History Series / Hardware

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'''''Hardware''''' is an Creator/{{ITV}} WorkCom that ran for twelve episodes over two series, from 2003 to 2004. Set in and around Hamway's Hardware Store, London, the show was created by Simon Nye of ''Series/MenBehavingBadly'', and starred Creator/MartinFreeman, then best known for ''Series/TheOfficeUK''.


!!This series contains examples of:

* BungledSuicide: A customer in the first episode who attempted to throw himself under a bus. And missed.
* CasualKink: Anne's interest in bondage, which starts to drain away after she sees how much effort Mike has put into building a perfect restraining device.
-->'''Mike''': I work in a hardware shop. I will not allow a girlfriend of mine to be pegged out on a bed using inferior-quality fixings.
* DelayedReaction: Anne walks into the shop and all the way to the back room before noticing the staff, except for Mike, are all naked.
* ExiledToTheCouch: Inverted when Anne decides to sleep on the sofa after finding out that Mike blabbed about her interest in bondage. Unfortunately, she's still mostly tied to the bed at this point.
* {{Fingore}}: Steve loses a finger while using a buzz saw.
* TheGhost: Kenny's wife and family.
* GilliganCut: Anne makes Mike promise repeatedly that he won't talk about her interest in bondage to the guys at the shop. He does.
* HeelRealisation: Mike, after finding out about the above suicide attempt.
* HypocrisyNod: While talking about a customer who they suspect may be building his own makeshift weapon:
-->'''Julie''': I hate violence. Which is ironic, because I am actually quite violent.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Mike is an asshole who enjoys mocking customers who have no idea what they're doing, but he's still capable of feeling remorse for the impact of his behaviour.
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Kenny, Rex and Steve at the end of "Naked".
* OverlyLongGag: Mike asks Kenny his favourite sexual position. He spends over twenty seconds thinking about it with a variety of expressions, before concluding, "They're all good, aren't they?"
* ParallelPornTitles: Referenced when Mike refers to the ''Literature/KamaSutra'' as "pornography for people who haven't got the guts to go and buy ''[[Film/SavingPrivateRyan Shaving Ryan's Privates]]'' or ''[[Series/TheOfficeUK The Orifice]]''."
* ShoutOut: "Women" opens with a customer asking for [[Series/TheTwoRonnies four candles]].
* ThatPoorCat: Heard after Anne throws her ironing board out the window of her flat.
* TookALevelInKindness: Mike, in the first episode. It doesn't last.
* WeWantOurJerkBack:
-->'''Anne''': Sorry to seem ungrateful, it's just that you've been thoughtful and considerate for.. how long is it?
-->'''Mike''': A day.
-->'''Anne''': God, is that all? But... it's like living with a new person, that's all. It's not you
-->'''Mike''': God, you know, that is actually incredibly smart of you, because, see, all this is about scraping away the layers of crap and finding the real me.
-->'''Anne''': But the crap is the real you!

'''''Hardware''''' is an Creator/{{ITV}} WorkCom that ran for twelve episodes over two series, from 2003 to 2004. Set in and around Hamway's Hardware Store, London, the show was created by Simon Nye of ''Series/MenBehavingBadly'', and starred Creator/MartinFreeman, then best known for ''Series/TheOffice''.

* HypocriticalHumour: While talking about a customer who they suspect may be building his own makeshift weapon:

-->'''Julie''': I hate violence. Which is ironic, because I am actually quite violence.

!!!This series contains examples of:

* PornParallelTitle: Referenced when Mike refers to the ''Literature/KamaSutra'' as "pornography for people who haven't got the guts to go and buy ''[[Film/SavingPrivateRyan Shaving Ryan's Privates]]'' or ''[[Series/TheOfficeUK The Orifice]]''.

* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Kenny, Rex and Steven at the end of "Naked".

'''Hardware''' is an Creator/{{ITV}} WorkCom that ran for twelve episodes over two series, from 2003 to 2004. Set in and around Hamway's Hardware Store, London, the show was created by Simon Nye of Series/MenBehavingBadly, and starred Creator/MartinFreeman, then famous for Series/TheOffice.