History Series / EverDecreasingCircles

* FreudianExcuse: As a schoolboy, Martin had a "gang" of friends that fragmented upon the arrival of a talented new boy; Paul's arrival awakens his memories of the experience, leading him to fear that the same thing will happen to his adult social circle.

* RealSongThemeTune: The opening and closing credits play over a recording of Music/DmitriShostakovich's Prelude in D-flat major, Op.34 No.15.

Creator/{{BBC}}1 sitcom written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey as a vehicle for Creator/RichardBriers, the star of their previous hit ''Series/TheGoodLife'', which aired for four series between 1984 and 1989. Briers plays neurotic control freak Martin Bryce, a middle manager at a valve manufacturer who organises a wide variety of social and cultural activities for the Close, a housing development in an unnamed UsefulNotes/{{London}} suburb.

* CanisLatinicus: In "Manure" from Series 3, Paul manages to persuade the company that plunked a skip at the end of Martin's driveway (after Hilda thought it might be the best way to get rid of the manure that was dumped on it due to a miscommunication with the delivery tractor driver) and refused to move it until it had been there for two days that the terms in their contract outlining this were "''de profundis mundi'' and ''exctincto crapto''". Which, he cheerfully admits to Martin, is complete gibberish, but it gets the desired result and the skip is removed.

The lives of Martin and his long-suffering wife Ann (Penelope Wilton) are turned upside-down when laid-back, charismatic hair salon owner Paul Ryman (Peter Egan) moves in next door to them. Martin soon feels his position as "leader" of the Close is under threat from the multi-talented Paul, for whom everything seems to come easy, often courtesy of one of his many casual friends. Other characters include fellow Close residents Howard and Hilda Hughes (Stanley Lebor and Geraldine Newman), an eccentric middle-aged couple always seen wearing matching jumpers.

Creator/{{BBC}}1 sitcom written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey as a vehicle for Creator/RichardBriers, the star of their previous hit ''Series/TheGoodLife'', which aired for four series between 1984 and 1989. Briers plays neurotic control freak Martin Bryce, a middle manager at a valve manufacturer who organises a wide variety of social and cultural activities for the Close, a housing development in an unnamed London suburb.

Creator/{{BBC}}1 sitcom written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey as a vehicle for Richard Briers, the star of their previous hit ''Series/TheGoodLife'', which aired for four series between 1984 and 1989. Briers plays neurotic control freak Martin Bryce, a middle manager at a valve manufacturer who organises a wide variety of social and cultural activities for the Close, a housing development in an unnamed London suburb.

* StealthPun: In "Half an Office" from Series 4, we learn that Martin's secretary is named Mrs. Ripper. He runs into her and her husband [[JackTheRipper Jack]] in the pub halfway through the episode.

* NamesTheSame: Acknowledged in-universe in the first episode; Howard Hughes shares his name with the [[Film/TheAviator eccentric tycoon]], and another Close resident, Tommy Cooper, shares his name with a popular stage magician and comedian. Paul finds the names much funnier than Martin finds them.

* SmallNameBigEgo: Martin becomes one of these in the Series 3 episode "Local Hero" after rescuing a drowning child from a canal and letting the resulting adulation go straight to his head.

* AnnoyingLaugh: Howard's high-pitched giggle.

* CoolCar: Paul's white vintage MG sports car.

{{BBC1}} sitcom written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey as a vehicle for Richard Briers, the star of their previous hit ''Series/TheGoodLife'', which aired for four series between 1984 and 1989. Briers plays neurotic control freak Martin Bryce, a middle manager at a valve manufacturer who organises a wide variety of social and cultural activities for the Close, a housing development in an unnamed London suburb.

* ClassicalMusic: The theme music is a (very slightly edited version of a) piano piece by DmitriShostakovich -- Op. 34 Twenty-Four Preludes No. 15, to be precise.

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Howard and Hilda Hughes, as well as Dan and Diana Danby from the Series 3 episode "House to Let", and Pam and Peter, Martin and Ann's neighbours before Paul.

* RealSongThemeTune: The opening and closing credits play over a recording of Dmitri Shostakovich's Prelude in D-flat major, Op.34 No.15.

* ScheduleFanatic: Martin, in spades. He is the organiser for dozens of social, sporting, and cultural clubs in the Close, and applies the same mania for scheduling to his home life, much to Ann's frustration.
* SeriousBusiness: Martin's many activities and committees.

* {{UST}}: Between Paul and Ann. Although Paul often flirts with Ann, and she is sometimes tempted to reciprocate, their mutual respect for Martin and his marriage to Ann prevent them from seriously acting on their impulses.

* DisasterDominoes: In the Series 2 episode "Housework", Martin's ambitious attempt to give his house a thorough spring clean while Ann is in hospital quickly turns into this. Although he meticulously schedules both the cleaning and his usual contributions to the social lives of the Close residents, his lack of experience with cooking and cleaning means that the house is soon in complete chaos and his schedule quickly falls by the wayside.

* BedmateReveal: Due to events he was unaware of, Martin is quite disturbed to wake up next to Paul in one episode. Howard then pokes his head out from the bedding, playing this twice in one scene.

Although, as a "sofa sitcom" in the 1980s, it was somewhat at odds with a comedy landscape populated by such series as ''Series/TheYoungOnes'' and ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'', it drew audiences of over 12 million at its peak, and Creator/RickyGervais has named the series as a personal favourite.[[note]] When Richard Briers passed away in 2013, Gervais tweeted an offer to the BBC of letting them rerun ''Series/TheOffice'' for ''free'' if they also reran ''Ever Decreasing Circles''.[[/note]]

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Although, as a "sofa sitcom" in the 1980s, it was somewhat at odds with a comedy landscape populated by such series as ''Series/TheYoungOnes'' and ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'', it drew audiences of over 12 million at its peak, and Creator/RickyGervais has named the series as a personal favourite.[[note]] When Briers passed away in 2013, Gervais tweeted an offer to the BBC of letting them rerun ''Series/TheOffice'' for ''free'' if they also reran ''Ever Decreasing Circles''.[[/note]]