Tanker Driver: What is goin' on here?
Laura: Well, as far as I can tell, that elderly gentleman in the grey suit has just had his ignition keys confiscated until such time as he's cleaned his windscreen properly.
— Laura Lancing explaining delays at the petrol station to a Tanker Driver.
- Date First Aired: 07/03/1994
Since the events of the previous episode, Brittas has not been doing so well. He's gotten a job as a fuel pumping attendant, but he gets fired extremely quickly, something which is observed by Laura on her way to work.
Meanwhile, the centre is doing really successfully under new leisure centre manager Alan Digby. Carole, who's now living with the Brittas' family, has come for a visit and to let Ben in the cupboard again. Helen, who's upset with events, and Brittas, who's not coping well, also show up. Brittas has bought a present (a clock which has a tendency to spark) for the staff but he proceeds to annoy Digby with his advice.
During this, a truck driver, who had attempted to get oil whilst Brittas still has his pumping job, runs out in front of the centre. He's able to get oil but he is blocked by Brittas' car, which ends up driving off with the man's oil. Brittas tries to install the faulty clock but is caught by Digby, who bans him from the center. As Brittas leaves, the drill he was using accidentally embeds itself into the wall (and Digby's crotch). Making matters worse for Brittas, the poor oil tanker man finds him, chases after him, and promptly stuffs a dumbell up his back.
Whilst Digby pops off into the pub, Laura finds that there is no gas. Realizing that the drill which has embedded itself has caused a gas leak, she gets everyone out. With a gas leak like this, there is every chance that the building could blow up if there is a single spark. At this point, it should be obvious what happens next.
BOOOMMM!!!!
Brittas tries to get out of the collapsing leisure centre but becomes trapped when the ceiling of the corridor he's in caves in. However, the dumbell proves handy for holding up the building and it results in several people getting out safely. However, he tells them to save themselves rather than him, and Ben and several girls are still in the building. However, Ben is able to free Brittas and everyone makes it out alive. Brittas is hailed as a hero and gets given both the George Medal (for his bravery) and his old job back.
Tropes in this episode:
- Accidental Hero: Brittas manages to hold up the roof of a collapsing corridor and let his staff escape the collapsing leisure centre by being in the right place at the right time.
- Adopted to the House: Carole and her children have started living with Brittas and his family after being fired last episode, much to the stress of Helen.
- Air-Vent Passageway: Ben once again ends up in the ventilation system of the centre, although this time, it's a deliberate decision from Carole. This causes issues when the centre blows up, but allows him to become a Kid Hero when the system breaks off right where Brittas is.
- The Alleged Boss: Digby is a fairly apathetic boss who just lets the others do their work. He even leaves his job to pop off to the pub for a few minutes, which proves to be his undoing once the centre explodes.
- All There in the Script: Inverted - the Reporter at the scene of the blown-up Leisure Centre is given the name of Jasmine, but she's only credited as "Reporter" in the end credits.
- Badass Adorable: Ben, whose appearance leads to "Dawwws" among the studio audience, helps Brittas escape the collapsing leisure centre with his knife.
- Barbell Beating: Brittas annoys an oil truck driver so much that he chases Brittas down to the centre's equipment room and promptly shoves a barbell up his back. This actually proves to be handy when the centre explodes and it holds up the corridor that Brittas is in enough to allow the safe evacuation of everyone.
- Battle Discretion Shot: We see Brittas run into the equipment room being pursued by a truck driver that he has annoyed. The truck driver can be seen cracking his knuckles and then entering the room. When the camera next cuts to Brittas, he's seen leaving the room with a dumbbell stuffed up his back.
- Big Damn Heroes:
- Brittas helps his staff escape and rescues three children from the collapsing leisure centre.
- Also, Ben appearing out of the vent just as Brittas was on the verge of losing consciousness.
- Book Ends: Both this episode and the first episode of Series 4 has Ben wandering around the ventilation system and causing issues, although this time, it allows him to become a Kid Hero.
- Continuity Nod:
- Linda briefly mentions Brittas' hatred of smoking, as previously seen in "Safety First".
- Helen and Carole come across the tin which previously held Ben's Christmas money. Apparently, there is still some money in there, albeit covered under dried puke.
- Ben once again gets into the ventilation system of the centre, with Carole even mentioning the hole he created to get there in the first place.
- Cuckoo Clock Gag: Brittas' gift to his former staff is a novelty clock inspired by the opera "Anvil Chorus" where on the hour, two figures come out and hit a mini anvil whilst the song plays. It has a tendency to spark when this happens, leading to a comically shocked reaction from Brittas. It also proves to be a Chekhov's Gun when it sparks near a gas leak in the centre, causing it to blow up.
- Disney Death: Brittas is feared dead when the entrance to the centre caves in with him still inside, not helped by a cut to him appearing at best unconscious. It isn't until Ben shows up that it's made clear that Brittas isn't dead yet and he manages to get out alive.
- Distant Reaction Shot: After the faulty clock sparks against the gas leak, it cuts to Alan leaving the George Hotel, with a large explosion coming from the leisure centre appearing in the background.
- Drama Bomb Finale: The final few minutes of the episode practically become an action movie once the centre explodes. It's also the final episode of the fourth series.
- Dramatic Irony: At the end of the episode, Laura tells Helen that, no, for once it wasn't Brittas' fault that the centre blew up. In truth, it partially was: although neither knew of it at the time, if Brittas' hadn't installed that faulty clock, the centre wouldn't have blown up.
- Epic Fail:
- Brittas working at his job as a fuel pumping attendant at the start of the episode. He doesn't make it past the first morning before he gets fired.
- Brittas' attempt to install a clock basically leads to the centre exploding.
- Fainting: Brittas passes out after rescuing Ben and two other people from the collapsing leisure centre.
- Everything Makes a Mushroom: The gas leak explosion makes a mushroom cloud that is visible all across Whitbury.
- Foil: Alan Digby to Brittas - both have served the roles of Leisure Centre Manager to Whitbury, but whereas Alan is slovenly, hands-off, and is prone to anger, Brittas is tidy, very proactive with his role, and is usually calm and level-headed. Fittingly, when they do interact, it doesn't end well - Brittas is constantly providing advice to Alan on how to run things, whilst Alan gets fed up with Brittas' advice and eventually bars him from the leisure centre.
- Free-Range Children: Carole leaves her three-year-old son Ben to play in the vents (whilst carrying a knife of all things) whilst she takes some stuff back to the Brittas' family house, under the justification that he's happy enough there. This comes back to haunt her when the centre blows up with him still in there, even if he did survive.
- Groin Attack: Brittas accidentally sends a drill into Alan Digby's crotch.
- Group Picture Ending: The episode ends with the staff getting a photo taken in front of the destroyed leisure centre.
- Heroic BSoD: Brittas has not been coping with the loss of his job very well. Helen mentions that he still thinks he's going to get it back and even compares him to Greyfriars Bobby.Laura: Helen, how is he, in himself?Helen: Oh, it's awful, Laura. It's broken his heart leaving here. It's like living with Greyfriars Bobby.Laura: Well, it meant a lot to him.Helen: You know, the awful thing is he still believes that deep down he's coming back. But he's not, is he?
- History Repeats: "An Inspector Calls" had previously revealed that Brittas got a medal for bravery for digging up people from the ruins of the previous leisure centre that he worked at. Here, he once again gets a medal for bravery by saving people from the ruins of the leisure centre where he works at.
- I Will Only Slow You Down: Although Laura and Colin try to save Brittas, he tells them to go on without him and save themselves.
- Job Mindset Inertia: Despite no longer working at the leisure centre, Brittas still wears his usual uniform and gives orders to his former employees. Even Helen briefly gets into it, as she briefly refers to the Manager’s Office, now under the ownership of Alan's, as Brittas’ office before realising her error.
- Knuckle Cracking: The tank driver cracks his knuckles before he goes into the centre equipment room and stuffs a barbell up Brittas' back.
- Load-Bearing Hero: Played for Laughs: Colin thinks that Brittas is supporting a collapsing ceiling on his shoulders, but what Colin can't see is that the ceiling is in fact supported by a barbell down the back of Brittas' shirt. Colin later comments that he must have a backbone of steel.Laura: Only Mr. Brittas, and he's go— and he's all by himself, he's holding up the ceiling!Fireman: He's what?Colin: He's unbelievable, standing there. He must have a backbone of steel!
- New Job Episode: Brittas spends the first minute or so of the episode at his new job as a pumping attendant. Although it helps set up the rest of the plot, he gets fired from it very quickly.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Brittas installs a clock in the centre that blows it up.
- Not Me This Time: Helen clearly expects the explosion to have been Brittas' fault, leading to Laura having to tell her that it isn't actually his fault. In a case of Dramatic Irony, however, it is partially Brittas' fault as the explosion came about because he had tried to install a novelty clock.Helen: I know I'm his wife and I'm probably not supposed to say this, but...look at it. He's really done it this time.Janine: I don't quite follow.Helen: Honestly, the more I think about it, the... I really am very angry.Laura: Helen...Helen: He wasn't even running the place - he was just visiting.Laura: Helen, it wasn't Gordon.Helen: What?Laura: The fire, it wasn't his fault.
- One-Shot Character: Alan Digby and Janine the reporter.
- Persona Non Grata: Digby bans Brittas from the centre when he proves to be too annoying with his suggestions.
- Photo Memento: After a dramatic climax where Brittas saves several people from the burning ruins of the leisure centre (leading to him getting a George Medal and his job back), the episode ends with the cast getting a photo taken of themselves sometime later in front of said centre.
- Post-Victory Collapse: Brittas collapses after he successfully rescues three children from the leisure centre.
- Real Award, Fictional Character: The episode ends with Brittas receiving the George Medal for bravery.
- Rule of Three: "Anvil Chorus" plays three times, first when establishing that the novelty clock is faulty, the second time just before the centre explodes, and the third being a Triumphant Reprise after Brittas saves the day.
- Scenery Gorn: The show gives us a good long-pan shot of the centre in ruins once it blows up.
- Season Finale: Of Series 4.
- Shout-Out:
- The episode title is a reference to the movie High Noon.
- Helen compares Brittas to Greyfriars Bobby.
- The tune that the sparking clock plays is "Anvil Chorus".
- Stuff Blowing Up: A gas leak and a sparking clock make a giant explosion that can be seen all across town and destroys the centre.
- Sucksessor: It's implied that whilst Brittas seems to be content with allowing Alan to run the centre, he isn't appreciative of his slobby hands-off nature, and is seen trying to provide tips to the guy as the episode goes on. Colin feels the same way himself, not enjoying the more fast-paced nature of the centre under Alan and feeling disappointed that the class he was running was cancelled under him.
- Superior Successor: Most of the staff are pleased with Alan as his way of running things has actually led to money and customers coming into the centre. It isn't until Alan goes into the pub to get cigarettes and the staff are left to deal with a gas leak that issues arise.
- Tempting Fate: Brittas gets Colin to get Laura to turn the electricity off, noting that it's important to ensure that there isn't any chance of a spark. Cue his faulty novelty clock playing and sparking, leading to the centre blowing up.
- Trash of the Titans: Compared to Brittas, Alan isn't particularly good with keeping his manager's office clean, with unfinished food strewn about everywhere, a cup of something on the table which makes Brittas wince in disgust, and a pair of underpants.
- Trash the Set: Seeing as this episode revolved around the leisure centre blowing up, several sets get destroyed, specifically the hallway where Brittas gets trapped. The centre would be rebuilt in "The Old, Old Story" at the start of the fifth series, although with some minor alterations made to the set.
- Triumphant Reprise: A more triumphant version of the music that the sparking clock played plays when Brittas is shown to have both gotten out of the centre and saved the remaining missing girls.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behaviour: In spite of the fact that he's only three-years-old, Ben is shown to carry around a knife with him at all times, which he uses to save Brittas.
- Ultimate Job Security: Brittas blows up the centre and gets rehired for it.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Brittas installs a clock that causes the centre to explode.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The tanker driver disappears from the plot after beating up Brittas, although the tanker he was driving ends up contributing to the destruction of the centre and ends up destroyed. It can be assumed that he survived at least as it was stated that no one died in the explosion.
