Each week, we will be taking an in depth look at some of the best sitcoms and comedy shows from both the UK and the USA.

Today we will be looking at a comedy that came to an abrupt end in 1981 – A Sharp Intake Of Breath

About the Show

Summary of Plot

British sitcom in which happy-go-lucky character Peter Barnes comically and haphazardly tries to deal with the daily frustrations his life throws at him. – iMDB

Number of Seasons / Episodes

4 Seasons

Characters:

David Jason  – Peter Barnes
Jacqueline Clarke – Sheila Barnes
Richard Wilson – Basil Dawson
Alun Armstrong – Albert

Trivia

• Patricia Brake portrayed Sheila, his downtrodden wife originally. The role was subsequently played by Jacqueline Clarke of Dave Allen at Large (1971) fame.
• “A Sharp Intake of Breath” came to an abrupt end in 1981 just as ATV lost its ITV franchise later through the year.
• It grew out of a single pilot, shown as part of “The Sound of Laughter” (ITV’s answer to the BBC’s “Comedy Playhouse”) on Thursday, July 28th, 1977.

Clips

Promo