We're the girls on top,
In the Kensington sky.
It's all been goin' on,
So thanks for droppin' by.
We're the girls on top!
In the Kensington sky.
It's all been goin' on,
So thanks for droppin' by.
We're the girls on top!
— Theme tune.
Girls on Top is a Britcom that aired on ITV from 1985-86, starring Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Ruby Wax and Tracey Ullman with Joan Greenwood.
The show focused on four female flatmates and their landlady:
- Amanda Ripley (French), a bossy feminist and socialist who has a secret fascination with men and The British Royal Family.
- Jennifer Marsh (Saunders), a clueless childhood friend of Amanda's, and everyone's favourite punching bag.
- Shelley DuPont (Wax), a gaudily dressed, rude, loud-mouthed American who struggles to become an actress and is only tolerated by the others because she pays most of the rent.
- Candice Valentine (Ullman), a promiscuous, lazy, manipulative, gold-digging diva and hypochondriac.
- Lady Chloe Carlton (Greenwood), the girls' eccentric landlady and a romance novelist.
It was considered a female version of The Young Ones (although lacking in cutaway gags or slapstick violence). French and Saunders had both appeared in The Young Ones and like most of its stars, also starred in The Comic Strip Presents.
Tropes on Top:
- Added Alliterative Appeal: The motto of Fabulous Flash Flats has lots of "f's" in it:Jane: Fabulous Flash Flats fulfilling fantasies fast.
- Affectionate Nickname:
- Candice calls Jennifer "Jen", Shelley "Shell", and Tina "Teen".
- Jennifer calls Amanda "Manda".
- Amanda calls Candice "Candy".
- Alliterative Name:
- The girls' landlady, Chloe Carlton.
- Fabulous Flash Flats, where Amanda and Shelley meet for the first time in "Four-Play".
- Amanda angrily calls Mr. Tinker "Mr. Tiddly Tinker" in "Four-Play" after his absence causes her to be robbed.
- Alternate Company Equivalent: Considered to be ITV's answer to The Young Ones, although with less focus on cutaway gags and slapstick.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Occurs after Amanda is robbed by Dimitri in "Four-Play":Amanda: He's taken my keys, and my wallet... oh my God, and my cheesy Wotsits. I don't believe it.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Amanda gives one to Candice and Jennifer in "Four-Play" to try and remind them they still have to find a way to pay their rent.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Candice tries to play herself off as a Dumb Blonde, but in reality is a manipulative liar and schemer.
- Blackface: Jennifer smears black lipstick all over her face to play Mammy from Gone with the Wind in "Staying Alive".
- Blackmail: In "Staying Alive", Candice ends up with an incriminating videotape of Shelley and uses it against her to stay in the flat:Candice: Well, I've got one of two choice, haven' I? Jen, shall I go an' give this to my boyfriend, the directah? Or... shall I keep it? Then I get to keep my room forever, like Shelley pwomised.
- Brief Accent Imitation: Shelley tries a (horrible) Southern accent during her Gone with the Wind improv in "Staying Alive":Shelley: And action: Pfft. "I'm Scarlett, I'm Scahlett, Ah'm Scahlett, Ah'm Scahlett, Ah'm Scahlett! It's so nahce livin' in the Deep South in seventeen-oh-ten, an' Ah'm rich, rich, rich!".
- British Brevity: Only two series totalling twelve episodes were made.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: For all her eccentricities, Lady Carlton is still a quite successful romance novelist.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: How Ian the porn director from "Staying Alive" decides on who to cast in his films:Ian: I mean, look around 'ere. Big tits, small tits, floppy tits. They haven't got what you have, you've got... enormous tits.
- Cat Fight: Shelley and Candice have one after Candice accidentally gets Shelley a role in a porno in "Staying Alive".
- Character Death: Despite being a main, Candice is killed off in "Mr Fluffy Knows Too Much".
- Companion Cube: Lady Carlton's taxidermied dog, Josephine, who she takes for walks.
- Curse Cut Short: Amanda stops herself from saying a racial slur when trying to solve an argument in "Staying Alive":Amanda: Now, eeny meeny miny moe, catch a ni-
- Damsel in Distress: In "C.O.D.", Candice sends Jennifer to a dance club so she can have sex in peace, which ends in Jennifer being kidnapped.
- Distaff Counterpart: The series itself was considered one to The Young Ones as they both starred former The Comic Strip Presents stars, and were about four unlikeable stereotypes sharing a flat.
- The Ditz: Jennifer. Series 1 implies she is intellectually disabled, but she becomes more intelligent in Series 2, but still as naïve as before.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: From "Four-Play" to "Mr Fluffy Knows Too Much", the theme tune was sung by the four female leads.
- Dramatic Drop: When Candice sees Hans naked in "Staying Alive", she drops the tray of coffee she was holding in shock.
- Dropped a Bridge on Her: Candice dies off-screen in the Series 2 opener, "Mr Fluffy Knows Too Much", which makes the other girls panic that she was killed by one of their pranks.
- Dumb Blonde: Candice pretends to be one to look innocent to others.
- Embarrassing Nickname: Amanda calls Jennifer "Eczema Face".
- Establishing Character Moment: In "Four-Play", we first see Shelley push her way to the front of a line, while wearing an over-the-top fur coat and loudly blabbing about her flight from America, showing us she is a Rich Bitch and an "Ugly American" Stereotype.
- "Everybody Dies" Ending: In "Lower the Donkey", Lady Carlton accidentally lights a quantity of petrol that she had stored, thereby blowing everyone and everything to pieces in time for the end of the series. Oddly enough, The Young Ones, to which this show is often compared, also had a similar ending which killed off the cast.
- Fictional Document:
- Lady Carlton has written several books, such as My Peninsular Years and The Ravaged Virgin's Heart. Amanda considers them all sexist rubbish.
- Spare Cheeks, the magazine that Amanda works for as an editor:Amanda: You heard of Spare Cheeks, Jennifer? It's a magazine for women, by women, to women... who just aren't gonna take it anymore.
- Final Season Casting: Tracey Ullman didn't return for Series 2 due to her pregnancy.
- Forced from Their Home: Shelley tries to kick out Candice in "Staying Alive".
- Get Out!: Shelley tries to kick out Candice after she insults her failure at starting an acting career in "Staying Alive".
- Gilligan Cut: Occurs in "Staying Alive" - just as Candice boasts to Tina there's no way she'll be getting kicked out, it cuts to Jennifer having finished packing Candice's bags.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: "Staying Alive" revolves around Candice accidentally getting Shelley a role in a porno. When Shelley finds out she starts strangling Candice on the couch, so Ian the director makes sure to get a good close-up of the action.
- Gold Digger: Candice is constantly sleeping around to try and land a rich man:Shelley: I just want to t'know, that I'll never get in your way, I'll never hang 'round your neck, an' like, when we go Rome or Paris, an' you're busy, just say to me "Can, here's the keys to the car, here's your gold American Express card, now go back to the hotel suite, an' stay there".
- Gratuitous French: Lady Carlton drops several French words when evicting Candice in "Four-Play":Lady Carlton: Your accoutrement have been removed, because your persona is non grata here anymore.
- Handsome Lech:
- Candice's greasy boyfriend Dimitri, who tries to flirt with Amanda in "Four-Play".
- Ian the porn director from "Staying Alive", who Candice gets Shelley to work for by accident.
- Hidden Depths: The normally dim Jennifer discovers a talent for stockbroking in "Who's Ya Uncle Shelley?".
- Killed Off for Real: Candice died in hospital in "Mr Fluffy Knows Too Much" after Tracey Ullman couldn't return for Series 2.
- Killed Offscreen: Candice in "Mr Fluffy Knows Too Much".
- Malicious Misnaming: Candice constantly gets Amanda's name wrong. While at first, it seems she is just being a Dumb Blonde, the real reason she does it is just to be a bitch:Candice: Hello, Mand-Amanda: "Amanda".Candice: Oh, Mand.
- Meaningful Name: Candice Valentine, perfectly fitting a man-hungry girl such as her.
- Mistaken for Prostitute: Lady Carlton evicts Candice in "Four-Play" after believing she was a sex worker.
- Mistaken Identity: In "Four-Play", Amanda mistakes Candice's ex-boyfriend Dimitri for Mr. Tinker, the man who was planning on moving in with her. This leads to Dimitri stealing Amanda's car keys, wallet, and her cheesy Wotsits.
- Motor Mouth: Candice will chatter about anything for hours, especially herself.
- Naked People Are Funny: Shelley thinks she's filming a remake of Gone with the Wind in "Staying Alive" but is actually filming a porno. When her co-star Hans takes off his robe, Shelley and Amanda are shocked and speechless, while Candice drops a tray of coffee:Amanda: Oh my god, it's a todger!Candice: Well at least I would've 'ad something to stir it with!
- Not So Above It All: Despite all her socialist ideologies and feminist beliefs, Amanda is still obsessed with boys and The British Royal Family, which she tries to hide from the others.
- Oh, Crap!: Amanda looks horrified after nearly saying the "n" word in "Staying Alive".
- One-Steve Limit: Series 1 had two One Shot Characters named Debbie in "Four-Play" and "Skankin'".
- One-Word Title: Two Series 1 episodes - "Skankin'" and "Hark".
- Out of Focus: Jennifer has less to do in Series 2 compared to Amanda and Shelley. Jennifer Saunders claims in her autobiography Bonkers: My Life in Laughs that this was because she was pregnant at the time and so didn't suggest as many lines for her character compared to Series 1 because she had her baby on her mind.
- Pretty in Mink: Shelley wears a giant gaudy fur coat in "Four-Play".
- Pun-Based Title: The first episode "Four-Play" is a pun on "foreplay" and the fact the episode revolves around the four girls ending up living together.
- Questioning Title?: "Who's Ya Uncle Shelley?" from Series 2.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: Tracey Ullman had to drop out of Series 2 due to her pregnancy.
- Really Gets Around: Candice is a notorious bedhopper and Gold Digger. Her frequent sex ends up causing Jennifer to get kidnapped in "C.O.D.".
- Rearrange the Song: The theme tune in Series 1 was done by the four leads (French, Saunders, Wax and Ullman). This was kept for the first episode of Series 2 ("Mr Fluffy Knows Too Much"), but from "Big Snogs" and onward the theme tune was done by Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze.
- Rich Bitch: Shelley is loud-mouthed and spoilt rotten thanks to her trust fund, although her money is the only reason the girls keep her around as she can pay the rent for them:Shelley: Amanda, you make any trouble, me and my chequebook are packing. Comprondo?
- Scatterbrained Senior: Lady Carlton doesn't seem to have much of a grip on reality, such as the fact she still walks her dead dog Josephine.
- Shout-Out:
- Candice and Amanda briefly discuss Pickettywitch in "Four-Play" and go into detail about their song "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" and Polly Brown's health issue.
- Amanda and Jennifer met in the past through the Brownies.
- In "Four-Play", Candice lies about going to do an interview for Tit-Bits magazine.
- Candice lies about being mates with Rod Stewart in "Four-Play".
- In "Four-Play", Shelley recalls doing an all-black version of The Importance of Being Earnest.
- Shelley sarcastically calls Amanda "Dr. Spock" in "Four-Play".
- In "Staying Alive", Shelley auditions for Cats by doing a medley from Yentl.
- "Staying Alive" gives Amanda's full name as Amanda Ripley.
- After hearing Candice has brought a director home in "Staying Alive", Shelley remarks she'll go check out Roman Polański.
- Shelley's bedroom has a painting titled "Casablanca".
- Shelley gets the girls to improvise a scene from Gone with the Wind in "Staying Alive" with her as Scarlett, Jennifer as Mammy, and Amanda as Clark Gable:Shelley: I am recreating the role that made Vivien Leigh!
- Shelley later remarks how the book skips the bedroom scene when Ian tries to get her to film a porno.
- Amanda can briefly be spotted reading a magazine with the Channel 4 logo on it in "Staying Alive".
- Slut-Shaming: After believing Candice to be a sex worker in "Four-Play", Lady Carlton only refers to her as "The Slut" afterwards.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Shelley's thoughts of her acting skills are much better than they actually are:Shelley: I am perched on the threshold of stardom, and I'm not giving it up for any twisted, bitter extra who's gonna get in my way!
- Staircase Tumble: Lady Carlton recalls pushing her last tenant who didn't pay her down the stairs in "Four-Play".
- Straw Feminist: Amanda is all for women's rights and putting down men... when she's not throwing herself at them:Amanda: If I could just quote from Spare Cheeks, Shelley, "Women - stand erect, lift up your breasts, and roar". End of quote.
- Suddenly Shouting: Candice does so when trying to hook up with Ian while he tries to get his porn filmed in "Staying Alive":Ian: Candice, we're tryin'a work.Candice: Okay... QUIET ON THE SET!
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: In "Staying Alive", Amanda sends Jennifer to distract Lady Carlton while filming goes on upstairs:Jennifer: I've jus' come down to say that everything's perfectly normal... no one's making a film or anything upstairs.
- Take That!: When Shelley is complaining about how hard it is to be an actress in "Staying Alive":Shelley: Do you know how hard it is trying to break into show business? Lana Turner didn't make it until after she died!
- Titled After the Song: Episode 2's title, "Staying Alive", comes from a song by The Bee Gees.
- "Ugly American" Stereotype: Shelley is obnoxious and loud-mouthed, something Amanda quickly catches onto:Amanda: Isn't it a shame they're always so stereotypically loud, aren't they?Shelley: What? What did you say?Amanda: I w-I was just commenting that you're American.
- Visible Boom Mic: One can be spotted above the door when Candice enters with coffee and drops her tray in "Staying Alive".
- Welcome Episode: While Lady Carlton and Candice had lived together, and Amanda and Jennifer had known each other from childhood, both groups eventually meet in the first episode "Four-Play". Shelley also meets the lot of them for the first time too.
