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 aired on the BBC between 2003-2004 and was a fly on the wall style series  – Early Doors 

About the Show

Summary of Plot

“fly on the wall” style series set in a pub in Manchester called the Grapes. – iMDB

Number of Seasons / Episodes

2 Seasons

Characters:

John Henshaw – Ken
RIta May – Jean
Mark Benton – Eddie
Craig Cash – Joe
Rodney Litchfield – Tommy
Lorraine Cheshire – Joan
Phil Mealey – Duffy
James Quinn – Phil

Trivia

• Caroline Aherne originally intended to co- write the show with Craig Cash but dropped out of the project for personal reasons and Phil Mealey came on board to co write and star with Cash.
• In the second series Joe refers to Melanie’s previous boyfriend as being “shameless” for the way he dumped her. This is an in- joke about former co star James McAvoy (who played Mel’s boyfriend in season 1) who had left the show to star in the hit Channel 4 series Shameless.
• When Phil and Nige’s radio goes off and you hear someone saying phonetic alphabet words, it always spells out a swear word.
• The title is a British slang phrase meaning those who arrive earlier than is customary, and was often associated with pub customers who wait for or arrive soon after evening opening, around 5:30 p

Clips

This Charming Man

Happy Hour