Dorien: Oh, other people's problems really amuse you, don't they?
Sharon: Yeah, yours crack us up!
— Dorien Green fed up with Sharon Theodopolopodous.
- Date First Aired: 23/10/1994
Sharon complains about how hard it is at the café, but Tracey retorts it's just as hard work at home. After a heated argument, Sharon and Tracey agree to change places for a week: Sharon will be Garth's 'mum' and Tracey will run the café. Meanwhile, Dorien has gone into hiding after receiving anonymous letters threatening to expose her affairs.
Tropes In This Episode:
- Blackmail: Someone is threatening to expose Dorien's affairs unless she steps down from the tennis club chair election. Dorien thinks they're from Melanie Fishman, but it turns out she was getting the same letters.
- Brief Accent Imitation: Sharon occasionally tries one when helping Dorien with her Blackmail issue.Sharon: Madame, in a crime az diabolical az zis, we 'ave to examine de moti-vay-tion ov oll concerned.Dorien: Oh for God's sake woman! Cut the Italian and get to the point!
- Call-Back: Sharon doesn't want to help Dorien with the letters of Blackmail she has been receiving because she still remembers Dorien's Neighbourhood Watch meetings that had everyone speaking ill of Tracey and Sharon whilst they themselves they were receiving threatening letters.
- Continuity Nod: Tracey reminds Sharon that she has worked at the café before.
- Crossdresser: Tracey compares Sharon to a husband in drag because she always wants her clothes washed and dinner ready for her.
- Grass is Greener: Sharon thinks it'll be easier to do Tracey's house work rather than run the café, while Tracey thinks the opposite.Sharon: See? See 'ow 'ard it is? See what I 'ave to go through? Is it any wonder I come 'ome every night wan'in' to murder everybody?
- Halfway Plot Switch: The episode goes from seeing Tracey and Sharon trading places, only for Dorien's Blackmail subplot to take centre stage in the final ten minutes.
- Human Mail: Sharon remarks this would be more efficient than the bus service.
- Manchild: Garth still needs Tracey to iron all his clothes for him.
- One-Shot Character: Dominic.
- One-Steve Limit: A man in the café is named Dominic, which had been the name of two separate unseen characters in "Thirty Something" and "Cuckoo".
- Pun: When Tracey talks about Dorien's Neighbourhood Watch meetings where they all slagged off Tracey and Sharon, Sharon remarks they should do the same to Dorien, leading Tracey to call it a "Neighbourhood Crotch meeting".
- Rich Language, Poor Language: Sharon would rather say "stop" instead of "desist" as Dorien prefers.
- Right in Front of Me: A woman in the café tells Sharon that the café's a much nicer place now that "the fat one" has left, unaware that Sharon is said "fat one".
- Shout-Out:
- When Tracey tells Sharon that if she thinks she take over her role at home because it's "like a holiday", she tells her "Welcome to Butlin's".
- Sharon tells Tracey to tell Dorien to call the Samaritans.
- Sharon tells Dorien she doesn't have to be Hercule Poirot to work out who is blackmailing her.
- Stunt Double: In-Universe; Dorien plans to cover up her leaked compromising photos by claiming they are not of her, but of her stunt double.
- Swapped Roles: Tracey and Sharon swap places for a week to prove their respective lives are harder.Dorien: Hi, you two. How's the life swap? Anyone dropped dead yet?
- Take That!:
- When Tracey doesn't want Garth to wear grungy clothes:Tracey: Look, you ain't goin' out in that. It's lost its shape at the front and its comin' apart at the back.Garth: That's West Ham for ya.
- When Dorien's reputation is on the line, she worries she'll have to move to Romford.
- Sharon tells Dorien that Melanie Fishman is trying to make her out to be another Hillary Rodham Clinton.
- When Tracey doesn't want Garth to wear grungy clothes:
