Early Doors

2003

Early Doors

8.6 | en | Comedy

A sitcom set in a small pub in Manchester, “The Grapes”, where daily life is bound up in the issues of love, loneliness, and blocked urinals. Regular drinkers Joe and Duffy pass the time with landlord Ken and his police officer cronies.

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Seasons & Episodes

EP6 Part Time

Oct. 18,2004

It's Melanie's 21st birthday party and 'Jumping Joe's Krazy Roadshow' is in full swing. Phil and Nige take the opportunity to try out their new business venture and Tommy eagerly eyes up the buffet.

EP5 Practice

Oct. 11,2004

In the penultimate episode of life at The Grapes Ken the landlord smartens himself up to play the romantic lead. There is growing concern amongst the regulars that their favourite boozer may be turned into a fun pub and Duffy plays down his recent good fortune.

EP4 Do You Like the Circus?

Oct. 04,2004

The future of The Grapes is uncertain as Ken the landlord is ready to throw the towel in. Tanya however has different plans for him and romance is high on her agenda. A police informant spurs Phil and Nige into some drastic action.

EP3 Quiz Night

Sep. 27,2004

It's Quiz Night down at The Grapes and Eddie reveals his specialist subject. Tanya lays on her charms for Ken and he lays on some sandwiches for the regulars. The Quizmasters word is final.

EP2 Feeling Poorly

Sep. 20,2004

Ken the landlord is laid up with the flu. The cops arrive to celebrate their successful drugs bust. Duffy is in no mood for celebrating and faces up to the prospect of single life, seeking solace in the bottom of his beer glass.

EP1 Sad News at the Grapes

Sep. 13,2004

Forged bank notes are being past over The Grapes counter but who is the culprit? Luckily Phil and Nige the policemen are on the case.

8.6 | en | Comedy | More Info

Released: 2003-05-12 | Released Producted By: Ovation Entertainment Limited , Country: United Kingdom Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/earlydoors/

Synopsis

Stream Online

The tv show is currently not available onine

Cast

John Henshaw , Craig Cash , Phil Mealey

Director

Craig Cash

Producted By

Ovation Entertainment Limited ,

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Trailers

Cast

John Henshaw

as Ken Dixon

Silky Hotel Early Doors - Live I'm Not in Love The Keeper Stan & Ollie Pin Cushion 6 Days The Man Who Invented Christmas Swallows and Amazons

Craig Cash

as Joe

Early Doors - Live Celebrity Gogglebox Rovers Gogglebox Sunshine Early Doors Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings The Royle Family

Phil Mealey

as Duffy

Early Doors - Live Sunshine Early Doors

Reviews

he312 I watched both series on the BBC and now own the DVD's. A well crafted comedy with what I would consider instantly likable characters. To pick out one character, would be a dis-service, as all shine. I believe the key to good comedy is the relationship on and off camera between the actors and it's a delight to watch the out-takes on the DVD, must have been a joy to go to work everyday.Shame it's not too well known, people either shake their head or shrug their shoulders when I ask them if they've seen it. I prefer this to the Royle Family, probably cause I know what it's like to walk into a pub where the regulars are regular. Hoping for more.

Chris O'Connor Caught this by chance when first on BBC2 ages ago and now have become Eddiesque with my non stop quotes. The beauty is its simplicity, a pub full of half wits and cretins talking rubbish about things of no consequence i.e exactly what a good pub should be! Ken topping the branded spirits up with cheap tat, Duffy with his Polaroids, Eddie and his jury service and perhaps my favourite Tommy during Melanies 21st birthday with his table in the toilets, Ken; Are you coming out when she cuts the cake, or do you want her to bring it in here? Tommy; P*** off!Possibly only modern comedy (Gervais being a possible exception) that can make me cry laughing. Heard rumours of a third series with the second being shown on BBC1 in August 06, I wait for more tales of temporary traffic lights at the junction of Burdall Lane, by McVities. Sheer 100% genius

Tudor_rose Early Doors is laugh-out-loud funny, tender, heartwarming, exasperating, fascinating, at times even a little disgusting, this television series has everything anybody could want, and more. From the very first episode of the first series you take the cast to your hearts and want to know more about what the community, collectively and individually, get up to next. The main takes place in Ken's pub (the landlord) and the comings and goings of this 'small world' (the theme tune taken from Roddy Frame's debut album Surf) are not to be missed. The characters are all so very real and this snapshot of working class northern life is a real gem...you can't fail to fall in love with it! Enjoy! :)

Hywel Davies Why is it that every comedy now has to either have some "incredibly original" gimmick, or be extremely vulgar, or both, to hit it big? This consigns near-masterpieces like Early Doors to the slops bucket of TV history. Yes, as many observe, little happens in the course of the half hour, but you certainly don't even think about that when you're watching it. Cash and Mealey's genius is to realise that everybody's lives are generally repetitive, and so they are likely to have the same discussion in the same refuge every day. This is never treated with a hint of irony, but genuine warmth for the old school pubs that Ken and his lost bretheren run. Lacklustre shows like The Smoking Room and Little Britain, so pleased with themselves and determined to run down the losers, halfwits and layabouts of this world, would do well to learn from this and find that happiness is in whatever routine you, not society, carves out for you.