| The Living Dead | |
| Season 4, Episode 25-402 | |
| Air Date | August 15, 2003 |
| Writer | Paul Mayhew-Archer |
| Director | John Stroud |
| Prod. Code | ICEC481J |
| Previous | A Sporting Chance |
| Next | Taking the Credit |
Synopsis[]
George buys a Life Insurance policy and immediately walks under a bus to cash in his new policy. Even though George is perfectly fine after his encounter with a bus (being a superhero he is, of course, indestructible), he subsequently suffers from a heart attack (due to a heart defect that causes his two hearts to stop for a few minutes) in the health centre, and Janet has to explain to everyone that her husband is dead.
Plot[]
Janet is changing Ollie in the bedroom when he asks her a question ("does my bum look big in this?"). Janet says a bit but explains that all babies wear nappies. George arrives and Janet goes into the living room to see him. He tells her that she is going to be so proud of him, worrying her. He tells her that he's got himself a pension, explaining that the pension man said that if he payed in until he was 65 they'll pay him for the rest of his life, which is 897 year. He tells her that he's also got himself some Life Insurance though Janet says there's no point as he'll never collect. George assures her he will with this one, telling her the way the man explained it was this, he'll pay them £100 a month and if he falls under a bus they'll pay Janet £60'000, he reveals that he payed him the £100 and fell under the first bus he could find.
Janet is embarrased by George's latest act of stupidity but guesses there's no evidence, he shows her the evidence, a tyre track on his jacket. He also says that the driver is a witness, he would have got a statement only he fainted when he approached him. Janet tells George he's missing the point, explaining they only pay out if he falls under a bus and "kick the bucket" at the same time, George thinks it's complicated but decides to have a go, Janet explains that he has to die, when the man said fall under a bus he was using a euphemism, saying it to be tactful. George argues that telling him to fall under a bus doesn't sound very tactful. He asks her if she's sure, saying that there's nothing in the small print about having to die, Janet points out that it says it in the big print "This Policy Matures Upon Your Death". George explains that he never reads the big print as she always tells him to read the small print. Janet tends to the washing and tells George to cancel it, George experiences something in his heart and collapses. When he doesn't reply to her, Janet walks over to him and, believing that he's pretending to be dead, says they're not gonna fall for that. When he still doesn't reply, Janet checks his pulse.
Ten minutes later, Tyler is at the flat and Janet explains the situation, George is dead, there's no pulse, no breath, no heartbeat, there's nothing at all. Tyler assures her that all is not lost and if she just replaces his fuse he'll be fine, confusing her, Tyler apologises for getting George confused with a kettle. Tyler is shocked that George is dead and asks how, Janet doesn't know. Tyler becomes sad, he doesn't know what he's going to do, George was his best friend, his only friend. He pleads for his "master" to come back to him as he is comforted by Janet who assures him it's alright. Tyler says it's alright for her, she doesn't know how it feels. Janet argues that of course she knows how it feels as she's his wife, Tyler corrects himself as she says he could be comforting her. Tyler says that now he's gone, it's the end of her life, she'll never meet anyone as good, she'll never marry again, she'll only know sadness and regret and aching loneliness.
Janet decides that's enough comforting when she thinks about what she's going to tell Ollie. Tyler says that whatever happens she mustn't lie to him, recounting when he was six, he came home one day and his father wasn't there. His mother sat him down and told him he gone away, to Venus to fight the Mekon's evil empire. Tyler says he was always grateful that she told him the truth, Janet tries to understand his dellusions, he says that if she lied and said he just died he'd be devastated, might have gone mad even. Janet goes to tell Ollie when George suddenly awakes and asks ("tell him what?"), shocking her. Janet asks Tyler if he's come back to life or if she's hallucinating, Tyler tells her to not ask him as he's hallucinating all the time. Janet is delighted and kisses George twice, telling him she thought she lost him forever, she asks what happened. George says he doesn't know but he must do it more often. George says hello to Tyler who says that he was dead and came back to life, truly he is just like he who went before him, ET.
Janet explains to George that he stopped breathing and had no signs of life, literally dead for fifteen minutes. George simply says "oh that", he explains that he's just got a slight heart defect in both hearts, nothing major. Janet cannot believe it, saying he was dead, George says not for long, they always start up again. When Janet says why didn't he tell her George says that he couldn't as he was dead, she explains that meant before. George apologises for not warning her but notes that she hasn't always warned him, like that time he came home and her hair had gone red. When Janet explains that she dyed it, George says he didn't know that and thought she had a disease of the head. Janet says she would have told if he stopped screaming, George says that he was scared. Janet asks if he can get the heart defect fixed, George assures her that he's down for an operation on Ultron. George suddenly drops dead again, shocking Janet, George immediately gets back up and reveals he was joking, Janet is not amused.
At the Health Centre, Mrs. Raven is at her desk when a man arrives with a bump on his head, she asks him his name. He explains that he doesn't know his name as he has just been mugged and lost his memory, when he asks if he can see the doctor she asks if he's one of his paitents. The man doesn't know as he's lost his memory, Mrs. Raven simply says she can't help him. He walks off as Janet and George arrive, Janet notes that he doesn't look too good, Mrs. Raven agrees that Mr. Davis doesn't, revealing she knew who he was. Mrs. Raven asks George how he is, when he tells her about a "slight irregularity of the heart" she explains it's an expression and it doesn't mean she wants to know. Janet is confused when she finds a sign on the door under "Nurse" saying "Hypnotherapist", it is revealed Mrs. Raven is the new hypnotherapist. Mrs. Raven says she's just qualified, showing her degree claiming it's from Oxbridge, George reveals that it's from Uxbridge, she just changed the U to an O. Mrs. Raven says she's been working very hard to get that degree, she's been at it since September. When George notes it's still September, Mrs. Raven says it was a weekend course.
George and Janet go into her office where Mrs. Raven is with Mrs. Clark. She tells her to look at her finger, saying that as she counts down, she'll start to feel really drowsy. She counts from 3 to 1, Mrs. Clark falls asleep then immediately wakes up. She asks Mrs. Clark if she has a sexual problem, she affirms, saying that she is frigid and has never been able to respond to her husband.
Trivia[]
- This is the first appearance of the Vicar, he later appears in the Series 6 episode Not For Prophet where it is revealed his name is David.
Cast[]
Regulars[]
- George Sunday/Thermoman - Ardal O’Hanlon
- Janet Dawkins - Emily Joyce
- Dr Piers Crispin - Hugh Dennis
- Mrs Raven - Geraldine McNulty
- Tyler - Philip Whitchurch
- Ella Dawkins - Lil Roughley
- Stanley Dawkins - Tim Wylton
- Arnie - Lou Hirsch
- Ollie Sunday (voice) - Finlay Stroud
Guest starring[]
- Mrs Clark - Sarah Crowden
- David - Micheal Fenton Stevens
- Mr. Davis - Unknown
- Unknown - Peter Rylands
- Unknown - Femi Houghton
Ratings[]
- 6.26 million (30.79% audience share) - beating A Touch of Frost and No. 4 rated show for the night.
Errors[]
to be added
Full Episode[]
