended up in a psychiatrist unit as he began to believe he actually was his character Colonel X.
Meanwhile Lynda tries to make Spike jealous by also announcing that she is dating other guys. Convinced Lynda could find
no-one to go out with her, Spike challenges her to a bet that if she can find a willing guy without the aid of force,
he�ll cook them a romantic dinner. After a relentless search, Lynda finally gets Colin to agree, but not surprisingly he later
calls with an excuse as to why he has to cancel. Realising her harsh ways have made her unpopular, Lynda begins to
consider changing her ways - that is until she manages to get a dinner date in the form of Colonel X himself,
whom has turned up at the newsroom followed by Frazz as they await for John England�s doctor to arrive.
Quotes:
Julie: "Do you really think it�s such a good idea to date a guy on the news team. Don�t you think it might just kill the mood a bit, you being his boss?"
Lynda: "Quite the reverse. He�ll know I can dock his pay if I don�t have a good time."
Lynda: "You�ve just entered a room without a string of gags about how pretty you are. Want to talk about it?"
Spike: "Oh it�s a sad story boss � my ego got so big that it left me."
Frazz: "You�re just my imagination, and I must admit it�s better than I thought it was."
Colonel X: "I don�t quite follow what you�re saying Frazz."
Frazz: "I got a knock on the head, I�ve started seeing characters from some kids show..."
[incredulous] "I just explained myself to a symptom of concussion!"
Lynda: "Colin won�t be able to make it. He�s been unavoidable kidnapped by terrorists...I should be touched really. He even went to the trouble of having people shouting in the background in foreign accents. It�s amazing how far people will go to avoid spending an evening with me."
Spike: "Pretending to be kidnapped is not that far."
Lynda: "He offered to send one of his fingers as proof."
Full Cast:
Lynda Day � Julia Sawalha
Spike Thomson � Dexter Fletcher
Julie Craig � Lucy Benjamin
Sarah Jackson � Kelda Holmes
Frazz Davis � Mmoloki Chrystie
Colin Matthews � Paul Reynolds
Tiddler � Joanna Dukes
Colonel X � Michael Jayston
Dr. Threeways � Brian Glover
Dr. Gillespie � Brian Mitchell
Dr. Clipstone � Michael Sheard
Sir Edward � Eric Dodson
Miss. Madden � Gillian Tompkins
Director:
Lorne Magory
Written By:
Steven Moffat
First Transmitted:
15th January 1992
|
She's Got It Taped
Having been paid to phone in a bomb warning to a restaurant, Archie Pressman suddenly finds himself in a bit of a fix
when he discovers his phone is down. Desperately searching for a phone, Archie finally manages to make the call from
Quail�s caf� � but too late as it turns out, when he hears the bomb go off nearby only moments later. Worried someone
may have heard him, Archie�s fears intensify when he spots a nearby tape recorder that Sarah had accidentally left there
following her interview with the caf�s owner about the robbery of his caf� days earlier. Spotting Sarah retrieve the
tape recorder, Archie is left desperate to obtain the incriminating evidence. When Sarah later tracks him down in order to
interview him as a witness to the explosion for a piece in the Junior Gazette, Archie sees the opportunity as a great time
to steal the recorder from Sarah�s bag � unfortunately he soon realises that the tape has already been removed. Heading
over to the Gazette, Archie asks Sarah out on a date purely to try and figure out how much information she knows...and
ends up having a much better time then he imagined. However, having witnessed Archie�s non-reaction to the bomb explosion, Sarah has
worked out the truth about Archie�s role in the situation despite the tape picking up none of the phone call. Using Mr.
Quail�s son to help her, Sarah is finally able to get Archie to confess - and this time on tape.
Continuity:
Lynda mentions to call Kenny when Julie asks about some work.
Sarah mentions all her bad luck with men including Gary from Deadline,
Raymond from Love and the Junior Gazette and Brian from The Big Finish?.
Full Cast:
Lynda Day � Julia Sawalha
Spike Thomson � Dexter Fletcher
Sarah Jackson � Kelda Holmes
Julie Craig � Lucy Benjamin
Frazz Davis � Mmoloki Chrystie
Colin Matthews � Paul Reynolds
Archie � Jay Simpson
Matt Kerr � James Bingham
Mr. Quail � Dave Atkins
Director:
Bob Spiers
Written By:
Steven Moffat
First Transmitted:
21st January 1992
|
Love And War
Spike turns up at the news room after closing hours to leave Lynda a letter, but also ends up calling his father in America,
where he is planning to head out to in a few hours. Leaving an angry message on his father�s answering machine, Spike�s
outburst is soon interrupted by Colin's arrival - an arrival that further aggravates Spike�s mood when Colin chains a
high-tech briefcase to Spike�s wrist that he wants him to deliver to Bixby, a friend of his uncle's. When it is revealed that
Colin doesn�t have the key to unlock the briefcase from Spike�s wrist, Spike is quick to lose it and starts trashing the newsroom � as witnessed by a concerned Lynda. When her attempts to find out what�s wrong with Spike fail, she decides instead to focus her attention on
getting Spike free from the briefcase and so the pair decide to head over to the meeting spot in hopes that Bixby will
have the key. Unfortunately the trip only serves to be further complicating, when it turns out that Colin didn't want Spike to
deliver the case to Bixby, but that he actually
wanted Spike to head over to the office in order to collect another high-tech briefcase, which Bixby places
on Spike�s other wrist, much to Spike's annoyance.
Heading back to the newsroom Spike continues to phone up his father, but is still unable
to express his feelings. However the conversation does manage to uncuff one of the cases as Spike realises that the cases
are voice activated. While one opens with the word Love, the other opens with War. After Colin leaves with the important
cases, Spike tries once more to leave a message to his dad about his feelings. Meanwhile after discovering Spike's letter,
Lynda learns that Spike�s father died suddenly earlier that day. After getting things of his chest, Spike finally allows
himself to break down, with Lynda there to comfort him.
Notes:
This is another episode that takes place over one night, with most of the action taking place in the newsroom. Like
At Last A Dragon, it is also the only episode to contain three characters of the main cast; Lynda, Spike and Colin.
We discover that Spike took his name from the dog in the Tom and Jerry cartoons.
Continuity:
Colin once again refers to his bullet wound from The Last Word - Part Two in order to gain sympathy.
Lynda mentions Kenny again when she confirms she lied when she told Kenny she wouldn't sleep in the newsroom again following his move.
The time Lynda and Spike were stuck to one another in Holding On is mentioned.
Colin's Scam:
The briefcases.
Quotes:
Spike: [to Lynda in her PJs] "You been sleeping here again?"
Lynda: "No, I just thought this would be a great look."
Full Cast:
Lynda Day � Julia Sawalha
Spike Thomson � Dexter Fletcher
Colin Matthews � Paul Reynolds
Marvin Bixby � Kenneth MacDonald
Security Guard � John Ashby
Director:
Bill Ward
Written By:
Steven Moffat
First Transmitted:
28th January 1992
|
In The Picture
Having decided to get back together, Lynda and Spike make a pledge that once Spike gets back from America they�re
relationship will be different and stronger than ever before. Once Spike has left, Lynda receives a visit from
a fellow business-minded woman called Katherine Hill who saw the article about Spike and Lynda�s relationship after their appearance
on Crazy Stuff. While waiting to talk to Lynda about it, Katherine also helps Lynda deal with a tricky
situation she is currently facing. With the Gazette�s sales slumping even further Colin has headed over to the hotel where
John Hartwood - a famous actor - is staying, in hopes to be able to manoeuvre it for Frazz to get some candid shots
from his hiding place across the road and boost Gazette sales. However further research has thrown to light the fact
that John Hartwood has already taken three other papers to court for invasion of privacy � a lawsuit that would sink the
Junior Gazette if it happened to them. While Katherine helps Lynda cover herself for such an event, Julie and Frazz try
and get Colin to leave before he is rumbled � a task trickier than they first thought when John Hartwood�s girlfriend �
ex-Junior Gazette staff member Judy Wellman, turns up. Having briefly dated Colin during her time on the paper, Colin is
forced to hide in case Judy recognises him. His reasons to hide soon multiply when it turns out Judy has arrived to break
up with John, in part because she is still hung up over Colin. When Judy finally does spot Colin, she joins forces with him to help get him out of the room without being discovered by John.
Meanwhile, over at the paper, Katherine Hill�s real identity comes to light when Spike returns from America.
Katherine is Spike�s mother, who Spike met for the first time in eleven years at his father�s funeral, and she�s got important news for the pair�
Notes:
This is the first episode apart from the first episodes in each series, to have a pre-sequence title scene, as Lynda
and Spike agree to get back together.
Continuity:
The episode opens from the exact scene it left off of in Love and War.
Judy appears again for and mentions how Colin was the only man to ever turn her down.
Colin's Scam:
Trying to get a photo of an actor while pretending to be a handyman.
Quotes:
Spike: "Be back before you know it."
Lynda: "I�ll be waiting. Probably behind the door with a blunt instrument."
Spike: "That�ll be your sense of humour."
Colin: "Would you mind moving a bit closer please sir."
John: "Why?"
Colin: "I�m a bit deaf."
John: "Then why don�t you take a step closer to me?"
Colin: "Pardon?"
Julie: [to Colin, on Judy] "Make your apologies and get out. May be she won�t recognise you."
Frazz: "Would you forget a date with Colin?"
Julie: "I�d try."
Full Cast:
Lynda Day � Julia Sawalha
Spike Thomson � Dexter Fletcher
Julie Craig � Lucy Benjamin
Sarah Jackson � Kelda Holmes
Frazz Davis � Mmoloki Chrystie
Colin Matthews � Paul Reynolds
Katherine Hill � Sharon Duce
John Hartwood � Steven Hartley
Newton � Glen McCrory
Tiddler � Joanna Dukes
Judy Wellman � Claire Forlani
Director:
Bill Ward
Written By:
Steven Moffat
First Transmitted:
4th February 1992
|
Day Dreams
Following the return of Spike�s mother, Lynda and Spike�s relationship is thrown into turmoil when Katherine reveals that
she has come to warn them that their relationship is exactly mirroring that of Katherine�s disastrous one with Spike�s father.
Wondering if their lives are really destined
to follow that of Spike�s parents, an agitated Lynda finds her
sleep that night far from restful when she is visited by her guardian angel � none other than her old teacher Mr. Sullivan. Agreeing
to show Lynda glimpses of the future, Mr. Sullivan takes Lynda on a tour of her friends lives, which includes
Frazz as an unsympathetic agony aunt on the radio, Sarah as a unlucky in love war correspondent, Julie as editor of the Junior Gazette with Tiddler as her
assistant editor and Colin as the richest men on Earth and the owner of Britain. But the most scary permission into the
future is that of her relationship with Spike, where Lynda is once again unable to declare her love for him
causing him to leave for good. Realising her mistake, Lynda wakes up with a very important piece of information
in tell Spike�
Notes:
This episode again opens with a pre-sequence title scene, set 21 years previously in California.
Continuity:
The episode carries on from where In The Picture left off, showing Katherine telling Lynda and Spike
about her relationship with Spike's father.
Colin's (future) Scam:
Trying to sell of England.
Quotes:
James: "You gotta problem with your sense of humour?"
Katherine: "I do yes, but I'm hoping you'll go away shortly."
James: "Hey, I know what it is! You're English."
Katherine: "It runs in the family."
James: "I blame the parents."
Lynda: [on Frazz] "Ever thought of recruiting him as a guardian angel?"
Mr Sullivan: "Actually no. But I believe the other side has expressed an interest."
Full Cast:
Lynda Day � Julia Sawalha
Spike Thomson � Dexter Fletcher
Julie Craig � Lucy Benjamin
Sarah Jackson � Kelda Holmes
Frazz Davis � Mmoloki Chrystie
Colin Matthews � Paul Reynolds
Mr. Sullivan � Nick Stringer
Katherine Hill � Sharon Duce
Tiddler � Joanna Dukes
Tony � Greg Cruttwell
Fahid � Kevork Malikyari
Billy Homer � Andy Crowe
Director:
Bob Spiers
Written By:
Steven Moffat
First Transmitted:
11th February 1992
|
