History YMMV / TheBrittasEmpire

** Creator/JoMartin (nowadays most known for playing [[spoiler:the previously unknown incarnation of The Doctor]] Ruth in ''Series/DoctorWho'') appears in the episode "Bye Bye Baby" as Mrs Walsh.

* {{Squick}}: Whilst the audience thankfully usually only sees the aftermath of it on-screen, some of the stuff which happens to Colin is enough to put anyone off their food nonetheless. If it isn't woodlice coming out of his ears, then it's about how he manages to sew a button through his cock.

* FanNickname: The first season episodes had nicknames originating from [[https://groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.tv.uk/c/CDDgm9fhzdg/m/b05JoS_pQ-AJ this post]] and were subsequently used for the Eureka [=DVD=] releases (except for the first episode, which came from a [=VHS=] release of the series) and for when the show was put on UKTV Play in 2023. An alternative episode listing which is officially used by the Creator/{{BBC}} website can be found [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00gj3ms/episodes/guide here]] but it's not commonly used.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/JoMartin (nowadays most known for playing [[spoiler:the previously unknown incarnation of The Doctor]] Ruth in ''Series/DoctorWho'') appears in the episode "Bye Bye Baby" as Mrs Walsh.

* Gordon Brittas is an obnoxious PointyHairedBoss and he has a tendency of driving anyone to the brink of tears, but his motives are always positive, and some of his reactions to the bad events which happen in his life are enough to make you want to give him a hug.

* ReplacementScrappy: Penny is despised by fans for replacing Laura, who was one of the show's most well-rounded and popular characters. The fact she was far less pleasant and incredibly stuck-up didn't help her popularity either. It's possible that the writers have figured this out themselves, as she's absent [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome with little explanation given]] after only a series.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Many fans choose to ignore the last two seasons due to a perceived dip in quality caused by the departure of the original two writers, as well as the departure of Laura, from the series. The series finale also tends to be ignored due to its reveal that the entirety of the series had been AllJustADream (contradicting the events of the 1994 Christmas Special, which depicts them in various occupations long after the events of the series.

* FanNickname: The first season episodes had nicknames originating from [[https://groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.tv.uk/c/CDDgm9fhzdg/m/b05JoS_pQ-AJ this post]] and were subsequently used for the Eureka [=DVD=] releases (except for the first episode, which came from a [=VHS=] release of the series). An alternative episode listing which is officially used by the Creator/{{BBC}} website can be found [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00gj3ms/episodes/guide here]] but it's not commonly used.

* AcceptableTargets: Europe. This show was hitting out at Brussels regulations, bureaucracy and red tape ''way'' before [[UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers the press decided it was cool]] (and well before Brexit happened).
** Gordon gives his deputy managers two different whistles; one for when a leisure centre rule is broken, the second for when an EU regulation is broken.
** He also orders the "Europeanization" of the centre, giving Tim and Linda the arduous task of translating all leisure centre signs into over 25 different languages, including little-known or spoken Gaelic, Walloon and Swiss dialects.
** Perhaps the most damning, agonising, brutal blow? In one episode Brittas gets offered the post of European Commissioner for Sport, which Laura and Councillor Druggett both agree fits him absolutely perfectly, implying that Europe is full of Brittases.
-->'''Laura''': Brussels has nothing to do with people, it's perfect for him!

* FanNickname: The first season episodes had nicknames originating from [[https://groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.tv.uk/c/CDDgm9fhzdg/m/b05JoS_pQ-AJ this post]] and were subsequently used for the Eureka [=DVD=] releases (except for the first episode, which came from a [=VHS=] release of the series). An alternative episode listing used by the Creator/{{BBC}} website can be found [[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00gj3ms/episodes/guide here]] but it's not commonly used.
* FanonDiscontinuity: Many fans choose to ignore the last two seasons due to a perceived dip in quality caused by the departure of the original two writers, as well as the departure of Laura, from the series. The series finale also tends to be ignored due to it's reveal that the entirety of the series had been AllJustADream (contradicting the events of the 1994 Christmas Special, which depicts them in various occupations long after the events of the series.

* GrowingTheBeard: Whilst it was never considered to be bad, the series only proper hit its footing by Series 3. By then, the two original writers had gotten a proper grip on the characters, and it helped that Brittas TookALevelInKindness and became an easier character to root for, going from a rule-obsessed git with little redeeming qualities to well-meaning but lacking in social tact.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Some news articles have claimed that Tim and Gavin were the first major non-CampGay gay couple in British sitcom history. This isn't actually true, the honour instead belongs to a 1979 sitcom titled ''Agony'', which featured two neighbours of the main character who just happened to be gay.

* ReplacementScrappy: Penny is despised by fans for replacing Laura, who was one of the show's most well-rounded and popular characters. The fact she was far less pleasant and incredibly stuck-up didn't help her popularity either.

** Carole the receptionist. At the start of the series, she's suffering from post-natal depression, her husband leaving her, and an unpaid mortgage on her home, and it only gets worse from there, with her having to sleep in the Leisure Centre by Series 2. Additionally, any chance of her getting a happier life is usually ruined by the end of the episode. Her style of parenting does manage to make her a ''tad'' less sympathetic, but not that much.

* DiagnosedByTheAudience: Brittas' severe [[NoSocialSkills lack of social skills]], pedantic way of speaking, and obsession with the rules has led some of the audience to theorise that he's on the Autism Spectrum. One of the co-creators posted a blog post theorising this on [[https://anorrissbooks.wordpress.com/television-credits-2/the-brittas-empire/ his website]], suggesting possible DiagnosisOfGod, but there is no concrete evidence otherwise.

* DiagnosedByTheAudience: Brittas' severe LackOfSocialSkills, pedantic way of speaking, and obsession with the rules has led some of the audience to believe that he's on the Autism Spectrum. One of the co-creators posted a blog post theorising this on his website, suggesting DiagnosisOfGod, but there is no concrete evidence for this.

* FriendlyFandoms: Fans of the show tend to be fans of ''Series/RedDwarf'' as well, mainly because both of them star Creator/ChrisBarrie in major roles and as similar characters.

* AudienceAlienatingEnding: The ending of the series is not very popular with fans due to its reveal that the entirety of the series was AllJustADream, and as such, it tends to overshadow any other discussion of the show.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Many fans choose to ignore the last two seasons due to a perceived dip in quality caused by the departure of the original two writers, as well as the departure of Laura, from the series. The series finale also tends to be ignored due to it's reveal that the entirety of the series had been AllJustADream (contradicting the events of the 1994 Christmas Special, which depicts them in various occupations long after the events of the series).

* OlderThanTheyThink: Some news articles have claimed that Tim and Gavin were the first major non CampGay gay couple in British sitcom history. This isn't actually true, the honour instead belonging to a 1979 sitcom titled ''Agony'', which featured two neighbours of the main character who just happened to be gay.

** "Wake Up the Lion Within" ends with a lion being seen in the backseat of a woman's car, which is clearly a poor quality dummy.

** ''Series/APrinceAmongMen'' was quite similar to this series, being as it involved Creator/ChrisBarrie playing a incompetent leader role to a bunch of misfits. The major difference was that he played as an ex-footballer rather than leisure centre manager and that Prince was more of a {{Jerkass}} than Brittas.

* ValuesResonance: The Brittas Empire was an early to mid 90's comedy that ''didn't'' treat its homosexual characters as cheap jokes, nor did it have them acting like walking caricatures. Tim and Gavin's relationship was genuine, with ups and downs just like anyone else. Their colleagues and friends accepted them without question, and the humour was derived from Mr. Brittas' obliviousness to their relationship. Considering even groundbreaking later LBGTQ+ shows like ''Series/WillAndGrace'' leaned heavily into the use of the QueerPeopleAreFunny trope, this series was very ahead of its time.

** Carole the receptionist. Her style of parenting does manage to make her a ''tad'' less sympathetic.

* SpecialEffectFailure: 'The Old, Old Story' revolves around an Emu running wild in the centre, which leads to several amusing effects failures. They actually managed to get a live version of the animal, but presumably, it was too dangerous to let the actors interact with it. So you either get a live ostrich/emu running down a corridor dragging an obvious dummy, or human actors interacting with a hand puppet sticking over a bathroom stall. To their credit, the people involved seemed to realise this problem, so the shots with the fake ostrich/emu are so obviously fake that it actually adds to the comedy.

* ValuesResonance: The Brittas Empire was an early to mid 90's comedy that ''didn't'' treat its homosexual characters as cheap jokes, nor did it have them acting like walking caricatures. Tim and Gavin's relationship was genuine, with ups and downs just like anyone else. Their colleagues and friends accepted them without question, and the humour was derived from Mr. Brittas' obliviousness to their relationship. Considering even groundbreaking later LBGTQ+ shows like ''Series/WillAndGrace'' leaned heavily into "LOL gayness", this series was very ahead of its time.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Some news articles have claimed that Tim and Gavin were the first major non CampGay gay couple in British sitcom history. This isn't actually true, the honour instead belonged to a 1979 sitcom titled ''Agony'', which featured two neighbours of the main characters who happened to be gay.

* SpecialEffectFailure: 'The Old, Old Story' revolves around an Emu running wild in the centre, which leads to several amusing effects failures. They actually managed to get a live version of the animal, but presumably it was too dangerous to let the actors interact with it. So you either get a live ostrich/emu running down a corridor dragging an obvious dummy, or human actors interacting with a hand puppet sticking over a bathroom stall. To their credit, the people involved seemed to realise this problem, so the shots with the fake ostrich/emu are so obviously fake that it actually adds to the comedy.